A few minutes later.

"So, tell me. What was exactly your wonderful plan? To be discovered as soon as you arrived in the city? I thought you had learned something from what happened with the Holy Trinity. You should be more cautious. You almost let mere humans finish you off."

"I was prepared for that to happen. I didn't think it through, I almost let the guilt overpower me. Thank you for preventing it." Hearing a sincere thank you from Noir was unexpected for Blazh. He refrained from scolding him further and accepted it. "I thought we could lay low in the southern district. Those people don't usually ask questions. What really worries me is that they were watching me all the time. The thugs knew my name and the crimes we committed... The Holy Trinity made it public? How did they know I was still alive?"

"Knowing that they watch every corner of the city, I'm not surprised. Maybe they were scared when they didn't find your body in the river. What really matters is getting back unnoticed and camouflaging your steps. You have someone under your charge now."

Noir left the Black Market behind and headed towards the northern district, the area of privileged men and women. He had abandoned his cloak and swords, for they were useless as they were covered in blood. As he reached the other side of the city, prominent buildings that blocked out any natural light rose up before him. Unlike the streets made up of mud, sand and stones of the southern district, the streets of the northern district were paved with granite stones. For every ten yards there was a street lamp, which the knights on patrol lit at night. Such luxuries, which for them were as normal as breathing, were not to be found in any other part of the city.

People wore expensive clothes of foreign fabrics made by the best master craftsmen in the country. Their refined lifestyle was reflected in their faces, in their smiles unconcerned with the problems that existed in that same city. The women wore voluminous dresses that hid their feet from view, striated hats adorned with feathers and flowers and wide necklines that attracted the eyes of young and not-so-young gentlemen. The men, on the other hand, showed a much more reserved character through their clothes, for their costumes featured only the contrast of black and white, and there were no particularly expensive ornaments on them. All jewellery and accessories, such as pearl necklaces or earrings with precious stones, were reserved for women.

Noir walked among the young lovers, the gold-plated carriages and the pure-bred Ivonian horses in search of the lost girl. Amidst all the luxury, his sombre appearance stood out too much. But the people were distracted by the freshly melted snow and the warmth they missed so much, they paid no attention to the murderer wandering their streets.

"How foolish... If the blizzards came back now they'd all freeze to death. It's going to be hard to find Iris, she can camouflage well among the rich people. Where should I look?"

"You can start by shouting her name."

"That's the stupidest idea you've had so far. I don't want to attract any more attention, I've already left enough corpses in the Black Market. Let's see..." He closed his eyes to better concentrate on his other senses, he wasn't bumping into people since, thanks to the sounds and vibrations of the environment, he could measure distances perfectly. He filled his lungs with air so as not to hear his own breathing. The strength of his heartbeat slowed down so as not to interrupt his search. "I can't make out sounds well, but I'm sure you can. Look for a female voice that sounds like Iris."

"Who's to say she's talking right now?"

"You have to try. It's either that or go up a building and watch the whole district."

"All right... Your ears aren't used to it yet, but it's good that you're doing this. Demon abilities aren't limited to combat, I'm glad you caught on quick." Blazh stopped talking to process every sound that reached his, or rather Noir's, ears. "I hear women laughing and singing a hundred yards to your right, but their voices are too mature to be Iris's. There's a park nearby, there are girls screaming. Too high-pitched. Umm..."

"Nothing?"

"I've got something, but you're not going to like it at all. There's a young girl talking to a man. She seems agitated. The man doesn't seem to be paying much attention to what she's saying. He has the voice of an idiot..."

"Very helpful, Blazh. Can you tell me what they're saying?"

"Oh, shit... Run! Three streets up and then turn left!" Blazh's shout put Noir's senses on alert, his legs began to move by inertia. He slipped through the crowd with the speed and agility of a cat moving between the legs of humans. He slowed his run so as not to draw attention to himself with his superhuman speed, but that didn't stop him from reaching his destination in a matter of a breath. "They're behind that tree, in the square! Iris is asking a knight for help! She's an idiot..."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Noir took advantage of the shadows provided by the large tree canopy in the square to hide his advance with them. The knight rested his back against the tree, making it impossible to grab him from behind. The best solution, he mused, was to overcome his reaction capacity.

"I'm not making anything up, really! Please, you must help my friend! A group of thugs have captured him in the southern district! That's your duty, to help the citizens!"

"Girl, no offence but I'm not going into that place. They'll kill me too! My priority are the citizens of the northern district, if your friend was walking around there it means that..." The knight saw out of the corner of his eye a fist come close to his face. But only that. Noir stepped out of the shadows and attacked him so quickly that the only thing the rookie would remember was an immense pain in his jaw. He staggered slightly before he hit the ground, his heavy armour making a shocking clatter as he hit the pavement.

"What the hell were you thinking, Iris? No one can help us!" Noir didn't give her time to answer. He grabbed her arm and they both fled the scene as people began to gather around the knocked out knight. The girl let a few tears fall at the sight of the young guard's fractured jaw. Someone had been hurt because of her. "I don't like to hurt people who don't deserve it, but you were reckless! If they find out what I did in the market I'm dead!"

"B-but I can't just leave him there... I have to heal his wounds!"

"Forget about him! Our lives come first! Don't you understand!? You can't help everyone!"

Near the adventurers' guild.

They both ran away from people's attention. Noir stopped in front of a large multi-storey establishment and, exhausted, caught his breath by resting his hands on his knees. Iris kept thinking about the man, about what her recklessness had caused. She felt that continuing to pursue her dream would be a big lie. Noir couldn't bear to see her in that trance of thought, so he grabbed her shoulders and bent his knees a little to be at her height and speak to her face to face.

"Iris, listen to me. You are not to blame for anything. All you wanted to do was help me, and I appreciate that. Don't beat yourself up about what happened to that man, I take full responsibility. I made a tough decision with everyone's best interests in mind. What's the man got to lose? A few weeks with a bandage on his face? But if anyone found out what happened in the market, everyone would come to kill me. If I die, there will be no one to protect you."

"But I don't understand... Why would anyone want to kill you? You only defended yourself..."

The question was a dead end, with no favourable answers unless the answer was a lie. Noir thought about what he should say so that Iris wouldn't know of his true nature and at the same time trust him. "Eleven years ago I saw a person important to me die for the same reason. Someone took the law into their own hands and ended the life of a drunkard. Yes, it was to defend a child, but the authorities didn't care about that. No one has the right to take a life just like that..."

"Funny to hear you say that."

Noir hung his head in shame. "The killer's partner was sentenced to death for helping him... She died and the killer escaped thanks to her. No one won that day. The killer lived with an inconsolable emptiness for years. The child felt another burden on his conscience, another death caused because of him."

"Mr. Noir..."

"I don't want anything like that to happen to you, Iris. I promised you'd be safe, I don't plan to fail your grandmother." His gaze drifted to the establishment behind them. A large sign hung by the entrance. "The official adventurer's guild... We've arrived unknowingly. How about we go inside? We've travelled a long way for this."

Iris nodded in elation. Noir wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and guided her into the guild. Before entering, though, he stopped and reached into his pockets for a gift he had saved for the girl.

"Wait, I want to give you something before we go in. I'm... I'm sorry for what I said to you in the valley. I didn't mean to insult your good intentions in that way. It was hard for me to understand a heart as kind as yours." From a pocket he pulled out a flower that had miraculously survived the fighting. A daisy with pure white petals like Iris's heart and a radiant yellow core like her golden hair. "It reminded a lot of you. My father used to tell me that it symbolises goodness and innocence. Suitable for you."

"It's... It's beautiful." Iris picked up the flower kindly and arranged it in her hair to use it as an ornament. She took a small hop backwards to pose with her left hand on her waist, her right hand showing her index and middle fingers near her cheek and the tip of her left foot against the ground, her leg turned slightly inwards. "How does it look on me, Mr. Noir?"

"Great... Like a ring on a finger."

Iris was glad to hear his compliment. Now that they had regained a bit of happiness they set out to enter the guild. Noir slowly pushed open the doors, Iris slipped under his arm. The bustle soon reached their ears. The thick doors of the adventurers' headquarters concealed all sorts of activities. On either side of the large main hall were three long tables where adventurers gathered to rest and talk about contracts made over hearty plates of pork or lamb and overflowing jugs of mead.

A carpet decorated with illustrations of fallen legends greeted them at the entrance. It extended to the stairs, with the form of two opposing semicircles, that lead to the second floor, which divided the reception table in two. On the walls hung dozens of shields, swords, spears, bows and other extremely hard-to-find weapons. The guild waitresses hurried from the kitchen to the tables and from the tables to the kitchen, their hands busy with so many trays and jugs that they carried barely with two fingers. The receptionists, for a change, were dealing with multiple jobs at once, having to seal contracts, hand out rewards, provide equipment and file documents.

Iris loved seeing how things worked within the guild, such dedication to making the world a better place filled her with inspiration. Noir knew it was of little use, though, for these adventurers were not cleaning up the real problem that plagued all the realms: the corrupted humans. They were only hunting monsters in the truest sense of the word. The young man covered his face more with his hood as he saw the stares fall on the two of them. Iris waved to everyone and smiled, not realising that these people were just as dangerous to Noir as a knight of the king, if not more so.

The older adventurers stopped laughing and drinking to stare at the strange fellow who had arrived at the place. Wizards, conjurers, hunters, archers, paladins, healers, spearmen... All turned their attention to Noir. Under the tables they were preparing their weapons for whatever might happen. Noir's ears picked up the whisper of the warlocks channelling their most lethal spells. Soon the stifling smell of danger put everyone, including the novices, on alert.

"I guess they're suspicious of anyone who hides their identity. They must be eager to collect that bounty on me."

"Be careful, I can see some really powerful people here. Those conjurers are the ones I worry about the most... Underneath their serene attitude I sense a great destructive power."

"There can be no disputes in here. We are safe for the moment. The trouble will come when I set foot outside."

"And why did you come here if it's so risky? Is it so important to register the brat?"

"It's not just that... Watch."

They arrived at the reception, where strangely no one was anymore. Iris gawked at the countless papers pinned with knives on the mission boards. Behind the reception desk she could see boxes and boxes of different coloured potions, as well as equipment for the more inexperienced adventurers.

"Iris, we are now going to register you as an adventurer and found our new guild. What name would you like to give it? Oh, you also have to choose the basic equipment. We're lucky that in this kingdom it's free." Noir informed.

"M-must I be the one to choose? Well... How about 'Servants of Humanity'?"

Blazh burst out laughing inside Noir's head. Iris was lucky she could not hear him. The boy rapped his knuckles on his own head in an attempt to get the god to shut his mouth. "That's the best joke I've ever heard! Seriously now, don't even think of naming it that. I'd rather serve stray dogs."

"You're too cruel to her."

The doors to the employee-only area opened and a pair of receptionists stepped out. The first went to the display cases that stored the magical items to take out a couple of articles, while the second took a seat and readied her quill to attend to the youngsters.

"Sorry for the delay, we're short-staffed. How can I help you?" The receptionist, who was dressed in a tight blue outfit that highlighted her curves but made it difficult to breathe, looked up at Iris. They both shared very similar features, blonde hair and blue eyes. The woman looked a little taken aback to find a younger version of herself, but that cheered her up a little. "Oh my, for a moment I thought you were my little sister. Is this your first time here? Are you here to register as an adventurer?"

Iris was petrified because of her shyness, so Noir answered instead. "Yes, we're here for that. Her name is Iris Spring. Her specialty is healing magic. Oh, I'd like to affiliate her with my guild as well."

"Alright..." The quill moved nimbly over the paper. The woman dipped the tip of the quill into the ink a couple of times. Iris peeked a little to see, liking the movement of the feather and the sound the quill made as she wrote. "I need a few more pieces of information to complete her file. I also need the guild name, purpose and other affiliated members. Age?"

"Seventeen years old."

"She must always be accompanied by another member of the guild. Place of birth?"

"Laffrith."

"Ha! I'm glad Laffrithians choose our guild over Strafnir's. Guild name?"

"Um..." Iris looked at him at that point, thrilled that her proposal was accepted. But as much as it pained him, Noir wasn't convinced either. "I actually haven't found it yet. I heard it takes ten gold coins. I can pay for it, no problem. It's just me and her for now. The purpose would be to hunt monsters and do humanitarian aid work. The name would be..."

"The Heirs."

"Shut up."

Noir really struggled to think of a name. The ideas wouldn't come no matter how much he rubbed his chin and scratched his head. Iris waved her hands, anxious for him to finally say 'Servants of Humanity'. The receptionist got tired of waiting and rose from her chair.

"I know it's a big job to think of a name. The girl is already registered, she can go and choose her equipment. Two of our ladies will accompany her to get changed. Do you agree?"

Iris shook her head almost at the speed of a turtle, she didn't want to be separated from Noir. But the boy didn't understand her gesture and nodded without seeing any downside to it. "It's all right, you'll be fine. Pick something you like. I'll wait here."

"Settled, then. Phalia, Arastroya! Help this kind girl pick out some equipment!" Two girls not much older than Iris appeared from the kitchen running with a nice piece of bread in their mouths. "What have I told you about eating during working hours!? Agh... Anyway. I'd just be missing your name and the guild's name, sir. Are you registered yet?"

"Uh, well, it's a long story... Heather."

Iris was no longer with them, so Noir uncovered his face a little so the woman could see him. The receptionist's eyes widened as far as they could go. She took off her glasses with trembling hands and took a second look at the demon to make sure it wasn't a mirage she was witnessing.

"Are you... Noir Dayfall?" she surred before swallowing saliva and calming her rapid breathing. Dayfall remained motionless.

"Yes... Wolf and the others told me about you. I guess you heard about what happened at the sawmill. Of course you did, everyone knows about it... That mission was our undoing. I was almost killed, I still don't know how I survived." Noir looked very subtly at the adventurers at the tables, who still hadn't taken their eyes off him. "It seems the Holy Trinity have gone public with what happened. There's a hefty price on our heads. Have you heard from Wolf and the others?"

"No, I've only spoken to Jane once a few days ago. She was very scared. I don't know anything about the others. Phew, I'm relieved to know you're alive... I thought I was the only one still alive." Heather put down the quill and covered her face with her hands. A deep sigh followed. "Relax, I'm not going to rat you out or anything like that. I have as much to lose as you do. I've already requested a transfer to a guild in another kingdom, this is my last day. If I stay nothing assures me that they won't come after me too."

"I understand. Good decision." The boy tapped the table with four fingers of his right hand before continuing to speak. "I know you want to get out of here as soon as possible, but I need a favour. I need to register that guild at all costs. My name can't appear anywhere, understand? I want you to use a fake one and not register any names for the guild yet. Besides... Those adventurers over there won't take their eyes off me. Give me a hug when I leave so they think I'm an old friend of yours."

"Uh, sure, no problem... But what are you going to do next? When I'm gone you'll be unprotected."

"I don't know, I still have to think about it. For now I'll go to Recon's hideout, maybe Jane will still be there. I have to... clear up a few things about what happened."

"Talk? Your tone doesn't sound like someone who wants to talk things over peacefully..."

"I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but fine. The last time I spoke to her she told me that everything had fallen apart and that I had to get out of Trinity as soon as possible. She didn't give me any more details. I've never seen her so desperate. Did something happen to Wolf or Cerberus?"

"Wolf was very sick the last time I saw him, maybe..."

"He was faking it, or at least he was when he went for shelter. Don't be naive."

Noir frowned and clenched his fist. Remembering that traitor's relieved face as he slowly died made his blood boil. But if it was true that he was still in the Recon guild it would be his chance to settle the score. "Well... Heather, I'm going to the brothel. Can you watch Iris for a few hours?"

"Noir, you're going overboard with the favours... Ugh, okay, she can stay. We have a meeting room on the second floor that never gets used. She'll be comfortable. Can you tell something to Wolf for me if you see him? Tell him I... I love him."

"Oh, it turns out the freak in the mask knows how to win women's hearts. But it's too late to humanize him."

"Sure... I'll tell him."