Flowel returned to the Brack estate with none of his usual bluster; this time, no fists were needed. The servants led him straight to Ara’s guest room. He lounged on the cushioned chair, savoring the faintly spiced tea until Ara finally appeared.

  “That took a while,” Flowel muttered.

  “You arrived too early,” Ara replied, his tone clipped.

  Flowel clicked his tongue and leaned forward. “So, when do we start?”

  Ara sank into the opposite chair with a weary sigh. “We don’t. I’m out. Find someone else.”

  Flowel shot to his feet, voice rising, “What? You’re backing out now?”

  “Sit down,” Ara said, calm but sharp enough to cut. “I’ve discovered something… unsettling.”

  “What could possibly—”

  “Two of them,” Ara interrupted, “are recent gold badge holders. Awarded directly by the academy.”

  Flowel scoffed, dropping back into his chair with a laugh. “So what? They’re just kids. Fancy titles don’t change that.”

  Ara’s eyes narrowed. “Unlike you, I graduated from the academy. You have no idea what that badge means. A gold badge isn’t honor—it’s divine recognition. They’re favored by the gods themselves.”

  The room fell still. For the first time, Flowel hesitated.

  Ara’s voice dropped. “I’ve seen it firsthand. I won’t test fate twice.” She opened a drawer and drew out a tightly rolled parchment, sealed with crimson wax. She pushed it across the table. “I already gave you my word, so I’ll honor it. Deliver this letter. The others listed here—executives who owe me—will help you.”

  Flowel eyed the parchment but didn’t touch it yet. “Are you certain?” he asked. “This might be our only chance to face the head directly.”

  Ara’s lips pressed thin. Her hands trembled ever so slightly as she looked away. “Let’s just say…” She breathed out slowly, almost as if exorcising the memory. “I carry a trauma when it comes to gold badge holders.”

  ……

  Kana went to the orphanage to spend the rest of the weekend after they accompanied Chelle to her home. Suri, ever cautious, stayed behind to keep a subtle watch. If Chelle decided to speak about what had happened the previous night, it wouldn’t matter much. Nobles’ words often carried weight, but who would believe her? The tale would sound too much like fantasy.

  By the time the first day of the week arrived, Kana was already at the training field, the morning air sharp with dew. She stood quietly, scanning the empty grounds. Suri had promised they’d meet here, though Kana suspected her friend was more interested in stretching her sleep than her daggers. Boris, unsurprisingly, was still absent.

  Instead, it was Roy who appeared first, shuffling across the grass with tired eyes. He yawned, scratching at his face, and muttered, “Heard you’ve got a gift for me?”

  Kana’s red eyes flickered.

  [High Awareness]

  She swept the field again. Empty. Satisfied, she gave a short nod.

  [Inventory]

  The air rippled like water, and then the weight of death settled across the training grounds as a body materialized at Kana’s feet. The cloaked figure collapsed with a dull thud, the stench of dried blood rising with it.

  Roy’s eyes widened, his fatigue instantly gone. “That’s… a hired killer’s body, isn’t it?”

  “Indeed,” Kana said calmly. “We caught him stalking us a few nights ago. He won’t be stalking anyone else. Make him yours.”

  Roy knelt beside the corpse. His expression seemed he was excited, though the familiarity in the way he handled the body betrayed how often he had looked at corpses before. He touched the assassin’s cold wrist, the limp jaw, the stiffened fingers.

  “Looks like it hasn’t been dead too long,” he muttered. His tone carried no revulsion. Only calculation.

  Then Roy whispered the incantation.

  [Raise Undead]

  A chill swept the field. Black cloth sagged and fell away as the body began to unravel. Flesh sloughed off in ribbons of shadow, muscle and fat crumbling like ash. The assassin’s frame collapsed inward, bones clattering against the ground until only a skeleton remained.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Its skull tilted upward, sockets empty—except for the faint flicker of crimson light that sparked deep within. Slowly, unnervingly, the skeleton rose to its feet.

  Roy grinned. “Oh, now that’s beautiful.”

  He turned, hand outstretched. “Kana, lend me your dagger.”

  She hesitated, then flipped it to him.

  Roy stripped the last remnants of cloth from the skeleton’s body, working with an ease that suggested he had done this before. He dressed it in a set of trousers—modified gear originally meant for his [Bowman] summon.

  The skeletal figure stood straighter, dagger in hand, like a silent soldier awaiting command.

  “It fits well,” Roy murmured with satisfaction. His grin widened. “This one’s stronger than my [Bowman]. If the blade work… it’s going to be terrifying.”

  Kana folded her arms, watching Roy circle the skeleton like a craftsman admiring his finest tool. Her gaze lingered on the faint red glow in its skull.

  That wasn’t just an ordinary summon. This was the assassin’s dagger-bound soul, chained in bone and bound to Roy’s will.

  And she wondered—was it truly gone, or was it only waiting?

  …

  Kana spent the weekend at the orphanage, alone in her room. The sounds of children outside—their laughter, their clumsy footsteps—faded into a dull backdrop. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, until at last her hand moved to the small knife she had drawn from her [Inventory]

  [Obsidian]

  The name pulsed faintly in her vision, and nothing more.

  Kana frowned, turning the blade in her hand. It was small, unnervingly light, yet the edge shimmered as if it might bite through steel. There was no hint of the familiar resonance her [Bolt Dagger Style] carried. No rhythm, no alignment to her own energy. Just silence.

  She pressed her thumb against the edge, testing. No resistance. It slid across her skin like water, without warmth, without life.

  “What are you?” Kana whispered.

  Would the two overlap? Clash? Or… evolve into something new? Or would it cancel the [Bolt Dagger Style]? How about the effects? Would it thirst for blood? The last owner looked like he wanted to kill everyone.

  Her pulse quickened. The thought of evolving skill thrilled her. Yet the silence of the knife unnerved her more.

  She sighed, lowering the blade to her chest. Sleep refused to come.

  There was only one person she could think of. One person whose insight could strip away the silence, who might uncover whether the [Obsidian] was a treasure… or a curse.

  She clenched the dagger tighter, her red eyes narrowing.

  It must be inspected by her first.

  ….

  When the weekend arrived, the trio finally managed to push through with their always-interrupted plan with Leo. Unlike the chaos of the past months, the days leading up to it had been repetitive. Peaceful.

  Kana liked it that way. She actually had time to sit in the academy library, reading until the sun dipped, after class. Suri, of course, didn’t share her luck—she was tied to endless assembly duties at night. And Boris… Boris had discovered a new hobby he couldn’t seem to shake: chasing girls around the academy with Adam and the other boys, grinning like a fool whenever he thought he was not so obvious about it.

  Peaceful. So much so that Kana sometimes forgot about the scarecrow puppet man, and the dark things waiting beneath that silence.

  This trip was supposed to be simple: Kana, Boris, Suri, and Roy. Just them. Instead, all the copper class students had been roped into helping load heavy crates onto a broad wagon in the central district. What was meant to be a quick hunt for a Tavis Titan egg had swelled into something that looked like a full-blown field trip.

  And, naturally, everyone had their excuses.

  Adam declared himself the expert, claiming Titan meat was one of his favorites. Not the egg—the bird itself.

  Toby scoffed, saying the size of the beast was nothing but a tavern exaggeration, and he had to see it with his own eyes.

  Rin didn’t want to be left out. That was it. Somehow her parents relented once they learned certified adventurers would be escorting the group—including, apparently, the famed knight of Kergastel.

  Andel just smiled sheepishly, saying his brother had promised him a trip for his birthday, and for some reason chose this little egg hunt as the outing.

  Kana didn’t think much of it. Not until they nearly stumbled over the man waiting at the wagon.

  Andel hadn’t said his brother’s name aloud. Not once.

  But when Kana saw the silver-trimmed armor, the knight’s calm bearing, and the unmistakable crest of Kergastel, her stomach sank.

  Raydon Kergastel.

  The name alone carried enough weight to silence them, but the sight of him standing there—a dim sunlight glinting off the silver trim of his armor, the Kergastel crest burning on his chestplate—nearly froze the trio where they stood.

  Boris and Suri almost halted mid-step, exchanging quick, wary glances.

  Suri leaned toward Kana, her voice barely more than a breath. “Uhmm… are you sure we’re going to be okay this time?”

  Boris broke the silence with a shrug. “It’s been a while. Strong doesn’t mean smart.”

  Kana and Suri both turned to stare at him, eyes traveling from his messy hair down to the dirt-stained boots he hadn’t bothered to polish since last season.

  “You’re the living proof,” Suri muttered.

  Kana hesitated, then added with a sigh, “I somewhat agree.”

  Boris scowled. “Hey, I was trying to be reassuring.”

  Kana forced herself to grin, though her fingers twitched near her dagger out of instinct. It was one thing to fight assassins in the shadows. Another entirely to stand in plain daylight with someone that may know their identity. As a former dungeon scrapper.