“Oh! You’re finally here!” Noticing Valyr and Braum’s presence getting closer, Tryndall waved at the two of them, causing Valyr to wave back at him in response as the two slightly hastened their footsteps.

Arriving in front of the two, Valyr went ahead and greeted the companion that had accompanied Tryndall. Unsurprisingly, the one that accompanied Tryndall was Douglas, one of the five assassins that made up the reconnaissance group for the Clossbay Killer incident, as well as only one among the five to have interacted with Valyr during the past two operations.

“As this is our first time meeting each other, let me take initiative and introduce myself.” On the other hand, Tryndall moved closer to Braum and introduced himself, giving a polite bow in the meantime. “My name is Tryndall Valtherin, a friend of Valyr’s, and a member of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Braum Gladios, Marquis of the Astella Region.” Recalling what Valyr told him while the two of them were making their way to where they were, Braum made sure to not mention that he was part of the Imperial Production Guild in his introduction. Then again, even if Valyr didn’t tell him to do that, he would’ve done it either way.

“A pleasure to become your acquaintance, Braum.” With a light smile adorning his face, Tryndall extended his hand out to Braum for a handshake, to which the latter reciprocated by receiving the handshake soon after. “We’ll be relying on your strength for this operation.”

“Valyr has already informed me of my tasks for this operation. Though, if you don’t mind me asking, don’t I recognize you from somewhere?” Hearing the question that left Braum’s mouth, Tryndall looked at the man for a bit in slight confusion before shaking his head. Nevertheless, even though Tryndall denied meeting Braum before, the latter squinted his eyes as he looked at Tryndall closely, truly feeling as if he had recognized the man somewhere before.

“Adventurer’s Guild… Tryndall… ah! Does that mean you’re the—!” It did not take long for the thoughts in Braum’s mind to click, his eyes widening in incredulity as he finally recalled where he had recognized the man before him.

However, before Braum could finish his words, Tryndall frantically placed his hand over the man’s mouth, telling the former to stay quiet. In response to the action, Braum looked back at Tryndall, whose gaze was telling him to not talk about his identity for the meantime, prompting Braum to shift his gaze towards Valyr and Douglas.

Unsurprisingly, Valyr and Douglas both stared at the two, with Douglas remaining indifferent as if he already had an idea of what was going on. On the other hand, questions regarding Tryndall’s identity popped up in Valyr’s mind, making him wonder as to whether his friend was similar to him, who had an identity whose importance extended beyond kingdoms.

Unfortunately, even though Valyr wanted to ask Braum and Tryndall regarding this small incident, the two had formed a silent agreement to not mention anything else regarding what had just happened, causing Valyr to place the matter at the back of his head for now as he let out a low sigh.

“So, where are the other members of the group Sir Braum is leading?” Forcefully changing the topic of the conversation as he cleared his throat, Tryndall shifted his gaze towards Braum and the slightly dejected Valyr.

“They’re already on their way to the residence according to the directions you’ve given Valyr.” While Valyr was still in the process of regaining his spirits, Braum took the initiative to answer the man’s question. “How about your side, Sir Tryndall?”

“The other members making up the reconnaissance group have already moved to the residence as well.” Tryndall nodded in response to Braum’s question. “A party chat has already been established between our side and your side, so the only people left that haven’t made their way there yet are us four.”

“The Reaper Group isn’t joining us?” With his emotional state more or less normal again, Valyr posed a question to Tryndall, who shook his head in response as a wry smile adorned his face.

“You know who we’re up against, right?” Hearing this question come from Tryndall, it did not take long for Valyr to put two and two together, slapping himself on the forehead as an apologetic smile crept up on his lips not long after.

“Yeah. I forgot.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Tryndall lightly chuckled before opening up a screen before him. Closing it not long after, he looked at the three around him, who swiftly understood the intent behind his gaze, nodding back in response.

“They’re already in position. It’s time to go.” As Tryndall said these words, the four began to dash through the empty city streets of the night. With Douglas being the one that guided them through the fastest route that led to Lucas’ residence, it did not take long for the four to come into contact with the other people that’s part of the operation, standing slightly far away from the gates surrounding Lucas’ manor.

“Now…” Taking in a deep breath, Tryndall looked at the three other people that would join him, who nodded back at him with a solemn expression. In response, a faint smile appeared on his face as the four proceeded to move closer to the manor.

“Let us begin.”

…

Crash!

“That bastard…” With the humiliation he experienced from Braum still fresh in his mind, Lucas took out his anger on every item that could be tossed in his bathroom, causing the floor to be covered in fragments of various items, which took on all sorts of shapes and sizes. “I will find a way to get back at you. No matter what.”

“Sir! Sir! We have bad news!” Though, just as Lucas was about to start venting his anger out once more, the door to his room was slammed open, revealing a man in his mid-twenties with a frantic expression on his face. “We have terrible news!”

“Stop panicking and tell me what’s going on.” Suppressing the anger he felt, Lucas took in a long and deep breath to compose himself before proceeding to talk with the man. “What bad news are you talking about?”

“Sir, we have intruders.” Following Lucas’ words, the man took in a deep breath as well before explaining to Lucas what was going on. “We’ve already tried to stop them, yet we’re no match.”

“Now who would even dare to intrude in my residence?” Frowning, Lucas asked the man where the intruders were, to which the latter complied by having Lucas follow him.

Along the way, the sounds of combat faintly resounded throughout the manor, with it becoming gradually louder as Lucas and the man got closer to the source. Sounds of metal clashing against metal, bodies crashing against the walls, and groans and moans filled with pain all came to a roaring crescendo as Lucas appeared before the source.

In fact, once he found who was causing all of it…

He immediately regretted following the man.