"Wandering merchant... Isn't that something we could do right now? We're already living a life of traveling from place to place, so if we just buy things to sell and carry them with us... And..."
"And?"
"There's one more thing. Since we don't need to hire adventurers for protection, we'd save a lot of money compared to other wandering merchants."
Dragon Fly said this with a playful expression.
"That makes sense... Now that I think about it, the life of a wandering merchant isn't really a new life for us. We might make more money, but we're not short on money right now."
Tiger Beetle smiled and scooped a spoonful of oatmeal porridge to eat.
"Shall we change the topic then? Imagining other lives feels like we're not satisfied with our current one, so I just wanted to touch on it lightly."
"I don't mind."
"Hmm... Let's talk about something more realistic."
"Like what?"
"How about we talk about what we'll do after we leave this tavern?"
"I was thinking of finding a suitable place to sleep until sunset. Is that a plan?"
"I was planning to make some chalk for the sigils."
"Hmm? Don't we have plenty of chalk for the Veil Sigil?"
"Yes, we do. I meant the chalk for the Poison Breath Sigil."
Tiger Beetle drew the shape of the sigil on the table with a fingertip while speaking.
"Will we need it? Today's quest target is... I mean... we don't need it, right?"
Dragon Fly whispered, mindful of the people around.
"Yes. Since we need to capture them alive for the client, the Poison Breath Sigil won't be used. And we shouldn't use it."
"Right... Then why are you making the chalk?"
"I don't know. It's hard to explain... Can I just say it's a premonition?"
Tiger Beetle lowered gaze and voice in response to Dragon Fly's question.
"For the Poison Breath chalk... What do we need?"
"Um... We need moss flower mushrooms and gray-black clown mushrooms. I wonder if we can get them in Ves-Dinas..."
"We can probably find them at a tool shop or an alchemy supply store. Anyway, you remember them well, even though it's not a sigil we use often."
"Hehe. Grong's sigilcraft is my specialty."
Tiger Beetle, pleased by the rare compliment from Dragon Fly, touched the eyebrows and smiled.
"Is that so?"
"That's mean."
"What is?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
Tiger Beetle closed mouth tightly, pouted, then let out a big sigh and spoke in a weak voice.
"Then, since we have plenty of time before we start working, shall we look around the city?"
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes. Come to think of it, staying in a city during a festival is rare, so after we get the ingredients for the sigil chalk, let's enjoy the festival too."
"Oh... Yes! I'll gladly enjoy it, Dragon Fly!"
In a room bathed in warm sunlight, various sizes of oil paintings adorned the walls. A woman sat on an elegant, high-quality chair carved with floral patterns, wearing a jet-black dress embroidered with golden leaves.
With her gaze lowered to a small book in one hand, the only sound was the occasional rustle as she turned the pages.
Her long, lightly braided golden hair exuded elegance.
Her transparent white skin made the yellow topaz necklace stand out even more. She occasionally touched the necklace's chain, biting her red lips slightly as she read, furrowing her brow as if trying to imprint each sentence into her mind.
Yilda Vanas. Born into the Vanas grand ducal family after Ratak Vanas and Ruyan Vanas, Yilda Vanas came into the world with unique physical characteristics befitting her noble birth.
Golden eyes. In the not-so-short history of the kingdom, there was no precedent for such uniquely colored eyes.
Her beautiful face and smile were overshadowed by her eyes, said to be the most beautiful in the world, captivating both men and women alike.
Because of her eyes, she was known as 'the lady with the most beautiful eyes in the world' among the people of the castle and the city, but she also had another nickname far removed from her beauty.
Basilisk. This nickname was given by some nobles who had conversed with her, due to her emotionless expression and piercing gaze that seemed to see through people.
However, the members of the Vissting Knight Order who followed her orders, along with General Wint, one of the grand duke's generals, seemed to favor the latter nickname—the Basilisk, the king of snakes.
As the sunlight filled the room, making Yilda's eyes shine even more beautifully, the door opened, and someone entered, quietly approaching her side as she remained engrossed in her book.
"Could you wait a moment, Milanda?"
Her voice was cold, with little inflection. Her gaze stayed fixed on the book.
"Yes, I will wait."
A woman in black leather armor, her face covered with a mask and a deeply pulled hood, responded.
Her attire was striking: shoulder and arm armor made of tightly overlapping leather scales like those of a dragon, and her clothes and mask concealed every bit of skin, making her look like a black shadow standing beside Yilda.
The sound of pages turning echoed a few more times, and as silence began to fill the room, the book snapped shut. Yilda stretched her arms forward, easing her stiff body, then turned her head to look at Milanda with those golden eyes.
"Thank you for waiting. Is there something I need to hear?"
With a slight movement of her lips, Yilda greeted her and spoke, then turned her head again and extended a hand to offer Milanda a seat.
"I've come to report regarding Clent."
Milanda carefully moved the chair without making a sound and sat down.
"Ah, I think I already know. They're the two people we hired, spending half of this summer's profits."
"Yes, as you said, it was handled well. And this was found in his residence."
Milanda took a book with a dark leather cover from her bosom and handed it to Yilda.
"So it did exist. The list of separatist nobles he was funding..."
Yilda opened the book, scanning the small letters and quickly flipping through the pages.
"Familiar names... Lalanche... Bolderman... Bliv... Pelta... And some unexpected ones too."
Yilda's eyes narrowed, her expression turning fierce.
The separatists Yilda mentioned were a group supporting Ruyan Vanas, her brother, in his claim to the title.
Compared to the higher-ranking Ratak Vanas, the inheritance and lands Ruyan would receive were not insignificant. Thus, some expected the House Vanas's power to naturally divide and weaken when the two sons inherited their titles.
However, something unexpected happened.
Ruyan Vanas renounced all his inheritance rights, declaring that all titles, lands, and wealth should go to his brother Ratak and sister Yilda, and announced he would live as a free adventurer.
This caused a stir among the House Kavil, rivals of the House Vanas, and the Crown, wary of the growing power of the Vanas.
To weaken the Lion of Vanald, they politically maneuvered to create a faction supporting Ruyan's legitimate inheritance rights—the separatist group Yilda referred to.
"I've placed surveillance on the individuals listed here, as per the leader's... ahem, the commander's orders."
"You need to get used to the title, Milanda. It's no longer a bandit group but the Vissting Knight Order."
"Yes, I understand."
Milanda answered, touching the emblem of a red-feathered bird inside her collar—the symbol of the Vissting Knight Order.
"But is the knight commander still unhappy about being called the Sparrows of Vanas?"
Yilda covered her mouth with one hand and asked Milanda in a playful tone.
"Uh... well... yes. A little... slightly dissatisfied, it seems. Even hiring those two..."
Milanda hesitated, feeling that even a small lie couldn't be told to those golden eyes staring at her.
"Could you tell the commander that the Vissting Knight Order's duties under the House Vanas are not assassination or kidnapping?"
"Yes, Lady Yilda."
Yilda's voice, soft yet authoritative, carried the weight of a lady commanding her knights.
"Oh, right. There's a crossbow shooting competition in this Grand Tournament. Wasn't there a member good with crossbows? Meladi, was it?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"How about sending Meladi? It would be a good opportunity to showcase the Vissting Knight Order's skills."
"Well... Meladi is currently on a mission to monitor those two."
"Is that so? That's a shame."
Yilda closed the book with the list, sighed deeply, and said.
The room fell silent again.
After a while, the faint sound of a bird could be heard from afar, followed by silence.
Yilda, deep in thought with her eyes closed, exhaled softly, audible to Milanda.
"Tonight, right?"
"Yes."
"At the warehouse by the harbor?"
"Yes, Lady Yilda."
"A late-night outing... It's been a while. How many members are scheduled to accompany me as escorts?"
"The commander plans to accompany you with five others."
"Isn't that too many? You alone would be sufficient, Milanda."
"I'm not sure if the commander will allow it. The harbor at night is dangerous."
Milanda said with a troubled voice.
"I'll speak to the knight commander directly. I've put you in a difficult position."
"No, thank you for your consideration."
"I can rest a bit until then."
Yilda closed her eyes again, leaning back in her chair, feeling fatigued.
"But... Lady Yilda."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Do we really need to hire assassins for the separatists... Is it necessary?"
Milanda spoke carefully, wary of offending her lady.
"I'm not killing all of them. If I killed everyone who disagreed, that wouldn't do."
Yilda opened her eyes, stood up from her chair, and said.
"Only those who must be eliminated will be killed. I thought I should do what my brother Ratak cannot... Rotten parts must be cut out."
Yilda turned her head to look at Milanda, her eyes reflecting the sunlight, shining even brighter.
Before Milanda could be captivated by those beautiful golden eyes, Yilda's cold expression and voice made her feel as if she were facing a fierce beast with unwavering golden eyes.