After tugging on his boots and tying the broad sword to his back, Brokon stomped toward the door, still in his rumpled pajamas.

"Marriene! I'm going to the guild now!" he called out.

From deeper inside the house, his wife's voice came back, confused.

"Honey? At this hour? Isn't it midnight?"

Brokon scowled, adjusting the sword strap. "That damn Lioness asked me for a favor."

A moment later, Marriene appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips and a patient smile on her face. "Honey… don't talk like that. He may be your cousin, but he's still our ruler. Wise and fair, too."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Brokon muttered, waving dismissively as he stepped outside into the cool night air.

While walking toward the guild.

"That damn Lioness…" Brokon grumbled as he trudged down the quiet street, knights trailing after him. "Keeps asking favor after favor. Last time, he ordered me to hire high-level adventurers just to fetch him some elf special fruit."

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"And because of that, the beautiful guild master from the Elven Kingdom gave me that look during our meeting with the other guild masters and deputies. Like it was my fault!"

The knights tried not to laugh, but one of them coughed into his hand to hide the smirk.

Brokon's scowl deepened. "I swear, if he weren't my cousin…" He trailed off, muttering under his breath.

"So what does he want this time?" Brokon muttered, already half-expecting trouble.

One of the knights stepped forward and gave him a sealed letter.

Brokon broke the seal, unrolled the parchment, and squinted at the words.

"…'Give me the last known location of the human adventurer named Hazuki.'" He snorted. "That's it? He wasted high-grade parchment for this?"

Stuffing the letter into his pocket, Brokon's thoughts turned bitter.

Why does he want to know the location of this human adventurer? Hazuki… B+ rank, the one who soloed the Macia Rift Gate incident. Even the guild master and deputy guild master of Macia spoke highly of him.

But from the report I read, this guy is grumpy, difficult to talk to, always muttering to the air. Some even say he's crazy. He earned himself a pile of bad nicknames.

Yet for a B+ rank adventurer to solo those monster hordes at the rift gate? Even an A+ rank adventurer party would have had a hard time dealing with it.

They arrive at the guild building.

Brokon shoved the heavy doors open with one hand and strode straight to the counter.

The sleepy receptionist nearly fell out of her chair, then quickly hid the drool on her cheek as she sat up straight.

"A–Ah! Guild Master!"

Brokon slammed the counter with the folded royal letter. "Give me the details on Hazuki and his last location."

The receptionist froze, her hands trembling. "B–But, Guild Master… you know the rules. It's private information. We're not allowed to disclose an adventurer's last location without authorization from someone higher up."

Brokon raised an eyebrow. "Higher up? And what am I then? A potato farmer?"

She flinched. "N–No, sir! I mean…"

He jabbed a finger at the letter. "Then read this. His Majesty King Lioness himself is demanding Hazuki's whereabouts. We don't have a choice. now go and look for his whereabouts and his last location."

"As you wish, Guild Master! I'll check right away!"

The receptionist hurriedly pressed her hand against the glowing crystal orb built into the counter. Lines of faint script shimmered across its surface as she muttered,

"Hazuki… Hazuki… Hazekaya Hazuki."

Her eyes scanned the flowing script. "Level… forty-one. Rank B+."

Brokon grunted. "Level forty-one? That human adventurer is level 41? Are you serious?"

The receptionist hesitated. "Um… the last time he officially had an appraisal and assessment was back in Macia Town. And that was before the rift incident. He hasn't been tested since."

Brokon scratched his beard. "…That long ago, huh? Then what about his current whereabouts?"

"Checking again, Guild Master…"

The crystal pulsed faintly, then her eyes widened in shock. "G–Guild Master…"

Brokon's gaze narrowed. "Hm? Out with it. What did you see?"

Her voice trembled as she read. "His last recorded quest… he took a special herb request that normally requires a full Rank A+ party and above. Alone. And… he's already submitted three of the seven herbs."

Brokon's eyes sharpened. "And his location?"

The receptionist swallowed hard. "Last confirmed in a small dwarven town… the first settlement past the border checkpoint between our kingdom and the Dwarven Kingdom."

Inside his mind.

Level 41? but able to clear those Rift Gate monsters alone. And now he's doing a rank A+ quest, perhaps even higher, with no full party.

Brokon wrote the details on a slip of parchment and handed it to the knight.

"There. Hazuki's last known location. Now go."

But the knight didn't move. He simply stood there, waiting.

Brokon frowned. "Hmm? What now?"

The knight exchanged a glance with his partner before producing another sealed letter. "Guild Master… there is a second request."

Brokon groaned, snatching it open with rough hands. His eyes scanned the short lines, then his jaw dropped.

"…You've got to be kidding me." He waved the letter in disbelief. "A special quest? Rewarded with ten gold coins? Not to be posted publicly, handed to only one party?"

He jabbed a finger at the paper. "And the request is just to confirm if there's a catgirl traveling with Hazuki!?"

The knights nodded stiffly.

Brokon slapped a hand over his face, groaning. "Are you serious right now!?"

Brokon slammed the letter back onto the counter. "Who the hell is this catgirl anyway!? Ten gold coins just for confirmation? Absurd! If the other parties catch wind of this, there'll be chaos over who gets the quest!" He jabbed the paper with his thick finger.

"Damn it… so who is she!?"

The two knights exchanged uneasy glances, then one leaned closer and whispered the truth into Brokon's ear.

Brokon froze, his eyes widening. "…What!? For real?"

The knight gave a solemn nod.

Brokon cursed under his breath, running a hand through his messy hair. "Damn…" He straightened and barked toward the counter.

"Fine! Put this special quest through. Contact the guild in that dwarven border town. Only one trusted party gets this job, no more, no less! And keep it quiet!"

"Yes, Guild Master!" The receptionist quickly pressed her hand to the communication crystal, her voice steady as she relayed the instructions across the network to the dwarven guild branch.

( End Of Chapter )

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