Eis didn’t join every mission Team Argent took.
But she joined many of them.
Enough that the guild began making jokes:
“Is Eis finally part of Argent now?”
“In any case, don’t send goblin missions their way anymore— they won’t survive.”
Team Argent accepted Eis’s presence so naturally that it barely felt like a change.
- Lira always requested Eis for missions involving strategy or magical anomalies.
- Kael insisted she come along for anything “interesting,” meaning anything he wasn’t bored of.
- Ronan never explicitly said he wanted her there… but his quiet approval was unmistakable.
Eis found herself falling into their rhythm more easily each week.
They worked together like this:
Eis handled small creatures with precision.
Ronan guarded the front line.
Kael provided cover fire.
Lira supported with barriers.
Eis helped map routes.
Lira exchanged knowledge on mana echoes.
Kael teased her nonstop.
Ronan watched their surroundings with quiet diligence.
Eis took rear guard with Kael again.
No bandits dared to approach.
The rare boring jobs.
Kael complained.
Lira sighed.
Ronan worked silently.
Eis did everything efficiently.
They grew used to her in a way that made the guild laugh.
“You know she’s not officially in your party, right?”
“Argent says she is.”
“That’s not how official parties work!”
“You wanna say no to her?”
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“…Carry on.”
Eis pretended not to hear the teasing.
Pretended.
Some memories stood out:
- Lira teaching Eis how to read mana residue in soil
- Kael dragging Eis into a drinking contest (she won effortlessly)
- Ronan giving Eis a new whetstone when he noticed she needed one
- Eis making cooling drinks on hot days
- Lira braiding Eis’s hair during a long rest
- Ronan catching her when she slipped on wet ground
None of these moments were dramatic.
But they were important.
Gossip sharpened over time:
“Argent is taking more dangerous missions again.”
“Heard about the slave ring near the border?”
“Caravaners disappearing.”
“Nobles involved, I bet.”
“Someone needs to stop it.”
Every time Eis overheard these conversations, her chest tightened — a quiet fire rising inside her.
Exploitation.
Cruelty.
She knew these patterns.
She didn’t speak it aloud.
But Team Argent noticed her reaction.
One evening, when Eis and Team Argent had returned from a mission, a clerk approached them with a troubled look.
“Another missing-person notice. Third one this week.”
Lira frowned deeply.
“That’s too many.”
Kael crossed his arms.
“Bandit resurgence?”
Ronan’s voice was low.
“No. Something bigger.”
Eis felt a cold, sharp tension rise inside her.
The clerk added hesitantly:
“…There are rumors. A buyer across the Valsyr border. Paying highly. No questions asked.”
Eis exhaled slowly.
“Slavery.”
Kael frowned.
“Damn…”
Lira gripped her notebook tighter.
“…Not again.”
Ronan’s eyes hardened.
A long, heavy silence fell among them.
Team Argent had seen corruption.
Abuse.
Broken systems.
But this—
This crossed a line.
Lira looked at all of them.
“…Argent, we need to talk. Somewhere quiet.”
Kael nodded grimly.
Ronan turned immediately.
Without a word, he gestured for them to follow.
“Upstairs,” he said, voice steady but cold.
“Private room.”
He led them away from the guild floor, past the mission board, up the side staircase toward the second level where soundproof briefing rooms were kept.