Sheila’s presence lingered strongly in my mind. For a while, whenever I was at the guild, I found myself listening for rumors about a certain female duo.
Still, it was nothing more than a faint admiration. Back then, I barely even remembered her name.
I was too much of a coward to speak to her, so watching from afar was all I could manage.
At the time, I was taking nothing but intelligence-gathering quests. Compared to them, I existed in shadow while they stood in the light. By the time Sheila married, those feelings had already faded.
That was why I never imagined that the man involved with the mother and child I was investigating would be Leon—and that his wife would be Sheila.
What could he possibly have been dissatisfied with?
She was kind, lively, and had a way of lifting the spirits of everyone around her.
To betray someone like that… I could never have done it.
The day Sheila collapsed in shock after learning of Leon’s betrayal overlapped with the image of my mother from long ago. I rushed to her side without thinking, and only felt relief once I confirmed she was alive.
When Sheila chose divorce, she still wished for the happiness of Leon’s child.
That alone saved me.
It made me wonder, just a little, whether even someone like me—a child born out of wedlock—was allowed to hope for happiness.
After learning of my mother’s affair, after knowing how deeply she regretted it, I grew up bearing the weight of my parents’ sin from the moment I was born. Somewhere along the way, I had given up on the idea of happiness.
I shouldn’t be happy.
My existence itself was proof of betrayal.
Just by living, I would hurt someone.
That was why I couldn’t quite believe Sheila’s words. They weren’t even meant for me, and yet they made me happy.
Even if it was something I could never truly grasp, just knowing that someone wished for another’s happiness was enough to make me feel saved.
Around that time, a request came to the guild from the Royal Capital’s knight order.
They wanted a conduct investigation on two knights.
With Leon’s scandal exposed, the knight order itself had come under scrutiny.
Under Captain Zain’s command, a sweeping investigation was launched to determine whether there were any illegitimate children among the knights. Two married men came under suspicion.
One of them went on expeditions with Leon about three times a month.
He had always been a womanizer, and it seemed his wife had chosen to look the other way. Perhaps because he was used to such things, he hadn’t neglected contraception.
The other man turned pale as soon as the investigation began.
Digging deeper revealed that a child had been born to a prostitute in the capital.
Twice a week, he claimed his knight training was running late, but in truth, he was visiting the woman and the child.
The child was already ten years old. That meant three years of fraudulent benefits.
A reimbursement demand would surely follow.
When the investigation concluded, Zain looked utterly drained.
Ashamed that he hadn’t noticed his subordinates’ misconduct, he had even considered resigning from the order. But commanders who truly cared for their men were rare.
In the end, he agreed to remain with the knights, but said he would relinquish his position as captain.
As the situation with the knight order began to settle, adventurers started searching for Sheila in earnest.
Alstreil did not easily accept outsiders, so it wouldn’t be easy to find her—but it was only a matter of time.
I had to steel myself.
“Ah! Asti, perfect timing!”
When I stopped by the guild, Nina called out to me.
Standing near the counter was Dilan, the party leader who had once accompanied Sheila on a quest. His expression was grim.
“You’ve got to hear this! That knight—Sheila’s ex-husband—brought something like this!”
Nina grimaced as she showed me a marriage registration form submitted to the guild.
One look was enough to understand her reaction.
The husband’s name was Leon.
And in the wife’s column was Sheila’s name.
“We’ve explained over and over that the divorce is finalized, but he just keeps coming back like some kind of undead. Even when we tell him we can’t accept it without her own signature, he keeps showing up. It’s honestly scary.”
According to Nina, Leon had been acting like a ghost lately.
He had come again today, and Dilan had driven him off when he couldn’t stand it anymore.
“And get this… Leon even registered as an adventurer. What’s going on with the knight order, anyway?”
A bad feeling crept up my spine.
My instincts were usually right at times like this.
“Asti,” Dilan said carefully. “You know where Sheila is, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“The way Leon is now, there’s no telling what he’ll do. If he finds her…”
Dilan trailed off, choosing his words.
“He’ll take her back. No matter what it takes. That sword belt of his has a powerful blessing, after all…”
Alstreil rejected outsiders.
But it was lenient toward adventurers.
And strong individuals were especially likely to draw attention.
“Asti,” Dilan said firmly, “protect Sheila.”
At those words, my back straightened at once.
