A man with dark brown hair and pale blue eyes walked into the library.
He wore casual clothes, and at a glance, anyone would think he's just some regular person off the street.
But I knew better.
After all, all my hours playing All Routes Lead To Death! were not completely wasted.
And so, when I saw this 'normal' person walk past the aisle where I was working without even glancing at me, I was certain.
This was Johan Ranvier.
The leader of the assassin's guild.
I was a Grade 29 now, and yet, I couldn't tell how strong he was.
"..."
Johan eventually arrived at the front desk and put on a warm smile.
"Rio, how's business so far?"
So the librarian's name is Rio...
"So far so good, sir. We've not made any sales yet, but I saw plenty of wealthy onlookers. I'm sure within a month, our business will kick off pleasantly."
Johan nodded.
"A month, huh? I suppose I put the right person in charge then."
This sounded like a really dry conversation.
But I wasn't really surprised.
This guy was a big shot.
Yet as they continued to exchange some pleasantries back and forth, eventually, their conversation leaned toward me.
"What's the name of this intern?"
Rio was about to answer, but Johan raised his hand, quieting him down.
Then, he calmly turned around and after taking a few steps, arrived just slightly in front of me.
I was crouched down, picking up books and putting them on their shelves, but since I knew he wasn't an idiot, I stood up, dusted myself off, and decided to answer.
"My name is Mikael. And you are?"
"I am Liebert. I am also the primary investor for this library, so I truly hope you and Rio put in good work as I truly hate wasting money," he replied.
Hmm...
So he's going with Liebert.
If I recalled correctly, he had a few codenames, and he used every single one of them sparingly, and only when he needed to.
Liebert was a codename he used when he was personally taking care of business in the area.
So him coming here was just a coincidence.
Though I wonder... Why is he here?
"I've seen you around, Mikael. Though, your muscles are very defined for someone who's supposedly a priest."
He can see my muscles through my clothes?
...Is he a pervert?
Johan suddenly turned around.
"But then again, we all have explored different paths of life before deciding on something we truly liked. Isn't that right?"
Yeah...
He creeps me out.
"That's true."
I let out a chuckle.
"Honestly, before I settled down and started helping people, I was fighting demons and getting drunk every day."
Johan slightly turned his head toward me.
"A demon hunter? I applaud your bravery then. As much as I'd like to continue to chat, there's someone I must find inside this city first."
A coincidence...?
He's not looking for Clementine, is he?
"I'm pretty popular, and I'm also good with faces. I could help you out if you give me some details."
He fell into thought for a moment, then turned toward Rio.
"Do you mind if your intern clocks out early?"
Rio lowered his head.
"Not at all, sir. Mikael, we open tomorrow at 10 in the morning. If you're serious about being an intern, make sure to show up."
I gave Rio a thumbs up and stood up.
Johan nodded at me.
"Very well. Follow me."
Just like that, the two of us left the library and began roaming the city.
I had my guard up against him, but with so many people around us, I doubted he would do anything.
And he didn't.
We only did a few laps around the block, and eventually, he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me.
To my surprise, it was a painting, but the quality was so good, it was almost like someone had taken this with a camera.
But...
"Why are you looking for a kid?"
This looked like some teen.
Definitely not Clementine.
"I didn't bring you here to ask questions. I only brought you here because you claim you're good with faces."
He crossed his arms.
"Do you know who this child is, or do you not?"
For the first time in a while, I felt a sharp killing intent hit me.
It really quickly reminded me of just who I was standing in front of.
Ugh...
I decided to take another look at the picture.
The child wasn't familiar.
But his clothes were.
His shirt, pants, and gloves were all engraved with blue silk.
That was unique to the Lenice Orphanage.
"He's from the orphanage," I replied.
Johan seemed satisfied.
"Good. We'll be heading to the orphanage now."
Do I still need to be here for that though...?
I kind of just wanted to get some brownie points with the boss.
But seeing how confidently he was walking, I rolled my eyes and followed along.
It didn't take us long to arrive at the orphanage.
Though, before we entered, I saw something that made me stop once again.
His heartbeat had increased drastically...
He seemed nervous?
Is this kid perhaps some fling he had in the past?
Now I'm interested.
The two of us walked inside and arrived before the reception desk.
A kind-looking woman sat there.
I recognized her.
And when she raised her head, she immediately recognized me too.
"Mikael! Did one of our caretakers call you? I don't think any of our kids are that sick though..."
I chuckled.
"Miss, I'm not here for that. Instead, can you tell me who this is?"
Placing the picture on the desk, she happily inspected it.
"Hmm... I think that's Pointy. He's a naughty one, so he should be doing the dishes around this time."
...Pointy?
Is that a nickname?
"Do you mind if my friend and I talk with Pointy?" I gestured at Johan and he just nodded with a blank look.
She tilted her head slightly. "Uh... talk with Pointy? Are you planning to adopt him?"
Huh.
Of course not.
"No, we're just—"
"I will be adopting him."
I turned my head immediately.
Did I mishear that?
Johan... wants to adopt someone?
But even in the game... he's never really had anyone before.
Is this some kind of a butterfly effect?
Or maybe this is just one of the things that the game forgot to mention.
Either way...
"Haha... I guess he'll be adopting Pointy. Now can we go?"
"Gladly!"
The woman stood up.
"Follow me."
Johan was especially eager to go, so he went first.
As for me, I inwardly grumbled.
I just wanted to waste time until the night... but how did I get involved in this shit?