The streets of Daelin were becoming increasingly crowded every day.

  It had been only a week since the existence of the dungeon was exposed to the public, so the change was still subtle, but not unnoticed. Before, Viktor could recognize anyone he passed on the street, even if he didn’t know their names. The man with his donkey, the woman who sold dried fish, the couple of kids who played with sticks. This was a small town, after all. But now, he began to see new faces. Not just adventurers, but also merchants and people of many different trades. They all came to this place to capitalize on the opportunity that the new dungeon represented.

  He walked down the street with a box under his arm. The roasted meat he had cooked earlier was now being brought to the Guild so that he could eat it together with his “sister.” Preparing lunch had taken a bit more time than he expected. He wondered whether Claire was impatiently waiting for him with her growling stomach.

  As he was about to reach his destination, he caught sight of a familiar face, the red-haired mage who had been having lunch with him and Claire from time to time. She was talking with someone, a thin girl with long brown hair, who looked a couple of years older than him.

  Jeanne leaned forward as she spoke, while the girl lowered her head and listened, nodding every now and then. When their conversation finally came to an end, the girl gave a polite bow before turning to leave. Jeanne stayed where she was, letting out a deep sigh as she watched the girl walk away.

  “Who’s that?” Viktor asked as he approached the pyromancer.

  “Ah, Quinn. The girl just now? She is Petra’s younger sister.”

  Petra’s sibling, huh? That woman had been one of the first victims of his dungeon, her corpse now rotting in the disposal pit. He had completely forgotten what she looked like. Probably also a brunette, just like her sister.

  “Have you told her? About... that?”

  “I did,” Jeanne replied, her tone grim. “I visited their house that night, right after we found out about the party’s demise.”

  “How did she take it?”

  “Pretty badly, as expected. I stayed with her through the night. There was no one else there for her, after all. Their parents had already passed away, so only the two of them lived together, just like you and Claire. And now she’s left alone.” The woman paused, then forced a smile. “But she’s been doing better. I won’t say that she’s fully moved on, but at least she’s starting to pull herself together.”

  “I see.”

  Glancing at the box he was holding, Jeanne said, changing the topic, “You’re bringing lunch to Claire?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s go inside, then. The girl is probably very hungry by now.”

  Viktor nodded. As they walked side by side toward the entrance, he asked, “Sandwich again?”

  “Well, yes,” Jeanne replied dryly.

  “We have roasted meat today. You can have some if you want.”

  “Thanks, but I have to decline the offer.” Jeanne smiled weakly. “I can’t pay you, and I don’t want to owe anyone anything.”

  Viktor didn’t know much about her financial situation, but considering how she ate her meals every day, it was clear she was not very well-off.

  “Have you considered entering the dungeon?”

  Jeanne shrugged. “Can’t say yet. Besides, I need a party, but I haven’t found a suitable one so far.”

  That struck him as odd. It had been a while since she left Jake’s group. Why hadn’t she hooked up with a new one yet? He began to suspect that the real reason she had put up with that man for so long was not just some stubborn sense of principle, but also an awareness that she would have trouble finding a new party.

  Now that he thought about it, he realized he knew next to nothing about Jeanne. He had been acquainted with the woman for quite a while, if Quinn’s memory also counted, but beyond “fire mage” and “Iron-ranked adventurer,” there wasn’t much else he could tell about her.

  As they stepped into the Guild, they found Claire still at her post, busy as ever. A group of adventurers stood in front of her desk, one man and three women, and she was writing down her notes with a furrowed brow, listening to them intently.

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  Viktor shot a quick glance at Jeanne. “Let’s go to the mess hall first and wait for her there.”

  However, when they got to the hall, it became immediately clear that they had arrived too late. The place was packed, with adventurers and Guild employees squeezing into every corner. It was lunchtime, after all. He scanned the room, his eyes darting from one table to another, trying to find any unclaimed spot, but it appeared every space had been occupied. Then, he saw a familiar hyena face. Noi’ri was here, and so was Lucian, but Cedric and Fiora were nowhere to be found.

  “How about there?” Viktor asked, pointing at the two adventurers.

  He half-expected Jeanne to shut down his suggestion, considering that most people were still uncomfortable around the gnoll. But to his surprise, the woman simply nodded.

  They made their way through the sea of bodies toward the table where the blond-haired mage and his companion sat. The pair was just about to dig into their own meal. Two open boxes sat before them, one filled with simmered cabbage rolls stuffed with what looked and smelled like ground meat, while the other contained pickled vegetables. There was also a small bag next to the boxes with some dried fruits inside.

  “Noi’ri! Lucian!”

  “Quinn,” the boy said with a smile. His hairy companion nodded, extending his hand, and Viktor grabbed and shook it.

  “Only you two here?”

  “Yes,” Lucian replied. “Cedric is out with Fiora to buy something.”

  “I see,” Viktor said, amused. A boy and a girl go shopping together by themselves, huh? he thought. “Can we sit here?”

  “Of course.” Lucian moved his chair closer to Noi’ri to make space, gesturing for Viktor and Jeanne to join them, so they sat down and placed their lunch on the table.

  “I’m going to wait for my sister, so you guys can go ahead,” Viktor said, before catching Noi’ri’s gaze fixed on the box he had just put down. Gnolls are very good at detecting scents, aren’t they? So he lifted the lid to reveal the tender, golden-brown slices of meat inside. He could see the gnoll’s nostrils flare as he took in the aroma, and he could hear the rumbling sound that came from the stomach of the woman sitting beside him. “I brought some roasted meat. Anyone want some?”

  “Thank you, but...” Lucian said, glancing at his own lunchboxes. “We’ve brought our food.”

  Seeing the gnoll’s ears droop, Viktor smiled. “Let’s trade. I’ll give you some of mine, and you’ll give me some of yours.”

  Lucian looked at his companion, who nodded enthusiastically. “Alright,” the boy said with a chuckle.

  With that, Noi’ri took a slice of roasted meat while Viktor received a stuffed cabbage roll in return. As he shoved it into his mouth, he found that the cabbage leaves were filled with a mixture of ground meats and herbs, spiced with some exotic seasoning he couldn’t recognize.

  “It’s very good,” he said, chewing. “By the way, I haven’t seen you around the Guild lately. I also heard that you haven’t gone back to the dungeon either.”

  Lucian shrugged. “Well, yes. You know, discovering a new dungeon on our very first day in Daelin is definitely not what we expected at all. It turned everything upside down.” He popped a piece of radish into his mouth. “I did mention that Cedric’s mother told us not to come back to Beryn until all three of us are at least Iron-ranked, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, I remember that.”

  “The thing is,” the boy continued, “right after we discovered the dungeon, we were all instantly promoted by Guildmaster Gideon on the very same day.”

  “Oh.” Viktor couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t considered that possibility, but it did make sense. “So you’re going to leave Daelin soon?”

  “Well, now that we’ve discovered a new dungeon, we want to stay here and explore it instead of going home right away. Cedric has written a letter back to Beryn, explaining the situation and waiting for further instructions from his mother. For now, we’re just chilling in town.”

  “I see,” Viktor said. The black-haired boy’s mother didn’t want them near any dungeon, so they had to ask for her permission first. If she ordered them to return immediately, they would probably have to obey. “Why do you need to wait for her words, anyway? Is it just because she’s Cedric’s mother or...?”

  “She’s the Guildmaster in Beryn.”

  Viktor chuckled. No wonder Mommy had the final say in everything.

  Ten minutes later, Claire entered the mess hall. Her brow arched slightly as she saw her brother and friend sharing a table with Lucian and the gnoll, but she simply smiled at them and settled into the empty chair next to Viktor.

  The pair returned the greeting, and soon enough the meal was in full swing. Viktor and Claire exchanged more slices of roasted meat for stuffed cabbage rolls. And even Jeanne finally caved. She gave an awkward smile as she reached across the table to take a piece of pork. “I’ll pay you later,” she said, as if she had just borrowed a golden coin instead of a bite of food.

  A normal lunch, with a group of people eating and chatting about utterly unimportant topics. It was all pretty mundane.

  Until it wasn’t.

  Viktor heard a growl, low and deep, the sound of a dangerous beast rousing from its slumber. Instantly, he snapped his head toward the source.

  Noi’ri.

  The gnoll’s previously relaxed posture had completely disappeared. The creature now bared its fangs, every muscle in its entire body tense with barely contained anger. Its eyes, now gleaming with predatory intensity, glared toward the entrance of the mess hall.

  Viktor followed the gnoll’s gaze. A party of four had just stepped into the hall, the same group Claire had been dealing with at the front desk earlier. A smug-looking man in his thirties led the way, and around him clustered three young, attractive women. A redhead, a blonde, and a brunette.

  That was strange.

  Many people had been quite rude to Noi’ri since his arrival in Daelin, but he had always shrugged it off like he couldn’t be bothered to care. This, however, was different. This couldn’t be interpreted as anything except naked hostility.

  Who are those people?

  The newcomers had noticed them too, and now all four were staring straight at Viktor’s table. Again, it was different this time. Normally, when folks in Daelin gawked at the gnoll, it was either out of fear or curiosity. But those adventurers’ gaze, especially the man’s, was burning with—

  —pure hatred.

  Interesting, Viktor thought, allowing himself to drop his guard after knowing he was not the one bearing all that heat. Can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.