I sank heavily into the velvet chair, my leather armor creaking softly under my canvas cloak. Across the obsidian desk, Nautilus kept his boots kicked up, looking completely unbothered, as if this grand executive office were nothing more than his personal living room… which, given his massive influence over the Bureau's upper echelons, it practically was.
After a few tense seconds of staring into the dark shadow of my hood, Nautilus finally swung his legs down, his boots hitting the pristine floorboards with a dull thud. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his sharp eyes gleaming with calculating satisfaction.
"Well, based on the reports from my men at the perimeter, the bio-slimes are completely under control. They're decaying by the minute, you actually did it. You took down the absolute source of the infection that plagued our kingdom for six long years. Do you have any idea what this means, Eirene? You just single-handedly restored our country's entire economic lifeline. The gold can flow again. The deflation will stop. You're a damn hero." Nautilus said, a slow, triumphant grin spreading across his face.
Hearing him heap all the praise onto my shoulders made a bitter knot form in my chest. I knew the truth. I knew that it was Evelyn who had done the heaviest, dirtiest parts of the job right alongside me. It was her tactical genius, her explosion magic, and her tragic six years of survival that had truly shattered the Slime King. But as Nautilus spoke, I kept my expression perfectly unreadable beneath my hood. I would never tell him, or anyone else in the Bureau, what Evelyn was truly capable of. I would protect my baby sister's secret with my life… if the kingdom ever found out she was a human-slime hybrid with the power of an S-rank slime, they would lock her in a laboratory cage before the day was out.
Nautilus mistakenly took my stony, silent glare as anxiety about my own exposed identity. He waved his hand dismissively, his tone shifting into something surprisingly cooperative.
"Don't worry, Eirene. I'm a man of my word, I won't say a single word to your siblings about your involvement in this mission. I know your reasons. If Elias or Elicia saw you in this state… mutilated, scarred, and changed by the S-rank corruption… they'd completely lose their minds and scold you for being reckless. Your secret is safe with me. The s rank bounty hunter remains a ghost."
He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the obsidian desk, his grin widening as he looked out the grand window toward the capital city.
"Because of your heroic act, the Bureau is about to get a massive surge of public respect. We've proven we can handle threats the regular military couldn't even touch, even the Holy Church is watching now. They're absolutely fascinated by your skills, Eirene. They want to know exactly what kind of holy warrior cleansed the deep mines."
I dismissed his political grandstanding with a sharp, impatient wave of my hand. I wasn't here to help Nautilus climb the Bureau's bureaucratic ladder, nor did I care about the Holy Church's sudden, creeping interest in my skills. I had a promise to collect on.
Reaching into the folds of my heavy canvas cloak, I slapped a pre-prepared note down onto his obsidian desk.
Rewards and files for Cameron Gal.
I had been waiting for these files with a burning, absolute focus. According to my personal Registry of the Condemned, Cameron Gal was currently the most wanted target on my hit list. As a high-tier bounty hunter, my self-appointed job was to systematically hunt down the corrupt monsters hiding behind noble titles and claim their heads… just like I had done with Oksana.
Based on the official Bureau profiles I had memorized, Cameron Gal was a notoriously immoral, disgraced Knight Commander. He carried a massive, dead-or-alive bounty of 10 gold coins. He was a green-haired man with a deceptively slim, agile build, known for slipping through the fingers of regular authorities. I had only agreed to take on Nautilus's suicidal S-rank slime mission because he had explicitly promised to hand over Cameron's heavily classified files upon completion. I just hoped the arrogant Director wasn't planning on breaking his word.
Nautilus blinked at the note, then let out a sharp, amused laugh, tapping his temple.
"Ah, right. I completely forgot you're a woman of business, Eirene. Here are your rewards for your heroism."
He opened a locked mahogany drawer beneath his desk and pulled out two items: a heavy, clinking leather pouch and a thick, wax-sealed manila folder.
I immediately snatched the folder first, tucking it securely into the hidden inner lining of my tight bio-slime bodysuit. This folder contained Cameron Gal's complete, unredacted family records, his known associate networks, and his past deployment history. These files were going to be my primary clues for tracking down my target's current hiding spot in the underworld.
Next, I picked up the leather pouch, untying the strings to count the contents. Inside, the heavy, metallic glint of 7 gold coins stared back at me.
My single jade-green eye narrowed, and I slowly raised a sharp eyebrow at Nautilus, clearly demanding an explanation for the short payment.
This money was supposed to fund my special combat gear. Just last week, I visited an shopkeeper named Vladimir and reserved a specialized set of armor. The custom, high-tier fire-resistant trench coat cost exactly 7 gold, while the magical concealing mask cost 3 gold. Together, the set required a total of 10 gold coins. Since Nautilus had only handed me 7 gold, I would only be able to afford the trench coat today, leaving me short for the mask. I needed more.
Nautilus noticed my glare and raised his hands defensively, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Look, don't look at me like that, Eirene, that is the absolute maximum liquid capital the Bureau has to offer you right now. The economy is in shambles. But hey, look at the bright side… since you just completely exterminated the source of the slimes, the country's deflation will finally come to an end. In a few weeks, the gold mines will be fully operational again, the currency value will stabilize, and I'll make sure you get a fat bonus. For now, take what's there."
I stopped dead in my tracks just as my right hand gripped the heavy bronze handle of the office door. I didn't turn back to face him, keeping the deep shadow of my canvas cloak securely pulled over my scarred face and my strapped shotgun.
Behind me, Nautilus let out a short, respectful chuckle, leaning back into his leather chair until it creaked.
"Hey, you're a girl of steel, Eirene. I like that. No complaining, no political whining… just cold, hard efficiency. If you want to make more money to buy whatever fancy gear you're looking for, just stick to your high-profile bounty hunting from now on. That's where the real coin is." Nautilus called out, his voice losing its usual sarcastic edge for a split second.
He paused, tapping his fingers against his desk before adding a final piece of advice:
"But don't limit yourself to just our branch. You can contribute high-tier monster extermination contracts to the other bureaus across the kingdom. They're drowning in beast problems right now, and they'll pay top dollar for an S-rank bounty hunter who actually gets results. Keep that in mind."
I didn't give him a nod, a note, or a single shred of acknowledgment. I simply pushed the heavy mahogany doors open and stepped out into the pristine porcelain hallway of the executive wing, letting the doors click shut behind me. Nautilus had his political victory, I had the 7 gold coins for Vladimir's fire-resistant trench coat, and most importantly, I had the classified files to hunt down Cameron Gal.
Now, it was time to find my baby sister and see if her new status card was ready.