Chapter 28: Instinct

Only at times like these did Selina realize why Vika could come and go so silently.

She was a top-tier lurker and an equally top-tier assassin.

“Sister Vika, then why are you the Saintess’s bodyguard?”

“Isn’t that obvious? The Saintess herself is humanity’s hope, and heretical assassins have always been eyeing her.”

Audrey suddenly explained.

“It takes an assassin to know an assassin. Only they can guard against a surprise attack.”

Seeing the Saintess’s smug expression, Vika could only feel helpless.

“Given your talent, becoming an assassin—or rather, a light-armor knight—is the inevitable path. That’s why I appeared before you.”

Selina nodded in acknowledgment, but that voice didn’t sound like Vika’s.

Suddenly realizing something, she snapped her head around to see Melrose sitting behind her.

“When did you get here?!”

“Just after you brought the Saintess over…” she said, a little resentfully.

“Vika! Using the Saintess to steal someone away isn’t fair, is it?”

Vika said calmly, “Then go ahead and bring out your princess if you can. That’d be your skill.”

Underneath the tense words were sparks flying between their gazes.

Not romantic sparks, of course.

“Looks like you’re quite popular~” Audrey giggled.

Selina couldn’t laugh; she felt things were going to get troublesome.

…

On the other side of the Knight Arena.

Airi watched the four of them messing around, and for some reason, a pang of sadness hit her.

Vika, Audrey, and Melrose were all people she knew well.

It was just that the person surrounded by them wasn’t her.

Actually, that would have been fine.

What stung most was that Audrey, whom she had been trying so hard to win over, was actively clinging to that woman.

It was a little frustrating.

Sore.

Sad!

Under the shadow of her hood was a small, dejected face.

[The host has been provided with 4,623 ways to silently eliminate the nun Selina. If the host has any special ideas, this system will refine them for you.]

“Is there a way to coexist peacefully without killing?”

[No. This person is a special variable and is difficult to coexist with. A life-or-death struggle is inevitable. It’s better to strike first while she’s unaware of our hostility.]

“I… understand.”

In a corner no one noticed, the black-haired girl’s lonely figure disappeared into the shadows.

“Huh?”

Selina suddenly looked in a certain direction, as if something was pulling her there.

After watching the duel, time quickly reached evening.

Selina carried a bag of ingredients toward Melrose’s standalone villa.

Since Melrose had taken the initiative to invite her to stay, she would graciously accept.

“Salt, pepper, butter, spices, sugar… no soy sauce, as expected…”

“What’s soy sauce? A specialty from your hometown?”

Melrose asked, walking beside Selina down the path like close girlfriends.

“It’s a very obscure local sauce. I think I’ve seen the process before, but I can’t recall it right now.”

Selina frowned.

Today was another day of heavy spending.

Not to mention the ingredients, these seasonings cost as much as gold.

A bottle of salt was priced at five iron coins.

Was that even fifty grams?

Selina fell into thought.

She needed to keep a ledger to control expenses…

Once back at the villa, Selina began tidying up.

The kitchen was her first priority.

It looked untouched—brand new except for a layer of dust.

If Melrose hadn’t said she had cookware, Selina would have had to buy a set.

The market price…

One gold coin.

With these prices in the capital, Selina wondered if she could even make it to the end of the month.

No wonder that Hakkimi Melrose had fainted from hunger on the roadside.

Before cooking dinner, she had to clean the kitchen first.

She couldn’t let Melrose slack off either; she handed her a mop and told her to wash the floor!

About two hours later, the kitchen was mostly clean.

There wasn’t a trace of mice or cockroaches, showing just how food-deprived the house was.

Vika figured that since Selina had already moved in, Melrose living alone would be lonely anyway, so why not stay for free?

And the church housing allocation was a bit tight.

As for rent, Selina could pay with food.

After cleaning the kitchen, Selina started preparing dinner.

The magic-powered stove was surprisingly easy to use.

Dinner was buttered mashed potatoes, meatloaf rolls, and vegetable sandwiches.

Considering Hakkimi Melrose’s appetite, she gave half of her own portion to Melrose.

When she finally dragged herself to the table, exhausted, Melrose’s eyes lit up at the lavish meal.

“Remember to wash your hands before eating,” Selina reminded.

“Yes.”

Melrose responded, washed her hands, dried them with a handkerchief, and sat across from Selina.

She watched as Melrose said a prayer before the meal.

That fit Selina’s impression of a clergy member.

When the prayer ended, Melrose took a bite of mashed potatoes, then a bite of meatloaf roll, and instantly got hooked, wolfing down the food on the table.

She even licked the plates clean, but it seemed she still wasn’t full.

Melrose licked her lips.

Aside from her huge appetite, all her other peculiar traits had quietly vanished.

Her expression was indifferent, but her emotions were all conveyed through her eyes and body language.

This was the real Melrose.

“Is it good?”

“Good. Better than the palace banquet food.”

“Good, that’s great.”

Melrose froze, realizing something was off.

She frowned.

“Did you drug the food?”

“Hey hey, drugging costs money too. People’s desires are the hardest to control; their reaction to food is often the most honest.”

“Well, I—”

“You’re cuter when you’re real, you know~” Selina put the last meatloaf roll onto her plate.

A little girl barely under twenty years old—how could she compete with a modern woman whose mental age was over thirty?

Tiny Hakkimi Melrose, handled~

Melrose was silent for a moment, then asked, “When did you find out my true face?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. I only know that thanks to you, I got free housing.”

Selina stuffed the last meatloaf roll into her mouth.

Then she took both plates to the sink and washed them.

Melrose’s expression turned subtle.

Watching Selina’s back, she said flatly, “Do you want to join the Rose Knights? I guarantee the treatment will be better than the church’s.”

“I’m already with the church. You know very well that poaching like this is unlikely to succeed.”

Selina put the clean plates into the cabinet, looking every bit the perfect housewife.

Melrose somewhat understood why this girl named Selina had won the Saintess’s affection.

There was indeed a certain charm about her that made people like her.

Selina bagged the kitchen waste, tied it up, and carried it out.

“I’ll go throw out the trash. You take a shower first.”

Leaving those words, she disappeared from Melrose’s sight.

The standalone villa area was relatively sparsely populated in the capital.

On the other side, the commercial district was brightly lit, almost illuminating half the sky.

Selina had no spare money to spend there, so she just admired the colorful lights while carrying the trash to the recycling station.

The night always had plenty of corners for certain people to hide.

Even with her keen senses, she couldn’t be wary of every corner.

A charged arrow was now aimed at her.

Selina was completely unaware, because it wasn’t a living thing—no killing intent was produced.

In some corner.

A girl in a black cloak gasped for breath, muttering apologies under her breath.

Then, with a thought.

An arrow that could pierce the stars shot toward Selina.

By the time she noticed, it was already too late…

The protagonist dies, the story ends~