After a long hunt, Bilives and his friends finally returned to the Adventurer Guild.
They had successfully hunted three Marrowbane Wolves, powerful monsters known for their dangerous bone-piercing fangs.
The group carried the heavy meat and materials with them as proof of the hunt.
Inside the guild, the hall was lively with adventurers talking, drinking, and reporting missions.
Paul suddenly stopped walking.
His eyes landed on the receptionist desk.
Standing there was Aria.
Paul immediately became nervous.
He whispered to Bilives,
"Bilives… you go talk to her."
Bilives looked confused.
"Why me?"
Paul spoke quietly,
"You know why…"
Bilives sighed and walked to the counter.
The receptionist looked at them and smiled.
"Hey, come on. Don't worry."
Her voice was calm.
"I won't harm you. You're overthinking."
Bilives placed the Marrowbane Wolf meat on the counter.
"This is the proof of our hunt."
Aria inspected the materials carefully.
After checking the teeth, claws, and meat quality, she nodded.
"Good work."
"Wait here for about five minutes. I'll bring your reward."
Bilives nodded.
"Okay."
Aria disappeared into the back office.
The group waited silently.
Paul still looked nervous.
A few minutes later, Aria returned holding a small pouch of coins.
She placed it on the counter.
"Here are your rewards."
Bilives took the pouch.
"Thank you."
Aria then looked at Paul and smiled slightly.
"Oh… so after what happened a few days ago, you came all the way here just to learn my name?"
Paul froze.
Aria laughed softly.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you."
She placed her hand on the desk.
"My name is Aria Valereth."
Paul stared at her for a moment.
Her long hair, calm eyes, and gentle smile made her look incredibly beautiful.
Inside his mind, Paul thought:
If she didn't already have a boyfriend…
I would definitely propose to her.
But then he sighed internally.
Unfortunately… that's impossible now.
After several days of travel, Black ViSage arrived in a town very different from the others he had visited.
The town's name was Haoutaro.
Unlike the western-style cities nearby, Haoutaro was heavily influenced by eastern architecture. Wooden houses, curved rooftops, paper lanterns, and narrow streets filled with small shops gave the town a unique atmosphere.
Even the clothing of the people looked different.
Many wore traditional Japanese-style garments, and the culture of the town felt ancient and disciplined.
Black ViSage quietly observed the streets as he walked.
He eventually stopped in front of a small hotel.
He rented a room for three days.
His reason for coming here was simple.
He wanted to meet someone from his orphanage days.
An old classmate.
The Market
Later that afternoon, Black ViSage walked through the town market.
He entered a small shop that specialized in metallic materials and tools.
After examining several items, he purchased a few pieces of refined metal that could be useful later.
When he stepped outside the shop, he overheard several people talking nearby.
"Did you hear?"
"The Kuro Ninjas killed someone again."
Black ViSage slowed his steps slightly.
"The victim was the brother of a powerful landlord."
Another man whispered nervously,
"They say the landlord is furious."
Black ViSage thought quietly.
Kuro Ninjas…
Interesting.
He then wondered,
What is the name of that landlord?
Nightglass Covenant – Section 21
Black ViSage decided to investigate further.
He went to the Nightglass Covenant – Section 21 located in Haoutaro.
Inside the hall, many adventurers and mercenaries gathered around the mission board.
One particular mission attracted a lot of attention.
A man named Wataro Kazane had posted a job.
The mission was simple:
Kill the assassin who murdered Hazel Kuroiwa's brother.
Wataro Kazane stood beside the mission board while a receptionist helped him find suitable candidates.
Many adventurers stepped forward.
But the receptionist rejected them all.
Her voice was firm.
"I'm sorry, but you are not qualified."
Another group stepped forward.
She shook her head again.
"No. You are also not suitable."
Eventually, she spoke clearly so everyone could hear.
"This mission is extremely dangerous."
"Only Abyssal-class adventurers would be capable of completing it."
The crowd murmured.
The receptionist continued calmly.
"However, Abyssal-class adventurers are rare."
"They are powerful and often arrogant."
"They usually prefer exploring ruins or hunting powerful treasures."
"They rarely accept jobs like bodyguard missions or simple assassinations."
The hall fell silent.
Black ViSage watched everything quietly.
But he had no intention of accepting the mission.
The S Rooms
Instead, he walked deeper into the building.
Soon he reached a hallway with several doors.
Each door had a symbol:
S1… S2… S3…
These were the S Rooms.
S Rooms were special meeting rooms used by the Highers of the Nightglass Covenant.
Only Highers were allowed to enter.
Every Nightglass Covenant branch had ten S Rooms, reserved exclusively for high-ranking members.
Black ViSage stopped in front of S9.
Why was he here?
Because two Highers wanted to meet him.
Yxes Palamond and Shunsuke Kouzen.
At first, Black ViSage had rejected their request.
But when he heard they possessed information about a mysterious sage named Armond Xaiden, he changed his mind.
That name interested him.
Very much.
Black ViSage opened the door.
Then he froze.
Inside the room, Yxes Palamond and Shunsuke Kouzen were kissing each other.
For one second, nobody moved.
Then—
Black ViSage immediately closed the door again.
Without saying a word.
Inside the S9 room, Yxes Palamond suddenly pulled away and looked toward the door.
"Ooh… Fenhert saw us," she said with a slightly embarrassed tone.
Shunsuke Kouzen shrugged calmly.
"Don't worry. He won't tell anyone about us."
Yxes crossed her arms.
"And how can you be so sure about that?"
She looked at Shunsuke with narrowed eyes.
"Fenhert isn't your puppet that you can control whenever you want."
Shunsuke sighed.
"Yes, I know."
Suddenly a voice came from outside the door.
"If you two are finished with your business… may I enter the room now?"
It was Black ViSage.
Yxes quickly responded.
"Yes! Yes! Of course!"
"And… sorry about that."
The door slowly opened.
Black ViSage stepped inside, his expression completely calm.
"I never expected the two of you to be dating," he said.
Yxes immediately protested.
"Hey! We are not dating!"
Black ViSage looked at her silently.
"I'm not stupid. I understand what I saw."
Then his voice became colder.
"And stop calling me Fenhert."
Yxes raised her hands slightly.
"Okay, okay."
"So… Greygrious then?"
Black ViSage's eyes sharpened.
"My name is Black ViSage."
"Don't call my real name."
Yxes sighed dramatically.
"Alright, calm down."
Black ViSage crossed his arms.
"Now tell me why you called me here."
Shunsuke leaned forward.
"We have a few questions."
"Make it quick," Black ViSage replied. "Don't waste my time."
Shunsuke asked directly,
"Did you really kill that fairy?"
Black ViSage answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Then he asked calmly,
"But why are you asking me that?"
Shunsuke explained,
"Because someone else is claiming that he killed the fairy… and that Black ViSage is lying."
Black ViSage shrugged.
"I don't care about that person."
Shunsuke nodded thoughtfully.
"Then I'll order my team to capture him."
Black ViSage simply replied,
"That's your decision."
Shunsuke leaned back in his chair.
"By the way… Black ViSage."
"Do you want to visit the Temple of Sage Melidein Oradus with us?"
Black ViSage looked uninterested.
"No."
"I have no interest."
Shunsuke smiled.
"Some adventurers recently discovered the temple."
"They claim there are many valuable relics inside."
"And I believe they are telling the truth."
"We should explore it."
Black ViSage shook his head again.
"You two already own many valuable items."
"Why are you so excited?"
Shunsuke laughed.
"Because the reward isn't the important part."
"The important thing… is the adventure."
"And I want to go with you and Yxes."
Black ViSage responded immediately.
"No."
Then his tone became serious.
"Now tell me about Armond Xaiden."
Shunsuke nodded slowly.
"Ah… Armond."
"Recently something strange has been happening."
"Several people have been kidnapped."
"And none of them have ever returned."
Black ViSage listened quietly.
Shunsuke continued.
"An old man claimed something disturbing."
"He believes King Sage Armond is kidnapping people."
Black ViSage frowned slightly.
"For what reason?"
Shunsuke answered,
"To recreate his wife."
"Her name was Bennett."
For the first time, Black ViSage's calm expression changed.
Inside his mind, memories flashed.
My father's name was Armond…
My mother's name was Bennett…
But my father's surname wasn't Xaiden.
It was… Greygrious.
Black ViSage silently thought,
What is going on…?
Shunsuke noticed his reaction.
"Hey… what happened to you, Mr. Black ViSage?"
Black ViSage immediately recovered his composure.
"Nothing."
Shunsuke smiled slightly.
Then he used a clever tactic.
"Tell you what."
"If you join us on the expedition… I'll tell you everything I know."
Black ViSage sighed.
"Huh…"
After a moment, he replied,
"Fine."
"But I have one condition."
Shunsuke leaned forward.
"What is it?"
Black ViSage answered,
"You must not tell your team that I am your friend."
Shunsuke smiled.
"Deal."
Yxes suddenly jumped excitedly.
"Yes!"
"Black ViSage is finally joining us!"
Black ViSage turned toward the door.
"Then I'll leave now."
Yxes suddenly called out,
"Hey, Black ViSage!"
He stopped.
"Do you know what today is?"
Black ViSage answered calmly,
"Your birthday."
Yxes' eyes lit up.
"I'm glad you remembered."
"You promised in the past that you would always come to your friends' birthdays."
Black ViSage thought for a moment.
"Fine."
"I'll come."
Yxes smiled happily.
"Yes!"
Then Black ViSage added calmly,
"But I don't want to see any slaves there."
Yxes frowned.
"Hey… that's not fair."
"We all like slaves."
Black ViSage replied coldly,
"I don't."
He turned and walked toward the door.
Yxes sighed.
"Alright… I'll try."
"But no promises."
Without another word, Black ViSage left the room.