The cool, sterile air of the manor corridor acted like a splash of ice water, pulling me out of the suffocating heat of the garden. I pressed my back against the wall for a moment, waiting for my heart to stop its erratic thrumming. I needed to be steady.
"What's the satisfying experience, Roxy?"
"Oh shut up, Plasma."
"Ah my little girl, all grown up now. A few more of these kisses will make it serious."
"Come on Plasma, I needed to be myself, the weary, retired adventurer, not the woman who had just psychically dismantled two Calico brothers."
I turned the corner and nearly walked straight into my old unit. Natalie, Ned, Barry, and Carin were gathered in a small, hushed circle, their voices low and urgent. When Natalie saw me, her sharp, hawk-like gaze softened, though it remained unnervingly observant.
"Roxy," she greeted, her eyes flickering over my flushed face and the slight disarray of my hair.
She took a step closer, her nose wrinkling just slightly.
"You smell like... chocolate. intense, expensive stuff. Did you find a stash somewhere?"
The memory of the kiss, the cloying sweetness, and the violent agony that followed washed over me. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks again, but I forced a casual, tired shrug, letting a weary smile play on my lips.
"I've been stress-eating, I found a box of leftovers. Maybe I went a bit overboard." I said, keeping my tone light and dismissive.
Natalie chuckled, a dry, raspy sound, and she didn't press further. She leaned in, her expression turning serious.
"Roxy, do you want to come with us?"
I tilted my head, offering her a look of genuine confusion.
"Come where?"
"We're heading to the hospital, Luck is out of rehabilitation. We're going to check on the rest of the bronze-ranked members who survived the surge. You should come. They've been asking about you."
Natalie replied, gesturing to the others who were already gathering their cloaks.
My heart gave a painful tug. Luck and Luke. They were part of the foundation of my past, the people who had stood with me when the world felt like it was ending. The thought of the hospital… a place of quiet, of healing, and away from the manipulative games of Maine and the obsessive madness of the Calico brothers, was an oasis.
"I'm coming," I said without a second of hesitation.
I didn't even look back at the garden or the manor. I didn't care if Calix and Cassius were still nursing their agony or if Maine would wonder where I had vanished. I fell into step beside Natalie, the heavy weight of the manor's secrets lifting slightly as we walked toward the town gates.
Leaving the manor felt like stepping out of a fever dream. Whatever dramas were unfolding behind those heavy doors, whatever mysteries were wrapped in velvet boxes or whispered in the roses, could wait. For now, I just wanted to be with people who knew the truth, people who didn't want anything from me but my presence.
"Natalie, first time outside."
"Yes, we were able to make it past recovery, because of White's healing magic, our wounds were treated well."
The air outside the manor gates was crisp, yet the moment those robed figures brushed past us, the temperature seemed to plummet.
"Greetings."
"..."
The robed man didn't reply, it just walked past us, I was just being kind and all. But sensing that teg people beside me seems off.
I didn't pay them much mind at first, just another group of travelers passing through the dusk. But as they continued on, a flash of embroidery on the back of the lead man's cloak caught the moonlight.
My blood turned to ice. It was a crest I hadn't seen in years, one I had prayed I would never see this close to home,
The Bronze Coin Guild.
The name alone was enough to sour the stomach. They weren't just criminals; they were parasites, a syndicate known for trafficking, blackmail, and dismantling anything that stood in their way. Seeing them here, so close to the manor where my friends were hiding, set my instincts screaming. My hand instinctively drifted toward the hilt of the blade hidden beneath my cloak. They were up to something, and it wasn't going to be anything legal.
I pivoted, ready to shadow them, ready to ensure they didn't get near the manor's wards.
"Roxy?"
Natalie's hand clamped firmly onto my shoulder, her grip steady and unyielding. She pulled me back toward the path, her expression unreadable.
"Are we going to the hospital or not? Remember? We promised Luck and Luke we'd be there."
I looked at the robed men disappearing into the distance, then back at Natalie. Her eyes were filled with the simple, desperate hope of a reunion. She didn't know the nightmare that was likely about to unfold at the manor.
Also, I was half injured. I was given up retiring from adventuring, but seeing the robed man walked past us, but I also doubted that these are just some random guys cosplaying to be bandit since I killed the Bronze Coin Guild's leader. Edrie Collon.
If I broke away now, I'd be forced to explain everything, to reveal the dark underbelly of the city that I'd been trying so hard to protect them from. I hesitated, the conflict tearing at my chest, but the image of Luck, frail and waiting in that hospital bed, finally won out.
I let out a shaky, jagged breath and forced my fingers to relax.
"Right, to the hospital. Let's go."
I turned my back on the threat, abandoning the robed men to their shadows as we continued toward our destination.
The moment we pushed through the hospital's heavy glass doors, the atmosphere shifted. It wasn't the sterile, cold environment I expected. Nurses and doctors bustled about with purposeful energy, and as soon as they caught sight of me, their faces lit up.
"Roxy!" We were hoping you'd stop by. The patients who received the serum… they're all recovering beautifully. You saved this town, truly."
The head nurse called out, hurrying over with a genuine, beaming smile.
I felt a flush of genuine humility, bowing my head slightly.
"I just did what needed to be done," I murmured.
Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of breath. Ned Haro, still heavily bandaged and limping slightly, looked at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Woah, you didn't just survive out there, Roxy... you did good deeds for the town. Real ones."
I offered him a small, weary smile.
"It's a long story, Ned. I'll fill you in later."
We moved down the hall, the sounds of healing, the clink of instruments, the low hum of conversation, a stark contrast to the volatile tensions back at the manor. We reached the room designated for the recovery of the bronze-ranked members. I pushed the door open, my heart hammering a nervous rhythm against my ribs.
Luke was there, sitting on the edge of Luck's bed, his expression clouded with fatigue until he looked up and saw us. He froze, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the silver-ranked unit, alive and standing before him.
"You guys..." Luke's voice broke.
He scrambled off the bed, his exhaustion forgotten in a heartbeat. He lunged forward, catching Natalie, Ned, and the others in a chaotic, desperate group hug. It was a messy, loud reunion of clattering armor and stifled sobs, the sound of people who had expected to mourn instead finding each other whole.
I stood back, watching the scene with a lump in my throat. Luck, still tethered to recovery equipment, managed a weak, tired grin from the pillows. He looked pale, but the light in his eyes was returning.
"I told you they'd make it back," Luck rasped, his voice thin but stubborn.
The reunion was a fragile, beautiful thing. Natalie, Ned, Barry, and Carin gathered around the bedside, their voices hushed and reverent as they checked on Luck. He looked frail, his skin still holding the pallor of his long ordeal, but his eyes were sharp, alive with a clarity I hadn't seen in months.
"The guild,"
Luck said, breaking the silence with a soft, steady voice. He squeezed Luck's hand, then looked up at us.
"Luke's been doing better than any of us expected. He's already officially rejoined the guild, and he's done with the water conductor gig. He's retiring from that life for good."
A ripple of genuine shock went through the room. The silver-ranked adventurers exchanged glances. It was unthinkable, the guild was the backbone of everything we were, and in the middle of this chaos, seeing it start to reform its shape, to stabilize, felt like a miracle.
Luck, though weak, propped himself up on one elbow. His gaze drifted to the window, then back to me.
"What about the others, Roxy? Veer... Leonhard. Do you know where they ended up?" he asked, his voice barely a rasp
I hesitated, the memory of their final mission flickering through my mind. They had chosen peace over the blade.
"They're out, they quit the adventuring life entirely. They've started a family, and they're living in a quiet village now. They found the peace we always talked about finding." I said, my voice soft.
A slow, tired smile spread across Luck's face. He looked at the group, at the survivors of the surge, at the people who had risked everything just to stand here in this room.
"I'm glad, we've lost so much, but if they found it... maybe the guild won't shatter as easily as we feared." he whispered.
We stayed like that for a long time, sharing quiet stories, the air thick with the bittersweet comfort of survival. The trauma of the last few weeks seemed to recede, replaced by the simple, grounding reality of our bond.
But the silence of the hospital was short-lived.
Just as I was about to reach for a glass of water, the low, rhythmic thud of hooves against cobblestone echoed from the street below. I stiffened, my hand instinctively dropping to the hilt of the blade I kept hidden beneath my cloak. The sound wasn't the casual trot of a messenger or a merchant. It was heavy, disciplined, and fast.
I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, my breath hitching as I watched the riders gallop past the hospital entrance without even slowing down. They didn't stop. They didn't look up. Their cloaks billowed behind them like dark wings, and their posture, rigid, armored, and purposeful—was unmistakable.
"They aren't stopping," I whispered, the relief hitting me with the force of a physical blow.
Natalie stepped up beside me, her brow furrowed as she watched the procession vanish into the twilight. "The Bureau?" she asked, her voice tight. "Or someone worse?"
I watched them disappear toward the outskirts of town, their path clear and unwavering. My stomach dropped. They were heading toward the manor. The direction they were traveling wasn't toward the commercial district or the barracks, it was the direct route to the estate where I had left the Calico brothers, Maine, and the staff.
"They're heading to the manor," I said,
My voice barely audible over the sudden, frantic thudding of my own heart.
The room, which had felt like a place of healing only a moment ago, was suddenly saturated with a cold, creeping dread. If those riders were from the Bureau or the Knights, and they were descending on the manor, the masquerade I had been playing, the role of the quiet, unassuming maid, was about to be subjected to a level of scrutiny I wasn't prepared for.
If they were there to investigate the disturbances caused by the Calico brothers, or worse, if they had found a trace of what I truly was, everyone inside that manor was now a target.
"Roxy? What is it? What's going on?"
Luck asked from the bed, his voice trembling with a sudden, sharp anxiety.
I turned back to them, forcing my face into a mask of calm that I was far from feeling.
"It's nothing, just some travelers in a hurry. But... I think I need to go back." I lied,
"Back? You said you retired, Roxy. You said you were done with that life. Why go back to a place that's clearly dangerous?"
Natalie moved to block my path, her eyes narrowed in concern.
I looked at my friends, at the people I had sworn to protect, the people who were finally, finally safe and healing. The manor was a viper's nest, but it was my viper's nest. If those riders were coming for the secrets hidden within its walls, I was the only one who could navigate the fallout.
"Because, some of us aren't allowed to stay retired." I said,
I didn't wait for their response. I stepped out into the hallway, the hospital's sterile lights blindingly bright, and broke into a run. The manor was waiting, and I had a feeling the peace of the day was about to be burned to the ground.