In a daze, he blinked, and the wine cup was already almost pressed against his nose. Some wine had spilled out, though fortunately not much. He stared blankly for a long while before coming to his senses and realizing what had happened.
He set the cup down, glanced around, then sprang up and ran to the bedroom in his quarters.
The bedroom's stone door opened at his will. Inside, it was utterly empty, without a trace of anyone's presence but his own. He stood there silently for a while.
What was this supposed to mean?
That uninvited distinguished guest had actually come back specifically to reward him?
And what was the reward for? Surely it couldn't be to make up for the reward he had missed earlier. That had merely been an offhand joke while he was eating his steak.
That great figure, his teacher's teacher, was hardly an accommodating man who treated his disciples gently. Anything he gave had to have a reason behind it.
He lingered for a moment, then turned and returned to the dining table, looking at the Identity Badge lying on it.
For others, this thing merely represented their identity as members of the Demon Hunter Wizards. But he shared an additional connection with his own Identity Badge, one slightly closer than the bond between an ordinary wizard and their badge.
The image of that figure whose face he could not make out, who brought an endless sense of oppression, raising a hand and pointing appeared in his mind once more.
He reached out and picked up the Identity Badge.
He had received two small gifts before, but he had never actually seen the man leave one behind. This time, he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
His eyebrows rose slightly. The Identity Badge