FOUR DAYS HAVE PASSED
since the dragon fell and the heart of Platinum Keystone collapsed.
Many hunters lost their lives in that event.
No one's hopes were dashed more than when, after the dragon died and its body crumbled, they found no core inside it. It was cruel—everyone blamed the Church of the Precious Artifact for stealing the core, despite the sacrifice of so many hunters in that honored battle, later called:
"THE DRAGON'S GRAVE"
As for the rumors...
They said LEON was the one who killed the dragon and its masters, alongside some of his squad and an S‑RANK hunter.
In the end, they claimed he did it alone...
Just rumors, really.
But who were those two women who brought the dragon under control?
And why do members of the SEVEN SAINTS want the Knight dead?
And where has my Knight disappeared to?
I felt sadness settle over me...
So many questions need answers and explanations—for me, and for everyone.
I sighed, with grief and frustration, and sipped the tea that had gone lukewarm while I wandered lost in thought.
Since my old home was attacked and my Knight vanished, I've been staying at a different tavern with the irritating Katya...
That girl knows only shady places.
I thought to myself:
"Another brothel tucked above a drinking den... I hate it. Maybe because I don't know anyone else since that day. Just being here with her makes me feel safe... or so I told myself."
The moment three men walked in, they looked refreshed and ready for some fun.
I wasn't in the mood—I felt like I could kill some poor guy's son today.
They sat near me, their foul, boozy stench swirling around, and their pick‑up lines were rough.
I ignored them, hoping they'd go away, but they seemed determined despite my warnings.
KATYA stabbed her dagger into the table the moment she sat down beside me, cutting them off.
The instant they saw her, they realized they might be lucky to face such beauty...
Or maybe they were just really unlucky.
She cursed them fiercely and told them that if she found any of them still lingering around, she wouldn't hesitate to split one of them in half with her dagger—if they really cared about protecting their manhood between their legs.
They backed off, cursing her as a "fun‑spoiler."
I wanted to thank her...
But the choice of place and lodging was hers, so it was her fault.
I told her bluntly as I frowned and finished my tea.
She slid her daggers back into their sheaths and said:
"Don't frown like that, my little Alrona...
When you frown, it breaks my little heart."
KATYA slid her daggers back into their sheaths, then launched into the latest on the ongoing chaos—the hunters' protests since the dragon incident.
But she stressed that more important than any of that was the complete lack of news about my Knight, anywhere or in any report.
She even looked sad for a moment before she stood and ordered a strong drink, practically forcing me to follow her.
I asked reluctantly:
"Where are we going?"
She answered simply:
"To the Hunters' Guild.
Sometimes, when I'm worn out from searching and find nothing, I go there and mingle with the hunters. Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for—or at least a clue."
I agreed begrudgingly, my scowl still in place, while she led me along with over-the-top enthusiasm.
The roads toward the city center were in worse shape than ever—broken sidewalks, countless people displaced, homeless, starving, and poor.
When we reached the Guild's gates, the place was packed from wall to wall.
Hunters of every rank had been arguing since the day the dragon fell, demanding answers—but all they got were cold, half‑hearted words from the officials.
We moved through the crowd, asking everyone we saw if they'd spotted a Knight of rank E+ anywhere—but the usual answer was:
"No..." or "I don't know."
Katya then ran into several of her hunter contacts, men and women—mostly women, actually.
One of her friends, ever chatty and dramatic, was named SARA, and her belly was just starting to show.
With tears in her eyes, she told us that her child's father had been killed four days ago, when he went out with the others to try hunting the dragon that had appeared and spread destruction.
"Sara," she said in a soft voice, "I don't know what to do. I'm here just trying to get compensation from the Guild, and if I don't get it, I'll be stuck with two awful choices...
One of them is aborting the baby," she hinted, "which is the more likely outcome."
I listened as I gently touched her growing belly—until Katya, who was supporting Sara and soothing her panic, cut in.
From across the room, I spotted someone familiar... or so I thought, until I realized I wasn't mistaken.
That captivating figure belongs to only one woman I know.
I murmured a quiet greeting:
SOFIJA.
Just as I remembered, she hadn't changed.
She greeted me with her usual warm expression and sweet smile, asked how I was, and I replied in kind.
We exchanged a few simple words.
She told me she and her troupe had arrived in the city just two nights ago, and the chaos was unbearable. She asked honestly:
"What on earth happened?"
I had no answer, so I lowered my head and gave a flat reply... like anyone lost with no explanation.
Then she asked about my Knight—how he was, or rather, what news there was of him. In her usual style, she insisted she wasn't a fan, but she owed him—he'd saved her life in that dungeon when they went on that mission together.
She joked that Grivor was still her favorite type of man.
I smiled and fell silent for a moment, finding only a brief line:
"I don't know where he is."
She was silent too, then said softly:
"Right... he was in that incident as well, wasn't he?"
I answered:
"Don't worry... he'll come back.
I think he's out there somewhere, trying to find his way home amid all this wreckage."
She said:
"Maybe..."
and smiled lightly, and I felt a bit comforted by her words.
From across the hall, I heard Katya call me, urging me to leave.
I stopped after a few steps, hesitant; I really didn't want to return to that tavern–cum–brothel next to where I'm staying.
I turned back to Sofija and asked her urgently if there was somewhere nearby I could stay...
Hoping she might have an answer.