His approaching figure felt ominous in a way I couldn't quite put into words.

The killing intent radiating from him as he flew toward us was overwhelming—so dense it felt as though the air itself had frozen. My instincts screamed danger, and for a brief moment, my body refused to move.

I knew who he was.

Vermut.

A veteran mage who had once entered the Magic Tower.

A man spoken of in hushed tones, even among nobles.

But still…

I never imagined he'd be this formidable.

This wasn't simply strength beyond the standard. It was on an entirely different plane. Despite being well past sixty, the mana he exuded was vast and profound, layered so deeply that I couldn't even begin to grasp its depth with my current senses.

To think a retired mage could be like this…

How many monsters like him were still walking around in this world?

Before I could dwell on that terrifying thought, Vermut descended and landed directly in front of us. The pressure lifted slightly, but the tension remained thick enough to choke on.

Rain, who had been standing beside me until now, suddenly lit up.

"Grandpa!!"

She waved enthusiastically, as if the man who had just descended like a calamity were nothing more than a doting old relative.

"There you are! Rain!"

Only then did Vermut's expression change. The killing intent vanished almost instantly, replaced by pure relief as he noticed her. He opened his arms, and Rain ran straight into them.

He held her tightly, as if afraid she might disappear the moment he let go.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked urgently, his voice completely different from before.

"Nope! I'm fine!" Rain replied cheerfully.

Vermut carefully examined her from head to toe, his brows knit with worry, his eyes scanning for even the smallest scratch. Only after confirming she was truly unharmed did he finally relax.

Then—

His gaze snapped toward me.

The murderous intent returned, sharper than before.

"Are you the one who kidnapped our Rain?"

"…Pardon?"

His eyes burned with fury as his mana surged again, pressing down on me like a mountain.

"How dare you take my granddaughter away!"

Huh…?

My mind blanked for a second.

"Wait—what?" I said reflexively. "Kidnapped? No, that's not happened—!"

The situation started to spiral in a direction I hadn't anticipated at all.

Could he really be mistaking me for a kidnapper?

That didn't make any sense. I had left a proper note—clear, concise, impossible to misunderstand. So why was he glaring at me like I was some criminal caught red-handed?

No matter how I looked at it, something had gone wrong.

There had to be a misunderstanding.

Just as I was about to explain myself—quickly, before things escalated any further—

BOOM!

A deafening thunderclap tore through the sky.

I instinctively flinched and looked up. The clouds above had grown far darker than before, swelling and churning as if the heavens themselves were enraged. This wasn't the light storm from earlier—it felt oppressive, heavy, dangerous.

The air crackled faintly with mana.

This is bad.

Sensing the imminent threat, I opened my mouth in a panic before whatever spell he was preparing could be unleashed.

"W-wait! Hold on—It's me, Louis!"

"…What?"

At my voice, Vermut abruptly turned back toward me. The hostility draining from his posture, replaced by confusion.

He frowned slightly, then leaned closer, squinting at my face as though his vision had suddenly failed him. His gaze lingered, sharp and searching, scanning every detail.

Seconds passed.

Then—

"Louis…?"

The storm above let out a low rumble, but the pressure began to ease. Vermut's expression slowly shifted, the demonic fury in his eyes fading into disbelief.

"Why are you here…?"

The thunderclouds overhead weakened, the violent mana dispersing as his emotions settled.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"So you finally recognized me," I said, forcing a wry smile. "You were about two seconds away from turning me into ash."

Vermut clicked his tongue and looked away, rubbing his temple. "Tch… don't say it like that. In that situation, anyone would've assumed the worst."

"The worst being that I suddenly turned into a criminal?"

Simultaneously, the magical energy lingering in the sky dispersed.

The pressure weighing down on my chest vanished along with it.

Only after confirming that the clouds had completely disappeared did I finally allow myself to breathe.

…I survived.

I almost got blasted by magic and turned into a pile of black ash.

The thought alone made cold sweat trickle down my spine.

Fortunately, it seemed the misunderstanding surrounding me had finally been cleared up. The man who had nearly erased me from existence moments ago now approached with a warm, welcoming expression, as if none of that had ever happened.

"Ho ho ho, it seems I made a mistake, didn't I?"

The murderous aura from earlier was completely gone. In its place was a gentle smile and a good-natured laugh—almost infuriatingly so.

"I did leave a note," I said, barely keeping my composure. "I clearly wrote that I'd be looking after her for a while."

"A note…?"

He tilted his head slightly, then snapped his fingers as if recalling something.

"Ah, the one on the table?"

So he did see it.

Then what exactly was that spell supposed to be? A greeting?

My confusion must have shown on my face, because my expression hardened as I glared at him. Seeing that, he coughed lightly and averted his gaze, suddenly looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

"Ahem. You see… how should I put this…"

He folded his arms and continued in a defensive tone.

"How could you leave such a short note with no proper context? It naturally led to misunderstandings. At the very least, you should have written your name."

"I did."

I answered immediately, my voice flat.

"I definitely wrote my name clearly."

He paused.

"…You did?"

"Yes. In plain writing. No abbreviations. No symbols."

For a moment, silence hung between us.

"Hm? There wasn't any."

Vermut's answer caught me completely off guard.

…What?

No name?

For a moment, my mind went blank. I was certain I had written my name at the end of the note. I remembered it clearly—there was no way I'd forgotten something that basic.

Then why couldn't he see it?

I studied Vermut's face carefully. There was no hesitation, no hint of feigned ignorance. His brows were slightly knit, his eyes filled with genuine confusion.

He wasn't lying.

Which only made things stranger.

Before I could press the issue, Vermut shifted his gaze past me.

"By the way… what's that over there?"

He pointed toward the Minotaur's corpse lying in the street, its massive body sprawled awkwardly, tongue lolling out in a thoroughly undignified manner.

It was an absurd sight—no wonder it caught his attention. A medium-sized monster dead in the middle of the city wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence.

I let out a small sigh and explained everything from start to finish—how the monsters had escaped, how the chaos had broken out, and how things had finally ended up like this. I didn't leave out a single detail.

"So the monsters escaped?" Vermut said grimly.

"Yes. Apparently, the Bors Merchant Group brought them in for a circus."

"…Those idiots."

His expression darkened instantly.

"Even for money, doing business with monsters…" He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Unbelievable. Kids these days really have no sense of danger."

From the way he spoke, it was clear he'd dealt with this sort of foolishness more times than he cared to count.

Then, as if something finally clicked in his mind, Vermut's expression softened. He turned to look at me properly this time.

"Still… Rain is safe because of you."

His voice was quieter now, heavier with sincerity.

"I've received help from you once again."

"It's really fine," I replied casually. "I wasn't expecting anything in return."

But the moment the words left my mouth, Vermut shook his head firmly.

"No. I can't let it end like this."

He met my gaze, his eyes steady and resolute.

"You're a benefactor to our family. Once is coincidence—twice is obligation."

…Persistent, huh.

"I don't know what would be appropriate," he continued, "but I will repay this debt. That's something I won't compromise on."

Seeing how serious he was, I couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Well," I said, letting my shoulders relax, "if you insist that much, I suppose I won't stop you."

At that, Vermut finally allowed himself a small, relieved smile.

"Good," he said. "I'll remember this."

For reasons I couldn't quite explain, I had the feeling that this promise of his would matter far more than I expected later on.

I wasn't particularly expecting a reward, but…

if he was offering one, I couldn't help hoping it'd be something worthwhile.

As that rather shameless thought crossed my mind—

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Heavy vibrations rippled through the ground beneath our feet.

"Hm?"

The sound wasn't faint. It was deep, rhythmic, and unmistakably growing closer by the second. Each impact sent a dull tremor up my legs.

This sound…

The vibrations intensified, the air itself seeming to quiver along with them.

And before I even consciously processed it, my body reacted first.

I knew this feeling.

Too well.

It was almost identical to what I'd felt earlier—when the Minotaur had charged at full speed.

My expression stiffened.

…Don't tell me.

Slowly, I turned my gaze toward the direction the sound was coming from, a bad premonition settling heavily in my chest.

"Vermut," I said quietly, already bracing myself, "you might want to prepare yourself."

Because whatever was approaching—

It was big.

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