Damien rode Aquila back to the town in the same way he’d left—swiftly and unnoticed. The griffin landed in the same shadowed alleyway it had previously taken off from, its wings folding with grace.
As Damien dismounted, his sharp eyes caught something unusual on the mission scroll in his hand. A tiny black design had appeared in the top corner of the parchment, one that hadn’t been there when he first took the job.
Curious, he turned the scroll over, examining the mark closely. Though he couldn’t decipher its meaning, Damien instinctively knew it was significant.
“Hmm!” With a slight shrug, he tucked the scroll under his arm and made his way back to the Mercenary office.
The office was relatively quiet when Damien stepped inside, the steady hum of conversation from a few mercenaries in the corner filling the space.
Arielle was still at the counter, scribbling something on a ledger. She looked up as Damien approached, her brown eyes widening slightly in surprise.
“Back already?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as he handed over the scroll.
“I don’t like wasting time,” Damien replied simply, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Arielle unrolled the scroll and her gaze immediately went to the black design. She nodded, the subtle gesture confirming what Damien had suspected—it marked the mission as complete.
“That’s faster than even you said,” Arielle remarked, setting the scroll aside. “I expected at least a few hours more, if not a full day.”
Damien shrugged casually. “Demons don’t wait for anyone. The sooner they’re gone, the better. Besides, there are plenty more of them out there. I can’t afford to slack off.”
His words carried an edge of determination that didn’t go unnoticed. Arielle’s expression softened slightly, but she chose not to pry further.
As she began preparing his new Mercenary ID, Damien leaned on the counter, watching her work with quiet interest.
“Have you always been in this town?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Arielle paused briefly, as though weighing her response, before answering. “No, I’ve only been here for about a year. Before that, I traveled a lot. I do what I like, when I like—at least when I’m not demon hunting.”
“Demon hunting, huh?” Damien mused. “And you just decided to take a break from it?”
Arielle nodded, her tone casual. “Everyone needs a break now and then. Besides, demon hunting is seasonal for me. I dedicate months to it when I’m in the mood, then step back when I’m not.”
Her nonchalant demeanor belied the depth of her experience, and for a moment, Damien wondered just how much she’d seen and done in her time.
Arielle’s maturity and calm confidence made her seem older than she appeared, but he decided against asking.
Arielle finished working on his ID and inspected it one last time before handing it over. “All set.”
Damien noticed how focused she was during the process, and despite himself, a small smile crept onto his face.
“What’s so funny?” Arielle asked, catching him off guard as she slid the card across the counter.
“Nothing,” Damien replied, his smile widening. “I just think your focused expression is… charming.”
Arielle blinked, a faint blush dusting her cheeks before she chuckled softly. “Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Here you go, new Mercenary ID.”
Damien took the card, examining it briefly. It was sleek and functional, bearing his chosen alias and rank. “Thanks. Guess that makes me official now.”
“Congratulations,” Arielle said with a playful smile. “And good job on the mission. Hopefully, I’ll see you back here soon—if fate allows it.”
Damien pocketed the ID, returning her smile. “Fate does seem to have a strange way of bringing us together. We’ll see.”
Bidding Arielle farewell, Damien stepped out into the bustling streets, his mood light despite the lingering tension in the air. This time, Damien didn’t feel tension as much as the first time probably because he was getting used to it at a fast pace.
It was just past noon, and the town was alive with activity. Vendors continued to trade their wares, children darted between the crowds, and travelers… Well, they continued to travel.
Damien decided to take some time to explore, both to familiarize himself with the layout and to gather anything he might need. He wandered through the marketplace, his sharp eyes scanning the various goods on display.
First, he stopped at a blacksmith’s shop, where he admired the finely crafted weapons and armor. While he didn’t need anything new, he made a mental note of the shop’s location for future reference.
On his next stop, he browsed through a potion vendor’s stall, picking up a few healing elixirs and antidotes—just in case.
At a general goods store, Damien stocked up on essentials like dried food, a new bedroll, and a sturdy pair of gloves.
The shopkeeper, a chatty old man, tried to strike up a conversation about the recent rise in demon activity, but Damien only offered vague responses before moving on.
As he roamed the town, Damien couldn’t help but notice the people going about their business, but there was a subtle edge to their movements—a wariness born of uncertainty and fear. The rumors of the impending demon war weighed heavily on everyone’s minds.
Pausing by a small fountain in the town square, Damien leaned against the stone edge, his gaze drifting over the bustling streets.
His thoughts wandered to Arielle and her casual mention of hunting demons. She’d made it sound so simple, yet he knew firsthand how brutal and relentless those battles could be.
“She’s quite interesting,” he murmured to himself, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
With his errands complete and the day stretching ahead of him, Damien decided to head back to the cottage he’d rented. He’d had enough of the town’s bustling streets for now and wanted some time to reflect on his next move.
As he walked back, the weight of his mission settled over him once again.
“Let’s see what tomorrow brings,” he muttered, his silver hair catching the late afternoon sunlight as he disappeared into the winding alleys to get some rest.