Chương 344: Chapter 339 - Shielder B

Kat wasn't really sure what she expected to see when she returned to Freybrook. Streets reduced to rubble? People going about their lives as if nothing had happened? Turned out, it was something in between. She rode past entire blocks where the only remnants of homes were broken beams, scorched stone, and piles of ash.

Then she'd reach a public square where the streets buzzed with movement — merchants standing behind makeshift stalls, kids weaving through clusters of adults, and ordinary folk just trying to rebuild. She'd seen worse. The first attacks by the Tribe of Sin, half a year ago, had wiped some places completely off the map. The fact that Freybrook had taken a hit but was still standing—still full of people—was something of a relief.

At the same time, witnessing the wreckage, passing even one hollow-eyed survivor, seeing the homes left empty by those who hadn't made it... It stung. Freybrook wasn't just some isolated village with no walls and no way to defend itself. It was a major city, home to thousands upon thousands, full of trade and life and people just trying to get by. It represented part of the empire's stability. If even places like this weren't safe, what did that mean for the rest of the empire?

Kat wished she'd been there during the attack. That she could have done something. That was the whole point of her job, after all. To stand as a shield for those who couldn't protect themselves. She knew, logically, that her presence alone wouldn't have changed much in the face of something this big. She knew that. And they hadn't exactly seen the attack coming when it did. Even if the Guild kept Shielders like her stationed in every city, that just meant leaving smaller settlements on their own. Then what?

Who was supposed to help the people out there? The Shields Guild wasn't supposed to pick and choose. At least she hadn't been completely useless during this mess. She'd been close enough to Crowbell when it all happened — helped defend the township, cleared out some of the monsters that had strayed too close to the smaller settlements in the region. It had taken a few days, but it was necessary work.

Between her, the handful of D- and C-ranked Shielders in the area, and one of the local barons' men, they'd kept the damage from getting too bad. Honestly, she'd probably made more of a difference there than she would've in Freybrook. Didn't stop the nagging feeling in her gut, though. The one that told her she should have been here. When she reached the square where the Freybrook branch was located, she swung off her horse, boots hitting the ground with a dull thud.

She stretched her shoulders, then reached back to tighten her ponytail, fingers catching on a few strands the wind had teased loose. Her gaze swept over the mess of tents and temporary shelters scattered about the Guild's front. Near the edges of the square, clusters of hastily built market stalls stood, their owners haggling with anyone still willing to trade. She wondered how many were willing to buy right now. Among the crowd, she spotted the familiar red-and-gold robes of the Followers.

The priests moved quietly, handing out food and offering prayers. Kat watched them for a second, then turned towards the Guild. The building itself had survived, more or less. A few scratches and scorch marks, but still standing. That was something. People put a lot of weight on the Shields Guild — sometimes just knowing there were still Shielders around was enough to keep them going. Kat had seen it before.

People lost their homes, their families, and everything they had, but as long as they believed someone was still fighting for them, they found a way to keep moving. She patted her horse's neck before leading him around the back of the Guild to the nearby livery stable. That was a more depressing sight. Part of the enclosure had been wrecked, and judging by the number of empty stalls, they'd lost a lot of their horses. But Bern, the old stablemaster, was still here, inspecting the survivors like nothing had changed.

When he saw her, he gave a broad smile, like the place hadn't been half-destroyed.

"Good to see you still in one piece," he said, already fussing over her horse like a doting father. Kat gave him a nod, keeping things brief. She could tell he was putting up a front, but calling him out on it wouldn't do anyone much good. Gods knew now wasn't the time to get bogged down in everything that had gone wrong. The worst of the attacks might have passed, but things were far from over. She exchanged a few words, left her horse in his care, and headed back to the Guild with her gear.

The Guild lobby was almost empty when she stepped inside, but that wasn't much of a surprise. She doubted there was a single branch in the empire that had Shielders just sitting around. It'd be a while before normal requests resumed. The only person at the front desk was Nataly, the branch clerk, buried in a stack of papers. She was frowning at something when Kat walked in, but her expression softened into a smile when she looked up.

"Kat, you're back. Welcome."

"Thanks, Nat." Kat adjusted her travel pack on her shoulder as she crossed the room.

"Hasn't even been that long, but it still feels like I've been gone forever. Not exactly the homecoming I was hoping for." Nataly's smile thinned.

"No, you're right. We all wish it hadn't come to this."

"Any news?" Kat asked, making her way toward the stairs.

"I'm guessing I'm being sent out again?" When she'd returned to Freybrook a few weeks back, she hadn't planned on being swept into assignment after assignment. But plans didn't hold up well against reality. She had accepted that this was her lot in life for now, and it was the job she'd signed up for when she became a Shielder.

"Actually, no," Nataly said.

"The branch head was told not to assign you anything for now. The Elystead branch sent another Shielder yesterday to cover your duties." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Kat paused with one foot on the stairs, turning back to her with a trace of confusion.

"Who told him that? And why?" Nataly looked just as in the dark as her.

"I don't know why, but the order came from Arnaud Astrey, apparently. Jean's out right now, so if you want answers, you'll have to wait until he's back." Kat blinked.

"Huh. Alright, then…" What was that old man up to? Arnaud wouldn't have done something like this without reason, but he hadn't said a word to her the last time they spoke. She shook her head.

"Give me a holler when Jean gets back, yeah?"

"Will do." Kat climbed the stairs to the second floor and made her way to the branch's common area. It was a large room with a handful of tables, some couches, a fireplace, and a few shelves lined with old books and maps. Right now, it was completely empty. She tossed her pack onto one of the tables and headed into the adjoining pantry, rummaging around until she found a slightly stale piece of bread. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Munching on it, she made her way to the washroom to clean up after the long ride back. When she returned, she'd changed into a loose, comfortable set of clothes, her still-damp hair tied into a messy ponytail draped over her shoulder. She made her way over to a worn-out sofa in front of the fireplace, casting a quick Kindle spell. Flame flickered to life, casting a soft, warm glow across the room as dusk crept in. Sighing, she sank into the cushions, letting herself relax for the first time in… well, days.

Her fingers drifted unconsciously to the left side of her chin, brushing over the faint scar there — a reminder of her previous fights with the Tribe of Sin. And Vail. Realising what she was doing, she let her hand drop and breathed out. Doing nothing like this was a luxury. It didn't exactly feel right, not with everything that had happened and with what was still going on, but with no new assignments looming over her, she didn't have much else to do.

And now that she was here, on the couch, she couldn't bring herself to move. Her eyelids began to droop. She woke to someone gently nudging her shoulder. Blinking away the haze, she looked up to see Nataly leaning over her.

"You have a guest," Nataly said, her voice light with amusement as she straightened.

"They're waiting in the reception room." Kat ran a hand through her hair, brushing aside a few golden strands.

"A guest?" she mumbled.

"Not Jean?"

"No." Her brow furrowed.

"Who is it?"

"Baroness Hartford." Kat froze. She blinked a few more times, then sat up.

"…Scarlett's here?" Nataly gave her a look.

"You probably shouldn't be calling a noble by their first name, but yes. Like I said, she's waiting for you. In the reception room."

"Why?" Nataly sighed.

"Kat, I'm only going to repeat myself once more. She's waiting. For you. To meet with her." Kat held up a hand.

"Okay, okay. Give me a second." She pressed a palm to her chest and cast Earth Pulse. A faint glow passed through her skin, shaking off some of the lingering drowsiness. Then, she pushed herself off the couch. Scarlett was here. Had she somehow heard Kat was back already? How long had she been asleep? She turned to leave but paused when Nataly cleared her throat behind her.

"Are you going to meet a noble dressed like that, Kat?" the woman asked, a pointed edge to her voice. Kat glanced down at herself. At her clothes, which were wrinkled from having been stuffed into her pack for several days. Right. Not exactly presentable. Given who she was meeting, she could at least show some consideration. Scarlett had never complained outwardly, but she remembered the noblewoman giving her more than one not-so-subtle look because of her clothes back when they worked together.

"…Tell her I'll be there in a minute?" Nataly offered a professional smile.

"I'll do just that." Once she left, Kat dug through her pack and fished out another change of clothes — only to realise it also looked like it'd just rolled out of bed after a week on the road. She ended up having to go into the branch's storage and borrow something that sort of fit her. After making herself look reasonably put together, she headed to the reception room and knocked once before stepping inside. Scarlett sat in an armchair, back to the door.

The moment it clicked shut behind Kat, the noblewoman turned, sharp amber eyes locking onto her. Kat raised a hand in greeting.

"Hi there. Fancy seeing you here." Scarlett inclined her head.

"Hello, Kat. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know." Kat shrugged.

"Some of this, some of that. World seems to be falling apart for some reason, but otherwise, I'm good. Still breathing, for one." Scarlett gave a small nod.

"That is good." She held a teacup in one hand, steam curling from its surface. She gestured to the nearby sofa.

"Take a seat." Kat did, politely choosing not to point out how it was a little weird that Scarlett, technically the guest, was offering her a seat.

"So," she said, folding her arms, "what brings you out here? From what I've heard, you've been busier than ever lately."

"That I have." Scarlett glanced down at her tea, and the steam cooled.

"Though, I am curious… What is it that you have heard?"

"Not too much, but there's been talk that you helped defend Freybrook personally. Put out fires. Killed monsters. Maybe even slayed a dragon." Scarlett paused, and Kat caught the faintest twitch of her brow. She'd noticed that the woman seemed to be keeping her irritation in check more often now than she used to, but Kat doubted she'd ever fully suppress it. From what she could tell, it was just part of who Scarlett was. Not that she minded.

Scarlett might be a noble—a stiff, uptight, textbook example of one—but at least she was a respectable one.

"…Must it always be dragons?" Scarlett muttered, almost to herself. She shook her head slightly, refocusing.

"Is that truly what they say about me? Even beyond Freybrook?" Kat smirked. She'd been thinking too much about all the bad lately, so it was nice being able to concentrate on something else. Nice being a bit more casual, without it just being a front. Even if Scarlett was about as far from casual as a person could get.

"That last part's an exaggeration," she admitted, "but I did genuinely hear some girl say something along those lines yesterday. Whatever you did in Freybrook, it was enough to get people talking. Some of the folks who made it out, the ones who fled to Crowbell and the other towns, they won't shut up about it." She tilted her head, watching Scarlett's face.

"They even gave you a fancy name.

'The Lady of the Emberlight'." This time, Scarlett's frown was impossible to miss. Kat held back a laugh. She'd never really understood why the woman seemed to dislike being looked up to so much. Scarlett stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking on it longer than Kat thought necessary, before letting out a slow, measured sigh.

"I suppose it is better than the alternative," she said.

"It is true that I assisted in the city's defence. However, I had nothing to do with slaying the dragon. And while I fear it may be a futile request, I ask that you refrain from sharing that title with Shin or Allyssa when you next see them." Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"More importantly, do not mention it to Miss Hale." Kat released a huff of air through her nose.

"Sure. Consider my lips sealed."

"Good."

"Now," Kat said, shifting slightly, "with that out of the way, mind telling me why you came all the way out here just to see me? We're friends, sure, but with everything going on, I figured you'd send for me rather than showing up in person." Scarlett studied her for a few more seconds, then—suddenly—her entire demeanour shifted. It was subtle, but Kat felt it. The casual conversation, the small talk — it was gone in an instant.

Scarlett leaned forward, setting her teacup down on the table with deliberate care before levelling Kat with a look so serious it nearly made her uneasy.

"Kat," she began, voice steady.

"I will be leaving Freybrook again on another excursion. I want you to join me."