On the morning of September 25, at 7:20 (they had originally planned to leave at midnight, but had now changed it to 8:00), all things gradually stirred back to life in the morning light.
The room was quiet. Before long, the tall, straight-backed Gelman walked over to a wide full-length mirror and lowered his head to examine his new outfit—the Tomb Raider Hunter Black Clothes.
Several days ago, Ging had asked a skilled tailor to hurry up and make the outfit. Gelman had tried it on and found it fit well, so he had left it in his wardrobe until this morning, when he took it out and put it on.
He removed the hood, revealing his disheveled, ink-black short hair and dark eyes. Clad entirely in black, he seemed to embody darkness itself.
Being an assassin had indeed been a good choice before. It had let him blend into the shadows more easily, which in turn helped him complete his missions and meet his objectives.
Once Gelman felt everything was ready, he turned and opened the door. The gray haze of early morning still lingered outside, the dim light enveloping him as he stepped out.
He switched off the room light, walked through the long hallway where the candle flames flickered, then followed the spiral stone staircase downstairs.
Before long, he reached the dungeon hall deep within Rimuru Castle. Light poured through the doorway, along with the noisy chatter of a crowd.
It seemed everyone but him had already arrived.
When he entered the hall, the atmosphere, which had been like a debate, paused for a moment. As soon as everyone realized it was him, the lively discussion resumed.
They were only arguing, though, and remained fairly restrained. None of them seemed angry with one another.
"Gelman." The petite