“RYU!!”
Elaine let out an involuntary shout the moment she laid eyes on Ryu’s face.
The worry that had gnawed at her instantly transformed into a small flame of anger upon seeing his calm demeanor.
“How dare you just show up looking so relaxed after disappearing and making us worry sick!”
And to top it off, Ryu was waving casually like nothing had happened, which only made Elaine angrier.
“Where in the world have you been! We looked everywhere for you!”
“Huh? Oh, I was… checking something out?”
“Checking WHAT in this kind of situation!”
By now, Elaine had unknowingly moved right in front of Ryu and was shouting at him, too caught up in her emotions to even realize it.
“You should’ve said something before disappearing! Sure, I know you’re confident in your skills…”
“Elaine.”
Ryu’s firm voice calling her name stopped her mid-rant. He wasn’t wearing his usual smile, but instead had a serious expression as he looked at her.
Realizing his change in tone, Elaine immediately snapped back to her senses.
“Calm down first.”
“…Ah.”
“Sorry for worrying you. I had something to take care of.”
“Ah.”
Ryu’s calm, steady voice had an almost magical effect, instantly calming Elaine’s frazzled nerves. Only now did she start noticing her surroundings again, realizing everyone had been watching their exchange.
Embarrassment quickly replaced her anger, reminding her how uncharacteristically flustered she’d been.
“Still, looks like everyone’s safe. That’s good, right?”
“Uh… yeah, we’re all good here…”
Elaine took a step back, trying to compose herself. Ryu continued speaking in that reassuring tone that now made her feel even more awkward.
She glanced back to see Cynthia and Emily watching her with confused expressions, clearly unsure how to react.
‘Great, I overreacted big time.’
Her mind was now consumed with embarrassment rather than worry or anger. How unprofessional of her to lose her cool like that.
“Seems like Elaine was quite worried about you, Ryu.”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
“Hehehe…”
Their conversation was interrupted by Yuria’s amused laughter.
“No, it wasn’t that I was worried…!”
“It’s fine, Elaine. It’s natural to be concerned about your comrades.”
“A…”
Elaine detected a mischievous twinkle in Yuria’s smile, somewhat similar to Ryu’s own smile.
“…I overdid it. Sorry, Ryu.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I should apologize too.”
“No, it was also my fault for not trusting my comrades enough.”
“Still… Elaine?”
“Yes?”
Now composed, Elaine tried to act as if nothing had happened, despite her still flushed face. She hoped the dim light concealed her embarrassment.
“Didn’t it feel better to talk casually? Way easier to understand, don’t you think?”
“Wha…?”
That’s when Elaine realized – she had been speaking casually to Ryu without even thinking about it.
“Ah…”
She couldn’t take it anymore. Despite her best efforts to maintain composure, her face was burning.
“Who knew Elaine was just as human as the rest of us? Always so proper with your respectful speech…”
“It’s not like that, I…”
“Way easier to understand when you speak normally, don’t you think? Feels much more personal. You too, Eddi…”
“That was a mistake! A complete accident!”
As Ryu teased her, Elaine frantically defended herself, unaware that everyone was watching with amused smiles.
“Could you keep making mistakes like that? I’d love to hear more.”
“R-Ryu!!”
Her protests grew louder, sounding almost like a tantrum.
*
Jingle!
The last necklace landed on the table among three other accessories.
Earrings, bracelet, ring, necklace – all four pieces were finally together.
“Hmm…”
The Founder, who had placed the last piece on the table, let out a deep hum. The sound seemed to resonate through the air.
‘That brat…’
The Founder’s mind remained on the scene he had witnessed earlier, more intrigued and surprised than delighted about finally having all four artifacts.
The man fighting against Elder One Number Three had been using various artifacts to conceal his true identity, but the Founder had seen through it all.
That black-masked “woman” was definitely a man – a particularly skilled and dangerous one at that.
The reason the Founder hadn’t intervened in the fight between Elder Three and the black-masked man was simple:
It wasn’t yet time for him to reveal himself to the world.
Normally, eliminating witnesses wouldn’t be an issue, but the Founder instinctively knew interfering wouldn’t ensure a 100% victory against that opponent.
Even with all his experience observing countless magics throughout his life, the Founder had never encountered anything quite like what he saw.
While the black-masked man used wind magic that clearly manipulated mana, his other abilities showed no such signs of magical fluctuations whatsoever.
At first, the Founder thought he might be using pre-cast space teleportation magic, but observing more closely revealed that wasn’t the case.
Swoosh!
Picking up the necklace, the Founder thought about how crucial this piece had been. If Elder Three hadn’t understood the plan mid-battle, they might have lost this crucial piece.
‘To think such a powerful individual was hiding…’
His grip on the necklace tightened as his brow furrowed.
While the man’s space-manipulation ability was impressive, it wasn’t necessarily threatening. After all, Elder Three’s crude black magic had managed to corner him.
However, what truly concerned the Founder was the ability shown at the end of the battle.
If his suspicion was correct, the black-masked man wasn’t just moving through space – he was manipulating space itself.
While probably invisible to Elder Three, the Founder had clearly seen the phenomenon. The “shield” surrounding the masked man wasn’t just protection – it was an opened rift in space.
Any attacks, no matter how powerful, merely disappeared into another dimension instead of reaching their target. Elder Three likely thought his attacks were being nullified.
“Still, the mission was successful.”
Placing the necklace back on the table, the Founder acknowledged the overall success.
Despite losing Elder Three and risking the organization’s exposure, all four artifacts were now in their possession. And exposing the organization’s identity was part of the plan – hence the synchronized actions across the continent.
Tomorrow would undoubtedly be chaotic.
‘But that space-manipulator still worries me.’
Even with all four artifacts gathered, the Founder felt uneasy about this unexpected variable.
Never had he encountered an opponent he couldn’t be certain of defeating outright. Losing Elder Three was also an unplanned development, considering how crucial he was to maintaining attention while the Founder would be out of commission for the next three months.
“There’s nothing to be done about it.”
Delaying the ritual at this point would be catastrophic.
Swoosh!
With the four artifacts equipped, the Founder began drawing runes in the air with mana concentrated at his fingertips.
<Execute the plan.>
This message was sent to the remaining two Elders, informing them of Elder Three’s capture during the operation. They would have to wrap up their tasks despite the difficulty.
Boooom!
With that, the Founder disappeared to begin the three-month ritual, resolute in his belief that everything would be over by its completion.
