Of all Daelin had to offer, it was the mess hall of the Adventurer’s Guild that impressed Viktor the most. It wasn’t grand, of course, paling in comparison to many places he had visited during his adventuring days, let alone after he had become an emperor. But compared to the sorry state that plagued most of the town, it had exceeded all expectations.

  According to Quinn’s memory, Claire had once told her brother that the Guildmaster was a generous man who wanted to create a place where all adventurers could feel truly at home. To that end, he carved out half the Guild building for a mess hall big enough to house a small army. Connected to the reception area by a doorway, it was a lively place where strangers met, got to know each other, and became friends over a round of ale.

  Sometimes, the Guildmaster himself would come among them, drinking and singing until well past midnight. He was almost always the last to leave, long after the others had staggered off to bed, yet when morning came, he would be the first to awaken. Never a headache, never a hangover, no matter what he had consumed the night before.

  And just as they did every noon, Viktor and Claire settled at a table in this very hall, preparing for lunch. He was unpacking what he had brought today: porridge with carrots and spinach, and, of course, his family’s favorite—bacon. Ugh.

  Bacon. Meat that was cured with salt for long-term preservation, a type of food he had eaten so many times when he was still an adventurer, a perfect ration for long journeys into the wilderness. He had never had any problem with it.

  Until now.

  He had been living with Claire for less than two weeks, and that was enough time for the woman to make him hate bacon with passion. A rare talent indeed.

  His nose twitched as a mouthwatering aroma drifted toward him. The scent of grilled meat. It was the mess hall’s most popular dish, and the adventurers at the nearby table had ordered it for lunch. As he turned around, he saw them chewing the golden-brown, tender pieces of meat, he saw them licking the fatty juices that dripped onto their fingers, he saw them closing their eyes in satisfaction as they took bite after bite. The whole scene was torturous.

  I wish I could eat fresh meat sometime soon.

  Even though he had a lot of gold from the dungeon, he couldn’t use any of it. A kid suddenly flashing a gold coin of unknown origin would attract a lot of unwanted attention.

  In addition, the first party he had managed to lure to the dungeon was broke. Although that was exactly why they had easily taken the bait in the first place, it also meant that there was nothing worth looting among those corpses. The goblins couldn’t find anything but some copper. Well, there was also their equipment, but selling them was too much of a hassle, and the buyers could ask questions about where he got the gear, so he just let his minions keep them.

  I have to make do with Claire’s budget for now. Viktor sighed.

  “Can I sit here?” he heard a familiar voice.

  “Yes, of course,” Claire replied, and the red-haired mage settled down with them.

  Jeanne pulled out her usual sandwiches, glancing at Claire’s bowl. “It’s nice to have someone cooking for you. I’m envious.”

  “I can make some extra servings for you,” Viktor said as he brought a spoonful of porridge to his mouth. “As long as you pay your share for the ingredients.”

  Jeanne laughed, her freckles dancing across her heart-shaped face. “I’ll think about it.”

  Then, they set to their meal. The two women chatted, while Viktor kept his eyes on his bowl, paying no attention to their conversation. He was still thinking about who he should lure into the dungeon next. He already had a few names in mind but hadn’t decided which of those poor bastards to choose yet.

  “What’s wrong, Jeanne?” Claire suddenly asked, furrowing her brow. “You’re a bit off today. Did something happen?”

  Is she? Viktor wondered. He had been lost in thought the entire time, so he had no idea whether it was true or not.

  “Well,” Jeanne replied with a shrug, “Petra’s little sister came by today. Told me that she had been missing for a while.” She looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. “Then I asked around, and it seemed Jake and Hans had disappeared as well.”

  Well, it’s expected, Viktor thought. It was time for the others to notice their absence. He needed to be more careful from now on. If someone spotted him lingering around the missing adventurers just before their disappearance, people could get suspicious.

  Claire nodded thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen them in the Guild recently.”

  “Do you know what their last job was?” Jeanne asked.

  “I think it was escorting a caravan,” Claire replied, trying to recall. “But that was when you were still in the party. I don’t know whether they still took the job after you left.”

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  “I’ll go to the caravan station to ask,” Jeanne said. “I don’t care about Jake, but I hope nothing bad happens to Petra.”

  Viktor didn’t say anything, continuing his lunch as if the whole situation didn’t have anything to do with him.

  After they finished their meals, Jeanne stood up from the table, brushing crumbs from her cloak. “See you two later,” she said with a light tone, but a hint of unease was visible on her face. The pyromancer quickly gathered her things and made her way to the door.

  As she crossed the threshold, two people passed her and entered the mess hall. They halted just inside, their eyes sweeping the room like hunting hawks.

  A man and a woman. And they immediately caught Viktor’s attention.

  From the days when he was a mere nobody to his rise as an emperor, he had crossed paths with countless warriors and mages. From such experience, he had developed an ability to intuitively perceive someone’s “aura.” He could tell at a glance that these two were completely different from the adventurers he saw every day in Daelin.

  Or maybe it was just that their clothes were a lot cleaner than what was worn by the sorry lot he found around here.

  The man was tall and lean, slightly hunched. He appeared to be in his forties, with a smooth, bald scalp and a dark beard framing the sharp features of his gaunt, wrinkled face. Clad in black from throat to heel, wearing a linen tunic and woolen leggings tucked into leather boots, he carried no weapons other than a short spear slung over his shoulder.

  His partner was a stunning woman in her thirties. Her skin, dark as midnight, stood out strikingly against the long, silvery hair that flowed down her back. A single strand of hair fell between her purple eyes, adding a mysterious air to her presence. Her clothes were completely white. Stark, pristine, untouched by road dust, as if she were living just next door rather than having journeyed from afar. She bore no visible weapons.

  A Southerner, huh?

  Though they entered the mess hall together, they didn’t sit at the same table. The man ordered a lot of booze before walking to a corner where he drank alone. The woman, on the other hand, settled down at a table in the middle of the room. Within minutes, a bunch of male adventurers gathered around her, attempting to strike up a conversation.

  “I’ll clean the utensils and then return to work,” Claire said, gathering the pot and bowls they had just used. “How about you?”

  “I’ll stay here for a while,” Viktor replied. “Then I’ll go home.”

  Claire furrowed her brow slightly but didn’t say anything. It was obvious she didn’t want him to linger in the Guild any longer than necessary. Then don’t ask me to bring your lunch here, “sister.”

  After she left, Viktor’s gaze returned to the two adventurers. A sense of uneasiness tingled in his stomach. He felt that he needed to learn more about them. The man looked unapproachable, but he could get close to the woman and the group of males surrounding her. Perhaps he could eavesdrop on something.

  As soon as he got near the crowd, he heard someone exclaim, “You are a Gold-ranked?”

  A Gold!?

  After Viktor’s empire fell, his castle and the settlements around it were thoroughly ravaged and plundered. For centuries, the entire area was abandoned. Although the region eventually recovered, it remained poor and sparsely populated. The town where he and Claire lived now was just a backwater that emerged in the middle of nowhere a hundred years ago. Most adventurers here were either Bronze or Iron, with a few Silver passing through now and then. So, what the hell was a Gold doing in this place?

  Is the man a Gold-ranked adventurer as well? Viktor glanced at the bald man in the corner. He sat alone, completely separated from the rest of the room. He seemed oblivious to the world around him, his eyes fixed solely on his drink.

  So I was right. These people were dangerous. Who were they? Why were they here?

  He lingered near the group, hoping to learn more about the newcomers. However, as he strained to listen, he found that most of the conversation revolved around the men fawning over the woman. Awkward compliments about her appearance, exaggerated stories of their achievements, terrible attempts at making jokes. Ugh.

  But just as he was about to give up and leave—

  “Is there anyone around here going missing recently?” the woman asked.

  What the—!?

  Why the hell did she want to know about that?

  “What do you mean?” one man replied. “Adventurers come and go all the time. It’s not unusual for someone or even an entire party to suddenly vanish.”

  “But recently, huh?” another man chimed in, scratching his head. “I think Jake’s party hasn’t been seen for several days.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” the others confirmed.

  “Who last saw them?” the woman pressed.

  The man shrugged. “I’m not sure. But there’s Jeanne, a former member who left the party shortly before they disappeared.”

  “And where can I find this Jeanne?”

  “I don’t know... Hey, Quinn!” the man called out to Viktor. “Do you know where Jeanne is now?”

  At least now he could approach the newcomer naturally, without raising any suspicions.

  “You’re her acquaintance?” the white-haired woman asked, her lips curving into a smile as he walked up to her.

  Viktor nodded. “Yes, Jeanne is my sister’s friend.”

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “I think she mentioned that she was going to the caravan station,” he replied, tilting his head.

  The woman stood up. “Could you take me to her?”

  “Well, I...”

  Before he came up with a response, the woman took his hand and placed a silver coin in his palm. “I won’t let you go through all this trouble without something in return.”

  A silver coin? A freaking silver coin?

  That was one week’s worth of Claire’s salary. He couldn’t help but imagine how much meat—not bacon—he could buy with that.

  No, no, no. Now was not the time for that. Even if this enigmatic stranger gave him nothing, he would still want to get close to her and learn more about her and her partner. He had no reason to refuse the offer.

  “Of course,” Viktor replied, putting the coin into his pocket. “I’ll show you.”

  “Good,” the woman said with a smile. “Let’s go then.”

  With that, she followed him out of the mess hall, paying no heed to the group of men left behind. Their stares followed them as they departed, jealousy and disappointment clearly visible on their faces.

  “What’s your name, by the way?” Viktor asked.

  “I’m Lahmia.”

  He glanced at the bald man sitting at the corner of the hall. “And your friend?”

  “His name is Azran.”

  Lahmia and Azran, huh? The two mysterious Gold-ranked adventurers who had suddenly appeared in town and taken an interest in the missing party. What were they really after? He knew that he must find out their intentions as soon as possible. Otherwise, it could jeopardize his entire plan.