Morning light streamed through the guild's reception counter. Misha Irving flipped through the stack of request forms removed from the bulletin board, her flaxen, fluffy bob swaying gently. Her large green eyes darted swiftly across the pages. It was her usual routine. As a receptionist, she gave them a final check—confirming the request rank, reward, and details were all correct. "…Huh?" Her fingers stopped. One request form. Retrieval of a magical artifact at an abandoned church on the outskirts of Glowden Forest. The reward was fifty silver coins. Nothing unusual so far. But—the ink in the request rank field alone was a different shade of black. 《D》 That single letter was strangely dark and bold. The other characters had a slightly faded look, but this one seemed freshly rewritten. (What is this…) The moment she tilted her head in confusion— "[laughing]Morning, Leon!" A familiar voice rang out from the guild's main entrance. Misha looked up. Leon Crawford had just walked in. His dull blond hair was as messy as ever. The old scar on his left cheek stood out faintly in the morning light. Zack clapped Leon on the shoulder. Her former colleague with the handsome features. But his eyes always held a nasty glint, and honestly, Misha didn't like him much. "[serious]Hey, I put that request form for the abandoned church on the reception desk for you." "[excited]Seriously?! Thanks, Zack!" Leon's face lit up instantly. Fifty silver coins—even from a distance, she could tell he was blinded by that number. For Leon, drowning in debt, it was a godsend of a sum. (Wait, Leon—) Request form in hand, Misha leaned forward over the counter. "[urgent]Le—" But just as her voice was about to come out, Zack turned around. "[gentle]Ah, that's the one I slipped in yesterday. I already confirmed the rank, so it's all good." He smiled brightly. The confident smile of a C-rank adventurer. "[worried]But, the handwriting—" "[laughing]It's D-rank equivalent. Should be a piece of cake for Leon, right?" Zack slapped Leon's shoulder repeatedly. Leon nodded happily and glanced briefly at Misha. "[excited]It's fine, Misha! I'll do my best!" Saying that, he took the request form and ran off immediately. "[sad]Ah…" Misha's hand swiped through empty air. A hazy, unsettling feeling lingered in her chest. But a line of people with requests was forming behind her. She had to hurry with the confirmations—and as she thought that, time slipped away. Even so, beneath the counter, she secretly slipped a copy of the request form into her own pocket. (Something's wrong.) Her heart was beating strangely fast. Her lips almost moved to form the words "Don't go"—and then stopped. Leon's back had already vanished outside the guild. — The outskirts of Glowden Forest were dim even during the day. The abandoned church, covered in ivy, revealed itself through a gap in the trees. Its stone walls were cracked, and the stained glass was shattered and fallen. The surrounding air was eerily cold. "[serious]…I sense something unpleasant." Lilia, floating beside him in her translucent form, spoke in an unusually strong tone. Her jet-black long hair swayed gently despite the lack of wind. Her crimson eyes glared fixedly at the abandoned church. "[surprised]Huh? But the request form said D-rank—" "[angry]Idiot. I've been telling you that Zack guy is plotting something. Don't go in." "[embarrassed]But fifty silver coins…" "[cold]Trash. Are you planning to die blinded by money?" Even so, Leon placed his hand on the door. Creeeeak… The rusted hinges let out a grating noise. Inside was dim. In front of the altar, six decayed coffins were lined up in a single row. An old magic circle faintly glowed on the floor. He took one step inside. —In that instant. Bam! Bam! Bam! The coffin lids all blew off simultaneously. "[scared]Wha—!?" Six humanoid monsters with gray skin—wights—slowly rose to their feet. Their hollow eyes fixed on Leon. The stench of decay assaulted his nostrils. "[angry]Wights! Six of them! We're running, you piece of trash!" Lilia shouted. But it was too late. The patterns carved into the walls of the abandoned church suddenly began to glow with a pale, bluish light. At the same time, Leon felt a sensation as if the magical power was being drained right out of his body. "[scared]M-My magic…!?" "[angry]A sealing pattern! This is a trap! It was set up from the very beginning!" The wights lunged at him all at once. Claws gouged into Leon's abdomen. "Gah!" Blood splattered. His leather armor was torn apart, the skin beneath splitting open. Before the pain, he felt something hot spilling out from his stomach. Another one bit into his left shoulder. The sound of bone creaking. The sensation of flesh tearing. "Ugh, aaaaaah!!" He collapsed to the ground. Blood spread across the stone floor. His vision turned red. Three wights were about to pile onto the fallen Leon. (I'm going to die—) "[angry]—It can't be helped, you worthless trash!!" Lilia's voice echoed inside his head. The next instant— The contract seal exploded with light. DOOOOOM!! The scorching magical power that flowed in from Lilia surged through Leon's entire body. A heat like his blood vessels were burning. But that power blew the pack of wights away all at once. The church wall was destroyed, and outside light streamed in. "[crying]Hah, haah…!" Leon crawled outside. He collapsed into the grass. His whole body ached. The bleeding wouldn't stop. Lilia's form floating beside him had become significantly fainter. "[weak]…Because of you, I wasted my power. Get back even if it kills you, trash." Her usual arrogant tone. But her voice trembled slightly. "[weak]Lilia…" "[angry]Don't call my name. I'm going to rest for a bit. …Absolutely do not die." Leaving those words behind, Lilia vanished into the Black Apocalypse. (Still… have to get to town…) Leon tied a cloth around his left shoulder, pressed down on his abdomen, and stood up. His legs were shaking. But he had no choice but to go. — Several hours earlier. The branch chief's office on the third floor of the Canalberg guild branch. "[crying]Branch Chief…!" With a pale face, Zack burst into Baltos Herman's office. Baltos was fifty-two, a heavy-set man and a former A-rank adventurer. He had short, gray-streaked hair and sharp eyes. He looked up with an annoyed expression. "[serious]What is it, Zack?" "[crying]Leon… he embezzled the advance payment for the request I was holding—twenty silver coins! When I tried to stop him, this happened!" Zack presented his left cheek. There was a vivid bruise there—a wound he had inflicted on himself. "I have proof too. A copy of the request ledger. The receipt signature for the twenty silver coins is—missing." Baltos silently checked the documents and furrowed his brow. Just then, two adventurers poked their heads in from the hallway. They were Zack's accomplices, with whom he had coordinated their stories beforehand. "[serious]Yeah, we saw it too. Zack getting punched." "[serious]When we tried to stop him, Leon went berserk." Baltos let out a deep sigh. "[serious]Adventurer Liability Act, Article 7—embezzlement of request fees, and assault on a colleague. This is a serious violation." —Having overheard this exchange by chance from the hallway, Misha lost all color in her face. "[angry]That's not true!" She burst into the office. "[crying]There's no way Leon would do something like that! That request form, the handwriting was strange! Someone rewrote it—" "[gentle]Misha, I understand how you feel, but…" Zack cut her off with a troubled look. But his eyes were laughing. "[cold]Emotions aren't evidence." "[serious]Do you have proof, Misha?" Misha clutched the copy of the request form in her pocket. But— "[gentle]That's the official document I wrote. Isn't that right?" Zack said it first. Baltos nodded. "[serious]Then there's no problem. Leon Crawford's disciplinary action is decided." Misha's eyes grew moist. Clenching her fists, she left the room. In the hallway, she pressed her forehead against the wall. Her breath caught in her throat. (Leon… before Leon comes back covered in blood… the expulsion notice is already being prepared…) A tear dropped onto the floor. — Evening. A blood-soaked Leon appeared at the guild's main entrance. His left shoulder was bound with a rag, and he was pressing down on his abdomen. His face was pale, and he could barely stand. "[crying]Leon—!" Misha rushed out from behind the counter. She grabbed Leon's arm. The smell of blood, mud, and sweat. His body heat came through his clothes—too hot. A high fever. "[weak]I'm okay, just a little injured…" The moment Leon tried to smile— Baltos came down the stairs, accompanied by two subordinates. "[serious]Leon Crawford." A deep voice resounded. "[serious]Embezzlement of request fees, and assault on a colleague. Based on Article 7 of the Adventurer Liability Act, you are hereby ordered to be expelled from the guild and to pay eight gold coins in damages. If no objection is filed within three days, this ruling will be finalized." A single document was presented before Leon. An expulsion notice. Leon stared intently at the document, then slowly raised his head. "[scared]I… didn't embezzle anything. At the abandoned church, there were wights—" "[serious]Proof?" A short question. Leon was at a loss for words. "[serious]If you have none, I will notify you of an additional measure. As an item subject to confiscation, one magical tool in your possession—a single black leather tome—is hereby designated." "[angry]That… you can't!!" Leon shouted. In that instant, the contract seal on the back of his hand glowed red for a moment, and black magical residue leaked into the surroundings. "[surprised]Huh… what was that just now?" "[scared]Didn't some black magic just leak out…?" The G-rank rookie adventurers watching from the corner of the floor whispered among themselves. But Baltos paid it no mind and turned his back. "[crying]Branch Chief! Please, just a little more—!" Misha tried to follow him. But Zack gently held her shoulder back. "[gentle]That's enough, Misha." A whispering voice. But at the coldness behind that smile, a chill ran down Misha's spine. —It's him. This person orchestrated everything. Just then— "[surprised]Ah, wait…!" Leon's strength gave out, and he collapsed onto Misha with his full weight. "[crying]Heavy, heavy, heavy!" She shouted as she desperately supported him. The moment she wrapped her arm around Leon's waist, his heartbeat transmitted directly to her palm through his shirt, soiled with blood and mud. A pounding, desperate sound of trying to live. Even though he was this wounded, his heart alone was beating strongly, powerfully. (Ah, this person—) Her throat tightened. Tears spilled from Misha's eyes. "[whispers]The book… I got from Lilia… I can't hand it over." Leon, his consciousness hazy, whispered against Misha's shoulder. At the earnestness in his voice, Misha bit her lip. Nothing but despair. Three days to file an objection. Raising eight gold coins in compensation was impossible. The Black Apocalypse was subject to confiscation. And there was no evidence to break Zack's false testimony. A fourfold despair hung over the guild at dusk. Even so, Misha held Leon's body tightly, never letting go.