Legion felt a growing panic the moment he stepped out of the Guild Hall, because the Empress and Delphine were gone.
His heartbeat pounded in his chest.
His mind raced with possibilities, none of them good.
He immediately scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of them, but there was no sign of either his sister or the Empress.
His pulse quickened.
He moved swiftly, weaving through the long lines of people waiting for registration.
Still nothing.
He started checking the town square.
Still nothing.
He even considered teleporting back to the Empress Palace, maybe they had returned there, but when he checked the palace through his Marionette ability, he found no one.
It didn't make sense.
It hadn't even been an hour since he left them.
Even if they had left immediately, it would take at least thirty minutes by carriage to reach the palace from the town square.
And unless they somehow had a hidden carriage, there was no way they could have traveled back on foot in such a short time.
They had traveled here via his teleportation.
There was no other way for them to return quickly.
Legion's fists tightened.
"Where are you, Your Highness?" he muttered under his breath, his golden eyes scanning every corner of the square.
His frustration grew.
He raked a hand through his silver hair, glancing down every alley, peering into every home he passed.
And then, finally, he saw them.
They were stepping out of a run-down house in one of the poorer districts.
Legion didn't hesitate.
He teleported immediately to the Empress.
"Huh?!"
Ceres barely had time to register what was happening,
Before she suddenly found herself wrapped in Legion's arms.
"Your Highness, thank the gods you're safe."
Legion's voice was tight with relief as he pulled her into his chest.
A breath he didn't even realize he had been holding finally escaped.
Ceres stiffened in shock.
Delphine froze beside them, eyes wide.
The five children blinked in surprise, watching curiously.
Ceres cleared her throat.
At the sound, Legion quickly released her, his ears burning red as he realized what he had just done.
"I… I'm sorry, Your Highness," he said quickly, stepping back and clenching his fists to compose himself.
"I just… I was worried. You disappeared, and I... "
Ceres raised a brow.
"It's fine," she said smoothly, waving off his concern. "It was my fault. I thought you'd take longer, so we spent time with Maureen and her siblings."
Only then did Legion finally notice the five small children.
They were thin, frail-looking, and dressed in tattered clothes.
Legion's expression softened.
Ceres, however, had already turned her attention back to the kids.
She smiled at them.
"We have to go now," she said gently. "But we will see each other again."
The children beamed up at her.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Maureen said brightly, and her siblings eagerly echoed her gratitude.
Ceres grinned, then ruffled the youngest, Noe's, hair.
"Don't thank me yet. You have to keep your promise, okay?" she reminded them with a teasing glint in her golden eyes.
The children nodded eagerly.
"And if you ever need my help," she added, "come find me at the Empress Palace."
Their eyes sparkled in awe.
Ceres gave them one last smile, then finally turned back toward Legion and Delphine.
"Let's go," she said.
And with that, the three of them headed back toward the old house where Legion had first teleported them.
Ceres stepped inside the house, taking in its abandoned state.
Everything was worn down, covered in mold from years of neglect and the constant cold.
The scent of damp wood and decay filled the air.
It was clear no one had lived here for a long time.
"How long has it been since you left this place?" Ceres asked, her golden eyes sweeping across the small, single-room home.
"Ten years," Legion answered.
"A year after our parents died in the expedition."
Ceres looked around.
The house was modest, the kind that would be considered a bachelor's pad back on Earth.
There was no separate bedroom, just one open space that served as everything: living area, kitchen, and sleeping quarters.
Only the bathroom was sectioned off.
"What did you do when they left for the expedition?" she asked, still observing the room.
Her gaze lingered on the small wooden table in the corner, its edges chipped from wear.
She imagined two young children waiting there, holding onto the hope that their parents would return.
"Our father was a fighter, and our mother was a healer," Delphine said, her voice soft with memory.
"They often joined the hunter expeditions… and every time they left, we were placed in the Adventurers Guild."
Ceres raised a brow.
"The Guild took you in?"
Delphine nodded.
"They allowed us to stay, in exchange for working there."
Ceres folded her arms.
"Is that really the way things work here?" she asked, her tone sharpening.
"The Guild forces people into the expeditions by making them desperate?"
"It's not the Guild, Your Highness," Legion admitted.
"It's the Royal Court."
Ceres' eyes darkened.
Of course.
"The Guild tries to help however they can, but there's only so much they can do," Legion continued.
"When someone dies in the expedition, the Guild automatically provides an Adventurer Identification to a family member they leave behind."
"Why?" Ceres narrowed her eyes.
"Because, as Adventurers, they have better chances of survival," he said.
"And more importantly, they gain the right to travel to other kingdoms."
Ceres stiffened.
"That's why our parents always signed up together," Delphine added, looking down.
"In case something happened, Legion and I would automatically be registered as Adventurers."
Her lips pressed together.
"It was the only thing the Guild could do to help."
Ceres exhaled slowly.
"So the Guild isn't allowed to just hand out Adventurer Cards to people in need?"
Legion shook his head.
"No, Your Highness."
"Because technically, you have to pass an exam to become an Adventurer."
Ceres let out a tired sigh.
She walked toward the window, staring out at the snow-covered streets.
"Is that card really that valuable?" she asked, rubbing her temples.
"There is no Merchant Guild here, Your Highness," Legion said.
"Only Adventurer Cards allow commoners like us to travel to other kingdoms."
His voice was calm, but there was a weight in his words.
"Without one, we wouldn't even be allowed to step past the borders… unless we were property of a noble."
Ceres' jaw clenched.
Property.
They would be owned.
Like cattle.
She stood silently by the window, gazing out at the ruined kingdom beyond.
Her chest felt heavy.
She had known that Aquilonis was suffering,
But hearing it was different from seeing it.
They had magic, and yet they couldn't survive.
At least Host Ceres had been born a royal, useless in magic, yes, and yet, she had never known what true struggle meant.
A bitter smile curled at her lips.
Ceres had once thought that she had lost everything when she was thrown into this world.
But the reality was…
These people had never had anything to lose to begin with.
She turned her gaze back to Legion.
"Once you return from the expedition, I want to speak with the Guild Master," she instructed.
Legion didn't need to ask why.
If the Empress wished for something, he would make it happen.
"The Guild Master joins the expedition as well," he informed her. "While we're there, I'll let him know. Once we return, you can meet with him immediately."
Ceres nodded.
"Then let's return to the palace," she said.
Legion stepped forward and gently took her hand, while Delphine held onto his arm.
Then, in an instant, he activated Teleportation.
A rush of vertigo hit Ceres the moment they landed back in her chamber.
Her stomach churned violently.
"I'm going to throw up," she barely managed to say.
Legion disappeared immediately, teleporting away.
Delphine quickly guided Ceres onto the bed, helping her sit upright.
Before Ceres could spill her stomach onto the floor, Legion was back.
He pressed a silver bowl into her hands just in time.
She gagged, vomiting the contents of her stomach.
The sickness was far worse than before.
"What happened, Your Highness?" Legion asked, his voice filled with concern.
"You weren't this dizzy earlier."
"Is it because you used your ability?" Delphine guessed, worry evident in her tone.
Legion's head snapped toward her.
"She used her ability?" His voice hardened with concern.
Delphine nodded.
"She created a fruit called apple," Delphine explained, unable to hide the excitement in her voice despite her worry.
"It almost looks and tastes like a Malvera fruit, but it's red instead of gold."
From the pocket of her skirt, Delphine pulled out the apple.
"This is your share," she said, offering it to Legion.
Legion took the fruit but set it aside on the bedside table.
His attention was solely on Ceres.
She leaned back against the headboard, eyes shut, her breathing slow and controlled.
The moment she stopped retching, Delphine took the bowl and quietly left the room to clean it.
"Do you need me, Your Highness?" Legion asked softly.
He was referring to sharing a bed with her, to replenishing her HP.
If using her ability earlier had drained her this much, then her HP had most likely dropped below 50.
Ceres massaged her temples, sighing.
"Not now," she said tiredly.
"I can hold out until you're back from the expedition. But from time to time, return to the palace. Maybe every three nights, just enough to avoid suspicion.
"Just in case I need you."
Legion nodded and sat down on the bed.
Without asking, he reached forward and gently began massaging her temples himself.
His fingers moved with slow, careful pressure.
Ceres let out a soft sigh.
"And while you're in the expedition…" she murmured, eyes still closed.
"Try to look after the mother of those children. She enlisted as well."
"I will," Legion vowed.