"My name is Rynara… I am working with a team of…"
The woman took her time to calm down before spilling out every detail to Lyssara without needing to be asked twice.
She even revealed her personal situation, why she urgently needed money, the reason they entered a dungeon affiliated with the guild, how they were targeted after obtaining a Elixir as drop, and how the guild members attacked them.
She explained how they had almost lost all hope, until Eren appeared out of nowhere, saved them, and allowed them to escape.
Lyssara listened to everything calmly, her expression unchanged the entire time.
"…a-and we don't think that person is a demon cultist."
"Hm?…"
Seeing Lyssara raise her brows and gesture for her to continue, the woman panicked slightly.
"H-He helped us escape… he would have killed everyone if he really was a demon cultist instead…"
"Hm…"
Lyssara agreed silently, but then asked another question with a serious expression,
"Why didn't you file a complaint about this incident?"
At first, Lyssara had only wanted to learn about the mysterious assassin who raided the dungeon unauthorized.
But as she listened further, her intuition began to question something else, why no one from this woman's team had reported the guild members.
Instead of answering directly, the woman gave her a strange look, as if asking whether she truly didn't know.
"W-We can't file a complaint…"
"…Why?"
The woman hesitated, unsure if she should speak about it.
But under Lyssara's piercing gaze, she gave in.
"S-Security officials won't register our complaints when it comes to guild atrocities… it's common knowledge in this city…"
"…"
The entire room fell silent.
Lyssara's eyes remained fixed on the woman's face for a moment.
The woman felt uncomfortable under that gaze, but suddenly, Lyssara broke into a gentle smile and casually changed the topic.
"How is your son? Is he alright?"
The sudden shift in demeanor startled the woman.
She couldn't understand what was going on in Lyssara's mind, but she answered with a smile.
"Yes, he is completely cured from his illness. He's becoming healthier as time passes."
There was genuine happiness and gratitude in her voice.
"Glad to hear that. Take care of your son. I will handle the issue with the guild members. That's all, you may leave."
As if nothing had happened, Lyssara dismissed her and calmly watched as the woman left the room.
Her gaze then shifted to the files scattered across the desk.
All of them were cases involving violence against hunters.
"If hunters are attacked by guild members… they can't file a complaint, huh…"
An inexplicable coldness appeared in her eyes as she muttered to herself.
"Lady Lyssara, how was the investigation? Have you found anything about that demon cultist?"
A man in an Association uniform entered hastily, an eager expression on his face.
He was the same man, the head of this branch assigned to assist Lyssara.
"The culprit is not a demon cultist."
She spoke directly, her gaze still fixed on the files as she thought deeply.
"…What?"
The man looked at her, even more confused.
Without another word, Lyssara tossed a fist-sized recording device toward him, the one she had used to record the conversation.
"Listen to this first…"
The man did as instructed.
As he listened to the entire account, his expression changed multiple times.
When the woman mentioned that hunters couldn't file complaints against guild members, he clenched his teeth in anger, avoiding Lyssara's gaze.
"So… you knew such things were happening…"
The man's face turned pale instantly, though he tried to hide it.
"This is… we will take action against the members responsible immediately… But the man who attacked them—"
"If he were truly a demon cultist, he wouldn't have helped her team, nor would he have left those guild members alive to leak information about him. He's far too soft-hearted."
Lyssara cut his speech in middle.
Her tone left no room for doubt.
She didn't even consider the possibility of Eren being a demon cultist.
But the man still looked conflicted, unwilling to accept it.
"B-But this woman said he defeated seven guild members while still in Tier 2… and one of them was even a Tier above him… Only someone empowered by demons could be that strong… It's impossible for a normal Tier 2 to have such power…"
Lyssara leaned back comfortably in her chair, her expression unchanged as she asked in return,
"When I was Tier 1, I killed hundreds of Tier 3 combat professionals. Each of them was considered one of the strongest within their tier… So does that make me a demon cultist too?"
Hearing this, the man's expression turned comical.
He couldn't believe a single word she said.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had misheard or if she was joking, but seeing her cold expression, he stuttered in bewilderment,
"T-Tier 1 killed T-Tier 3…?"
This was the first time he had heard such an absurd claim in his entire life.
It was like a mere street dog defeating a wild elephant.
But his disbelief only made Lyssara's expression twist further in disgust.
"Tch… No one even tries to understand what it truly means to level up and tier up… For us, leveling and the Gaya system have become as natural as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west… It has become such a fundamental part of your lives that you've all grown too reliant on it…"
"This is exactly why humanity is doomed…"
Each of her words carried an inexplicable coldness, leaving the man completely confused.
He couldn't understand what she meant, and instead shifted the topic back to the man they were searching for.
"Even if that man really is a genius like Lady Lyssara, someone who can defeat higher-tier opponents, it still doesn't explain his stealth artifact…"
"All artifacts are strictly regulated by the Association, yet we've never seen anything capable of hiding presence even from higher-tier professionals. It must be from the demon he worships…"
Instead of answering, Lyssara questioned him again,
"What if it's his own skill, not an artifact?"
"T-That's impossible! What kind of skill would have such bizarre capabilities?"
Lyssara fell silent for a moment.
"It wouldn't be possible for a normal skill… but if he managed to evolve it into…"
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing something.
After a brief pause, she looked at the man and simply shook her head.
"It has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you can to catch him… Not that you'll be able to anyway…"
The man blinked in confusion.
"We… can't catch him? why?"
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
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