The return was quiet.

That only applied to the inner carriage cabin of the Gremory Party.

Crowds gathered outside, cheering on each and every Hero Party that went down the main road on the way to their accommodations.

Ryn sat at the opposite window. Posture rigid and eyes unfocused, even with everything outside, he had something else in mind.

Amelia watched him the whole ride.

"Is…something wrong?" she asked.

That made him turn.

Just slightly.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

"Things have shifted forward," he continued. "Whatever schedule I thought I had? It's gone."

The carriage came to a stop.

Amelia searched his face, looking for exaggeration or panic, anything at all.

She found none.

"How far forward?" she asked.

Ryn pushed the door open before answering.

"Enough that we can't afford to be careful anymore," he said.

"We need to move. Fast."

He stepped out onto the gravel path, the estate gates opening ahead of them.

Amelia followed, unease settling in her chest.

"…You're sure?"

Ryn didn't answer immediately.

"Yes," he said. "I'm sure."

The estate hadn't even settled yet.

Servants were still unloading trunks when word went out…that the Captain had called to gather in the main sitting room.

Ryn arrived early.

So did Fritz.

They stood across from one another for a moment, neither speaking.

Then Fritz stepped forward first.

"I'm Fritz Calder," he said, offering his hand. "It's… good to finally meet you."

Ryn blinked once—then took it.

"Ryn," he replied. "Likewise."

The handshake was firm, exactly what he remembered from before.

Fritz released him and glanced around the room as the others filtered in—Amelia first, then Jay, and finally Princess Taylor, who took a seat without ceremony.

"So," Fritz said, exhaling lightly. "This is the party."

Amelia inclined her head politely. "Amelia Grandal."

"Jay Ferris," Jay said next. "I do alchemy…mostly."

There was a brief pause.

Fritz, who had been leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed, lifted his head.

His gaze sharpened by a fraction, recognition flickered in his mind.

"…We've met," he said.

Jay blinked. "We have?"

"Briefly," Fritz replied. "A few days ago."

Jay's brow furrowed as he searched his memory, then his pupils dilated—

"Oh." His eyes widened slightly. "Right. Yeah. The alley."

The room stilled.

Jay let out a small, awkward laugh. "I didn't think you'd remember me. Things were kind of—fast."

Fritz didn't smile.

"You weren't hurt," he said.

Jay shook his head. "No. Somehow."

Fritz's eyes flicked, just once, toward Ryn.

Ryn met the look calmly, as if the connection being drawn had been expected.

Jay followed Fritz's gaze without realizing it, then stiffened slightly.

"…Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," Fritz said after a moment.

His eyes returned to Jay.

"Nothing at all."

But when he stepped back into place, his attention didn't fully leave Ryn.

Not anymore.

Ryn let the conversation move on, listening with half an ear as logistics were discussed and accommodations finalized. Princess Taylor gave more information on expenses, travel, and such—minor logistics that both the Princess and Amelia could take care of easily.

He had to focus on the main details.

"We move early."

No preface. No justification yet.

Amelia nodded almost immediately. Both Taylor and Jay took notes, adjusting their own plans.

Only Fritz looked at him.

"Early?" Fritz asked. "The announcement said—"

"I know what it said," Ryn replied calmly. "And so does everyone else."

He tapped the table once, light and precise.

"Which means if we follow the schedule, we're already behind."

Silence followed. Fritz opened his mouth to say more, but decided against it.

Taylor continued, adding on information.

"All Hero Parties are being issued dwarven tech. Airships. The best they have, according to their craftsmen."

Ryn's eyes flicked up briefly.

"That makes them high priority targets for 'indirect interference' as Rhea's Pope stated."

Fritz frowned. "You think the dwarves would sabotage their own—"

"Yes," Ryn said.

"Or someone who benefits from the assumption they wouldn't."

He didn't push the point further, assuming everyone got the message.

Fritz frowned slightly. "That's why we need to get there early. Hopefully, before any sabotage happens."

Ryn's lips curved a tiny fraction, but he kept his face neutral.

He shifted the problem.

"We still don't have a pilot."

Amelia nodded once. "The dwarves supply the ships, not the crews. Most teams either brought their own or rented ahead of time."

"Which means they planned for this," Fritz said slowly.

"Yes," Ryn replied. "With backing. But we have backing of our own."

Jay sucked in a breath. "Maria!?"

The room murmured amongst each other once more.

Then Amelia hesitated, voicing what had been hovering at the edge of the discussion.

"If we bring in outside personnel… doesn't that blur the line?" she asked.

"Maria isn't officially part of the Hero Party."

Jay glanced up. "Could that be considered cheating?"

Ryn didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at Maria.

She raised an eyebrow. "You want me to say it?"

Ryn inclined his head.

Maria leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Every team here has sponsors," she said plainly.

"They just don't advertise it."

She counted them off with her fingers.

"Government funding, Church donations, military support. Private benefactors who want a piece of the future Hero."

Jay frowned. "That's… allowed?"

"It's tolerated," Maria corrected. "Which is the same thing."

Ryn finally spoke.

"We're not breaking rules," he said.

"We're using the same ones everyone else is." He glanced at Fritz. "The difference is we're honest about where the support is coming from."

That earned him a look.

"And Maria?" Fritz asked.

"Is our sponsor," Ryn said simply.

Amelia exhaled, thinking it through. "Most teams will have backing from their home nations," she said slowly.

"Yes," Ryn agreed.

She paused.

"…We don't."

The silence that followed was brief—but noticeable. Almost all eyes went to Taylor Gremory, then away again.

She avoided them, but everyone knew there was some sort of conflict at play.

The discussion slowed until Fritz was the one to change the tempo.

"…Alright," he said, glancing around once. "Assuming we move early, and assuming the ship's clean—"

His eyes returned to Ryn.

"Where do we go first?"

Ryn was waiting for that exact question as he reached forward to slide the map back toward the center of the table. The parchment shifted softly as he adjusted it, fingers steady as they came to rest on a single marked region.

Dheam.

"We start here."

Amelia's brows drew together. "That's Beast territory."

"Yes," Ryn said.

Taylor leaned closer. "That place has… problems."

"That's the point," Ryn replied calmly.

"Dheam's issues aren't subtle," Ryn continued. "Raids, shortages, territorial violence. No one's pretending to have everything under control."

He finally looked up.

"Whatever we do there will be seen."

Fritz frowned slightly. "You want our first move to be public."

"I want it to be undeniable," Ryn said.

Then, deliberately, he met Fritz's eyes.

"You're still an unknown," he continued.

"Not because you lack strength, but because no one knows what kind of Hero you'll be yet."

He tapped the map once. "Dheam answers that quickly."

The discussion began to fracture naturally after that.

Routes were being adjusted. Timetables finalized.

Maria, Amelia, and Taylor traded quiet remarks about internal logistics.

Ryn didn't participate.

A faint pressure brushed the edge of his awareness.

His gaze didn't move, but his focus sharpened.

[Enhanced Senses]

Every breath, every shift of fabric, every minute distortion in the air resolved into clarity.

There.

Not a presence.

A listener.

Ryn moved.

In one smooth motion, he drew Snow and threw it toward the upper corner of the room, just beneath the beam where shadow met stone.

Steel flashed.

The blade struck true.

Something small shattered with a muted crack, fragments skittering across the floor as the weapon embedded itself in the wall.

The room froze.

Jay stared. Amelia was already on her feet. Taylor's expression hardened instantly.

Ryn stepped forward and pulled his blade free, examining the wreckage briefly before letting it fall from his fingers.

He looked around the room, calm as ever.

"…Looks like the competition already started."

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.