Cana scanned the weapons hanging on the walls inside Gregory's office—he could have told them his office was actually an armory, too. A whole array of weapons lined the walls, though none of them seemed to be of exceptional quality; most looked heavily used, their edges long dulled and chipped.
"This bow was definitely made by Riparam's great-grandson, Gareth. Unfortunately, his elemental control is still lacking—he can only embed three spells on a weapon a day."
"All three are embedded way more solidly than the ones on the gauntlet. How could you tell it's unfortunate?"
Gregory's mouth hung agape as he stared at Cana, then back at the weapons, trying to inspect them thoroughly. But no matter how hard he looked, he only sensed the same raw power and couldn't tell any difference beyond the raw count of embedded elements. He turned to Erus, hoping for an answer, only to find him staring down at the display with the same sharp curiosity.
Then both men locked their gaze on Cana, silent questions heavy in their eyes. How could she spot the flaw so easily? Who the hell was she?
As for Erus, his doubts were finally beginning to settle. If she could pinpoint his blocked energy paths so effortlessly, what were a few simple weapons to her? A mortal body was far more complex, yet she had fixed his without breaking a sweat. The only remaining question was Cana's true identity.
Had she really lost her memory, or was she just playing a game?
"What?" Cana asked, visibly confused by the way both men were staring at her. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Are you certain about that?" Erus asked, carefully choosing his words rather than pressing her on things that shouldn't be heard by outsiders. He preferred her true identity and real capabilities to remain hidden. She couldn't be targeted or manipulated by anyone.
Whether she was faking her lost memories or not, all he cared about was that she was genuine with him. Besides, he was keeping secrets of his own—so as far as he was concerned, that made them even.
"Yeah," Cana nodded, her mind lingering on why Erus was asking her in the first place. Was he testing her? She had assumed Erus could see things the exact same way she did—that the ability to see auras was just another skill shared through their contract, much like her enhanced senses.
Erus nodded slightly.
And he believed her just like that? was Gregory's internal battle. Having lived in this world for decades and spent half of it serving Solari, this was his first time seeing the top hunter agree with anyone without a shred of doubt.
"Solari, if you don't mind... May I know who this lady is?"
"Oh," Erus paused. Being so used to Cana, he had assumed her presence beside him was already common knowledge. "She is Cana, my apprentice. And Cana, this is Gregory. He's the dwarves' leader in this tavern."
"Oh... Hi!"
Gregory's last remaining brain cell completely short-circuited. Solari took an apprentice? And to make it worse, a woman? Everyone had assumed Solari was a woman-hater because of the cold, ruthless way he treated females in the past.
So why did Gregory get the distinct feeling she was no simple apprentice? Solari taking anyone under his wing was already unbelievable—but the master tamely following his apprentice around was downright absurd.
Cana turned to Erus when Gregory failed to respond and just stared blankly at her. But Erus merely narrowed his eyes at her—he was grinning.
"Seriously?" Cana hissed under her breath.
Why was it that every time Erus introduced her as his apprentice, people had the exact same reaction? Was Erus' reputation really that terrible? Because she certainly didn't view him as some untouchable monster. It made sense for people to naturally fear him given his dominating aura, but why pull such absurd faces the moment she was involved?
After a few minutes, Cana grew genuinely concerned for the dwarf. He was completely frozen, blinking blankly at her. Just how big of a shock had Erus given him? Did news like this hit differently depending on the species?
She leaned down to level her face with his and cross-examine him.
"Earth to Sir Gregory! Are you still with us?" Cana shouted right in his face.
The sudden burst startled Gregory—and even caught Erus off guard. Erus certainly hadn't expected her to do that, nor did he understand her weird choice of words.
"I... I... What was—I mean, I'm sorry, my Lady! I just... I can't swallow what I heard from the Great Lord," Gregory stammered in a panic, hastily bowing his head to Cana.
"It's fine. At least you didn't die of shock," she remarked sarcastically. It was getting irritating to receive the exact same reaction from everyone, and to make matters worse, it seemed to get more exaggerated every single time.
In the background, Erus' low laughter echoed—a sound that almost sent Gregory into a second heart attack—but Cana snapped her fingers right in front of his face before he could collapse.
"Oh! Not again," she warned him.
For the very first time, Gregory heard Solari laugh—and it completely shattered his worldview of who the top hunter was. Solari's laugh was deep, rich, and unmistakably magnetic. It was so enchanting that even Gregory, as a man, felt strangely captivated by it. Having grown up surrounded by dwarves with booming, raspy voices regardless of their short stature, hearing a laugh like Solari's was an entirely foreign experience.
When Erus finally had enough and stopped laughing, Cana looked at both of them with a flat, serious expression.
"Are we done with the weapons yet?" she asked them both.
Erus cleared his throat, sensing Cana's growing impatience. "Can I meet the one who crafted this bow?"
"Yes, but as of right now, he's in charge of constructing your mansion and is currently on-site. Do you want me to summon him?"
"No need. I'll speak with him when I have time. You've chosen your men well, Gregory."
Gregory bowed deeply. "I humbly accept the compliment."
"Yes, Cana?" Erus asked, noticing how Cana was looking from the gauntlet over to Gregory.
"I'm just wondering who Riparam is, because Sir Gregory seems to be devoted to him."
"Ah—no, no, my Lady! I am devoted only to my Great Lord! No one else!" Gregory immediately cleared up the misconception before he might vanish this instant.
Cana shot a side glance at Erus. She was also wondering about the title Gregory kept calling him.
"Riparam is one of our greatest ancestors, a genius master of all dwarves," Gregory continued. "And this gauntlet was his ultimate craft that helped the Northland Kingdom in the great battle long ago against the Teumessian foxes."
Cana turned her full look to Erus. She remembered correctly that those species were the exact same ones from Erus's previous mission.
"And this gauntlet killed a lot of victims," Cana stated.
Gregory went pale upon hearing it, while Erus was confused.
How could Cana know about such history in the past that was not even stated in the books? Did she really mean it?
"My... My Lady, how could you know such a thing? Do you know our ancestor?"
"No," Cana replied. "The gauntlet showed me the imprint of its past when I found it."
"You have the Origin Sight?" Gregory exclaimed.
"Then why give it to me?" Erus asked her, a hint of disappointment lacing his tone. If its history was that bad, why hand it to him?
"It hid itself from being found by others just to wait for its rightful master to claim it. Even its maker wasn't treated as its true master."
Erus furrowed his brows. Cana was acting like someone he didn't even recognize. Her sudden depth of knowledge didn't fit the Cana he knew at all.
"Think about the Reaper and see their similarities for yourself," Cana told him when she sensed his doubt.
"I can't see auras like you do," Erus reasoned.
Instead of explaining, Cana grabbed the gauntlet and pressed it firmly into Erus' hands.
"Then feel it," she said.
Gregory pressed his lips together when he got ignored, deciding instead to watch the two of them bicker. It was both unbelievable and hilarious to see the great Solari bending to the whims of his so-called apprentice.
After a few minutes, Erus shook his head. "I don't feel any similarities with the Reaper."
Cana nodded, stepping closer to touch the gauntlet resting in Erus's hands. "I think it still needs time to build a connection with you before it fully trusts you. But the fact that it let you activate its fire element means it wants you to be its master."
"Why not you?" Erus asked pointedly, remembering that she was a true blue flame user—a tier far higher than his own fire.
Cana gave a hesitant smile. "We aren't compatible. I can only protect it, never wield it."
She had tried activating the fire element when she first found the gauntlet, but its weapon spirit had practically screamed in terror, afraid of being completely incinerated despite the fire gem embedded within it. That very fear had guided her straight to Erus.
Erus sighed heavily, tossing the gauntlet into his dimensional storage. Although he didn't want another blood-soaked artifact like the Reaper, its origin and history had piqued his interest. Besides, he already considered it a gift from Cana.
"Gregory."
"Great Lord?" Gregory answered, startled to hear his name spoken in Solari's authoritative tone.
Erus threw him a cold, knowing look. "Drop the title."
"Yes, Gre—I mean, Solari."
"Your reaction was a bit off when Cana mentioned that weapon was used to kill countless victims. Were those victims really the beasts the kingdom annihilated in the past?"
Silence fell over the room.
"Yes," Gregory answered, his expression turning solemn. "That is the truth the kingdom hid from everyone. They fooled us all. They led the great Riparam into their lies, and by the time he discovered the truth, it was already too late."
Erus clenched his fist. He had just captured a Teumessian fox—and who knew if it was the very last survivor of that ancient lineage! He might be a tyrant, but he was never cruel to innocent beings.
He couldn't repeat the same mistake Riparam had made, and he certainly wasn't going to play the kingdom's fool again. He only hoped it wasn't already too late to right his mistake.
"Cana, we need to go now. Get your weapons," he said, an edge of urgency in his voice.
Cana complied with haste, tossing her crescent blades into her spatial storage. Erus did the same with his new bow.
"We're leaving. Once the house is finished, I'll discuss the rest with you," Erus told Gregory before turning to exit the room.
"Thanks, Gregory," Cana added quickly before following Erus outside.
Gregory nodded, but his mind was still fixed on the dark moon blades. He had watched Solari holding them first, only for Cana to casually toss them into her storage as if they were ordinary tools. Those twin weapons were believed to be a sacred gift from the goddess of the moon to the Elves, yet no one in history had been capable of wielding them. Who would have thought the current generation of Elves would treat such relics as worthless trash and cast them aside?
Beyond that, Gregory couldn't fathom why Solari had suddenly rushed off the moment he heard the truth about the war. He had been too stunned by Cana's handling of the divine blades to ask, leaving him stranded in a maze of unanswered questions.
"She isn't just some apprentice," Gregory muttered to himself, watching her disappear. "Could she be the Great Lord's witch mother?"
At the gates, the dwarf on guard watched with curiosity as Erus and Cana exited in a hurry. Daring not to utter a word, he quickly opened the gates to let them pass.
Following close behind Erus, Cana's keen ears caught the sound of voices from a distance. She could hear the ambient chatter of everyone around them, but this particular conversation was no ordinary noise. Someone was being targeted—and worse, it was a woman.
"Our family supplies most of the weaponry in this kingdom. Allying with us will grant you the highest honor, Ms. Kyla. Together, we can build an empire. Don't you want that?"
"My family has already said no, and I'm going to tell you again—I am not interested! Can't you understand plain language?"
"I don't accept 'no' for an answer, Ms. Kyla. You're alone today. Without your guards, you'll have to say yes... or face the consequences."
"Just say yes, Ms. Kyla. Our boss is handsome and strong. With him, you've got nothing to lose."
Cana furrowed her brows and glanced up at the sky. It was a clear, bright day, yet some people were already scheming in broad daylight. She turned her gaze to Erus when he suddenly halted, his fists clenching at his sides.
"These insects know no boundaries at all," he said, his voice stern and cold. "Follow me, but don't engage. Got it?"
Though confused by his command, Cana nodded—with one condition. "Okay. Unless your life is in real danger."
A bit flustered, Erus pretended not to hear her last words and resumed walking, with Cana trailing closely behind.
It wasn't long before she realized they were heading straight toward the very alley those voices were coming from.
She smiled. This man really never failed to amaze her.
Before they reached the alley, Erus wrapped his arm around Cana's waist and leaped onto the rooftops. The sudden movement caught Cana off guard for a second, but traveling with a hunter like him meant she had better get used to these sudden bursts of action.
Positioned above on a flat roof, they looked down to witness seven men surrounding a single woman. Kyla was clearly trying her best to suppress the power she was secretly hiding. Cana couldn't understand why the woman was holding back when unleashing her true strength could easily wipe the floor with those thugs.
"Stay here," Erus instructed.
"Mmm," she nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement to watch him move.
She wondered if he would massacre them the same way he had handled those bandits before—though that had been far too bloody. Besides, butchering men in broad daylight within city walls might actually get him branded as a criminal here.
Erus had jumped already when she noticed a suspended small metallic ball above those men. She felt it was not some props. But before she could warn him, the ball was thin sliced to pieces. Her lips formed a little 'o' when her eyes caught the glint of remaining energy coming from Erus' hands. So, that was his air ability.
"Cool," she muttered to herself.
Erus landed lightly on his feet right in front of Kyla, sending a subtle breeze through the narrow space that made her jump in surprise. Even the seven intruders stumbled back, their eyes widening in sudden unease at his sudden appearance.
"Captain!"
Recognizing him instantly from his back alone, his Vice Captain gasped.
"Insects claiming to be nobles, yet acting lower than common thugs?" Erus spat out, completely ignoring Kyla's startled outburst. "I suppose the House of Morgan either failed to read the Guild Notice issued on my behalf, or is intentionally choosing to ignore it."
"Solari, you might be her squad leader, but her personal affairs have nothing to do with you! Stop meddling!" the leader sneered, trying to mask his panic.
"Is that so? Very well. Do your thing, Kyla."
Noticing the surveillance device had already been destroyed, Kyla let a smug smile spread across her face. If not for that recording ball, she would have dealt with these bastards in under a minute without bothering Solari at all.
"Thanks, Captain," she said.
With a rapid chant, she slammed her glowing green palms into the cobblestones. The ground trembled as spiky, thorn-covered vines burst forth, instantly trapping all seven men in a suffocating cage of brambles.
"You don't know what you're doing, Kyla! Your family will pay for this!" one of them shrieked.
"As for that, I will personally have the Morgans compensate us for my time," Erus interjected coldly. "And for attempting to harm not just a hunter, but a member of my squad. I want the payment today—no extensions."
The group's leader, who had acted like an untouchable predator only moments ago, turned deathly pale. Everyone knew Erus operated strictly by the Hunters' Code. As the top-ranked hunter leading the realm's strongest squad, the retribution fee he demanded was no joke—and when he said today, he meant before the sun went down.