The morning sun had barely pierced the heavy velvet curtains when Zenni stood by the front door, practically vibrating with nervous excitement. He wore a clean, simple civilian outfit I'd managed to procure for him… a fresh start for his first day of enrollment at the Caria Mastery Academy.
I stood beside him, meticulously adjusting the heavy, dark layers of my traveler's cloak. I pulled the straps tight, ensuring every single inch of my crimson wings was completely compressed and flattened against my spine. The threat level surrounding the Crimson Phantom was at an absolute, suffocating high. With a staggering twelve royal gold coins placed on my head, the entire capital was practically frothing at the mouth for a chance to slay the winged demon. If anyone caught even a fleeting glimpse of a red feather, the city guards, high-tier mercenaries, and my own brother would hunt me down without mercy, branding me a public enemy to be executed on sight.
I had been reckless before, blowing my cover multiple times on my frantic flight to and from Sisiphon. But not today. I couldn't afford a single mistake.
With a practiced motion, I securely strapped my heavy Death Chant Shotgun across my back over the cloak, letting its lethal, etched steel frame remain visible as a clear deterrent to any low-life thugs in the residential sector. I turned the brass key, opening the front door, and stepped out into the crisp morning air with Zenni following close behind.
We had barely made it a few paces down the cobblestone path of the 3rd District when a familiar voice called out.
"Whoa! Eirene! Is that really you?"
I paused, my lone jade-green eye tracking a young boy running toward us with a heavy canvas sack slung over his shoulder. It was Charlie, the district paperboy who had been piling the daily editions on my porch all week. He skidded to a halt, staring up at my heavily hooded silhouette with wide, blinking eyes.
"Man, I barely recognized you under all those layers, and what happened to your skin? You look completely baked! Did you go on a trip to the southern borders or something?"
I remained dead silent, merely nodding once beneath my thick canvas mask to acknowledge him.
"Anyway, glad you're back safely, here's the edition for today. My dad said things are getting crazy in the upper districts, so keep your eyes peeled." Charlie mumbled, reaching into his bag and pulling out a freshly printed, ink-damp sheet.
I took the paper with my right hand, giving him a small copper coin for his trouble. Zenni waited patiently by my side as I unrolled the parchment right there on the sunny street. My gaze immediately locked onto the bold, screaming headlines:
[Caria Times… Wednesday Edition]
THE DEMON IS AMONG US: CRIMSON PHANTOM ENTERS CARIA CITY.
High-priority update from the Luminous Knight Bureau: Late yesterday morning, scout sentinels spotted a massive, blood-red silhouette dropping low over the northern mountain ridges, confirming that the S-rank Crimson Phantom has successfully infiltrated the capital's borders. The winged demon is officially inside Caria. Citizens are advised to stay indoors past twilight. Hunters, prepare the hunt.
A cold drop of sweat rolled down the back of my neck. Yesterday morning. That was the exact hour I had flown back across the peaks, desperate to return to the capital and claim Oksana's bounty before the gates closed. I thought I had used the cloud cover effectively, but the Bureau's knights and trained adventurers who possess mana manipulation must have caught my residual mana signature as I descended. The net was closing in tighter than ever.
But as my eye drifted down to the secondary headline, a sudden, sharp gasp caught in my throat.
THE EMERALD SPIRE EXECUTED.
Chief Anton Kif has officially verified the termination of the desert drug lord, Oksana. The legendary cartel collapsed in less than a week, entirely dismantled by a newly registered, anonymous S-rank bounty hunter.
I let out a long, quiet sigh of relief beneath my mask, my shoulders relaxing just a fraction. Anton had kept his promise. Even with the entire city in a state of absolute panic over the Crimson Phantom, my civilian identity remained entirely protected. The newspapers only knew me as a faceless, nameless S-rank mercenary… leaving "Eirene Rynd" completely untainted in the public eye.
I folded the paper sharply, shoving it into the deep folds of my cloak, and looked over at Zenni. His face was full of determination, ready to face the academy. My cover was intact for now, but the city was officially a war zone. I gave the boy a firm nudge forward. It was time to get him enrolled, send him off to his new life, and then head straight to the Bureau to claim the files on the Caria Mines. The monster that killed my mother was waiting in the dark, and I had a ledger to finish.
We quickly navigated through the bustling streets until the modest townhouses of the residential zone gave way to the heavily guarded perimeter of the 2nd District. As we approached the grand iron gates of the training sector, my heart skipped a beat. The security layout had completely changed overnight. A dozen elite guards stood in full plate armor, and the head gatekeeper was methodically stopping every single citizen.
"Both of you… toll, status card, and then step forward for physical inspection," the gatekeeper barked, his hand resting tightly on the pommel of his broadsword.
Zenni flinched, checking the clock tower across the square with a panicked expression.
"Inspection? Sir, please, we're right on the verge of being late for the Caria Mastery Academy enrollment! Is this really necessary today?"
The gatekeeper's eyes narrowed into a cold, hardened glare.
"The Crimson Phantom was confirmed to have entered Caria's borders yesterday morning. Every district border is under total lockdown. The inspection is non-negotiable if we want to spot that blood-sucking winged demon before it wreaks havoc in the scholar zones. Line up."
A wave of pure, icy shock crashed over me beneath my heavy layers.
An inspection. My mind instantly went into a frantic, chaotic tailspin. If they forced me to remove my layered cloak to check for contraband or hidden appendages, the tightly bound, compressed wing joints against my spine would be exposed instantly. I didn't have an escape plan. I couldn't shatter the gates and fly away without exposing myself to the entire district, and doing so would ruin Zenni's future forever.
Zenni, completely oblivious to my internal panic, hurriedly paid his toll and slid his civilian card through the scanner. The guard gave it a cursory glance, stamped it, and then turned his predatory gaze directly toward me.
"You. Tanned girl. You're next. Step up and uncover your face."
My jaw clenched behind my canvas mask. I took a slow, agonizing step forward, my right hand trembling slightly as I reached into my cloak. I handed my status card, one Anton had just updated, along with the silver coin, and handed it over, hoping the sheer weight of the rank would create a distraction.
The gatekeeper snatched the card like he owed me taxes or some shit, sliding it through the magical scanner. The moment the glowing blue runes projected my metrics into the air, the man froze solid. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"E-Eirene...? Wait... an S-rank bounty hunter... the anonymous mercenary from the morning headlines? Did you... did you seriously dismantle the entire Emerald Spire drug empire all by yourself?!"
The gatekeeper stammered, his aggressive posture evaporating in an instant. He looked from the glowing S-rank marker to today's newspaper clutched in his other hand. I gave a single, slow, imposing nod beneath the deep shadow of my hood, maintaining my absolute, terrifying silence.
"No way… such legendary skills... I just read about you in today's Caria Times! You cut the head off the snake in less than a week! And wait… Eirene Rynd? No way... you're the Shadow Walker's little sister!"
Before I could even process his reaction, his gaze drifted past my shoulder, locking onto the massive, menacing firearm securely strapped over my heavy cloak. His breath hitched.
"The weapon on your back... it's one of the legendary Death Chant artifacts, isn't it? Man, having Elias Rynd as an older brother must be wild. I bet the Shadow Walker gave you that priceless relic as a graduation present to celebrate your promotion to S-rank!"
I stood perfectly still, a wave of dark, silent irony washing over me. He had it completely wrong. Elias hadn't given me this gun. This Death Chant Shotgun had belonged to Oksana, she had acquired it years ago by brutally murdering a high-ranking Luminous Knight, and I had ripped it from her cold, dead fingers after taking her head.
But I wasn't about to correct him. The gatekeeper was so completely astonished, so thoroughly starstruck by the sudden appearance of a legendary, cartel-shattering hero and the sister of the famous Luminous Knight, that he completely forgot about his duties. He didn't bother asking me to unwrap my mask. He didn't even lift a hand to touch my cloak for the physical inspection.
"Go right on through, Milady! It's an honor to have a protector like you in the 2nd District! Good luck with the kid's enrollment!" he yelled, quickly waving his men to throw the iron gates wide open.
I let out a completely silent, trembling sigh of relief behind my mask. I grabbed my status card back with a swift flick of my wrist, grabbed Zenni by the shoulder, and pushed him through the open gates into the safety of the academy district. The Crimson Phantom had just walked straight through a high-alert military checkpoint without shedding a single drop of blood, but the ice I was walking on was getting thinner by the second.
Then Plasma warned me through my thoughts.
"That was close Eirene."