The adventurer party's faces fell at Adam's confirmation. The one called Hans, the dagger-wielder, kicked a loose stone in frustration. "Just our luck!"

The dwarf, Drokh, rumbled, his voice like grinding stones. "This was our mark. We accepted the quest from the Guild. By rights, it's ours. Interlopers who steal a contracted quest face penalties." He said the last part while eyeing the cloth bundle in Elise's hands, clearly coveting the core fragments.

The mage, Fia, leaned closer to Hill and whispered, her voice low but carrying in the now-quiet air. "Hill, caution. They just pacified an S-Rank threat. Their composition is... unusual. High risk."

Elise, ever the diplomat, stepped forward slightly, her posture regal despite her worn clothes. "A quest from the Guild, you say? May I inquire about the details? We were operating under a direct mandate from Duke Arkwright himself to resolve this issue."

Seraphina added, her tone sharp with annoyance, "If there is a conflict, the error likely lies with your Guild's coordination, not with us fulfilling the Duke's personal request."

Hill listened, his stern face thoughtful. The mention of the Duke gave him pause.

Adam looked at Elise, lowering his voice. "Can quests overlap like this? Is that normal?"

Elise kept her eyes on the other party as she answered quietly. "In a well-run Guild, no. Quests are registered and assigned uniquely to prevent this exact conflict. For this to happen... either there is a severe administrative failure at the local Guild branch, which is possible but not common, or..." her voice dropped further, "...they are lying. They may have heard of the bounty and are trying to claim the credit—and the reward—after the fact, using Guild rules as a bluff to intimidate us into handing over the core remnants."

'Lying or not, I'm not giving up these fragments,' Adam thought, his gaze hardening. 'If there's even a chance they contain a skill fragment for wind manipulation, I need to consume them.'

Lilith, sensing Adam's resolve and the thickening tension, shifted her weight almost imperceptibly. Her crimson eyes locked onto Hill. "Then they are enemies attempting to usurp the fruits of our labor. A clear and present threat." Her fingers twitched, and faint, nearly invisible threads of psychic energy began to weave around her fingertips.

Seeing Lilith's ready stance, Ignis cracked her neck, flames sparking in her palms. Seraphina's sword was half-drawn.

"Wait," Elise said firmly, raising a hand. She directed her next words at Hill and his party, her voice ringing with authority. "Violence is unnecessary and would only compound any error here. My name is Princess Elise of Melium. I am traveling under the Duke's cognizance. If you have a legitimate Guild contract for this task, present it. If not, then you are obstructing the Duke's business and attempting to claim spoils you did not earn. Stand down, and we can part ways without incident. Pursue this further, and you will answer to Duke Arkwright's justice."

She played her highest card—her royal title and the Duke's direct authority—hoping it would be enough to make a group of adventurers reconsider.

Hill's eyes widened slightly at the title 'Princess'. He exchanged a quick, wary look with Fia, whose grip on her staff tightened.

Adam, Lilith, and Seraphina all stiffened. Adam's eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into slits of pure disbelief. He turned his head slowly towards Elise, his voice a low, incredulous hiss. "Hey, are you an idiot, Princess? Why in the world would you reveal your identity? Did you completely forget what happened just last night?!"

Lilith let out a soft, airy sigh, a chillingly empty smile gracing her lips. "It seems our dear Princess is becoming… increasingly difficult to manage."

Seraphina's face paled. She leaned closer to Elise, her voice a strained whisper. "Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but we should avoid disclosing ourselves so openly."

Ignis, meanwhile, just watched the escalating tension, her fists clenched, a hopeful spark in her eyes. 'Fight… fight… fight…'

Across from them, Hill and his party froze, their earlier frustration replaced by shock and dawning, avaricious calculation.

"H-Hold on… Princess?" Hill sputtered, his confident demeanor cracking. "For real?"

Fia, the mage, adjusted her grip on her staff, her analytical eyes sweeping over Elise with new intensity. "I knew her aura was different… refined, even depleted. It makes sense now."

Drokh the dwarf stroked his beard, a greedy glint entering his eyes. "Hey now… if that's the case… what if we snatch her? A royal hostage! We could ransom her, or just take whatever valuables she's got! We'd be set for life!"

Hans, the dagger-wielder, licked his lips nervously but was quickly swayed by the idea. "That's… that's a great idea! But… they're the ones who just took down that monster. You think a princess travels without strong guards?"

Fia's voice was cool and calculating. "Look at them. They're exhausted. The fight with the Sovereign drained them. This is our chance. If we strike now, before they recover… we could get the princess and the core remnants. A double bounty."

A wide, nasty grin spread across Drokh's face. "Heh… seems our luck ain't so bad after all."

Elise blinked, her confident diplomatic expression crumbling into one of pure, flustered confusion. "Ehh? H-hee? Why is it turning out like this…?"

Adam let out a long, weary sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll lecture you later. Right now…" He cracked his neck, the sound like grinding stones, and turned fully to face the adventurers. His earlier nonchalance was gone, replaced by a predatory stillness. "…we're getting ready for a fight."

Lilith's smile widened, showing a hint of very sharp, very white teeth. "How regrettable. They seem to be underestimating us. A fatal mistake."

Ignis cracked her knuckles, orange flames erupting around her hands and licking up her forearms. "Don't worry, Lilith," she growled, her voice layered with a draconic rumble. "I'll burn their mouths shut so they can't even think about saying that crap again."

Elise raised her hands, panic in her voice. "Wait! Stop! Don't kill them!"

Adam didn't take his eyes off the approaching adventurers. "I can't guarantee that."

And then, the fight erupted.

Hill moved first, his longsword flashing from its sheath not with a physical swing, but with a projected arc of Violet Cleave, a concentrated blade of force that tore through the air towards Adam. Adam didn't flinch; he simply leaned to the side, letting the violent energy pass by him harmlessly.

Hans used the distraction. He became a blur, his daggers gleaming as he used a Shadow Step skill to appear not behind Adam, but directly behind the stunned Elise, his hands reaching to grab her.

He never made it. Seraphina's sword was there, a silver barrier of steel. Clang! She parried a lightning-fast dagger thrust aimed at her own throat, the impact jarring her injured arm, but she held firm, putting herself bodily between Hans and Elise. "You will not touch her!"

Elise stumbled back, her mind a whirlwind of guilt and fear, her hands fumbling as she tried to decide on a spell—to shield, to hinder, to do something.

Ignis, seeing Seraphina engaged, saw her opening. With a roar of "Cinder Dash!" she became a streaking comet of fire, aiming not at the nimble Hans, but at the leader, Hill.

"Hill, evade!" Fia cried out, but she was a fraction too slow. Hill brought his sword up in a desperate guard. Ignis's fiery charge slammed into him. The Molten Armor she unconsciously activated scalded him even through his gear, and the raw force of the impact lifted him off his feet, sending him crashing to the ground, his armor smoking.

"Yer little—!" Drokh bellowed, hefting his massive axe to charge at Ignis's exposed back.

He took two steps before jerking to a halt. Nearly invisible Sovereign Silk threads, as strong as steel cables, had snapped taut around his ankles and wrists, anchored to the rocky ground. He strained against them, his muscles bulging.

"You are in the way," Lilith stated calmly from where she stood, her fingers controlling the threads.

Adam saw his chance. While Drokh was entangled, Adam closed the distance in a casual stroll. He didn't use a skill. He simply drove a fist, empowered by Dragon's Might, into the dwarf's armored midsection.

WHUMP!

The sound was like a battering ram hitting a fortress wall. Drokh's eyes bulged, all the air blasted from his lungs. The threads held him upright for a moment before Lilith released them, and the dwarf was launched backwards like a discarded doll, straight towards the canyon wall.

"Aqua Bind!" Fia shouted, her staff flashing. A whip of pressurized water shot out, not to attack, but to wrap around the flying dwarf, cushioning his impact and pulling him to a rough but survivable landing next to the wheezing Hill.

The first, brutal exchange was over in seconds. Hill was down, scorched and gasping. Drokh was struggling to breathe, his ribs likely cracked. Hans was locked in a desperate duel with Seraphina, unable to break past her guard. Fia stood back, her face pale, having used her magic defensively. Their plan to pick off exhausted foes had shattered against the reality of Adam's party's coordinated, ruthless efficiency.

Ignis stood over the prone Hill, flames dancing in her palms. "What was that about snatching the Princess?" she taunted.

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