“Sir, he’s… he’s a true threat.”

“Hm. I see. What about the woman? I heard someone say that her strength is also quite outstanding…”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet her in battle or confirm her ability. But, from what I’ve told you--”

“Yes… He can heal any injuries, regenerate limbs even, without using incantations and almost instantly… and he can absorb heat and use that to increase his physical abilities… Is that the gist of it?”

“Yes, sir. Also, most likely lightning as well. I used the Cloud Speed cloak against him and it didn’t do anything. He’s most likely immune to the cold and lightning. He’s probably immune to extreme heat as well. Even against Cloud Speed, he… defeated me.”

“Sigh. Forget it. Just bad luck. Also, Cloud Speed level one, right?”

“Y-Yes sir. I’ve never received training to learn level two, I’ve never been able to reach Archbishop class or Cardinal class.”

Ilna Fautre is currently kneeling before a seat in a dark room, speaking to a man hidden in the shade. The light of the night sky peers through the room's window, illuminating Ilna’s body.

This man sitting before Ilna is his true boss; the person that all those serving the underworld in Linis have to report to.

“Honestly though, that guy sent you to kill those two for revenge? Who is he again?”

“His name is Brai Drumyl. He runs two of the brothels in this city. He was actually from a well-respected holy knight family before coming here, sir. I met him through his father.”

“Oh? Hm. Our men serving the Federation could really stand to make smarter kids…”

“Permission to freely speak, sir?”

“Go ahead.”

“Honestly sir, Brai made the right moves. Perhaps his motive of revenge was foolish but… he sent ten of us. He underestimated their strength against the enemy, true, but even we, his men, underestimated them. At least the boy who was guarding the beastkin whores is... not to be trifled with. At my roughest estimates, his strength is undoubtedly greater than Cardinal class. He was holding back significantly so he wouldn’t harm the people in the inn we had combat in.”

“...I see. Well regardless, Brai or whoever won’t be working here any longer.”

“...Huh? Could you explain, sir?”

“I’ve given command over his operations to his second in command, a commoner named… honestly I don’t even remember. I never really liked Brai; he was too focused on profits over the needs of the Federation and growing too independently powerful. Sending you for something as trivial as revenge was just another sign of that impudence. But the commoner... he’s more malleable and subservient to our organization. I can work with that.”

“Then… Where is Brai now then?”

“Buried somewhere I think, or cremated, I don’t really care.”

Ilna starts sweating. He didn’t really care for Brai, but he’s had a working relationship with him for a few years now. And just like that…

“You don’t need to worry about your position though, the information you’ve provided is of great importance. The next time we send people after them, we won’t fail…”

“I-I see.”

“Oh, I remember. You had something you wished to talk about?”

“Y-Yes, I-I was wondering if… if there was any way to get into contact with Rurik?”

“Huh? Rurik? Rurik Grishin? How do you know him?”

“He and I met in my youth in Therea. I was… I was wondering if I could be useful to him again.”

“Your youth, huh… You must have known him for a long time then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hm. I’m afraid that cannot be done at the moment.”

“I-I… see.”

“I’m truly sorry, Ilna, as a retired holy knight, you are truly worthy to meet with him, but right now… Have you heard about what happened to the pope?”

“No actually, I haven’t been to church in a while now.”

“This isn’t being spread around that much actually, the church hasn’t confirmed or denied it so it’s just spreading like a rumour among the commoners.”

“What happened to the pope then?”

“The pope Vildir Patheon has been... kidnapped, by the demon emperor over two months ago.”

“What!? How could this…”

“The demon emperor is probably still interrogating him or finished interrogating him and, most likely because he doesn’t want to push humanity over the edge, hasn’t made it a public matter. But… with the pope out of the way, Rurik simply cannot do anything but work for the foreseeable future… This has been a huge embarrassment for the Eye of God. Ironically, the capture of our supreme leader isn’t even the worst part however… oh.”

“...The worst part?”

The man pauses as if unsure whether he should say this. He decides to reserve his words.

“I’m afraid that'll have to be left for another time. Don’t worry though, you’ll hear about it eventually.”

“As you command.”

“But, here’s what I’ll do for you. I’m going to ask you to defend the commoner who’s replacing Brai. If I can get a hold of Rurik, I will notify him of your existence and ask him if he would be willing to meet with you. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, sir, I thank you for your sincerity.”

~

Ilna is currently sitting in a bar in the innermost ring of Linis, surrounding the center of Linis where the city lord and the exalted nobles of Linis live. The patrons to this bar are all human and mostly among the middle class themselves.

He’s sitting at a small table by himself minding his own business holding a tall mug of beer. The beer in this world is made from an analogue to Earth’s barley known as “tri-grain”.

Ilna continues to drink while thinking about his embarrassing defeat against a boy decades his junior. Ironically, his opponent had told him that he would be defeated in quite an embarrassing manner.

Ilna had made such a fool of himself with his empty bluster. Although, it isn’t all bad news. He left the meeting with his boss with a slight burden lifted from his heart.

“Hi, there! Can I get you anything else?”

A waitress of this bar comes towards him. A beautiful woman in her early thirties with shoulder-length, snow-white hair, and a cute yet reserved black dress covering her arms, with her skirt extending to her feet.

She is also wearing a beige apron and holding a notepad and a writing implement. Ilna makes another order; he’s feeling hungry.

“...Yeah, what meat dishes do you sell here?”

“We have a number of choices for dinner, um… Oh! I would recommend the orda steak today!”

The orda is quite a large animal with a horned head, long spiky tail and furry body. Its legs are stubby but its claws are quite sharp. Its head has a sharp beak rather than a pair of jaws lined with fangs. It is an herbivore.

It is the more domesticated variant of the shelled orda, a wild animal that land dragons like to feed on.

The shelled orda is much more difficult to take down so its meat is considered a delicacy while the normal orda can be raised as livestock in the farming villages that surround the city of Linis.

“How fresh?”

“The supplier brought it about an hour ago, so it’s perfect for dinner right now!”

“...Very well, bring me a thick steak, medium rare and another pitcher of beer, pick any side as well for me, I don’t really care.”

“Very well, sir!”

The woman walks to the next table to grab their order as well. Ilna waits for his food, now more depressed than angry. He really did have to run away from Ajax and now he’s here just trying to get on with his life. Maybe a steak will calm him down…

He observes the table next to him that the waitress is taking her next order from. At this table sit two large men, with quite disrespectful looks on their faces. They’re looking at her as if she were a prostitute they’re thinking of purchasing.

She’s not a fucking beastkin, you scum...

He notices her face and her expression still remains cheerful as she talks with these men. Certainly this isn’t the first time she’s met people like this.

The waitress retrieves their order and heads to the kitchen to deliver it to the cooks in the back. The men sitting adjacent to Ilna ungraciously stare at her rear and laugh to themselves.

Ilna is once again angry now.

He receives his meal and feels content from the enormity of it. He eats it savouring each last bite. As he eats, the same waitress starts cleaning the tables near him.

Ilna strikes up a nice conversation with her. Although he isn’t a public speaker by occupation, he’s quite charismatic an individual when he wishes to be, especially around women.

The men sitting nearby show faces of annoyance as Ilna monopolizes her attention. She enjoys his demeanor as well. He continues drinking and she notices that his tolerance for alcohol is quite high.

Ilna finishes her meal and continues to order beer from the waitress while continuing to talk to her.

Ilna tells the waitress about his status as a former holy knight. He decided to stay out of the war since he’s a bit too old to serve in yet another war. It may seem unfair but he’s already served the Holy Sapioran Federation his whole life; he’s fought the demons many times before.

It was time for the younger generation to secure their own future. But the woman… She understands. Why should he continue to fight until the moment of his death? Surely, he’s earned enough valour to spend the remainder of his life the way he wants?

He’s not so old he’s incapable of fighting though. He’s in his late forties but he’s still in terrific shape. His face shows his age but he is still quite handsome and physically fit, more so than men even her own age. She gives him her name.

“Jem?”

“Yup. What’s yours?”

“It’s Ilna. Ilna Fautre--”

“Hey! We want some more beer!”

Ilna narrows his eyes as he looks over at the table next to him. The two men are still there continuing to drink. Their tolerance for alcohol, unlike his, is quite poor. Ilna looks at the waitress Jem and notices her face start to show some fear.

Drunk customers, especially large men, are a danger to her as a waitress and a woman. Men like these two often confuse her hospitality for romantic interest. On a night like tonight, Jem is the only waitress working as well.

“R-Right away!”

Jem runs off to retrieve for them some more beer. The time of night is already particularly late. The dinner rush has long since left and only a few stragglers remain in the bar at this time.

Ilna has remained as he tries to get drunk enough to forget everything that happened in the week since he met Ajax. He had wanted to meet Rurik again by giving information to the head of the underworld about a new powerful enemy but alas…

Well… He is a hero. What can I really expect? Of course, he’s busy…

Jem returns with another pitcher of beer. The men take it from her and she leaves for where Ilna is. She continues talking to him. The men start to get even more annoyed as they get even drunker.

One of them, a brown haired man yells at her in indignation.

“Hey, bitch! Get us some more beer! Stop fucking sitting around doing nothing, you slut!”

Ilna hits his limit.

“I-I’m sorry! Right aw--”

“Jem. Just hold on a minute.”

“Huh? Ilna, what are--”

Ilna gets up from his seat and walks over to the table where the two of them are sitting. He places his palms on the table and with a flat expression, stares at the both of them. The other man, a man with dirty blonde hair speaks, his voice deep and gravelly.

“What is it, old man? You got something you want to say?”

“Yes. I would like you to apologize to this woman here if you could, young man. There is no call for the kind of disrespectful behaviour you’ve given to her all night.”

The blonde man looks confused and then sneers.

“We’re fucking paying her, aren’t we? We deserve some common courtesy! And, lady, what the fuck is wrong with you? Flirting with a middle aged draft dodger like this…”

Jem stands behind Ilna, her face slightly pale from their antagonistic manner. She tries not to look at them or meet their gaze. Ilna ignores their comments about his military service. They’re just trying to get a rise out of him.

“This young woman is merely working right now. She’s not flirting with me. And even if she was, what business is it of yours? Are you two so entitled that you cannot forgive her having a mere conversation when there are hardly any other patrons in this place?”

The brown haired man speaks in an angry, entitled tone.

“We’re fucking paying her! We’ve even ordered more than you tonight! She works for us right now!”

“N-No, I don’t!”

Jem raises her voice to what the brown haired man had just said.

“I-I work for this bar and you two are doing nothing but getting drunk and making trouble! I-I’m going to… I’m a-afraid I’m g-going to have to a-ask you to leave!”

Ilna smiles at the woman; so pure and innocent. It doesn’t seem like an act to woo customers either… She’s really just a nice person trying to get through her work, though perhaps a bit timid for her occupation.

Ilna respects that about her. He views himself the same way for the most part. The men look at Ilna and Jem and scoff. The blonde man retorts,

“Make us.”

“I-I told you two to leave, now please leave before I c-call a guard!”

The brown haired man laughs.

“Oh, a guard? Where are you going to find one right now? You think they’re just walking around every corner this time of night? Just get out of our sight before we get you fired.”

Ilna’s face darkens.

“That’s quite enough. There should be a limit to your insolence. If you do not comply with the lady’s wishes, I will be forced to intervene.”

“Really… Alright, let’s step outside, old man.”

“Ilna, y-you don’t have to--”

“It’s alright, Jem. I accept your challenge.”

The brown haired man continues to smile. The blonde men however didn’t really think their challenge would be accepted; his expression turns cautious.

They get up from their seats and accompany Ilna outside. Jem tries to stop Ilna hurriedly as he continues to walk. He shouldn’t do something so reckless just for her sake. She’s had to deal with many customers like this and she’s been fine so far.

Ilna, displaying a calm and pleasant smile, merely continues to walk outside telling her that everything’s going to be just fine. Of course, she’s been physically fine but her dignity is slowly chipped away after every time she accedes to people like this.

The three men stand together outside. Jem stands behind Ilna, exasperated at his foolish behaviour and scared that he’s going to hurt himself. The two men in front of him are almost a head taller than Ilna. Jem is slightly shorter than Ilna with a more delicate figure.

“So, you two against me is fine then?”

“I-Ilna!? Stop acting so reckless!!”

The men look at Ilna with expressions of dim hatred and irritation at the fact that the woman is joining his side and trying to stop him from getting hurt.

“Whatever you want, geezer… maybe your attitude will straighten out once we break your back…”

The blonde haired man looks somewhat nervous unlike his friend. They should be careful, shouldn’t they? Older humans normally have lower mana and worse physical capabilities than when they were young but that’s not always the case, right?

Even if it is the case this time, this man might still be formidable and his brown haired friend might just be misjudging the situation.

“A-Are you sure, Wirn? Maybe… Maybe this guy isn’t just a poser? What if he’s--”

But, it’s too late.

Ilna raises his right hand and points his index finger.

“Birliu Trel: Arrow.”

He hits the man who was just referred to as Wirn with a small stream of lightning. Wirn feels his muscles tense up as he falls to the ground. His eyes remain open and twitch. He isn’t dead, his body is merely paralyzed.

Jem’s jaw drops. The blonde man feels scared. He runs. He leaves his friend twitching on the ground without even looking back.

However, as he leaves, lightning passes his face and hits the building in front of him. He freezes.

“Don’t move or the next one goes into your head.”

The man complies.

“Before you leave, take your friend with you. And maybe, think twice next time before disrespecting restaurant staff…”

“O-Ok!”

The blonde man lifts his friend Wirn to his feet in embarrassment at trying to escape without him and slowly walks away from the restaurant.

Ilna looks over at Jem who looks at him as if she has been shown a hero. This man is her hero.

~

Ilna and Jem continue talking through the night at the bar. There is nobody there except them right now. Jem looks at him with a look of respect and adoration.

She gives him a kiss on the cheek for his hard work with a slight blush appearing on her own cheeks. Ilna stands up and looks at her face. She doesn’t know what he’s about to say. He doesn’t say anything.

He lightly caresses her face with his right hand. He moves his face closer to hers and Jem feels nervous but excited for what’s about to happen. He gives her a kiss on her lips. A light peck.

Jem’s cheeks blush. She looks into his eyes. Then, she grabs his neck and gives him a deeper, more passionate kiss.

At 12:30 pm, Jem leaves the bar and locks its doors behind her. The cooks and owner already left an hour ago while Jem continued to entertain Ilna.

“Back to your place then, Ilna? If it’s… if you’re ok with it…”

“Very well.”

Ilna and Jem reach Ilna’s residence around 1 pm; the surrounding area is quiet except for the slight wind. It is cold outside but not as cold as might be expected from this season.

Ilna and Jem passionately kiss as they stand in front of the door to Ilna’s home. Ilna’s place is located in quite a wealthy area, not too far from the restaurant where Jem works.

Ilna feels Jem’s body in his hands, her large breasts, her firm ass; this… this will make him feel happier. Having the company of this young woman for the night will make things easier for him now.

Ilna takes out the key to his home from his pocket. He fumbles it a bit as he opens the door. Jem kisses his neck as he continues his rush to the bedroom.

He opens the door. His home has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and the two of them are currently in the living room which is connected to a kitchen with various amenities.

Of course, Ilna never learned to cook and eats at restaurants and bars most often but it’s nice to have it there. The kitchen is connected to a fireplace and a chimney, next to countertops with multiple utensils. There is also a fully operational magically powered sink with running water.

Each home in this city has running water which is distributed to even the slums through systems of magic.

The Federation at some point or other, decided that it was simpler and cheaper to install such amenities into walled cities like this rather than deal with the virulent spread of bacteria and disease.

The living room itself has a large sofa and cocktail table where Ilna normally eats his meals, the sofa facing a painting of Ilna’s family. A portrait of him as a young blonde haired child next to his mother, father and two younger brothers.

There is a bookshelf in the corner of the room with a lot of interesting reading materials. Ilna has perused them every so often since there’s nothing else for him to do while he isn’t working.

Of course, he lives here alone. He is unmarried but has children he’s never met before as well as those he’s merely abandoned out of a commitment to detachment and to his eventual goal of reuniting with Rurik the hero.

However, Jem doesn’t notice any of these details about Ilna’s place because her and Ilna’s eyes are closed as they continue to passionately--

“Whoa!”

A hand grabs the woman Jem from Ilna’s grasp and pulls her further into the living room. Another hand then pushes Ilna to the ground; he falls backwards, his eyes still closed.

“Finally, you came back… And you’ve brought a friend. How lovely.”

Ilna rises to his feet quickly at the sound of a woman’s voice. In the room where Ilna is currently in a state of sexual arousal, someone interrupted him. Whoever, they are, they’ll meet his--

“Well, Ilna, you haven’t been a good guy lately… I hope you weren’t about to rape this woman here?”

“Who the fuck are--”

Ilna lays eyes on the woman who just spoke once again. Quite a beautiful woman indeed, quite tall. He’s never seen this woman before. Her hair is beautiful as well, long and deep brown with reddish hues.

She’s wearing a black dress that hugs her curves. It looks to Ilna like the kind of outfit a prostitute might wear if they were attracting customers. The woman notices his

“L-Let go of me!”

“I’m sorry, miss. I can’t. You should have thought twice about coming here with him.”

Ilna looks past the face of the unfamiliar woman to Jem’s terrified voice and a voice that is all too familiar to him.

“It’s… It’s you…”

Ilna’s face pales.

Sitting on the couch and holding the woman Jem, his current lover, in his grasp is the young man who defeated him; the man named Ajax.