"Now then…" As soon as the party left Westford, the branch manager walked back towards the association castle.

His main goal was to get the four of them away from Westford as safely as he could, and for the time being, he had achieved what he had wanted.

What was going to follow from here on out… would be something the rest of the people within the city would not know anything about.

-Step. Step. Step.

Still, before he could deal with the bigger problem, there was someone else that he needed to look after.

"What is it that you want, knights of Khalasi." In a relatively empty alleyway, the disguised branch manager stopped, speaking to the pursuers that had followed him a little too obviously all the way here.

"Sir Exile, please excuse our rudeness." The one leading the bunch stepped forward and spoke in a tone that was both respectful and on guard.

While the two may not be compared in terms of authority, the two of them were comparable in terms of pure strength.

"If you have a moment to spare, there are a few things we'd like to talk to you about." The hooded knight unveiled himself, revealing an appearance that might have made many look back.

"You people are too full of yourself, you know?" The branch manager turned back, deactivating the disguise device that had no effect on this person. "You just had to get in my way at a time like this."

Clad in an armor made from one of the most powerful materials in this world, carrying a rapier once held by the knight of the founding queen, with a charismatic aura that made one submit to him naturally…

He had short purple hair, resembling endless lavender fields of this magical world. His eyes were of different colors: one was a deep blue, while the other one resembled a millenia old amber.

His voice was crisp and refined, lacking the raw power of Sir Quinn's Aura but carrying the weight of a formidable lineage. "We are aware of the circumstances surrounding the recent raid and, more immediately, the departure of the young Lord Khalasi."

Sir Quinn frowned, his blue eye narrowed at the mention of Cass's title. "And what business is it of yours, Knight Captain? The boy chose his path. His house has already been informed."

"Indeed. And his house, in turn, informed the High Council of the delicate arrangement. The Patriarch of Khalasi is… pragmatic. He understood the need to keep young Lord Cassian— or Cass, as he prefers— from being a disruptive variable within the city. Allowing him to follow Miss Aria was deemed a necessary, if costly, concession to maintain order."

The Knight Captain stepped closer, his demeanor shifting from formal respect to quiet authority. "However, his journey cannot be unsupervised. We understand that Miss Aria is an anomaly, Sir Exile. We do not want that anomaly to corrupt the future sword of our house."

"Corrupt?" Sir Quinn let out a short, humorless laugh. "Miss Aria is the least corrupt person I've met. She is chaos, yes, but of a pure, almost necessary kind. And Cass, he is not a sword to be wielded, but a person with his own path. He chose her, not the other way around."

"A choice that benefits his growth, yes. But his house demands assurances, Sir Exile. They want to know that the High Council is taking measures to monitor this 'Anarchist of Creation.'

They wish for him to be close to the true source of power that governs this continent, not merely a rogue adventurer." The knight's lips tightened into a thin line. "They want confirmation that the High Council intends to utilize Miss Aria's potential, not merely dismiss it as a localized threat."

Sir Quinn sighed, running a hand over his silvering hair. "The High Council is many things, Captain. Dismissive is not one of them. They are merely cautious.

And as for your young Lord, he will be monitored— but not by your house. He is now inextricably linked to Aria. His value to the Khalasi House is now directly tied to her trajectory."

The Knight Captain bowed his head slightly in acceptance. "Understood, Sir Exile. We await the High Council's guidance."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a long night ahead." Sir Quinn nodded curtly, and the Knight Captain, along with his entourage, vanished back into the shadows of the alleyway, their mission completed.

*

Sir Quinn returned to the Association Castle, bypassing the main doors and taking a restricted service elevator straight to his private office. Once inside, he didn't even bother to take off his coat. He simply walked to a seemingly solid section of the wall behind his desk, a hidden panel within a bookshelf.

He touched three distinct runes etched subtly into the wood. The air shivered, and the section of the wall shimmered, folding inward to reveal a doorway bathed in the familiar pale green light of the dungeon. It was a private, high-security access point known only to the Branch Manager and select members of the High Council.

-Ooooooooooong!

He stepped through the gate, the door instantly sealing behind him. He found himself not in a cavern, but in a small, sterile, magically shielded antechamber. Three figures in cloaks and hoods were already waiting, their faces obscured, but their presence radiating immense, controlled power.

"Exile Quinn Kaiser," the central figure, whose voice was deep and resonant, greeted him. "You are late. We expected the transfer of the anomaly to be more immediate."

"With respect, Elder Triumvirate," Sir Quinn replied, bowing deeply, acknowledging the authority of the High Council's representatives. "Miss Aria is not a package to be transferred, but a vital, sentient piece of this world's future. I let her leave on her own terms because it was the only way to ensure her cooperation, and more importantly, her future utility to the Association."

Another cloaked figure, the shortest of the three, spoke, their voice possessing a chilling, ethereal quality. "Utility? The destabilization of a mid-level core and the exposure of a corrupted entity nearly triggered a kingdom-wide crisis. Her power is chaotic. It should have been contained."

Sir Quinn straightened, his gaze steady despite the pressure radiating from the three powerful beings. "Containment would have been a catastrophic mistake, Elder. I accessed the dungeon's post-incident data logs—the true logs, not the ones sanitized for public consumption. Her actions, while chaotic, forced the core to evolve, to categorize her, and ultimately, to reward her."

He took a moment, letting the significance of his words sink in. "Aria is a Guest Dungeon Architect Anarchist. The core did not reject her; it integrated her. It recognized her as an essential variable for its own growth.

Furthermore, the knowledge she now possesses—the Dungeon Source Code, the mastery of nascent World Energy—cannot be confiscated or locked away. It is integral to her very being."

The third figure finally spoke, their voice measured and analytical. "Elaborate on this 'utility,' Exile. How does a rogue Anarchist serve the stability of the association?"

"She doesn't serve stability, Elder. She serves growth. The dungeon network acknowledged her existence on a continental scale. Wherever she goes, she will be monitored by the systems she interacts with. Her journey is now an active case study for every allied core in the region. We have essentially weaponized her ability to cause 'unforeseen consequences.'"

Sir Quinn paused, a grim calculation in his eyes. "But to be truly useful to us, to reach her full potential as an Architect capable of influencing multiple dungeons, she needs specific things. Things she cannot obtain in a contained environment."

He projected a mental image to the Triumvirate, a visualization of the data he had compiled. "First, she needs Space. Vast, unclaimed territory to manifest her own dungeon core, away from established political and geographical boundaries.

Second, she needs Materials. Not common energy cores, but specific, high-tier natural essence sources—items found deep within primordial forests or ancient ruins. And third, she needs Challenges.

Not the controlled environment of Westford, but the genuine, unpredictable dangers of the wild to force her power, the World Energy, to mature."

"She is currently headed south, towards Millera, a city surrounded by deep-level dungeons and the volatile Primordial Forest," Sir Quinn concluded. "If she survives that journey, she will be a force of change we can subtly guide. If we try to control her now, she will break free and become a genuine threat."

The central Elder remained silent for a long moment, the air thick with contemplation. Finally, a single, decisive word cut through the silence.

"Observation. Allow the chaos to unfold. Report every significant development, Exile. The House of Khalasi's interests are now secondary to this asset's potential."

"Understood, Elder Triumvirate." Sir Quinn bowed once more as the cloaked figures dissolved into the green light, their presence receding back through the hidden channels of the dungeon network.

The secret door in his office sealed shut, leaving Sir Quinn alone with the heavy silence. He walked back to his desk, picking up a detailed map of the continent and tracing the long, arduous route from Westford to Millera.

"Aria," he murmured to the empty room. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into. The world is watching now."

He knew that three days was not enough time to truly prepare for such a journey. He had gambled on her capabilities, and now, all he could do was manage the collateral damage of her absence while ensuring the success of her impromptu 'field assignment.'

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