The shadow horse galloped seamlessly from the lively, lantern-lit alleys of the 7th District, crossing the grand stone aqueducts until the scenery shifted into the manicured lawns, high-class brick townhouses, and quiet dignity of the 3rd District. This was the aristocratic sector where my official residence as a Luminous Knight stood… a massive contrast to the gritty underworld I usually operated in.
As we glided down the wide, cobblestone boulevards, the wind rushing through our hair, Elias couldn't help but look around and let out a loud, dramatic scoff from the front of the saddle.
"Look at this place, The 3rd District is always so suffocatingly bright. Look at those lawns! They probably hire three different druids just to keep the grass at an exact height. Weird Eyes, I still don't get how you sleep at night in a place that smells this heavily of high-society perfume." Elias grumbled, tossing his head back so his sharp green eyes could glare at the pristine white-stone architecture.
"Oh, please, Elias, grow up, The 3rd District is beautiful, quiet, and perfectly suited for someone of Ren's official standing. It's a massive upgrade from those damp, miserable underground vaults you call an office. If anything, you should be taking notes on how a civilized Vanguard actually lives!" Elicia immediately protested, leaning back slightly to give him a sharp nudge in the shoulder.
"Civilized? Grandma, she has an inventory ring filled with chemical tear gas and wears a bone mask for fun, There's nothing civilized about her operations." Elias muttered back, rolling his eyes.
While the two older ones traded insults at the front, the back of the saddle was an absolute battlefield of giggles. Evelyn was still relentlessly poking at the soft, translucent cartilage of my folded blood wings, her voluptuous frame bouncing against my back.
"Target acquired!" Evelyn whispered mischievously, her fingers darting in for another attack.
"Evelyn, I am warning you, your behavioral boundaries are completely collapsing, Cease fire immediately, or the house rules will be extremely severe when we unpack." I whispered back in a frantic, flustered deadpan, my face still burning a deep shade of pink. I sharply reached backward, blindly trying to tuck her in the ribs again to make her stop.
"Ahaha! No way, big sister! Your reactions are way too fun!" Evelyn squealed, squirming away from my hand while keeping her grip tight around my waist.
Elias caught the rustling in his peripheral vision and barked over his shoulder,
"Hey! Back row! Stop tilting the chassis! If one of you falls off into an aristocratic rose bush, I am not turning this horse around!"
"Let them play, Elias! But really, girls, hold still. We are approaching the checkpoint."
Ahead of us, the towering, wrought-iron gates of the 3rd District loomed under the brilliant glow of enchanted mana lamps. Standing guard at the checkpoint was none other than Renny, a local gatekeeper who had seen his fair share of eccentric nobles, but absolutely nothing prepared him for the caravan currently barreling toward him.
As the massive, glowing shadow horse ground to a sudden, smoky halt right in front of the gate, Renny blinked rapidly. His jaw practically dropped to his chest plate as his eyes darted from the notorious, duster-clad 5th-ranked Shadow Walker, to the divine Principal of Sisiphon Academy, and finally to me… the unmasked Luminous Knight with silver hair, mismatched eyes, and a pair of massive crimson blood wings softly fluttering against a laughing brown-haired girl.
Renny swallowed incredibly hard, frantically straightening his helmet as he stumbled forward with his ledger.
"W-Welcome back, Lady Eirene! And... and guests! I see the... the Rynd family lineage travels in style tonight!"
Before anyone could even flash their official identification, Evelyn's excitement completely overrode her basic situational awareness. Forgetting entirely that she was perched on the rear of a towering, moving shadow horse, she eagerly stood straight up in the stirrups to wave.
Predictably, gravity took immediate effect. With a loud, ungraceful "Whoa!", her feet slipped right off the smoky flank of the beast, and she went tumbling backward, landing flat on her backside with a heavy, comedic thud directly onto the cobblestones.
"Ouch!"
Evelyn groaned, though she didn't lose a shred of her chaotic energy. She quickly scrambled to her feet, completely unfazed, and playfully raised the tip of my left wing like a curtain to peek through, flashing a massive, unrepentant grin at the guard checkpoint.
"Hello, Renny!"
Renny stared at the tumbling girl, then looked up at my fully exposed, silver-haired profile. His gaze traveled down to my fangs, then over to the massive, translucent crimson membranes pulsing with jade-green light against the starlight. He rubbed his eyes, letting out a long, breathless whistle of pure, unadulterated amazement.
"Oh, Eirene... surprise, surprise, you're a vampire! Man, that is a plot twist right there! Every single month, I see you coming through these gates acting like a ruthless, stone-cold bounty hunter, and I had absolutely no clue you were hiding a whole demonic bloodline under that coat! Damn, the irony of it all... the elite Luminous Knight and the legendary Crimson Phantom with the massive 18 gold bounty on her head are the exact same person, and she's standing right here at my checkpoint!" Renny exclaimed, throwing his hands up in a gesture of absolute, mind-boggled shock.
Elias let out a sharp, deeply defensive grunt from the front of the saddle, his dark eyes narrowing at the guard.
"Watch the classified intelligence, gatekeeper. Her official standing with the crown is fully secured, so keep the commentary within legal parameters."
"Indeed, There's no need to cause a public scene in the high-class sector. Now, if you would be so kind, let us take care of the official protocols." Elicia added smoothly, her regal principal voice instantly taking control of the scene as she offered Renny a reassuring, aristocratic smile.
Elias nodded, tossing his reins aside for a moment.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, let's get to the toll and status cards so we can finally put this long night to bed."
From down on the ground, Evelyn was already brushing the dirt off her skirt, giggling as she pulled a heavy velvet coin purse from her waist pocket.
"I've got the funds covered, big brother!" she called out cheerfully. She walked over to the guard booth, counting out the precise gold coins for our group transit fee and sliding them across the counter to a thoroughly starstruck Renny, along with our official identification passes.
Once the ledger was stamped and the heavy iron gates began to slowly creak open, Evelyn jogged back to the side of the massive shadow beast. With a dramatic huff and a helping hand from my left wing, she scrambled right back up into the fourth slot behind me, wrapping her arms securely around my waist once more.
"Alright, back in position! Next stop, big sister's mansion!" Evelyn whispered close to my ear, her fingers already giving the edge of my cartilage a tiny, teasing poke.
The shadow horse leaped forward once more, its dark hooves clicking rhythmically against the pristine cobblestones of the 3rd District. We glided past rows of sprawling estates, manicured hedges, and high-class brick properties until the beast slowed to a gentle, smoky halt right in front of my own official property line.
Elias looked up at the building, crossing his arms over his heavy leather duster as he let out a low whistle.
"Well, look at this, A literal mansion in the high-class sector. Weird Eyes is living like an absolute noble queen while the rest of us are roughing it in the lower sectors."
"Elias, open your eyes, It is not a mansion. It is a modest, two-story house. The neighborhood just happens to be spacious." I murmured back in my calm, flat deadpan, a faint blush returning to my cheeks as I pointed toward the structure.
In reality, compared to the sprawling, multi-acre estates surrounding us, my home was incredibly humble. It was a charming, well-kept, two-story residence officially registered in the district ledger as House 132. It had a neat stone pathway, a small front garden, and cozy wooden trimmings that made it feel far more like a comfortable retreat than a grand aristocratic manor.
We all dismounted from the cramped saddle, our boots hitting the neat stone path one by one. Once everyone was safely on the ground, Elias casually waved his hand toward the mount. With a fluid, effortless motion, the massive shadow horse dissolved back into a cloud of silent, liquid ink, dissipating completely into the cool night air without leaving a single trace on the lawn.
Evelyn immediately bounded up the wooden steps of the porch, her plush frame practically radiating excitement as the green tips of her hair glowed softly in the dark. I walked right behind her, my massive crimson blood wings giving one final, heavy fold against my spine, settling comfortably under the hem of my white dress as the tension of the long day finally began to drain from my body.
Elicia stepped up to the front, her regal, principal-tier composure softening into a warm, genuinely relieved expression. She reached out, grasped the polished brass handle, and pushed the front door wide open, revealing the warm, inviting interior of the dark entryway.
Stepping across the threshold into the quiet safety of the house, Elicia let out a long, deeply content sigh, her silver hair swaying as she turned to smile at all of us.
"Finally, We're home."