Chapter 32: Loyalty
The sky gradually dimmed, the stars and moon faded, and as dark clouds rolled, snow began to fall once more.
The sky, which had been torn apart by shattered star arcs, was once again covered with clouds driven by the wind. Light snowflakes drifted down slowly, at first almost unnoticed, but later turning into fluffy snow like willow catkins and dandelion seeds, then growing into sudden heavy snow like goose feathers.
Moldova was farther north than Moldavia, and half the year it was buried beneath ice and snow.
In this snow, on the city walls, resting knights were waiting for the orderly to notify them of their accommodations. Wearing armor, having removed their helmets, they placed their weapons beside their warhorses, breathing quietly. Occasional soft conversations drifted through the crowd.
"Hey, that shadow that suddenly appeared just now—shouldn't that be the Lord's head maid?"
Near the spiral staircase, a young knight with sharp eyes saw his lord and that blonde Gold-rank swordsman quickly walking toward the central tower on the side, and the corner of his eye caught a trace of silver turning.
He immediately turned to his companion and asked curiously, "I've been wanting to ask this for a while—why did the Lord bring his head maid along? We've been traveling the whole time without any breaks... And that young lady disappeared halfway through, no one knows where she went. Now she suddenly appears again?"
"Don't worry about so many things."
An older knight who seemed experienced and composed shook his head and said, "The Lord doesn't need to explain his actions to you... In other words, the question you're asking is completely meaningless. And do you know what a Shadow Guard is?"
"What's that?"
"You can understand just from the name."
The young knight was full of curiosity, and the older knight was happy to answer: "Generally speaking, to ensure their own safety, important figures—whether going out or fighting—usually bring several guards and elite soldiers. Even our Lord, as powerful as he is, occasionally faces danger... But ordinary guards can't always be by their side, so the profession of Shadow Guard came into being."
He explained patiently: "Shadow Guards have an ability called Shadow Concealment. They can hide in someone's shadow, following the target they need to protect at any time—of course, it can also be used for assassination, but compared to similar Shadow Assassins, their power leans more toward defense."
"According to rumors, I've heard that the old Count's steward, Mr. Fan, is a Shadow Guard. This young head maid, if nothing unexpected happens, should be Mr. Fan's junior or apprentice. When she disappeared, she was probably hiding in the Lord's shadow."
"Maybe..."
"You guys are really long-winded. What's there to talk about with this kind of thing?"
Another knight joined the conversation. This guy casually said, "Whatever her profession, whatever her disappearing act—since the Lord hasn't said anything, we don't need to worry about it. Shouldn't a knight just focus on how to kill enemies?"
"True."
"Indeed."
After a moment of silence, they nodded in agreement. The knights who had been talking immediately gave up thinking about such meaningless matters. They shrugged and said, "Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Just focus on our own battles."
The Divine Mechanism girl naturally wouldn't know that she had already become a mysterious Shadow Guard in others' eyes—who knows how they guessed that—but it wasn't a big deal anyway.
With hurried footsteps, the three had arrived at the central tower.
Countless snowflakes fell slowly. In the cold wind, two banners representing the Skarant family—[Red Background, Gold Thread, Six-Pointed Star]—stood at the entrance, flapping loudly. Since all combat strength was gathered at the city wall, there were no knight guards at the tower's main gate, only a few maids with hurried expressions coming and going.
And a beautiful maid with short silver hair and sapphire-like eyes stood expressionlessly at the door. She saw Brandon leading Joshua and Ying from afar, walking quickly, and naturally stepped forward to meet them. She said softly to Brandon, "Sir, the lady is in the bedroom now. Her condition isn't very good... You should go see her first."
"Alright, I'll go right away!"
The blonde swordsman's eyes were full of worry, but just before he set off, he turned back to the warrior and his companions with a hint of apology and said, "I'm sorry, I now..."
"No need to say more."
Extending a hand, Joshua shook his head, stopping the other's explanation, and said briefly, "Go quickly."
Letting out a breath, Brandon said to the silver-haired, blue-eyed maid, "Miss Ye, take the two distinguished guests to the reception room. I'll be there shortly."
"Yes."
Hearing the composed maid agree, the blonde swordsman turned and immediately set off, walking deep into the tower with hurried, anxious steps.
"..."
What a good man, caring for his wife.
Before he could continue his thoughts, the blue-eyed, silver-haired maid named Ye was already standing before Joshua and Ying. She lowered her head, gave a slight bow, and then continued in that emotionless voice, saying softly, "Please follow me. The reception room isn't far; we'll be there soon... You can wait there for the lady and sir to arrive."
"Thank you."
Without saying much, the black-haired warrior followed the maid through the tower. After turning two corridors, a spacious room with luxurious and comfortable decor appeared before his eyes.
A beige woolen carpet covered the floor. Warm air came from the burning fireplace. Exquisite paintings hung on all four walls, with several comfortable-looking chairs beside them. Under a chandelier made of white crystal and Glowstone, a small potted plant, verdant and dripping with green, sat in the center of the large table. Faint blue-green patterns could be seen rising and falling on the plant's surface, flickering unsteadily—it was clearly a magical plant.
"If you have any requests, you can tell the maids outside."
Standing at the reception room's entrance, Ye did not enter. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if her mind was elsewhere, but the maid still spoke in a respectful tone, dutifully saying, "They will do their best to meet the needs of the two distinguished guests."
"You're too polite."
After thinking for a moment, Joshua didn't actually stand on ceremony. He looked down at his body, which was half-exposed after the Black Dragon's chaotic dragon breath attack, and directly said, "Then please bring me a set of fitting clothes."
Ye did not reply, only nodded slightly. Then she turned and whispered a few instructions to the maid beside her, and then turned decisively, walking toward the spiral staircase leading to the upper floors of the tower.
With a warrior's hearing, he could naturally tell that this maid, who had seemed so calm and quiet before, now had hurried footsteps, even somewhat rushed, as if she were very anxious.
"They're all very loyal."
Sitting in a chair, Joshua said casually. Then the warrior turned his head to look at Ying, who stood behind him and hadn't spoken from the start. He smiled, reached out, and patted her head in praise, saying, "Ying is also very loyal. You performed really well today. Many magical beasts have bones so hard that lances can't pierce them, but under your blade, they were torn apart like paper... Don't just stand there dumbly. Sit down."
Saying this, the warrior seemed to recall the scene of fierce battle, his heart stirred, and he couldn't help but begin reminiscing again.
Hearing her master's praise, Ying was naturally very happy. The silver-haired Divine Mechanism girl turned her head to look at her master, expecting to see his smile, but she only found the black-haired warrior looking up at the reception room's ceiling, where the crystal chandelier hung, his eyes hazy, as if he were recalling something he found very interesting.