The Castle of Lions was busy handling newly registered applicants to become part of the Guild. There were also a lot of quests thrown at the Guild after the news of Solari winning the 150th Knighthood Trial. These kinds of events were an opportunity for the Guild to have massive earnings and build an even deeper foundation with their clients. But it also required a lot of manpower and skilled members who could facilitate and handle both grumpy and annoying hunters.
Staff members were running back and forth while clutching mountains of papers that needed to be reviewed and signed by the Guild Master—Nick, who was hiding in the Guild's basement.
Nick, the Guild Master, was playing darts while eating chips, totally disregarding the chaos above. Beside him was a large display of the commotion happening in the hall. He expected this to happen; it was all thanks to their top hunter who ran away after making such a big achievement. He had no idea where Erus went, but he was used to this kind of behavior from him. Erus was not a guy who would celebrate victory. He would rather choose to be alone or hunt monsters instead of drinking booze.
But Nick was also wondering where the brat had gone. Almost a week had passed. He had no news from the hunters on whether they had seen Erus. And the royal palace was being too quiet after Erus won the Knighthood Trial. The King did not even call for a celebration to honor the winner.
"Tch!" Nick scowled before throwing another dart and hitting the very center.
Why would he even think about the palace? They were not necessary in Erus' life anyway.
Nick was stopped from throwing another dart when he felt a familiar aura. He looked at the display and saw the heavy iron door open. His mood suddenly lightened upon seeing the visitor.
"Oh, the devil is back," he said, grinning.
He finished the remaining chips before sprinting out of the basement.
In the hall, Erus was a bit surprised to see how busy the people were. Plus, there were new faces. He had only been gone for days and now it had become too crowded. But when he started walking toward the reception area, the noise suddenly faded as if the air had stopped moving. He could sense the gazes from people, which was a bit overbearing.
Didn't they know he was a member here?
"He's really scary in person," someone whispered from the crowd.
Maybe a newbie to the Guild.
"Quiet. They say he can hear even a crawling ant."
"He is back. Do we tell the Guild Master?"
"The Guild Master has been missing all day."
"Hey! Solari is back!" Then, someone shouted so loud. It was not necessary at all because Erus already had everybody's attention upon entering the hall.
Erus' brows knitted. Why did he feel they had been expecting him this whole time? The eyes around him were not like before, when they would often dodge his gaze. Instead, they were looking at him expectantly.
"Hey, what's their problem?" He asked Trevor, one of the receptionists.
"Oh! Ah..." Trevor scratched his temple, not expecting Erus to ask him directly. This was not a usual thing for Erus to do. Trevor's brain went haywire.
"Look who's here!" Nick announced while buttoning his shirt and coming down the stairs. "Hey! Explain yourself to them. They've been waiting the entire week to see you."
Trevor mentally thanked Nick for saving him.
"What?" Erus turned around, annoyed at Nick's presence. He had no idea why the Guild people would be waiting for him. As for an explanation? He remembered no responsibility to explain where he went or what he did.
What could be Nick's game this time?
"After you won the competition, you just fled and left us to do the heavy work. There were a lot of requests for you. Can't you be nice even just once?"
Erus did not say anything. He was listening to Nick's guilt-tripping, though he wasn't affected by it.
Then, he noticed that none of his party members were around. Verna's high-pitched voice should be shouting at this hour. Akiro and Ryden were also not around. Not to mention Kyla, whom they knew was always busy, and Glecy, who always preferred staying in her safe zone—the paperwork.
"Spill it," Erus said.
"Yow, guys! Spill the beans," Nick told the hunters, but they hesitated, looking at each other. "I guess you're too intimidating for them to speak."
"Hey."
"Yes, Sir!" Trevor was startled when Erus knocked on the reception counter. "Everything they eat or drink until tomorrow will be on my tab."
"Ha?" Trevor blinked twice while his mouth hung open. Did he hear Erus right? "Ah, yes—wait! As in everyone?"
Instead of answering, Erus tossed him one of his tokens that served as his identification. It had an unlimited purchase perk as the top hunter.
"At once! Thank you very much!"
Trevor sprinted out of the reception area, heading to the kitchen and the bar to let them know that everything must be served for free until tomorrow.
The Guild hall echoed when the hunters roared in pure joy upon hearing that Erus had just made the free-meal-free-booze move. They hadn't even expected he would do it. This was a first during Erus' stay in the Castle of Lions.
Even Nick's mouth and eyes were wide open. He could not believe that it was Erus giving the direct order without any drama. This was not like him at all.
"Wooow! Who are you?" Nick teased Erus. "Did you just buy the whole Guild free food and booze?"
"It's for them. You're not included," Erus bluntly said, though he didn't mean it. "I heard you were escaping your duties."
Nick closed the gap and put his arms around Erus' shoulders.
"You just came from a long journey, Nikolas. Maybe you want a massage? I can treat you outside. You know there is a new—"
"I'm going home tonight," Erus interrupted him.
"What? You just got back. And which home are you referring to? The forest?"
"My inn."
Nick looked at Erus. "Are you having your second celebration there? I'm inviting myself then. You know, the workloads here were stressing me out. I need a new view away from this hall."
Erus did not answer. He just sighed. This was Nick, their Guild Master, and he did not know how to deal with this old man anymore. Even if he said no, once their skin touched, it was like they were glued together forever—Nick wouldn't leave him alone unless he made him drink until he couldn't even raise his head.
Nick even playfully winked at him as if there was something going on between the two of them.
"Gross!" Erus groaned. He would not be surprised if people thought the Guild's top hunter was also the Guild Master's playtoy.
"You know, that kind of reaction is what I'm always missing," Nick said, acting like he was about to strangle him.
"Oh, just stop, Nick. I'm here to look for a quest," Erus told him.
"No quest for you today. And I'll only stop once you have a drink with me. Besides, your party is already handling all the quests, especially those asking for your group—and those asking for your personal assistance. You haven't forgotten the Lustful Brothel, right?"
Erus felt a shiver run down his spine at the mere mention of the brothel's name. That was definitely the last place he would ever visit again in this city.
"You're not telling me you actually accepted that quest for me?" he asked seriously. Because if Nick did, his fist was ready to burn that entire pleasure building to the ground.
"That, I could not reject. Akiro and Ryden are there in your place, so you have nothing to worry about."
"Tch!" was all Erus could say in response.
While the people in the Guild were busy with the quests and the free buffet, Nick guided Erus toward his office. They had serious things to discuss that other ears should not hear.
Upon shutting the door, Erus removed Nick's heavy hands from his shoulders. He traced the entire office with familiarity, looking for any hidden pranks. After he made sure everything was fine, he invited himself to sit on the couch.
Nick just stood there grinning at how Erus's calculating eyes roamed his office. He found it amusing every time this brat, despite being the top hunter, lost more trust in him because of his antics.
"I thought you'd rebooted yourself after being gone for a few days," Nick broke the silence. He sat on the couch across from Erus. "Do you plan to gain followers now?"
Erus looked at him with sharp eyes.
"Shut up, Nick. As if I didn't see the way they looked at me and the way their eyes lit up when you came down the stairs."
Nick's laughter echoed in the room.
Erus was really a clever one. His keen eyes couldn't be deceived even by the simplest gestures. How Nick wished he could be this sharp, so he would know if someone was about to stab him in the back.
"Did you have a nice vacation?" Nick asked.
Erus looked at him while remembering his stay at Uruja's house and encountering his accidental slave, Cana.
Though Nick had no idea about Uruja or that Erus' mother was still alive.
"Would you believe me if I told you I've marked a mortal?" Instead of answering Nick's question, Erus asked him.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?"
But Erus looked serious.
"Oh, man! I couldn't imagine you having another person shivering while following you around. But I thought you weren't interested in having slaves?"
Erus cleared his throat. "She isn't my slave."
Nick's hand froze midway from reaching for his smoke upon hearing what Erus said. He slowly turned his gaze toward him as if he were seeing a killer in a horror show.
"A she? A female? You marked her but she isn't your slave? You mean, you two did it?" Nick's entire system was about to collapse, thinking Erus had just had sex with a woman when he didn't even want to be touched by anyone.
"Do you want me to open your head and clean your brains?"
Nick set aside his desire to smoke and focused on Erus.
"As in just the ritual marking?"
"Yeah," Erus irritably answered.
Why would Nick ask questions repetitively when he had said it clearly?
"So, if she is not your slave, what could be her role in your life?"
That question caught Erus off guard and made him ask himself, too. What was the purpose of Cana in his life?
"She's my apprentice." It came out of his mouth just to answer Nick.
Nick slammed the table, not because he was mad, but because he was now totally shocked. He would have understood if Erus had sex with a woman because it was part of a man's nature, but marking a woman and making her his apprentice was on another level.
"Did you somewhat swap your soul with the beasts in the Knighthood Trial? Or had you met a god there? I cannot recognize you with the way you're talking about apprenticeship."
Erus was silent.
"How old is she?" Nick asked again. His interest in this apprentice of Erus was at its peak. She had to be someone notable.
"Around mine."
"And where is she? Is she in the hall right now?"
"Nope. She's staying at my place. But I'll bring her later to register in the Guild."
Nick's lips formed a big letter "O" and stayed that way for seconds before closing. Now he understood why Erus said he was going home. His imagination was getting wilder—imagining that this apprentice was the ugliest among the scariest, someone whom one wouldn't even dare to stare at because she was so hideous. He knew how Erus hated being around beauties, specifically those who wanted to touch him.
"Does she have hands?"
"What? Of course! How could she be my apprentice if she doesn't have any?"
Nick laughed dryly. He still could not believe his ears, but truthfully, he was not fully convinced until he saw Erus' so-called apprentice in person. He knew how Erus sometimes took revenge for his pranks.
Erus had mastered the act of masking lies as if they were the truth, and it always caught Nick's slow brain.
While Erus could sense that Nick was doubting him, he could not help but smirk behind his mask. He knew that Nick was on guard, waiting to see if he would admit it was just a joke.
"I don't believe you. You're just back and pranking me. How disrespectful of you," Nick said instead.
"I can't force you to believe me. Well, what do we have here? You got something for me?" Erus asked, changing the topic.
There was no use talking about Cana to a fool who had not met her yet. Seeing was believing, so he would just let Nick cling to his own thoughts.
Nick fixed his sitting position, or rather, just slanted his body as if he were about to lie down and sleep.
"Well, about the holy sword you gave Kyla. I'm sure you know what it means to be the owner of that holy relic in this kingdom."
Erus definitely knew; that was why he had given away the supposed prize for winning the Knighthood Trial. He had no interest in becoming a hero for people who only saw him as a curse-bearer. Kyla, having a higher noble status, was much more fitting to hold that sword. It was useless to him anyway. The relic was just for fame and status, not actually worth much when real danger was ahead. It would be the least useful thing against the creatures in the Abyss.
"What about it?" Erus asked in his bored tone.
"There are flies trying to get their hands on Kyla. Her family has been receiving a lot of invitations to have Kyla become part of their bloodlines."
"Oh, marriage proposals," he shortened Nick's lengthy explanation.
"Yes, and her parents are overly bothered about it. Why don't you just marry her instead?" Nick's suggestion came out of the blue.
"She is not my type."
Nick scratched his head. Though most of them knew that Kyla had a thing for Erus, the latter had no intention of taking their relationship beyond being party-mates. Nick knew the suggestion wasn't the best and that Erus would easily reject it.
"But it doesn't mean I'm letting those smutheads have their way with one of my members," Erus added.