CHAPTER 365: THE BLOOMING OF BLACK LOTUS

"I want... peace."

I observed the woman as she stared at me, her trembling slowly subsiding into a bewildered stillness. My simple answer seemed to have disarmed her more than any threat or grand promise could have.

"Peace...?" she repeated, the word fragile on her lips.

I gave a single nod. "The kind of peace where women and children don’t have to huddle in fear. Where men like your husband don’t have to turn to banditry to feed their families." I kept my voice low and even, a calm contrast to the chaos she had just endured. "The kind where you can sleep through the night without listening for footsteps outside your tent."

I watched as the rigid line of her shoulders relaxed a fraction. The wild, panicked fear in her eyes was receding, replaced by a weary, cautious understanding. It was working.

"Don’t worry," I continued in the same cold but assuring tone. "I’ve already done my part here. The immediate threat is gone. The rest..." I paused, letting the weight of responsibility shift. "The rest depends on yourselves. Whether you choose to remain victims of this place, or whether you seize the chance to build that peace for your children."

But her expression still remained wary and confused. Her eyes darted between me and the blanket-covered corpse, then back again. She clutched the blanket tighter, her jaw working as if trying to form words that wouldn’t come.

The fear hadn’t entirely left her. How could it? A masked stranger appears, kills a man in front of her, speaks in cryptic phrases about peace — it was hardly comforting, no matter my intentions.

I let out a small sigh, the sound carrying a note of something like disappointment. Not in her, but in the situation. In the fact that even saving someone left them terrified of their savior.

’This is why the whole vigilante thing is complicated,’ I thought ruefully.

Told you, my Phantom Twin chimed in unhelpfully. Should’ve gone with a red cape and a handsome appearance. It would have been much more approachable. Although we would have to find a new letter...

I ignored him and stood, my dark robes falling around me like liquid shadow.

"W-wait!"

The shout came from behind me, sharp with panic. I paused mid-step, turning my head slightly to look back at her over my shoulder.

She’d half-risen from where she sat, one hand outstretched toward me, the other still clutching the blanket. Her eyes were wide again, but this time with a different kind of fear... not of me, but... of being left alone.

"Please," she said, her voice breaking. "Don’t... don’t go yet. I—" She swallowed hard, struggling to find the words. "W-What happens now? What am I supposed to do? I don’t... I don’t understand what’s happening. You k-killed him, you talk about peace but—"

Her voice cracked entirely, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I’m so scared. My husband is captured, I was brought here, that man was going to... and now you’re here, and I-I... I don’t know if I should thank you or fear you or—"

She broke off, her breathing ragged, teetering on the edge of hyperventilating.

I turned fully to face her again, my posture deliberately relaxing to seem less threatening.

"Breathe," I said, my altered voice softening slightly. "Slowly. In and out."

Her eyes widened but still tried, her chest heaving with the effort, and gradually her breathing steadied.

"Better," I acknowledged. Then, in that same calm tone: "You asked what happens now. The answer is simple: you survive."

"Ah? Survive?" she echoed weakly.

"The men who ran this place are bound and unconscious in the other tents. About sixty of them. They’ll stay that way until morning." I kept my explanation clear and practical. "By dawn, help will arrive from the barony. They’ll take you and the other refugees somewhere safe. Somewhere with food, shelter, proper protection."

"You’ll... you’ll make sure?" Her voice was tentative, hope warring with disbelief.

"I will," I confirmed. "That’s a promise."

"B-But why?" The question burst from her, desperate and confused. "Why would you do all this? Risk yourself, kill for us, make promises to strangers?"

I was quiet for a moment, considering how to answer in a way she’d understand.

"Because it needed to be done," I said simply. "And I could do it. That’s enough."

She stared at me, tears still streaming down her face, but something in her expression shifted. The raw terror was fading, replaced by exhausted gratitude and lingering confusion.

Before she could speak again, I reached into my inventory, pulling out a set of clothes - simple but sturdy, along with a thick winter robe lined with fur. I’d taken these from the bandits’ supplies earlier, anticipating the current situation.

I set them down on a relatively clean section of the tent floor, midway between us.

"Your clothes are torn," I said matter-of-factly, not looking directly at her to preserve what dignity I could. "These should fit well enough. The robe will keep you warm."

Her eyes widened, darting between the clothes and me. "I... thank you. I don’t know what to—"

"You don’t need to say anything," I interrupted gently. "Just take care of yourself. Go to the others when you’re ready. Stay with them until help arrives."

She nodded shakily while reaching for the clothes with trembling hands.

"Will I..." she hesitated. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Probably not," I said honestly. "By the time you’re settled somewhere safe, I’ll be long gone."

She held the clothes to her chest, fresh tears welling in her eyes, but somehow they felt different — less of terror, more of overwhelming emotion. "T-Thank you," she whispered. "F-For everything. Even if I don’t understand it yet."

"You don’t need to understand," I replied, my voice carrying a note of finality. "You just need to survive. And you will."

With that, I stepped backward into the deeper shadows of the tent, where the torchlight didn’t quite reach.

"Wait, I—" she started, but I was already moving.

I let the darkness swallow me, then I used Silent Veil in the dim lighting, and with my knowledge of the tent’s layout, slipped through a gap in the canvas at the back. To her eyes, watching from the front, it would look like I’d simply... vanished. Dissolved into the shadows like smoke.

You did well, my friend. Seren supported my actions. Don’t be embarrassed.

That was actually pretty cool, my Phantom Twin admitted grudgingly. The mysterious exit really sells the whole ’shadow guardian’ thing.

It also prevents awkward goodbyes I muttered, circling the outside of the tent to head back toward the main cavern area. And gives her space to change without worrying about a masked stranger hovering nearby.

Practical and theatrical. You’re getting better at this.

I shook my head, allowing myself a small smile beneath the mask as I rejoined my Phantom Twin near the bound bandits.

So, he said, looking me over. Woman handled, clothes provided, mysterious exit executed. What’s next on Black Lotus’s agenda?

Next I said, surveying the cavern with fresh tactical focus, We finish securing this place and set up the anonymous tip for the town guard. We need to finish everything by dawn.

Then let’s get to work, Seren agreed. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can get back and pretend you were at the infirmary all night.

Right. I cracked my knuckles, the sound sharp in the quiet cavern. Let’s wrap this up.