Nautilus Cotton, despite his monumental dual titles as both the head secretary of the Capital Knights Bureau Association and the prestigious principal of the Caria Mastery Academy, was surprisingly young… a twenty-year-old man with distinctively fluffy hair that defied the rigid, militaristic aesthetic of the 8th District. Yet, the sheer administrative authority he wielded within the kingdom was undeniable.
He gave me a brief, decisive tilt of his head, signaling for me to follow him. I picked up my heavy wooden alchemical crate with my single right hand, ensuring the titration flasks and raw chemicals for my tear gas didn't clink too loudly, and stepped into stride behind him. Beneath the fire-resistant, blood-themed fabric of my crimson trench coat, my original Tommy gun and the devastating Death Chant Shotgun remained perfectly secure, strapped tightly to the bone-and-muscle framework of my partially folded demon wings like concealed coat hangers.
We navigated the restricted, pristine corridors of the upper administrative wing, bypassing guards who stood at absolute attention at the mere sight of Nautilus. Finally, he pushed open a pair of grand, heavily reinforced obsidian doors, leading me into a sprawling, luxury office that overlooked the massive military plaza below.
As the doors clicked shut behind us, my single jade-green eye locked onto a towering figure seated behind a massive mahogany desk.
"Chief Roman, Eirene is here."
The moment the name left Nautilus's mouth, a sharp, electric jolt of absolute shock ripped straight through my spine.
Roman Calico.
I knew that face instantly from my chaotic travels in Town Allure. He was the biological father of Cassius… the scrawny, brilliant kid I had fought tooth and nail to rescue back in Rebelbub Village… and the stepfather of White. When I had met Roman previously at the rustic village inn after the rescue, he had seemed like an imposing, capable man, but seeing him draped in the absolute, apex authority of this office entirely recontextualized his existence. The sheer, suffocating density of the mana radiating off his frame made it painfully clear. Cassius might have been a frail, scrawny intellect, but his father was an absolute titan of raw, devastating physical and magical power. He wasn't just a retired warrior; he was the literal Chief of the entire Capital Knights Bureau Association.
The towering man slowly rose from his seat, his gaze cutting effortlessly through the light-swallowing, pitch-black veil of my Leech's Hollow Mask. A slow, deeply knowing smirk broke across his weathered, powerful features as he rested his heavy hands on the edge of the desk.
"Greetings, Roxy," Chief Roman said, his deep, resonant voice booming in the quiet luxury of the office as he used the alias I had operated under in the lower sectors.
He leaned forward, his eyes burning with an intense, calculated sharpness.
"Or... perhaps I should say, Eirene. Back from the dead."
Chief Roman Calico leaned back into his heavy leather chair, the immense presence radiating from his muscular frame making the vast office feel incredibly small. He gestured toward a sleek plush chair opposite his desk, inviting me to sit.
"I'm Roman Calico, Chief of the Capital Knights Bureau Association, and I want to personally thank you for saving my son, Cassius, from the horrors of Rebelbub Village. Now that you're here in the capital city of Caria, I have a word for you."
I quietly took a seat, carefully lowering the heavy wooden alchemical crate filled with my titration gear and tear gas components to the polished porcelain floor beside my boots. As I settled in, my single jade-green eye tracked a massive, jagged fissure running completely down the center of his heavy mahogany desk… a subtle, terrifying testament to the raw, explosive strength the Chief possessed when provoked.
Seeing my gaze linger on the fractured wood, Roman let out a hearty, low chuckle.
"No worries about that, Eirene, your brother, Elias, came in here earlier. That crack? That was the result of a very tense conversation regarding his hidden family. He left quite a mess of paperwork behind."
The Chief then leaned forward, resting his elbows on either side of the fracture, his eyes locking onto the swirling darkness of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
"Anyways, Eirene, I've been reviewing your operational reports lately, first, you completely dismantled two separate, high-priority S-rank targets: Oksana the drug kingpin, and Don Anthony of the arms trafficking guild. But what truly caught my attention was the aftermath. According to my intelligence networks, you confiscated a massive stash of valuables from that arms trafficking warehouse and quietly routed the wealth directly to a local orphanage. What a kind-hearted soul you are."
He shook his head in a mixture of respect and wonder, leaning back in his seat.
"I've been tracking your achievements, girl. Back in Town Allure, you were a literal hero. Then, you supposedly 'died' and your family held a massive, formal funeral for you just last month. Yet here you are… having completely faked your death to operate as the most formidable, rapidly rising bounty hunter in Caria City. If your brother Elias knew the sheer scale of what you're accomplishing in the shadows, he would be incredibly proud of you."
Standing just a step behind my chair, Nautilus Cotton suddenly winced. The fluffy-haired secretary leaned over the desk, lowering his voice into an urgent, frantic whisper that echoed perfectly through the quiet room.
"Chief... she is actively hiding her identity from her brother," Nautilus hissed, desperately trying to flag down his superior.
Hearing Nautilus's warning, I couldn't help but feel a flash of dark, ironic amusement beneath my mask. Nautilus was technically doing his best to protect my double life from Elias, yet his own administrative bureau was the exact entity blowing my cover to the entire kingdom. By meticulously documenting my explosive S-rank achievements, the Bureau had plastered my true name across every major newspaper broadsheet in the upper districts. The headlines were already circulating:
The Legendary Bounty Hunter, Eirene Rynd, Shatters the Capital Underworld.
Anyone with eyes… including my elite soldier brother… would eventually piece the puzzle together if the newspapers kept printing my lineage.
Chief Roman blinked, processing Nautilus's frantic warning, before a wide, understanding grin broke across his face. He held up his hands in a reassuring gesture.
"Ah! Oh, that's why, say no more, Eirene. Just like the Luminous Knight Bureau Association handles their confidential operatives, we will also keep your secret safe from the rank-and-file knights. Your brother won't hear a word from this office."
Chief Roman's expression shifted, the booming warmth in his voice instantly replaced by the sharp, calculating gravity of a military commander. He leaned over the massive cracked mahogany desk, his eyes locking onto the swirling darkness of my mask with absolute intensity.
"Anyways, Eirene, I have a job for you, and it is crucial,"
Beneath my hood, a cold spike of resistance flared. I didn't even hesitate. I shook my head firmly in the negative, my hand instinctively twitching toward my notepad to write a flat refusal. Becoming an official knight meant rules, rigid chains of command, public ceremonies, and endless bureaucratic red tape. It meant being forced into the light where my folded blood-wings, my Glasgow smile, and my secret alliance with Father Columbia to track down reincarnated Earth souls would be instantly exposed to the kingdom. I was a creature of the dark now.
"No, Eirene, listen to me, not an official Luminous Knight. I know you're a bounty hunter through and through. I know your true calling is to hunt in the shadows and rip apart high-level syndicate bounties for gold. Consider this a part-time job."
He stood up, walking over to the grand glass window overlooking the bustling 8th District plaza, his hands clasped behind his back.
"A bounty hunter is a lone wolf, you track down the condemned based on the intelligence the Bureau provides and the profiles registered in our archives. But we need your strength, Eirene. We need your raw, terrifying power for the sake of this kingdom. And being a Luminous Knight… even just on paper… will protect you."
He turned back to face me, his gaze incredibly serious.
"If the noble houses or the corrupt factions try to corner you for faking your death, or if someone questions how a 'deceased' Rynd daughter is slaughtering S-rank cartels, this badge overrides them all. It gives you legal immunity. It gives you the right to walk into restricted sectors without questions. You keep your freedom, and in exchange, when the kingdom faces a threat too messy for regular troops, we call you."
I sat perfectly still in the plush chair, the heavy silence of the office pressing down on me.
A double life within a double life.
I hesitated, my analytical mind racing through the tactical parameters. On one hand, I was already a high-ranking hunter, a hidden demonic entity with a 16-gold bounty, and a clandestine messenger of God tracking lost souls. Adding a knight's crest seemed absurd. But on the other hand, Roman was right. The institutional leverage of a Luminous Knight was the ultimate shield. It would allow me to hunt the Katt siblings without interference, look for the brunette, blue-eyed reincarnated boy in the treacherous 5th District tenements, and protect Father Columbia's sanctuary from the Knight Bureau itself.
It was the perfect camouflage.
Slowly, deliberately, I reached into my purse, pulled out my metallic S-rank status card, and slid it across the fractured mahogany desk.
Chief Roman smirked, a look of profound satisfaction crossing his weathered face. He picked up a heavy, specialized magical seal from his desk drawer, channeled his dense mana into it, and slammed it down onto the surface of my card. The magical runes flared violently, embedding a brilliant, glowing silver crest directly alongside my hunter credentials.
I took the card back, staring at the dual inscriptions. I now held two diametrically opposed titles: a Bounty Hunter for executing lethal operations alone in the dark, and a Luminous Knight for protecting the people under the color of law.
Status Card: Updated
Name: Eirene Rynd
Rank: Gold (Evaluation Pending)
Magic Power: S-rank
Magic Mastery: S-rank
Swordsmanship: A-rank
Marksmanship: A-rank
Battle IQ: B-rank
Job Occupation: Bounty Hunter (S rank), Luminous Knight (S rank)
Affiliation: LKBA (Branch 1)
"Excellent, welcome to the vanguard, Eirene. Rest assured... we will protect your identity with everything the Bureau has. Now, go take care of your business." Chief Roman said, leaning back into his chair with a reassured nod as Nautilus quietly stepped forward to file the official, restricted paperwork.
Chief Roman Calico leaned forward, his heavy hands pressing down on the fractured mahogany desk as his expression darkened into a mask of pure, unyielding military gravity. The celebratory tone completely vanished from the office.
"Well, the true reason we called you here isn't just to put a title on your card or make you a standard Luminous Knight, it is for the very survival of our kingdom. This month alone, a catastrophic sequence of events has hit us. First, a silent, bloody civil war has erupted within our own ranks against the Immoral Knights… corrupt, rogue factions of our military turning against the crown. And now, to make matters worse, roaming demons such as the Crimson Phantom have somehow breached our borders all the way from the Triangulum continent."
A profound, suffocating layer of dramatic irony settled over the luxurious office, so thick it was almost tangible. Sitting right in front of the head of the entire kingdom's military force was Eirene Rynd… the legendary, heroic S-rank bounty hunter who had just enlisted as a secret Luminous Knight. And yet, beneath the fire-resistant, blood-themed fabric of that very same crimson trench coat, tightly compressed against my back, were the massive, bat-like wings of the exact blood-sucking demon he was tracking. The apex predator and the kingdom's ultimate shield were breathing in the exact same room, sharing the exact same skin.
"Remember the historical tales of what happened one thousand years ago, the ancient war that shattered the Pangea... I fear the gears of fate are turning, and those dark days are returning to us today. The humans, the demi-humans, and the demons are on the verge of collision once more. And these Immoral Knights... our intelligence confirms they are actively conspiring with the demons. They are working together from the inside out, causing more pain and chaos in our country than we can handle through standard deployments." Chief Roman continued, entirely unaware that the phantom he sought was adjusting her coat rack of firearms right in front of him.
He locked his gaze directly onto the light-swallowing void of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
"Because of your raw, terrifying strength… the unparalleled lethality of a bounty hunter who can single-handedly dismantle S-rank syndicates… we desperately need your help. Help us hunt down and dismantle the Immoral Knights, and help us fend off these invading demons."
I offered a slow, deliberate nod of my shadowed head. Behind the mask, my mind was already calculating the tactical parameters. Hunting the Immoral Knights aligned perfectly with my goals; they were likely tied to the very syndicates running the 5th District tenements where the brunette, blue-eyed reincarnated Earth soul was trapped. Furthermore, pretending to hunt "demons" would give me the perfect operational cover to move freely across the districts, allowing me to intercept other reincarnated souls who had unfortunate enough to be reborn into demonic bodies before the regular Knight Bureau could slaughter them.
"Thank you, Eirene, the Holy Church needs you as well. They have sanctuaries located in each district across Caria, but the most notable and politically powerful one is right here in our sector. In the 8th District, there is a grand cathedral located right next door to this association building. Keep your eyes on it."
Hearing him mention the Holy Church sent a sharp spark of recognition through my mind. Father Columbia had mentioned his own sanctuary in the 7th District, but a massive cathedral in the high-end 8th District would be teeming with traditional, strict continental priests worshipping Elpis, the God of Hope. I nodded once more, acknowledging the information.
I stood up from the plush chair, reaching down with my single right hand to lift the heavy wooden alchemical crate filled with my titration flasks and raw chemicals for my tear gas canisters. With my dual titles firmly stamped, my weapons hidden, and my identity thoroughly protected by the highest office in the Bureau, I turned on my heel and walked out of the obsidian double doors, leaving Chief Roman and Nautilus behind as I stepped back onto the white porcelain tiles, ready to face the storm brewing over Caria City.