《A Gray and Grey world》


 Prologue

    The clear winter sky was mesmerizing, made even more so by the full moon. The gentle snow had stopped falling mere moments ago.


    ¡°Adventurers huh. People who live by travelling from one town to another. They slay beasts that threaten the people. They go to far off places to retrieve rare ingredients. No matter what the task, it seemed that there was always an adventurer willing to take it.


    In the clearing of the forest, a campfire dimly flickered.


    Just in front of it, a figure wearing a fit dark grey coat sat. Pieces of armour plating reinforced it¡¯s coat, covering mostly vital areas and spots that wouldn¡¯t hinder movement. Even the weave of the coat itself was of high quality.


    ¡°Though, no matter how many great adventurers there are¡± the figure raised it¡¯s hand.


    Gauntlets made of the same material as the armour plating covered the ends of the figure¡¯s sleeves.


    ¡°The beasts would never disappear no matter how many times they were wiped out. No matter how many times they would go to retrieve those rare ingredients, only a pitifully small amount was always brought back.¡±


    The figure¡¯s face was obscured by a steel mask underneath his hood. Where the figure¡¯s eyes would be, white glowing circles were present. Due to the mask¡¯s shape, the top half of the glowing circles were also obscured from view, twisting it¡¯s expression into a furious gaze. Only made more frightening by the smiling jagged fang-like shape where the figure¡¯s mouth should be.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it odd? While the soldiers and guards are busy keeping order and peace within the towns, while they¡¯re busy keeping our borders secure. Adventurers monopolize the wilderness within the country.¡±


    The figure¡¯s glowing eyes gazed at the campfire in front of it. His words held weight. It was true. The military never dealt with, or rather they didn¡¯t have time to deal with, smaller tasks like hunting for herbs or small pockets of monsters.


    The only times that they intervene would be when towns were actively sieged by monsters or when major roads were in peril. Otherwise, they left it to the adventurers.


    ¡°Adventurers.¡± The figure turned it¡¯s head. ¡°Adventurers like you.¡±


    Glowing white eyes slowly became visible to a lady behind the figure. She wore a white, hooded, coat. Though, something was off. Her breathing was more like panting. A cold sweat ran down her face. Grasping a piece of crimson soaked cloth, her hand was firmly held onto her side.


    It was hard to notice, but as the campfire flickered, it became obvious. Crimson snow was just below her. The colour traced up her side and back, up to where her hand was pressed. On closer inspection, her coat was slashed open at her side. A crimson soaked bandage was visible underneath.


    Even the light blonde hair that was in contact with the snow below her was corrupted by the crimson colour of her blood.


    The lady¡¯s beautiful face grimaced. ¡°W-... we¡¯re only-...¡±


    Before she could finish her words, the figure pulled out a small crimson vial. It then stood up and walked towards her.


    ¡°Here¡± the figure uttered as it knelt in front of the lady.


    The lady¡¯s silver eyes stared at the glowing eyes of the figure, who was offering the vial to her. With little choice, she opened her palm and accepted the vial that the figure just opened.


    ¡°It¡¯s a healing potion to ease the pain and help you recover. Though, it¡¯s not like any other you¡¯ve probably seen before.¡±


    The lady hesitated. Indeed, the vial in her hands was small, miniscule compared to the healing potions that she¡¯s seen before. Not just that, even the colour was different as most potions had a murky mix of colours from the different herbs. She glared at the figure.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a few moments, she drank the vial. Suddenly, her vision became blurry as her head felt like it was about to explode.


    ¡°Hack- Cough- W- What di-.¡± Her arms lost their strength, dropping the vial onto the snow. Less than a moment later, her vision faded, then her consciousness.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    A few seconds pass.


    A few moments.


    A few minutes.


    Before long, it felt as if almost an hour had passed, but in reality it was only a few minutes. The figure was now standing in front of the lady. As her consciousness came back, she immediately took a deep breath.


    Her eyes had regained their vigour. She moved her hand across her body, specifically onto her bandages. To her surprise, the pain disappeared. It felt like she wasn¡¯t injured at all. Though, once she looked down, it was clear that the bandages were still there. Soaked in her own blood.


    ¡°T- Thank you.¡±


    The figure simply nodded in response. A few moments pass as the lady thought to herself. She opened her mouth, yet no words came out. This occurred for a couple more times before she finally put together the words in her head and spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯re- Us adventurers- Most of us are only trying to help where we can. Help the ones in need. Not all of us are like-... not all of us-... most of us are-¡±


    ¡°Not like these people huh¡± the figure¡¯s voice grew much colder than before.


    Around the two, around the campfire. Dozens of bodies laid unmoving in the snow. Majority of them had what looked like black jagged spears impaled into them. Looking outside of the camp, even more bodies were scattered across in different areas.


    ¡°That¡¯s what most people would like to think as well. But you saw didn¡¯t you?¡± The figure turned it¡¯s head towards the lady. ¡°You saw something that you shouldn¡¯t have seen.¡±


    The lady¡¯s face slowly turned grim, her eyes narrowed. She turned her gaze away from the figure beside her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You saw a glimpse of the true nature of the great adventurers. You saw them at their most base. Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The figure didn¡¯t move. It¡¯s glowing eyes gazed straight at the lady. Though, she did not return the gaze and simply looked down at the snow. She clenched her first. The figure¡¯s words weighed heavily.


    ¡°I-... that¡¯s-...¡±


    ¡°And- in fact- didn¡¯t you also experience first hand exactly what their true base nature is? Or are you going to deny that?¡±


    The figure began to walk around the camp. Passing by the bodies of adventurers. Traces of a battle were evident. Shattered swords, fragments of armour. Even some shields that looked like they had taken a beating.


    Below the bodies, the snow was also dyed a crimson red. Patches of snow around the area near the bodies were also splattered with the crimson colour of blood.


    Walking around, the figure stopped just in front of a smaller body than the rest. Unlike the others, this one did not wear armour and had no spear impaled into it. Instead, a dagger was dug deep into the girl¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Not all adventurers are as great as you think. Not all are as you imagine. Most are despicable and corrupt. Most are-...¡± The figure sighed.


    Just past the girl¡¯s body, a man wearing light armour was propped up against the rock. His hands were tied behind him. Just like the girl¡¯s body, this one had no spear impaled into it, instead, a sword was plunged in his chest.


    Both him and the girl had the same wrist band. It was because the two were lovers. The girl was made to suffer just in front of him. The girl died as he watched helplessly.


    ¡°If they are so noble- so great-... tell me why¡± the figure turned around. ¡°Why is it that adventurers fought other adventurers. Why is it that one side had slaughtered the other and even had the gall to make the ones who surrendered suffer.¡±


    Of course, the figure knew why. Greed corrupts. That was a simple fact. In reality, it would have been easy to just call these adventurers as bandits. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that it was the adventurer¡¯s guild itself that sent them to slaughter their own.


    ¡°...¡±


    The figure walked towards the lady, kneeling just in front of her.


    ¡°Adventurers- humans- at our most base, at our core, we are the worst monstrosities that this land has ever seen. You¡¯ve seen it, you¡¯ve experienced it.¡± The figure raised it¡¯s hand towards the lady. ¡°And you shunned it, fought it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why I ask you this. Will you join me?¡±


    The lady¡¯s eyes glared at the figure. Every word that it said was true. No matter what she wanted to believe- even if she ignored the figure¡¯s words- it would still be shattered by the events that occurred on this night.


    ¡°You make it sound like I have much of a choice¡­¡±


    A weird response- or so it seemed. Just above and behind the figure, two black jagged spears floated in the air, aiming at the lady. Similar to the ones that were impaled into the bodies of the adventurers around them.


    ¡°...¡±


    The figure tilted it¡¯s head slightly. It wasn¡¯t visible but, behind it¡¯s mask, a slight twisted smile was on the figure¡¯s face.


    ¡°You do have a choice.¡±


    To be blunt, the answer was obvious. No matter how either side looked at everything that occurred that night. No matter how either side tried to reason, the answer for the lady was simple. Yes. To join, to accept the figure¡¯s offer.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    I will. The only logical answer. The only-


    ¡°Refuse.¡±


    The opposite answer came from the lady as she smiled. Slowly, the figure lowered it¡¯s hand. It seemed that time slowed down as the two stared at each other. Or- it felt like it until the two spears behind the figure immediately lunged forwards.

 Chapter 1 (v1c1)

    A year had already passed since that incident. Things were still mostly the same in this world. Adventurers were corrupt. Though, to be specific, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was corrupt.


    Only about half of the adventurers truly knew the nature of the guild. And only a third of those adventurers were part of it¡¯s corrupt dealings.


    Nobody could stop them. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was already too influential- At least, that¡¯s what most people who knew about it had thought. Though, reality was far different.


    A figure stood just outside a guild hub. Furious glowing eyes gazed at the entrance of the hub. A slender gauntlet grabbed onto it¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Finally found you¡± a voice from behind said.


    A lady wearing a white coat reinforced with pieces of armour stood behind the figure. Her silver eyes seemed to glow under the moonlight.


    ¡°Are you done scheming yet?¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°Does it always look that way?¡±


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re scheming majority of the time I look at you.¡±


    The figure tapped it¡¯s mask. ¡°Either way- I¡¯m ready to go when you are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s getting cold out here, so let¡¯s head in.¡±


    With a nod, the two walked towards the entrance, passing through the gently falling snow. Few were present on the streets. Of course, that alone wasn¡¯t unusual at that moment.


    Langite, the town they were in, was a fairly peaceful merchant hub. Quests were slightly scarcer than the border towns. Though, it did offer better rewards due to the better economy. But even so, less quests overall.


    As the lady was about to push the door open, two spears emerged from her flanks and blocked her path. The two men to her side stared at her as their spears held firm.


    ¡°Oi, look at this lovely lady.¡±


    The lady glanced at the two. Her cool, silver eyes seemed to captivate the guardsmen. On second glance, her entire presence was actually beautiful.


    ¡°Oooh, a new pretty face eh?¡± The guard looked at the lady from head to toe.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a nice lady with ye sir.¡± The guardsman grinned at the figure before turning towards the lady. ¡°Don¡¯t assume you¡¯ve a pass with you, eh miss?¡±


    One of the guards held out his hand, gesturing at the lady for a pass of some sort.


    In most other places, a pass would never be needed to simply enter a hub. In fact, most of the facilities that the guild officially uses are paid for by quest fees. Or, at least that¡¯s how it was supposed to go.


    ¡°...¡±The lady pulled out a steel card, almost at the same time as the figure behind her did so as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant¡± the other guardsman chuckled. ¡°If you¡¯ve no pass with you then you need to pay th-¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± The guardsman inspecting the I.D slapped his partner¡¯s hand away from the two in front of them. ¡°This one¡¯s-...¡±


    The other guardsman leaned his head forwards and looked at the I.Ds. The guardsmen¡¯s eyes widened. As if they¡¯ve seen something even more dazzling than the lady before them.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a few moments, they looked at each other. Before turning their attention back towards the two. Their expression turned stern and serious.


    ¡°Well, is there a problem?¡± the figure said.


    Adventurer cards detailed a few vital information within them. A few pieces of that information piqued the interest of the two guardsmen. The highest class of quest that the person has completed and the highest class of quest they can take. In the figure¡¯s card, as well as the lady¡¯s, those two specific information were both at Class 1. The highest class quests that are on par with official orders from royalty. At least, that¡¯s what the Class 1 ranking meant on paper.


    ¡°Hmmm, no- nothing would be the problem.¡± The tone of the guards had become cordial. ¡°The two of you can enter this hub if you wish.¡±


    The two spears parted. The guardsmen nodded in unison. A crooked smile showed on their face as the lady and the figure walked into the hub. Perhaps it was due to the lady¡¯s beautiful face, or perhaps it was due to some other reason.


    Inside the hub, adventurers were sat down, talking or maintaining their equipment. Others were lined up at the quest board, while a few were talking with guild workers. As typical of most guild hubs.


    ¡°So, the informant wasn¡¯t lying when she said this place was under a clan¡¯s territory. Though it was dodgy to begin with, seems there¡¯s some merit to her words¡± the lady whispered.


    ¡°Seems so. But even still, don¡¯t let your guard down. This is a merchant hub, doubt they¡¯d let a big asset go unprotected.¡±


    The two walked slowly towards a guild receptionist. The atmosphere felt relaxed, similar to a club. At it¡¯s core, guild hubs were simply places where people could request to hire the help of adventurers for almost any task. In exchange for having a large pool of adventurers to advertise to, as well as connecting an adventurer with a contractor, the guild takes part of the reward as a fee.


    ¡°Those three, the ones with the heavy plate armour, take note. Seems that at least half the place is already on their side¡± the figure whispered as he looked around the hub.


    ¡°Plate armour- and that one¡¯s armour is impressive.¡±


    The two were referring to a group of three that stood out among the others. Near the quest board, three adventurers that half the people seemed to avoid while the other half seemed to respect and praise. All three wore plate armour. That alone was a sign that they were veterans as plate armour was an expensive equipment to obtain.


    Though, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that stood out-


    ¡°-beautiful, look at that lass ov¡¯er there-¡±||¡°-out of our league that one is-¡±||¡°-I¡¯ll wager you thirty coin that she won¡¯t even look ou-¡±||¡°-m- mother?-¡±||¡°-take you on your wager-¡±||¡±-her companion looks-¡±


    The voices of the other adventurers weren¡¯t exactly loud, but they weren¡¯t trying to hide anything either. The blatant praises paired with the eyes that glanced towards the lady-... was simply ignored by the two.


    ¡°Probably the clan leader here. Though I can¡¯t be sure just yet.¡±


    ¡°Leaders of the pla-¡±


    ¡°Oi look-¡± one of the adventurers yelled.


    A large man wearing plates of armour, seemingly in a drunken daze, walked just in front of them and tripped over. As he was about to fall onto the lady, the figure stepped in between the two.


    ¡°Huff-¡±


    The area just around the figure distorted. It seemed as if reality itself was being warped, or, at the very least, light was being distorted. It was accompanied by a deep sound. It lasted only a fraction of a second and occurred only where the figure was.


    In that instant, the figure held the man up with a single hand. A feat that wasn¡¯t easy considering the weight difference between the two.


    ¡°W- whoa, s- *hic* sorry bout¡¯ that gov¡¯nah¡± the large man uttered as he stumbled back onto his feet. ¡°I- I apologize me mate¡¯ I- I lost me balance there!¡± he added as he looked at the figure.


    A bit of his beverage had spilled over onto the figure¡¯s coat.


    ¡°M- Mate, I¡¯ll make it up to you! H *hic* how bout a drink or ten! On me¡± the man excitedly asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine- I¡¯ll have to pass. I appreciate the offer, this is a place to relax after all.¡±


    ¡°A- Yeah-. I apologize again! Ah¡¯ll keep me eye- *hic* open more¡± he said as he waddled away in the direction of the three armoured men.


    The reason the figure had no problem lifting the man was simple.The figure was a magus. In this world, magus were people who have Catalysts that allow them to use inhuman abilities. The distortion and the deep sound that just occurred was one of the signs that a magus had activated their Catalyst.


    Around them, however, it seemed that very few people noticed. It wasn¡¯t because the figure was being subtle about it, but rather, the activation of the Catalyst was short and hardly noticeable. Only people who were paying attention would actually be able to notice it in most cases. It didn¡¯t help that atmosphere in the hub was fairly rowdy and focused on the lady.


    ¡°-oi oi, that man just stood up to-¡±||¡±-give it up, that lass¡¯ taken it looks-¡±||¡±-Hah, give me my coin, ye lost the wager-¡±||¡±-n- not my mo-mother¡±


    Still, the voices were ignored by the two.


    ¡°I guess this hub isn¡¯t as weird as I thought¡­ still drunkards around¡± the lady chuckled under her breath.


    ¡°Does that part of it ever actually change wherever we go?¡±


    ¡°Not really- I guess. Oh, and thanks for that, bit unnecessary, but appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t need it- but still¡± the figure nodded as they reached the receptionist¡¯s counter.


    The receptionist was in a separate room along with a dozen other receptionists that was connected to the main room via a barred window. As most guild hubs can become rather rowdy at times, the bars were meant for the safety of the hub staff.


    ¡°Hello-¡± the receptionist paused. ¡°Newcomers, ah, if you¡¯d please go to the one over there then, she¡¯ll be able to assist you much quicker than me¡± she gestured towards the other receptionist.


    There, a receptionist who seemed much more mature was smiling brightly at the two. As if subliminally asking them to come over.


    ¡°Ah, Welcome! I haven¡¯t seen either of you here before¡± the receptionist said with a bright smile on her face. ¡°Ah- if you¡¯d like a quest, there¡¯s actually a quest that might interest you! Aside from that, would you two have any concerns that I can address?¡±


    The receptionist kept her posture and formal mannerisms in check to a much higher degree than the other receptionist.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to look at the available quests past Class 3 and up to Class.¡± The figure pulled out his I.D and slid it forwards.


    ¡°I¡¯m with him, so no worries about me~¡±


    The receptionist paused for a moment as she looked at the data on the card. Just like the guardsmen on the outside, her eyes focused onto the class information on the card.


    ¡°I- I see! Well then, please wait one moment-¡±


    She smiled before pulling out a book with a dozen bookmarks slipping out in between the pages. After opening the book, she flipped through a dozen pages before laying it down onto the counter and offering it to the figure.


    In this world, quests were separated into classes from 6 to 0. Among them, 6 to 4 were public quests that were fairly easy and were posted on boards. Class 3 to 2 were for harder quests that only those who are qualified can accept, and thus they¡¯re kept behind a receptionist. Class 1 quests involve high risk quests or high urgency. There are other exceptions as well, but in general it¡¯s extremely rare to find a quest outside of the 6 to 0.


    ¡°Here are the quests from Class 3 to 1. As you may know, this area¡¯s fairly peaceful, so the selection might not be as abundant as other hubs. But please take your time.¡± The receptionist smiled. ¡°Any assistance we can get is appreciated after all.¡±


    It was less than two pages, only a handful of options to pick from. But, even so, the figure took a moment to read through everything.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a period of silence, the figure pointed at a specific quest.


    ¡°We¡¯d like to take this quest here. It seems to be the most suitable for us to take.¡±


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes followed the figure¡¯s arm, down towards where it was pointing. Class 2 Retrieval : Moonlight Roses.


    ¡°Class 2 retrieval? T- Are you sure? I don¡¯t mean to pry, but wouldn¡¯t a hunting quest or extermination quest be better?¡± The receptionist pointed at a different quest listing. ¡°Especially with your rankings.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Indeed, retrieval quests were usually tedious and the rewards were relatively small. Though, it was also true that retrieval quests were much less dangerous compared to other quests.


    ¡°Ah, our rankings aren¡¯t much to be honest. We specialize in retrieval quests as well, combat isn¡¯t really our forte¡± the figure chuckled.


    ¡°As embarrassing as it sounds- wait, you don¡¯t need to tell everyone that¡± the lady followed up.


    The receptionist''s eyes glanced at the equipment of the two. Light armour paired with little to no place for weaponry. She turned her eyes away for a moment, similar to the man from earlier, in the direction of the three armoured adventurers.


    ¡°I- I see, well that¡¯s nothing to be ashamed off. Even if it is a retrieval quest, it¡¯s still somewhat dangerous¡± the receptionist chuckled. ¡°Is there anything else I can do for the both of you today?¡±


    The receptionist wrote a few lines into the book before giving the two a metal card. Unlike the adventurer I.D, this card was a quest card. It was a system that prevented quest stealing. The figure took the card and placed it into his pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯d also like to stay for one night. Room for two. If that¡¯s not possible, one would be fine as well.¡±


    The figure looked at the lady who had a cheerful smile on her face.


    ¡°Oh, and no need to worry about expenses.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, if that¡¯s what you wish, then certainly.¡±


    Afterwards, the receptionist had prepared some paperwork and received the payment before giving the two directions and the keys to their room.


    As the two walked towards the stairs, one of the plate armour wearing adventurers walked up to them. Unlike the other two who were still sat in their seats looking in their direction, the one who stood up had armour that was incredibly thick. It was to the point that no normal human would be able to stand upright in it, let alone move in it.


    The only way he could was because he was a magus as well. Among magus, the most common type of ability that a Catalyst would give their user is simply increased strength and speed. That was most likely the type of Catalyst that the person in front of them had.


    ¡°Nyahahaha- are you two alright, I hope that he didn¡¯t scare you off¡± a burly voice said, coming from the hulking armour.


    ¡°Ah, if you mean him, no need worry¡± the figure turned it¡¯s head towards the drunk man who was happily passed out on a chair.


    ¡°I see, I see, well I guess you wouldn¡¯t be called adventurers if that alone managed to scare you off from a hub.¡± The hulking man began to pat the back of the figure in a friendly gesture. ¡°My name¡¯s Ragna. I¡¯m part of the group that controls-...er-... frequents this hub. Are you two here for any specific business? Maybe the both of you are looking for a group to join?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing specific really¡­ Just passing by.¡±


    ¡°Hoh? I see. So that¡¯s how it is. Well, I hope that everything goes fine, just be careful of crossing into some areas around here, aye?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try not to, but you know how it is for us adventurers¡± the lady jokingly said.


    Before the lady could even finish her words, the figure turned it¡¯s mask towards the lady, it¡¯s furious glowing eyes locked onto the lady¡¯s eyes and made her instinctively jerk back and lower her head.


    Ragna chuckled as he moved to the side. Once the two pass by, his welcoming expression disappeared as he walked back to the two armoured adventurers. All while his eyes were turned to the side, still observing the figure and the lady.


    On the second floor, the ruckus was muffled.


    ¡°Should I not have said anything back there¡± the lady whispered. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so against a simple jab like that.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ah, sorry. You¡¯re fine. In fact, it was a good thing you said what you did. Not what I had intended, but overall it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you didn¡¯t need to glare at me like that. Really.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t glaring though-¡± the figure tapped his mask. ¡°Well, at least not my actual expression.¡±


    For a moment, the two of them had a dull, blank expression on both of their faces. Though, not that the figure¡¯s face was visible.


    The figure opened the door and both entered the room they were given. Though the figure¡¯s expression was still hidden behind a mask, the lady¡¯s expression glimmered at the sight of the room


    The room they were given was large and even had a balcony. A bathroom was also connected to the main bedroom. Majority of the necessities that adventurers need were strewn around the place such as a weapons rack, armour stand, even a whetstone was provided.


    ¡°Whoa, this is a far cry from other guild hubs, even compared to inns this place is- wow. As expected from a merchant town. I wonder if this is how all their rooms are.¡±


    ¡°Not quite, the receptionist gave us the most expensive room when she saw our class ranking, well, I did tell her to not mind the expenses. Nor do I mind the luxury.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm~ Well, I guess so. Though, even if this is a merchant town, it is also fairly peaceful around here. You¡¯d think that adventurers wouldn¡¯t be in as high demand or on such a high priority to command this kind of luxury. Though- I don¡¯t mind either to be honest¡± the lady chuckled as she sat onto the comfy bed.


    ¡°Like I said, this is an asset to the adventurer¡¯s guild- a fairly big asset from what I know of- and that is why we¡¯re here.


    ¡°Hmm, so- what¡¯s the plan this time Arke?¡±


    The figure- Arke- turned towards the lady as he pulled back his hood.


    ¡°We wait- The bait has already been set. It¡¯ll take at least a few hours for the word to circulate- but shouldn¡¯t take longer than tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°The bait¡¯s set though?¡± the lady was only half listening to Arke as she unzipped her coat and slid it off her arms, revealing her beautiful silky white skin.


    The figure was now pacing back and forth. The armoured boots tapped onto the floor in a constant beat.


    ¡°Bait in the sense that they¡¯re suspicious of us already. Though- not like we were subtle about anything.¡± Arke tapped his mask as he pointed towards the glowing circles. ¡°They took a large bite onto our fake I.Ds quickly too judging by the reaction of the receptionist and the guards. I also gave them a bit of false information.¡±


    ¡°False information¡± the lady thought for a moment, recalling the events that happened. ¡°Ah- so that¡¯s why you said we specialized in retrieval quests.¡±


    Arke lifted his hands in front of him, cracking his knuckles using one hand.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s part of it. The other would be why I made a small show by stopping that fake drunk with only one hand. They probably wanted to know if either of us is a magus.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see¡± the lady¡¯s responses were automatic- inorganic- templated- what have you.


    ¡°And thanks to that, they probably assume I¡¯m a fortification magus. Oh- and your little joke earlier with that Ragna guy probably made him even more suspicious- the problem is not whether or not they took the bait.¡±


    Arke had stopped pacing. The lady was sitting on the bed as she looked at Arke. She had already placed her coat onto the rack and was now combing her hair.


    ¡°Hm what is the problem then¡± the lady asked, even though it looked like she wasn¡¯t paying attention, apparently she was.


    ¡°The problem is how they react. If they deem that we¡¯re too dangerous, they¡¯ll not even bother confronting us. If they deem that we¡¯re harmless, on the other hand, they might not send the amount of people that I¡¯d prefer. I tried to mitigate it by using the fake IDs saying we¡¯re class 1. With that they should send at least three of their magus if they wanted to stop us. But that bit of false information about the retrieval specialization- that probably seeded some doubt into them.¡±


    ¡°I see, so they¡¯ll probably begin to think ¡°Were they really class 1? Were they really non combatants?¡± or something like that¡± the lady added.


    ¡°Yes. Perhaps they thought we were stronger than we wanted to show. That doubt would make them take more precautions. Or, at least that¡¯s the plan.¡±


    Arke raised his hand to his mask and pulled it off. The glowing eyes had dimmed to nothingness and it began to dissolve into black sand that fell from the figure¡¯s hand and evaporated before it hit the floor. The gauntlets, armour plating and even the steel parts of the boots Arke wore also disappeared the same way the mask did.


    ¡°Though, even if the worst case scenario happens. In the end, Cyrille, we simply have to kill them all.¡±


    ¡°You psycho¡± The lady- Cyrille- added. A smile was on her face.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Downstairs, Ragna, the leader of the clan that controls the hub, walked up towards one of the receptionists. The same receptionist that the two he had ran into earlier spoke to. Each step he took seemed to shake the very ground itself due to the weight of the armour her wore. Behind him, the two armoured adventurers followed. On paper, that was his adventurer party.


    ¡°Ah, Ragna, is there something you need at the moment? It¡¯s a bit early to report for the day though.¡±


    ¡°Those two- the one with the mask and the pale lady- are fairly suspicious, don¡¯t you think? What did they ask for here?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t ask for anything really. Rather, they just took a quest from us and asked for a room to stay for the night¡­¡± The receptionist¡¯s voice slowly shrunk.


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes turned away from Ragna. He quickly noticed her reaction.


    ¡°A quest? Did they ask for anything specific or did they just take any quest that needed to be done?¡±


    The receptionist hesitated for a moment. With a softer voice than before, she uttered,¡°Yes, actually, they did ask for a specific quest. They took the class 2 retrieval quest-¡±


    Ragna slammed his gauntlet down onto the counter. It made a fairly loud noise, enough to startle the other receptionists and number of adventurers. At the same time, the two adventurers following Ragna had stood behind him and glared at anyone who looked at Ragna- intimidating them to continue on with what they were doing.


    ¡°What? And you let them take it!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I tried to insist that they take a different quest. It made no sense for them to take a class 2 retrieval quest at their rank, but that¡¯s also why I couldn¡¯t refuse them since they had insisted¡± her voice slowly got louder as she continued.


    Ragna let out a sigh. There was no point in getting too angry at the receptionist in front of him.


    ¡°Quiet. Why couldn¡¯t you refuse?¡±


    The receptionist pulled out a book containing information about the two that she had written down earlier. Among them, their names and their class information as well as any notable things that she noticed. They weren¡¯t the only ones in the book as well, there were dozens upon dozens of notes on other adventurers.


    ¡°This is the information I have on them. As far as I know, they¡¯re both class 1. One of them is also a magus, that I¡¯m certain of, but I¡¯m not sure as to what kind specifically.¡±


    The receptionist recalled the distortion from earlier, the Catalyst activating. Though, at that time she wasn¡¯t paying as much attention due to her helping another adventurer and didn¡¯t see exactly what happened.


    ¡°Class 1? So, they are part of the guild. Judging by their insistence to take this particular quest-...¡± Ragna glanced at the receptionist. ¡°One of them is a fortification magus like me.¡±


    ¡°The one with the mask, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, him. The other one, I¡¯m not sure, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be as much of a problem. Maybe his lover or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, also, they did mention that they specialized in retrieval quests.¡±


    Ragna paused for a moment in thought as he tried to rationalize the actions of the two. On paper, class ranks were a way of showing how skilled an adventurer was- but it wasn¡¯t impossible for someone with no skill to simply bribe their way to a higher rank. It also wasn¡¯t impossible for someone working for the guild to have a skewed rank.


    ¡°Shall I have one of our trackers follow them for the meantime just in case?¡±


    ¡°Yes, have three follow them separately


    ¡°Three? Isn¡¯t that a bit much sir?¡±


    Normally, a single tracker was all that was needed. Having more than one was actually counter intuitive in most cases unless the area they were in was a forest.


    ¡°No- I¡¯m not underestimating them, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry with them, plus, if I¡¯m right, they¡¯re going to be heading into the ruins in the forest. That should be home field for our trackers.¡±


    ¡°I see, in that case...¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯ll be going near the ruins tomorrow just in case. Gather up everyone by noon, and I mean everyone we have that¡¯s able for battle. Do it as we usually do. If we don¡¯t come back after those two leave and return, assume the worst and contact a messenger.¡±


    The receptionist nodded and Ragna walked away along with his two followed. Behind them, an adventurer wielding a bow had approached the receptionist.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    At dusk, on the next day. The two stood just in front of a ruined archway. Just beyond it, the snow covered ruins of an old town. Nature had already taken back majority of the area. Trees already covered a good portion of the sky. It seemed serene, tranquil-... eerie¡­ until a muffled roar emerged from within the ruined town. Oddly- the two didn¡¯t seem to react much towards the inhuman roar.


    ¡°That sound. Doesn¡¯t it sound like a beast, a Wyvern maybe¡± Cyrille said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a beast, though something sounds off, it sounds muffled. I doubt it¡¯s a Wyvern though.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it doesn¡¯t sound as sharp as usual. Maybe it¡¯s in a cave or behind a hill?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. I wouldn¡¯t really be surprised if it¡¯s in a building or something, but at the very least it doesn¡¯t sound as clear as it should be. Looks like this isn¡¯t going to be as easy as I wanted it to be.¡±


    ¡°Come now, worst case scenario, we can go all out. There should be little to no problem going all out in this ruined town- not like there¡¯s a lot of witnesses either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not, but if it comes to that¡­ well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Arke entered past the archway with Cyrille following behind. Around them, littered scarcely across the ruins, weapons of all kinds. Majority of them had already began to rust. Every now and then, a few pieces of armour would also be seen with the bones of their wearer still inside them. The buildings were crumbling, the ones that still stood were covered in overgrowth. Most likely the overgrowth was also the reason that those buildings still stood.


    The two pass by a small clearing. It looked to be the town center, but due to the trees growing from it, it was much smaller than it probably had used to be. On the ground, tattered banners and flags covered in moss lay on the ground. While one showed faded colours of the royal army, the other was bearing the marks of an unknown liege.


    Though, something was out of place the entire time. There were no bows anywhere, yet, somehow, arrows that looked much newer than the rest of the rubble were embedded into different areas. Like markings, it lead from the entrance all the way to a gate near the center of the town. The two had followed those arrows since the archway and had kept following it.


    Finally. The two arrive at a chained gate. Signs and warnings were hung onto the chains. Just flanking the gate were bones of adventurers along with their old equipment. The muffled roars they had heard seemed to come from just beyond. On either side of the gate, a stone wall encircled the entire area that was behind it. A roar erupted.


    ¡°The beast is just across this gate. It¡¯s- not exactly what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Not what you were expecting? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see. Also, seems that someone¡¯s already got here before us. As expected.¡±


    Arke pointed towards the chains. Looking closely, the chains had no snow on top of them, unlike everything else in the area. Even the arrows that the two had followed all the way here had a small amount of snow on them, yet, for some reason, the chains were completely clean- aside from the rust of course.


    ¡°Hm- that is odd. Well, on the bright side, at least it looks like your bait worked- they¡¯re expecting us already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Arke glanced around them. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure what kind of welcome they¡¯ll give us, but at least we can count on them to give us some kind of welcome. So prepare for the worst.¡±


    ¡°So~ Do what we usually do?


    Arke turned his head towards Cyrille and tilted it. ¡°Huh- I guess so, yeah.¡±


    For a split second, it looked as if the two became distorted. As if reality, or at least light, had warped and twisted. Once again, the deep sound of Catalysts being activated resounded.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m ready whenever you are.¡±


    ¡°Likewise~ shall we?¡±


    ¡°We shall.¡±


    The two looked at each other and nodded in unison before walking towards the gate. As they pushed each side, the rusted chains tightened and pulled at the door.


    ¡°Heave~ ho~¡± Cyrille jokingly added.


    Finally, one by one, the rusted chains snapped, letting the gate swing open. Once they pushed it open, a mystical sight entered their vision. Dozens of blades and other weapons were stuck into the ground, like some sort of battlefield. Though, what caught their attention the most was what was in the middle of the room.


    ¡°T- that¡¯s a-¡±


    A thunderous roar pierced through the area.

 Chapter 2 (c1v1)

    A figure with a furious mask wearing a dark armoured coat was stood just past the gate. Just behind it, a beautiful lady was staring straight ahead. It was Arke and Cyrille. Beside them, broken rusted chains from the gate that they had just forced open.


    The ground shook as a thunderous road pierced through the area.


    In the middle of the clearing, illuminated by rays of moonlight, A Drake, a four legged beast that resembled a wingless dragon, was laying down- or more like chained down. Dozens of weapons were impaled into the ground that surrounded it. Upon closer look, they were actually impaled into long dead skeletons with what looked like flowers blooming near them.


    Dozen of large chains were entangled around it¡¯s hard iron-like scaled body. Each of them were held onto the ground with countless spears and sword being used like stakes.


    The only thing that could still move a little was the Drake¡¯s head. Though, it¡¯s entire face was covered in multiple steel plates and a chain was loosely wrapped around it¡¯s jaw, just enough to let it roar but not enough to let it bite down onto the chains around it¡¯s body.


    Without a hint of fear, Arke walked forwards. The Drake turned it¡¯s head towards him and let out a muffled roar. The snow that piled onto the Drake shifted and fell. The chains wrapped around it also creaked as if it could break at any moment.


    ¡°T- that¡¯s what you meant. I was expecting something more grandiose¡± Cyrille turned to Arke. ¡°Still, must¡¯ve been a lot of work to get a beast here.¡±


    Arke ignored Cyrille¡¯s first remark. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    In this world, Beasts were monsters that existed since ancient times. Unlike other monsters, they¡¯re much larger, stronger, faster and smarter. They were separated into four different types. Dragons, Wyrms, Wyverns and Drakes. Drakes in particular were among the strongest and toughest, they also had the best sense of smell.


    While it obviously wasn¡¯t impossible to capture a Drake, it was still difficult and mostly not worth the effort.


    ¡°So, should we wait¡± Cyrille whispered.


    Arke shook his head. ¡°No, there won¡¯t be any need to wait for long.¡±


    The expression on Cyrille¡¯s face didn¡¯t change, as if everything that was happening was completely normal.


    The two walked towards the Drake, stopping just a few meters away from it. Upon closer look, rusted spears were pierced into it¡¯s limbs. Similarly, rusted swords were pierced into where it¡¯s eyes should be. A rather cruel fate.


    It was kept alive for a single purpose-


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy getting that thing here, y¡¯know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I just said¡± Cyrille grumbled under her breath.


    Behind the two, three armour plated adventurers appeared. From their movements, it seemed that they were also magus, specifically fortification magus, as normal humans wouldn¡¯t be able to move easily when wearing heavy full plate armour like that.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know exactly how many men I lost just to get that monster here¡± a familiar voice said. The man¡¯s armour stood out among the three. Standing side by side, he was a head taller than the other two. ¡°Though- the lives of people I barely know aren¡¯t worth much by themselves.¡±


    It was Ragna. He spread his arms and gestured towards the skeletons that were spread around the area. Near those skeletons, glowing roses bloomed under the moonlight.


    ¡°Still, I give you two applause for not being scared off by that Drake. Normally, most other adventurers that come to Langite would think better and steer away from any sign of a beast¡± Ragna laughed. ¡°Not many people are willing to jump so quick to their deaths.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say we¡¯re a bit psycho then. Not right in the head¡± Arke glared at Ragna.


    Behind the two, the chains constantly rattled as the Drake moved and tried to break free, but to no avail.


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, we¡¯re a bit messed up¡± Cyrille chuckled.


    ¡°So-... was this what you were after?¡± Ragna gestured towards the glowing roses with his giant mace. He held it with one hand as if it weighed nothing. ¡°If it is, take a handful and leave¡­ Now.¡±


    Arke gazed at the area around them, slowly turning his head from one side to the other.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... ¡­ Well?¡±


    ¡°No, not exactly. Though, it¡¯s nice to know that your whole proclamation yesterday wasn¡¯t just for show. It¡¯s refreshing to see¡± Arke said as he turned his back towards the Drake.


    ¡°I did say that- but I guess I wasn¡¯t clear enough when I did, so let me rephrase it.¡± Ragna slammed his mace onto the ground. ¡°This is our territory. If you¡¯re not here for anything, then leave.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit rude to newcomers¡± Cyrille responded with sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Shut your mouth bitch¡± an unknown adventurer said in an annoyed voice.


    At that moment, more than a dozen bowmen rose from the ruined walls. Their bows were aimed down at the two in the middle of the room. Just past the gate, three crossbowmen also appeared along with an escort of a handful of adventurers. At the same time, two of the armoured adventurers beside Ragna walked forwards and raised their shields and swords.


    The adventurers surrounding Arke and Cyrille moved in coordination with each other. It seemed that a fight was about to break out, until.


    ¡°Stop¡± Ragna¡¯s loud voice resounded within the ruins. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary¡± Ragna slammed the tip of his mace into the ground much stronger than before. All of the adventurers lowered their weapons slightly. He then turned towards the two.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got the upper hand in this situation right now¡± Ragna looked at Arke. ¡°Faulken¡± he uttered before turning to Cyrille. ¡°Shizu¡± he added.


    Two unfamiliar names, or at least it seemed like it. But, those two names were the names that were on the adventurer IDs that Arke and Cyrille had shown.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not here for anything, then leave. I¡¯d rather not cause a dispute or problem by having to kill another clan¡¯s people.¡±


    Indeed. Everything was as Ragna had planned, he had the upper hand. The bowmen on the wall had great vantage point and could easily counter any melee oriented magus. The crossbowmen behind him could pierce any light to medium armour that the two could possibly wear, and if one of them was a caster or ranged type magus, the crossbows¡¯ bolts could easily strike before they could.


    ¡°To think that you¡¯d just stroll up here like this though, I wasn¡¯t expecting that. But even if you tried to do anything, we¡¯re already prepared for whatever you could throw at us.¡±


    In front of Ragna, and himself included, were the vanguard of his formation. No matter what Arke or Cyrille did, they knew they could easily fend them off and buy time for their ranged allies to finish them. Their confidence was boosted by the fact that Arke and Cyrille did not have any weapon on them.


    Even if the two could escape somehow, he had three trackers still tailing them, it would only be a matter of time before they found them again if they decide to come back.


    ¡°So, this is my last warning, leave¡± Ragna took a dignified pose.


    By the information that he had gathered on the two, he had created an almost fool proof plan. In his mind, and everyone else¡¯s, they¡¯ve already won without having to lift a finger. The only thing they had to wait for was for the two to obediently nod and leave the ruins with their heads held low.


    Or so they thought.


    ¡°Kill? Aren¡¯t you getting a bit ahead of yourself Mr. Ragna.¡±


    A strange response came from Cyrille as she began to chuckle.


    ¡°We¡¯re here for one simple reason.¡±


    ¡°And what would that reason be¡± Ragna¡¯s voice became stiffer as he lifted his mace. ¡°Let me warn you now, don¡¯t do anything you¡¯ll regret.¡±


    The adventurers raised their weapons once more and took aim at the two just in front of the Drake.


    Arke had looked up at the sky as Cyrille took one step forwards. The adventurersknew that they had the upper hand against the two in front of the Drake, that¡¯s why they hesitated to do anything. Though, that was exactly what Arke and Cyrille had needed.


    Cyrille took another step forward and lowered her stance. As if she was about to cast magic. Though, even before she could do anything, a bolt flew through the air, aimed at her head.


    Arke¡¯s expression turned into a wicked smile behind his mask, though, nobody else could see it.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    As Cyrille lowered her stance, the area around her distorted. Though it only lasted for a split second, it looked like fragments of reality cracked. In that instant, black armour materialized on her body from head to toe. What looked like fragments fell from the armour and disappeared before hitting the ground.


    The bolt that was fired at her glanced off her helmet.


    In an instant, the adventurers on the wall had let loose their arrows. But, it was too late. Cyrille had slammed her foot onto the ground and launched herself forwards. One of the armoured adventurers swung his sword down with incredible speed and force.


    Cyrille used the outside of her forearm to deflect the strike away before plunging her shoulder into the man, knocking him onto the ground. The crossbowmen tried to aim at her, but Cyrille had already moved and purposely kept the other armoured adventurer in between her and the crossbowmen.


    It was at that point that Ragna had realized that something was off. But too late- the men he brought had stuck to the plan. The crossbowmen prioritized Cyrille while the bowmen focused on Arke.


    In front of Cyrille, the armoured adventurer held his shield up as he charged forwards. Instead of exposing his body, he chose a safer route and swung his leg, aiming for her knee. In response, Cyrille also swung her leg.


    ¡°Agh!?¡±


    The sound of steel shattering resounded. The man screamed as his plate armour shattered when it made contact with her armour, breaking his leg in the process. Though, Cyrille¡¯s black armour didn¡¯t even deform in the slightest. Less than a moment later, Cyrille grabbed the man¡¯s face.


    ¡°You guys aim for Faulken then deal with Shizu! I¡¯ll prot-¡±


    Ragna was interrupted by what looked like an explosion that occurred in front of him. Cyrille had slammed the man¡¯s head down into the ground with enough force that, even with the heavy plate armour, the man¡¯s body flew into the air as the snow exploded from the impact of his head into the ground.


    The sound of the impact caused the Drake behind them to lift it¡¯s head and roar at the commotion that was happening. Even if it could not see, it could smell the blood that was just spilled and it could hear the chaos that was unfolding in front of it.


    ¡°D- Damn it, Crossbows, fall back while firing!¡± Ragna yelled as he raised his giant mace and stood between the crossbowmen and Cyrille while not blocking their line of fire.


    ¡°Come on, you pieces of filth.¡± Cyrille dodged the crossbow bolts as she kept launching herself from side to side. ¡°If that¡¯s all you can do, then your lives are as good as forfeit!¡±


    The man Cyrille tackled earlier was on his feet, though a dent was clearly visible on his chest piece from where Cyrille tackled him. His stance was bent and his head was tilted down-


    ¡°What are you doing¡± Ragna yelled.


    In that instant, the man lifted his head and realized Cyrille was almost right in front of him. He tried to block, but Cyrille quickly changed directions and got behind him while pushing him forwards. As he staggered, she grabbed the back of the man¡¯s neck and armour, placing him between her and the crossbowmen.


    ¡°C- Cap-¡± The crossbowmen stopped firing for a moment.


    ¡°D- Don¡¯t stop firing, you fools. Do you want to die!?¡± Ragna screamed.


    Of course, no matter how corrupt one was, many adventurers still had never killed another human before. Even if they did, the one the crossbowmen was aiming at was most likely someone they¡¯ve known for a long while.


    But that hesitation was all Cyrille needed. With a crunching sound, she crushed the man¡¯s neck and threw him to the side before launching herself towards the crossbowmen. In their panic, they fired while retreating and all missed except for one bolt that had only bounced off of the black armour.


    Cyrille realized that the crossbowmen weren¡¯t firing bolts made to pierce heavy armour. With that knowledge, she stopped dodging.


    ¡°D- Demon, stay ba-¡± Panic began to completely take over the adventurers.


    Ragna tried to block her path, however his armour¡¯s weight slowed him down and Cyrille had dashed just in front of him, into the group of adventurers to his back.


    ¡°-meone help! Don¡¯t let her get nea-¡±||¡°-he cross bowmen to the back while we ho-¡±||¡±-didn¡¯t we have everything planne-¡±||¡±-stop yapping and start shoot-¡±||¡±-Ragna lied to-¡±


    As the adventurers panicked, Cyrille had reached the group. One after the other, the adventurers acting as the rear guard fell in quick succession. Then Cyrille hunted the rest down. It was a slaughter. Even more so that Cyrille had no weapon and had to use her fists.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Just before all that happened, a black sphere like¡­ thing... materialized from thin air, encompassing Arke. It looked like a shattered glass sphere was around him, though there was no glass. Only the black crack-like design of the black metal.


    As the arrows flew, the cracks shifted and moved quickly. The arrows simply glanced off the areas where the cracks constantly converged.


    Most of the bowmen had a cold sweat drip down their cheeks. They were told that Faulken- Arke- was a melee oriented magus and not a caster. That was the reason that their first move was to shoot at him from all directions.


    The bowmen ignored Cyrille in her armour. Though it wasn¡¯t because they were following the plan, but because even with the vantage they had, it was still difficult for simple shortbows to penetrate any kind of full armour. Though they weren¡¯t exactly sure if it was truly armour that Cyrille wore either.


    At this point, a the sound of a loud impact resounded paired with the Drake lifting it¡¯s head and roaring in response to Cyrille¡¯s chaos.


    ¡°Hhmp¡­ they¡¯re doing well enough, I guess it¡¯s my turn.¡± Arke¡¯s face twisted into a wicked smile.


    The sphere around Arke had suddenly increased it¡¯s size. At the same moment, reality distorted around his arms for a fraction of a second. Black crossbows materialized on each of his hands, it looked as if they were attached to his arms by web-like black steel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop firing¡± one of the bowmen yelled.


    And, indeed, the bowmen all began to shoot their arrows one after another, but it was futile, Arke was simply stood leisurely in front of the Drake. The cracks constantly shifted, deflecting the arrows.


    ¡°-it¡¯s no use! The arrows-¡±||¡±-What are the crossbow-¡±||¡±-What about the-¡±


    The bowmen kept firing as fast as they could without any coordination.


    ¡°Fire in a volley on my-¡±


    Before the man could finish, a black bolt had pierced his head. Though, Arke hadn¡¯t even lifted his arms to aim. Rather, he was staring at Ragna.


    ¡°W- What¡¯s happening, ho-¡±


    And another.


    ¡°Huh, Zeke are you o-¡±


    And another.


    The bowmen had stopped firing arrows and duck behind cover. Their faces showed nothing but fear. Even though Arke didn''t fire his crossbows, or even lifted them, black bolts still pierced their comrades.


    It was around that time that the cracks that were protecting Arke had fragmented and slowly fell apart, disappearing into nothing. He raised his crossbows and started to fire black bolts at Ragna. It was also this time that Cyrille had broken through and was dealing with the crossbowmen.


    ¡°There¡¯s a third! Keep your head down and find him!¡±


    Indeed, the only explanation that they could think of is that there¡¯s a third person that they haven¡¯t seen. That''s why they had kept their heads down and stayed behind cover until they could find the one picking them off. But reality was much different-


    Unbeknownst to them, above in the night sky, dozens of distortions appeared one by one in different locations. Each time it did, a bolt would fall.


    Another bowman was struck, though, this time the bolt aimed for his shoulder.


    The bowman writhed in pain as he grabbed his shoulder. ¡°D- damn it, fall back, we need to wa-¡±


    Finally, a bolt pierced that man¡¯s head.


    Now, only handful of the bowmen were left. Fear had completely consumed them. Maybe they could survive if they simply didn¡¯t move.


    After a brief respite and having gained hope that they would survive, a dozen bolts began to fall into the areas where the last few bowmen were. There, screams of pain resounded for a few seconds as the bolts continued to fall into those spots. One by one, the screams slowly vanished. Arke counted exactly how many bowmen there were on the walls. And he made sure that every last one was nothing more than a corpse.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Ragna staggered as bolts kept glancing off his armour. He purposely kept his front towards Arke¡¯s barrage. The back of his armour was much weaker than the front, especially the back of the helmet. Not because of a design flaw, but because adding the same thickness would make the armour much heavier than it already is.


    The two magus laid unmoving in front of him. Behind him, Cyrille¡¯s slaughter had just ended. To his flanks and above him, corpses of the bowmen that Arke had just wiped out. Yet, he did not falter. Cyrille had walked up behind him.


    ¡°This is what you get for getting on a high horse like that¡± Cyrille had a smile on her face under her black helmet.


    Ragna clenched tight onto the handle of his mace. ¡°I thought I hadn¡¯t underestimated you¡± he grumbled under his breath. ¡°I had everything planned out.¡±


    It was true. Ragna had everything planned out. But, that¡¯s exactly what Arke had expected. That¡¯s exactly why Arke had planted subtle misleading information everywhere he went. A wicked smile was present behind Arke¡¯s mask.


    Ragna clicked his tongue. ¡°But don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go down as easily as the others¡± he screamed as he turned around and swung his mace with full force down towards Cyrille.


    ¡°Too slow.¡±


    Cyrille had stepped to the side to dodge. While she was fast, it was still a fact that she wore heavy armour that restricted her movements. At that moment Arke had also stopped firing.


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    Ragna tried to grab Cyrille, but again, she simply stepped away. A mistake on her part as Ragna twisted his body and did a full turn, using momentum and the power of two Catalysts, he managed to hit Cyrille and sent her flying towards the Drake.


    Arke began his barrage once again- each bolt glanced off and some even shattered.


    ¡°Ah! Hahaha, How does it feel to-¡±


    His words fell flat as he noticed Cyrille standing just beside Arke.


    ¡°Feel to what?¡± Cyrille chuckled.


    Arke had stopped firing by this point.


    What Ragna didn¡¯t see is that just before his mace had hit, parts of Cyrille¡¯s armour detached and acted as a buffer, weakening the blow. She had also taken a few other steps to ensure that the impact wasn¡¯t as severe. Though, it¡¯s hit was still evident with how Cyrille¡¯s arm was limp.


    ¡°Tsk¡­.¡± Ragna readied himself for a tough battle. ¡°Even if you two are strong, my armour won¡¯t break that easily.¡±


    ¡°With our weapons, yes¡­ it¡¯ll be difficult to do that. For us.¡±


    Arke walked to the side of the Drake and Cyrille walked to the other. It was then that Ragna noticed something off about the Drake. It¡¯s head was locked in place, as if it were staring at Ragna. Only then did he notice a viscous liquid was covering parts of his armour.


    ¡°Night Oil¡± Arke calmly stated.


    ¡°Hahaha, you know how Night oil and Drakes interact, right Mr Ragna?¡±


    A wave of realization¡­ and fear¡­ had struck Ragna. Night Oil was a potent ingredient for poison and healing. Though, it had a side effect. It¡¯s scent would attract beasts. As if bees to honey. Even worse that among beast kind, Drakes were notorious for their sense of smell.


    Ragna took a few steps forwards almost immediately. In response, Cyrille kicked one of the large chains- shattering it. Ragna promptly stopped and took a step back.


    ¡°Wait! Y- you wouldn¡¯t dare. Langite is close from here¡± Ragna desperately uttered. ¡°You¡¯d kill thousands if you let that thing free!¡±


    His desperation was born of his fear. His armour was thick. In fact, it was probably thick enough to survive being eaten by the Drake. The thought of having to slowly die from being digested by the beast came to his mind. While most adventurers were brave, they were also cautious. And death was one thing all adventurers avoided at all costs.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll simply stop it.¡±


    ¡°A- Are you insane!?... that¡¯s a Drake¡­ It took five of our magus to weaken it enough and chain it here. Even then, it¡¯s scales are much thicker than my armour! Do you really think it¡¯d be that easy to stop it!?¡±


    Arke¡¯s cold eyes looked at Ragna from behind his mask. ¡°If we can¡¯t. Ah what was it you said earlier- ah, yes-... the lives of people I barely know aren¡¯t worth much by themselves.¡±


    At that moment, Arke fired a bolt, shattering another chain. The other chains tugged and strained as it took on more pressure. Ragna slowly realized exactly what kind of person he was dealing with, but he still had some doubts.


    ¡°Are you serious? Thousands will die. Thousands of innocent lives¡± he emphasized.


    More bolts severed a couple of chains. Ragna¡¯s hands began to tremble. By this time it was obvious that Arke wasn¡¯t bluffing. Even for a veteran adventurer, the thought of facing a Drake was a fearful thought¡­ even more so that he¡¯s soaked in Night oil. If it was simply against Arke and Cyrille, Ragna thought he had a chance or he could at least buy time for the trackers to go back to Langite.


    ¡°W- wait, I surrender! W- What do you want? Gold? Territory? I can get you what you need if you tell me! Just listen to me!¡±


    Though he tried to use reason, it didn¡¯t seem to affect the two in front of him. With little choice left, he leaned forwards and was about to charge-


    ¡°Ack!?¡±


    A jagged spear pierced through the sky and impaled itself into Ragna¡¯s leg. Though, due to his armour¡¯s thickness, it didn¡¯t penetrate completely and stopped just as it pierced the other side.


    Ragna bent down onto his knee. His entire being felt as if it froze. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible for his armour to be pierced that easily. In his head, he could only think of one thing.


    ¡°T- they¡¯re just toying with us¡± he whispered to himself as his horrified eyes looked at Arke¡¯s furious eyes.


    ¡°Did you really think you ever stood a chance?¡±


    Stood a chance?


    ¡°W- Wait! If you spare me, I- I can help you contact the Adventurer Guild¡¯s higher up! I can assist you! Just- please, Wait!¡±


    Arke froze at Ragna¡¯s offer. Cyrille turned immediately towards Arke. In Ragna¡¯s mind, he thought he found a rope that he could tug onto to be spared.


    ¡°Y- Yes! I can connect you with the higher ups! If you spare me!¡±


    ¡°Hooh¡­ now that¡¯s something that might be worth your life¡± Cyrille said.


    ¡°If- If you promise to spare! To give mercy, I- I¡¯ll do it! In fact, you don¡¯t even need me to be there!¡±


    ¡°Oh- then show us some proof¡± Cyrille responded.


    Ragna found what they were interested in. Hope. There was hope that he could survive. As an Adventurer, he knew the value of life. And he wasn¡¯t one to put his pride above his own neck.


    ¡°H- Here¡± Ragna clumsily reached into a pouch on his back and threw a steel medallion towards Arke. ¡°That¡¯s one of the only w- ways to contact a messenger¡­ w- wear that into any hub in our territory and one should-... approach you.. T- there! Please.¡±


    Cyrille took the medallion from the ground.


    ¡°Hoooh, it¡¯s the real deal.¡±


    ¡°N- now please, spare me¡± Ragna lowered his head.


    ¡°Who said we¡¯d spare you¡± Arke said as another chain was severed by his bolt.


    A chill ran down Ragna¡¯s back. Once again, he thought that he understood what the two in front of him were thinking. And, once again, he¡¯s been had.


    ¡°She said that it might be something worth your life. But, frankly, your life is already forfeit. Even if you refused to give it, we could easily just take this from your corpse.¡±


    ¡°B- But I can personally-¡±


    Another chain was severed, it was then that the remaining chains all snapped simultaneously as the Drake rose from the ground. It held it¡¯s head high and let out a fierce roar as the chains around it¡¯s mouth creaked. The crossbows and the black metal pieces on Arke had dissolved into dust.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than a pawn- a puppet- a guard dog. There¡¯s nothing you can possibly offer us aside from this-¡±


    It was true- Ragna was bluffing. A bluff that he placed his life on. And failed.


    ¡°D- Die in hell you demons!¡± Ragna stood up despite the pain from his leg and prepared himself, but, it was too late.


    The Drake charged towards him, passing by Arke and Cyrille as they simply watched. A loud clang resounded as the Drake pinned Ragna to the ground with it¡¯s claws. The chains around it¡¯s mouth creaked as it tried to force it open, though it wouldn¡¯t break.


    Ragna desperate slammed his arm onto the Drake¡¯s leg as it tried to open it¡¯s mouth. Though, after a few moments of trying, the Drake suddenly hammered it¡¯s maw into Ragna. It must¡¯ve gotten agitated when he began hitting it¡¯s leg. Everytime it¡¯s maw hammered into his armour, the armour slowly bent and groaned.


    ¡°In between the loud clanging sounds, Ragna¡¯s desperate cries for help resounded.


    This lasted for a few moment before it finally died out. From behind the Drake, the two simply stared as the Drake lifted what seemed to be half of Ragna¡¯s mangled armour before swallowing it whole. It did this two more times with the remaining pieces of mangled armour before turning around and sniffing the air.


    It¡¯s head pointed at Arke. As if confirming where it¡¯s next prey was, it roared.


    ¡°Your turn Arke¡± Cyrille said in a flat tone as she jumped backwards.


    At that point, the Drake was already charging at full speed towards Arke. Though, something felt eerily off about him. Even in the face of a charging beast, he didn¡¯t even move a single step.


    It became clear why when three gigantic jagged black spears fell from the sky and impaled the Drake. The shockwave was powerful enough that Arke had to brace himself in order not to get blown away. A thunderous, ear shattering sound resounded within the clearing and into the forest.Though, three spears fell, only one had actually pierced the Drake. The other two had landed in front of it. Specifically, the two landed where the Drake could have gone.


    Fragments of the Drake''s scales scattered throughout the area around it. The snow that was underneath it just a moment ago was blown away by the shockwave.


    Arke stood in front of the Drake, his glowing eyes simply glared at the beast in front of him as the snow and debris from the impact slowly fell from above. It was an eerie sight. As if looking at the grim reaper- a heartless existence.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    A little earlier, outside the place where Cyrille and Arke were. A hooded adventurer was running towards the town, Langite. As if his life depended on it, he ran. Passing through a different path than he took earlier, he desperately tried to duck left and right, to throw off anyone who was tailing him.


    But, it was for nothing. A dagger had cut through the air and dug itself deep into the man¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Agh-¡± the man cried as he fell onto the snow, sliding a few feet forwards.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t run so fast. You might trip.¡±


    A slender figure walked towards him from behind. The figure was holding a dagger that was similar, if not exactly the same, as the dagger buried deep into the man¡¯s leg. Just by how fast the figure ran and caught up, it was obvious that they were a magus, a Catalyst user.


    The man tried to pull out a dagger from his back. Though it was futile, the figure had noticed the subtle movements underneath the cloak and threw the dagger it was holding into the man¡¯s arm.


    "Agh!?"


    Suddenly, loud clanging sounds resounded from afar. These were the sounds of Ragna¡¯s armour being bashed by the Drake. The man¡¯s face twisted in terror as a cold sweat ran down his face.


    ¡°Calm down. I¡¯m only here to ask a few questions¡± the figure kneeled beside the man. ¡°How many of you are there?¡±


    Silence.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t one to expect you to talk that fast.¡±


    The figure placed a piece of cloth onto the man¡¯s mouth before grabbing the dagger in his leg and digging it deeper.


    ¡°Let me ask again, how many trackers are there?¡±


    Again, the figure wiggled the dagger, making the man¡¯s face grimace. The figure looked at the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°I have all day to do this¡± the figure uttered as it was about to move the knife once again.


    ¡°Three! There¡¯s three!¡± the man¡¯s frantic muffled voice could just barely be understood.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    The figure slowly pulled out the dagger before digging it back in. Tears slowly formed on the man¡¯s face. The snow just beneath the two had already turned into a crimson colour.


    ¡°Yes¡± the man repeatedly screamed.


    ¡°I see. Well, I thank you for your help¡± The figure grabbed a third dagger and quickly slit the man¡¯s throat.


    The figure took out the knives and wiped them onto the man¡¯s cloak before standing up. It recalled the two other adventurers that were hunted down earlier. Just like this man, all three were tasked with following Cyrille and Arke and presumably reporting back. Though, none of the three would ever finish that mission.


    ¡°Call the others that are on standby near the forest¡¯s edge¡± the figure said as it turned it¡¯s head.


    There, behind the figure, a hooded scout was partially visible through the side of a ruined wall. In response to the figure¡¯s words, the scout paused, for a moment it seemed as if the scout was glaring at the figure accompanied by his tongue clicking, before nodding and silently disappeared into the ruins.


    The figure sighed and it¡¯s eyes turned to the ground. Even with half it¡¯s face behind the mask, the figure¡¯s eyes showed sadness. ¡°The least you could do is act like you like me if you¡¯re going to work for me¡­¡± the figure grumbled under it¡¯s breath before taking a deep breath.


    Suddenly, an ear shattering sound echoed through the forest accompanied by the ground shaking. It¡¯s origin was close, in the same direction as the loud clanging sounds from earlier.


    Turning towards the direction of the sound, the figure pulled out a single edged dagger with an intricate design. It looked more like a decoration piece rather than a weapon, or, at least it did until it¡¯s constructs started shifting around. Where it¡¯s edge would be, there was now a disposable, extremely sharp piece of metal.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go to the next target-¡±

 Chapter 3 (c1v1)

    The snow fell gently on that night. The area seemed tranquil and peaceful as rays of moonlight illuminated the area. In fact, it was mesmerizing. The dozens of weapons that laid stuck into the ground reflected some of the moonlight. It looked as if the weapons themselves were glowing.


    In the middle of the clearing, a beast known as a Drake laid unmoving. Large, broken, rusted chains were laying around it, covered in crimson blood. It¡¯s face was also smeared with blood from it¡¯s last prey. It was a sight to behold.


    Though, what was more impressive were the gigantic jagged spears that flanked the Drake. As if guardians stopping it from advancing. In the middle of it¡¯s back, a similar spear was impaled through it¡¯s extremely tough scales. Scattered around were bits and pieces of it¡¯s shattered scales.


    Just ahead of the Drake, a figure wearing a dark grey armoured coat stood just in front of someone completely encased in black armour. It was Arke and Cyrille.


    ¡°Whew- as expected of you¡± Cyrille said as she sat on a ruined piece of wall that fell onto the ground.


    The armour around her started to fragment and slowly flake off before completely disappearing into nothing. Her white coat slowly showed itself. Though, it became clear that something was wrong. Between the cracks of her armour, part of her sleeve was dyed in crimson red. As the armour disappeared completely, it revealed that her sleeve was soaked blood halfway up her arm.


    ¡°Ah-...¡± She took a crimson vial from her coat- a healing potion- and quickly poured it¡¯s contents into her mouth.


    As she did that, Arke had turned away from the Drake and walked up beside her. He lifted her injured arm carefully. He sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that you let someone like him get even a single hit on you¡± he said while slowly pulling up her sleeve. ¡°How did you even let him-¡±


    Cyrille¡¯s breath slowly got hotter and each breath she took was heavier. Her body looked like as if it barely had any strength in it. Her silky white skin was smeared with blood. He wiped it off using his own coat, making sure not to touch the wound. Arke pulled out a roll of bandages from his coat and slowly lifted her arm higher.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you¡­ the one who¡­ told me that as long as in the end you come out¡­ on top¡­ then the sacrifice is worth it¡­ or something like that¡± she replied as her head bobbed around- as if she was half asleep.


    It wasn¡¯t because she was drowsy, of course, it was because of the vial¡¯s effects. It became more evident when the wound on her arm had stopped bleeding as it was being bandaged.


    Arke turned his head towards Cyrille. His glowing eyes seemed to stare right at her. ¡°I did say that. But I didn¡¯t mean to take any unnecessary risks or make any unneeded sacrifices. It¡¯s illogical.¡±


    Illogical- Cyrille pondered-


    Behind Arke, the gigantic spears from earlier had began to crack. Small pieces of it fell off, in a similar manner to how Cyrille¡¯s armour did, and slowly disappeared into nothing. In fact, all of the bolts that Arke had created disappeared in the same manner.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer it if you didn¡¯t do things as recklessly like this¡± Arke added as he finished up wrapping Cyrille¡¯s arm in the bandages.


    Cyrille simply nodded with a soft smile on her face as the effects of the vial were at it¡¯s peak. While it did speed up the healing process- it had a rather unpleasant side effect. It gave painful migraine. Enough to make a person faint the first time they use a vial.


    A few seconds pass in silence as the side effects disappeared.


    Cyrille chuckled as she saw Arke was fixing her sleeve ever so gently. Most likely he tried not to irritate the wound or do anything to cause pain. She also noticed that Arke¡¯s coat was smeared with her blood from earlier when Arke used his sleeve to wipe off excess blood off her arm.


    A soft smile appeared on her face. ¡°This reminds me of that time.¡±


    ¡°That time¡± Arke questioned as he finished up fixing her sleeve.


    ¡°Yeah- Remember the first time we met?¡±


    On that cold and snowy day- Arke thought. It¡¯s been almost a year now since then.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to forget¡­¡±


    Cyrille lifted her other arm up, which still had the empty vial that she drank earlier. She stared at it- played with it in her hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that-¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    The light snow had stopped some time ago. In the clearing of the forest, near the campfire. A figure wearing an armoured coat- Arke- was kneeling down in front of a lady. Her silver eyes glared at him as she firmly held a piece of cloth into her side.


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For a moment, it seemed that time stood still. The opposite answer came from what Arke had expected. A response that he couldn¡¯t fathom. The hand he held out to her slowly fell to the ground. Once it did, the black jagged spears that were behind him lunged forwards.


    ¡°Ha- hahaha¡­¡±


    A broken laugh resounded.


    ¡°So.¡±


    All of the jagged spears slowly dissolved into what looked like black sand and disappeared with the wind, leaving only the scars they carved out in the world.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    A gust of wind blew past with an eerie whistling sound.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you kill me?¡± The lady looked straight at Arke¡¯s glowing eyes. Her glare had subsided into curious gaze. ¡°Why¡± she added again, as if trying to put as much weight onto her words as she can.


    Arke sighed. ¡°Hmm¡­ a couple of reasons.¡± He stared directly into the lady¡¯s eyes. ¡°Even though you wanted to believe in them- you still fought them in the end. You denied their methods and goals.¡±


    Arke gazed at the area around the two. While it was true that Arke was the one who ended the lives of most, if not all, of the adventurers around them. It was Cyrille who fought all of them from the beginning. A feat that wasn¡¯t easy. Looking among the adventurers, there were a handful of magus. The very fact that they were magus made them a formidable foe by itself.


    ¡°When words wouldn¡¯t reach out to these people- if you can even call them that- you didn¡¯t just back down or throw away the ones who needed your help. You fought.¡±


    Yes. Cyrille held off as many of them as she could. She was only a single fortification magus, yet she fought dozens of adventurers. Though, she refused to take any of their lives. In the battle, she even refused to draw her weapon, instead focusing on evading all of their attacks while knocking them back and onto the ground. But that hesitation was costly. A blade had pierced her side because she refused to put the adventurers down.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the point of snuffing out a candle in this dark world?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You remind me of who I used to be. Maybe you and I are the same. Maybe we¡¯re just similar. Or I could be wrong and we¡¯re nothing alike. Whatever it is, I didn¡¯t save you just so I could gloat before killing you off.¡±


    Arke looked at the empty vial that he gave the lady earlier.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the reasons you spared me?¡±


    ¡°That- and you look like my sister.¡±


    ¡°Ha.. hahaha.¡± Cyrille wholeheartedly laughed as she gripped the piece of cloth in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re not like what I first thought.¡±


    Arke paused for a moment.


    ¡°Neither are you. To refuse my offer under those circumstances, that¡¯s illogical. There¡¯s no benefit to risking your life like that.¡±


    Arke walked behind the rock that Cyrille was propped up on and also sat down, leaning his back. The skies had cleared by now, dozens upon dozens of stars were visible in the sky.


    ¡°Illogical, huh?¡± The lady glanced towards the side. She thought for a moment. ¡°Well maybe it was. Maybe you could call it intuition, but I had a feeling you wouldn¡¯t end my life just like that. Though, I just had to make sure.¡±


    ¡°Yes-... Illogical.¡±


    The lady took a deep breath. ¡°In response to your question earlier- I changed my mind.¡±


    ¡°Changed your mind, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What I mean by I had to make sure-¡± the lady paused.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Seeing what you did earlier, that slaughter, for lack of better word, really made me question if you were like those adventurers. When you finished and helped us, it made me question if you were on our side or not. To be blunt, I still don¡¯t know.¡±


    Arke lowered his head. Even he didn¡¯t know if he really was her ally or not. At least, not at this point.


    ¡°And, to be honest, I had my doubts with the guild myself since a long time ago. In fact, everything you said earlier was true. I¡¯d always wondered why the guild didn¡¯t just host a mass extermination quest or the like to get rid of any troublesome beasts.¡±


    The lady reached her hand out to the sky, as if grasping that was right in front of her.


    ¡°I also wondered why I didn¡¯t move up to class 1. I¡¯d done everything I could, yet for some reason I was barred from ever reaching the next class rank. It¡¯s been a long time since then.¡±


    The lady¡¯s eyes slowly sharpened. Her expression grew cold.


    ¡°In the end, I also found out about the corrupted side of the guild.¡±


    Arke turned his head towards the lady.


    ¡°I fought against it in my own way. I denied it. Everything you said was, rather, it still is true. You were right when you said we¡¯re the same. It¡¯s just that I hoped that I could change the guild from the inside. Change it¡¯s ways without destroying it. You know, as little bloodshed as possible.¡±


    ¡°Noble, but naive. Sacrifices must be made to move forwards. I¡¯d kill a dozen to save a hundred. I¡¯d kill a hundred to save a thousand. No matter what has to be done, as long as the outcome is better, the end justifies the means.¡± Arke pulled out a locket from underneath his collar. ¡°If the guild can¡¯t be changed no matter what I do, then I¡¯ll simply destroy it in it¡¯s entirety.¡±


    ¡°You- you really are a psycho.¡±


    ¡°Without the guild, the army will take over where a void would be formed. The craftsmen will do the same. It sounds insane, but it¡¯s realistic as opposed to idealistic.¡±


    ¡°And what if the same happens to the ones that take over?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d give my everything again to change it.¡± Arke clutched the locket in his hand. ¡°All so I can keep the promise I made to her.¡±


    Arke stood up and walked in front of the lady. Before long, a dozen spears slowly materialized all around the two.


    It was impossible to see for a normal person. Among the trees in the distance. A dozen or so figures moved from left to right and vice versa. Slowly, they approached while remaining hidden.


    ¡°So, they¡¯ve finally come.¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    ¡°Yeah- I guess it is hard to forget.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that- perhaps we wouldn¡¯t have ever met.¡±


    Arke stood up from beside Cyrille. He walked towards the two corpses of the plate armoured adventurers- or rather the two magus. In the chaos earlier, it was hard to notice, but it was clear now what this place actually was.


    Moonlight Roses were blooming on the ground where the skeletons were. They were extremely rare ingredients used for curing a handful of diseases. Though- it wasn¡¯t rare because it was hard to find. It was rare because it was only found near the aftermath of large battles.


    It bloomed only where crimson blood flowed. And this place was indeed a farm for such roses.


    ¡°Arke- what are you doing? You don¡¯t need to worry about scavenging you know¡±


    Cyrille looked as Arke walked up to where a large amount of Moonlight roses were blooming. Skeletons still wearing the things they had from when they were alive were piled on top of each other.


    Arke passed the skeletons. Instead, he was actually heading towards one of the magus that Cyrille had dealt with earlier. Arke knelt down beside one of the magus.


    ¡°Just as it looks like, retrieving something¡± Arke replied as he pulled out what looked like a necklace from underneath each magus¡¯ helmet. ¡°Catalysts.¡±


    Catalysts, with their ability to bestow their bearer an inhuman ability, were a premium spoil of battle. Even a single weak or damaged Catalyst would easily go for a small fortune. Anyone who wanted power and combat strength could easily obtain a powerful Catalyst as long as they had enough money.


    That was the kind of world this was. A world where people aren¡¯t born with fantastic magic or powers. A world where people can¡¯t just train hard and gain aptitude with said magic and powers. In this world- magic is a tangible thing in the form of Catalysts.


    Arke placed the helmets back where they were exactly as he first saw them and began to walk up back to where Cyrille was sitting.


    ¡°Hooh, I see.¡±


    Cyrille looked as Arke showed her the two Catalysts before placing one into a pocket in his coat.


    ¡°Here¡± he added as he placed the other Catalyst into Cyrille¡¯s hands.


    She simply nodded and placed it into her own coat. Arke turned around, gazing at the moonlight roses and the Drake. Beside him, Cyrille looked as if she were about to doze off.


    Seeing that, Arke pulled out a vial from his coat. Unlike before- this one was a deep blue that seemed to sparkle.


    ¡°Tired? Here- this should help a bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh- thanks again.¡±


    Cyrille took the vial and immediately poured it into her mouth. She licked her lips. A reaction that was far different from when she took the crimson vial.


    If the crimson vial was something like an HP potion, then the blue vial that she just took was like an MP potion. It was a potion that was specifically made to give a burst of energy or to regain concentration. Much like coffee or energy drinks.


    ¡°Cough- Cough- Agh. Sweet as ever.¡±


    Arke turned his head towards the gate. It was around that time that a small figure wearing slim fit light leather armour emerged from the gates.


    As the figure walked- a dozen daggers became visible as the cloak on it shifted. All of them were securely held in place and made no sound as she moved. Though all of them looked similar- the figure held one that was much different than the others.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It would be much more appropriate to call it a short sword rather than a dagger. But it wasn¡¯t exactly a sword either. It had a mechanism built into it and it looked as if it had a single edge- but where it¡¯s blade edge would be instead was a slit. The figure was wiping it¡¯s handle, cleaning it, before she placed it into a holster on her lower back.


    In front of the figure, Arke and Cyrille didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. Until the figure finally spoke.


    ¡°Sir Arke, Miss Cyrille. Good to see that everything¡¯s-¡±


    The figure stopped talking mid sentence as it saw the corpse of the Drake along with the fragments of it¡¯s shattered scales that were scattered across the area.


    Arke tilted his head, his glowing eyes seemed to stare at the figure in front of him. ¡°Yes- same to you as well Eclair.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine if you could call this fine¡± Cyrille lightheartedly chuckled as she lifted her crimson coloured sleeve. She was still sitting down in the same spot.


    The figure- Eclair- refocused her attention towards the two. She pulled back her hood and revealed long dark hair tied into a ponytail. From her appearance alone, she looked much younger than the two, but in fact the three were the same age, give or take a year up and down.


    ¡°A- Ah- I apologize for that.¡±


    Her pause was nothing truly worth apologizing for. Drakes were not the kind of monster that went down without a tough fight. That was common sense- yet here was an unmoving Drake. Paired with the fact that the two in front of her looked no worse than any other adventurer after a small quest- it¡¯s no surprise that she¡¯d be in awe.


    ¡°So this was the cause of that sound earlier?¡±


    ¡°Ah- yeah. I guess it was a bit loud¡± Arke looked at the Drake. ¡°Though- it was the only way to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Thunderous¡± Both Eclair and Cyrille whispered under their breath almost at the same time.


    Eclair pondered Arke¡¯s words for a moment. Unlike Cyrille, she doesn¡¯t know, and has never seen, Arke¡¯s fighting style or even his Catalyst¡¯s capabilities. The only thing she could deduce was that Arke was a caster type magus considering the loud sound and the damage that was on the Drake. A powerful caster type magus at that.


    ¡°Well- that aside, I assume everything is taken care of. Including the trackers that they sent after us¡± Arke said as he turned towards Eclair, who was now just in front of him.


    Eclair snapped back to reality from her ponderings.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with three people following you the entire day. I¡¯ve had the others also search the area for more just in case, but there¡¯s no trace of a fourth tracker on the two of you¡± Eclair paused. ¡°I had also interrogated the three trackers a bit, all three say that there¡¯s only three people sent to follow you. I doubt they were lying, but I can¡¯t be completely sure.¡±


    Arke pondered for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Even if they had a fourth tracker and managed to get back- there¡¯s really nothing they can do now.¡± Arke glanced at the dead Drake. ¡°Nothing they do would matter.¡±


    Cyrille chuckled. ¡°Let me guess- you¡¯ve also thought up what to do in case they did have a fourth tracker or one of the three managed to escape?¡±


    ¡°... Yes ... They have no evidence linking it to us and at best, they¡¯ll assume a different clan under the Adventurer¡¯s Guild did it. At worst, they¡¯ll assume our fake identities did it.¡±


    ¡°Yep- obsessed with backup plans and overly complex plans, that¡¯s you alright.¡±


    Arke nodded. ¡°For now, We¡¯ve done our part of the contract. Is there anything else that I need to know Eclair?¡±


    Eclair shook her head. ¡°None as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°Well then, as part of the contract, your men can handle the rest. We¡¯ve left everything just as it was since the battle ended¡± Arke gave a subtle nod.


    Eclair¡¯s eyes widened for a moment, as if a child seeing a brand new toy. ¡°Yes Sir Arke!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be off to Langite again- we¡¯ll see you there.¡± Arke gestured towards the Drake. ¡°Oh- inside the Drake there¡¯s a magus with two catalysts as well...¡±


    Ragna- or at least whatever was left of him.


    ¡°Yes Sir Arke¡± Eclair nodded as she glanced at the dead Drake. An uncertain expression was on her face.


    After that, Cyrille and Arke left and passed the gate. Just beside the gates on the outside, about a dozen or so men and women, wearing light leather armour like Eclair, nodded their heads as the two passed by. These were the scouts, mercenaries, that Eclair hired.


    ¡°-who¡¯re those two?¡±||¡±-the damsel and the demon eh-¡±||¡±-that¡¯s not their actual-¡±||¡±-I heard they¡¯re getting real close with-¡±||¡±-t- t- that¡¯s a Drake-¡±||¡±-h- how did t-they-¡±


    Once the two walked away far enough, Cyrille pulled out the medallion that Ragna tossed to her earlier and handed it over to Arke. The medallion had an intricate design. In fact- it was something that no master craftsman from their time could possibly create. And there were dozens- if not hundreds- of medallions that were identical to this being used by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not going to inform our friends in the thieves guild of that medallion or the two catalysts?¡±


    Arke thought for a moment. It would be beneficial to the Thieves Guild if he gave them that information, but at the same time, the benefits weren¡¯t noteworthy enough to warrant it. It also gave him more leverage against the Thieves Guild if he didn¡¯t tell them.


    ¡°Huh, ¡°Friends¡±. Those are simply people who¡¯ve yet to betray you. In the case of the thieves guild, they¡¯d stab anyone¡¯s back as soon as they can given enough incentive to do it. Though, I can¡¯t exactly say it¡¯s a bad way to do things in this twisted world. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t particularly want to assist them more than needed.¡±


    Behind them, the scouts chatted among themselves- though the two were already far enough away that they couldn¡¯t actually here them.


    ¡°-These are pieces of it¡¯s scales-¡±||¡±-that¡¯s impossible-¡±||¡±-oi shut it and help us over here-¡±||¡±-hey I found a key-¡±||¡±-I got a couple coins-¡±||¡±-don¡¯t take all the coins you-¡±


    The scouts said as they scavenged through the area and looked for valuables.


    Eclair walked around, turning her head left and right, scanning the area for any valuables as well. Even if Eclair was a simple mercenary and worked primarily for the Thieves Guild, she wasn¡¯t completely loyal to the thieves guild. The same went for the other mercenaries that worked for her on this specific job. At the end of the day, it was everyone for themselves. As long as they do what the contract requires, everything else if fair game.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too negative way of looking at things?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just being realistic.


    = = = = = = = = = = =


    At the guild hub in Langite, the receptionist that Arke and Cyrille had talked to was in the back of the hub. The room was full of cabinets and shelves all used for filing things for adventurers. Though, she wasn¡¯t doing any particular paperwork at that moment.


    ¡°W- We don¡¯t have a choice- the others haven¡¯t returned yet and almost midnight.¡±


    Outside, the moon was nearing it¡¯s peak. The town had become quieter compared to the day. Still- the adventurers drank their worries away inside the hub. Though- that didn¡¯t matter much for the people inside the room.


    In front of the receptionist, a younger man wearing simple leather armour was arguing against her. He looked much younger than the rest of the adventurers that were with Ragna. He also looked to be new to the world of adventurers judging by his lack of headgear.


    ¡°Wait! What if they¡¯re just running late. There¡¯s no way they could¡¯ve lost. It¡¯s only two people! We have to wait a little longer.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t- it¡¯s Ragna¡¯s orders¡± the receptionist pointed at a hooded man leaning in the corner of the room. ¡°Do as Ragna ordered- go as fast as you can.¡±


    The receptionist clenched her teeth. The hooded man nodded and quickly left the room.


    ¡°Wait! Wait I said-¡±


    The young man walked towards the hooded man and tried to stop him, but to no avail. He was simply ignored. The man clenched his fist and immediately turned towards the receptionist. His eyes were filled with anger.


    ¡°W- What if they come back and we¡¯ve already sent word! They won¡¯t be happy if we give them incorrect information. You realise that don¡¯t you!?¡±


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes stared back at the man who had walked right up to her face. Though- she hadn¡¯t said a single word. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And like I said, my elder brother had two other magus with him and dozens of others- how can they lose a single magus and his wench!? That makes no sense!


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They even gathered all the information they could about those two. He even had a detailed plan and backup plans, no? Are you implying that all that failed? Are you implying my brother failed!?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The man pointed towards the general direction of the entrance of the guild hub. ¡°They¡¯re on their way as we speak right now, they have to be!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if that masked man and wench were strong- even if the plan did fail- my brother isn¡¯t so weak that he¡¯d just up and die in a single fight like this! He¡¯s probably on his way back-¡±


    Slap.


    The man¡¯s face was turned to the side as the receptionist¡¯s hand swiftly smacked his cheek. For a moment, the man didn¡¯t move- perhaps it was that shocking to be slapped like that.


    A few seconds pass.


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes were firmly locked onto the man¡¯s eyes as he held his cheek. Before the man could even open his mouth to argue further-


    ¡°And what if they don¡¯t?¡±


    What do you mean? That¡¯s impossible there¡¯s no way my brother couldn¡¯t come back- the man probably thought in his head.


    ¡°What do-


    ¡°Ragna- no¡­ your brother is a strong man- but he¡¯s an adventurer at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Wh-¡±


    ¡°Adventurers can die. Adventurers do die. Adventurers will die. That is a simple fact that you of all people should know. And nobody is exempt from that simple fact in this twisted world.¡±


    ¡°They will¡­¡±


    Outside the hub, the hooded man was already on the back of a horse, running through the streets. Inside his cloak, a rolled up piece of parchment with Ragna''s mark. As the horse ran, it became obvious that his destination wasn''t inside Langite as he headed towards the outside of the town.


    His destination was-

 Chapter 4 (c2v1)

    A few hours passed since the figure wearing dark grey armour left with the beautiful lady.


    Where a one sided battle occurred a few hours ago, a short figure stood. A long ponytail went on top of it¡¯s cloak. A myriad of daggers were slightly visible, strapped tightly onto the leather armour. It was Eclair.


    Everything in the area was mostly the same, The Drake was still in the exact same spot as it was before. The bones and corpses of the different adventurers still laid where they were. Though none of the other people that were with her earlier were present.


    Looking closely, the pouches and other belongings of Ragna¡¯s men were thoroughly searched. Any valuable item aside from coins were taken by Eclair and the scouts as spoils of war.


    ¡°...¡±


    Eclair gazed at the lifeless Drake. Specifically, she stared at the gaping wound where something managed to pierce through the Drake¡¯s extremely tough scales. Fragments were scattered around the area.


    As she passed the time, a hooded man walked past the gates.


    ¡°...¡± Less than a few moments pass before the man loudly clicked his tongue.


    Eclair slowly turned her head towards the man. ¡°Ah, I was waiting for-¡±


    ¡°Is everything done here¡± the man asked, interrupting Eclair mid sentence.


    The man wore simple clothes underneath. It wasn¡¯t even armour. Everything about him seemed ordinary, except for the disdainful look on his face.


    ¡°... -Yes, Arke and Cyrille had already dealt with majority of the adventurer guild¡¯s lackeys here. I¡¯ve already finished my part of the work as well, all that¡¯s left is-¡±


    ¡°I know. We just need to take care of the rest. You don¡¯t need to tell me.¡± The man interrupted Eclair and sounded annoyed. ¡°Is there anything else that we absolutely need to know?¡±


    Eclair thought for a moment. In the back of her mind, there were a few things that she could¡¯ve mentioned. Something to help the friend in front of her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    Instead, she shook her head. ¡°No- None as far as I know of.¡±


    That was the case. Eclair was a mercenary that works with the Thieves Guild. Though her loyalty in the end lies with herself and to whoever benefits her the most.


    The man walked past Eclair without even glancing at her.


    ¡°Then our business is done for today.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes it is.¡±


    A few moment later, a handful of other people came by.


    ¡°-oi move it, we need to get these-¡±||¡±-the wench is still-¡±||¡±-ignore it you absolute-¡±||¡±-come on, we don¡¯t have all night to-¡±||¡±-more containers should be-¡±


    They chatted among themselves.


    One by one, they checked the bodies of the adventurers. They grabbed any coin they could and placed it into containers. Though- as expected, some of them placed a few coins in their pockets.


    The man that Eclair talked to earlier ordered the men as he held a piece of parchment, marking it for every container. He walked up to one of the men that pocketed a few coins. They stared at each other for a moment. It looked like the man was about to be reprimanded- but the opposite happened as they split the coin among themselves.


    A few men scavenged other equipment off the dead adventurers. A few began to pick up the Moonlight Roses along with it¡¯s roots and moved it to containers in it¡¯s entirety. The ones that couldn¡¯t fit they simply pulled it out of the ground.


    ¡°-oi be careful with that-¡±||¡±-keep it alive, it¡¯ll bring in much more-¡±||¡±-more gold-¡±


    As they hurried around, Eclair pulled her hood up and lowered her head. It seemed as if her very presence was shrinking. She past carriages that the others were loading the containers into.


    ¡°-finally she¡¯s gone-¡±||¡°-that traitorous noble-¡±||¡°-why do we have to work with the likes of her-¡±||¡±-don¡¯t stop moving-¡±||¡±-actually- she doesn¡¯t seem half bad-¡±||¡±-into flat chested broads-¡±||¡±-hurry up you absolute-¡±


    Eclair clenched her fist as she overheard their conversation.


    Once outside the gates, she pulled her head up. Once again, it looked like as if she had become distorted for a fraction of a second. She activated her Catalyst With a deep breath, she crouched.


    ¡°-oi look at her- she bout to take a-¡±||¡±-think she¡¯s asking for you-¡±||¡±-hurry up!¡±


    Their voices couldn¡¯t be heard.


    In that instant, Eclair jumped with enough force to make the snow erupt from where she stood. She moved through the forest with speed to rival that of a galloping horse, though she easily changed directions and avoided obstacles around her.


    That was her Catalyst. The simplest and most common kind.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Snow fell gently from the red sky. The sun was on the horizon, slowly climbing up into the sky.


    Just outside Langite- two silhouettes walked side by side. A lady wearing a white armoured coat with a bloodstained sleeve and a figure wearing a dark grey armoured coat and a furious mask with glowing eyes.


    It was Arke and Cyrille.


    Langite, a merchant hub near the border between two countries, was about as normal as a town could get. At least as far as this world is concerned. A thing in the center of Langite  towered over everything else in the town. It was called an Ancient Construct by most people.


    Aside from it¡¯s height, even it¡¯s construction was far different from the rest of the buildings in the town.


    ¡°I wonder what the world was like before.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever wonder what it was like back when ancients were still around? Back when our ancestors lived?¡±


    Cyrille pointed towards the tall structure in the middle of Langite.


    ¡°I doubt that their base nature was that much different than ours today. Though, I won¡¯t lie, I do wonder what kind of world it was-¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Arke nodded as they kept walking. Every now and then, a few carriages carrying supplies of all sorts and ware passed them by. Merchants. All of them seemed to be in a rush.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan this time¡± Cyrille nonchalantly asked, not even turning her head.


    ¡°Plan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you seem to be scheming something again. Might as well tell me~¡±


    Arke tapped his mask. ¡°I¡¯m not scheming anything.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh~ then what¡¯re we going to do once we get back to town? Hub? Store? More killing?¡±


    Killing- a weird response. Though- considering what they did, it wasn¡¯t exactly a response that had no merit.


    ¡°First, we need to deal with these.¡± Arke briefly pulled out a small pouch. ¡°After that we can deal with everything else.¡±


    Cyrille yawned, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°Are the shops even open by now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past dawn- I¡¯m sure that at least some are open.¡±


    ¡°


    The two make their way into the town. When they first arrived, the streets were still fairly quiet. Until one by one, the residents and the traders come out of their homes and shops. The streets that were almost empty mere minutes ago had slowly come to life as the early morning traders rush around.


    ¡°-move out of the way! Fragile-¡±||¡±-to get some fish first, maybe some apples-¡±||¡±-my sword should be done by today! I can¡¯t wait to show you-¡±||¡±-looking for a nice necklace for your-¡±||¡±-see your sword, I hope they-¡±


    As the two walked, Cyrille kept glancing at the stores they pass by. Jewelry, armour, weapons, antique shops. A myriad of different stores. Each one had a dazzling display on show- of course, that was the minimum needed if they wanted to survive.


    ¡°So- you plan to sell both of the Catalysts? I doubt anyone here could afford buying two Catalysts¡± Cyrille commented as she looked at the stores. ¡°I guess we could find two shops-¡±


    Indeed, even if Langite was a merchant hub, the shops¡¯ displays were fairly mediocre. Nothing like you¡¯d see in extremely large merchant hubs near the sea or near the capital. Though it was still a cut above non merchant hubs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on selling both here- it¡¯d be better if we keep one on hand just in case we need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t we already have another one on hand?¡±


    ¡°You mean this?¡± Arke pulled out a pouch containing what looked like fragments. ¡°This broken thing?¡± He shook the pouch.


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, we don¡¯t need to sell both of the Catalysts. It¡¯s easier to carry one around and keep it safe as opposed to it¡¯s worth in gold.¡±


    ¡°Mmm- true enough.¡±


    Cyrille¡¯s silky hair swayed left and right as she walked beside Arke. And it was attracting quite a lot of gazes. Though, part of it is her beauty.


    ¡°-at that beauty-¡±||¡±-what¡¯s with that mask-¡±||¡±-out of the way! Heavy goods coming-¡±||¡±-finest jewelry you¡¯ll see today-¡±||¡±-can¡¯t find a better deal anywhere else-¡±||¡±-whoa that lady- wait her arm-¡±||¡±-abuse huh¡­ well, none of my business-¡±


    As the two walked, voices of the people around them chattered. They came to an intersection. Carriages full of supplies and other goods passed every so often. As well as men who glanced at Cyrille.


    Arke pulled out a pouch containing two Catalysts and handed one of them to Cyrille, keeping the other.


    ¡°Here, if we¡¯re selling it, it¡¯s much better if you do the talking. I don¡¯t particularly like-...¡±


    ¡°So- same as always?¡±


    Arke nodded. ¡°Quite. I¡¯ll be waiting by the town center this time. I¡¯ll keep watch on you though, just in case.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? We¡¯re in town- I doubt they¡¯d do anything too bold. Well, not like they could if they wanted to either way.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°It pays to be safe¡± Arke said as he glanced at Cyrille¡¯s bloodied sleeve.


    Cyrille hid her arm behind her back in response. ¡°Okay okay, I get it~¡±


    Cyrille left as Arke watched for a few moments before heading in a different direction from her.


    Not like I can stop you- Cyrille probably thought to herself as she walked away.


    Even though Cyrille¡¯s sleeve was bloodied, it garnered far less attention or concern from most people as one would normally expect. That was simply because she was an adventurer. Or- that¡¯s what most people probably thought she was considering her armoured white coat.


    Even the way she moved and carried herself made her seem much less approachable and more powerful than most others.


    ¡°...¡±


    She passed by stores one after the other, ignoring most of them after simply glancing at the items on display. Odd. One would think that if you wanted to sell an item, you¡¯d check out every store and at the very least go inside to ask.


    ¡°...¡±


    This continued on for a while until she walked up to what looked like an antique shop. The window was obscured from the inside by the back of a shelf. Odd. The sign for it was simply Catalyste.


    Entering the store, the inside was actually quite spacious. Dozens of books lined the shelves. The atmosphere felt- old- for lack of better word. The middle of the room was fairly empty aside from what looked like a few collector¡¯s items in the middle.


    ¡°Ah- Welcome to this humble store. Is there anything I can interest you in? Or any questions you may have?¡±


    A dignified voice came from a fairly old man behind the counter.


    ¡°Hmm- miss is it?¡± The man adjusted his glasses.


    Cyrille took out the pouch from her coat and placed it on the counter.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to sell this, if you¡¯d be so kind¡± she said. Her tone was much more cordial and friendly. Paired with what looked like a genuine smile on her face. Looked like.


    The man pulled out the Catalyst. A small object less than half the size of his palm. It had what looked like Ancient script, runes, engravings, what have you- on it.


    It looked like small rectangular thing. It had no moving parts and seemed extremely fragile. Though, in fact Catalysts were extremely durable and could withstand being hammered a couple of times before it shattered.


    ¡°A Catalyst¡± the man pondered as he inspected the Catalyst. ¡°What ability does it provide?¡±


    ¡°The common strength and speed augmentation.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Would you mind if I tried it out then?¡±


    Cyrille shook her head. ¡°Not at all, please test it out yourself.¡±


    The man moved to the center of the room. He clutched the Catalyst on his hand. Looking closely, his mouth moved. A whisper so soft that nobody but he could hear it.


    Isaaktibo


    Nothing happened.


    Aktivieren Sie


    Again, nothing happened.


    Kidou


    At the moment he said those words, the man looked as if he distorted. As if reality had broken for that tiny single moment accompanied by a low pulse-like sound. The Catalyst activated.


    ¡°Hm- seems to activate properly. You said this one increased the strength of the magus?¡±


    Magus, a fancy way of saying Catalyst User to be blunt.


    Cyrille let out a sigh of relief. ¡±Yes, though I haven¡¯t actually used it myself, so I can¡¯t truly be sure.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t? Well- if that¡¯s the case, we might as well test it¡¯s ability out. You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±


    Cyrille simply shook her head followed by a smile.


    The man walked over to what looked like a weight. It felt out of place in an antique shop. In fact, the floor in the middle of the room wasn¡¯t wood, but stone.


    With a single hand, he lifted the weight with ease. Moving it around like it weighed almost nothing. Though- it was still evident that it weighed a fair amount as everytime he moved it quickly, it¡¯s momentum pulled him in the same direction.


    After a few moments, he placed the weight back and put the Catalyst onto the counter before walking back up to the weight. This time he struggled to lift it with two hands.


    ¡°It is as you say young miss- it¡¯s magus has increased strength. It¡¯s about as common and standard as it goes for Catalysts.¡±


    Unlike when the Catalyst activated, nothing happens when a Catalyst deactivates in most cases.


    ¡°Yes- though, I¡¯d still like to sell it.¡±


    The man walked to the back of the counter once again as he examined the Catalyst.


    ¡°Hmm- Even though it¡¯s standard young miss-¡±


    These still go for a small fortune- is what the man probably wanted to say. At least, until he looked at a small part of the bloodied sleeve that Cyrille seemed to hide behind her back.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Oh- nothing. I¡¯m sure you already know how Catalysts work and how much they cost. I apologize, I didn¡¯t know you were an adventurer.¡±


    Cyrille moved her bloodied sleeve in front of her, gently holding it with her hand. ¡°Ah- think nothing of it!¡±


    The man looked closely and adjusted his glasses. It seemed that only now did her realize that Cyrille¡¯s coat was also armoured. That and Cyrille¡¯s sleeve was enough to show that she¡¯s not a simple young lady.


    ¡°Well, how much would you like for this one then?¡±


    A sly smile erupted on Cyrille¡¯s face. Her silver eyes narrowed for a split second.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Outside, Arke made his way towards the center of the town. Towards where the towering structure loomed over everything else.


    ¡°-that mask is eerie-¡±||¡±-is he part of the royal-¡±||¡±-best deals you¡¯ll ever see this fine day-¡±||¡±-oi, that¡¯s the guy from before, his wench isn¡¯t-¡±||¡±-could you spare a coin-¡±||¡±-those eyes¡­ so furious¡­¡±


    The voices around him were far different from when Cyrille was around. No praises of beauty. No eyes glanced in his direction. In fact, people seemed to avoid him as he walked through.


    Though, this didn¡¯t seem to bother him. He made his way towards the center without any delay. Unlike Cyrille who spent some time trying to find a store, Arke simply walked in what looked like the most direct path. Though, it could be because he was simply following the tall structure.


    Before long, Arke had reached the center.


    In the middle, it looked like a small park. A memorial. The entire center was barren of buildings, instead small pathways and tiny ponds dotted the area.


    Where the base of the Ancient Construct was, a small moat was built. Or, rather, it¡¯s been there since a long time ago. Looking at the walls of the moat, it was built in a similar aesthetic as the tower. Even more baffling was that the moat seemed to be endlessly deep.


    Around the moat, paved stone pathways. Everything seemed normal, or so it seemed.


    On the pathways, three unnatural beings stood silently.


    They looked like golems made of the same material that Cyrille¡¯s black armour was made from. It¡¯s limbs weren¡¯t connected to it¡¯s body. Instead of joints, there was nothing. It simply floated from each other. What looked like small fragments constantly fell off.


    ¡°...¡±


    These were Guardians. Each of them looked exactly the same as the other. Their heads, or what was supposed to be their heads, had glowing eyes similar to Arke¡¯s mask. Simple glowing circles. It was partially concealed by what looked like a visor. Akin to a knight¡¯s helmet.


    ¡°...¡±


    They simply stood- or rather floated- there. Each facing a different direction away from the tower. Though, they didn¡¯t seem to pose any harm.


    People walked up to them as if it wasn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary. Children passed by unassumingly, even making fun of them, yet they didn¡¯t react.


    Until a child touched one.


    Suddenly, the Guardian jolted, kneeling in front of the child. It raised it¡¯s hand and gently patted the child¡¯s head as a distorted voice spoke in a long dead ancient language.


    ¡°Kono yuh ni toh ni fureru koto wa kiken des. Soh shinai yoh ni shi-te kudasai¡±


    Of course, the little child didn¡¯t understand and simply continued playing around the Guardian. And this wasn¡¯t the only occurrence. Other people also walked up to the other Guardians and either touched them of simply looked. Most likely out of  curiosity.


    ¡°...¡±


    Arke walked up to one of the Guardians and simply stood in front of it. His mask¡¯s glowing eyes stared right into the Guardian. As if he was inspecting the very essence of the Guardian in front of him.


    The people around didn¡¯t really seem to mind and just kept doing their own business. It wasn¡¯t unusual for people to be intrigued by the Guardians after all.


    A few moments pass by.


    A few minutes pass by.


    Before long, it felt as if almost half an hour passed by. Arke was staring at a different part of the same Guardian.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was around then that Cyrille walked up to him.


    ¡°I see that you managed to sell it for a nice margin too¡± Arke said as he kept looking at the Guardian.


    Cyrille held a fairly small pouch of coin. Though, inside it were gold coins. Unassuming enough from first glance. Which was exactly what they had both wanted.


    She nodded. ¡°Mhm- should we head over to the hub now then?¡±


    Arke stood up and walked to Cyrille as she tried to hand over the pouch to him, but he simply pushed it back to her.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re heading to the hub¡± Arke began to walk towards the guild hub. ¡°You can hold onto the pouch for now. You can buy something you want to as well.¡±


    A smile showed on Cyrille¡¯s face as she hid the pouch away. ¡°That¡¯s rare of you to not want to hold onto the money immediately.¡±


    ¡°I hold onto it because your spending habits can sometimes get out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Not because you¡¯re greedy!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as greedy as you think I am.¡±


    ¡°Your face says otherwise.¡±


    Arke tapped on his mask.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Inside the guild hub, the atmosphere hasn¡¯t changed even in the slightest. Adventurers still drank their alcohol, some maintained their weapons, some were at the receptionist¡¯s area, some were at the quest board. The only thing that changed was that the three armour plated adventurers were nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°-oh, they¡¯re not here today? That¡¯s odd-¡±||¡±-oi give me another round of beers aye-¡±||¡±-I wonder if that lady from yesterday-¡±||¡±-they haven¡¯t-¡±||¡±-finally I managed to finish that quest-¡±||¡±-I should level up my-¡±||¡±-thanks for the advice-¡±


    The receptionist that Arke and Cyrille had talked to was talking to a lady. She wore light leather armour, only the minimum amount at that. Covering only her chest and arms. Her weapon was a simple short sword.


    ¡°What do you mean you haven¡¯t heard from him!? You were the one who told us about that quest!¡±


    The lady slammed her fist onto the counter. Upon closer look, tears looked as if they were about to overflow from her eyes.


    ¡°That stupid quest! You told us that it was an easy quest to investigate the ruins! Why is it he hasn¡¯t come back yet!?¡±


    Quest-


    ¡°I- I apologize, but I don¡¯t know either. But even if something did happen, there¡¯s not much we can do about it miss. He had accepted the quest as an adventurer and surely knew the risks-¡±


    ¡°Risks!? You told us that there wasn¡¯t much of a risk!¡± The lady clenched her fist as tears flowed down her cheek. ¡°W- No- You said¡­¡±


    Her words slowly disappeared.


    ¡°-oi, is that lady that newbie¡¯s-¡±||¡±-why don¡¯t we do an easy quest, the receptionist told me-¡±||¡±-probably lost her lover to that quest, I warned-¡±||¡±-looks like she¡¯s alone, why don¡¯t you comfort her, she might repay you, if you know-¡±||¡±-don¡¯t bother with her-¡±||¡±-I need another beer milady-¡±


    Behind her, a few adventurers glanced at the lady. Of course, that was to be expected. As an adventurer, it was normal to take a quest and expect the worst. Death was a possibility¡­ a possibility, not a certainty.


    The lady kept creating a small commotion, yelling at the receptionist who did her best to keep a straight and calm face. Until a young man walked up to her. Ragna¡¯s younger brother.


    Slap.


    The man slapped the lady¡¯s cheek hard enough to make her lose balance.


    ¡°What are you causing a commotion about? If your weak lover couldn¡¯t even do a simple quest like that, then why even become an adventurer?¡±


    The lady turned towards the man as she stayed on the ground. Her tears flowed down her red cheek.


    ¡°W- What are you!? How dare you! He was-¡±


    ¡°A great man, huh? A wonderful man? Don¡¯t spout such nonsense. If he was as great as you think then he would¡¯ve come back by now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it! This woman set us up! She knew that we were new here and said that she had a quest that we could easily do!¡±


    ¡°If the quest was so easy, why hasn¡¯t your beloved come back yet? Could it be that he actually abandoned you?¡±


    The lady immediately stood up. ¡°Abandoned? He would-¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he just leave you for some other wench? If I¡¯m right, I think I saw him talking to another lass before he left.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So- why don¡¯t you just go on along with your pitiful life and stop causing a scene here.¡± The man lifted the lady¡¯s chin up. ¡°Or- you could always just go with me.¡± The man¡¯s eyes looked up and down at the lady.


    ¡°...¡±


    The man clicked his tongue. ¡°Okay- fine, have it your way and keep hoping that your worthless man comes back. Maybe he¡¯ll-¡±


    Before the man could finish his words, the lady grabbed a drink from a nearby adventurer and threw it at the man, soaking him.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk about- Hiih!?¡±


    The man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head to the floor. A thud resounded as she fell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to act like your actions don¡¯t have consequences.¡±


    At that moment, the area around the two began to distort. Unlike when a Catalyst was about to activate, the distortions lasted longer and were in small different areas around the two as opposed to exactly on them.


    The man clicked his tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t test your luck any further¡± he added as he turned and walked away from the lady.

 Chapter 5 (c2v1)

    A figure wearing an armoured dark grey coat and a furious mask walked down the streets of Langite. Behind it, a beautiful lady followed closely. Her hair swayed every so slightly as she walked.


    It was Arke and Cyrille.


    The sky was still bright, a few past midday. Around them, carriages carrying various wares and supplies constantly passed by. Workers and vendors all did their daily routines as well. The chatter-


    ¡°-Look at that beauty-¡±||¡±-discounts available while supplies last-¡±||¡±-Kazuma! Kazuma! Don¡¯t leave me behind Kazuma-¡±||¡±-her arm is bleeding-¡±||¡±-shut up you worthless goddess, if you didn¡¯t use that stupid spell-¡±||¡±-they¡¯re adventurers, look at their clothes. Nothing to-¡±


    -of course, was something that the two ignored along with the glances of the people around them. Perhaps it was Cyrille¡¯s silky hair or her cool eyes- perhaps it was Arke¡¯s unnerving appearance- or both.


    Cyrille pointed towards a relatively tall building. Only when compared to the others at least. ¡°That¡¯s the guild hub right? Up ahead.¡±


    Arke nodded.


    The same exact guild hub. Though, unlike when the two first came, only a single guard stood in front of the main entrance. Light leather armour, a simple spear- even his posture and the way he carried himself didn¡¯t give any impression that he was a guard.


    Adventurers passed the guard without much incident. Though, a few new adventurers were stopped at the front and seemed to be talking to the guard who was explaining something about a fee.


    Arke¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. Though, his mask seemed to glare at the guard.


    ¡°...¡±


    Cyrille glanced to her side. Her expression was neutral- or rather had a blank smile on her face. Her eyes didn¡¯t share the same happiness as her smile though.


    ¡°You know-¡± Cyrille tilted her head. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just let Eclair or her colleagues handle this? They have to finish up either way like always, so I don¡¯t understand why you insist on always doing this.¡±


    ¡°Are you really willing to place your trust on people you barely know?¡±


    ¡°I was an adventurer before, you know. I¡¯ve done so many times over without much of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sure we both remember how that end-¡±


    Before Arke could finish his words, he turned towards Cyrille. Her eyes narrowed and her gaze went to the ground. It seemed that Arke¡¯s words held a lot of weight.


    ¡°I apologize. That was insensitive of me.¡±


    At those words, Cyrille¡¯s expression returned to her blank smile. ¡°No- you¡¯re right. Blind trust like that is a double edged sword¡± she chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize.¡±


    A female adventurer walked passed the two from the direction of the guild hub. She looked like a newbie adventurer. Her armour was bare minimum leather on top of regular clothes. Her weapon was a simple short sword.


    It seemed nothing was out of the ordinary- until closer look. Her cheek was red and slightly swollen, though she tried to hide it with her hand. Her hair was also in a bit of a mess. Perhaps there was a small fight in the hub.


    ¡°Still-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with you for a while now, Arke. I¡¯m kind of used to your blunt and honest way of talking. I don¡¯t dislike it, to be honest. It¡¯s refreshing.¡±


    ¡°Refreshing?¡±


    ¡°You constantly remind me that reality is different from what I imagine. You don¡¯t hide bitter truths unlike most others- nor do you try to sweet talk just to get close to me-¡±


    Arke hesitated to respond. ¡°I see. Well, if it grounds you in reality, then it¡¯s for the better.¡±


    The two were almost at the entrance. The guard that stood on the side of it held his spear tighter, and closer to him. His knees trembled ever so slightly as he stared at the two walking towards him. It looked as if he¡¯d seen the grim reaper himself.


    Without a single word, Arke and Cyrille pass by. In fact, neither of them so much as glanced at the man as they passed.


    Inside the hub, the atmosphere was still the same. Adventurers getting drunk and chatting. Some maintaining their equipment. Et cetera.


    Though, it was much livelier than when the two first came. A lot of new faces, be it travelling adventurers or newbies, were among the crowd. Not that either of them payed attention or remembered each person¡¯s face.


    Aside from the glances at Cyrille, nobody actually paid much attention to the two as they walked through the hub- or it seemed like it. The receptionist that the two had talked to before had a cold sweat run down her face as she stared at the two. Surprisingly, she still had a calm and gentle smile on her.


    Cyrille walked behind Arke.


    ¡°-first round¡¯s on me boys-¡±||¡±-oi that lady¡¯s back, wait her-¡±||¡±-oi, you spilled your food on me-¡±||¡±-you bloody walked into me you piece of-¡±||¡±-I¡¯ll be back Aqua, just- stay here¡­ Sneak-¡±||¡±-that lady¡¯s finally gone-¡±


    The two reach the receptionist. Arke leaned forwards. His mask¡¯s furious glowing eyes seemed to glare straight at the receptionist.


    ¡°W- Welcome back Faulken and Shizu. I hope that the journey wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± The receptionist gave her usual smile. ¡°I was honestly getting slightly worried since you haven¡¯t been back for a while.¡±


    Indeed, Arke and Cyrille left early in the morning yesterday. As far as others were concerned, they¡¯ve been out on their quest for well over an entire day now.


    ¡°The journey was no problem. It was easy¡± Arke replied.


    Cyrille simply stood behind him. Rather odd considering that Arke let Cyrille do majority of the talking in most cases.


    ¡°I see¡±


    ¡°Well- it took a while, but we finished the quest. Here¡¯s what we managed to retrieve.¡±


    Arke pulled out a small glass container. Inside it, a single Moonlight Rose faintly glowed. As he placed it on the counter, the receptionist seemed to freeze. If only for a split second, her eyes widened.


    ¡°Ah, perfect. Then would you please hand over the quest card?¡±


    Arke nodded as he slid the card, along with his adventurer I.D, forwards. The receptionist pulled out different books and parchments and began to jot down on them. She examined a dozen or so things.


    ¡°Where did you find these, if you don¡¯t mind me asking-... in case there¡¯s any need in the near future for more¡± she glanced at Arke. ¡°Of course, we¡¯d be willing to offer more coin for such information.¡±


    Her words flowed smoothly- though an odd pause occurred at certain parts.


    ¡°We¡¯d simply found them near the border. There¡¯s a lot of them usually found there, as you may know.¡±


    ¡°The border-¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    The border. When one thinks of a country¡¯s border, they probably imagine nonexistent lines. Looking at the maps, they would be marked by a line or something similar. In person, those borders don¡¯t even seem to exist in most cases.


    In most cases.


    As with everything else in this world- nothing is ever simple. Nothing is ever flat. Black and White.


    The border. Large towers stood tall in the flatlands. They reached as far as the eye could see, standing an almost perfectly equal distance from one another.


    They were Ancient Constructs similar to the one in Langite. Though, these ones were smaller and, of course, much more numerous. Some had already crumbled to the ground. Some had parts that broke off. Some were barely held together with what looked like vines.


    One thing that all of them had in common was that they all looked ancient. Unmaintained. They stood like guardian statues rising from the snow covered land.


    One side mirrored the other- it seemed-. On one side, the land looked mostly the same. Mostly. Craters of various sizes were scattered on one side. Along with it, hundreds- perhaps thousands- of beast corpses littered the land. Of course, they were scattered fairly far apart from each other as opposed to being bunched up together.


    On the other side, further back into the snow covered flatlands. Much further back. A wall that spanned almost as far as the Ancient Constructs reached-


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    In front of the receptionist, two adventurers stood. Their names were Faulken and Shizu. A figure wearing an eerie mask and a beautiful lady.


    Or, at least that¡¯s what she knew. The truth was it was Arke and Cyrille.


    ¡°Yes, near the border. I assumed that information was already well known.¡±


    The receptionist nodded.


    Inside her head, things seemed to click. Langite was a merchant hub near the borders. If the two in front of her were to take horses, they¡¯d be able to reach either border in less than half a day. The trip back and forth would¡¯ve left plenty of time to spare to look for Moonlight Roses.


    That explained why the two haven¡¯t been back for an entire day. Not to mention that it was fairly well known that Moonlight Roses grew near the border.


    ¡°I see-¡±


    Though, something still didn¡¯t make sense in her head. Ragna was suspicious of the two and basically thought of them as enemies. Yet, it didn¡¯t add up.


    The trackers that they had placed on the two haven¡¯t reported anything unusual. Ragna has yet to return from the ruins and hadn¡¯t sent anyone back. Perhaps they were suspicious of the wrong people.


    To add to it- in her hands was a container with a single Moonlight Rose. If the two in front of her were truly enemies, there was no reason to risk coming back. Let alone finishing the quest that they had taken.


    She pondered.


    These two can¡¯t be responsible- was her judgement. The enemy was someone else.


    ¡°Is something wrong¡± Arke asked.


    The receptionist shook her head and responded. ¡°Ah, I apologize. It¡¯s just been a fairly long day already.¡± She began to jot down on the books again.


    A few moments pass.


    ¡°Also, is the quest you mentioned when we first  came here still available? If it is, we¡¯d be more than happy to assist with it now.¡±


    A question that seemingly came out of nowhere.


    ¡°Ah, not quite. A few others have already shown interest in it and took the quest¡± she responded immediately.


    It seemed that her suspiciousness of the two had subsided as she didn¡¯t think too much of her words- or their¡¯s.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, newbie adventurer had requested it. Though I, and along with a few veteran adventurers, warned them about taking the quest. They still did though.¡±


    A lie.


    ¡°Unfortunately, the adventurer¡¯s lover wasn¡¯t too happy that her beloved hasn¡¯t come back yet- Unfortunate but as with adventuring, life is always at risk. It got to the point that Reonold had to kindly show her out.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A discreet jab at the lady who was causing a commotion earlier.


    ¡°Reonold? Is he a regular here of some sort?¡±


    The receptionist nodded. ¡°He¡¯s the younger brother of Ragna- the one you met last night.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Well- eitherway. Until at least two days pass, we can¡¯t relinquish the quest¡¯s rights¡± she sighed. ¡°If only newbie adventurers would value their lives more and abandon the quest if they think they couldn¡¯t finish it- I apologize, I¡¯m simply ranting now.¡±


    The receptionist pulled out a book with a lot of bookmarks and writing on it.


    Arke tilted his head ever so slightly. ¡°No- No. That much is true. One should always value their lives.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactl-¡±


    Before she could finish her words, Cyrille walked forwards. Her bloodied sleeve, which was hidden from the receptionist¡¯s view, became visible. At the same time, Arke placed two adventurer I.D onto the table. He placed a single finger on top of his mask, in a gesture to keep quiet.


    ¡°Y- Ragn-¡± The receptionist stuttered.


    She read the names on the bloodied adventurer I.Ds. They were from the two that accompanied Ragna.


    ¡°You also value your life, I assume. Though you may not be an adventurer, you know what it¡¯s like to live knowing that tomorrow could be your last¡± Arke whispered.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If you value your life, then let¡¯s make a deal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of the Thieves Guild- that¡¯s why I¡¯m here right now. And because I¡¯m not part of it, I can easily let you go and spare your life tonight.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°If not, then you¡¯ll die along with the rest¡­ at best¡­ At worst-.¡±


    ¡°You think¡­ You think that you can get away with killing-¡±


    ¡°Me? Killing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you should be worried about. The Thieves Guild¡¯s men should be heading here as we speak. Once they get here, it won¡¯t be much of a problem for them to connect you with Ragna.¡±


    Arke stared at the book that the receptionist was writing on. True enough, it contained information of dozens upon dozens of adventurers along with the quest that they took. Among them, a few were crossed out, including the most recent one just before Faulken and Shizu. The adventurer that took the quest to investigate strange noises in the ruins. The adventurer who¡¯s lover caused a commotion earlier. The adventurer who was among the corpses around the Drake, with it¡¯s blood spilt on the ground to give life to the Moonlight Roses.


    A few moments of silence pass by. Arke was about to move away-


    ¡°Fine¡­ what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Simply tell me who else here knows about me and my companion. Whoever Ragna told to be suspicious of me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s- That¡¯s all?¡±


    Arke nodded.


    ¡°If I do- you promise to let me go? You swear to let me escape this town safely?¡±


    Again, he nodded.


    She bit her lip as she stared at the bloodied adventurer I.Ds in front of her.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    A few hours had passed since Arke and Cyrille visited the guild hub. The sky was a beautiful blue outside of the hub. The sun¡¯s light wasn¡¯t as harsh.


    Arke and Cyrille sat on a table near the corner of the place.


    ¡°-it¡¯s been a while since those two sat down-¡±||¡±-another beer would ye lil-¡±||¡±-have you heard that another newbie got done in by that-¡±||¡±-don¡¯t ye try yer hand at talking to that-¡±||¡±-they seem out of your league, and mine, and everyone-¡±||¡±-Kazuma, where are you kazuma-¡±


    The chatter in the hub was as normal as one could get. Earlier, people glanced at Arke and Cyrille nonstop, but after a while it seems their attention went to other things.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you sure you don¡¯t want to drink even just a little bit to pass the time by¡± Cyrille said.


    In front of her, a glass half filled with wine from a intricately decorated bottle. It must¡¯ve cost a fair amount. Looking around, the bottles that other adventurers drank seemed tame and cheap. Even the glasses that some held was of a cheaper design and feel than to the one Cyrille was drinking from.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as strong as others, plus it¡¯s actually delicious.¡±


    Cyrille¡¯s face was slightly red. The upper part of her coat was opened.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    Opposite of her, Arke simply had a glass of water. Though, he still had his mask on. In fact, the water he had hasn¡¯t even been touched since the two sat down.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever drink? Not fond of the taste of alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And it cloud¡¯s a person¡¯s judgement. That alone could be a fatal, or at least a regrettable, mistake.¡±


    ¡°... so you had a bad experience when you got a little too drunk?...¡±


    Arke simply shrugged his shoulders.


    Before Cyrille could speak any further, a few people began to make a commotion.


    ¡°-oi, those two are gonna go at it-¡±||¡±-bet¡¯s on the guy on the left-¡±||¡±-i say that they¡¯re both going to back out-¡±||¡±-Kazuma, oi Kazuma, a brawl, a brawl-¡±


    Arke and Cyrille glance towards the side. Indeed, across the room, two adventurers were pushing each other.


    A sly smile appeared on Cyrille¡¯s face. ¡°Want to bet Arke?¡±


    ¡°We already share our coin, what¡¯s there to bet?¡±


    Cyrille chuckled. ¡°I say the guy on the left will win. If I¡¯m right, you¡¯re gonna drink a glass of this¡± she pushed the bottle beside her forwards.


    Arke seemingly glared at the bottle for a moment before he responded.¡°They¡¯ll both back down.¡±


    Cyrille, surprised by Arke¡¯s response, simply smiled.


    The two drunk adventurers were now in the middle of a small clearing in the hub. While Cyrille and Arke looked away, a few other adventurers cleared the tables and chairs away.


    Even though it was a brawl, not as many people paid attention. The receptionists ignored it, not even bothering to look. Most other adventurers also ignored it. The few who did look were the ones making bets as well as the ones who actually knew one of the two. Combined, it wasn¡¯t even a quarter of the people currently in the hub.


    The apathy and bystander syndrome that everyone else displayed was just disgusting.


    ¡°Oh, there they go.¡±


    A single heavy punch straight into the stomach.


    ¡°-oi oi, the guy on the right already looks¡±-||¡±- nyahaha, I knew it, be prepared to pay up Kazuma-¡±||¡±-another beer will you miss-¡±||¡±-oi, break it up before-¡±


    A retaliatory punch that was just as heavy. The two moved more tactically and patiently. Rather than a bar brawl, it looked more like a boxing match.


    Another punch.


    Then a few more.


    Around the two, small areas in the air began to distort. In fact, it had been distorting ever since the first punch. The low pulsing sound of  Catalyst activating could also be faintly heard.


    Odd. The two didn¡¯t seem to be magus and nobody among the crowd seemed to be a magus as well.


    As the distortions slowly became more noticeable, the two backed off almost at the same time, lowering their hands as well-


    ¡°-see, they both backed off, I win-¡±||¡±-useless water goddess-¡±||¡±-an *hic* another one for me-¡±||¡±-why are you-¡±


    Cyrille¡¯s expression had a small tint of unamusement as she glanced at Arke, who was already staring at her with his glowing eyes- his mask¡¯s of course.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°You won the bet, what do you want-¡±


    ¡°I never said I agreed to the bet. I just said that they¡¯d both back down.¡±


    ¡°Eh, that¡¯s no fun¡± Cyrille said as she pouted, fiddling with her glass.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m sticking with my honesty.¡±


    At that moment, a handful of hooded adventurers entered the hub. They looked like a group or party that had just returned from a quest based on how rugged their clothes looked. Each wore simple leather armour underneath their cloaks. It seemed normal enough, until the last one walked in.


    The man held what looked like a logbook firmly in his hands as he scoured the hub for something or someone. Once his eyes found Arke and Cyrille, he immediately turned his gaze away and walked towards the two using a fairly indirect route.


    ¡°Good to see the two of you are doing well. Relaxing a bit after your quest?¡±


    Arke nodded as Cyrille smiled.


    ¡°Though- I wasn¡¯t expecting the two of you to still be in town¡± the man added as he sat down. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about- that- then no need. We aren¡¯t like that traitorous whore. We¡¯ll do our job properly, as always.¡±


    Traitorous whore- the man referred to Eclair. Behind Arke¡¯s mask, his face showed a slight hint of displeasure.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that. I do trust you to take care of it¡± Arke said a very convincing lie. ¡°We¡¯re simply taking a small break before heading out tonight.¡±


    ¡°I see¡± the man glanced at Cyrille¡¯s bloodied arm which was slightly hidden below the table. ¡°My apologies for assuming otherwise.¡± He bowed his head and was about to stand up until Arke spoke-


    ¡°Though, while we were here, I decided to do a bit of work.¡±


    ¡°Oh?


    Arke slid a small piece of folded parchment towards the man. Inside, a dozen or so names were written along with other useful information about them.


    Among the names were the guard outside the entrance, Ragna¡¯s younger brother, a few other adventurers. Most were names of people that knew about Ragna leaving for the ruins and about Faulken and Shizu.


    As the man read the contents, he glanced at Arke. ¡°And you¡¯re willing to give this for free? My, it seems that our work has already been cut by a large amount.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we could find out. There may be more of them that you need to greet. So don¡¯t just rely on that.¡±


    Oddly, among those names and descriptions, the receptionist that the two talked to wasn¡¯t even mentioned.


    At the area where the receptionists were, one was nowhere to be found. The one whose name wasn''t on the parchment.


    The man nodded. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll still do our job properly as we can. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t really be fit for this job.¡±


    ¡°That goes for all of us.¡±


    The man chuckled under his breath. ¡°Very much so.¡±


    Arke nodded as the man left and joined his fellow adventurers. Beside Arke, Cyrille was patiently listening to the conversation while sipping her beverage.


    Her face was becoming extremely red.


    ¡°You should really stop drinking now ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still fine though.¡±


    True, her speech and movement didn¡¯t seem to be affected at all. She still seemed fine, other than her face.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Outside the hub, a man walked down the street. He was accompanied by a fellow adventurer. His looks resembled Ragna. It was fairly obvious- it was Ragna¡¯s younger brother.


    His face twisted in a rather unusual way. An emotion that he couldn¡¯t fathom. Perhaps it was anger, perhaps it was worry. Whatever that feeling was, it made him contort his face in disgust.


    ¡°Reonold, how much longer do you plan to walk around town like this.¡±


    Ragna¡¯s younger brother- Reonold- ignored the question.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been walking around since noon.¡±


    The man looked at the red tinted sky. Dusk was slowly approaching.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Reonold¡¯s clothes were the exact same that he wore when the lady at the hub threw alcohol on him. The stench of it was still fairly strong. Though, it wasn¡¯t exactly foul. Compared to what most adventurers go through, the stench of alcohol was much more welcome.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ragna should be coming back soon right?¡±


    Reonold flinched as he heard it. Of course, his brother was a person he looked up to. He was the leader of his clan as well.


    ¡°I know- I know.¡±


    As the two walked, a Catalyst on a necklace swung back on forth. Reonold was a magus. As one would expect from the younger brother of a clan¡¯s leader.


    ¡°We should head back soon though.¡±


    Reonold nodded as he bumped into the shoulder of a woman. He didn¡¯t even apologize.


    ¡°-how rude of that little-¡±||¡±-quiet, that¡¯s an adventurer-¡±||¡±-discounted prices for the remaining-¡±||¡±-Waga na wa Megumin-¡±||¡±-are you alright-¡±||¡±-move out of the way, heavy-¡±


    As the two approached the guild hub, an uneasy feeling welled up inside Reonold. The guard that they had watching the entrance to collect fees from newbies was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Oi, is that little piece of crud really slacking on us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe my brother¡¯s back-¡±


    Reonold began to increase his walking speed. Racing towards the guild hub¡¯s entrance. Though, the closer he got, the more it felt that something was off.


    It was then that a hooded man bumped into him.


    ¡°I beg ye pardon me good sir¡± the man bowed his head before turning around and racing off again.


    Of course, Reonold ignored it and simply kept heading towards the hub. Who¡¯s fault it was- he didn¡¯t care for. Don¡¯t get in my way- was probably what his philosophy was when it came to.. walking..


    Inside the hub, he turned his head from side to side. Though- something felt even more off. The receptionist that he talked to wasn¡¯t there. The guard from the front wasn¡¯t there either. In fact, anywhere he looked, no familiar face was to be seen.


    Perhaps they¡¯re at the back room- he probably thought.


    But before he could finish his thoughts, his eyes were met with a handful of hooded men scattered across the hub. All of them glanced at him.


    A chill ran down his spine. Without making a commotion, he silently lowered his head. He turned around and went outside.


    ¡°Oi, Reonold, what¡¯s wrong- looks like you¡¯ve seen-¡±


    Before the man could finish his words, Reonold walked past him with his head held down. The exact same that he was when Ragna hadn¡¯t come back in the morning. The man probably thought that Reonold was simply having another fit. He simply ignored it and went inside the hub.


    In the back of Reonold¡¯s head- the words of his elder brother resounded.


    -ever find a handful of hooded adventurers- the rats of the thieves guild- ever come through and I¡¯m not here. Leave the town and go to the spot I told you about. I¡¯ll meet you there. There¡¯s no need to-


    Those words. Reonold thought about it and something in his mind clicked. A simple logic to follow. His elder brother must be waiting for him at that place. That was why he hasn¡¯t returned. Even if he did fail. Even if the Thieves Guild was really at their doorstep. It didn¡¯t matter as long as the two of them survived.


    Once he got far enough from the hub, his friend got out of the entrance. He looked as if he was panicking, turning from left to right as he looked for something- or rather someone. Behind him, a couple of the hooded men stepped out and followed him.


    It was obvious. He wasn¡¯t going to get away from the hooded men. Both of them knew that. Though, Reonold had planned that. A decoy. A bait. A sacrifice so that he could escape.

 Chapter 6 (c2v1)

    The streets of Langite slowly died out. The rush of the merchants vying for sales and the commotion of the common people as they tried to do their daily routines was now relatively tame.


    A young man walked among the small crowds. He wore simple clothes and basic leather armour. Even though he was an adventurer, it seemed that he¡¯s rarely ever ventured far from the town. The smell of alcohol lingered in the air where he passed by.


    ¡°...¡± His breathing got slightly laboured. Perhaps it was because he had been walking for a good while now.


    As he passed by dozens of people- there was something slightly off. His adventurer companion was nowhere to be seen, even though in most cases he¡¯d be accompanied by at least one person.


    ¡°...¡± A cold sweat ran down his cheek.


    Aside from that, his face also seemed slightly pale. Though, that may be because of the orange light that tinted the sky. He held his head down as he walked down the streets.


    ¡°-sorry ma¡¯am, we¡¯ve sold the last of the-¡±||¡±-oi, it¡¯s that man from earlier-¡±||¡±-move out of the way, supplies are-¡±||¡±-premium quality ingredients at half price-¡±||¡±-there should be a fresh batch coming in tomorrow ma¡¯am-¡±


    Every now and then, Reonold glanced behind him. It seemed like he was looking for someone- or something.


    ¡°...¡±


    He looked for the Rats that he found earlier. Though, even as he kept glancing behind him, he couldn¡¯t find a single one. Indeed, not a single person was following him. Seeing as he intentionally went around in circles more than a couple of times.


    If it was earlier in the day, it was still possible to lose track of people who were tailing him. Though, the sparse crowds meant much fewer faces to look at.


    ¡°I guess they did go after that moron¡± he whispered under his breath.


    That moron- he referred to his friend. The adventurer that was accompanying him earlier. The adventurer the he had left behind.


    Of course, survival was something that only those who want it can actually achieve. Or so Reonold believed. Survival of the fittest at it¡¯s most base.


    ¡°...¡±


    Though- even so. He had known that man for a long time. A long enough time that simply doing what he did with almost no regrets felt- unnatural.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Inside the guild hub, a man holding what looked like a logbook and a piece of parchment was sitting down. At his table, a handful of hooded men were chugging down entire pitchers of cheap alcohol. They all chattered among themselves.


    ¡°-oi did you see that beautiful lady that was with-¡±||¡±-shuddup ye moron, that¡¯s his lady, if you even talk about-¡±||¡±-masked man? That eerie lil son of a-¡±||¡±-that was our vanguard-¡±||¡±-are ye serious, those two were the-¡±


    Though, the man holding the logbook didn¡¯t participate in their frivolous conversations. Rather, he simply sat as he drank his own, more expensive, beverage.


    Around them- the buzz of the other adventurers was prevalent. One by one, more and more adventurers entered the hub. Many of them looked rugged and tired. They all headed towards one of the receptionists.


    Others looked cleaner and seemed unfamiliar with the place. They were travelling adventurers- though- even if they are called adventurers, they don¡¯t exactly do much adventuring.


    It was nearing the end of the day. Adventurers had mostly finished their quests and were turning them in. At the end of the day- many of them gathered at tables and drank their fill. They shared stories with one another-


    ¡°-what wus that one¡¯s name-¡±||¡±-I told ye, we encountered a Rathal-¡±||¡±-you sure it wasn¡¯t just a Rathia-¡±||¡±-really, we couldn¡¯t even find a single nirnroo-¡±||¡±-oi, can I ¡®ave another pint of this-¡±||¡±-Kazuma! Aqua!?... agh- why do those two have to leave us here-¡±||¡±-Megumin, can¡¯t you use any teleportation spell-¡±||¡±-I refuse. Explosion magic is the only-¡±


    A few moments pass as a hooded man passed by.


    ¡°...¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like anything happened, though in that moment, the hooded man had passed a piece of parchment to him.


    ¡°...¡±


    About as discreet as one could get, he opened the parchment and used his logbook to hide it from plain view. Acting as if he was reading from the logbook itself. The hooded men at his table didn¡¯t pay much attention either to the sudden change in his posture.


    S;; pg yjr ;ppdr rmfd jsbr nrrm frs;y eoyj. Er¡¯tr ,slomh ditr mpe. - what looked like drunken scribbles were written inside it.


    The man had a slight grin form on his face for less than a split second as he tore apart the piece of parchment. The others on the table had laughed for one more time before they all turned their attention to him.


    In reality, that drunken scribble was simple code. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for such things to be used by people trying to do things discreetly.


    The man leaned forwards as he placed his logbook onto the table. In reponse, the others placed down their drinks- and pitchers.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to move.¡±


    With that single sentence, a handful of the men on the table stood up and left. The ones who stayed simply kicked back and relaxed.


    A few moments pass before the man slowly stood up and took his logbook.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    The sky slowly grew darker. Reonold walked through the slowly emptying streets of Langite.


    ¡°...¡±


    Once again, he glanced behind him every now and then. Though, nothing of note met his eyes. Thus, he kept walking.


    It seemed that he knew exactly where he was going- and he did.


    Before long, he reached a small clearing in the town. A frozen waterfall was visible. Langite wasn¡¯t exactly a massive town that it¡¯d take a few hours to get from one side to the other. But it still took him this long partly due to walking around in circles earlier.


    At one point, he even went outside of the town.


    ¡°...¡±


    Reonold looked around the frozen waterfall as he warmed his hands. Though- on closer look it wasn¡¯t a waterfall but rather a wall based fountain. A fairly large one. The area around it seemed to be a small courtyard or garden. Though, nobody was around and the area seemed to be closed off, or at least fairly well isolated, from the streets.


    This was supposedly the place where Ragna, his elder brother, had told him to meet in case of any emergencies. Though, it was obvious that there was noone there aside from him.


    ¡°...¡±


    The moonlight illuminated the area. It looked as if the area glowed- Rather- it did glow as the moonlight shined on the frozen fountain. It was calming- mesmerizing.


    ¡°...¡±


    As he was about to sit down- a figure emerged from across him. It felt- unnatural- eerie.


    As befitting of an adventurer, Reonold immediately brandished his weapon. It was accompanied by the area around him distorting for less than a fraction of a second. The low pulsing sound of a Catalyst could also be heard.


    He had activated his Catalyst.


    Though, he didn¡¯t do anything else aside from stay on guard. That was because in front of him, a figure wearing black plate armour was barely visible. In his head, perhaps it was his brother-


    The plate mail from a distance did somewhat resemble what his brother wore-


    Until the figure moved into full view and the moonlight finally revealed it.


    Unlike Ragna¡¯s hulking armour that stood at least a head taller than even the tallest people that Reonold knew, the figure in front of him wore slim armour jet black armour. Not to mention it didn¡¯t look like it was made by any armour smith.


    What looked like tiny fragments of it fell off from different parts of it every now and then. It looked as if it was slowly crumbling into nothing. Though, before it could- those areas seemed to grow back.


    ¡°W- Who goes there!?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No response as the figure kept walking towards him.


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer- Gilligan.¡±


    A lie.


    ¡°...¡±


    At this point- Reonold¡¯s body trembled slightly. Ever so slightly that even he hadn¡¯t noticed it. A cold sweat ran down his cheek.


    ¡°State your name before-¡±


    ¡°Relax, my name is Shizu.¡±


    A chill ran down his spine as he heard that name. The same name that Ragna had warned him and everyone else about. The name of the person that Ragna had left to deal with.


    In that instant, Reonold took a few steps back and glanced at his surroundings. Perhaps it was a trap. He knew that Shizu had a companion. Though, glancing around him only confirmed what he had known since earlier. That there was almost nobody there.


    ¡°Shizu- you¡¯re the one from the hub aren¡¯t you? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Is it wrong for me to be here?¡±


    ¡°No- Not at all- but that¡¯s not what I meant by that.¡±


    ¡°Well- hard to hold a conversation when you¡¯re pointing that blade at me- in town none the less.¡± The figure raised one hand and gestured to the area around the two. A weird emphasis added to her last few words. ¡°...¡±


    Indeed, Reonold had kept his blade pointed towards Shizu. He promptly sheathed his blade. ¡°... I- I apologize.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    It was true- brandishing a weapon in a town was an extremely rare occurrence. Even the town guards and army rarely ever had to raise their weapons in a town.


    ¡°So, what are you doing here?¡±


    Shizu tilted her head slightly. She acted like Reonold should already know why she was here. With a few steps, the space between the two slowly shortened.


    ¡°Simply checking on you¡±


    ¡°On me?¡± Reonold glanced around the area once more. ¡°What could you possibly mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular. It¡¯s as literal as you could take it.¡± Shizu bowed her head. ¡°Mr. Reonold¡± she added while she was still bowing. Like a cordial gesture- albeit seemingly a mocking one.


    At her words, another chill ran down his spine. He clearly said his name was Gilligan when he first spoke. It was also true that it was the first time he had ever met the figure in front of him. So- how- he probably thought. How could she possibly know that- his mind kept proding for answers.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    A gentle breeze blew. Though- gentle as it was, it felt like air infused with frost thanks to winter night.


    A few seconds pass. It was a very silent moment. Silent enough that it felt as if the only thing that could be heard was their breaths.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    ¡°...N- no. That¡¯s-¡± Reonold stuttered. A cold sweat ran down his cheek.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t blame me for it. I¡¯m simply doing what I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Shizu turned her head away towards the moon. ¡°Well- it seems that I didn¡¯t really need to though.¡±


    A weird sentence. She came here on her own- yet now she¡¯s saying that she didn¡¯t need to. To Reonold, it didn¡¯t make any sense. Or- it shouldn¡¯t have.


    Out of nowhere, blood splattered onto the ground.


    ¡°..!?¡±


    Though, Shizu hadn¡¯t moved a single inch as she gazed at the moon still. Only after the fact did her head slowly turn towards Reonold once more.


    A few moments ago- Reonold was standing on his two feet. Now- his legs had given out. Blood dripped from his nose and the side of his mouth. From nowhere, he began coughing up blood.


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, he never noticed it. But it was clear to Shizu from the beginning. His veins were faintly showing through his skin with a much darker colour than normal. Cold sweat kept visibly dripping down his cheeks. His skin was much paler than normal.


    ¡°P-...¡±


    He swayed back and forth and had problems focusing his eyes. On top of that, a deathly chill had slowly embraced him- though, the temperature around the two didn¡¯t change.


    He gathered all his willpower and lifted his head. With clenched teeth, he simply stared at Shizu, who was slowly walking towards him.


    ¡°How does it feel¡± she said as she sat on the ground in front of him. ¡°Miserable isn¡¯t it?¡±


    A wheezing breath was audibly coming from Reonold. ¡°W- Wh- How¡­ What do you wa- want¡± his voice was much weaker than before.


    ¡°...¡±


    Shizu simply stared at Reonold.


    ¡°Please- S- Save me- I¡¯ve done nothing-... I¡¯ll give you-...¡±


    One after another, Reonold kept saying seemingly random things. Of course- that was simply because he knew exactly what was happening to him now.


    Poison. A familiar kind of poison to him. A kind of poison that he had used many times before.


    But, how or why didn¡¯t matter to him at that moment. Only that he needed to get the antidote by any means. Be it by playing the victim, the innocent or the framed.  Even bribery was an option. Though, his words couldn¡¯t easily carry his blunted thoughts across well, and instead, came out more as pitiful bargaining for life.


    As he stared at Shizu with his blurring vision, she grabbed a small pouch from her back and emptied it¡¯s contents onto the ground in front of him.


    He couldn¡¯t see what it was- but he didn¡¯t need to. Just the vague view of it was enough.


    ¡°...¡±


    Dozens upon dozens of adventurer I.Ds. One would think that they were fake at first glance- but they were real. One thing that all of them had in common- the owners were all ladies. All of them were younger ladies too and their rankings were low. New adventurers perhaps. Another thing that they all had in common were bloodstains and small notes on the back of the cards.


    -Great fun, though she broke after-||-promised to spare her lover if she-||-the silent type, though she began to scream once-||-killed her lover anyway-||-forced her to watch as her sister-||-obedient after the first-


    Less than a few moments pass after emptying the pouch¡¯s contents before Shizu grabbed Reonold¡¯s head and immediately slammed it down onto the ground.


    ¡°!?¡±


    She held it down onto the ground as small areas around the two began to distort. The faint sound of Catalysts could also be heard by that point.


    ¡°How does it feel to suffer. If I could- I¡¯d gladly make you suffer for the remainder of your life- but I can¡¯t¡± her voice was much more agitated than before. ¡°Though- letting you live might be too merciful of me in and of itself.¡±


    She let go of his head and stood up. It wasn¡¯t visible to him, nor could he turn his head anyway, but beneath her mask. A cold glare was directed towards him.


    With a sigh, she walked past him, dumping the empty pouch onto his back.


    ¡°P- please-...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want- don¡¯t want to die-¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m-... sorry-¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Brother- help-¡±


    At this point, Shizu was now far enough that Reonold¡¯s silent whimpers couldn¡¯t be heard. Behind her, Reonold kept turning his head slowly and crawled on the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be- I don¡¯t want to be alone anymore- Please-...¡±


    It lasted for a while- much longer than what that specific kind of poison should¡¯ve lasted.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Once Renold had finally stopped moving and his visible breath finally disappeared, two hooded men appeared and began to clean up the area. They were the Rats of the Thieves guild. Of course- they were tailing him since the beginning- but the effects of the poison made it near impossible for Reonold to actually concentrate, even though he thought he was.


    Shizu- Cyrille- walked away. As she did, her armour had slowly crumbled. Fragments broke off as if it was shattered and disappeared into the wind, revealing her white coat underneath. Her bloodstained sleeve was still there, however.


    As she finally reached the boundary of the area, she passed by a hooded man. The same man from in front of the guild hub that encountered Reonold earlier. In his hand, a small syringe-like weapon with an empty vial.


    He glanced at her as he played with a gold coin with his other hand.


    With a single nod, she passed by and went through the walls and gates, through the alleys and small road, before finally reaching the main streets once again.


    Just across the street, a masked figure with furious glowing eyes stared at her. Made even more eerie that it was already night.


    ¡°-what is that guy with the mask doing-¡±||¡±-don¡¯t get near, he looks dangerous-¡±||¡±-mommy, mommy, look, it¡¯s the-¡±||¡±-excuse me, out of the way! Coming through-¡±||¡±-bummer, I couldn¡¯t finish my quest today so I need to go out again-¡±||¡±-those¡­ eyes-¡±


    Even the people that passed by sometimes commented on it. Of course, Cyrille knew exactly who the masked figure was. Arke.


    In an instant, her cold and heartless glare subsided into a more neutral smile as she waved at Arke before walking towards him. All while Arke simply nodded.


    ¡°Everything went well I assume?¡±


    Cyrille nodded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly the most amusing thing you¡¯ve ever asked me to do- but not the worst either-¡±


    Of course, it was obvious that Cyrille didn¡¯t like it. Though she hid her displeasure with a bland smile. Even if she didn¡¯t like it- it was something that needed to be done. Or at least that¡¯s what Arke would like her to believe.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as an okay¡± Arke responded as the two walked down the street. ¡°Next time, you can just tell me if you¡¯d prefer not to do it and switch with me instead.¡±


    Cyrille chuckled after a moment of pause. ¡°We both know that you won¡¯t let that happen anyway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about your end- everything went well too?¡±


    Without looking at Cyrille, Arke simply kept walking forwards. Not that neither of them needed to watch out for other people as the streets were already sparsely populated. That, and it was obvious that people were avoiding the two.


    ¡°Which part?¡±


    ¡°The receptionist¡± Cyrille said as her expression turned more serious and genuinely concerned. ¡°You managed to sneak her past the others safely?¡±


    Only at that point did Arke actually turn his head towards Cyrille. ¡°Of course. No problems at all. The Thieves Guild¡¯s men don¡¯t even know of her.¡± He turned his head forwards once again. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. She got out of town safely, as we agreed on.¡±


    As we agreed on-


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Earlier- at the outskirts of town. The sky was tinted red as night quickly approached.


    Though- something was slightly off. A woman was running across the forest outside of Langite. She wore what looked like a uniform fit to her size exactly- given that she could run fairly easily. Her hair was in a mess. Her clothes were smudged in different areas with dirt. Parts of it were torn open, presumably from getting snagged on trees or the like as she ran.


    Her face was familiar- that was because she was the receptionist that Arke and Cyrille had talked to.


    As she ran- she kept looking behind her. As if prey looking for where it¡¯s predator was. Even so- she still kept up a fairly quick pace. With adrenaline pumping through her veins- of course she could.


    She ran- but, as she neared the edge of the forest- something became clear. She ran towards Langite. Even though she was supposed to escape from it.


    In fact- looking at it, it made little sense as to why she¡¯s on foot as opposed to on a horse with luggage. Surely she must¡¯ve had something valuable to bring with her- even if she was forced to flee.


    ¡°No- This can¡¯t be *pant* happening!¡±


    Her breath was visibly laboured as she ran through the forest. But before she could reach it¡¯s edge. Before she could see Langite in it¡¯s entirety. A black entitiy had walked into view from behind one of the trees.


    In an instant, she tried to stop herself, but the snow on the ground made her slip, landing on her bum.


    ¡° *pant* *pant*¡± She stared at the figure in front of her.


    The dark grey armoured figure stood in front of her. It¡¯s two glowing eyes seemed to stare straight into her soul as it simply stood there. It was obvious who it was- Arke.


    ¡°W- we had a deal!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Arke walked towards the lady as she pulled herself backwards, away from him. But before should could go much further, what looked like black pillars slowly formed behind her- stopping her.


    ¡°Wait! We had a deal! You¡¯d let me leave Langite safely in exchange for that information. You agreed didn¡¯t you!?¡±


    Arke paused. ¡°I did.¡±


    A glimmer of hope seemed to shine in her eyes. But before she could open her mouth, Arke grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air with a single hand.


    It wasn¡¯t obvious in the darkness- but small strands of black material had entangled itself around Arke and held him back. Presumably to stop him from falling forwards due to the relatively unstable ground.


    ¡°Ack-¡± the receptionist grabbed Arke¡¯s gauntlets as she struggled to breath. ¡°W-... wait- ack-¡±


    Before she could finish her words-


    ¡°I did agree to let you escape the town safely¡± Arke turned his head away, seemingly glancing at Langite behind him.


    It was true. She had a horse and luggage with her and she did managed to escape town safely. Though, right now that horse was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°And you did escape town safely. You got far enough at least- I held my end of the bargain.¡±


    A cold response. Calculated. But that was the extent of their deal. Arke had followed it through to the end- Down to the word.


    ¡°Now that you did- I see no point in letting a loose end like you live. Unfortunately- you never bargained for your life.¡±


    The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened. She shook her head frantically, trying to open her mouth. Perhaps she wanted to beg for mercy. Perhaps she simply wanted to curse Arke. No matter what her goal was- it didn¡¯t matter.


    In that moment- Arke grabbed her mouth with his other hand and held it shut as a jagged bolt flew towards her from above, impaling itself into her.


    Her muffled screams could only faintly be heard as the bolt dug itself deep into her back.


    ¡°Mphgp!? Mhgp!?¡±


    It must¡¯ve been painful. She struggled as much as she could, kicking, scratching, punching- whatever have you. But it didn¡¯t seem to affect Arke as his mask simply stared at her with it¡¯s unchanging expression.


    Another jagged bolt.


    Then another.


    And another.


    Another.


    ¡­


    After a few minutes of struggling and a dozen or so jagged bolts, the receptionist had finally stopped struggling. Her eyes were blank. Crimson blood dripped onto the snow beneath her.


    Arke released his grip as she fell to the ground. At the same moment, the material that entangled itself around him had fragmented and disappeared. For a moment, his mask¡¯s glowing eyes simply stared at the lifeless body in front of him.


    ¡°...¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    As we agreed on-


    The two walked down the emptying streets. Cyrille glanced at Arke.


    ¡°I see- well that¡¯s good. You may seem like a cold and calculated guy- but I knew that you genuinely cared about others.¡±


    Silence. No reaction from Arke at all.


    ¡°Not that you don¡¯t look like that kind of person! I- I mean, y¡¯know¡± she immediately followed up her words. ¡°It¡¯s just that-¡±


    In response, Arke simply tapped his mask. ¡°I know what you mean.¡± He walked towards the guild hub.


    Cyrille chuckled.


    ¡°Plus- I always keep my word-¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Far from Langite- on the road towards the capital at night.


    A dead horse was laying on the ground. Around it, a dozen or so armoured men. They looked like an organized group. Among them- a hooded man was face down on the ground.


    His head was pushed down into the ground by a sabaton, a steel boot. Upon closer look, this was the exact same man that the receptionist had sent towards the capital. But now- he was nothing more than a corpse.


    His hands were tied behind his back and a black blade was driven through his chest from his back.


    The armoured figure that stepped on his head was fiddling with a medallion in one hand. On the other, a parchment that Ragna had signed. After the figure was finished reading, he threw the parchment on the ground, stepping away from the corpse.


    The figure turned away. At the same time, the others around him moved as well.


    Gripping the medallion, the figure uttered- ¡°It¡¯s time-¡±

 Chapter 7 (c3v1)

    Snow fell from the darkened skies, covering everything in pure white. It was the type of day that few would venture out-


    Even so, a figure stood in the middle of a white field. Snow deep enough that it went up to it¡¯s boots, past where it¡¯s ankles would be.


    The figure tilted it¡¯s head up-


    In the sky, what looked like a bird spread it¡¯s wings wide- followed by a furious roar. At that point, it tilted it¡¯s head forwards, diving towards the earth as it¡¯s body followed the same movement.


    Like a spear, it folded it¡¯s wings to it¡¯s side- but something was off. It dove straight towards the figure. Looking closely- it was no bird. In fact, it was much larger than any bird- about the size of a small house. It¡¯s head was sharp and ended in what seemed like a point- but there was no beak. Of course not- it was a Beast.


    A Wyvern to be specific. One of the four kinds of Beasts. It had four limbs, much like a Drake, but it¡¯s front two were more like massive, scaled, wings. It was also only about half the bulk of a Drake, with a much sleeker and aerodynamic body.


    Wyverns were arguably the weakest of the four Beasts. But it was still a formidable one to common folk- able to raze entire towns given the right opportunities. And among the four- it was the most persistent.


    The figure moved forwards with a single step. Carving a path through the snow. It held up one arm and held it¡¯s arm in a claw-like grip on the air in front of it¡¯s chest. It¡¯s other hand reached towards the Wyvern. As if about to grasp it within it¡¯s hands-


    It¡¯s- or rather, her- long scarlet hair began to flow even though there was no breeze. Static slowly built up around her as small arcs of lightning began to jump from her and the area around.


    The phenomena lasted for only a few moments before a thunderous clap shook the area followed by a bright flash for a single fraction of a moment.


    It was in that instant that a bolt of lightning had emerged from her hand that reached towards the Wyvern.


    ¡°...¡± The lady smirked.


    As the lightning connected, the Wyvern went limp. Arcs of lightning seemed to engulf it midair. It¡¯s eyes locked in place as it dove- no¡­- as it fell from the sky. Unlike a few moments ago where it looked like a spear, sleek and precise, now it¡¯s body tumbled through the air like a ragdoll.


    It landed- if it could even be called that- a few dozen meters in front of the lady, with enough force that snow was thrown into the air, making it look like an explosion had just occurred.


    As the area cleared, the Wyverns¡¯ mangled, smoking, body became visible. Without a word, the lady¡¯s dark crimson eyes gazed at the grounded Wyvern with a smirk on her face.


    A smirk?


    Looking at her clearly- her appearance didn¡¯t bear much resemblance to an adventurer. Aside from her coat- there was little to no armour on her. Even then, the coat was only barely reinforced with metal plating. She seemed more like a model- especially since she didn¡¯t even have any protective headgear, only letting her scarlet hair flow- without any wind at that.


    Though- it didn¡¯t seem like she needed any armour to begin with.


    Behind her- a woman, covered in snow and some dirt, crawled up. She held her head down and grasped at her coat. She looked like a commoner- nothing really stood out aside from a small ruby pendant on her neck. With a sincere and genuine voice, she spoke-


    ¡°T- Thank you¡± she uttered over and over again as she pinched a small part of the lady¡¯s coat. It seemed that she took care not to dirty her coat.


    A young boy walked up to the two and bowed his head. The lady only glanced at the woman behind her, though when the young boy came up, a larger smirk formed on her face. Perhaps she thought of it as endearing-


    Though the two were being genuine- a slightly grim expression was showing on their faces. An expression that one wouldn¡¯t give to the person who saved them-


    Though, it wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary. Around them, the wreckage of a fairly large convoy. Dozens of carriages were ripped open, some were even carried some distance away and dropped to the ground. Among the wreckage, a handful of people were helping each other- tending to the wounded. A couple of adventurers were all sat on the ground, desperately catching their breaths. Though, around the site- something was more out of the ordinary-


    The dead bodies of Wyverns-


    WyvernS.


    Yes, not a single Wyvern. There were three, including the one that the lady had just fell from the sky. Their massive lifeless bodies all had the stench of burned meat accompanied by faint smoke, presumably from the lightning that struck all of them.


    With a single nod of her head, the lady walked away from the two.


    ¡°...¡±


    Static-


    Static slowly built up around her. Small arcs of lightning formed on the ground around her as she glanced towards the Wyvern that she just fell. Her eyes narrowed followed by her lowering her head ever so slightly. She licked her lips-


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Back at the merchant hub town of Langite, snow fell gently.


    Some time had passed since the incident regarding the Drake and the adventurers.


    Outside of the town, a figure wearing a dark grey armoured coat, accompanied by a beautiful lady, stood. It¡¯s furious glowing eyes seemed to glare in front of it. Though it seemed that nothing was there. Only sparse trees and white snow as far as one could see.


    The figure and lady were Arke and Cyrille.


    All around them- nothing but sparse trees and relatively deep snow. Not a single trace of anyone else passing by either. It was obvious that they weren¡¯t even on a road- which was an odd sight- normally most people would stick to the roads, especially when snow was falling, in case anything happened, they would be able to find help much more easily.


    The two simply stood there.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A few moments of silence pass before Arke lifted his head towards the front.


    It was at the same moment that reality distorted in front of them. Slowly- something materialized from the ground up. Black fragments and small pieces slowly appeared and came together, accompanied by a low humming. It looked like something was crumbling in reverse.


    Four thin pillar-like things grew taller and taller. It didn¡¯t take long for a vague silhouette to be visible. It looked like a horse- or specifically, it looked like armour that fully encased a horse. Of course- there was nothing inside of it- only web-like structure that supported it.


    Once that thing had finished materializing, it lifted it¡¯s hoof and slowly walked towards the two, moving in a rather inorganic manner. It was eerie- it¡¯s head was jagged with no features. No eyes, nose nor mouth- it was simply a head. Or helmet-


    It¡¯s body was the same- small details weren¡¯t present and instead were replaced by sleek, albeit jagged, armour. In fact- it was made of the same material as the armour plating found on Arke¡¯s coat.


    As it got closer, it turned it¡¯s body to the side and knelt down in front of the two. It¡¯s head was pointed in their general direction.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Arke looked at Cyrille.


    ¡°That¡¯s creepy as ever-¡± Cyrille shuddered as she looked at Arke mount the thing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it if I don¡¯t want it to tip over.¡± he replied.


    Indeed, that thing was Arke¡¯s creation. It wasn¡¯t a horse- not a living creature- it wasn¡¯t even an unliving creature- but to him, it was as good as a steed.


    After a moment of hesitation- Cyrille got on top of the steed and wrapped her arms around Arke¡¯s waist. He simply tilted his head ever so slightly to the side.


    Small black strands materialized around Arke¡¯s arms and connected them to the steed. At the same time, similar strands entangled onto Cyrille¡¯s lower back, making sure she doesn¡¯t fall. All while the steed had slowly adjusted it¡¯s hooves, as if preparing for something.


    Though, for a moment, it did nothing.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Okay, everything should be good. Let¡¯s go-¡±


    With those words, the steed lowered it¡¯s head and pushed down onto the ground, launching itself forwards. It¡¯s movements bore some semblance to that of a horse- or a cheetah- a werewolf- something- but it wasn¡¯t the same.


    Every stride it took, it covered about twice the distance of even what a racing horse could cover. Everytime it slammed it¡¯s hooves down, it felt as if the ground was shaking from the force. It¡¯s movements were also much more rigid and mechanical. Though, even with all of that, the ride wasn¡¯t rough at all.


    Looking closely, the area that the two sat in looked as if it was slightly disconnected from the rest of the body somehow.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two sped across the sparse forest about twice as fast as any other horse could and without slowing down or taking much of a breather. All while avoiding any roads. That by itself was odd- even if the trees were far apart, the ground was still uneven. Not the ideal place to gallop at full speed.


    Every now and then- the steed looked as if it was about to trip, but before it could, it¡¯s limbs would jolt forwards and correct itself with such speed and force that the ground that it hit felt like it cracked.


    Such things would never happen on any of the flat and clearer, relatively, roads.


    After travelling for a while, Cyrille spoke. ¡°Hey- Arke, what do you think about how things are right now here? Or- I guess this world.¡±


    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s out of the blue-¡±


    Cyrille snuggled her head into Arke¡¯s back.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful world isn¡¯t it?¡±


    At that moment, the two emerge from the forest and ran adjacent to a frozen lake. The snow covered mountain on the other side looked mesmerizing- like something that a person could only dream about.


    ¡°Beautiful huh¡± Arke glanced towards the frozen lake. He nodded. ¡°It is- in it¡¯s own way-¡± He paused. ¡°And from the right perspective-¡±


    Just like a world almost untouched by man. It was true- the sights that one could see were breathtaking. Especially at night or at dawn. It was a world mostly untainted by civilization- but that¡¯s not the only thing the two had meant-


    Cyrille chuckled. ¡°It is- but broken as well.¡±


    As the mountains gave off a beautiful view- so did something else give a horrendous sight. Not on the opposite side of the river where the mountain was, but right beside Arke and Cyrille. On their side- traces of a small battle. It was hard to notice since it was covered in snow- but small swords and other equipment was visible. All of them were rusted, shattered, forgotten.


    Forgotten.


    And they were- most likely, the two didn¡¯t even notice those traces.


    ¡°Broken-¡±


    They enter through an uneven area, though the steed still moved at the same speed and barely stumbled at all.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Broken¡­ haha- I guess I¡¯m getting a little too deep now¡± Cyrille chuckled as she buried her face into Arke¡¯s back once more. ¡°Guess I¡¯m a little sleepy-¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind if I doze off for a bit, would you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hearing a no~¡±


    ¡°Focusing on the steed, a little hard to-.¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    In an instant, the steed that they rode on had finally stumbled on the uneven terrain and almost fell over.


    ¡°... talk¡±


    Cyrille held tightly onto Arke. Of course, before it could actually fall, it¡¯s limbs moved with an incredible speed and force to correct itself. Much to the relief of Cyrille.


    ¡°A- ahahaha- yeah- right, forgot about that-¡±


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    Some time had passed by in relative silence between the two. Arke and Cyrille had travelled a fairly large distance, all while still avoiding the roads. But- now, they were stopped.


    On top of a cliff, the two gazed far into a field where a formation of horses galloped across. Among them, some had what looked like gigantic cylinders strapped to their sides. It looked like cannons if anything- though that didn¡¯t make any sense.


    Behind the formation of horses, a small caravan followed as closely as they could.


    Cyrille squinted her eyes and leaned forwards, trying to make out what was on the banners that they flew. ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the cavalry corps flying the Argent Moon¡±


    ¡°The royal army¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°It seems so. They¡¯re heading for the border again most likely¡± Arke sighed. ¡°Another beast probably.¡±


    ¡°A beast huh.¡± Cyrille turned her head. ¡°I wish you the best of luck¡± she whispered under her breath.


    ¡°...¡± Arke simply nodded.


    ¡°...¡±


    It was hard to see at that distance, but the caravan wasn¡¯t normal either. While half of them were normal wooden carriages, at the very back, a handful of them were made of reinforced material. Even metal. They were also escorted by a handful more of horsemen compared to the other carriages.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A few moments of silence pass by. Cyrille, most likely curious as to why they hadn¡¯t moved, leaned to the side and slightly forwards, glancing at Arke.


    ¡°So- are we going?~¡±


    Without a word, Arke pointed towards the formation of horses, but not exactly at it. Far from the main group, a couple of pairs were riding much further to the front, back and flanks of the group. With a few constantly circling the area. Those were the ones that he pointed at.


    ¡°Scouts. They¡¯re heading towards the border, so there¡¯s a good chance that they¡¯ll be crossing out path. We have to wait, unless you want to start walking.¡±


    Cyrille had deadpan look on her face as she heard Arke say ¡°walking¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on walking in this weather.¡±


    The black strands that entangled them slowly fragmented and disappeared. Once it did, Cyrille hopped off, followed by Arke.


    ¡°...¡±


    In an instant, the steed they had just ridden on slowly cracked. Pieces of it fragmented and fell off before disappearing into the wind. It looked like a crumbling statue- a rather pitiful sight.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long- we¡¯ll still make it there by nightfall¡± Arke said as he walked up to a boulder. He wiped off the snow and sat on it, keeping his leg inbetween him and the stone.


    ¡°I hope- I don¡¯t particularly like spending the night in the wilderness. It¡¯s just- ugh.¡± Cyrille went beside Arke and copied his position.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one¡± Arke sighed. ¡°I¡¯d rather have a nice roof and a warm bath at the end of the day as well.¡±


    Cyrille nodded. ¡°A nice bed would be nice too- and a meal.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Arke reached into his pocket and pulled out a small container.


    ¡°Maybe a nice fireplace- wait, is that what I think-¡±


    Arke nodded as he opened the container. Within it- small pieces of chocolate. He raised it towards Cyrille, who happily grabbed a small handful and slowly started eating one piece at a time. Savouring the flavour.


    Silence befell the two as they enjoyed that small pleasure.


    ¡°Really- chocolate, warm baths, comfortable beds, among other things too. It really doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re adventurers.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re not really one¡± Cyrille chuckled. ¡°But I was one¡± she added before munching on a piece of chocolate.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Most adventurers don¡¯t have this kind of luxury, though I guess we kinda chose it to be that way-¡±


    Cyrille¡¯s expression grew soft and, slightly melancholic. It seemed that fond memories were going through her mind at that moment.


    In that moment, Arke stood up, his head was turned towards the empty field. The royal army had already moved far enough that it seemed that they won¡¯t be in their path.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Cyrille nodded, munching on the last few pieces of chocolate at once. A moment later, reality distorted and was followed by a low humming sound. Once again, Arke¡¯s steed slowly materialized-


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    The sky had grown slightly darker as the sun slowly reached for the horizon.


    Amidst the forests, a small figure sped through. With speed to rival that of a horse paired with the agility of a hummingbird. Something that no normal being could possibly do. But something that a magus was possible of doing.


    Strapped to the light leather armour underneath, a row of daggers became partially visible under it¡¯s cloak every so often as it moved.


    The small figure¡¯s ponytail flew behind it. At first glance, one could mistake the figure for a shinobi. Though, it was simply Eclair.


    ¡°...¡± her expression was- blank. Melancholic, even.


    Of course, there wasn¡¯t much in the way of conversation as she travelled by herself- but that didn¡¯t seem to be the cause. Rather, this was her normal expression.


    ¡°...¡±


    Constantly, she launched herself forwards with incredible speed. Though at the same time, it was incredibly silent. Even if one was to stand right next to her, there would be almost no sound as she moved.


    ¡°...¡±


    After some time, something slowly became visible in the distance. Even though the sparse trees still obscured some view, it was impossible to obscure that thing


    ¡°...¡±


    That thing that towered over everything else around it. It wasn¡¯t created by nature- it seemed- nor was it created by people- it seemed-.


    As Eclair reached the edge of the forest, she gradually slowed down before finally stopping just at the edge.


    In front of her, that thing- an Ancient Construct- stood tall. Much like the Ancient Construct in Langite, similar in essence but not the same. It was much more dilapidated. Large parts of it were missing and it was covered in nature¡¯s greenery, tinted by white snow atop it. From a distance, it looked like it was fracturing, revealing a pure white inside.


    A town was built around it¡¯s base, much like Langite. In fact, most other towns were also like this. Though, this one seemed to be bigger than even Langite. And Langite was a fairly large town by itself.


    ¡°Finally- Gestalt¡± Eclair whispered to herself.


    She bundled herself up in her cloak, in an effort to stave off the winter breeze, before kneeling down. She paused for a moment, before launching herself forwards.


    = = = = = = = = = = = =


    ¡°-headed towards the town center first¡± Cyrille asked.


    The two were now walking on a road that led towards the town in front of them, Gestalt. It could¡¯ve been easier if they simply rode on Arke¡¯s steed instead, but for some reason, they dismounted some distance back while still inside the forest.


    ¡°So is the plan- or so I¡¯d like it to be¡± Arke replied.


    ¡°Hmm- so we¡¯re going tomorrow instead?¡±


    Arke nodded once. ¡°It¡¯s getting a little late- I¡¯d rather not at this time. We can just finish it tomorrow.¡±


    Cyrille glanced to her side. ¡°Well- if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re tired-¡±


    Before he could even finish, Cyrille covered her mouth and let out a small yawn. As if confirming what Arke was about to say before he could even finish it himself. He turned his head towards Cyrille and simply stared at her.


    ¡°... what?¡±


    Arke pulled out a small deep blue vial that seemed to sparkle. Though before he could even say a word, Cyrille pushed his hand back towards him.


    ¡°Ah- don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re almost there. If I take that now, I won¡¯t be able to sleep until morning.¡±


    Arke nodded.


    As they got closer, the Ancient Construct¡¯s silhouette looked like it reached as far as the  clouds- of course that wasn¡¯t really the case. Behind it, the sky had slowly turned orange as dusk approached.


    Beneath it¡¯s towering presence, just outside of the town, a familiar figure was leaning up against a tree. It was searching for something in a fairly old looking pouch.


    As the two got closer, the figure slowly raised it¡¯s head, slowly revealing it¡¯s face underneath it¡¯s hood. It¡¯s sharp eyes locked onto Arke and Cyrille as it immediately hid the pouch. The ponytail inside the hood had went around the side and was visible from the front, coming out from beside it¡¯s neck in a fairly elegant manner. It was Eclair.


    With a blank, melancholic smile on her face, she jogged towards the two. As if stating a message to everyone, a row of daggers could be barely seen from underneath her cloak every now and then. Aside from that, something else. An small empty bottle of healing potion was strapped to her side.


    ¡°Sir Arke, Miss Eclair, it¡¯s good to see you both once again¡± she said, coming to a stop just in front of the two.


    Her tone was happier, more cheerful and more elegant- high class even. A complete disconnect with how her face still showed a melancholic blank smile. A smile that her eyes didn¡¯t show- Not that it seemed to bother any of them.


    The two nodded.


    ¡°You as well, Eclair¡± Arke responded as he began to walk with the two.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again too Eclair, how was your trip¡± Cyrille asked.


    A moment of silence passed by before Eclair turned her head towards Cyrille. As if she didn¡¯t hear what she said- or rather it didn¡¯t register with her at all.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Ah- how was your trip?¡±


    Arke slowly moved behind the two as they entered the town, letting them have their conversation. Perhaps he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to contribute much even if he had wanted.


    ¡°-I can¡¯t wait to get home and relax-¡±||¡°-did you hear that an adventurer single handedly take down three wyverns-¡±||¡±-excuse me, pardon me-¡±||¡±-oi, what¡¯s up with that thing¡¯s mask-¡±||¡±-the Argent Moon passed by earlier, I managed to talk to one of the officers, Sanya Degurechap-¡±||¡±-lucky bastard that  guy is-¡±


    Though, the chatter of the towns folk didn¡¯t exactly give the two much peace.


    ¡°Ah¡± Eclair paused for a moment. ¡°It was fine. The same as always, as one might expect. No complications aside from the cold weather. Why do you ask?¡±


    Cyrille tilted her head. ¡°Why? I was just concerned for you since we haven¡¯t heard from you since we last met at the Drake.¡±


    ¡°Ah- I see. Well, there¡¯s no cause for concern, as you can see¡± she replied, her blank smile showed clearly- though her eyes still seemed sad.


    Of course, neither Arke nor Cyrille could actually see. Most of Eclair¡¯s body was hidden underneath her coat. The only times that they could see were when the front of the coat opened up as she moved.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡± Cyrille smiled. A genuine smile.


    ¡°How about you miss Cyrille?¡±


    ¡°Ah- yeah- ours was fine too-¡±


    ¡°We took a carriage ride to here after we finished with our work in Langite¡± Arke interrupted Cyrille- or rather, it felt like Cyrille was waiting for Arke to interrupt her.


    ¡°Yeah- as Arke said. Though, aside from that, nothing interesting really happened on the way. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen the same views as us since we both came from the same direction.¡±


    Eclair¡¯s movements stuttered for a fraction of a moment. She had been stuttering every now and then for a while now. She glanced at Arke, then towards Cyrille.


    ¡°I- I did. It was quite a breathtaking view at some points. Though I couldn¡¯t appreciate them as properly as I¡¯d liked.¡± Eclair glanced towards the ground. ¡°It was quite a shame.¡± She chuckled.


    In their heads, the three may have been thinking of the snow covered mountains that they had passed.


    ¡°Haha- neither did we to be honest.¡±


    As the three reach the center of the town, Eclair moved towards the front, facing the two. She bowed her head slightly and lifted it up.


    ¡°Well, this is where we must part ways for the time being.¡± She turned her head towards the side, to where she probably had to go to. ¡°I appreciate it, sir Arke, miss Cyrille.¡±


    As she was about to turn around and walk away-


    ¡°Eclair¡± Arke said as he walked up to her.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    He pulled out a small pouch and lifted it up in front of Eclair. Seemingly confused, she lifted her arms, opening her palms in front of her. Her coat had parted as she did, revealing light leather armour with daggers strapped across it and the empty bottle on her side. Small areas were also reinforced with metal.


    He placed the pouch into her palms. With a confused look, she opened the pouch. Inside were gold coins. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s about a Catalyst¡¯s worth.¡±


    She looked at the pouch, then at Arke- then at the pouch again, then at Arke again- it seemed that something inside her broke for a moment.


    ¡°P- Pardon? We¡¯ve already made our arrangements prior to this, I¡¯m afraid that-¡±


    ¡°Think of it as a bonus.¡±


    A few moments pass in silence between the three as people pass them by. Oddly, Cyrille simply looked at the two in silence, with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Is it really fine for me to receive this?¡±


    Arke nodded. As if affirming his resolve, Cyrille also nodded.


    ¡°I- I¡¯ve no words to express my gratitude, sir Arke¡± Eclair bowed her head once more.


    She slowly pulled her hands back into her cloak, along with the small pouch of coins. In response to her words, Arke simply shook his head.


    ¡°Well- I¡¯ve no intention of taking anymore of your time, Eclair.¡±


    ¡°A- ah, yes. Once again, I thank you for your kindness, sir Arke- and miss Cyrille¡± she said as she walked backwards, bowing a few more times.


    Finally, she turned around and began walking normally- or at least relatively compared to walking backwards. Her step had a slight hop to it, not to mention her posture was much straighter than before. Of course, even a small pouch of gold coins was similar to how much some commoners make in a year or two of hard work.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s fine to give her that much?¡±


    ¡°Oh- that¡¯s a surprise- for you to be against something like this?¡±


    ¡°No- it¡¯s not that-... why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to put faith in someone based simply on their kindness or altruism. As idealistic as that is, it¡¯s also a weak chain. However, it¡¯s much easier to put faith in someone when you know that they benefit from you more than anyone else. A mutually beneficial cooperation. The strongest kind of trust.¡±


    Cyrille chuckled. ¡°You try to sound cool and all- but I know you didn¡¯t need to give her that much. But you did.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t particularly need to-¡±


    ¡°Your soft spot is showing. Really¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡± Arke responded with bashful silence-


    ¡°But still-... you bribed her, didn¡¯t you?¡±