Béatrice Vorn could barely contain her fury as she faced the young man who appeared to be the owner of the hotel.
"The artifact's energy… I can feel it clearly."
She had spent years searching for the Eye of the Abyss—the last hope of her clan to escape annihilation.
Once, she had been its guardian.
But during the final war against the demons, they had been betrayed by their human allies… and the artifact had been lost.
So if she was sensing that viscous, distorted, chaotic energy within this establishment, then it could mean only one thing.
"Where is the Eye of the Abyss?"
A chilling smile spread across her lips as she leveled her sword at the hotel's owner—or rather, at Park Woojin.
The blade was undeniably dangerous.
But what was far more terrifying was the pulsating authority of destruction beginning to leak from her body.
Béatrice was well aware of it.
If she allowed her rage to take over, that authority could erase everything in its path.
So she forced herself to suppress her emotions… and smiled.
The smile merely reduced the leakage.
Minimally, perhaps—
but still enough to completely annihilate the area surrounding the hotel.
Enough, at the very least, to threaten a wretched human.
The moment Park Woojin clearly made out the silhouette before him, he understood exactly why his boss had warned him about eccentric guests.
The young woman who had entered his establishment possessed a thick, pointed tail, along with slightly dull wings spread across her back.
"Cosplay, huh…"
He could understand her being more or less dressed up as some kind of…
something halfway between a bird and something else.
But the sword?
"Now that, I really don't see the point of including a weapon in the outfit."
Woojin absentmindedly scratched his temple.
"And if I heard correctly earlier, she was talking about the Abyss of Hell or something like that…"
He let out a brief sigh.
"I'm probably dealing with a wealthy otaku who's bored out of her mind."
No matter.
Woojin knew perfectly well that if he wanted to manage a hotel in Beverly Hills, he had to be ready for anything. That was precisely why he had spent hours researching the profession.
He also knew that one of the essential qualities of a good hotelier was the ability to adapt flawlessly to each client's mood.
That was especially true in Beverly Hills, where only the elite resided.
A satisfied customer was worth a mountain of those little babies.
Woojin adjusted his professional smile and gave a slight bow.
It was time to show off his sales skills.
The scent of his little babies, neatly stacked on the counter, gave him the courage he needed.
"The Eye of the Abyss, you say?" he repeated in a calm, conspiratorial tone, as if he fully understood the lore behind her cosplay.
"A legendary artifact, if I'm not mistaken. Unfortunately, I'm afraid we don't carry anything like that behind the bar…"
He paused briefly, then continued with the same flawless smile.
"However, our cellar does offer spirits that are just as… deep and intoxicating."
He made a broad gesture toward the luxurious lobby, still empty and impeccably maintained.
His smile brimmed with satisfaction.
Perfect.
That was a solid save, wasn't it?
Haha… otaku instincts never really fade.
Normally, this was the exact moment when the customer—delighted that the staff had played along—would lean into the act with even greater enthusiasm.
…
But what followed was nothing like what Woojin had expected.
He blinked.
"…?"
---
"Ma'am?"
Woojin tilted his head slightly, his smile still impeccable, waiting for the enthusiastic response he had imagined.
But Béatrice didn't move.
She remained frozen, sword still leveled at him, her eyes locked onto his.
The challenge that had burned in her gaze moments earlier was gone.
In its place, raw terror now twisted her features.
Of course, the fact that the authority of destruction leaking from her body—a force that should have reduced the hotel to rubble—had failed to affect her surroundings at all had surprised her.
But not enough to frighten her.
After all, it was merely a leak of authority.
She hadn't truly invoked it.
The real problem emerged when the proprietor calmly gestured toward what he called a "cellar."
At that precise moment, her instincts—honed through centuries of war and slaughter—screamed a single command:
Do not look away.
A chilling certainty settled over her.
If she so much as turned her eyes aside, even for an instant, her mind would be irreparably shattered.
The moment she fully grasped that truth, her perception of this human changed.
No—
Of the thing standing before her.
---
Ugh…
Béatrice swallowed, almost against her will.
She—an Ascendant, one who could wield, even if only briefly, the Authority of Destruction—had just glimpsed death.
That realization sent a chill through her.
If such overwhelming pressure alone had been enough to freeze her in place, then there was only one possible conclusion:
The owner of this hotel stood above her.
In other words, at the very pinnacle of the Ascendant rank.
"How is it possible that I've never heard of him…?"
Across the three continents, there were no more than a dozen Ascendants each.
They were all known, all cataloged—herself included.
A human who had reached the summit of that rank would have left undeniable traces.
So how could his existence be explained?
Gradually, another hypothesis took shape.
"…He is not an Ascendant."
Or rather—
"He possesses a relic."
A relic powerful enough to exert pressure capable of terrifying an Ascendant.
That conclusion felt far more plausible.
And more importantly, it explained one undeniable fact:
A direct confrontation would be a fatal mistake.
Yet…
There was no denying it—she could sense the signature of the Eye of the Abyss here.
Faint. Diffuse. But real.
Even if it's dangerous… I must recover that artifact.
"Ma'am, are you feeling unwell?"
Woojin's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
He had tilted his head, genuine concern on his face, unable to understand why she had been standing still, staring into nothingness for several long seconds.
He hasn't shown any hostility…
She hesitated.
Well… aside from inviting me to avert my gaze toward that dangerous place…
But she understood now.
It was most likely a response to her own aggressive behavior.
She let out a slow breath.
Then she sheathed her sword.
Finally, she bowed slightly.
"Please forgive my discourteous conduct."
"…???"
Woojin blinked.
It was almost as if question marks were floating above his head.
"Did… something just do a full one-eighty?"
He forced an awkward smile.
Why do I feel like I've done something wrong?