The Promise

Locking the door, Luther stepped down the stairs.

One house over, the door to 2 Daffodil Street was pushed open, and a young man with brown eyes, black hair, and a scholarly air stepped out. Seeing Luther, he revealed a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Luther."

"Morning, Klein."

This young man was his colleague, Klein Moretti, who had joined the company a few weeks before him.

This friendly colleague had given him advice when he learned he was in a rush to rent a place, recommending he move to Daffodil Street to be his neighbor. In particular, Klein's older brother, Benson, had handled much of the paperwork for him and even haggled with the landlord, forcing the rent down to 12 Sule per week. Luther was very grateful for this.

"Have you finished settling things at home?"

"Yes, I'm just about to head over to report to the captain," Luther said with a smile. "I still have to thank you for helping me rent the place; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to finish so quickly."

"You should thank Benson for that; he's the one who handled everything."

Klein said.

"The houses here on Daffodil Street are indeed quite nice. My sister really likes it. It's the first time she's had her own room, and she was so happy she couldn't even sleep."

"My sister is the same; she didn't want to leave the moment she saw the house."

The two guys with sisters bragged a bit to each other, both revealing knowing smiles. They chatted as they walked and boarded a public carriage. Along the way, women would occasionally cast glances at Luther. Luther acted as if he hadn't noticed, while Klein felt a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately, they soon arrived at Zolat Street, where they got off together and walked to the front of Blackthorn Security Company.

Come to think of it, the last time he came here was... ahem, it was at night.

Luther looked at the sign, thinking with a touch of sentiment, and followed Klein through the front door. He saw that the lobby, which had been destroyed beyond recognition, had been completely renovated. New furniture, new partitions, and even the floor was brand new; it was a pleasant sight.

The brown-haired girl he had met before, Roshan, was currently brewing coffee at the front desk. Hearing someone enter, she looked up. She recognized Klein and was about to greet him when she saw Luther behind him, and her eyes lit up.

"Good morning, Roshan."

"Morning, Klein. This is..."

She stared at Luther with great interest.

"Luther Rondal. We've met before."

Luther nodded slightly in greeting, his graceful demeanor making Roshan's eyes grow hazy.

"Hello, Luther. I'm Roshan... Ah? Luther Rondal!"

She answered subconsciously, then as if suddenly recalling something, she cried out, "You're, that person from that day..."

"It is me."

Luther said.

"Uh..."

Roshan hunched her shoulders. The smile on her face vanished quickly, replaced by a hint of fear and unease, as if she were recalling the events she had experienced.

"The captain, he's in his office. It's the first room on the right behind the partition. He told me that once you arrived, you should go straight to him."

She said cautiously.

"I understand. Thank you, Miss Roshan."

Luther didn't mind Roshan's change in attitude at all and thanked her casually before walking toward the partitions.

Roshan watched Luther walk behind the partition, then immediately leaned toward Klein and lowered her voice.

"Klein, Klein, is he really going to join the Night Watcher squad?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? Are you afraid of him?"

Klein couldn't help but want to laugh.

"To be honest, a little."

Roshan made a bitter face. "Just seeing Hainas that night was scary enough, and he even killed Hainas... God, I almost fainted when I saw that pool of flesh and blood on the floor. I had nightmares for several nights afterward..."

"It's fine, Luther is actually a pretty good person."

Klein had to comfort her. "And think about it, if he were really that dangerous, would the captain keep him?"

Under his explanation, Roshan's wariness eased somewhat.

"Knock, knock."

Luther stopped outside the office and tapped on the door with his fingers.

"Please come in."

Dunn's deep, gentle voice came from inside.

Pushing the door open and entering, he saw him sitting behind the desk, his gray eyes deep and calm. The black coat and hat he usually wore were hanging on the coat rack, and he was dressed only in a shirt and vest. Compared to their encounter two nights ago, the nightmare-like, deep, and terrifying feeling about him had faded significantly, making him seem much more human.

"Captain."

Luther greeted Dunn. Since he had already joined the squad, it was only natural for him to change his form of address.

"The telegram from the Cathedral has returned, and it's good news." He set down the document in his hand. "They have cautiously approved your application to join, but they require me to keep a close eye on you."

"That is indeed good news. I will cooperate."

Luther smiled.

Dunn gave a hum of acknowledgment, eyeing Luther closely, "You used to suffer from hallucinations constantly. Since that night, have you fallen into them again?"

"I haven't gone mad again."

A thought stirred in Luther's mind, and he feigned ignorance, "Captain, why is that?"

Of course, he knew the reason, but in this situation, playing dumb would make him appear less suspicious.

"I've given it some thought, and this might be the reason."

Dunn analyzed slowly, "Due to a stroke of luck, some people are born with certain Beyonder characteristics already within them, which is equivalent to solidifying half of a starting sequence—there is an orphan in Tingen City named Admisol who is like this; he is naturally suited for the Monster pathway."

"As for you, I suspect you might be a natural of the Black Knight pathway. That is why your spirituality was naturally high, making you susceptible to harm from an Evil God, which led to frequent hallucinations. The Aurora Society likely captured you for sacrifice for this very reason. Now that you have consumed the Black Knight Potion and successfully solidified the sequence, your previously unstable spirituality has been brought under control, so naturally, the hallucinations have ceased."

Dunn concluded.

Luther was momentarily stunned.

It sounded... actually quite logical?

If I didn't know that the Illusory Tide was the one at work, I might have actually believed him.

No, it would be better for me to pretend that I believe it!

"So that's how it is, Captain. What you said makes so much sense."

Luther said immediately, revealing a happy smile, "In that case, I don't have to worry about falling into hallucinations anymore. That's great!"

"This is only my speculation, for reference only."

Dunn nodded slightly.

With a swish, he pulled open his desk drawer and took out a document in duplicate, "This is the employment contract. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign it."

Luther took it and read through the terms and conditions carefully. The dense clauses regarding confidentiality and obligations made his head spin, even though he had been mentally prepared.

Forget it, the salary has already been advanced; it's too late to back out now.

He smiled in resignation, used the fountain pen on Dunn's desk to sign his name on both copies, and pressed his thumbprint.

Dunn took the contract from his hand, stamped it, put one copy away, and returned the other to Luther, "Very well, Mr. Luther Rondal. From this moment on, you have officially become a member of the Night Watchers."

"It is a great honor."

Luther smiled.

But Dunn did not smile; instead, he became even more serious.

"However, before that, there are a few important things I must inform you of in advance."

"Uh, please go ahead?"

"First, and most importantly: under no circumstances are you to seek advancement!"