Sheilaâs presence lingered strongly in my mind. For a while, whenever I was at the guild, I found myself listening for rumors about a certain female duo.
Still, it was nothing more than a faint admiration. Back then, I barely even remembered her name.
I was too much of a coward to speak to her, so watching from afar was all I could manage.
At the time, I was taking nothing but intelligence-gathering quests. Compared to them, I existed in shadow while they stood in the light. By the time Sheila married, those feelings had already faded.
That was why I never imagined that the man involved with the mother and child I was investigating would be Leonâand that his wife would be Sheila.
What could he possibly have been dissatisfied with?
She was kind, lively, and had a way of lifting the spirits of everyone around her.
To betray someone like that⌠I could never have done it.
The day Sheila collapsed in shock after learning of Leonâs betrayal overlapped with the image of my mother from long ago. I rushed to her side without thinking, and only felt relief once I confirmed she was alive.
When Sheila chose divorce, she still wished for the happiness of Leonâs child.
That alone saved me.
It made me wonder, just a little, whether even someone like meâa child born out of wedlockâwas allowed to hope for happiness.
After learning of my motherâs affair, after knowing how deeply she regretted it, I grew up bearing the weight of my parentsâ sin from the moment I was born. Somewhere along the way, I had given up on the idea of happiness.
I shouldnât be happy.
My existence itself was proof of betrayal.
Just by living, I would hurt someone.
That was why I couldnât quite believe Sheilaâs words. They werenât even meant for me, and yet they made me happy.
Even if it was something I could never truly grasp, just knowing that someone wished for anotherâs happiness was enough to make me feel saved.
Around that time, a request came to the guild from the Royal Capitalâs knight order.
They wanted a conduct investigation on two knights.
With Leonâs scandal exposed, the knight order itself had come under scrutiny.
Under Captain Zainâs command, a sweeping investigation was launched to determine whether there were any illegitimate children among the knights. Two married men came under suspicion.
One of them went on expeditions with Leon about three times a month.
He had always been a womanizer, and it seemed his wife had chosen to look the other way. Perhaps because he was used to such things, he hadnât neglected contraception.
The other man turned pale as soon as the investigation began.
Digging deeper revealed that a child had been born to a prostitute in the capital.
Twice a week, he claimed his knight training was running late, but in truth, he was visiting the woman and the child.
The child was already ten years old. That meant three years of fraudulent benefits.
A reimbursement demand would surely follow.
When the investigation concluded, Zain looked utterly drained.
Ashamed that he hadnât noticed his subordinatesâ misconduct, he had even considered resigning from the order. But commanders who truly cared for their men were rare.
In the end, he agreed to remain with the knights, but said he would relinquish his position as captain.
As the situation with the knight order began to settle, adventurers started searching for Sheila in earnest.
Alstreil did not easily accept outsiders, so it wouldnât be easy to find herâbut it was only a matter of time.
I had to steel myself.
âAh! Asti, perfect timing!â
When I stopped by the guild, Nina called out to me.
Standing near the counter was Dilan, the party leader who had once accompanied Sheila on a quest. His expression was grim.
âYouâve got to hear this! That knightâSheilaâs ex-husbandâbrought something like this!â
Nina grimaced as she showed me a marriage registration form submitted to the guild.
One look was enough to understand her reaction.
The husbandâs name was Leon.
And in the wifeâs column was Sheilaâs name.
âWeâve explained over and over that the divorce is finalized, but he just keeps coming back like some kind of undead. Even when we tell him we canât accept it without her own signature, he keeps showing up. Itâs honestly scary.â
According to Nina, Leon had been acting like a ghost lately.
He had come again today, and Dilan had driven him off when he couldnât stand it anymore.
âAnd get this⌠Leon even registered as an adventurer. Whatâs going on with the knight order, anyway?â
A bad feeling crept up my spine.
My instincts were usually right at times like this.
âAsti,â Dilan said carefully. âYou know where Sheila is, donât you?â
ââŚYes.â
âThe way Leon is now, thereâs no telling what heâll do. If he finds herâŚâ
Dilan trailed off, choosing his words.
âHeâll take her back. No matter what it takes. That sword belt of his has a powerful blessing, after allâŚâ
Alstreil rejected outsiders.
But it was lenient toward adventurers.
And strong individuals were especially likely to draw attention.
âAsti,â Dilan said firmly, âprotect Sheila.â
At those words, my back straightened at once.
