“Luke Richter, you are invited to the main headquarters.”
“…”
I was at a loss for words in the face of such enormous confusion.
A man dressed in a black robe had just invited me to the main headquarters.
‘Is he crazy?’
He must be insane.
Would people who have become enemies with the royal family really invite me, a member of the royal family, to their headquarters?
That would be impossible unless he had gone completely mad.
‘…Could it be because of that absurd rumor?’
Could they possibly believe that I assassinated the Shadow Guild Lord?
If that’s the case, they’ve misjudged me completely, as I have absolutely no connection to the Guild Lord’s death.
But even if I proclaim my innocence, would they believe me? There’s no clear way to persuade them, and I have no solid evidence to support my claims.
‘I wouldn’t believe it either if I were in their position.’
They say my name was the last one whispered before they died, not just by the Shadow Guild Lord but by several of his officers simultaneously too. If I say I know nothing about it, it could just irritate them needlessly.
Moreover, they’re actually inviting me to their main headquarters.
If their intention was revenge, they could’ve simply sent assassins without inviting me to their headquarters.
Having sent one of their high-ranking members to invite me as a “guest” implies they don’t intend to harm me immediately.
‘I’ll just stay calm.’
I tried to keep my expression neutral while carefully observing the man’s facial expressions. However, he was also observing me, and our gazes met. Since neither of us blinked first, we just exchanged glances silently.
Then,
“Luke.”
Rudine stepped forward and asked without hesitation.
“Is he an enemy?”
Instantly, an eerie silence fell.
The man who had introduced himself as Cheong, his lips curled into a smirk at Rudine’s blatant hostility—he was amused by her aggression.
“He’s a guest.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so back off.”
There’s no need to make more trouble.
I barely managed to hold back the words I desperately wanted to say.
“Why am I invited?”
“Because my Lord wishes it.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all.”
The main headquarters.
Are they asking me to crawl into the heart of their terrifying den?
“What happens if I refuse?”
At my question, Cheong’s expression stiffened slightly. But soon, he softened his expression with a gentle smile.
“Of course, you’re free to choose… However…”
Cheong paused briefly and glanced around. His gaze swept over Rudine. I knew exactly what it meant. It was a clear threat.
“Is that a threat?”
“Yes.”
How dare some extra threaten me?
Ideally, I’d like to repay him twofold…
‘There would be no way to clean up the mess.’
Even if I were to deal with this one guy, the aftermath would be impossible to handle. Moreover, I can’t leave Blackmore either, so I essentially have no choice.
‘There’s nothing I can do.’
I need to put out the urgent fire first. If they want to invite me, I might as well follow them.
But it wouldn’t be good to appear too simple-minded. The Arkhan Lords only revere strength—they’re a bunch of lunatics who worship power.
This is where I need to display some proper posturing because they only respect the logic of power.
“Fascinating.”
I smirked and dropped a casual comment. Sensing an odd tension, Cheong’s hand moved toward his sword sheath—it seemed he was about to draw his weapon.
“Accelerate.”
The moment I murmured the activation phrase, the energy coalescing at my fingertips dispersed. The energy, spread like fine particles, rippled like a wave and passed through Cheong.
“Reverse.”
It stopped.
To be more precise, Cheong’s time stopped. His finger, which had been reaching for the sword sheath, froze mid-air. Everything around him came to a halt. The only thing that remained in motion was his eyes.
Cheong’s eyes moved rapidly up and down, scanning me as if trying to figure something out. His trembling lips opened as if to say something.
I gazed at him, my lips curling into a small smile. While I couldn’t do much by stopping his movement, this brief moment was enough to leave a strong impression.
“…”
Step.
Step.
I slowly approached him.
One step.
Two steps.
As I passed by him, paralyzed by the pressure of time, I tapped his neck lightly with the back of my dagger. Though it was just an ordinary touch without any ill intent, Cheong’s complexion didn’t look too good.
Then, I whispered into his ear, imitating a kind voice, though with a chilling undertone:
“I’ll put this down as a debt.”
It was, of course, nonsense.
Cheong was perplexed.
The reason was simple—there wasn’t a trace of power emanating from the man standing before him.
‘Could I have mistaken the person?’
No, that was impossible. The man before him was undoubtedly Luke Richter, the person of interest who had wiped out Shadow Guild’s key operatives in an instant.
‘Richter’s illegitimate son.’
His appearance, location, everything matched. More importantly, there was no possibility that the organization’s information could be wrong. He had found the right person.
‘What is it, then?’
As a direct disciple under the Arkhan Grand Lord, Cheong perceived the world in colors. His eyes, capable of seeing everything in color, also allowed him to visually identify any innate magical energy humans were born with.
That’s what made it so odd. The man in front of him didn’t just lack magical energy—his magical energy didn’t exist at all.
‘… Could someone really have so little magic?’
It was baffling. How could a man devoid of magic have annihilated the Shadow Guild?
‘Maybe it doesn’t matter.’
But that was all Cheong cared about. His mission here was simple: to invite this man. He only needed to accomplish that one task.
However…
“Then what if I refuse?”
It didn’t seem like convincing him would be easy. Thus, Cheong deliberately provoked him, hoping the man would cross a line rashly. After all, subduing someone with force was easier for him than persuading them through words.
But then…
“Fascinating.”
To Cheong, who perceived everything in colors, it was evident. A strange energy was seeping out from the man who had curled his lips into a smirk.
The terrifying, ominous aura’s color was…
‘ pitch-black…?’
It was dark, deep, and chilling. This was definitely not the color of ordinary magic power. The moment he realized it, he felt cold sweat running down his forehead. Unconsciously, his hand had moved toward the sword sheath when…
“—”
The man began to speak. He muttered something, and at that instant, the pitch-black energy swept over Cheong like a tidal wave, faster than anything he could react to.
And then…
The sight that followed made Cheong’s eyes widen in shock.
“!!!”
He couldn’t move a finger.
Just like that, he froze completely, as if preserved in the world.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
His heart was pounding. He could still breathe.
But that was all. Despite his frantic attempts to move his eyes, Cheong had no clue what was happening.
‘…What…? ‘
Was it a spell? A linguistic command? Or some kind of sorcery? How could such an absurd ability exist in this world?
The hairs on his skin stood up. Somehow, the man was approaching him.
There was nothing Cheong could do but watch him approach helplessly, overwhelmed by massive confusion that rendered rational thought impossible.
“…”
The man had already closed the distance. In his right hand, a finely honed dagger was gripped. It lightly brushed against Cheong’s neck twice—a gesture that sent shivers down his spine.
It was a hair-trigger moment. His life was entirely at the man’s whims. That raw fear shattered his rationality.
Right as regret for crossing this man was setting in, the man spoke.
“I’ll put this down as a debt.”
As soon as he finished, the oppressive black aura dispersed. It was an obvious act of mercy.
‘… I’ve survived.’
With that realization, the tension subsided. However, he couldn’t return empty-handed. He had to fulfill his mission of bringing Luke Richter.
But how?
How could he possibly overpower such a monster?
He needed to avoid dying unnecessarily. Just as he regretfully decided to retreat, the man spoke.
“Lead the way.”
“… Pardon?”
“Didn’t you invite me?”
“…”
“Would you quit if I refused?”
That was true.
His Lord wouldn’t abandon something once he had set his sights on it. Having sensed his hesitation, the man clicked his tongue and spoke.
“Did you bring the scroll?”
“…How do you know about that?”
“There’s one.”
The man knew about the scroll too. This was getting serious.
Sighing deeply, Cheong retrieved the scroll.
“Place your hand over the glyph.”
“Rudine, place your hand here.”
“… Okay.”
The space began to distort. More precisely, the magic within the scroll began tearing the space apart.
Bright waves of light spilled out, opening a portal. As if endowed with a will of its own, the light enveloped them and dragged them in.
The portal disappeared with a flash.
After a few minutes, a solitary figure approached the empty office. The figure, Adina, was dragging a log tied to a rope.
“Luke? Rudine?”
She fervently looked for the group but found no one.
“Where did you all go…?”
She had only returned from stripping some trees in the forest on Luke’s errand, yet the office was left vacant.
“What… what is this? Stop playing around!”
She was alone now. Adina wanted to cry.
