From the moment Maria stepped onto the grand entrance of The Sanctum, the atmosphere around the mansion changed. The crowd fell silent, their eyes glued to the divine figure standing before them. Her blonde hair glistened under the sun, and her radiant smile brought comfort to all who witnessed it.
With a wave of her hand, the crowd began to move forward in an orderly manner. Despite their number, there were no signs of chaos or unrest. It was as if Maria's mere presence ensured harmony and order in her vicinity.
As the injured and distressed individuals entered the mansion, they were met by the trained staff, that were all Mira's subordinates. They sorted the people out between those who needed urgent care, those with less severe injuries, and the people who didn't come here to get treated but instead wanted to shop.
The people with non-life-threatening injuries were treated by Maria's subordinates. Among the people Mira had gathered, there were numerous who had an affinity for light or water, so they were able to take charge here.
Of course, people could pay extra to see Maria even if they didn't need to see her, but most people just wanted to be healed.
Now, the ones with life-threatening injuries were brought outside a clean, white room where Maria was sitting with a light smile. Her subordinate brought them in one at a time, giving them enough privacy for Maria to examine her patients with her Soul Sense and treat them with the [Transcnedent Restoration] technique.
This went on for about an hour before Maria finished up today's batch of wounded.
Mornings were always the busiest for her, but there were always a few cases of people barging in throughout the day, needing immediate care that she had to tend to.
However, she didn't mind. Rather, it was those people she saved that provided the most compensation. They were a big reason why she got to where she was today.
While her staff attended to the customers, Maria retreated to her private office, a place that was more of a sanctuary than an office. As she settled down in the luxurious chair behind her large wooden desk, she sighed.
Despite the thrill of being able to help so many people, running such a massive establishment was tiring. But Maria knew it was necessary.
She had to be able to do at least this much if she wanted to stand beside Mira.
"Sigh… I miss her." She rested her cheek against her hand and muttered out loud. "Speaking of Mira, I heard she's become rather famous lately. That's both surprising and not at the same time." She chuckled.
She'd gotten word that the Battle Maiden Sect had completely destroyed the Crimson Slayer Sect, her target of revenge. At first, she wasn't sure what to feel.
Anger? Sadness? Joy? She wasn't sure.
But, after everything set in, she just felt empty. Reality had set in almost as if to remind her that her parents were never coming back.
From the beginning, she figured something like this might happen.
Obviously, she didn't think it would happen so fast, but she knew that someone else would get rid of them way before she did. To a certain extent, she was glad it happened like this; at the hands of someone else.
She wasn't the type of person to gain any sort of satisfaction from killing someone, even if it was her enemy. More than anything, deep down, she just wanted to move on.
Her parents' killers were six feet under, and her… wife was the one who put them there.
'Hehe~ Wife~ That's right! That badass woman is my wife!' She giggled, thinking about Mira's sharp, piercing eyes. Her tall, muscular body. Those soft, fluffy tails. That dominant aura.
Mm~ How she missed it~!
After a few minutes of dwelling in her thoughts, Maria straightened up, and her eyes hardened. "Enough messing around, Maria. There's still so much more to do."
Taking a deep breath, she shifted her focus to the stack of papers on her desk. It consisted of messages, reports, and requests, each one needing her attention and approval.
She needed to attend to the requests for resources from the various departments of The Sanctum. The Alchemy Department needed rare herbs for their concoctions, while the Armory wanted high-quality metals for weapon forging. And not to mention the daily operations and upkeep of the mansion, which was no small matter itself.
It was a tremendous workload, but she knew she couldn't afford to slack off. Each decision she made and every approval she signed affected the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
As she started to sift through the pile, a knock on the door diverted her attention.
"Come in," Maria called out without taking her eyes off the papers.
The door creaked open, and a figure entered. It was one of her trusted assistants, Lina, a slim woman with bright red hair and emerald green eyes.
"Lady Maria, I thought you might need this." Lina placed a steaming cup of herbal tea on the desk before stepping back.
"Thank you, Lina." Maria offered her a warm smile and took a sip. The hot, refreshing taste of the tea was a soothing relief.
Lina nodded and took a step back before speaking, "Lady Maria, there's something else…"
Maria looked up, her brows furrowed, "What is it?"
Lina seemed a bit hesitant to speak, but after Maria urged her again, she opened her lips.
"We've received reports of sightings about a giant golden wolf heading south."
Maria's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately had a feeling that something good would soon happen. However, not wanting to get her hopes up, she motioned for Lina to continue.
"From what we gathered, it seems this creature is heading straight for Vorandis. We've even heard people saying they saw someone sitting on it, but those reports are unconfirmed."
Maria put down whatever she was doing and stood up, a huge grin plastered on her face. Seeing that, Lina knew what she was thinking, but she still asked, "...Lady Maria, do you think that-?"
"That the wolf is Rhydian, and the person on it is Mira?" Maria interrupted and asked, to which Lina nodded.
"I think it's very likely," Maria affirmed, her grin widening as she sat back down.
Lina was a bit confused and also worried about how calm Maria was but didn't comment on it. Instead, she asked, "Do you want us to continue monitoring it?"
However, contrary to what she thought would happen, Maria shook her head.
"No need. If Mira really is coming here, we should hear a commotion out in the city within the next day or so."
Lina nodded in understanding. She stood in the room for a moment, waiting for Maria to say anything else before she bowed and left. But on her way out, she heard Maria's voice say, "Ah! And don't tell anyone else about this! We don't want the place to go up in a frenzy!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Now all alone in her office, Maria leaned back in her chair and started chuckling with a massive smile.
***
Mira, Hana, and Rhydian were nearing Vorandis, the city that was a spectacle of vibrant life and relentless competition. The closer they got, the stronger the pull on Mira's obsidian ring became. "We're almost there," Mira said, her gaze focused on the sprawling city below.
As they descended toward the city, Hana couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the imposing sight. The massive cityscape, full of bustling markets and tall structures, was a stark contrast to the quiet life she had known within the Sect.
'A-Are we going to be okay here? They won't decide to try and kill Mira, right? We won't have to slaughter a city, right?' Hana felt like chewing on her fingernails due to the anxiety washing over her, but she couldn't as she was still in Mira's lap.
Now that they had gotten close to the city, she could smell trouble from a mile away! And from her experience, Mira and trouble don't mix well.
Rhydian landed just outside the city's entrance, her presence drawing the attention of onlookers. Ignoring the curious glances, Mira jumped off and helped Hana dismount. "Stay close," she instructed the young girl before they made their way into the bustling city.
Almost immediately, a few men who were camping outside the city walls came walking up to her with nefarious smiles on their faces.
However, Mira wasn't in the mood for any shenanigans right now. She didn't want some randoms killing her mood.
With a wave of her hand, she encased them in a block of ice before she clenched her fist, shattering it.
The men's bodies, now nothing more than tiny ice fragments, drifted along with the wind, never to be seen again. All the while, Mira strode into the city, ignoring the terrified looks of the witnesses and not paying the fee.
