"Huff... huff... huff..."
Greta sprinted through the narrow alleys, boots thudding against the cobblestone, her breath ragged.
"Aahh... Prince!!" she growled between breaths, frustration contorting her face.
"Why didn't you say the mission was tonight?!"
She raised both arms in exasperation as she turned a corner,
"DAMN IT!!"
And then—
A flashback.
Earlier, in the mansion—
Paul was seated calmly, sketching a new design with intense focus.
Liselotte stepped in quietly.
"Prince..." she bowed slightly, then gestured gracefully to the side.
"Your meal is ready."
Her voice was gentle, her smile soft.
Paul gave a slight nod, then calmly packed up his sketches into a spatial bag.
"Bring whatever's prepared," he said, standing and making his way to the table.
Just as the food was set—
"TA-DAA~!"
Greta burst in, grinning proudly as she carried a plate of her own special dish.
"Here, Prince! A special something from me~"
She set the food down with a flourish, beaming.
Paul gave her an approving nod and started eating.
Greta sat beside him, leaning in with excited eyes.
"Sooo, Prince~ What's the mission? Tomorrow, right? Right?!"
Her eyes sparkled, practically glowing.
Paul paused.
He stiffened.
Slowly... awkwardly... he turned to her with a weak smile.
"Uh... Greta... the mission is actually... tonight. Ursula, Hilda, and Anna already left."
Silence.
Then—
"WHAAAT!!??"
Greta screamed, shaking Paul by both shoulders furiously.
"What do you mean, Prince!? I told you I wanted to go too!!"
Her eyes welled up with dramatic tears.
"How could you leave me behind!?"
Paul, now visibly dizzy from the shaking, gently pushed her back.
"W-wait, wait! Hold on!"
He turned desperately to Edelin,
"Edelin, is the mission still in progress?"
Edelin calmly removed her headset, glanced at her data, and replied,
"Still progressing, Prince."
Then she turned to Greta with a serious gaze.
"And you, Greta—you'd better get moving. Miss Renya's already infiltrated multiple locations."
Greta froze.
Eyes wide.
"Impossible..." she whispered.
Paul sighed, stood up, and gave her a commanding look.
"Then what are you waiting for? Go—now."
Without hesitation, Greta straightened, gave a full knight's salute,
"YES, SIR!"
and bolted from the estate—
vanishing into the night with blazing speed.
Back to the current scene:
Still sprinting across the rooftops, Greta muttered under her breath:
"Aaa... no!"
She huffed with frustration and grumbled,
"Watch out later, Prince... I'll make you pay for this."
She leapt house to house, her movements swift and fluid, her face scrunched in a mix of irritation and determination.
Just as she was nearing the final house Edelin had marked earlier—
"Bzzt Miss Greta," Hilda's voice buzzed through the comms, urgent.
"Miss Renya has moved. You're headed the wrong way!"
Greta's face twisted into a pained grimace.
"Aah—why didn't you say that sooner!?"
She landed hard, stomping in place like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Ugh! Seriously!"
"S-sorry!" Hilda replied quickly, her voice flustered.
"I didn't know you were even headed that way—go north! I'm sending you the coordinates now!"
With a frustrated huff, Greta glanced at the new location.
"Okay, okay!" she replied sharply, then took off again, vanishing in a flash.
—
Moments later, she crouched on the rooftop of a high building, gazing at the lavish estate below.
"Is that... a mansion? There's a party going on?"
Her brows furrowed, eyes scanning the festive lights and the faint echoes of laughter.
She activated her comm.
"Is that the place? Are you sure it's safe with that kind of noise?"
"Miss Greta," Hilda answered coolly,
"Just stay sharp. Only Miss Renya can infiltrate that easily."
"Tch, fine, fine..." Greta pouted, muttering under her breath as she adjusted her gear.
Climbing to the highest point of the roof, she took position, lying low behind a ridge.
"I'm in position," she said in a bored tone.
"Good. Just wait there, Miss," Hilda replied.
"Yeah yeah... got it."
Watching from her rooftop vantage point, Greta saw Renya silently scale the mansion roof and approach the lavish balcony. Greta smiled, nodding with quiet admiration.
"Oh... yes, very thorough," she murmured to herself with a grin.
But just as Renya dropped down to the balcony—
"WHO'S THERE!?"
A loud, angry voice boomed from within the room.
Greta's eyes widened. Her expression shifted to concern.
"This is bad..." she muttered, seeing armed men spring into action, spreading out through the mansion like clockwork.
Without hesitation, Greta pulled out her bow, nocked an arrow, and crouched into position.
"I hope this helps," she whispered, taking a deep breath. Her fingers trembled slightly, not from fear—but from anticipation. She focused, eyes locked on Renya and her opponent.
Renya moved like a blur. As her body curled like a spring in mid-air, their weapons clashed with a deafening—
CLANG!!
followed by a shockwave—
BOOM!!
Greta saw her opening.
"Now! [Nightfall Execution]!"
She released the arrow—
FWOOM! SWFF!
A few heartbeats later—
BOOM!!
The explosion tore through the back of the mansion.
Greta flinched slightly at the blast, then exhaled and shook her head.
"Guess I got a little too excited..."
A familiar voice crackled through her headset—
"Thanks for the assist, Greta."
Greta's smile returned.
"Hm, hm~ Of course!!" she replied brightly, still beaming with satisfaction.
A few moments later, Renya's voice came through the comm again:
"NOW."
Greta watched as her comrade slipped into the darkness, vanishing like a phantom.
With a sigh, Greta muttered in a flat, bored tone:
"So it's finished, huh..."
She climbed down from the rooftop, hands in her pockets, and started walking back toward the inn.
After slinging her bow onto her back, Greta walked leisurely down the dimly lit street. Her head lowered slightly as she sighed gloomily.
"It's finished..." she muttered, the adrenaline slowly fading.
Just as she turned a corner near the inn—
–thud–
"Ahh!"
Greta stumbled back, bumping into someone.
Startled, she looked up and saw a young woman on the ground. Greta quickly reached out to help her up.
"Ah—sorry, sorry! I wasn't looking ahead," she said with a guilty expression, brushing herself off and extending her hand.
The woman accepted her help, rising to her feet with a soft smile.
"No, it's fine... no problem," she said—then blinked, eyeing Greta curiously.
"Wait... you're Greta, right?" She tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
Greta's face lit up.
"YES! Yes, I'm Greta!" she replied enthusiastically, placing both hands on her hips with pride.
The woman chuckled softly.
"You're so energetic," she said with a smile.
"It's me, Carla. You still remember, right?"
Greta furrowed her brow for a moment, tapping her chin.
"Hmm..." she muttered in thought—then suddenly pointed.
"Ah! You're the Adventurer Guild admin, right?" she exclaimed in surprise.
Carla giggled and nodded.
"That's right."
Then, with a curious look, she asked,
"So, Greta—what brings you out here?" tilting her head slightly.
Greta scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Ah... just getting some fresh air, haha," she replied with a sheepish smile.
Carla nodded politely.
"Oh, I see... well, have a peaceful evening then," she said warmly.
Greta gave her a small nod and smile.
"Thanks... I think I'll head back to the inn now," she said as she turned around.
"Bye~" she added, waving.
"Bye~" Carla replied, waving back with a gentle smile as Greta walked away into the quiet night.