Dorian observed the destruction around him, leaning against the barrier isolating that part of the city. Arvanys was lying on the ground, taking the opportunity to rest, while Raul remained standing, keeping an eye on his surroundings. The three had temporarily gathered to complete a mission and purchase the items requested by their client.
"Dorian, how are things? Have you sensed any enemies approaching?"
Raul asked without taking his eyes off the streets.
"Not so far."
None of them intended to get involved in that battle. From what they could observe, the guards were doing a good job protecting the citizens, and the invaders did not seem to pose a threat that justified their intervention. As long as nobody attacked them directly, they preferred to keep their distance.
Arvanys, who was lying down, kept muttering.
"I want to finish this useless mission already and leave."
The three had met at a mercenary guild. Due to some whim of the person in charge of the organization, they had ended up assigned to work together on that task: purchasing certain products and investigating who had stolen the client's belongings.
It was not a particularly dangerous mission, but there was nothing interesting about it either.
"How boring..."
Arvanys got up lazily and stretched her arms. Dorian looked at her, taking the opportunity to start a conversation. Since the underwater dungeon, the two had barely had time to talk properly, and he was starting to get bored with the wait.
"It may be boring, but it's still a mission. We need to complete it."
"Even so, it's still boring. Nothing interesting has happened since that dungeon. I also haven't met anyone as easy to talk to as Kael."
Dorian nodded discreetly. Finding someone he could talk to without difficulty had become rare. Although he did not like admitting it, part of the blame was his own: he tended to respond to people so coldly that he ended up driving away anyone who tried to approach him.
Raul, who was still keeping watch over the streets, seemed interested in the name that had been mentioned.
"Who is Kael?"
Arvanys raised her head as if she were about to tell an amusing story.
"A pretty crazy guy. He has red eyes, is obsessed with fighting, and wants revenge on his own mother."
Dorian decided to add something as well.
"Besides, he always seems to be looking for trouble. He keeps saying he's stronger than everyone else and uses water magic."
"He's also a good spear user, from what I saw. He uses water magic to create it."
Raul fell silent for a few seconds.
"Are you sure he's like that?"
The unexpected question made the two look at each other. They did not understand why he seemed so interested in the subject. When they noticed that Raul was staring intently at something, they approached him to find out why. Arvanys was the first to speak.
"Why do you ask?"
Raul pointed toward a distant building.
"...If he's like that, I think I've just found him."
"What?"
Atop a rooftop, a figure was violently thrown to the ground. A water spear pierced his chest, and his lifeless body fell before several other hooded individuals.
"What's this? Why are you so weak? If you want to defeat me, send your strongest one, because there's no doubt I'm the strongest one on this rooftop."
The boy standing on the rooftop had exactly the appearance the two had described. His red eyes were unmistakable, as was the magic he had just used.
Despite that, Dorian and Arvanys were still uncertain. The young man was wearing clothes similar to those worn by the cult members, which made the situation rather strange.
However, when they saw him attack other individuals wearing the same outfits, they understood that he had simply found a new bit of trouble to get himself involved in.
Dorian observed the fight without changing his expression.
"We haven't spent much time with him, but we already know how he operates."
Arvanys broke into a smile, finally finding something interesting to do.
"What an idiot! Let's give him a hand, Dorian."
The two jumped onto the rooftop of a nearby building and began running toward the battle.
Raul remained motionless for a moment, still impressed by the young man's audacity. Then, he let out a sigh and ran after his companions.
"You said he was crazy, but I didn't imagine he was this crazy."
Enrico, disguised as Kael, was fighting three cult members. He had used the position swap with his elemental clone to leave the shop without raising suspicion, claiming that he needed to go to the bathroom. Since the mercenaries were nearby, he decided to take the opportunity to attract their attention.
After all, he needed to ensure that the three got involved in the incident.
'I need to get back to the bathroom soon. Good thing they were nearby.'
Upon noticing Dorian, Arvanys, and Raul approaching, Enrico allowed Kael's characteristic smile to appear on his face. Then, he crouched to avoid an attack and kicked the leg of the opponent trying to surround him from behind, throwing him off balance.
Before the man could regain his balance, Enrico concentrated water in his hand and formed a spinning blade. With a precise movement, he pierced the enemy's body, knocking him down onto the rooftop.
'Now, the other two.'
Enrico prepared to face the remaining opponents and created two water spears, one in each hand. However, before he could advance, chains appeared around the two cult members, restraining their arms and legs.
In the next instant, blades of snow pierced their bodies.
Both fell dead before they could react. Enrico raised his gaze and recognized the newcomers.
"Long time no see, Kael."
Dorian approached with a discreet smile.
"Oh? What are you two doing here? Did you come to have fun watching the chaos too?"
Dorian let out a sigh.
"You're really a fighting maniac."
Arvanys was about to respond when she noticed that Kael had already jumped off the rooftop. The boy was running toward a nearby shop, where other cult members seemed to be gathering.
She frowned and chased after him.
"What did you come here for?"
"Don't talk to me for now."
Arvanys stopped for a moment, surprised by his response.
"Why? Did I do something to make you angry?"
Kael did not answer. His hood completely concealed his face, and he continued walking without even looking back.
Arvanys stood still for a few seconds, trying to figure out what she had done to make him so angry. Dorian, who was watching the scene, shook his head.
'She manages to be even colder than I am.'
Without wasting any more time, the four got involved in the confrontations taking place in the streets below.
Enrico spun one of his water spears to block a kick surrounded by wind. Taking advantage of the movement, he reversed the weapon's direction and slashed the opponent's chest. The man immediately tried to flee. However, Raul was already above him.
The mercenary raised his arm, and an enormous fist made of bones appeared in the air. The structure came crashing down, smashing the cult member against the ground.
Raul looked at the fallen man with an expression of contempt.
"You're a bunch of First Circle mages, and you still decided to enter a losing battle? That's pretty stupid."
The hooded man, who was still trying to get up, spat blood and replied angrily.
"Shut up! You have no right to call our determination stupid!"
Dorian looked at the man and shrugged.
"He wasn't lying."
Before the cult member could respond, he received a fire-infused kick to the face. His head was violently slammed into the ground, creating a small crater.
The attacker did not stop there.
A second kick struck the same spot, followed by a third and a fourth, driving the enemy's face even deeper into the ground until he stopped moving.
When the battle ended, Enrico approached the mercenaries in his normal appearance.
"Are you mercenaries? Thank you for protecting this shop."
Raul looked at the golden-haired boy who had just appeared at the entrance and then turned his attention back to his companions.
"Well, we weren't exactly protecting the establishment..."
It was then that a girl with two braids approached from behind Enrico.
"Are you the guys who helped us? Thank you so much!"
The three turned toward Kael, but he seemed completely uninterested in the conversation. His covered head turned toward the streets as he searched for another opponent to fight.
The girl, on the other hand, lost her smile. She lowered her head and ended up sitting on the ground, hugging her knees as she watched the destruction around her.
Dorian turned toward Enrico with curiosity.
"What's your name?"
Enrico slowly raised his face.
"Enrico Solcren Ferreira."
Dorian frowned, trying to remember where he had heard that name.
"Enrico? I think we've heard that name before..."
Upon hearing the conversation, Kael turned his head toward the golden-haired young man.
Enrico smiled slightly and waved at the hooded figure.
This was an interesting opportunity. He was about to create a new story in front of those mercenaries, and to do so, he would need to use both his true identity and that of Kael.
After all, the more people believed they knew the two of them, the easier it would be to lead them in the direction he wanted.