"Hello. You're the mage Hellem, right?"

"Yes, I am. And you are...?"

Yuder was about to introduce Kanna, but Mick spoke first, beating him to it.

"Grandmother, this is Ms. Kanna Wand. She's one of the Deputy Commanders of the Cavalry. You know she immediately referred to me as Mr. Mick right after shaking hands? Hahaha. Such impressive skills."

"What?"

"I'll bring more cups now that we have more people! And more booze!"

After completing his statement, Mick vanished, leaving Kanna to awkwardly open her mouth.

"Nice to meet you. As you just heard, my name is Kanna Wand."

She added that although she had the ability to read information through touch, her skill wasn't particularly extraordinary. It seemed she was a bit concerned that Hellem might be cautious around her from the outset.

However, Hellem chuckled warmly and shook her head.

"If recognizing that I don't like being called by my first name through just one touch isn't impressive, then what is? You're welcome here as someone serving my lord, so please feel comfortable."

"Thank you!"

Kanna promptly took a seat next to Yuder and exchanged a glance with Enon. The atmosphere seemed to naturally turn towards a drinking session, prompting Yuder to quickly speak.

"Where is the monster kept?"

"It's still over there. Shall we go see it right now?"

"Yes."

"Ah-ah, that won't do, Assistant! You promised me last time, remember? You have to try our famous imported liquor collection before leaving."

But before Yuder could stand, Mick rushed back in, arms laden with several bottles and new cups, effectively stalling Yuder's attempt.

"This is the 'Tears of a Star,' a 27-year-old liquor imported from the South! And this one is the 'Breath of Glacier,' a 50-year-old brew from Exita, the northern island where it's winter all year! When would you have another opportunity to try these rare drinks?"

"Wow, I've never heard of any of these."

"Exactly! Even the Emperor would find it difficult to sample these."

"You sure have a way with words."

Kanna responded, amused, as Mick proudly shook the bottles. Hellem chuckled as she drank, and nowhere was Yuder's reluctance to join in evident.

"..."

"Just give in. He won't let you go until you've had a few glasses."

Enon, whose eyes met Yuder's, muttered with a resigned expression. He seemed quite accustomed to such situations, clearly having been a participant in Mick's drinking parties more than once or twice.

"To good times!"

In the end, Yuder was roped into joining them for drinks. While he never expected to be drinking with such company, thanks to Mick's engaging conversation skills honed through years of trade, the atmosphere was surprisingly lively.

Initially, Mick dominated the conversation with unbelievable stories from his trading days in the northern territories. But as time wore on and Kanna started to get flushed from the alcohol, the Cavalry and Kishiar became the central topics.

Mick seemed to know quite a bit about the Cavalry but admitted he didn't know much about its individual members, voicing his intense curiosity. Hellem wasn't as talkative or outgoing as Mick, but she smiled easily and was more insightful than she appeared.

Yuder occasionally supplemented Kanna's stories about the Cavalry when additional explanations were needed. At first, he had no intention of joining the conversation, but it was hard to ignore Hellem and Mick's remarks about Kishiar in Peletta.

Hellem vividly remembered the moment when Kishiar became the new owner and Duke of Peletta, and how he had taken her to that barren land.

"Accompanied by a few knights for escort, just one attendant, Nathan, and myself, we arrived at a castle that looked as though it could crumble at any moment. It appeared as though it hadn't been cleaned in hundreds of years. There weren't even any servants, let alone chamberlains. I was so furious that I wanted to turn around and confront the situation right away, but the lord casually slept through it all, without even batting an eye. Even the malicious steward held his tongue in the face of such calmness."

"Wow. So even then, Sir Zuckerman had attended him."

Kanna, who had gradually become comfortable speaking with Hellem, looked amazed.

"Yes, I had never seen a child so diligent and adorable."

"Adorable, you say."

Recalling Nathan Zuckerman, who had long since become gruff and imposing, Kanna bit her lip and rolled her eyes. Hellem let out a chuckle, as though understanding why she reacted that way.

"Back then, the lord was just a young boy. He really was..."

Yuder thought of a teenage Kishiar that he didn't know.

While Hellem and Mick's stories were not detailed, Yuder could easily imagine Kishiar's appearance: a young man with an intimidatingly beautiful face who enchanted people while pretending to know nothing and often accomplished unbelievable feats.

Before he realized it, a significant amount of time had passed.

In that time, he had struck up a conversation with Mick, and Hellem had given him permission to address her more informally. Every time he remembered that this gentle elderly woman used to be the Chief of the Imperial Mage, Yuder felt a strange sense of discomfort.

Kanna was also engaging in a very lively conversation with the two, as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Grandmother Hellem, if Peletta is so cold, how about moving to the Cavalry? The Commander would probably like that... Ah, I almost forgot to mention, we currently have another mage staying in our unit."

"Really? Who is it?"

"It's Thais Yulman, from the Pearl Tower."

"Thais? He's with the Cavalry?"

While drinking what seemed to be her umpteenth glass of wine, Hellem paused and set down her glass. Her wrinkled eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses.

"Do you know him?"

"Of course. Even when I was young and at the Pearl Tower, he was famous. He often committed outrageous acts in the name of research. I hope he has mellowed out by now... What's the situation?"

"Heh..."

As Kanna hesitated to answer with a slight smile, Hellem sighed.

"People never change that easily. If he's by the lord's side, that's definitely a concern. Perhaps I should go and check."

"Grandmother, are you really thinking of going to the capital? Even when your grandson wrote to you, asking you to come, you never went."

Mick, who was pouring a new drink, looked surprised.

"Oh? You have a specific reason for not going to the capital? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, it's not that, Kanna. I simply didn't return to the capital because there wasn't much for me to do there. I have no desire to be a burden to my family by staying home all the time as I get older."

The lord just happened to offer her a role that involves many responsibilities. Hellem sipped her wine and looked down. Yuder felt that her answer wasn't entirely truthful.

"But, looking at the situation now... it seems the lord will not be staying in Peletta as much as before."

Upon saying this, Hellem turned her eyes toward Yuder and smiled warmly.

"Even by my standards, yes."

Mick's face had also turned red up to his neck. Nodding emphatically, he moved so much that he banged his head against the wall with a thud. Thanks to that, Yuder was able to divert attention away from himself.

'So, does that mean Hellem doesn't intend to return to Peletta after this affair is over?'

Having an expert in monsters like her would undoubtedly be helpful in the future. Lost in thought for a moment, Yuder was suddenly jolted back to reality by a subtle poke to his side under the table. Turning his gaze, he saw Enon moving his lips ever so faintly.

"Everyone seems to have had enough to drink. If we're going to see the monster, we should get up now."

"..."

Ignoring those around him, Yuder slowly rose from his seat, leaving the other three engrossed in their own conversation.

As Yuder and Enon vacated their seats one after the other, the lively conversation behind them continued unabated.

"So, did you really come just to see the monster?"

"No."

"I thought as much."

Yuder stood in front of the cage positioned at the center of the dimly lit reception room, illuminated only by a single lantern. A small monster quickly approached and clung to the bars, looking towards him. It seemed like it had just been munching on a carrot, as an orange chunk dropped clumsily near its head.

Yuder watched the scene, pondering what to say first. Before coming here, he thought he'd have no problem talking upon meeting, but when he actually faced it, the words didn't come easily.

"What is it? Is it that difficult?"

"I was just in the underground dungeon."

"The underground dungeon?"

"The fourth floor."

Enon nodded slowly, already aware of the fact that Yuder had found the hidden fourth floor under the protection of magic and rescued the victims of human trafficking there.

"And?"

"There, I discovered the laboratory of a person known as the first Duke Tain."

"A laboratory, huh. So, was there something surprising?"

Yuder conveyed what he had found in the lab as ambiguously and succinctly as possible. Sketches of monsters that appeared to be researched by the first Duke Tain. An old diary intermingled with Gore scripts. And a significant sentence that Kishiar had deciphered.

"If what was written there really indicates the purpose of the research, then it might be related to what you mentioned before," Yuder said.

For a moment, the look in Enon's eyes changed slightly.

Select your tier Qi Cultivating Stage $5.00 USD - month(s) Foundation Establishment $10.00 USD - month(s) Xudan $20.00 USD - month(s) Jindan $50.00 USD - month(s) Yuanying $100.00 USD - month(s)