They began to run towards us...

...

The beastwoman glared at the guard.

The guard lowered his head and stuttered with a frightened expression, "F-Forgive me, agent."

The redhead beastwoman's robes were full of artistic rose drawings around the edges.

She spoke with a serious tone, "Why is no one here? No night shift?"

The guard was stunned. He hesitated before replying, "My apolog-"

"Are they slacking off!? This is a divine artifact!" before he could apologize, she interrupted him with an irritated look and shouted.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard through the door that led to the corridor outside the room.

Robed people entered the room. When they saw the beastwoman, they immediately greeted her.

"G-Good evening, agent!"

"A blessed night to you, agent!"

"Forgive us, agent!"

The beastwoman stared at them. Suddenly, her eyes glowed red.

All the royal battlemages in front of her fell to the ground. As if something was pulling them from below, they couldn't get up no matter how much they struggled.

Gravity attribute.

She spoke loudly, "The concept of night shift means you are supposed to be working at night! What were you slackers doing!?"

One of the royal battlemages answered with an irritated tone, "W-We were on break! We would go back to work once we were done! Unlike you savages who never seem to tire, we need a break!"

Hearing the reply, the other royal battlemages suddenly closed their eyes with an expression that heavily implied their colleague had just made a huge mistake.

The beastwoman glared at the person who answered.

Then, her frown suddenly changed into a devious grin, "A break, huh? Well, if you want a break so much, have at it." she shrugged.

Everyone then looked at the person with a worried expression.

The person looked around, then suddenly had a look of realization before their eyes grew moist as they began to beg the beastwoman, "No! Please have mercy! It was a slip of the tongue!"

Then, the sounds of something crunching could be heard, with multiple cracking sounds filling the room.

"AHH-" the person had their cry interrupted as their head was suddenly pulled by a strong gravitational force towards the ground, hitting the floor with their mouth.

They were still conscious since their muffled screams could still be heard as their body contorted on the floor.

The other royal battlemages turned to look away, not making a sound as if afraid they would be next if they irritated the beastwoman.

The agent looked at the person contorting on the ground with an angry smile.

Then, the screams and crunching sounds stopped. The person was unconscious.

The guard kept his head down the whole time, trying to not attract her attention.

To his disappointment, however, she spoke as she pointed at him, "You, guard, send that person to a clinic. The rest of you, begin working immediately unless you wish to face the same fate as your colleague."

She pulled her hood back up and left the room.

They looked at the unconscious royal battlemage on the ground.

Everyone had frightened expressions, knowing that could be them if they irritated an agent of the Roses.

Meanwhile, the beastwoman walked down the magic tower's stairs.

She muttered, "I should just have showed them the might of that 'divine artifact' they have. Would put them all out of their misery. But boss lady would hunt me down in the afterlife if I did."

She chuckled as she left the magic tower.

...

In the morning, back at the academy's arena.

Grant told Erik, "Today, I'll be taking you to my friend so we can get your new documents. We'll be enrolling you as soon as possible so you can begin taking classes tomorrow."

Erik had an inquisitive look on his face when he asked, "You mentioned your friend will be adopting me. Will I keep my surname?"

Grant replied with a smile, "Of course. My friend is, how do I explain this, someone whose line of work involves staying hidden, so having many identities helps."

Erik then asked, "So your friend will make a new identity for me?"

Grant answered while having a bitter look on his face, "Both of you, since it'll be parent and son. But are you alright? You'll be having a new parent, after all."

Erik thought for a while as he looked at the ground.

Then, the boy replied, "It's just so I can stay in the academy. I'll be living here, not with your friend, so we won't be seeing each other much. Right?"

Grant replied with a nod, "Indeed, my friend is often busy."

Then, Erik replied with a smile, "Then it's fine! It'll be just like a job, then. Not a real family."

The professor replied with a smirk, "Yeah. Not a real family, I guess. My friend doesn't have the time to be babysitting a brat."

Erik took a few seconds to process Grant's words, then spoke loudly with an irritated expression, "Hey! I'm not a brat! And I don't need anyone babysitting me!"

The boy summoned his gauntlet.

Grant laughed when he saw it, "Hahaha! I'm just kidding!"

Then, the professor shot a bullet made of air at the boy, who proceeded to block it and then rush towards Grant.

The two began their morning training.

...

At the Capital district.

A hawk landed on the edge of a tall building.

The predatory bird muttered, "This place looks wider now that I stopped to look at it."

Suddenly, the hawk turned into a large, muscular man wearing skintight shorts.

Chameleon.

He sat at the edge of the building as he gazed at the citizens and vehicles going around on the streets.

Gabriel looked around, taking in the whole scene.

He frowned, muttering, "Carla would definitely be hiding here. She was always drawn to these kinds of places."

The monster stood up. Turning around, he hopped back on top of the building's roof.

He had a thinking look on his face. Then, he suddenly showed a look of realization, before turning back into a hawk again and flying away.

After travelling in the air for a while, he soon arrived in front of a shopping mall.

The hawk entered the building. One of the hooded guards saw it and thought about going after the bird, but then gave up on the idea.

The predatory bird flew around. Many people walking around the shop could see the bird flying around.

Some even took their recording crystals and began to film it.

Soon, the bird landed on top of a coffee shop that served passing customers.

The hawk gazed in the direction of a bathroom that had an 'Employee Only' sign.

Many people who were sat around the coffee shop began to take out their recording crystals in order to film the majestic bird.

After staying there for a while, more and more people had arrived to take a look at the bird.

Then, the bird's eyes squinted once it saw a hooded guard entering the toilet. It flew, zooming towards it and entering before the door closed.

The guard hadn't noticed the bird had entered together with him. After doing his business, the guard went to wash his hands.

However, after having finished washing his hands and looking at the mirror, he saw the scene behind him.

A man wearing only skintight shorts had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Before the guard could do anything, Gabriel clamped his mouth shut with his hands and dropped to the ground, taking the guard together with him using his body weight.

The guard could barely struggle before Gabriel's head turned into a tiger's and chomped on his throat.

After devouring the guard whole while leaving only his clothes intact, Gabriel wore them.

The monster hid his face with the guard uniform's hood and left the bathroom.

Opening the door, he saw many people waiting at the entrance with their recording crystals out.

Once Gabriel shut the door and they noticed the hawk hadn't come out, they showed sullen expressions on their faces.

Gabriel walked calmly around the shopping mall, climbing the stairs to the upper floors.

After a while, he arrived in front of an artifact shop.

The monster entered and the bells hanging above the door made a sound, alerting the shopkeeper that a customer had come.

The blonde woman by the counter looked up from her task and towards the customer, but one of her eyebrows raised once she saw it was a guard.

Gabriel approached her. He saw that his arrival had distracted her from continuing to fiddle with a wristwatch.

He asked with a smile, "A wristwatch. You were always fascinated by those. Have they been treating you right in the Human Empire?"

The woman's eyes widened. Her pointy ears trembled and her eyes moistened as her cheeks turned slightly red.

Gabriel knows the hermit?

The woman had a smile as she walked around the counter in order to reach Gabriel.

Gabriel spread his arms.

The woman spoke with a happy tone, "Chameleon!"

She hugged him tightly while laughing.

Gabriel chuckled as he patted her hair, "Did you miss me, Lily? Wow, you've grown so much since the last time I saw you! I still remember when you used to pat my legs asking for a story. You were so tiny back then."

Lily, the elven hermit 'rescued' by the Human Empire from a dragon decades ago.

She kept laughing as they separated from their hug, then said with a smile, "And you... You haven't changed at all! How many years has it been?"

Gabriel replied with a chuckle, "I stopped counting long ago. By the way..."

He hesitated, before saying with a sympathetic expression, "I heard about your husband. Sorry for your loss."

Her smile crumbled, replaced by a woeful expression.

She lowered her head and spoke with an angry tone, "I was too late. By the time I had returned from the garden, they had killed him! Then they knocked me unconscious and, after I woke up, I found out they said I was rescued!?"

She then began to sob with an angry look, "Whenever I remembered what they did, they would then brainwash me again into forgetting! Then they forced me to make artifacts for them!"

The elf glared at Gabriel, asking loudly, "Where were you? Where were all of you!? You could have saved him! You could have saved me!"

Gabriel had a gloomy expression as he explained, "They were hunting us. We were fighting back against armies of magic users. Humans and beastmen. We only found out what happened to you much later. I'm really sorry."

After she finished listening to him, she asked with a sad look, "So it was true? They killed everyone?"

Gabriel replied, "Almost everyone. The monsters that survived are still hidden since they would be killed on the spot if caught. As for the elves, I heard many of them were given land to live on within the Human Empire, but those that refused to pledge allegiance to the human emperor were executed."

She nodded as she sobbed, "Yeah. They're forcing my kin to produce artificial magic crystals for them."

Then, she looked at him with an apologetic expression, "Sorry. I didn't know it has been hard on you too."

Gabriel replied with a weak smile, "It's fine. We all suffered back then."

Then, he probed her with a question, "That's why we need Vanity back, right? Then, monsters and elves will both be able to roam free again, without being oppressed."

As if her mood had suddenly improved, she nodded with a smile, not noticing anything weird with his tone, "Exactly! As a matter of fact, I've been making something for Carla and I'm almost done. Come see!" she invited him further inside the shop.

Gabriel followed her inside. They soon reached a heavy door.

He witnessed the elf unlocking around a dozen magical locks. Then, the door finally opened.

The woman walked with fast steps towards a table. Gabriel approached it.

After fiddling with the objects on top of the table, she grabbed a spherical object and showed it to the monster man.

She spoke excitedly, "This is the new weapon I made! It's brought by my advances in magic absorption technology. Hold it!"

Gabriel picked it up. He looked at it.

It was golden with many patterns drawn around it. It had a button.

Lily spoke with a devious expression, "As soon as you press that button, it will explode! I mean, it won't harm anyone. However..."

She paused for dramatic tension.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, playing along with her, "However?"

She spread her arms with a wide grin, "Boom! Everyone around the explosion radius will suddenly find themselves unable to use magic!"

The elf quickly continued after pointing a finger to the ceiling, "Also! Every magical artifact, barrier and ongoing spells will immediately stop! We can use it to stop monster alarms and barriers, allowing you to enter any place unhindered!"

Gabriel's eyebrows raised, turning to look at the bomb in his hand with a bewildered expression.

Gods' mightiest champion...

Lily spoke with an unsatisfied look, "But it's only temporary. I only managed to get it to block all magic for an hour. But I'll keep improving it."

Then, she grinned, asking Gabriel, "Want to test it? Like I said, it won't harm anybody around it."

Gabriel asked, "Can I really do it? How will I know if it worked, though?"

She heard his question and realized the problem, saying, "Oh! You're right. Let's see..."

Looking around the table, Lily picked up a flute.

She told him, "This is a failed prototype of mine, but it's still a magical artifact. Press that button after I play the flute."

Gabriel nodded.

Then, the elf blew into the flute, but instead of sound, fire came out of the flute's holes.

Before the fire could reach him, Gabriel pressed the-

...

Late morning, at a hotel in Maroon District.

My eyes opened. I was in my bed.

I looked at the other side of the room.

Olaf was still sleeping soundly in his own bed.

Sight Voyage.

Nothing happened.

What? Wait...

I got up and left the room in a hurry.

Walking around the corridor, I managed to find the bathroom.

Entering it and closing the door behind me, I looked around. There was no one else inside.

I approached the sink and soon saw my face in the mirror.

I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands to take in some water, then washed my face with it.

Turning it off, I tried again.

Sight Voyage.

Still nothing. I turned on the faucet again.

Wind Blade.

Nothing. The water coming out from it was unperturbed.

This is dangerous.

I turned it off and went back to my room. Approaching the window, I drew the curtains and observed the streets.

It wasn't a beautiful view. The streets and buildings looked neglected.

I closed it and went back to my bed.

I lied and began to count the time.

Almost an hour later, I tried again.

Sight Voyage.

I could see myself from above, lying in my bed.

From the time it took me to wake up until now, it was definitely around an hour.

The hermit was dangerous. With that invention, every magic user would be helpless against a monster.

Maybe the warriors from the Frontlines could still pose a threat to them-

No, monsters have ridiculous abilities. It's no wonder humans and beastmen felt threatened and tried to bring them to extinction.

Knowing how dangerous it would be to keep an eye on Gabriel while he's around the hermit, I decided to check on Erik.

Artificial Sloth. Sight Voyage.

...

At the Capital district.

Grant and Erik entered a restaurant. They approached a table.

There was already someone sitting at the table. It was a redhead woman.

Her hair was medium and smooth.

However, if you could see through her outfit, you would notice she was hiding a tail.

Also, the freckles on her face were hidden by makeup.

Grant sat at the table, greeting the beastwoman, who posed as human, with a smile, "Good morning, uh..."

"Lana. I received your message." the woman replied, before she began to take out documents from her bag.

Erik sat at the table, greeting her, "Hi! I'm Erik."

She replied with a smile, "Hi, 'son'. Here, this is your identity card." she handed him a card.

He took it and thanked her, "Thank you!"

The boy read the contents of the identity card in his hands, "Erik Shepard... So that means you're Lana Shepard?"

The woman replied, "Exactly. I already sent a letter to the academy and should be receiving an answer today about your enrollment."

Grant told her with a thankful expression, "Thank you. I mean it, 'ms. Shepard'."

Lana spoke with a knowing smile, "You're welcome, 'professor Grant'."

She pointed at the documents, saying, "Everything 'my son' needs is there. Once I receive his letter of acceptance, I'll send you a message."

The professor picked up the documents and stored them in his suitcase.

Erik asked him, "So, we just wait now?"

Grant replied, "Yup. Meanwhile, we'll go back to training."

He turned to look at Lana, "Once again, thank you. By the way, I received a notice from 'the superiors' that all 'employees' are supposed to stay away from 'the workplace'. Does that mean I need to move?"

Lana replied, "Nah, don't worry about it. Boss lady is in control of the situation. Nothing bad will happpen as long as 'the kids' behave."

Grant squinted his eyes as he stared at her.

Erik asked with a quizzical look, "What are you two talking about?"

The professor looked back at him and smiled, "Nothing, we were just talking about work."

Erik decided to change the subject, "Oh. Hey, since we're in a restaurant, could we eat something? I'm tired of eating school lunch all the time."

The professor replied with a chuckle, "Haha! Sure! Let's go grab a plate. It's fine to eat something nice once in a while."

Lana stood up while hanging her bag around her shoulder, "I'll be leaving then. You two take care."

Erik replied with a smile, "Bye!"

Grant also stood up and offered her a handshake. As they shook hands, he spoke, "Thanks again. I'll owe you one."

Lana replied with a smile, "Anytime."

She left. Then, the professor and his student went to grab a plate each.

Erik filled it with all sorts of fried food. Grant went for a lighter meal.

...

"Wake up, Sloth."

Olaf spoke as he shook me. He had woken up.

"Let's go." he spoke once he saw I opened my eyes, leaving the room right after.

It was noon.

Once I left the room, I almost bumped into Olaf, who stood still in front of the door.

I was about to ask him what's wrong when I saw.

There were people walking mindlessly around the corridors. The doors to their rooms were open.

Olaf asked them loudly, "Hey! What's wrong with you people?"

They all simultaneously turned their faces towards us.

They were glaring at Olaf.

"RAAAH!" one of them screamed at us.

Olaf was stunned, not understanding what was going on.

I tried to feel their mind waves with my Mind attribute.

They were weird.

They began to run towards us...