Morning sunlight entered through the curtains of Saito's room.
For once—
there were no explosions, emergencies, or gang attacks waking him up.
Only peace.
Saito slowly sat up on his bed and stretched both arms.
"…Nice."
He got dressed quickly before tying the familiar blue scarf around his neck.
Today, he wanted to check the new hall construction.
After leaving the mansion—
Saito walked through the busy village streets where villagers were already preparing for tomorrow's ceremony.
Colorful banners fluttered overhead while workers carried wood and decorations across the center area.
Soon—
he arrived at the construction site.
The massive wooden hall was nearly complete.
Workers moved across scaffolding while Wolfbeasts carried huge wooden beams with ease.
Takeru spotted him immediately.
"…Hello there."
Saito looked up at the building in awe.
"…Woah."
"…It actually looks good."
Takeru crossed his arms proudly.
"…Of course."
"For now, everything is going smoothly."
He looked toward the upper section where workers were securing the roof carefully.
"…At this pace…"
"…It should be finished by evening."
Saito nodded approvingly.
"…Good."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"…Don't overwork everyone too much."
Takeru chuckled quietly.
"…You sound more like a mayor every day."
Saito immediately frowned.
"…Don't say scary things like that."
Takeru laughed while nearby workers continued building the hall beneath the warm morning sun.
Meanwhile inside the mansion office—
the atmosphere was far less peaceful.
"…I'm telling you, this performance can attract more visitors!"
John slammed both hands on the table dramatically.
Takashi immediately adjusted his glasses.
"…Unfortunately, we do not have enough resources to handle large-scale tourism like your village."
John pointed at him instantly.
"Then I can send support!"
Gein crossed his arms.
"…That also means we need additional guards."
"My marching team alone won't be enough to secure the ceremony."
John groaned loudly.
"But this is our chance!"
"We can finally show outsiders our protector!"
Rick raised one hand slightly.
"…Maybe we can reconsider."
"All food supplies can come from my village."
He smiled proudly.
"…Just ask Takashi."
Gein narrowed his eyes immediately.
"…You mean your experiments?"
Rick looked offended instantly.
"Hey!"
"I've been developing those projects for years because of shrine restrictions!"
Fein rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"…Amazing."
"A simple problem somehow became complicated after five minutes of discussion."
The room immediately became noisy again.
Then—
the office door opened.
Saito stepped inside casually.
"…Oh."
"You're all here."
The mayors instantly turned toward him.
Takashi pointed directly at Saito.
"…Perfect timing."
"We need your opinion."
Saito blinked once.
"…Huh?"
After listening to the entire argument, Saito scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"…So that's the problem?"
The mayors all nodded.
John immediately leaned forward hopefully.
"So?!"
Saito thought for a moment.
"…Well…"
"We can just go with John's plan."
John instantly slammed the table happily.
"YES!"
Takashi sighed deeply.
"…And the resources?"
Saito pointed casually toward Rick.
"We have Rick."
Rick blinked once.
"…That's your entire strategy?"
Saito nodded confidently.
"…Yep."
Then he turned toward Gein.
"And for guards…"
"I can ask Kuro to send some of his men."
Takashi frowned slightly.
"…Kuro?"
Saito shrugged.
"Kuro and Shiro are invited anyway, right?"
Takashi slowly nodded.
"…That is true."
Saito spread both hands proudly.
"…See?"
"Problem solved."
Fein nodded calmly.
"…I was about to suggest the same thing."
Immediately—
Takashi, Gein, and Rick all pointed at him together.
"…No you weren't."
Fein stayed silent for a second before casually looking away.
"…You can't prove that."
John burst out laughing while Saito grinned proudly, completely satisfied with solving the meeting in less than a minute.
Inside Pyvi's restaurant, the atmosphere was lively and warm.
Villagers filled the tables while laughter and conversations blended together with the smell of grilled meat and sweet wine.
At one corner—
Tina was running around with several other children, laughing loudly while trying to balance wooden spoons on her head.
"…Look! I can do it!"
One of the children immediately failed and dropped theirs.
"…Mine broke!"
Tina burst into laughter.
Meanwhile behind the counter, Pyvi calmly served drinks while managing the noisy restaurant effortlessly.
She soon walked toward Kaito and Bomb carrying plates of steak and cups of wine.
"…Here."
Bomb grabbed the steak immediately.
"…Finally."
Pyvi rolled her eyes.
"…You sound like you haven't eaten for weeks."
Bomb ignored the comment and started eating.
Kaito quietly took his cup instead.
Bomb looked around the busy restaurant.
"…The ceremony preparation is almost finished."
"…And here we are doing nothing."
Kaito calmly drank his wine.
"…Don't blame me."
"I'm an assassin."
"…Not a worker."
Bomb scoffed.
"…Excuses."
Then—
the restaurant door slowly opened.
An old man walked inside calmly.
He wore simple old clothing with a wooden cane in one hand.
Nothing about him seemed unusual.
Yet—
the moment he entered—
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly.
The old man casually walked over and sat beside them.
"…Young lady."
"Could I have a cup of tea?"
Pyvi smiled politely.
"…Of course."
"Coming right up."
As she walked away—
Kaito quietly observed the old man.
Something felt wrong.
No—
not wrong.
Heavy.
Bomb suddenly frowned too.
"…Hey…"
"That face looks familiar."
Kaito kept staring.
"…Yeah."
"…But I can't remember from where."
The old man simply sat there peacefully, casually drinking his tea once Pyvi served it—
as if he hadn't just made two dangerous men instinctively tense the moment he arrived.
Meanwhile—
the newly constructed hall stood proudly near the center of Lorum Village.
Workers moved constantly inside carrying chairs, decorations, and long wooden tables while sunlight entered through the massive open windows.
The building itself looked far more impressive than anyone expected.
White polished walls.
Smooth wooden floors.
Large hanging lanterns near the ceiling.
And at the very front—
a raised stage with several elegant chairs prepared for the leaders and honored guests.
Saito walked through the center proudly while looking around.
"…Good."
"Now add more chairs over there."
He pointed toward the left side of the hall.
"…And make space near the entrance too."
Takeru nodded immediately.
"You heard him."
Several Wolfbeasts quickly began rearranging furniture.
Saito crossed his arms with satisfaction.
"…This hall is going to surprise all the tourists."
Then—
a familiar voice echoed from the entrance.
"…Damn."
"What is this?"
Saito turned immediately.
"Kuro!"
Kuro stood near the doorway with both hands inside his coat pockets, casually staring around the massive hall.
His eyes slowly moved across the polished structure.
"…Fancy."
He walked further inside, looking upward slightly.
"The white walls…"
"The stage…"
"…Luxury chairs too?"
He smirked slightly.
"…You outdid yourself, kid."
Saito grinned proudly.
"…Thanks."
Then he looked at Kuro.
"So how's your territory?"
Kuro shrugged casually.
"…Everything's peaceful for now."
"People are behaving themselves."
He then reached into his coat and handed over a folded paper.
"…Also."
"I need approval from your merchants for expanded trading routes."
Saito barely even looked at the paper.
"…Consider it done."
Kuro blinked once.
"…You didn't even read it."
Saito waved one hand casually while turning back toward the workers.
"…You're not dumb enough to scam me."
Kuro stared at him for a moment—
then chuckled quietly.
"…That level of trust is dangerous."
Saito simply continued supervising the hall preparations while workers rushed around behind him preparing for tomorrow's ceremony.