Chapter 29: War Merit Noble
The next day.
News spread.
The hero who had fought for years on the battlefield was about to return home.
They would receive honors and titles, and would be bestowed as nobles.
Night Star Lan sneaked out into the streets to watch.
Sure enough, there were quite a few soldiers riding horses back, looking very impressive.
No one could blame them for surviving in such chaos.
“Hmm, looks like these are the ones preparing to become nobles.”
Night Star Lan carefully sensed them and discovered that there were some Star Holders among them.
But just a few of them.
And those with Stars were the most imposing.
They might even hold some position in the barracks, standing out like sore thumbs.
“Whatever, they don’t seem problematic, and if they are, Hughes and Yuri should handle it.”
After a quick look, Night Star Lan turned and left without the slightest interest.
More than two weeks passed, and Night Star Lan hadn’t introduced Yuri and Hughes to each other.
If they met, there would likely be trouble.
They simply didn’t get along.
One was a Fraudster, utterly lacking in manners or dignity, speaking half-truths constantly, which was rather off-putting.
The other was a Gentleman, genuinely kind, refined, and rather intolerant of those without his elegance.
They wouldn’t make friends; Yuri would probably see Hughes as part of a con, never treating him honestly.
And Hughes would avoid Yuri, never wanting to get too close.
It’s almost comical how they could still be on good terms in the theater troupe.
Night Lan returned to Sharon’s house.
After living here for a while, the servants got used to Night Star being around and ignored her free-spirited girl antics.
“Sharon, I’m back!”
Sharon sipped her bitter coffee, glanced at the returning Night Lan.
“Where did you wander this time?”
“Just went to check out the heroes returning from war.”
Night Lan sat beside Sharon, intending to grab a drink.
But seeing only Sharon’s bitter coffee, she gave up.
Night Lan flopped onto the table, looking limp, like a deflated balloon.
“You really care about this. Worrying about things turning sour?”
Seeing Night Lan’s adorable face, Sharon couldn’t help but poke her cheek playfully. She seemed somewhat addicted.
Having such an adorable girl around was incredibly addictive—almost too much for Sharon, even with her ladylike demeanor.
Night Lan lazily complained.
“Not really worrying, just thinking it might go wrong, so I keep tabs on it.”
If it weren’t for knowing what Ballad Conductor might do, Night Lan would have given up long ago.
“Ignore it? You’ve been hiding things from me for weeks. What’s the deal?”
Noticing something felt odd, it would have made her feel bad if she missed it.
Living together for over two weeks, sharing the same roof, most of their time was spent together.
Sharon noticed plenty of anomalies, though still couldn’t figure out where she came from.
No matter how hard she tried, Night Lan’s past was blank, like she appeared out of thin air.
Mysterious to the point of being absurd.
If not for knowing she was on Sharon’s side, she’d have been truly terrified.
“Hmm.”
Night Star thought for a bit, deciding to share a little information.
“There’s a powerful bad guy, he might stop Hughes’ plan, so I’ve been watching him closely.”
“Really? I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that. Who is this formidable opponent?”
Over time, Sharon felt increasingly mystified by Night Lan.
Her abilities were far from simple, maybe even stronger than either herself or Hughes.
If she called someone “strong,” it couldn’t be overstated.
Night Lan pondered again.
“I don’t know exactly what he’ll do, just know he’s scary, and I’ll handle him.”
“That sounds easy. Letting you face the strongest enemy makes me feel useless.”
Though they’d spent little time together, Sharon regarded Night Lan like a sister, not wanting anything to happen to her.
Asking her to face the strongest enemy alone seemed absurd.
“If your enemy exists, we should fight together. We’re on the same side, right?”
“Mmm…okay.”
Night Lan still had doubts.
Faced with a Ballad Conductor, asking Hughes and Sharon to confront him sounded powerless.
Even saying this, Sharon would surely be displeased.
Better just avoid the topic.
Sigh.
Sharon exhaled softly.
Night Lan’s demeanor suggested she wouldn’t act as they said.
How strong must the enemy be if it made her think this way?
Hughes’ plan faced genuine challenges ahead…
*
Night Star returned to Yuri’s place.
“Yuri! I’m back!”
“Quiet down. Trying to learn deception? Control your emotions first.”
“Not my style. I’m honest!”
“Ha! Your lies would fool even children.”
“Hmph. Not necessary.”
Night Star approached Yuri, noticed he held several sheets.
“What’s this?”
“Information from nobles, helping me gauge how many soldiers will be named nobles.”
“Ah, good to know.”
Yuri seemed quite interested.
Since their last conversation, he’d prepared tirelessly.
Getting official counts, he gathered more data for further investigation.
This was Yuri’s specialty.
Once he got enough intel, he could make his moves.
“For trickery at the War Merit Noble event, you might get roughed up. They’re fierce and won’t back down easily.”
Night Star offered advice.
Yuri grimaced.
“Not hurting myself. Bring Cursed Bird along.”
Yuri’s abilities were potent, but far from infallible.
If exposed, danger lurked.
Plus, with battle-hardened War Merit Nobles, risks spiked.
“Cursed Bird is lethal. She doesn’t understand restraint. Killing nobles won’t serve your plan.”
“Exactly, would create fissures. No fatalities for now.”
Yuri glanced at Night Star.
“Join me later.”
“Works for me, but let’s not underestimate our running skills!”
Night Star was confident in this.
