Chapter 171: The Revelation
The celebration in the Willson Guild Hall raged for hours, a much-needed explosion of joy and relief.
Ale flowed, hunters sang off-key songs of victory, and my father, Darius, laughed louder than I'd ever heard him, the C-Rank Ogre Core held aloft like a trophy. For the first time since my return, the guild felt alive, its heart beating strong and defiant.
I played my part, accepting clumsy congratulations from drunken guild members, smiling at my mother's tearful pride, and clinking glasses with Garth, whose broken arm was now in a heavy-duty healing cast, paid for by the raid's profits. But my mind was elsewhere.
I was watching Marcus.
He participated, but he didn't celebrate. He stood near the hearth, nursing a single cup of water, his gaze distant.
He'd answer his guildmates' awed questions about his C+ rank and his part in the fight with calm, sparse words. But his eyes... his eyes were on me.
