The warehouse had fallen completely silent. Only dust moved, drifting lazily through the sunbeams slipping between warped planks.

The thugs who were there ran away a while ago. Ryn shrugged, they'd be caught by the garrison anyway without their leader.

He wiped his blade on the handler's cloak and sheathed it, his breathing even, unhurried.

Ellis looked at him with the fascination of a newborn baby who had just seen the world for the first time.

"I grossly underestimated you," she said while trying her best to untie her binds.

Cardinal Leon rose slowly from his knees, shaking off the last of the rope burns.

"If I remember correctly, you were supposed to have a B-Rank Blessing?"

Ryn didn't meet his eyes, hoping he wouldn't push further.

"Yeah. Something like that," he said, rummaging through the handler's belongings.

Leon studied him for a breath longer, then inclined his head.

"Very well."

And just like that, he let the matter go—the mark of someone who understood that pressing the wrong person at the wrong time could do more harm than good.

Ryn finally dug into something within the handler's inner coat. A thin envelope that's no larger than palm-size. It was written like a normal message, but he knew a trick that would do the job in revealing the secret. Too bad it was daytime now.

However, through the light, he could make out two words.

Lumen Auction.

Ryn folded the note and slid it into his pocket.

The three of them stepped out into the alley behind the warehouse, where the morning light felt almost foreign after the darkness inside.

Ryn remembered entering at dawn, now the sun was high over his head.

Cardinal Leon simply stood there, eyes closed for a moment, breathing in the clean air like a man grateful for another dawn.

Ryn leaned against the wall, unreadable as ever, though his gaze kept drifting toward the folded note in his pocket.

It was Cardinal Leon who broke the silence.

"Right, Mr. Ryn, what are your plans now?"

Ryn flinched. The only time he'd been called 'Mr.' was when his late mother scolded him for being bad behaved as a kid.

"Well," he cleared his throat, "my original goal was to get to Lumen. However, since you're going to Raias, how about going together with Stonewake?"

Leon gave him a gentle, grateful smile. "It would be comforting to have someone capable nearby."

Ellis crossed her arms. "Stonewake will want to escort the cardinal anyway. It's safer, and they're already involved. We'll regroup with them and head to Raias immediately."

Ryn nodded slowly. "Good."

Ellis frowned. "So you are coming?"

"No," Ryn said simply.

Her brow knit. "What?"

"My path and yours split here." He tapped the folded note in his pocket. "Everything's related, so it's clear where I must go."

Ellis's jaw tightened. "Then let us come with you—"

Ryn shook his head.

"Your job is to get the Cardinal to Rais safely."

Even before he said it, he felt the instinct to escort Leon himself. The safety of Cardinal Leon was, in many ways, equivalent to preserving the Hero's strength in the future.

But the "Lumen Auction"—which Ryn could only assume meant Lumen's Black Market Auction—was happening tomorrow. And that was something he could not afford to miss.

There were too many crossroads, too many futures branching at once. In the end, he took the risk.

Ryn sighed and handed Grandal's crest to the cardinal.

"If anything happens, imbue this crest with magic. The Grandals will come running."

The cardinal held the insignia carefully, almost reverently, staring at it as though Ryn had handed him a royal heirloom—which, to be fair, wasn't far from the truth.

"Thank you, Mr. Ryn." Leon bowed, so deeply and sincerely that Ryn actually flinched again and hurried to stop him.

"Please—stand. Really. That's… unnecessary."

Leon straightened, still holding the crest with both hands as if afraid it might vanish should he loosen his grip.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ellis let out a slow breath, her shoulders dipping—not in relief, but in something closer to disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"…This doesn't actually fix Dunwick," she murmured. "Those fake priests are still running around town."

Ryn adjusted his cloak, hiding the last traces of noble embroidery.

"It should settle soon."

Ellis frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I tipped the garrison captain yesterday," Ryn replied mildly.

"Told him that the head honcho of the bandits was going to go down soon, and that he can round up the others easily."

Ellis blinked. "You… already did that?"

Ryn shrugged, as if it were obvious. "Figured someone should."

Leon's eyes softened with quiet understanding. Ellis's expression shifted. Surprised, but this time with a breath of relief instead of disappointment.

"…You really plan ahead, don't you?" she said quietly.

Ryn didn't answer.

He just checked the note in his pocket, planning his next course of action in Lumen.

"Let's regroup with Stonewake." he said, already making his way back to the square.

Both Ellis and the Cardinal looked at each other, then followed, like confused freshmen following their council president.

***

As they approached the gate, Stonewake was already ready to go. They looked anxious, which made Ryn realize that Ellis definitely did not tell them anything about the operation.

As soon has Hale spotted them coming out of the alley, he bolted over immediately.

Ellis! Where were you? We agreed to meet at dawn!"

Ellis hesitated just long enough for Ryn to confirm his suspicion.

She forced a smile.

"There was… a situation. But it's handled now."

The other party members rushed over afterward, with Braden immediately pointing Ryn out.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

Ryn stared at him, confused. They literally shared a meal just yesterday. Either the man had terrible short-term memory or he was forgetting something.

It was the latter. Ryn was fully exposed, without his hood, in his full noble attire.

"Ah. Hi, I'm Eden."

Braden jabbed a finger at him. "You're a noble!? Did…did I commit treason for calling you "bro" ?!"

Hale dragged a hand over his face. "Calm down. He's the same person."

Tessa emerged from between the two, voice flat.

"Was it not obvious? There's only one prominent figure with 'Eden' in their name."

Ryn blinked at her, genuinely caught off guard.

"You knew?"

Tessa didn't even shrug. "You were careless with your cloak. Anyone paying attention would've seen the crest."

Braden looked betrayed. "YOU KNEW THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T TELL US?!"

"I didn't think it was relevant," she replied flatly. "He wasn't hostile, and Ellis trusted him."

Hale opened his mouth to protest, then slowly closed it.

"…Fair enough."

Ryn studied Tessa for a moment longer. Even with [Enhanced Senses], he didn't realize she had noticed him.

And that alone told him enough, she knew more than she was letting on—but is capable enough to trust.

Ellis stepped beside him, crossing her arms. "Anyway, can we move on? We still need to get the cardinal out of Dunwick."

Ryn nodded once, his decision firming.

"Yes. And you'll be fine with this group."

Both Hale and Braden opened their mouths in awe.

"What Cardinal??"

Leon stepped forward, drawing back his hood with a gentle, apologetic smile.

"That would be me."

Braden made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. Hale nearly dropped his shield.

Ryn exhaled, a sigh of exhaustion.

"Long story. Anyway, since you're heading to Raias, could you go together with his group?"

Braden straightened his back immediately. "We can do that! Probably. Maybe. Tessa, can we do that?"

Tessa ignored him entirely, turning instead to study Leon's posture, his robes, the faint tremor still lingering in his hands. Her tone remained steady.

"We'll take responsibility. Stonewake is already registered for eastbound travel. There's no safer route for him right now."

Then she looked between Ryn and the rest of the party, her expression tightening for a moment.

"What about you? Aren't you coming?"

Ryn tapped the folded message in his pocket.

"No. I have somewhere else I need to be… and not much time to get there."

She exhaled. "Figures. You're probably aiming for the Black Market Auction."

Ryn exhaled softly. She was right—again.

"You're well-informed."

He began becoming suspicious of her, she spoke little but knew a lot. Ryn narrowed his eye, a hand also subtly placed near his ring.

Seeing the reaction, Tessa eased up.

"I was born into it."

Tessa reached into the inner pocket of her coat and pulled out a coin, to which she flung over to Ryn.

He caught it, facing the symbol toward him.

Then it struck…the reason why she knew so much.

The Red Fox Merchants, one of the most reputable merchantry, known for both their trade and intelligence.

"You can't use the Arctis or Grandal crests in Lumen," she said.

"Noble insignias attract the wrong eyes. They also create… complications."

Ryn sighed once more, he wasn't even going to ask the reason why she knew that he had Grandal's crest.

But she was right. Bringing noble influence into an underground auction could create political noise. Noise that he did not need.

Ryn studied the emblem. It was lighter than he expected, but carried weight all the same.

"This is valuable," he said.

Her gaze sharpened.

"Consider it a loan."

Ryn blinked, surprised by her blunt trust.

"…Thank you."

Ryn tucked the crest safely inside his cloak.

For the first time since reading the handler's note, he felt a sliver of reassurance.

Stonewake was not merely brave. They had someone who understood the deeper layers—the undercurrents of commerce, crime, and influence.

The cardinal would be safe with them.

And Ryn's path was clear.

Toward Lumen, the city of Light.

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