The faint rays of the morning sun streamed through the window.
Fins stood quietly, watching Raijin.
A few moments later, Raijin handed him a sheet of paper.
Fins began reading.
1. I will not sell or share any information obtained from Raijin with anyone unless Raijin himself agrees to it.
It was a very ordinary condition, the kind that appeared in almost every contract.
2. If the information proves useful, I will help Raijin establish connections with the Guild so he can gain access to internal information. If the information is not useful, I will at least introduce Raijin to the Guild so that his future plans will not be obstructed.
3. If the information proves useful, I will assist Raijin with two tasks, provided they are within my capability.
4. If I break any of these conditions, I will either pay Raijin fifty Gold Coins or personally ensure that he is fully accepted into the Guild.
Fins rested his hand on his chin and thought for a few moments before saying,
"I'm willing to agree to this... but you'll have to add one more line to the third condition."
A smile appeared on Raijin's face.
He muttered to himself,
"So... he found my loophole."
At Fins' request, Raijin added another sentence.
"As long as the task does not violate the law."
Once everything was finished, Fins signed the contract.
Raijin signed it as well.
After both signatures were on the paper, Raijin asked,
"Do you want the information now, or should I write it down on another sheet?"
After thinking for a moment, Fins chose the second option.
"Write it down."
"Fine."
Raijin smiled faintly.
"But remember... if you try anything clever, you know where I always stay."
Fins immediately understood what Raijin meant.
He was warning him not to betray him.
Raijin always stayed at the hotel, while he himself could come and go anywhere.
If Raijin decided to kill him, he could disappear before anyone even realized what had happened.
Fins sighed.
"Fine... but you could have said that in a less threatening way."
"I could have."
Raijin shrugged.
"But I was worried you might not understand."
Fins ignored the remark.
Raijin began writing.
A few minutes later, the paper was in Fins' hands.
Fins carefully read through it.
As he continued reading, a wave of excitement briefly crossed his face.
However, he immediately suppressed it.
The expression had disappeared so quickly that almost no one could have noticed it.
But for Raijin...
That brief moment was more than enough.
Looks like my efforts weren't wasted.
He smiled inwardly.
After finishing the document, Fins cleared his throat.
"To be honest... this information is very valuable."
"It gives the Guild an entirely new direction to investigate."
"The carriage you mentioned may provide additional clues."
"And the examples you've listed regarding the missing children and young adults are impressive."
He paused.
"But neither you nor I can officially call this useful information until the Guild confirms it."
His tone had completely changed.
It was as though he had become an entirely different Beastman.
Even Raijin couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.
A crooked smile appeared on his face.
He quietly waited for Fins to finish.
The moment he did...
Raijin immediately picked up the food tray and handed it back.
"Go replace this."
Fins frowned.
"Why? What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing."
"It's just cold."
"And it's cold because of you."
"What about this food?"
"You do know wasting food is wrong, don't you?"
As he spoke, he folded the contract and slipped it into his shirt pocket.
"Listen."
"You can refuse to bring me another meal if you want."
"But I doubt you'd want our agreement to end here."
"You could betray me and report everything to the Guild..."
"But you might not live long enough to collect the reward."
"And even if I don't kill you..."
"I can simply show this contract to the Guild."
"Then you'll owe me twice the compensation."
"And perhaps the Guild will even shut down your hotel."
He smiled.
"And I doubt you'd want your name to be added to the list of missing people."
With that, Raijin extended the tray toward him.
A dangerous expression appeared on Fins' face.
For a brief moment...
It looked as though he wanted to kill Raijin on the spot.
But he forced himself to remain calm.
Without another word, he picked up the tray and left the room.
After Fins was gone, Raijin let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.
"Did I go a little too far...?"
"No."
He immediately interrupted himself.
"I didn't."
"I only need to push them just enough to make them come out."
"Now all I have to do is wait."
"Judging by the way I spoke to him—and everything I told him about the situation on the continent—I don't think it'll take them long to contact me."
He pulled the contract from his pocket.
Looking at it, he smiled.
"I wish you had read this more carefully, Fins."
"It's exactly the same contract as before."
"I simply added more details..."
"And changed the wording."
"I didn't know you were such a fool."
"Either you never noticed..."
"Or you ignored it completely."
He shrugged.
"Oh well."
"If it helps me achieve my goal, I don't really care whether you're a fool or not."
He placed the contract back on the table.
Then he simply sat there...
Waiting.
Only when his stomach growled did his patience begin to run out.
At that exact moment—
The door opened.
Fins entered carrying another tray.
This time, he hadn't even bothered knocking.
Raijin wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Fins placed the tray on the table.
"What if..."
"I simply don't report anything to the Guild?"
"I remain completely silent."
"That wouldn't violate a single condition of our contract."
"And you still wouldn't be able to join the Guild."
"You're right."
Raijin remained perfectly calm.
"If you don't report it..."
"I won't be able to join the Guild."
He continued speaking without the slightest hesitation.
"You can certainly choose that path."
"But I doubt you'd want the Guild to arrest you for hiding information this important."
"They might even shut down your hotel."
"And you'll lose everyone's trust."
"As for who will inform the Guild..."
Raijin gently tapped the contract.
"I will."
"I already have proof."
Hearing that, Fins' expression darkened.
Without another word, he turned and walked out.
Just before leaving, he said,
"Come downstairs after you're finished eating."
"Ah..."
Raijin smiled to himself.
"Perfect."
"Now I'm certain they'll come to meet me soon."
"I just hope Fins is actually connected to them."
"It would be a shame if all my effort went to waste."
With that, he sat down to eat.
The meal looked much better than before.
Small pieces of meat had been cooked together with various vegetables.
Alongside them was a savory wheat bread.
For a drink...
There was lemonade.
Raijin was genuinely surprised to see it.
At least this was far better than that so-called fried rice.
The name actually matched the food this time.
After finishing his meal, he walked downstairs toward the counter.
Fins stood there quietly.
The moment he saw Raijin's face...
The veins on his forehead tightened.
His teeth clenched together so hard that they produced an audible grinding sound.
"Don't make that face just because you saw me."
"After all, we're friends now."
"You're the one who—"
"I'm telling you now."
Fins cut him off.
"You're going to regret this."
"The Guild has allowed every Adventurer to investigate this case."
"But you're an outsider."
"Once everything is over..."
"I'll personally ask the Guild to review your situation."
"Why not?"
Raijin replied calmly.
"You can certainly try to trap me."
"But I never intended to stay here forever."
"And just so you know..."
"I think the Guild is already keeping an eye on me."
"The moment my work here is finished..."
"I'll leave this place."
"You'll have plenty of time afterward to tell them whatever you want."
Fins clicked his tongue.
Then he silently led Raijin outside.
Throughout the journey, Fins tried asking him countless questions.
Raijin answered every single one...
Without actually answering anything.
After a long walk, they finally arrived.
A massive building stood before Raijin.
It had been constructed directly behind the Guild.
Fins pointed toward it.
"High-ranking Adventurers supported by the Guild live here."
"The Guild covers all of their living expenses."
"In return, they complete Guild missions."
"The Guild receives five percent of the rewards from every mission they complete."
"And in exchange..."
"The Guild supports them completely."
"No matter what kind of trouble they get into."