"Well... that was intense," Adams said with an amused grin.
Griffin let out a breath before standing from his chair.
"Well, no point wastin' more of yer time. Ya already know the basics now. If yer serious about creating a Party, then yer next goal should be finding a fourth member."
He stretched his arms slightly before continuing.
"Oh, and there's one more thing I wanna discuss with ya. But before that..."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Go meet Veronica for yer check-up before she kills me instead."
Boros grunted in annoyance as memories of the doctor resurfaced in his mind.
No fighting for three months.
Just remembering those words irritated him.
Akeno and Kinuko left the office first. Boros followed behind them, but just as he reached for the door-
"Wait."
Adams' voice stopped him.
Boros paused without turning around.
"Did you really kill Derrick's friends?" Adams asked quietly.
"Yeah," Boros answered bluntly.
He didn't even bother looking back.
"And I'm assuming they were members of the Draken Claw Guild?" Adams continued.
"Yes."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then Griffin suddenly let out a low chuckle.
"Ya damn brat..." he muttered while shaking his head. "Do ya even realize this could start a war?"
Only then did Boros slowly turn around.
His cold eyes met theirs.
"If anyone from their Guild comes looking for revenge..."
He grabbed the doorknob.
"Send them to me."
The atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavier.
"I'll fight them."
Then his expression darkened further.
"And if necessary..."
"I'll kill them too."
Without another word, Boros opened the door and walked out.
.......
The two girls stepped out of the room, with Boros following behind them a few moments later.
Suddenly, Akeno grabbed Kinuko's hand.
"Shiro did something to Derrick... didn't he?" she asked quietly.
Kinuko's body stiffened.
The promise she made to Boros immediately resurfaced in her mind.
Trying to steer the conversation away, she quickly replied, "Do you seriously still pity Derrick after everything that happened in there? He literally threatened to kill Shiro!"
"Pity?" Akeno frowned. "Didn't you see me trying to attack him before Shiro stopped me?"
She took a small breath before continuing.
"That's not why I'm asking."
Her expression softened slightly.
"Last night, after showing Derrick to his room, I came back because I wanted to enter the room."
She looked directly into Kinuko's eyes.
"But before I walked in... I saw you and Shiro standing together on the balcony."
A brief pause followed.
"And I'm pretty sure you two were talking about Derrick."
Akeno slowly grabbed both of Kinuko's hands.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
"I need you to tell me, Kinuko."
Kinuko lowered her gaze toward the floor.
"That's the problem... Akeno."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"I-I can't tell you."
Akeno blinked.
"What? Why not?"
"Because..." Kinuko hesitated. "I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone."
"Even me?" Akeno asked quietly.
"I'm sorry..." Kinuko muttered guiltily.
Akeno stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly sighing.
"It's fine."
Then she puffed her cheeks slightly.
"Derrick's already gone anyway, so it should be okay."
A small smile appeared on her face as she suddenly grabbed Kinuko's cheeks and stretched them outward.
"Besides, keeping promises is important."
"Akehho!!" Kinuko mumbled through her squished cheeks.
At that moment, Boros finally stepped out of the office.
"We're heading back to the main building, right?" he asked while casually walking past them.
"Yes," Kinuko replied after freeing her cheeks. "That's where the doctor's office is."
The two girls quickly followed behind him.
After a short walk, the three of them entered the main building.
On the way there, they had already agreed that Akeno and Kinuko would remain at the reception area while Boros went to see the doctor alone.
After all, he was the only one who actually needed the check-up.
The moment they stepped inside, the stares returned immediately.
If anything, they were even worse than before.
At this point, the Adventurers around them weren't even trying to hide the fact that they were staring anymore.
Boros ignored them completely and split off from the girls, heading toward the back of the building where the medical offices were located.
Once he arrived at one of the doors, he pushed it open.
"I'm here for th-"
"Didn't anyone teach you how to knock?" Veronica interrupted while adjusting her glasses.
"I didn't realize I had to," Boros replied flatly as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
"It's not a huge deal," she sighed. "Come sit over here."
She pulled a stool closer to the chair she was seated on.
Boros walked over and sat down.
"I'm Veronica. Veronica Sanders."
She extended her hand toward him, and after a short pause, Boros shook it.
"What's your name?" she asked.
Boros simply stared at her silently.
Several awkward seconds passed.
Eventually, Veronica realized he had absolutely no intention of answering.
"You know, it's considered rude not to give your name after someone gives you theirs."
"Well," Boros replied calmly, "I don't remember asking for your name."
"...Fair enough," Veronica admitted with a tired sigh.
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
"I'm the Head Doctor of the White Tigers Guild. Honestly, I should barely even be working anymore, but apparently it's my responsibility to personally handle the injuries of high-ranked Adventurers."
She stood up while stretching her back.
"At this point, I can't tell if Griffin genuinely trusts my abilities..."
"Or if he just enjoys slave-driving people."
"So the other doctors handle the lower-ranked Adventurers?" Boros asked.
"Yes," Veronica answered immediately.
Then she muttered under her breath, "And frankly, I'd rather be treating them instead."
"Why?" Boros asked.
Veronica adjusted her glasses again.
"Because lower-ranked Adventurers usually understand when something is beyond their abilities."
"They know when to retreat."
Her expression visibly darkened.
"High-ranked Adventurers, on the other hand..."
"They throw themselves into life-threatening battles just to satisfy their ridiculous egos."
A vein twitched slightly on her forehead.
"It's unbelievably irritating."
Suddenly-
A young man stepped directly in front of Boros with the excited expression of a child opening presents on their birthday.
"Hello, Mr. Apex-Rank Sir!"
He enthusiastically stuck out his hand.
Boros stared at him for a moment before shaking it.
"I'm Caleb Toman, Miss Veronica's-"
"Doctor," Veronica corrected immediately.
"R-Right. Doctor Veronica's assistant," Toman corrected nervously.
Then he smiled again.
"And don't worry too much about not sharing your name. In this line of work, you're definitely not the only Adventurer hiding their real identity."
"Really?" Boros asked.
Truthfully, he had started assuming people would eventually see him as some strange guy refusing to tell anyone his name for no reason.
Hearing that it was somewhat normal was unexpectedly reassuring.
"Yeah," Toman nodded enthusiastically. "Most famous Adventurers are known more by their titles than their actual names."
"Titles?" Boros repeated.
"You could call them that," Veronica replied. "Every Adventurer who reaches a certain level of fame eventually earns one."
Boros' eyes narrowed slightly.
"So Griffin has one too?"
"Yes," Veronica answered.
Boros leaned forward slightly.
"What is it?"
Toman grinned widely.
"The Gunslinger."