Gran Faro, evening.
See you tomorrow, Mr. Vane!
See you tomorrow~
Waving to a little fish that probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, Vane turned and walked towards the building in front of him.
Inquisition Division.
"I'm back~"
"Hello!" x2
The guards on either side of the entrance stood at attention and saluted. Vane raised an eyebrow, probably guessing that Dario had given prior notice.
He whistled and swaggered inside.
The guard breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his alert stance.
At the same time, Vane stopped and walked back.
"Hello!" x2
The guards stood at attention again, and Vane turned and walked inside.
The guards relaxed their guard, Vane retreated.
"..."
The two guards' faces darkened as they watched the figure moving in and out in front of them.
"What are you doing?"
A questioning voice came from above, Vane stopped and greeted Skadi on the steps.
"Good evening, Skadi, what do you want to eat?"
"Skadi?"
Skadi tilted her head, somewhat puzzled by the form of address.
However, her attention was quickly drawn back, and she raised the large bowl in her hand, saying seriously:
Pork chop rice.
"You actually did it."
Vane's eyes lit up, and he leaped up the steps in a few strides, peering over to take a closer look.
"What? It's fish fillets..."
He reached out his hand, but the bowl suddenly moved away from him.
Skadi stretched out her arm, raising the bowl high, and looked at Vane.
"Mine."
"Hey~ don't be so stingy~"
Vane persisted, reaching out again.
Given the height difference between the two, Vane could reach out with just his arm.
Skadi's response to this was--
Using her core muscles, the girl's upper body bent backward with amazing flexibility, instantly transforming into a perfect "C"-shaped arch bridge!
"Great back!"
Vane gave the eye-catching scene a thumbs up, moved to the side, and jumped over the waist arch bridge.
Skadi:???
"If it's food, there should be plenty left in the kitchen."
A weary voice came from above, Vane waved to Dario on the windowsill.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Please come up... the room is ready."
With a few leaps, he landed by the window, bracing against the window Dario was about to close, Vane looked inside.
The room is furnished very simply, with only essential tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets; there are no personal items or decorations.
"This is your room? It's so deserted."
"Just a temporary office."
With a sigh, Dario opened the window.
Vane climbed inside and then noticed the small figure behind the pile of documents.
Good evening, little bird~
"... Good evening."
Irene responded weakly, without even lifting her head.
Vane squinted at Dario, Dario rubbed his temples and said helplessly:
"Please don't look at me like that. Paperwork is a necessary part of the process that every formal Inquisitor must go through and master; this is just normal training."
"Is this amount normal?"
"Originally, there wouldn't have been such a large backlog."
Dario's tone remained calm, but his gaze shifted to Vane.
"A large part of this is due to additional reports from a gentleman who wished to remain anonymous—"
Vane's expression immediately turned serious:
"Training is good! New Inquisitor need this kind of high-intensity training to hone their will!"
"Smack!"
A soft, crisp sound.
The two shifted their attention, Irene casually set aside the document that had been punctured by the pen.
Dario shook his head and changed the subject.
"How is the scenery in Gran Faro? Does it suit your senses?"
"Because of a certain little fish... it's not bad."
"Really? Then what's your assessment of Gran Faro?"
"Evaluation and scoring?"
Irene, buried in a pile of documents, suddenly looked up, her face blank.
"What rating?"
Vane looked at her with feigned surprise:
"Huh? Didn't you know? This city's rating system depends on my attitude towards it."
"How could I possibly know such a thing! You never mentioned it at all!" Irene exclaimed, her eyes wide.
"Of course I can't tell you in advance!"
Vane crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Revealing exam questions beforehand is blatant cheating! Absolutely forbidden!
Seeing his beloved disciple's face flush red after just a few words, Dario sighed and asked directly.
"So, what is the fraction?"
"You passed."
Dario's tense shoulders relaxed a little, Irene immediately remembered the farce that morning, and couldn't help but ask:
"So you deliberately didn't pay the full amount this morning?"
"Oh, right~"
"Why do we have to do it this way?!"
"Because I wanted to eat pork chop rice."
"Mr. Vane!"
"Alright, alright, if you keep going like this, you'll turn into an Angry Bird."
Vane smoothed the other person's hair and explained.
"It was just to test the public's level of trust in the Inquisition."
"Although everyone in town says they hate the Inquisition, they have a lot of confidence in your protections."
Upon hearing this, Irene's ear feathers jumped for joy.
"Of course! But... please don't use such a strange method."
What if I said the other person would be happy to accept?
"How could such a thing be..."
Clatter
A gold brick landed on the table. Irene stared at the other person, not with any desire for the money, but with curiosity about how it had appeared.
Where did you take it from?
Vane grinned, revealing his sharp teeth:
"Four-Dimensional Chrysanthemum"
Irene: "..."
A chill ran down her spine, and the girl, chair and all, swayed back a considerable distance.
Dario, expressionless, pushed the gold bar back with the document.
"No need, the Inquisition has already paid the relevant fees for you."
"Who said it was for you or for the Inquisition?" Vane rolled his eyes and sat down on the edge of the desk.
"This is 'Emotional Distress Compensation' for the breakfast shop owner; you can go ask him about it right now."
"If he cooperates with me in staging this again next time, we can get this afterwards. Let's see if he's happy about it."
Irene was silent for a few seconds, then sighed helplessly.
"Your way of solving problems is truly simple and unpretentious..."
She rubbed her temples, then her expression returned to calm.
"As expected, although you act unconventionally, you still have your own considerations and sense of proportion."
"Your face changes so quickly!"
Vane clicked his tongue slightly, Irene remained expressionless.
"After all... in every respect, your compensation will satisfy the other party, so I have no reason to restrict you any further."
Irene nodded, convinced herself, then, remembering something, asked curiously.
"And what were your considerations regarding that guard?"
"Ah, that was just for fun."
Irene: "..."
Seeing that his bird was engrossed in its work and ignoring him, Vane shrugged and turned to Dario to ask where he could buy a model ship.
"A ship model?"
Dario was taken aback, Vane added further.
"Hmm, a model of the Stultifera Navis's Ship."
"Unavailable."
Dario shook his head in denial and offered an explanation:
"People today can't remember what the Stultifera Navis looked like. It might have existed in the past, but by today's standards, it would be a priceless antique."
At this point, Dario paused, taken aback.
"You've been to that antique shop?"
"You knew about this too?"
Vane was puzzled. Was that shop famous? It was practically a ruin, completely dilapidated...
Seeing Vane's confusion, Dario explained:
"That's a shop supported by the Inquisition; most of the antiques inside are remnants of the Golden Age, symbols of history."
"Then why are they all broken?"
Vane, recalling the incomplete items in the shop, casually asked...
"..."
A silence fell over the room. Sensing the other person's avoidance, Vane wisely refrained from pressing the matter.
"Never mind, I didn't really want it that much anyway."
He waved his hand, his tone becoming relaxed again:
"I'm going to check if there's any leftover food in the cafeteria. Do you want to come?"
Having received negative answers from both of them, Vane stopped dwelling on it and got up to leave.
Snap--
The door closed behind him, Vane strolled down the corridor, clutching the back of his head.
If I can't buy a model... then I can just collect the real thing, right?
With this in mind, Vane's mood gradually improved.
Hearing faint exclamations of "amazing appetite" coming from downstairs, he quickened his pace.
If we wait any longer, the soup won't even be hot enough to drink.
Tick-tock... tick-tock...
A soft sound reached his ears, Vane stopped in his tracks.
Looking out the window, as the first raindrop fell, Gran Faro was enveloped in rain and mist.
It's raining...
Outside the blurry glass, the town grew increasingly dark.
As the rain intensified, visibility was further obstructed.
Vane stared at his reflection in the window, his gaze meeting that of someone with a troubled expression.
"..."
Turning around, she quickened her pace again, a light humming echoing down the corridor.
Is it going to rain?
As Vera gazed at the increasingly gloomy sky over Kazdel, Vera spirits sank along with it.
They had been tracking their last target all day, but had found nothing but the carnage left behind.
"It seems so. Should we stop and rest?"
Hedley suggested in a deep voice, turning to look behind him.
Mercenaries are naturally used to long-distance raids, but...
"Feel sorry..."
A soft whisper reached her ears, and Liz lowered her head in shame.
The prolonged, bumpy ride was too much of a burden for this physically fragile young girl.
"... Let's take a break for now."
The order was given, and the mercenaries immediately sprang into action, while Vera looked at Ines.
"Can we hold on? I need your Originium Arts to track them down."
"Happy to serve."
Hedley pinched the person in the front seat's lower back, then reluctantly led Ines forward.
"Is the eldest sister going alone?"
Having understood Vera's meaning, the mercenaries immediately stirred.
Team invitations kept coming in, and Wei La, whose head was throbbing from the noise, rubbed her temples, but her helmet blocked the way.
Vera sighed, about to refuse.
"Boom!"
The tremor of the Daichi silenced the sound instantly, and everyone's eyes turned solemn.
Once again ready to go, Vera turned to Liz.
"Can we hold on a little longer?"
Please don't worry about me.
Liz looked back defiantly; the young girl refused to be a burden.
"Please rest assured, I will take good care of Liz."
Shining spoke and pulled Liz into her arms.
"Don't worry, the target has been spotted..."
Vera steered her mount in a different direction, and the Beast Herd charged forward once more.
"The battle will be over soon."
The Daichi groaned under the trampling, and the storm swept toward the epicenter.
"Boom--!"
The giant hammer slammed down, sending dirt and gravel flying, but it missed its target.
Looking at the horrific scene where he had stood, the headhunter who had dodged the attack clicked his tongue in slight astonishment.
"Tsk, with this kind of power... how come your 'candy' (mercenary slang for bounty) is so little?"
The mercenary, clad in a tall protective suit, spoke in a low voice to the enemy who had just nearly killed his comrade.
Why betray...?
"Betrayal?" the headhunter scoffed.
"Don't put it so harshly, it's just a temporary arrangement, it's not really a meal together, is it?"
While uttering provocative words, the headhunter was rapidly calculating in his mind.
The situation has been very tense lately, and many of my colleagues have mysteriously disappeared.
A brief investigation revealed that a mercenary group had suddenly appeared and was specifically hunting them down.
Originally intending to leave Kazdel to avoid the limelight, he inadvertently joined a team that was also planning to leave.
Unfortunately, when I saw those fresh heads swaying in front of me, my old habit kicked in and I couldn't resist...
"What a pity, Team Leader Mudrock..."
The headhunter licked his lips, his eyes filled with greed.
"I was so close to getting a special head."
"You... bastard!"
The serious injury to his companion and the opponent's flippant and cruel attitude fueled Mudrock's anger.
"You're really not like Sarkaz, team leader."
As the figure faded away, the Headhunter activated Originium Arts, silently approaching the Mudrock.
"He's just an insignificant mercenary. Was it really necessary for him to chase me all the way here?"
The sounds came from all directions. Mudrock gripped his sledgehammer tightly, wary of every inch of shadow.
"You know... you're all alone right now!"
The blade flashed from the shadows, and the hunter grinned as he thrust it into Mudrock's head.
Clang--
The hammer deflected the blade, and the headhunter immediately retreated, dodging the grabbing arm.
How did you find out?
Looking at the nicks in the weapon, Headhunter was puzzled.
"You absolutely cannot dodge at this distance."
Mudrock, naturally, had no intention of explaining himself to the other party. He raised his heavy hammer and charged towards them.
As the Children of Earth and Stone, the Daichi will tell her the location of the other.
However, her opponent moved too fast, and she could only sense them at the moment they made their move.
"How heartless you are, team leader."
The headhunter effortlessly dodged the seemingly clumsy but actually terrifying hammer blows while continuing to provoke him verbally.
"With such sensory abilities, why didn't you detect beforehand that I was about to harm your dear companion?"
"If that were the case... wouldn't he not have to lie there waiting to die?"
The Mudrock charge came to a halt.
"Fertile Soil, Bedrock..."
The warhammer slammed heavily onto the ground, its deep sound reverberating through the Daichi.
"... Stand up."