The kid shrank in fear, eyes darting around for a place to hide before realizing there were none.

Slowly, Jay Ferris straightened his back, forcing his trembling hands behind the counter as he tried to assemble something resembling confidence.

It didn't work.

"What… what do you want…!?" he blurted. "I—I told you, I already paid this month off!"

His voice cracked halfway through the sentence, but he kept talking anyway, as if volume alone could save him.

"If this is about the debt, I swear I'm clean! I'm not late, I'm not behind— I even tipped extra because the collector said it'd help settle things faster—"

He swallowed hard, mask tilting down to hide the fear in his eyes.

"So just… leave me alone, okay?"

Jay was still shaking, still trying to look tough, still failing.

Ryn raised both hands slowly, palms open.

"Easy," he said. "If I wanted to collect debt, I'd at least dress the part."

Jay blinked.

Ryn pointed at the name tag pinned crookedly on his apron:

[JAY — TRAINEE BARTENDER]

His eyes flicked down to the tag as if noticing it for the first time.

"…Uh."

Ryn leaned one elbow casually against the counter.

"I came here for something else."

Ryn tapped the bar top lightly.

"I'd like a drink," he said.

Jay stared.

"I— a what?"

Ryn pointed again at the badge, tone flat but teasing:

"It says bartender. Unless the badge is lying to me now, too?

Jay flushed under the mask.

"N-no! I mean— yes! I mean— I can make drinks—!"

He scrambled for a bottle so fast he nearly knocked it over.

Sera watched in silent amusement.

Ryn nodded once.

"Good," he said calmly. "Then start with that."

With those words, the entire atmosphere shifted.

Jay was still flustered, hands shaking slightly as he tried to straighten the bottles in front of him.

Ryn tapped the bar once with a knuckle.

"Negroni."

Jay looked up, eyes wide.

"A–A Negroni? You want…?"

"Is that a problem?" Ryn asked evenly.

Jay swallowed.

"No— no, not at all! I just— I've never made one for a customer before. Not many people order it. I'm not— I don't think I'm good enough yet." "

Ryn nodded slowly.

"I believe you can do it."

Sera raised an eyebrow, watching curiously.

He stared at Ryn, unsure whether he had misheard.

"…You… you believe I can?"

Ryn nodded once.

"Show me."

Something steadied in Jay's eyes.

He reached for the bottles again, less shaky this time, lining up the ingredients with surprising steadiness:

Gin, Vermouth, and Campari.

He didn't measure anything, going off purely by feel and instinct. He knew the ratio, felt it even. Similar to the way a swordsman understands the weight of his blade.

He poured each part precisely and stirred with controlled force—until the exact dilution of a Negroni was fulfilled.

Jay strained the drink over ice, watching the deep, ruby-amber color settle perfectly.

"…There."

He slid the small glass over to Ryn, its deep amber color amazed him. Ryn had never seen such a pure and beautiful-looking cocktail.

Then he took a sip.

Flavor burst in his mouth, the Gin and Campari were strong but was excellently diluted by Jay's cold stirring, combined with the slightly sweet and herbal hints of Vermouth.

It wasn't just good, it was masterful.

Ryn closed his eyes, letting the flavor settle.

Sera leaned in, curious. She took a sip—

—and immediately choked on it, coughing hard.

Jay straightened, embarrassed.

"I… I've practiced a bit," he admitted quietly. "Didn't think I was any good yet."

Ryn opened his eyes. Behind the mask, they softened.

He has no idea what he is.

This was Jay Ferris, holder of the S-Rank Blessing: Mixology—

the boy who, in another life, would be known across nations

as the Master Alchemist.

Jay watched Ryn sip the drink, waiting, hoping, searching his masked expression for approval.

But when the moment passed, something faint flickered behind the boy's eyes.

Suspicion.

"…Um," Jay said carefully, "you didn't… come here just for a drink, did you?"

Ryn didn't answer immediately.

Sera shot him a look.

There it is.

Ryn set the glass down with a soft clink.

"No," he said simply. "I didn't."

Ryn continued:

"I came here because I want to recruit you."

Jay's breath hitched.

For a moment, hope lit in his eyes, the instinctive spark of a kid who desperately wanted a way out of the life he was living.

But it died just as quickly.

Jay looked down, jaw tightening.

"…I can't."

Ryn narrowed his eyes behind the mask.

"Why not?"

He hesitated, biting his lip, before reaching beneath the counter. He emerged with something in his hand,

A Black Metal Slip.

Jay held it with both hands, with both reverence and fear.

"I've already been recruited," he said quietly.

Sera's eyes widened.

Ryn didn't respond right away.

He couldn't.

Jay Ferris, the future Master Alchemist—was standing right in front of him.

Ryn had found him, a key figure to stopping the Evernight. He even did everything right to earn his trust.

His expression soured. Ryn was this close to recruiting him.

But the slip in Jay's hand changed everything.

Maria Blackwood.

That name meant nothing to him. Absolutely nothing.

And yet—

With that same slip, Ryn had walked out of the high-rollers' chamber unharmed.

She wasn't a simple rival or merchant guild leader. Maria had power. However, the extent of where that power reaches was unknown to him, which is exactly why he hesitated.

Jay Ferris was already claimed by someone Ryn wasn't sure he should ever cross.

Ryn exhaled silently.

One problem at a time.

For now, his sights have turned. Maria Blackwood—he needed to know where her influence reached.

Ryn's thoughts steadied, and with that clarity came a decision.

He reached into his coat, fingers brushing the cold metal of his House crest.

The Arctis sigil caught the lanternlight as he set it gently on the counter in front of Jay Ferris.

Ryn said quietly. "Think on it."

Jay stared at the emblem as if it were something he wasn't worthy to touch. His fingers hovered, shaking and hesitant, until he finally closed them around the crest.

A simple motion.

Ryn stepped back from the counter.

"We'll talk tomorrow," he said. "After I've spoken to Maria Blackwood."

Jay nodded, still tense, still unsure.

"Okay… I'll think about it."

Ryn and Sera stood and started for the exit.

However, unbeknownst to them, someone had noticed the whole scene play out.

A man in a plain half-mask, seated just far enough to blend into the background, paused mid-drink. His eyes slid toward the crest in Jay's hand.

Recognition flickered.

His fingers curled once around the stem of his glass as he slipped into the moving crowd like a shadow being reabsorbed into the room, vanishing, as if he was never there to begin with.

***

They slipped out of the gambling hall into the quiet night. The streets were not as crowded as when they entered, mostly because everyone was already enjoying themselves in the chosen establishment.

Sera stretched her arms above her head with a bright sigh.

"Phew, you did great today, Young Master Ryn!" she said, smiling.

Ryn's hand somehow found his temples, replying:

"Ughhh… just call me Ryn privately. And Eden when we're out in public."

He paused, then added with a sigh,

"And you don't even know what I did."

Sera gave him a sideways look—cheerful, but sharper than she let on.

"True," she said lightly, "But whatever you did seemed to work out?"

Ryn raised an eyebrow.

Sera continued,

"I mean…we didn't die immediately. That's a sign that it worked out. Right?"

Ryn stared at her for a moment, then shook his head with a tired half-laugh.

But something tugged at him.

Her optimism and willingness to follow him into danger…were so similar to what he had seen in his past life.

He felt a slight tug at his conscience, but decided to keep it down for now.

At some point, he realized he had learned almost nothing about what she was doing here.

Ryn glanced over at her.

"Sera."

She hummed in acknowledgment, hands clasped behind her back.

"What exactly is your objective in Lumen?"

Her smile faltered—just a little.

Then she straightened, brushing dust from her cloak.

"Well… we already accomplished half of it," she said.

Ryn's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Which is?"

Sera lifted a single finger.

"The VIP invitation."

Ryn blinked.

She continued, more serious now:

"My mission is to get inside the VIP auction, learn about it, and get rid of any potentially dangerous items before the Hero's Ceremony starts."

"Mmm. That makes sense, actually." Ryn tilted his head. "Am I getting a share of your pay since I did your job for you?"

Sera's eyes widened.

"YOU JUST WON 5,000 GOLD!"

Ryn raised both arms like he was surrendering.

"Fair enough."

They reached a small inn on the quieter side of Lumen. Warm lanterns glowed behind its windows, a welcome contrast to the chaos they had just left.

Ryn paid the innkeeper without much ceremony.

"Two rooms," he said.

Sera puffed her cheeks and took her key, heading down the hall with a bright, "Goodnight, Ryn!"

Ryn entered his own room. A simple space with a bed, a lantern, and a small wooden table. He set his mask aside, exhaled, and finally let himself sink into the mattress.

He'd barely closed his eyes when—

shff.

A soft sound.

Ryn sat up instantly.

A black envelope had been slipped under his door.

He activated [Enhanced Senses], trying to see who was at the door. But the only thing that he noticed was a slight footprint. The person who delivered the letter was no longer there.

He crossed the room and gingerly picked it up.

The wax seal gleamed crimson under the lanternlight, stamped with the initials M.B.

He broke the seal.

"Ryn Arctis,

It seems you were trying to find me. You're in luck because I find you interesting. Be ready tomorrow night, my escort will find you."

Ryn stared at the letter, horrified.

Maria Blackwood.

Who is she? And why wasn't she in my past life?

He stared at the letter with only one thought in mind:

Maybe Ryn wasn't as omniscient as he thought.

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