"Are you the person in charge of this place?"

"Yes. And the person in charge is asking who you are."

"I apologize for the sudden visit," the figure pulled down his hood, revealing a middle-aged man with sharp facial features. His eyes were white and glowing subtly, making it clear that he's an Exorcist. "My name is Agnar—and I am here as an envoy on behalf of the Tiernan Family, searching for Young Master Deklan."

Despite saying that, however, Agnar's eyes kept scrutinizing Marsha from head to toe.

He came for Deklan, and he wasn't expecting to meet another Exorcist in this abandoned region.

Especially one of Marsha's caliber.

'She has a Spirit in her, too. Is this fate?' He thought inwardly.

On the other hand, Marsha seemed startled to find that Agnar came from the Tiernan Family.

Considering that he is an Exorcist, a powerful one at that, too, that must've been really the case.

Besides, there's no reason for anyone to be interested in the Slosa Hamlet that was mostly unknown, and also scarce of resources. It was especially so for someone like Agnar, who most certainly originated from the capital city.

"I'm afraid young master Deklan has left," Marsha answered. "He's not here anymore."

"Left? Where did he go?" Agnar raised a brow in confusion.

Deklan was now all alone, and considering his personality, he didn't have the guts to venture out alone.

It wasn't like him to leave the hamlet behind.

"I don't know," Marsha shook her head. "He left without saying anything."

Hearing this, Agnar nodded his head repeatedly as he believed her.

But he didn't turn around to leave.

"Though I want to believe your words, I still have to integrate a thorough search of the area—since this is a timely matter," He slowly took off his gloves. "I'm required to do so, and thus, responsible for being thorough. Fear not, it won't take too long. So, may I come in?"

Marsha paused for a second, not knowing what to do.

'I'm not hiding anything, so there's no need to stop him,' She thought and eventually opened the barrier.

Just with a wave of her hand, the barrier tore open a little, creating a small entrance for Agnar.

A beaming smile crept to Agnar's face, "Thank you."

For the next entire fifteen minutes, he went around to check the hamlet from house to house, even going as far as to check the hut where Deklan stayed. But he found nothing suspicious. Marsha was telling the truth about Deklan.

Once he was finished, he went to Marsha's house and took a seat on the chair in the living room.

Marsha filled a cup of water and placed it in front of Agnar.

"Thank you."

"Yes. I'm sure you've come a long way."

Agnar took a sip of water and then leaned back on the chair, scratching his sweaty hair.

"When did young master Deklan leave, exactly?"

"A couple of da—"

Marsha paused before she could finish her sentence, hesitating to lie in front of Agnar.

She feared the consequences of lying—as she was dealing with the Tiernan Family right now, and Agnar had made it clear to her. Nobody in the entire region can go against that family, especially not someone as small as the hamlet.

"Last night…"

"Hmm, I see."

Agnar nodded in acknowledgment.

It was clear that she tried to lie, but he respected her for stopping herself from lying and telling the truth.

No need to make things more complicated.

Then, Agnar conducted a basic interrogation to get the rough idea of this place and the people in it.

From that, he learned about what recently happened to the hamlet, the condition of the hamlet's people, and also how the people perceived Deklan. He only has a couple of days left before he needs to report to Callen, so he needs to move quickly.

"And your relationship with Young Master Deklan?"

"Normal. The people and I rarely meet with him as he stays in his place most of the time."

That was the first lie.

Agnar could tell almost instantly as her expression made it blatantly clear, but he didn't press further.

"And that barrier, who made it? Is it Young Master Deklan?"

"It has always been a part of the hamlet. It's how we survived in a Ghost-infested forest."

Frankly, the notion of Deklan becoming an Exorcist when he was deemed to have no talent was quite unnatural. He was past the age, past the possibility of awakening Mana Veins and becoming an Exorcist, so Agnar thought he must have stumbled upon a magical treasure.

One that awakened his latent potential and turned him into an Exorcist.

But he was hoping too much from Marsha.

'Based on her explanation, Deklan should be at the bronze rank already. For him to defeat an Alpha Ghost should be impossible,' Agnar looked down at the table, processing what he learned. "For him to grow that much in a small timeframe… He's dangerous. If we let him be right now, he'll be a threat to Young Master Callen.'

Inhaling deeply, Agnar straightened his back and stood up.

"In that case, I'll be leaving. Thank you for your cooperation," He said, pulling his hood once again.

Marsha stood up and bowed politely, "Have a safe journey."

Just then, her pupils dilated when Agnar put a name card on the table and slid it towards her.

It was a name card of someone from the Exorcist Association.

"Come to Nagor Town—and meet with that person. Tell her that you are recommended by me," Agnar said and turned around to leave. "You have a real talent of becoming a strong Exorcist. It'll be a waste for you to stay in this ruined place. Think about it."

…

"Here's the payment, thank you for your help, Sir Pumple."

"No biggie. Hope your cows are feeling a lot better now."

"Yes, I'm sure they would now that the Ghosts harassing them were handled."

Deklan and Kaelyn had been spending the entire day helping the people get rid of Ghosts.

Since the Ghosts were largely iron-rank in great number, with the exception of one that was a bronze-rank Ghost, Deklan found them no match for his strength. This advantage allowed them to complete a total of three requests in one day, even with the travel between distant villages.

It was a rather productive and fulfilling day.

Being thanked by everyone who helped him made him feel good about himself.

Seems like his training and torture he endured paid off.

"Being able to take on a bronze-rank Ghosts really is something, huh?" Deklan looked at the full pouch of coins in his hand, feeling the weight with a smile on his face. "Completing requests like these isn't that hard at all. I became a bigshot once I got out of the forest, muahaha~!"

"Yes, but it's hard to find strong Ghosts like this. Most high-profile requests are taken," Kaelyn mused.

"You had to ruin the mood, huh?"

"I'm only stating the facts."

[Host, she's like me! Realistic and straightforward, not a baby like you!]

Deklan clicked his tongue in displeasure, finding it annoying that the system found Kaelyn relatable.

Having them on the same shoe would only make him more miserable.

"Just say it if you're complaining because you hadn't gotten to do anything," Deklan smirked, recalling that all Kaelyn did throughout the day was watch him hunt and capture Ghosts. He wanted to feed more to Pumple, so he captured and released some. "You're bored, aren't you?"

"Killing iron-rank Ghosts aren't that thrilling."

"You're a bronze-rank like me, and I'm having a blast, so don't even use that excuse."

"Who said I'm a bronze-rank Exorcist?"

Upon hearing this, Deklan turned towards her and frowned.

"Wait, you're not at the bronze rank?" He asked.

"No, of course not. I sealed a portion of my power away," Kaelyn shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "If you're from the Jinketsu Clan, a clan deemed a traitor, you can't afford to be too eye-catching now, can you?"

"Huh, I guess not." Deklan continued forward, heading to the carriage that was waiting for them.

It caught him by surprise to know that Kaelyn was above the bronze rank.

Of course, normally, one would be angry as that meant Kaelyn could've helped better in protecting the hamlet. Or even helped more against the Alpha Ghost. But Deklan didn't blame her; she was protecting herself and her people by hiding her strength, so it's understandable.

Asking her to do more would only be selfish on his part.

"Say, aren't you going to cover your face with a mask or something?" Kaelyn asked.

"A mask?" Deklan glanced at her. "What do you mean by a mask?"

"Won't you be recognized? We're in your territory."

"No, not necessarily. Maybe when I was younger, but not anymore. I've been out of the public eye for God knows how long, ever since my younger brother—surpassed me in strength. Now, I doubt anyone even remembers the Tiernan Family had an eldest son."

"Still, we should take precautions. After all, the Tiernan Family only has two sons and five daughters. I think some would remember you."

"Fine, I'll think about it later."

Deklan's eyes sparkled as he remembered something.

"Never mind that. How about you teach me more about Exorcists? Like the basic spells, like you did?"

"Hmm, that's a good idea. You're going to be tested in using spells anyway to be an official Exorcist. I'll teach you once we get to the carriage."

Since there are no Exorcist Associations in Ingver Town—the two are now going to Nagor Town, which was the closest big town that has one. It would take almost two days to get there, so there will be plenty of time for Kaelyn to teach Deklan the basics.

As of this moment, he was nothing but an apprentice.

A really new Exorcist with no real foundation.

Moments later, Deklan and Kaelyn finally arrived at their rented carriage.

Both were greeted by the driver before they climbed onto the carriage, heading straight to Nagor Town.

"Is there a soft sack to sit on inside?" Deklan asked as he climbed.

"No. Don't be a baby and sit down," Kaelyn retorted from the inside. "Get used to it."

"Man, why not rent a bigger and more lavish carriage? I have the money."

"Keeping things low. Do you even understand that?"

"Can I sit on your lap, then?"

"Try it if you want to say goodbye to your junior."

"You're bringing that up again…" Deklan smiled acutely, but as he was about to step onto the carriage, his eyes widened.

He was greeted by a panel from the system.

…

[Sudden Quest!]

Description: Someone is hunting the host, right now. Defeat the hunter and secure your life!

Reward: 1,000 Spooky Dollars and 25% Discount Coupon.

Time Limit: 2 days.

Penalty: 24 hours of spanking.

…

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