Chapter 38: The Sword Saint Sleeps Under a Bridge

As the new moon rose, a magic train rolled into Tarrilberg, a border city, under silvery moonlight.

The door opened, and passengers disembarked one by one.

Amid the crowd, Chloe, lugging her travel bag, stepped off the train, exhaustion etched on her face.

After two days and a night in the cheapest third-class carriage, she was still drained despite just waking up.

Leaving the station, she gazed at the star-studded sky, squinting in the gentle breeze.

‘I just want to lie down somewhere…’

Rubbing her eyes, she spotted a curved arch bridge nearby.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she headed toward it.

By the time she reached the bridge, her back ached from sitting in the cramped seat for so long without moving.

‘Almost time to rest…’

Though she tried to encourage herself, she wasn’t confident.

In the human empire, bridge underpasses were usually occupied.

But vampire territory, being a higher race, was far wealthier, with a higher standard of living.

So, Chloe held a sliver of hope.

When she reached the bridge, her worries vanished.

No one was there, no signs of anyone living there.

She was the first.

It made sense.

With the vampires’ generous welfare system and their naturally strong bodies and magical aptitude, any vampire could become a powerhouse among lesser races.

Even as a mercenary or bodyguard, they wouldn’t end up sleeping under a bridge.

Like the train attendant who’d helped with her luggage.

She’d said she couldn’t freely control mana at Chloe’s age and envied her talent, unaware that for many lesser races, sensing mana was a lifelong impossibility.

Chloe set her bag down, sat, and ate a quick breakfast.

Then, using her bag as a pillow, she stared blankly at the sky.

‘What now?’

She didn’t know.

Since Larvia rejected her, things had spiraled beyond her expectations.

She didn’t know what to do, only that after her outburst, there was no place for her in the palace. So she left.

Looking back, she admitted she’d gone too far.

‘I’m a Sword Saint…’

‘Who’d have thought I’d act so recklessly in the palace?’

‘I was so bold.’

‘She’s the queen, and I, a mere maid, dared talk to her like that.’

Chloe gave a self-deprecating smile.

Two days later, her name was probably struck from the palace records.

She wondered what Silia would think.

Sleepiness crept in, and Chloe closed her eyes, her consciousness fading.

When she woke, she found dozens of copper coins, two pieces of bread, and a few blood vials beside her.

Someone must’ve thought she was homeless.

Chloe felt a bit down.

From empire Sword Saint to royal maid, she’d somehow turned herself into a vagrant.

It was her own stubbornness that led to this.

If she’d apologized to Larvia, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

‘Regret, regret, so much regret!’

She tugged at her hair in frustration.

But back then, after Larvia toyed with her, how could she just meekly apologize?

Getting up, she checked her pocket watch and realized she’d slept until noon.

The long rest refreshed her spirit, but her stomach growled.

‘So hungry. Shouldn’t have run off.’

Staring at the bread and blood vials from the kind stranger, she hesitated before packing them into her bag.

Vampire territory’s wealth meant better education and fewer criminals than human lands, but she still didn’t trust eating a stranger’s food.

‘Only if I’m desperate.’

She pocketed the copper coins and stood.

‘So hungry…’

She pulled out half a biscuit from her bag and took two bites.

Frowning, she put it back.

‘Gross.’

‘No more dry rations.’

‘But what else can I eat?’

Then it hit her.

In the empire, she’d heard many vampire cities had relief stations offering free food and shelter.

With a glimmer of hope, she packed up and crawled out from under the bridge.

After lying there all morning, she was filthy, her stunning looks dulled by dirty clothes.

On the way to the relief station, people seemed to keep their distance.

Chloe felt a bit down.

But her mood lifted the moment she stepped into the relief station.

No matter how bad she felt, the staff member’s bright, genuine smile melted it away.

“How can I help you?”

Seeing the woman’s heartfelt smile and thinking of her own plight, Chloe felt shy.

“Um… I need a place to stay and some food… is that okay?”

She hid her dirty face under her hood, speaking timidly.

“Of course. Please register first.”

After registering, the woman led her to a room.

“Here’s your room, little miss. Lunch will be brought soon.”

“Okay.”

Chloe cautiously pushed open the door.

The room was clean—not as nice as her palace bedroom but comparable to a city inn costing a few silver coins a day.

‘Is this really okay?’

She was a bit nervous.

But then she thought, if no one claimed the bridge, no one here would need to scam her.

Besides, she was a third-tier mage and swordmaster. Even against a fourth-tier mage, she could hold her own.

Without a sword, as a Sword Saint, any sword-like object would do—even a stick.

Chloe set down her bag, sat on a chair, and waited for lunch.

Meanwhile, the woman who’d helped Chloe went backstage, beaming.

“Why so happy today?” a colleague starting the afternoon shift asked.

“You won’t believe it—I hit the jackpot!”

“Jackpot?”

“Yup! I saw Her Majesty yesterday!”

“For real?”

“Swear! She told me to treat everyone who comes these days like inn guests, with set meals. All expenses can be reimbursed by the welfare bureau, and she gave me a huge bonus!”

She opened her wallet, showing off a pile of silver coins.

“That’s amazing! Why didn’t I get that…?”

“Don’t worry, Her Majesty gave bonuses to everyone at the station! She just doesn’t want us advertising it. Probably to avoid a flood of people. In the past month, only that one girl came… poor but lucky kid…”