Chapter 18: A New Home, New Allies, and a Familiar Face

That night, the Angelic Church suffered a complete downfall.

Two days later, Naya and her companions found themselves on the streets of Dawn City. They stood before a remarkable gift from the Second Prince, a generous magnate.

It was an unoccupied two-story apartment building, a welfare benefit bestowed upon them.

“The house is a bit on the smaller side,” Ael began, “but its location is truly excellent. Sign the papers, and it’s officially yours. No more staying in inns.”

Naya had never, even in her wildest dreams, imagined owning a house in Dawn City. As for Leon, his astonishment was even greater.

It was his very first visit to Dawn City, his first completed mission, and he was already being rewarded with a house.

Naturally, this was no ordinary task, nor one that just anyone could have accomplished.

“The Second Prince is truly too generous,” Leon mused, deeply impressed.

“Nonsense,” Ael replied. “You helped us bring down the Angelic Church. This is merely a well-deserved reward.”

She continued, “The Second Prince even inquired if you would like a servant assigned to your household.”

“There’s no need,” Liuli interjected softly. “Liuli can manage everything.”

“Exactly,” Naya chimed in. “We can handle the cleaning ourselves. Speaking of which, Ael, are you still refusing any reward for yourself?”

“Actually, I did ask the Second Prince for something,” Ael confessed, “but it hasn’t materialized yet. Never mind him for now!”

“Ael, you’re welcome to stay here anytime you wish,” Leon suddenly proposed. “Or better yet, why not join Naya’s and my adventure party?”

Leon fully expected a refusal, but Ael merely cast a glance at him and offered a smile.

“That’s an excellent proposition,” she declared. “Yes, it’s settled then! Liuli, you should join us too. The wealthy Rothschild has also been arrested by the king for allegedly funding cult activities.”

“One might say he received his just deserts! So, Liuli, you are free.”

“Liuli believes it would be safer to follow you,” Liuli murmured, her gaze still fixed on Leon.

Naya, with the keen intuition of a woman, observed that the way Liuli looked at Leon was anything but ordinary.

The Paladin maiden joined the party—

The Mage maiden joined the party—

Current party size: four members.

However, formal enrollment required registration at the Adventurers’ Guild. Fortunately, its headquarters was conveniently located in Dawn City, merely a few blocks away.

Naya paused, pen hovering, as she considered Liuli’s profession. In an era where mages were virtually extinct, listing ‘mage’ would undoubtedly cause a stir.

After a moment’s thought, she ultimately wrote down ‘Priest’.

Warrior, Priest, Paladin, Priest (Mage)…

When this unusual lineup was presented to the administrator, he fixed Leon with a look of utter disbelief.

As he put it: “There are over 170 registered parties without a single priest. What exactly are you trying to achieve, bringing three healers with you?”

Especially when all three were young maidens.

“Oh—? Isn’t that Naya?”

Naya’s distinctive flowing white hair made her instantly recognizable to an acquaintance. The man who greeted her was a knight, clad in an expensive suit of armor that bespoke high quality.

Behind him stood his teammates—three men and one woman—each proudly displaying a one-star adventurer medal.

“Why did you change parties?” he blurted out. “Where are Hissou and the others? Good heavens, you’re not, by any chance, the legendary ‘toxic healer,’ are you?”

He reached out, intending to pat Naya’s head, but she recoiled, deftly evading his touch.

“Could you please refrain from such remarks?”

“Uh—apologies, I was only joking,” the knight stammered, looking visibly embarrassed.

“Naya, you’ve been working so hard; your new party has already earned a one-star medal. We’re off to challenge the A-rank Butcher. Let’s all give it our best!”

With a wave, the knight departed with his companions. Naya remained standing there, a faint shadow settling over her heart.

“What is this ‘Butcher’?”

“It’s a massive goblin,” Ael explained. “The outermost labyrinth district of Ilranto has recently opened, and it’s quickly become the most popular adventuring location.”

Ilranto, the mage capital at the continent’s heart, had its outermost regions—those closest to the Four Kingdoms—overrun by goblins after the recent catastrophe.

The Four Kingdoms had adopted a policy of eradicating all threats from these labyrinthine zones, systematically reclaiming territories once held by mages.

Ael led Leon, Naya, and Liuli towards a public bulletin board, which was plastered with bounty posters for various types of goblins.

Among them, the Butcher was identified as the most formidable variant goblin encountered thus far.

“It seems the momentum is quite good,” Ael remarked.

Leon’s gaze swept across the bulletin board, and he noticed something peculiar: nestled among the goblin bounties was a human.

“Why is a human on the bounty list?” he wondered aloud.

“They must be those infamous bounty bandits!” Ael declared. “The very same group we first encountered!”

Leon scrutinized the image of the black-haired woman on the poster, and for a fleeting moment, he was utterly stunned.

“How could this be possible?!”

Leon genuinely questioned if his eyes were deceiving him. The poster clearly stated:

[S-rank Bounty Bandit: Vanessa. Note: Extremely Dangerous!!!]

Then, Liuli’s voice reached his ears.

“She was Liuli’s master when I was at the Rothschild estate.”

‘This must be a joke—right?’

“Is she someone you know, Leon?” Naya inquired.

“She… she’s my benefactor,” Leon murmured.

***

Meanwhile, the black-haired woman from the poster stood before the Rothschild courtyard, utterly bewildered by the scene before her.

The estate was in ruins, as if an explosion had ripped through it. Even the imposing iron gate at the entrance had been violently torn from its hinges.

“Trouble befell the estate during your absence,” the Gardener explained, having removed his bird-head mask. “The Angelic Church has fallen, and the master was implicated in its downfall.”

“And Liuli?”

“The master offered her to the Angelic Church,” he replied.

The black-haired woman frowned. “Who is responsible for this devastation?”

“It was a Paladin and a Priest from the Aio Order,” the Gardener recounted. “And a black-clad, black-haired male swordsman.”

“His swordsmanship was exceptional; he was even able to match my speed.”

“There are hardly any individuals on the entire continent who can match your speed, are there?” she mused. “Black-clad, black-haired, you say?”

Vanessa Rothschild hoisted her sword onto her shoulder, a stance that bore a striking resemblance to Leon’s.

“How old was he?” she pressed. “Did he have delicate features?”