Greg: "..."
Calm down... calm down... I won't lower myself to argue with this gray-haired brat.
Ignoring Victoria's sarcasm, he continued taking the suitcases from Alice and Yelena.
Greg began to feel a dull ache in his arms.
Just as he managed to stabilize his balance, a strong reek of alcohol suddenly rushed over from behind.
Immediately following that, a soft body unceremoniously latched onto his back. Her arms wrapped around his neck, clasping together over his chest, hanging off him entirely like a koala.
"In that case... hic~ then I'm leaving myself to you too, Greg."
The drunk Headmistress, Olivia, rested against his back, her voice slurred yet cheerful, thick with intoxication.
Her body hung limply against him, showing no intention of coming down.
"..."
The smile on Greg's face was nearly impossible to hold together now.
He stood frozen in place, loaded with suitcases of all shapes and sizes while burdened with a drunk Headmistress on his back. His whole posture resembled a mule crushed under heavy cargo.
He could feel the surrounding gazes gradually morphing into pity.
Greg's lips twitched slightly as he cried out in his heart:
I wanted to project a gentlemanly air, not become an overworked mule!
Though the current situation was far from what Greg had intended, he had no choice but to accept it. After all, he had brought this upon himself.
Holding a pile of suitcases in his arms with a drunk Headmistress hanging off his back, he looked like a roadside tree heavily laden with fruit.
Greg stared mournfully at the distant sky, letting out a heavy sigh as he muttered under his breath:
"Sigh, I wonder what's happening on Allie's end. I just hope they don't stir up a huge mess before even reaching the Imperial Capital."
...
At the border of the Empire, inside a hidden mountain trail, the sounds of combat rang out.
Clashing metal, agonized screams, and the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground echoed in the empty valley.
A moment later, the commotion ceased.
Lying scattered across the trail were over a dozen well-equipped bandits, all bruised and battered with weapons strewn everywhere—devoid of their usual domineering swagger.
In front of them, a burly, fleshy-faced bandit leader lay unconscious on the ground with his eyes rolled back into his head.
Allie stood beside the bandit leader, the longsword in her hand glinting with a cold light.
She frowned, seemingly unsatisfied with the quality of her opponents, and was about to raise her sword to finish off all these bandits when—
"Lady Allie, please wait!" Wendy hurriedly stepped forward, extending an arm to stop her.
Allie turned her head, her eyes filled with questioning doubt: "What is it?"
Wendy glanced at the trembling bandits and lowered her voice to explain:
"They are the largest bandit organization in this region. If they all die suddenly, it will definitely draw the Empire's attention. The border garrison will send people to investigate, and they might follow the trail to uncover our whereabouts. So it's better not to kill them."
Hearing this, a glimmer of hope suddenly flared in the desperate eyes of those bandits. They raised their heads to look at Wendy, their eyes filled with overwhelming gratitude as if seeing a savior goddess descend upon the mortal realm.
Paying no mind to their gazes, Wendy continued:
"Lord Bishop sent just the two of us to the Empire likely because he wants us to avoid causing a scene before the plan begins. Therefore, I believe it is best for us to keep a low profile for now."
Allie kicked an unconscious bandit near her feet in distaste, her tone laced with disdain:
"This is the level of the strongest bandit group in the area? They didn't even warm me up."
"After all, not everyone is as exceptionally gifted as you."
Wendy offered the compliment smoothly, her tone carrying just the right amount of flattery.
This casual piece of flattery clearly pleased Allie.
She raised her chin slightly and sheathed her longsword, her tone softening a bit:
"So what do we do now? Doing nothing will expose us all the same, right?"
Wendy smiled slightly and pulled out a small paper packet from her coat, which contained some grayish-white powder:
"You don't need to worry about that. We just need to mix the powder in my hand with water and have them all drink it. This is a neurotoxin derived from native Imperial mushrooms. Once ingested, it will turn them into complete idiots. That way, it can disguise as self-inflicted food poisoning to eliminate suspicion against us while also preventing them from doing further evil."
Her tone was calm and composed. She felt no remorse for these bandits who had committed countless wicked deeds; if anything, letting them live was already a mercy.
Meanwhile, the bandits who had thought they met their savior now looked worse than if they were crying.
They finally realized that this gentle, friendly goddess was the true devil.
Some attempted to beg for mercy, but Allie merely cast a frigid glance over them, raising the hilt of her sword slightly, instantly scaring all pleas back down their throats.
Wendy produced a waterskin, poured the powder inside, and shook it thoroughly.
She walked up to the unconscious bandit leader first, pried his mouth open, and poured several gulps down his throat. Then she stood up and handed the waterskin to the remaining bandits, gesturing for them to drink it themselves.
The bandits exchanged nervous glances, but under Allie's ice-cold gaze, they obediently took the waterskin to save their lives and took turns drinking the poisoned water.
Before long, their eyes began to unfocus, their expressions growing dazed as rambling gibberish escaped their lips. Some began giggling foolishly, others spun in circles, while some started talking to empty air.
The once tyrannical bandit group had now been completely turned into a bunch of brainless idiots.
After confirming that none of them were feigning it, Wendy turned to Allie, her tone returning to its gentle and respectful demeanor:
"Lady Allie, we can continue on our way."
Allie nodded, and without further delay, the two continued along the mountain trail toward the Empire.
The surrounding scenery gradually grew familiar—rolling hills, winding rivers, and distant trails of smoke from village chimneys all stirred complex emotions in Wendy's heart.
She had thought she would never set foot on this land again, but reality always went against one's wishes. In the end, she had returned after all.
She gazed in the direction of the Imperial Capital, a trace of unspeakable melancholy in her eyes.
I wonder how Imperial Father is doing now after my departure.
Just as she was immersed in her nostalgia, Allie, walking ahead, suddenly halted and looked toward the forest on the side.
Wendy asked in confusion, "Lady Allie, what is it?"
Allie's hand twitched itchily against her sheathed sword. "There seems to be a knight camp over there, and I can feel a fairly strong enemy inside."
She hadn't fought to her heart's content in far too long, so she intended to take advantage of this trip to the Empire to satisfy her urge by thrashing everyone she could!
Wendy reminded her, "Lady Allie, please don't forget our primary mission."
Allie: "It's fine, won't take long."
Wendy: "But that will also increase our risk of exposure."
Allie: "Then let's give them collective food poisoning too! Besides, since they're hiding in a place like this, they definitely aren't good people anyway!"
"???"
Wendy wanted to say something more to dissuade her, but it was already too late.
Amid a cloud of rising dust, Allie was already gone from the spot.
"..."
Wendy stared numbly at the sky.
"Sorry, Lord Bishop... we... probably won't take long to get exposed."
Rate on N.U.
