A night had passed since the battle in the arena. Bandaged from head to toe, Leon Crawford climbed the stone steps of the Ferkete Canalberg branch. His left side still throbbed with a dull ache. Apparently, he had cracked a rib. But strangely enough, his mood wasn't bad. (I can return to the guild.) That thought alone sent a gentle warmth spreading through his chest. In front of the third-floor branch chief's office, Leon took a deep breath. He knocked on the door. "[gentle]Enter." He pushed open the heavy oak door. The room was bright with morning sunlight, and the glittering surface of the Rugen River was visible through the window. Branch Chief Bartos Herman—a fifty-two-year-old former A-rank adventurer—sat behind a large desk, holding a stack of documents. "[serious]Sit, Leon Crawford." Bartos's voice was low and commanding. He raised his scarred face and fixed his sharp eyes on Leon. "[serious]First, my thanks. Thanks to the evidence gathered by Elena Valenshtein and the testimonies Misha Irving spent three days collecting, your false accusation has been completely proven." A thick bundle of documents was laid out on the desk. The original request form, the forged copy, the smuggling records from the river port district, copies of the underground arena's ledgers— "[serious]The guild expulsion notice is formally revoked. The claim for damages is also withdrawn." Leon let out a sigh of relief. "[excited]Th-thank you so much! You're seriously a lifesaver!" He bowed deeply. "[serious]However—" Bartos's voice dropped a notch lower. "[serious]There is a condition." Huh? Leon looked up. "[serious]Within one month, you will pass the D-rank promotion exam." "[surprised]D-rank?!" His current rank was G. He was being told to jump three ranks all at once. "[serious]Now that you have awakened as the contractor of the Black Apocalypse, remaining at G-rank is not permitted." Bartos pulled a single document from his desk drawer. It was the application form for the D-rank promotion exam. "[serious]This is in exchange for waiving the compensation. You can accept this, yes?" Leon nodded. "[serious]I'll do it. I'll pass without fail." —At that moment. The contract mark on the back of Leon's hand emitted a faint glow. A translucent figure materialized in the air. Jet-black long hair, eyes gleaming crimson, a small form perpetually floating in midair—Lilia. "[cold]Naturally. It's not a laughing matter for my worthless trash to be expelled on false charges." Lilia folded her arms haughtily and looked down at Bartos. "[cold]Knowing this piece of trash, he won't pass the exam on the first try anyway. You should be grateful I'm going to train him thoroughly." So saying, Lilia activated the contract mark with a sharp jolt. "Whoa!" A weak electric current ran through his entire body. It didn't hurt, but it left a tingling numbness. "[laughing]Well? Your response?" "[scared]Y-yes! Thank you very much, Lady Lilia!" A wry smile crossed Bartos's face. "[serious]Spirit-dono, I ask that you please refrain from destroying the branch." —— The reception counter on the first floor. With her fluffy flaxen bob, large green eyes, and charming freckles—Misha Irving was processing documents at a furious pace. The sound of her quill racing across paper was crisp and satisfying. "[serious]Leon, seal here. Signature here. And seal here too." Misha handed him one document after another. Procedures for revoking the expulsion, procedures for waiving the damages, provisional registration for his temporary reinstatement—each required three forms, making twelve in total. "[embarrassed]W-wait, hold on. My hands are shaking—" From nerves and lack of sleep, his fingertips were trembling. Every time he tried to stamp the seal, the ink smudged. "[excited]Oh, for goodness' sake, Leon!" Misha leaned over the counter and wrapped her hands around his wrist from above. "[gentle]Like this. We'll press it together." Her fingers touched the back of his hand. Warm. A faint, soft scent of soap reached him. Leon froze. Misha's fingers slowly pressed the seal onto the paper. All the while, their wrists remained in contact. (W-what is this? My heart's pounding.) "[cold]You're the only adventurer in the world whose face turns red from paperwork." Lilia's chilly voice came from behind him. "[angry]Sh-shut up! This is just, uh, the morning sun's too bright!" "[laughing]The windows are on the west side, though." Misha giggled. But behind that smile, her green eyes stole a quick glance at Lilia's form. (Lilia-san... hasn't she been getting a little too close to Leon lately...?) —— As a modest celebration for his temporary reinstatement, the four of them gathered at the tavern "The Copper Cup." The frothy scent of ale and the sizzling sound of wild boar skewers grilling. Though it was still before noon, around twenty adventurers were already drinking. The owner, Gold Becker, was carrying large tankards. Leon arrived first and sat in the middle seat at the round table. The moment he let out a sigh of relief— "[gentle]I'll sit next to Leon." "[cold]No, I will take that spot." Misha and Elena simultaneously reached for the chairs on either side of Leon. A moment of silence. Misha's green eyes and Elena's sharp amber eyes clashed, sparks flying. "[embarrassed]Um, there are two seats next to me, so..." By the time he started speaking, both had already pulled out their chairs. Misha on the right, Elena on the left—they sat down at the same time, sandwiching Leon between them. (Whoa, nice smells from both sides... wait, this is not the time!) "[quiet]...I'll sit across from you." Tina moved herself to the farthest seat. Her white beast ears drooped flat. Her amber eyes clearly said, "This has become a hassle." "[sarcastic]Sorry to interrupt your little lovefest, but where's my seat?" Still floating in her translucent form, Lilia looked around at everyone's faces in turn. Her crimson eyes gleamed with oddly amused delight. "[scared]Wait, you're drinking too, Lilia?!" "[cold]I can't drink, but I'm free to watch, aren't I? I'm here to see what kind of stupid face my worthless trash makes when he gets caught in a battlefield of women." The ale arrived. Misha took her tankard in hand and, before even taking a sip, declared: "[serious]Leon is my childhood friend, so it's only natural I sit next to him, at least for today." Her tone was sweet, but her eyes were serious. Elena quietly took a sip of her ale. Her amber eyes narrowed coldly. "[cold]A childhood friend is not a lover. We are on equal footing." "[angry]That's not the point!" Misha half-rose from her seat. "[scared]Wha—wha—did I do something?!" Leon looked back and forth between them, flustered. From across the table, Tina took a sip of ale and stated succinctly: "[cold]The cause is your denseness." "[surprised]Huh?" It took Leon three seconds to process the meaning of those words. The moment he understood, he choked on his half-drunk ale. "Gahack! Gohack!" "[sad]Oh, for goodness' sake, I'll pat your back for you!" "[cold]No, I will do it. I can control my strength better than you." "[angry]Why does it turn into that?!" A new battle began over his back. Lilia giggled in midair. —— When the tension in the room had eased a little, Tina silently stood up. "[quiet]I'm leaving now." Leon looked up. "[serious]Where to?" "[cold]Not decided yet." Tina answered curtly. The contract mark on her neck had already vanished—when Leon burned through the chains with his magic power in the arena, that mark had disappeared too. But the fact that she had nowhere to go remained unchanged. "[gentle]Until you decide, you can stay at the Migratory Bird's Nest. I'll talk to the landlady." The "Migratory Bird's Nest"—the cheap inn where Leon always stayed. Tina's beast ears perked straight up. "[quiet]...I'll pay." "[gentle]Don't worry about it. More importantly, food. You haven't been eating properly, have you?" Tina was silent for a moment, then gave Leon's sleeve the slightest tug. "[whispers]This morning, you came to protect me. I'm just saying thanks." Leaving only those words behind, Tina exited the tavern. Her footsteps faded into the distance. Leon scratched his cheek, embarrassed. "[angry]Hey, I've been worried about you every single day too, you know!" Misha leaned forward, hands on the table. "[embarrassed]No, I mean, I really am grateful to you, Misha! You helped with the paperwork and all!" "[sad]That's not what I mean!" Elena watched the commotion out of the corner of her eye as she tilted her ale. Her fiery red ponytail swayed faintly. Before she knew it, her body had turned slightly toward Leon. (...Why?) Elena deliberately straightened her back and returned to her original posture. Only Lilia observed that movement intently. The corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. —— The way home. The three of them walked side by side along the night cobblestones. The magic stone lamps of the streetlights cast a soft orange glow. From the distance, the murmur of the Rugen River could be faintly heard. Misha gently wrapped her arm around Leon's. "[gentle]Leon, there's more paperwork tomorrow too. Make sure you wake up early, okay?" "[embarrassed]Y-yeah..." At the soft sensation pressing against his arm, Leon's heart pounded wildly. Elena confirmed this at the edge of her vision. Her amber eyes wavered for just an instant. —She shifted half a step closer to Leon's side. A distance where their shoulders might or might not touch. Elena's body heat faintly reached him. But she said nothing. She simply walked, looking straight ahead. (Misha's warmth on the right, Elena's warmth on the left... both are warm. Which one is warmer—there's no way I can compare that!) Panicking internally, Leon sought help with his eyes alone from Lilia, floating in the air. Lilia only moved her mouth. 'Figure it out yourself, worthless trash.' And then she laughed, thoroughly amused. —— A room at the inn "Migratory Bird's Nest." Alone in his room, Leon gazed out the window at the nightscape of Canalberg. The magic stone lamps lit on the seven bridges shimmered beautifully on the river's surface. "[serious]Lilia, I need to talk to you." Lilia materialized in the air. She wore her usual arrogant expression. "[serious]Bartos-san mentioned it. There's someone who ordered Zack to set me up. Apparently, they're an envoy from an organization called Hexenzirkel." The moment the name "Hexenzirkel" was spoken— Lilia's crimson eyes narrowed slightly. It was a momentary change. But it was a clear enough reaction that even Leon could notice. "[serious]Do you know them?" Lilia paused for a beat before answering. "[cold]I did. But there's no need to tell you right now." "[angry]Why not?! This involves me too, doesn't it?!" "[cold]Even if I told you, you couldn't do anything about it. You're still far too weak." Lilia's voice was cold. But beneath it, something—a faint hint of impatience—was mixed in. As if to change the subject, she tapped the cover of the Black Apocalypse with her finger. "[cold]More importantly, I shall now declare the trial for opening the next page." "[scared]Wait, another trial?!" "[laughing]Of course. A lukewarm thing like a D-rank promotion exam isn't enough." Lilia laughed with amusement. That smile was, conversely, terrifying. "[cold]One week from now, deep in the Growden Forest—make a round trip to the ancient ruins 'Weiss Shrine' by yourself. It's the territory of a B-rank recommended magical beast." "[surprised]B-rank?! One week?! That overlaps with the exam preparation period, doesn't it?!" "[laughing]Just handle both. You're my worthless trash, aren't you?" Leon collapsed onto the desk. "[sad]You've gotta be kidding me..." Beside him, Lilia gazed out the window. Though she seemed to be looking at the nightscape, her eyes were fixed on something much farther away