The morning in Vailor was far too calm for our standards. The market buzzed with vendors waving colorful fabrics, children running between stalls, and the smell of freshly baked bread mixing with the noise of wagons. For the first time in a long while, it felt like nothing was going to explode, vanish, turn into a living shadow, or awaken an underground giant. An ordinary day. I almost found it strange.
Vespera walked beside me, holding her bow with exaggerated confidence, as if today—just today—she wouldn't miss anything. Elara came right behind, hands in her pockets, trying to save mana even in her steps. Liriel analyzed an insect that flew past, as if it were a great divine discovery—despite not being able to do much with it besides emit light.
"Takumi," Vespera said, pointing to a sweets stall. "If we manage to pay half the debt by the end of the week, you owe me one of those pastries. It's a Vailor tradition!"
"Traditional for whom?" I asked.
"For me," she replied proudly.
Before I could retort, someone bumped into me hard enough to nearly knock me over. A firm hand grabbed my shoulder, stopping the fall.
"Watch where you're going," a deep voice growled.
The man was huge, with a short beard, broad shoulders, and a gray cloak that made it clear he wasn't just any traveler. His gaze scanned every detail of us like a predator sizing up prey. A metal insignia hung from his belt—a typical mark of independent bounty hunters.
Vespera frowned. "Hey, jerk, watch what you're doing."
He ignored her completely and looked straight at me, as if he'd found something he'd been searching for months.
"Takumi."
"Uh… do we know each other?"
The man unrolled a parchment, read the inscription, then looked back at me.
"You owe fifty thousand gold coins to the Sorell Clan for an incomplete mission."
My heart froze.
"That's wrong," I said immediately. "I've never done a mission for that clan."
Liriel raised a finger. "He's telling the truth. And I confirm it as a goddess with extremely limited and almost useless powers."
"That doesn't help, Liriel," I muttered.
The hunter raised an eyebrow. "The paper says Takumi. Male. Twenty years old. Black hair. Strange flame in his body." He pointed at me. "Sounds like you."
"How many people with a strange flame in their body are walking around out there?" Elara asked.
He answered without hesitation. "One."
Rai'kanna landed beside us before I could even process what was happening. Her wings beat once, kicking up dust. The hunter stepped back half a step—not much, but enough to show he hadn't expected a demi-dragon there.
She stared at the man with a sharp gaze. "If there's a debt, show the signature."
The hunter handed over the parchment.
Rai'kanna took it, examined it for a few seconds, and muttered something in draconic too low to understand. Then she handed it back to me.
"The signature is forged."
His eyes widened. "Impossible."
"You think I can't tell when something was written with altered ki?" She lightly beat her wings. "If you want to keep trying to collect unjustly, you'll have problems with me."
The hunter measured the distance between himself and her. It was obvious he didn't want a fight with someone who could melt half the street if she wanted.
Vespera crossed her arms. "So? Are you going to apologize, or do you want to keep embarrassing yourself?"
Elara added, "And even without mana, I could still take you down with a single hit… probably."
The man took a deep breath. "I didn't make a mistake. Someone hired me for this. And paid well."
"Who?" I asked.
He hesitated. "I can't reveal clients."
Rai'kanna took a slow step forward, as if testing his courage. "You will. Or I'll turn this conversation into dust."
The man swallowed hard. For the first time, he seemed smaller.
"It was a hooded man. Hoarse voice. He had white eyes."
My body went cold.
Elara whispered, "Takumi… that sounds like…"
"The same style as the messengers," I finished.
Liriel frowned. "They sent someone to test you?"
The hunter raised his hands. "I just followed orders. If you want trouble, look for that individual. Not me."
Rai'kanna relaxed a little. "You won't come after him again. Understood?"
He nodded, tucked the parchment away, and walked off down the street, disappearing into the crowd.
When he disappeared, Vespera let out a sigh of relief.
"Wow… I almost thought this was going to turn into trouble."
"Almost?" Elara replied. "Vespera, the last time you said that, we ended up fighting a golem that wasn't even supposed to be alive."
Liriel patted my shoulder three times. "At least you didn't get arrested. That already counts as a success."
Rai'kanna turned toward me, stepping a few centimeters too close. "Takumi… stay alert. If someone is forging your name, they want to use you as bait."
"Or they want to provoke me into something worse," I murmured.
She placed a hand on my shoulder. "If they come after you again, I'll return to Vailor without hesitation."
The hearts of the other three nearly dropped to the ground.
Vespera: "Excuse me?!"
Elara: "Return? To keep helping him like that all the time?"
Liriel: "That's unfair! He already has a million problems and now this too!"
Rai'kanna just smiled. "It's the least I can do."
I smiled back. "Than—"
Vespera stepped in between us, gently pushing Rai'kanna aside. "Okay! We've seen it! Everyone likes Takumi! Big surprise! Now let's deal with the real debt, not the fake ones."
Elara crossed her arms, jealous. "Nobody is taking him away from Vailor."
Liriel added: "And if there's a fight, I—I can light up the battlefield! A lot! Really a lot!"
Rai'kanna laughed softly. "I'm not taking anyone today. I just came to protect."
And before anyone else could react, she leaned close to my face and said:
"See you soon."
Her wings opened and she took flight.
Vespera stood there, stunned. Elara clenched her fists. Liriel bit her lip.
Lyannis, who had watched everything in silence, came closer to me and said quietly:
"Takumi… good luck."
I could only reply:
"Why?"
She pointed at the three behind me.
"Because you're going to need it."