Due to Lilith’s strong reputation, when she finally began to manage the situation in an orderly manner, different voices started to emerge within the Royal Capital.
Some rumors began to spread wildly in the Royal Capital, especially among the majority of ordinary people.
For instance, it was said that the Eastern Border suffered divine punishment from the Goddess, but why divine punishment? Naturally, it was because an unworthy person had taken a position they shouldn’t have occupied, which made the Goddess very angry.
Upon hearing this rumor, Lilith nearly laughed out of anger. After all, it wasn’t that Lilith could communicate directly with 550C, but under the promotion of the Holy Word Technique, basically no one would believe such absurd rumors.
However, Lilith did not expect that during the kingdom’s time of crisis, someone would actually attack her and spread these rumors.
Originally, Lilith did not pay much attention to these rumors, but she was surprised to find that the information about the Eastern Border was even more detailed than what she had in hand, almost as if the person had experienced it firsthand.
Moreover, as the rumors spread, they began to logically make sense unconsciously.
……
The well-known adventurer Paul was currently strolling through the Royal Capital.
Due to Lilith’s external looseness and internal tightness strategy, although Paul was casually wandering around the city as always, he noticed that some situations in the Royal Capital had changed.
Since the emergence of firearms, it had become increasingly difficult for adventurers to get by. Initially, it didn’t have much effect on high-level adventurers like Paul, but gradually, he also wasn’t receiving many big jobs, and the tasks on the tavern bulletin board had decreased significantly.
However, Paul didn’t really mind, as he was still quite young, barely in his early twenties. Relying on his exceptional talent, he had become a Professional, and due to his connections and various adventures, he had reached the fourth level as a Professional, enjoying a very high reputation among adventurers, with rich combat experience. Even if he stopped being an adventurer, his future would still be bright.
Although he was still very young and came from an ordinary background, Paul had not faced many setbacks; all crises had been safely navigated.
Precisely because of this, Paul’s aspirations were different from those of ordinary adventurers who merely muddled through life. Although Paul himself couldn’t clarify, he was definitely not going to live an aimless life like an ordinary adventurer. He wanted to become a noble, a knight, a hero; it would be even better if he caught the attention of the Princess, like a romantic scene from an opera.
Becoming a noble was not difficult for someone like Paul; it just needed an opportunity. Moreover, Paul did not want to become a noble so blandly; he wanted to achieve some accomplishments in warfare or similar areas.
While Paul was wandering through the Outer District, contemplating whether to enlist in the army to serve the Queen in light of the reported changes in the Eastern Border, a girl wearing a hood suddenly rushed straight into Paul’s arms.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
Although she had rushed over, it was evident that the girl was nervously glancing around and hadn’t noticed Paul, especially since she appeared to be a young girl. If it had been a big man, he might have scolded him directly.
“No, I’m fine.”
As soon as the girl lifted her head, Paul was stunned by the beauty hidden beneath her hood. She was truly incredibly pretty.
The girl’s long hair was slightly disheveled from running, with a few strands sticking to her slightly sweaty forehead, making her appear somewhat disheveled, but that undeniable beauty still radiated through her fatigue and nervous expression. Her skin was pale and delicate, showing a hint of a sickly flush due to fear, which only accentuated the girl’s fragility, stirring Paul’s protective instincts.
Moreover, Paul felt as though he had seen this girl somewhere before, or perhaps she was certainly a celebrity.
“Miss, what happened? Do you need my help?”
The adventurer Paul even softened his tone and choice of words.
The girl scrutinized Paul from head to toe as if assessing whether he was trustworthy. Paul, on the other hand, keenly noticed that there were quite a few Professionals around, and they seemed to be after this girl.
The girl seemed to have noticed that someone was pursuing her, and with tears in her eyes, she looked at Paul and said, “Help me!”
Paul had imagined such a scene countless times in his mind, and he never expected it to happen to him, so without thinking, he began to flee with the girl.
Fortunately, the pursuers in the shadows didn’t seem too determined, and Paul quickly brought the girl to a safe house he had prepared for trading as an adventurer.
Looking at the girl catching her breath, Paul said, “Don’t worry, no one should be following us, and this is a safe house I prepared for transactions. No one will find us.”
Actually, it was set up to avoid clandestine dealings in taverns, which was not an unusual scenario among high-level adventurers.
“Really… Thank you so much.”
The girl’s simple brown-grey linen dress was already smeared with traces of dirt and leaves, her hooded cloak was covered in scratches, and the shoes on her feet were long worn out. Nevertheless, that plain attire did not conceal her elegance; instead, it made her stand out even more in contrast.
Paul instantly recognized that the girl’s identity was significant, just like a character in a knightly novel.
The girl brushed her hair back and, while catching her breath, looked at Paul.
Caught in the intensity of her gaze, Paul felt himself lost.
“The people chasing you are no ordinary individuals. Who exactly are they?”
Although he spoke these words, in Paul’s heart, he was already considering what to do if she was a child who needed help.
“No, I can’t say. Just knowing is very dangerous for you. I’ll leave here once it gets dark. I can’t involve you!”
Her exaggerated movements showed how serious she was, but Paul, already planning where this girl would go to school, couldn’t care less about that and said, “I’m a high-level adventurer; I live with danger every day. If you can’t say anything, why not just hire me to protect you?”
Upon hearing Paul call himself a high-level adventurer, the girl showed no doubt but instead appeared pleasantly surprised. However, she quickly became pensive, seemingly hesitant, and finally said, “But I don’t have any money right now; I can’t afford a high-level adventurer.”
Paul, upon hearing this, unbuttoned a clasp on the girl’s hooded cloak and said, “Well then, now you’ve paid in full.”
“This, this can’t be, I…”
Just as the girl was about to refuse, Paul interrupted, “I’m not just an adventurer; I also aspire to be a knight, miss. As long as you’ve been treated unfairly, I swear I will protect you with my life.”
“Really? But my situation is truly very dangerous.”
Seeing the girl’s hesitance made Paul feel even more pained, and he directly said, “It’s my duty.”
The girl seemed to gather immense determination and said to Paul, “I am the princess of this kingdom, Claire Augustus.”
Claire began her performance.
