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Rylander gave his report methodically, his voice steady despite the restless energy coiling beneath his ribs. Through the small golden communication earring, he heard his master gasp loudly—so loudly, in fact, that Rylander pulled the earring slightly away from his ear.
« "…What in the—Silveria Empire?! How the hell did you manage to enter THERE without being exposed?!" »
Rylander sighed, long and exhausted.
Ah yes. The predictable first question.
Of course he panicked. Who wouldn't? Silveria Empire isn't some peaceful marketplace you stroll into unannounced.
Even now, Rylander still felt a faint pressure gnawing at his nerves at the thought of where he stood. Silveria was dangerous—politically, militarily, socially. A place where one wrong move could mean his cover exploding like shattered glass.
"I told you," Rylander repeated, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm in disguise. I registered as an adventurer in a small neighboring kingdom before I got here. Perfectly normal, perfectly legal. No one questioned it."
He didn't let his master respond—he knew if he paused, he'd be interrupted with more yelling.
"And guess what else happened today?" he added, leaning against the wall.
He imagined his master's eyebrows twitching.
« "…What now?" »
Rylander smirked internally.
Oh, he's absolutely unprepared for this one.
"I had an unexpected encounter at the Adventurers Guild today—" He paused dramatically.
"—with Scarlette Overland."
The line went dead silent.
Completely, deathly silent.
Rylander could almost see his master's soul leaving his body in shock.
"And," he continued casually,
"she chose me as her companion for her job mission."
The silence cracked.
« "…W‑wait—WAIT JUST A DAMN MINUTE! Are you telling me you met THE Scarlette Overland?! The SSS‑Rank adventurer?!" »
There it was. The scream of disbelief he'd been expecting.
Rylander rolled his eyes affectionately.
Honestly… this man worships Scarlette more than half the Empire.
He's going to combust if I describe her in detail.
"Yes," Rylander said, unable to hold back a small chuckle. "The real Scarlette Overland. Crimson hair, mismatched eyes, veil covering her face, chilling aura… everything exactly as the rumors claim."
He paused, memories flickering back with startling clarity.
The weight of Scarlette's presence.
The pressure she carried effortlessly.
The quiet, powerful danger hidden in her stillness.
She had looked at him once—just once—yet it felt like she'd pinned his soul in place.
"…And I approached her without knowing who she was," Rylander admitted.
« "YOU WHAT—?!" »
His master's outrage was so violent that Rylander had to shift the earring away again.
Yeah… maybe approaching the strongest adventurer alive without thinking wasn't my wisest moment.
But there was no taking it back now.
"Well, she didn't kill me," he said dryly. "That's a good sign."
His master clicked his tongue.
« "Scarlette Overland isn't SSS‑Rank for nothing… even we don't know her true strength." »
"I know," Rylander murmured.
Everyone knows.
He sighed again—today had been overwhelming in ways he couldn't fully articulate.
"I need to prepare for tomorrow morning," Rylander continued. "We're setting out early."
His master snorted loudly.
Rylander scoffed.
Ah great. He's sulking.
« "Lucky bastard. I always thought she hated taking companions. But now she takes YOU? An OUTLANDER?!" »
Rylander winced.
He understood where that incredulous tone came from.
He had asked himself that question at least fifty times already.
Why me? Why an outsider? What did she see? What does she want?
He shook his head.
"I know it's strange. I still can't figure it out."
Rylander's master grumbled, irritated and… jealous? Definitely jealous.
« "Just be careful. Scarlette Overland might have a positive reputation, but she's still a mystery. Don't let your guard down." »
Rylander rolled his eyes, though his heart warmed slightly.
He knew his master cared. Too much, sometimes.
"Don't treat me like a child," he muttered back. "I know what I'm doing. I won't let anything happen."
« "I'm telling you this because I'm worried, idiot!" »
Rylander paused.
The concern in the voice—buried underneath the insults—was real.
He swallowed down a sound that might've been a laugh or a sigh.
His master continued more quietly:
« "Even we nobles… even the royal families of other lands want her favor. Her strength is acknowledged everywhere. But you—Rylander—you don't know her origin. No one does." »
The way he said it…
it wasn't a warning.
It was a plea.
And Rylander felt a heaviness settle inside his chest.
He shook it off quickly.
Time to redirect.
"Young Master," Rylander said, straightening his tone, "about the task you assigned me… I found no direct trace."
His master tensed audibly.
Rylander inhaled deeply.
"But… I found a clue."
The air between them shifted.
« "…Go on." »
Rylander rubbed his thumb over the earring, his brows drawn together.
'I shouldn't raise his hopes… not yet.'
"The person you're looking for," Rylander said carefully, "might be in Silveria Empire."
Silence.
But not empty silence.
A silence filled with years of longing, grief, and the ache of searching.
Rylander sighed weakly.
"Let me investigate this first," he continued. "I want to be sure before I say anything definite."
His master released a breath—longer, heavier than before.
« "…Fine. But hurry. If someone else finds a lead, it'll become troublesome." »
And then, the venom returned to his voice.
« "Especially if that psycho bastard learns of it. I don't want him anywhere near this. The Regent Crown Prince is keeping him at bay, and it's a good thing that we had his cooperation for this." »
Rylander hummed in agreement; "Of course, the Regent Crown Prince will do anything to keep this matter a secret from everyone. Aside from us, he also cherished [that person] very much."
« …. "How the Regent Crown Prince wouldn't? After all, —" …. »
Rylander cut him off before it could spiral into something that he couldn't prevent and since he wasn't on his master's side then, it could be dangerous.
"STOP what you're thinking right now, Young Master! It's not just you and the Regent Crown Prince who yearned for [that person], even me. I failed that time and I swear I'll do anything in my power to find [that person]."
After Rylander said those words, another thought came to resurface.
Rylander flinched at the mention of that psycho man.
Not in fear—but in fury.
His expression darkened.
'Just thinking about that bastard makes my blood boil…'
He knew exactly who his master was referring to.
A man who embodied trouble.
Ambition.
Cruelty.
If that psycho bastard discovered Rylander's mission…
It would start a political war.
"I know," Rylander said, voice low and cold. "If that psycho bastard interferes… I won't hold back. He deserves worse."
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