Chapter 20: The S-Rank and Naya’s Choice

Naya nodded.

“Wait for me a moment, I’ll change my clothes.”

Seeing Leon’s urgency, Naya hastened her pace. She quickly changed into her priest uniform before reopening the door.

“Let’s go!” Leon, without a second thought, took her hand.

Naya blushed.

Her hand was simply held by Leon, and just like that, they left the house.

“Leon, where will we look for your master…?”

“We’re going to the Rothschild manor. With so many people living there, I refuse to believe no one knows her whereabouts!”

Naya stole a glance at him. It was the first time she had seen such a somber expression on Leon since they had met.

They continued walking.

As they walked along the street leading to the Rothschild manor, they suddenly heard a bloodcurdling scream!

***

A few minutes earlier—

Under the canopy of stars, a black-haired woman in a black trench coat walked the street, a blood-red, crystal-clear sword resting on her shoulder. Her posture bore a striking resemblance to Leon’s.

Before her stood five adventurers.

“Vanessa, I can’t believe you dared to return to Dawn City!” The speaker was the very knight who had unsuccessfully tried to pat Naya’s head earlier that day. He and his companions were all one-star elite adventurers.

The black-haired woman, facing five opponents, confronted them.

“Oh? Is this a hunter’s tracking skill?”

“That’s right! It’s your bad luck to run into us tonight!” the huntress, ‘Hawkeye’ Freya, said coldly.

Unexpectedly, the black-haired woman merely smiled.

“Come at me all at once. I’m in a hurry; I have an important guest to entertain shortly.”

“How dare you underestimate us!”

“Prepare to die—!”

They charged forward simultaneously.

The black-haired woman gave a chilling smile, and then, in an instant, she vanished! Her speed was too blinding for the eye to follow.

In the blink of an eye, she had flashed from in front of the first adventurer to behind the fifth. Her sword rose and fell—then was sheathed—and blood splattered across the scene from all five.

Logically, this team consisted of one-star adventurers; they shouldn’t have been weak! Yet, they were all instantly killed.

“If this is your level, why even bother being adventurers? Go home and farm,” the black-haired woman stated, walking away without a backward glance, leaving behind five people on the verge of becoming corpses.

***

Time slipped away, second by second, and the knight’s consciousness began to fade. In his dying moments, he saw Naya! She was leaning over him—was it a hallucination?

He felt the light of a healing spell—and was pulled back from the brink of death!

“It’s… S-rank… Vanessa…!” he uttered with great difficulty.

“I’ll go after her first. I finally found her; she absolutely can’t get away!” Without another word, Leon dashed off.

“Leon—!” Naya’s voice had barely left her lips, but Leon was already gone, vanished from sight.

Naya gazed at the five people bleeding profusely, each with fatal wounds. The agonizing memory of the dark armor incident seemed to return.

‘Leon’s master… she’s strong… incredibly strong… and she kills without batting an eye. I can’t possibly let Leon face her alone!’

‘No—! I must go to Leon!’ Naya thought. She was about to leave the knight on the ground and give chase when the knight suddenly grabbed her leg.

“Don’t leave us… save us…” the knight pleaded, spitting blood. “Please! Save me!”

Naya froze, every nerve in her body tingling at that moment. On one side was Leon, and on the other were five people who would surely die if left unattended! How was she to choose?

“I understand,” Naya said, kneeling before the huntress. ‘I must first stop the bleeding for everyone! Their lives must be saved!’

As a priest of Aio, salvation was her responsibility. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to abandon them.

“I… I’ll do my best! I’ll heal you all in the shortest time possible!”

She spoke, her voice trembling.

“And then I’ll go to Leon—!”