The Promise That Never Returned

“Little Daisy! Good news! Amazing news! My poor family is finally saved!”

On the evening of the second day after arriving in Gran City with Katie,

In the dim room tinted by the golden glow of the setting sun outside the window, Daisy had been waiting alone in slight unease for nearly the entire afternoon.

By dusk, Katie burst back in, carrying a bulging bag of goods.

She pushed the door open forcefully, tossed the bag aside, and rushed straight toward Daisy, leaping forward to hug her tightly—almost knocking her onto the bed.

“Wah?! Katie? What—what happened? Katie?”

Seeing how Katie had looked troubled and restless when she left earlier, Daisy was startled by this sudden burst of excitement.

“Listen to me! Just listen!”

Katie beamed brightly, her voice filled with joy, almost lifting Daisy off the ground in her embrace.

“Our heartless guild master finally grew a conscience! He gave me a secret mission that pays a huge amount of money!”

That afternoon, Katie had gone alone to the Mountain Hawk Guild, desperately searching for a job to save her family.

At the task board, she encountered the overly familiar senior adventurer—Gert, the swift swordsman.

From him, she learned about a special mission the guild master intended to assign in secret.

Following Gert, she went to the guild master’s office.

There, after swearing to accept the mission and signing the contract, she was finally allowed to hear its details.

According to the guild master, a certain noble—whose name could not be disclosed—needed to secretly transport a batch of valuable, illicit goods.

The task was simple: escort the convoy safely through the outskirts near Gran City, where another group would take over.

As long as nothing went wrong along that stretch, the mission would be considered complete.

In the Mirandel Kingdom, nobles abused their power freely—exploiting peasants, imposing heavy taxes, and engaging in corruption without consequence.

So it wasn’t unusual for a noble to have shady wealth needing secret transport.

And adventurer guilds like theirs?

As long as the pay was good, they didn’t ask questions.

This mission, with its simple conditions, offered a staggering reward—one hundred gold coins.

The guild master claimed it included hush money and compensation in case things went wrong.

People tend to believe what benefits them—especially when they’re desperate.

And with no way out, Katie placed her family’s future on this gamble.

“The mission starts tonight and ends by tomorrow! I’ve already bought you bread, jerky, and fruit—you just stay here and wait for me! I’ll definitely be back by tomorrow night!”

Katie spoke excitedly, hugging Daisy again.

Her voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“We’re finally saved! Even if it’s not enough to fully cure my father, it’ll at least get us out of this desperate situation! It’s like a dream… Dad, Airi, Joseph, Kalenda… just wait for me… I’ll save us…!”

She broke into tears mid-sentence.

Daisy, understanding enough, hugged her back with her small arms.

“I’m so happy for you, Katie… everything’s going to be okay!”

Daisy held Katie gently, patting her back until she calmed down.

By the time Katie regained her composure, night had already fallen.

Standing at the door with her gear packed, her eyes and cheeks slightly red, Katie awkwardly turned back.

Having cried twice in front of Daisy, she felt a bit embarrassed.

“After I finish this mission and treat my father… I’ll still have money left. Next time you bring that dragon guardian of yours here, I’ll treat you both to cake!”

“Okay! I’ll come with Viola!”

“Then… I’m off. Stay here, don’t open the door for strangers.”

“Be careful…”

Under the dim oil lamp, Daisy waved goodbye with a bright smile.

The door creaked shut.

Katie was gone.

Daisy jumped onto the bed, spun midair, and landed on her back, rolling happily across the sheets.

‘Katie’s mission… I hope it goes well.’

But… Katie never came back that night.

Or the next day.

Or even by evening.

On the third day in Gran City, Daisy waited alone in the room.

She ate from the food Katie left, watched the streets, rolled on the bed, and occasionally glanced at the door—

Waiting.

But Katie never returned.

‘Didn’t she say she’d be back by tonight…?’

In the dark room, Daisy curled up on the bed, her golden-red eyes faintly glowing.

A quiet unease began to grow in her chest.

Should she go look for Katie?

…No. They had agreed she would wait.

Still, it was unbearably boring.

Back in the cave, Viola had always been there.

Even when she left, she returned quickly—never making Daisy wait.

“Viola would never make me wait this long…”

Murmuring softly, Daisy rolled onto the bed and drifted into sleep.

In a hazy half-dream,

She vaguely sensed someone beside her.

A shadow darker than the darkness itself.

At first, she was startled.

But soon, she relaxed.

A slender hand reached out—soft, familiar, carrying a faint vanilla scent—gently stroking her messy white hair.

Daisy knew.

It was Viola.

Real or dream—it didn’t matter.

She fell asleep peacefully.

“Viola?!”

At dawn, Daisy suddenly sat up, calling out.

But the room was empty.

Only the window was open again.

‘Was that… a dream?’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, loud knocking came from the door.

“Open up! Hurry!”

A rough, unfamiliar male voice shouted.

“I know you’re in there—what was it… Daisy? Open the door!”

Daisy froze.

“Who are you?”

“Someone asked me to pick you up! That… Cadi! Yeah, Cadi told me to come get you!”

“…Katie?”

“Yeah! She even gave me this dagger as proof!”

Daisy hesitated.

But she got dressed, put on her hat, and slowly opened the door.

Outside stood a rough-looking man with a scar across his face.

He held out a dagger.

It was Katie’s.

“I’ll take you to her. Come on.”

Before Daisy could react, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

She didn’t resist.

He knew her name.

He had the dagger.

So it had to be real… right?

And just like that—

On the fourth day in Gran City, Daisy left the inn with a stranger.

And never returned.