The morning sunlight streamed through the carriage window and fell on her face. Maggie slowly opened her eyes and saw Nesser looking at her with a worried expression.
"Is your sister alright? Nesser has been calling for you for so long, but you haven't woken up."
Nesser's youthful voice seemed both near and far, leaving Maggie momentarily unable to distinguish between reality and a dream.
She didn't sleep well last night, probably because of the folded space.
I had a...somewhat scary dream.
Maggie lowered her eyes to hide the gloom in them, put the dream behind her, forced a smile, and softly responded to Nesser.
"I'm fine, it's probably because I haven't rested well."
Upon receiving her answer, Nesser relaxed slightly, finally no longer as worried as before.
"As expected, I'll have to stay by my sister's side next time."
Nesser pursed her lips, perhaps regretting that she had asked Perkin to protect her yesterday instead of staying by her side the whole time.
"good."
Maggie's expression softened as she reached out and patted Nesser's head, her gesture conveying a sense of reassurance.
【This Nesser is so adorable, the thought of returning him to the Forest God makes me so sad.】
Her affection for Nesser was pure, without a trace of personal desire. However, every time she looked into his clear, pale red glass eyes, Maggie could imagine the scene of the gods fighting for the position of the chief god in the future.
A mage as skilled as Nesser will surely heed the call of the Elf Mother Tree and return to the Green Forest to fight for their god.
Even if Maggie doesn't intend to get involved in the war of the gods in the slightest, and won't take sides, she is, after all, human. Standing idly by is the limit; she can't possibly choose to help the elves.
However, all of this was predicated on the fact that she was able to live peacefully and safely at that time, and that no one threatened her life.
Nesser blinked, then suddenly grabbed Maggie's arm as she was patting his head, his eyes flashing with seriousness.
"Sister, I will never leave you."
Maggie was still lost in her regret when she heard Nesser's sudden, solemn assurance to her, and she was clearly taken aback.
"Of course, I trust Nesser the most."
She then adopted a coaxing attitude, not taking Nesser's words too seriously.
[You'll see when the time comes; elves can't resist the call of the Elven Mother Tree. Our Nesser is still just a cub, so innocently adorable.]
As two completely different words mingled in his ears, Nesser's pure and bright eyes visibly darkened, and his expression subtly revealed a gloomy mood. However, Maggie's gaze was fixed on the top of his soft hair, and she did not notice this detail.
...
The carriage set off again. Although the route they chose this time wasn't too close to Thorn Castle, it was still relatively easy to reach. However, for someone of Maggie's status, the journey was still somewhat troublesome.
She needs to find a suitable reason to leave the team alone.
Last time, she had that unfortunate vampire lord Greta as a shield; this time, she'll have to think of something else.
Maggie lifted the curtain of the car window and observed her surroundings. She never expected that she would make eye contact with a man standing on a tree branch as they passed by.
"???"
The figure that flashed by was like a ghost, and several question mark mushrooms sprouted from Maggie's head.
Who would stand in a tree like a thief for no reason?
But this is a magical world, so it makes perfect sense when you think about it.
Maggie calmly lowered the carriage curtain, preparing to continue thinking of a solution, but unexpectedly the carriage suddenly stopped.
Immediately afterwards, the sound of a paladin knocking on the window came from outside, his tone questioning.
"Your Highness, someone is blocking our way. They seem to be from the Blood Hunter Guild. Do you wish to see them?"
The Blood Hunter Guild? Is it Gillian? Or someone else?
Maggie's mind was racing, but she showed no sign of distress on the surface. Instead, she gently opened the carriage door and nodded to the paladin.
"There must be something important, otherwise they wouldn't have stopped my carriage. It wouldn't hurt to get out and meet them."
She used the momentum to get off the carriage and turned around to see the man she had accidentally glimpsed from the tree earlier. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, with strong features and a muscular build. He wasn't exactly handsome, but he could be described as a tough guy. His eyes were sharp, like those of an eagle in the sky.
His appearance surprisingly suits his identity as a vampire hunter.
"Your Highness, I have just received intelligence that a village ahead may be attacked by vampires tonight. The other hunters do not have time to come. Could you..."
His posture was neither humble nor arrogant; he appeared to be seeking help, but throughout his speech, he maintained a fearless and open eye contact with Maggie.
Maggie keenly sensed something unusual. This hunter didn't seem weak at all, so why would he seek help from the Temple of Light for such a simple reason?
It's important to know that Blood Hunters hate owing favors to other factions. Even when forced to, they mostly cooperate. Such a direct request for help must have other motives.
Maggie subtly displayed the benevolence and kindness befitting a saint, her tone naturally tinged with worry.
"Where? The temple will not allow vampires to harm the gods' followers."
This area is also under the jurisdiction of the Temple of Light, and almost everyone here is a follower of the God of Light. However, Maggie said this only to make things more serious, so that the paladins wouldn't find a reason to stop her later.
As long as the hat is big enough, no one will dare to object.
As expected, the nuns behind Maggie, who had initially intended to dissuade her, immediately fell silent upon hearing this.
“Her Holy Maiden is merciful and is not far away. If you may, please come with me.”
The man laughed heartily, startling the birds in the trees on both sides, then turned and walked deeper into the woods, seemingly unconcerned that Maggie wouldn't be able to keep up.
Maggie watched his retreating figure, and there was a strange sense of familiarity about his outfit.
Leather jacket....
Wait a minute, Perkin mentioned that a man in a leather jacket told her that vampires would attack her that day.
Is it possible that this is the person standing right in front of me?
After a moment's thought, Maggie returned to the carriage and decisively ordered the group to follow the man's pace.
He must have other motives. If he really is the one who helped her avoid disaster, then even if he only needs help today, Maggie should lend a hand.
This is a matter of reciprocity.
As the man ventured deeper, a large open space suddenly appeared before them. The paladins, who had initially been somewhat dissatisfied, widened their eyes in surprise, seemingly not expecting that there would actually be a village there.
Most of them thought that the man in front of them was taking advantage of the saintess's kindness to do something bad.
However, the house is clearly too small and doesn't look like a normal human dwelling.
The man walked into the village with practiced ease, only to be greeted by a group of dwarves.
Now we know why the house is small.
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