"The north of Heim City? A Beastman flying unit?"
Hel didn't dismiss what Vivian said, but she didn't fully believe it either.
She quickly pulled out a scroll, opened it, and began to write.
Before long, neat lines of small letters began to appear at the bottom of the scroll.
Seeing the message, Hel's brows furrowed slightly — but soon another line surfaced, confirming exactly what Vivian had reported.
It was an expensive magical communication scroll, with a limited range that only covered the vicinity of Heim City — a tool that was difficult to craft yet not very practical.
Still, in preparation for defending the city, Hel had distributed one to each of her closest aides.
This time, she had contacted her little maid Anna, who was stationed in Heim Castle with the other maids.
Hel had sent Anna to the northern wall of the inner city to confirm whether a Beastman force was indeed approaching from the air.
At first, Anna had replied that nothing unusual could be seen — but moments later, she reported that an enemy unit had indeed appeared.
According to her message, a group of small black dots was moving toward Heim City through the distant sky.
If not for the keen sight of Anna and the others — far sharper than that of ordinary people — they might have mistaken it for migrating birds.
But Vivian had already known about this Beastman movement.
That… was highly suspicious.
Still — what did it matter to Hel?
She shook her head. Everyone had their own secrets, and she wasn't the type to pry into everything.
More importantly, Vivian was still on her side.
"Alright, don't worry about those Beastmen," Hel said calmly. "I've already sent someone to take care of it."
"O-okay…" Vivian replied, still stunned by Hel's casual tone.
Wait a second — that was a Tier Three Communication Scroll!
Was the Heim family really that rich? A single-use magic tool worth five to six thousand gold coins in the capital, and Hel just used one without a second thought?!
In that instant, Vivian felt an overwhelming sense of financial power radiating from her young lord.
Her confidence in Heim City's defense grew considerably.
But then —
"Miss Vivian," came a sharp voice. "You seemed to know this before anyone else did, and you didn't use any magical device to find out."
Lily's eyes narrowed, her hand resting instinctively on her sword.
"I've never heard of any spell that can transmit such detailed information across that kind of distance.
"And earlier, when you warned us of the Beastman invasion — you knew five days before the rest of the Mandrake Principality.
That's not something an ordinary Church nun should be capable of.
"So… who exactly are you?
Or rather — what organization stands behind you?"
Lily's voice carried a dangerous edge. Her instincts screamed that something about Vivian wasn't right.
The girl's calmness, her insight, her knowledge — it all felt too perfect.
In truth, Lily wasn't just suspicious — she was afraid.
Afraid that if Vivian ever turned against Hel, they wouldn't even know how they'd been struck down.
Though Lily didn't think Vivian was evil, that wasn't the same as being trustworthy.
After all, they themselves weren't "good people" either.
If their secret identities were ever exposed — or if the Church decided to act against them — it could mean disaster.
As Hel's personal guard, Lily couldn't gamble her lord's life on anyone else's mercy.
Vivian stood frozen, momentarily at a loss for words.
Her secret — she could never reveal it.
She had only used her gift to protect Heim City, and now that act had drawn suspicion to her.
She didn't blame Lily; it was her duty.
But she couldn't explain herself, either.
Just as she began to consider whether she should run —
Hel cleared her throat softly, breaking the tense silence.
"Alright, Lily," Hel said evenly. "Everyone has their secrets. We don't need to know everything — we just need to know who's on our side, and who isn't."
She turned toward Vivian, her face softening into a gentle smile.
"I'm sorry if you were frightened, Miss Vivian. Lily was only worried for my safety — that's why she acted so rashly.
"But please rest assured — as long as you stand to protect Heim City, you'll always be our friend. And we never force our friends to reveal what they don't want to share."
"…Thank you, my lord," Vivian murmured, still stunned.
She had fully expected to be exposed and hunted down today.
But instead, Hel had chosen to trust her.
Weren't nobles supposed to be arrogant and self-centered?
Even if Hel hid it well, Vivian had assumed she'd be like the others — proud and condescending.
Yet here he was, a twelve-year-old — apologizing to her subordinate.
To Hel, this was nothing unusual — but in a rigid feudal world, it was unthinkable.
That small difference in worldview — that little misunderstanding between two people from different worlds — made Vivian look at her young lord with new eyes.
Curiosity. Admiration. Even… a hint of affection.
"Miss Lily is only fulfilling her duty," Vivian said finally, bowing her head. "Please don't blame her, my lord.
I cannot reveal the source of my information — but I swear to you, I will always stand on your side."
Meanwhile, on the northern inner wall of Heim City —
Anna stood silently with three young maids beside her.
"Boss, they're coming," said Maid No. 1, her expression serious as she gazed into the distance.
Anna blinked, confused.
Wait — who was coming?
Why didn't she see anything?!
"Boss, should I shoot?" Maid No. 1 asked, already raising her magic rifle.
"I told you not to call me 'Boss!'" Anna scolded, trying to sound proper.
"Call me Anna. As maids of the Heim family, we must maintain elegance. Only by staying elegant can we—"
Before she could finish, Maid No. 1 had already pulled the trigger.
A sharp crack rang out as a concentrated magic bullet shot across the sky.