A knight was rushing inside the stone brick hallways of the Garrison and stopped in front of a door. He knocked three times.

"Lord Knight. May I come in?"

The knight waited for a response.

The burly man standing by the window of the room and gazing outside turned around to address the question.

"Please, go ahead."

The knight entered the room.

"Lord Knight Greyve, we have received a letter from one of our knights currently in Dosael. The seal comes with the notice of urgency."

The knight handed the letter to Greyve.

Greyve opened the letter and read the contents. A shocked expression spread across his face. He then rushed outside of the room.

---

The Lord Knight hurriedly went to the castle and requested an audience with the king. Due to his standing, he was granted his request immediately. He was then led to the throne room where the king was seated and alone at the moment. He knelt down once he was in the presence of the king.

"Ah, Greyve. I was informed that this is of urgent matter. Tell me, what brings you here?"

The king shifted in his seat leaned forward toward the lord knight.

"Your Highness, I have received a report from one of our knights who we have dispatched recently to eradicate monsters all around Chrona."

He kept his head bowed down.

"He stated that he and his party had encountered a monster that can use… magic."

"Oh."

The king's expression changed for a split second.

"I believe we should inform the other knights and Job Class Organizations immediately—"

"Greyve."

The king stood up from his throne.

"I understand your concern, but we must refrain from being hasty in our actions."

He walked toward Greyve and stood in front of him. The lord knight was still kneeling and bowing down.

"I, on the other hand, believe that we must keep this information among the two of us, for the moment. We do not want to cause undue panic among our knights and citizens. A monster, using magic? That is unheard of in our history."

He looked down toward Greyve.

"We must wait for other reports of such sightings. So as to make sure that this wasn't a mistake."

The king's tone has changed to a slightly threatening one.

"Do I have your agreement on this issue, Greyve?"

"Of course, Your Highness."

"I am pleased to hear that."

His tone returned to his usual regal approach.

"You may now return to your important duties."

He went back to his throne and sat down.

"As you wish."

Greyve stood up and turned around to exit the throne room. He walked away and was already near the door.

"One last thing."

The king raised his voice so Greyve could hear.

"What is the name of this brave knight who reported this incident to you?"

The king rested his head on his closed fist. Greyve hesitated for a moment, but looked back at the king and answered.

"His name is Jaegar."

"I see. Thank you. You may now leave."

The king had a very feint smile on his face, a smile that no one would notice unless they would look very closely at him.

Greyve bowed once again and left the throne room. He still had the letter in his hand, only now it had been crumpled. He stopped walking in front of a window of the castle hallway.

"Be careful out there, Jaegar. I don't think monsters are the only things you need to worry about."

---

Jaegar and the others parted ways with Syrenne once they reached Dosael. The party then undertook more monster hunting requests. This time, it was not due to the lack of money, but to contribute to Jaegar's mission of eradicating monsters. And also to buy the bow Kryllo was pestering Brittanya about.

It took them a few more days of staying in Dosael. Once the monsters around the city diminished in numbers, the party thought it might be time to move to another location.

They ate lunch inside the tavern where the requests were posted. They also discussed their plans for the future while sitting around a circular table with their meals in front of them.

"So, where should we go next? Any ideas?"

Jaegar looked at Brittanya and Kryllo as he ate a large piece of meat.

"My… bow…"

Kryllo furrowed his brows at Brittanya.

"Yeah, I know. I haven't forgotten. You've been reminding me for the past few days already."

She squinted back at Kryllo.

"Sheesh… Why are you so hung up with a bow when you don't know how to use it properly?"

Jaegar's eyebrow was raised when he stared at Kryllo.

"My pride… as a member… of the… Archer's Den…"

Kryllo slightly smirked as he closed his eyes.

"You got accepted because they didn't want you to waste their time anymore!"

Jaegar got up from his chair as he pointed at Kryllo.

"Now, now. We'll buy the bow later. We have the money, anyway. Stop arguing already."

Brittanya shook her head as she took a bite of the meat that she had in her plate using a fork.

"Stop treating him like a kid."

Jaegar looked at Brittanya.

"Sure, sure. And what do you want to buy? We have money to spare, so tell me if you want sweets or something."

Brittanya nodded as she chewed her food with her eyes closed.

"Don't treat me like a kid!"

Jaegar now glared at her.

---

After eating, the trio went to the shopping district where all sorts of weapons were sold. The most prominent one being bows and arrows, since it was the city where the Archer's Den Headquarters was located.

They looked around and searched for a sturdier bow than the one they bought when they first arrived in Dosael. There were a lot of people walking about. After looking at several stalls, the bow they eventually bought was made of wood that was reinforced with a metal frame.

Despite finally getting his bow, Kryllo was neither visibly happy nor contented. He was still his usual expressionless self. Due to this, Jaegar had to voice his inner thoughts.

"What's with the unsatisfied look? Don't tell me we really wasted all those silver coins?"

Jaegar looked at Kryllo while the three of them were walking away from the stall they bought the bow from.

"I'm happy…"

Kryllo stared blankly ahead of him.

"I can't wait to see when you're excited or something."

Jaegar shook his head.

"Hey, guys. Isn't that Syrenne?"

Brittanya pointed in front of her. Syrenne was talking to the owner of another stall. She was standing in front of a stall that seemed to sell various potions and mixtures that were placed inside glass and other containers. The three of them walked toward her.

"Syrenne! How have you been?"

Brittanya shouted and waved her hand up in the air. When Syrenne heard this, she turned her head and looked at the party and faced toward them.

"Oh, everyone. It's nice to see you again. I'm just doing a delivery for my parents. They just got back a couple of days ago."

Syrenne smiled at everyone.

"Your parents are back? That's good to hear."

Brittanya smiled back.

"Yes. And since they are back… I'm actually planning to head to Siyetekos to apply for a membership under the Merchant Union…"

Syrenne lowered her head as she slightly blushed.

"Really? That's great! I'm sure you'll be able to join them!"

Brittanya grabbed Syrenne's hands as she continued to smile.

"Thanks… I'm really not that confident… But hearing those words from you gave me some courage."

Syrenne raised her head and smiled as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Siyetekos, huh…? Do you mind if we tag along?"

Jaegar placed his hands on his waist and looked at Syrenne.

"Of course not. I'd be happy to go on another adventure with you guys."

Syrenne looked at Jaegar and smiled at him.

"Look… I have… a new bow…"

Kryllo then took the bow from his back and showed it to Syrenne.

"Oh, I'm happy for you, Kryllo…"

Syrenne was taken aback but then laughed lightly.

"Me, too…"

Kryllo stared directly into Syrenne's eyes. His expression was still blank.

"You could have fooled me."

Jaegar made a side glance at Kryllo.

---

The following day, they went on their way to Siyetekos. It was a few days walk to the north of Dosael to reach the city that had the Merchant Union Headquarters. Siyetekos was a port city with different boats and ships coming from other cities and towns.

"So, how were you planning to go to Siyetekos originally?"

Jaegar looked at Syrenne, who was walking beside him.

"I asked to join a band of merchants who were also going to Siyetekos. They had a wagon prepared with their goods inside. I was just going to sit inside the wagon together with their products."

She smiled at Jaegar.

"Uh, wouldn't that have been much easier than walking with us? You should have told us."

Brittanya turned toward Syrenne with her brows furrowed.

"Well, I guess so. But when Jaegar asked if you guys can join me, I couldn't turn him down."

Syrenne then faced toward Brittanya and smiled at her.

"Hey! Apologize to Syrenne!"

Brittanya glared and pointed at Jaegar.

"Huh?! Why do I have to apologize?!"

Jaegar glared back at Brittanya.

"No, please don't fight. There's nothing to apologize for. I wanted to go with you guys. I was actually really glad that Jaegar asked me that…"

Syrenne stared at the ground with a smile on her face.

"You're just too kind to make him apologize. Don't worry, I'll make him grovel for your forgiveness later."

Brittanya grabbed Syrenne's shoulder.

"Hey, you! I heard that!"

Jaegar glanced at Brittanya with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Guys… Look…"

Kryllo pointed toward ahead of them. There was a travel wagon with cloth as covering that was stationary in front of them. The wagon's horse was facing the same direction as the party.

There were some people surrounding the wagon. They were all wearing different armor. One of them had a knife in hand.

Then, someone from inside the wagon peered out of the cloth.

"Please reconsider. Maybe we can talk about another arrangement that would fit your demands…?"

The guy who talked to the men surrounding the wagon had short golden hair.

"It's that thief. Wait, scratch that. The scammer."

Jaegar squinted to take a better look.