"Many had tried to gauge the combat capabilities possessed by the figure known only as The Bounty Hunter. No reports existed from those who had fought the figure in combat, for they left no survivors behind when they fought, and in their list of bounties claimed many a high noble, with even three kings amongst them, which suggested a very high level of combat prowess. Of important note was that The Bounty Hunter was no assassin. They would come in broad daylight and announce to their target that they had come for them, and began their hunt right then and there.

What witnesses claimed and autopsies of The Bounty Hunter's victims confirmed however, was the figure's affinity. The Bounty Hunter is almost certainly a mage of the Void affinity, of unknown major as they had shown techniques associated with both majors before, and very likely of high caliber. If such an individual happened to be an unliving as well… then it would be no misnomer to consider The Bounty Hunter as one of the deadliest personages to have ever walked this world." - Elyodna Nocruhtra, researcher of history at the Levain Institute of Higher Learning.

"What business might that be?" Cal asked with some trepidation. If it was just a threat to herself, she would not have worried too much. At worst she'd just meet her end. But with her nieces behind her, she couldn't help but worry for their sakes.

"These are still valid, yes?" Asked The Bounty Hunter as they tossed a rolled scroll of parchment to Cal.

Cal opened it and recognized it as the list of bounties Al-Shan had set on the usurper's escaping cronies after they won the war, six names and pictures, two of which she knew to be dead now. She still breathed a sigh of relief as she now had an inkling of the "business" The Bounty Hunter had in mind.

"They are valid, though I would update this a little bit," she replied, which earned a quirked eyebrow and a look that told her to go on. She pointed at the pictures of Han Wen-Fu and Abdul Aziz before she continued her words. "These two have been accounted for, so they can be crossed off the list, while the bounties for the other four have each been raised by half again recently."

"Oh, unexpected," said The Bounty Hunter. The neutral, magically altered voice betrayed no emotions whatsoever. "But good tidings nonetheless."

"I would like to collect the bounties on these," said the masked figure as they dropped three human heads right at Cal's feet. Some onlookers screamed in fright, while a couple guards who happened to be in the vicinity seemed to be familiar with such a scene and thus didn't react much, and calmed the masses instead.

For her part Cal knelt down and inspected the heads. The bounty they set had indeed possesed a clause that allowed claimants to either report via the guild to the empire - which would have meant a month of waiting, minimum - or to claim it from any Al-Shan official they ran across. Cal had agreed to help out as well should someone come to claim the bounty back then before she left, so she diligently checked the proof before her.

"Ahmed bin Sadiq, Cao Wu-Meng, and Wenxiang Hu, I have confirmed their deaths," she said after the inspection. She then tossed a pouch of coins at The Bounty Hunter which the figure caught with a gloved hand. "Nine platinum coins each, so that is a total of twenty-seven. Feel free to check the amount."

"No need," said the masked figure as Cal felt the dreadful aura relax. Her nieces breathed easier behind her back, and Elaina gulped at the implications of what she felt just from the aura this stranger passively emanated. "Aideen put in a good word for you, so I trust you're neither stingy nor foolish enough to skimp out on payment. Farewell."

With those words, the masked figure turned around and walked away, and soon disappeared from sight. Cal collected the heads and stored them after the figure left, and gave a relieved sigh.

"Who… or what was that?" Asked Sidonie in a timid voice. The Bounty Hunter's menacing aura was quite a shock to the girls, who were quite sensitive to them after the months they spent on the ship, with four old monsters to help them train their sensitivity.

"That, was The Bounty Hunter," Cal replied. "And I'm pretty certain that's the one they told stories of, not an impostor trying to borrow the name. And before you ask, no. I don't think I would have survived a fight against them."

"How? Are they that powerful?" Asked Elaina upon hearing Cal's words in surprise.

"It is all a matter of compatibility, girls," Cal explained patiently. She brought out one of the heads from The Bounty Hunter and showed the girls the too-smooth cut on the neck. "Take a look at this. No matter how sharp a weapon you have, it is impossible to have a cut this smooth and clean, unless your cutting edge is the void itself."

"So… they are a void mage?" Asked Sidonie, still with some trepidation.

"Likely one as strong as I am as a mage, yes," said Cal as she nodded. "If not stronger. And a void mage of that caliber… is probably one enemy I have little chance against."

Both her nieces looked down as they digested that information. The girls had idolized their mother before, then transferred that idolization to their new aunt after they watched her fight and kill an opponent stronger than their mother. Her words just now were quite… sobering for them.

Cal felt it was better to shatter wishful thinking and illusions early on, lest the world caught one unprepared, for lessons taught by the world were often far costlier to learn.

She herself had learned many lessons the hard way, and the main - and to be honest, only - reason she survived to tell the tale was due to her constitution as a blood mage. Her nieces on the other hand, did not have that luxury of a buffer.

"There is always another sky above the sky, kids. I have lost before, I'm not some invincible hero from a fairy tale," consoled Cal with a smile. "I'm afraid real life is not that nice, but if you're interested I'll introduce you to someone who can trounce me as easily as I can trounce you this winter."