Throughout the journey back to the LionArk headquarters, Ethan crossed paths with a squad from the city security team.

He stopped them and briefly explained the situation, asking them to head toward the southern district to investigate.

He still could not be certain whether the woman he had encountered earlier was a scammer or someone truly in danger.

However, LionArk was both the ruler of the city and the guardian of its safety.

Because of that, it was only proper for LionArk to ensure the security of every resident, regardless of their intentions.

Whether they were genuinely threatened or merely skilled con artists exploiting people's sympathy, the city's safety apparatus had to treat the matter seriously.

"Understood. We'll go investigate it," the squad leader replied with a firm nod.

With that settled, Ethan and Sherly continued on their way. Not long after, they arrived at the LionArk headquarters.

Hanss was still there, overseeing the training of newly recruited city security members.

He turned his head when Ethan and Sherly entered the area, his sharp eyes immediately locking onto the sword floating calmly behind Sherly's back. That distinctive sight left little room for doubt.

"It looks like you succeeded in your Class Advancement, Sherly," Hanss said.

"Yes. I've also replaced my skills. I still need some time to adjust," Sherly replied honestly.

"Want to spar?" Hanss asked, his interest clear.

"Well…" Sherly hesitated.

She immediately turned to look at Ethan. Ethan smiled faintly and responded with a small nod.

Training against Ethan would be completely unbalanced. There was no point in that.

Her only reasonable option was to spar with Hanss, whose level was roughly equal to hers.

"Thank you, Sir Ethan. I'll head to your office once I'm done training," Sherly said.

She and Hanss moved toward an empty training field, while Ethan walked into the LionArk headquarters and headed up to the third floor.

The door to his office was already open. Ashley was there, sitting quietly on the long sofa inside the room, as if she had been waiting for him.

"Ashley?" Ethan called out.

Ashley turned when she heard his voice. She stood up and walked toward him. There was a clear purpose behind her visit this time, and she wasted no time bringing it up.

"Where are we going?" Ethan asked.

"Asgard City. Not to meet Thor," Ashley replied calmly, "but Redemption Sword."

She opened a message panel and forwarded the contents to Ethan. The message had been sent to her by Arthur, the guild master of Redemption Sword.

Ethan inhaled sharply as he read it. The message was a formal invitation to a dinner banquet.

"Arthur and Redemption Sword have reached the eightieth floor of the Tower of Ascension?" Ethan asked in disbelief.

"Yes. They're the only group that's managed to get that far so quickly," Ashley answered.

"This dinner invitation…" Ethan muttered. "It's clearly meant to reinforce their dominance over the Tower of Ascension."

"I agree," Ashley replied.

Ethan closed the message panel and turned to her. "What's your decision?"

"LionArk will attend," Ashley said without hesitation. "We don't have any hostility with them. There's no reason to be afraid."

"And who stays behind to manage the city?" Ethan asked.

Ashley shook her head slightly. According to her plan, she and Ethan would go together. As for guarding the city, everything would be entrusted to Jill, Sherly, Hanss, and Darcy.

They were more than capable of handling issues caused by smaller guilds.

"I've already asked Arthur for guarantees," Ashley added.

She explained that the situation in Mavelard was still developing and not entirely stable.

Because of that, she had requested Arthur to prepare portable teleportation devices, just in case something bad happened while they were away.

If that occurred, Ashley and Ethan would have to leave the banquet early. Arthur had readily agreed to this condition.

"I'm sure he's also inviting Silver Star and Scavenger," Ethan said, folding his arms.

"That's Asgard City," Ashley replied. "A major city ruled by Redemption Sword. Only a fool would dare cause trouble there."

"Scavenger is a slippery group," Ethan said. "We still need to be careful."

Ashley agreed. She stepped closer and stopped in front of Ethan. Gently, she reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Everything will be fine," she said.

"We'll leave tomorrow. Just the two of us."

"I need to talk to Hanss and Darcy tonight to assign them their duties," Ethan replied.

"Of course."

Day gradually turned into night. Ashley returned to her own office, while Ethan remained in his. Sherly went to call Hanss and Darcy, and not long after, the two of them arrived.

They had no idea why Ethan had summoned them so late. Once they were seated across from him at his desk, Ethan began to speak.

"Ashley and I will be leaving," he said, "I'm entrusting the city's security entirely to the two of you."

"Postpone any proposals related to military action or city security until I return."

"If you need any documents from my office, you can request them through Sherly."

Hanss and Darcy were visibly surprised. They exchanged looks, clearly curious about where Ethan was going and how long he would be gone.

"Will you and Lady Ashley be away for long?" Hanss asked.

"About three to four days," Ethan replied.

"I understand," Hanss said with a nod. "You don't need to worry about the city. We'll make sure everything remains stable while you're gone."

Ethan nodded. Hanss was the head of the City Security Authority, while Darcy was the head of the Legal Authority. Both of them were crucial pillars in maintaining order and enforcing justice.

In Ethan's view, only the two of them were capable of handling such responsibility. He did not dare place full authority in Sherly's hands yet. She was not ready to lead.

"You can return and get some rest," Ethan said.

Hanss and Darcy nodded calmly. They stood up, excused themselves, and left to handle their final tasks before resting.

Sherly was still inside the office, her expression filled with curiosity about what her role would be.

"Just support them," Ethan told her. "Provide whatever they need."

Sherly cleared her throat and nodded, already understanding what would be expected of her.

With that, all of Ethan's work for the day was complete. Sherly also returned to her dormitory to rest.

Just as Ethan was about to leave the office, a notification panel suddenly appeared, startling him.

It was a notification informing him that someone had sent him a friend request.

[You have received a friend request]

Curious, Ethan raised his hand and tapped the panel. He could not hide his shock when he saw the name of the player who had sent the request.

MagisterDao.

"Gordon?" Ethan murmured.

He accepted the request. A red dot appeared on his friends panel, indicating an unread message from MagisterDao. The message had been sent before the friend request itself.

[MagisterDao (Lv. 96): Ethan? Are you there?]

[MagisterDao (Lv. 96): Don't leave Mavelard]

[MagisterDao (Lv. 96): I heard Silver Star is planning to attack the city]

[MagisterDao (Lv. 96): Stay there and protect them]

Ethan might have ignored it if it had come from someone else. But this was MagisterDao, who was none other than Gordon, his own friend.

He trusted Gordon far more than Arthur's polished words and formal invitations.

Gordon never lies. He's always careful with his actions.

The message is clear. I shouldn't leave.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.