"Watch your step."
"Man, it's really cold today."
…
After resting for a night and getting their energy back, the group headed out into the streets.
Autumn had quietly deepened into late fall. The bleak wind cut across their flushed cheeks like little knives, making them shiver.
Gauss strode down the street.
As he walked, he took in the sights of the city.
"Sir, would you like some mandarins? They're really sweet."
"Then I'll take a whole basket."
Gauss glanced at them, asked the price, and once he confirmed it was fair, bought the entire basket on the spot.
Mandarins were a pretty good fruit.
They were juicy, replenished the trace elements the body needed, and stored well.
After casually asking the vendor—who was grinning ear to ear at getting to go home early—where exactly the Adventurers' Guild was, Gauss and the others continued on.
After a while,
they entered a stone building.
The temperature inside was clearly much warmer than outside.
A massive fireplace along the side of the hall crackled as firewood burned.
The Adventurers' Guild hall was a chaotic mix of adventurers from all races.
Besides the most common humans, there were also plenty of dwarves, halflings, half-orcs, gnomes, and tieflings. Gauss even spotted a half-dragon.
Big-city diversity really was different from the usual small towns.
Gauss's arrival drew more than a few looks.
"Hello, sir."
"How can we help you today?"
"I'd like to ask about the Golden Eagle family's local office."
At his question, the clerk sized him up from head to toe before giving him the address.
Before leaving, Gauss also requested a stack of housing listings.
York and Abby planned to settle down in Longflute City.
As for the money, Gauss wasn't worried.
After Gauss hinted at it, the village chief of Herb Village and the other villagers—out of guilt—had pooled together twenty gold coins for York before he left, with the chief and a few elders contributing the bulk of it.
That amount was astonishing for an ordinary rural village, but Herb Village was wealthy to begin with. And since the chief had long been in contact with the witch Megan, the scraps that fell through her fingers had added up into a sizable stash—so raising the funds wasn't difficult.
Of course, twenty gold coins was only barely enough when it came to buying property in Longflute City.
Considering they also needed money left over for living expenses, their choices were limited to more affordable neighborhoods.
Gauss skimmed the listings. York and Abby would have no trouble settling somewhere in a normal residential district—though they'd need to check the neighbors and local environment first. That part would have to be York's job.
After all, the party would only stay in Longflute for a while. After that, York and Abby would have to build their life in the city on their own.
"Shall we head to the Golden Eagle family's city office first?"
Gauss's gaze went to a distant tower—one of their objectives was there.
He swung up onto his mount and blended into the flow of traffic.
The tower looked close, but it still took some time to reach.
The nearer they got to the city center, the fewer carriages rolled by, and the fewer pedestrians lined the road.
"Stop!"
Gauss reined in beneath a magnificent white tower.
A guard in bright silver armor swept his eyes over the group's gear, then spoke in a calm, clear voice—still fairly polite.
"Sir, this tower houses government offices. It is not a place for sightseeing. Without official business or an appointment, please turn back."
Gauss produced the credential Leman had provided, stamped with the Golden Eagle family seal.
"We need to enter the Golden Eagle family's office here. Will this document serve as proof?"
The guard did a quick check, then sent another guard inside to report.
Not long after,
a blond man stepped out of the tower.
"You must be Mr. Gauss."
"Advisor Leman already sent word by messenger raven about your situation."
"Yes, I'm Gauss."
"Please, come in."
Gauss followed the blond man inside.
The instant he passed through the entrance, he felt a strange energy sweep over his entire body.
In the first-floor entrance hall, arrays carved into the walls lit up all at once.
Gauss felt as if countless invisible eyes had locked onto him.
"A distinguished guest has arrived—let all arrays… stand down."
As the blond man recited in an even tone, the invisible pressure in the air loosened at once.
The magic runes dimmed and withdrew.
"Please don't be alarmed. This tower houses the offices of many important institutions and guilds. Security must come first. Follow me."
"Ah—allow me to introduce myself. I am Adrian, reception steward for this office."
Gauss stepped onto a central platform that resembled an elevator. When Adrian pressed a control, the circular platform rose swiftly.
It climbed for quite a while before slowly stopping.
"We've arrived."
As Gauss stepped out, a gold-and-jewel-bright hall greeted him.
Golden Eagle banners and crests hung everywhere.
Most of the people moving about wore combat cloaks—clearly operational staff—while clerks were a minority.
Adrian led Gauss into an office to finalize the job details.
After verifying the credential Gauss provided,
Adrian promptly had someone retrieve the remaining 400 gold coins from storage.
"As for the Demonic Wasted Wolf you mentioned…" Adrian lifted his head from the dossier, slid over a few yellowed parchment pages and a roughly sketched diagram, and his expression turned a touch more serious.
"It is indeed not a creature of this world, but a demon from the Abyss—also called an Undying Wolf. Its combat power is formidable, though it is greatly weakened on the surface."
"In battle, it can draw a small amount of life force from its surroundings, forming a brief, localized 'Wasteland Domain.'"
"Thank you for eliminating it."
At that, a trace of surprise flickered in Adrian's eyes.
Even with this team's solid composition, taking down a Demonic Wasted Wolf still sounded unbelievable to him.
Because it involved personal matters, he didn't ask for details—though he was clearly curious.
Frankly, he even felt that assigning this mission to a Level 5 Adventurer like Gauss had been overly bold.
But if Advisor Leman had done it, there must have been a reason.
"Just doing my job."
After a few polite exchanges, the staff efficiently delivered the remaining 400 gold coins.
While Alia counted the coins, the staff member murmured something quietly to Adrian.
"The amount is correct—400 gold."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Steward Adrian. We'll take our leave and won't keep you from your work."
"Mr. Gauss, please wait."
"Hm?"
Gauss sat back down, looking at Adrian with curiosity.
"A certain noble wishes to meet you."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
Gauss raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with his teammates.
They'd only just arrived—who in Longflute City would seek him out, besides the Golden Eagle family?
And from Adrian's tone, the person's status didn't sound simple.
"Well…" Gauss looked politely troubled. "May I ask who it is?"
"It is Sir Playaos, a close aide to the Lord Governor of Longflute City, Noah Shade," Adrian replied without hesitation.
Clearly, he'd been permitted to say so.
Playaos. Lord Governor. Noah Shade…
Gauss quickly rolled the names around in his mind.
This invitation wasn't minor. A governor usually had ties to the strongest local power, often the noble house itself.
And the names were telling: Shade was a surname often found among noble illegitimate lines. Playaos was distinctly tiefling—derived from Infernal—something ordinary people wouldn't choose.
Since they'd be staying in Longflute for a while anyway, and the invitation came from someone connected to the governor, Gauss couldn't refuse outright.
Besides, he was curious what this was about.
"Then… I can make time. Where should I go?"
"No need. Sir Playaos will arrive shortly."
"Please wait in the VIP room."
Even better—no running around.
Gauss and his teammates entered a lavishly decorated room. Soon, attendants brought over expensive-looking pastries and tea.
Alia cradled a golden teacup and studied it.
Gold and gemstones made it dazzlingly ornate, screaming wealth.
She took a sip.
"Mmm!"
"Great tea! Great tea!"
Gauss glanced at her, then looked away.
He took a sip too.
It was good—definitely different from the tea they usually drank—but asking him to describe it precisely would be a tall order.
They waited a while with tea and sweets.
"Click—"
The doorknob turned.
A man in formal blue-and-white armor stepped in.
"As I thought…"
A flicker of understanding crossed Gauss's eyes.
The newcomer had a pair of large, backward-curving silver ram horns—clear tiefling features.
But unlike most tieflings, his skin was almost indistinguishable from a human's.
If not for the horns and the thin demon tail swaying behind him, you might not notice his heritage at all.
And—
Gauss caught something deeply incongruous:
The man looked like… a holy knight?
A tiefling paladin?
Not exactly a common combination.
That contradiction gave him a peculiar aura—both righteous and faintly ominous.
"Sir Playaos, we'll take our leave."
"Thank you, gentlemen."
The staff withdrew and closed the door, giving both sides privacy.
"It is an honor to meet you, Sir Gauss."
"I am Playaos, serving the great Governor Noah."
Playaos stepped forward and shook Gauss's hand.
"You've heard of me?" Gauss asked politely.
He could feel a long-unfamiliar pressure from Playaos—strong, heavy, restrained.
The man's strength was terrifying.
"I've heard a little…" Playaos nodded kindly.
"The one who mentioned you was Advisor Leman. He praised you as a once-in-a-century talent—the nightmare and bane of monsters."
Leman again?
Gauss grumbled inwardly, but his expression stayed calm.
"My lord governor should have greeted you personally. Unfortunately, he's entangled in urgent matters at the moment, so he asked me to convey his regards."
"Please return my regards to Governor Noah as well."
After brief introductions and pleasantries,
Playaos continued.
"May I ask how you view tieflings? And what relationship do tieflings and humans have, in your eyes?"
The question caught Gauss off guard. He didn't know why this came up, but it wasn't hard to answer.
"Since tieflings are born of human blood, they should be considered part of humanity."
"No one chooses their birth."
That was simply his honest belief—not something he said just because Playaos was tiefling.
In truth, tiefling blood had already become part of the wider human lineage, like a recessive trait. Even two ordinary human parents could produce a tiefling child.
In other words, if Gauss ever had children, the chance wasn't zero for him either.
"Governor Noah thinks the same," Playaos said. "He has implemented policies meant to ease tensions between tieflings and other citizens."
"That is why the tiefling population in the city has quietly grown in recent years."
Gauss listened patiently.
He knew Playaos wasn't discussing this without reason.
"However, even if this infernal blood doesn't affect our minds, it is still, by nature, evil-tainted blood."
"Recently, there have been repeated cases of tiefling orphans going missing in the city. I fear there is a hidden plot behind it."
Playaos's voice remained steady, but a cold glint flashed in his red eyes.
"Governor Noah knows you are exceptionally capable with investigations and commissions, Sir Gauss—so he wishes to hire you at great expense to look into this."
Gauss fell silent for a moment.
The request was clear: test his stance on tieflings, then ask him to investigate missing tiefling children.
But there were obvious questions.
He looked at Playaos.
"Please forgive me for speaking plainly. Sir Playaos, with your strength, wouldn't you be the best person to investigate this? Even if you're busy, surely Longflute City can find more suitable adventurers than a newcomer like me."
Playaos's power was no joke.
Gauss was top-tier in a small town, sure—but this was a city. Stronger adventurers shouldn't be rare.
And more than that—why involve outsiders at all when someone like Playaos existed?
"I cannot investigate personally," Playaos said, his expression turning bitter.
"Because of my tiefling identity, the city's powerful figures do not trust me with this matter."
"And the city's capable adventurers are not interested in taking it."
"…Not interested?" Gauss blinked.
Even as an outsider, he could hear the problem.
A governor's well-paid commission should attract talent. Why wouldn't city adventurers want it?
"They don't want to step into this swamp," Playaos sighed. "The situation is… complicated."
"In short, someone is trying to obstruct Governor Noah's policies."
Playaos leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"They wish to stoke fear and hatred toward tieflings… and use this incident to paint Noah as 'weak' and 'soft on outsiders.'"
"I see."
Gauss understood.
"So you want me to investigate because you can't—and locals won't."
"Yes."
Playaos looked at him directly.
Gauss exchanged glances with his teammates, then said carefully,
"This is a serious matter. Please allow me time to consider before I answer."
Playaos looked disappointed, but he quickly recovered.
"Of course. Of course."
"If you decide, please contact me through the Golden Eagle family."
Playaos rose.
"Then I will take my leave."
He bowed, then left.
When he was gone, Alia let out a long breath.
"He seemed polite… but still—ugh."
Gauss's "I'll consider" was essentially a gentle refusal.
And Alia understood why.
They didn't need to get entangled in Longflute's political struggle.
They could sympathize with tiefling kids—but their own safety came first.
"Alia," Gauss said, turning to her, "are you ready to go into seclusion soon?"
"Yes. I've already delayed for days."
Alia nodded. She'd felt the breakthrough coming, but hadn't found a stable chance on the road.
Now that they were in Longflute, she didn't need to hold it back.
"Alright. Go ahead and retreat when you're ready. We'll wait for you here."
Alia gave an OK sign.
They left the VIP room and returned to the street.
Alia separated from the group to find a place for her seclusion.
Gauss and the rest headed back toward the inn. York and Abby still had to look at housing.
As they neared the inn, Gauss dismounted in a side alley and led the mount forward.
…
Deep in the alley.
"Poor child—starving, aren't you?"
"Auntie's got bread here. Soft white bread, fresh and sweet. Want some?"
A plump woman crouched, offering a palm-sized bun from her basket to a tiefling child slumped against the wall.
The boy's lips were pale with hunger.
He stared warily at the bread in her hand for a long moment.
"Guh—"
But he was too hungry.
So hungry his brain started giving up thinking, all his attention swallowed by the bread growing larger in his view.
It looked so fluffy, dotted with dried fruit, giving off a faint sweet smell.
And there was steam—like it had just come out of the oven.
"Gulp…"
He swallowed hard.
How could something that smelled so good possibly be dangerous?
"Th… thank you, ma'am."
He lifted his dark red hand to take it.
Then—
Snap.
A pale hand clamped down on the woman's wrist, locking it in place.
"Wait."