I narrowed my eyes, calmly watching the Mayor's residence, faintly illuminated by the ongoing blaze as it loomed before me. Its mighty stone walls and iron gates stood tall and unyielding.

But for a mage like myself, such an obstacle wasn't anything insurmountable. I quietly jumped over the main gate before propelling myself onto the roof.

Grabbing the protruding edge of the roof with one hand, I pulled myself upward, carefully balancing on the ledge.

There, I noticed a small window on the second floor, slightly ajar. With a mischievous smile, I carefully climbed toward it and squeezed myself through, landing softly on the cold wooden floorboards below.

Tiptoing my way through the dimly lit halls, I meticulously searched the mansion for any sign of the evidence I was looking for. Not finding anything on the upper floor, I quickly went downstairs, aware that the Mayor might return any moment.

While cautiously watching my surroundings, I continued my search and soon arrived at what seemed like the Mayor's office.

'Perfect...' the corners of my mouth lifted upward as I saw stacks upon stacks of documents lying about.

A faint candlelight flickered from a sconce on the wall, casting eerie shadows around the spacious room.

Without wasting a breath, I began skimming through the documents. I knew that if I was going to find any answers in this god-forsaken Town, it would be here.

Thus, I carefully picked up scroll after scroll, my eyes scanning the yellowed parchment with eager anticipation.

Still, so far, I've had no luck finding anything interesting but some courteous letters and the Watchmen's reports.

Well, I guess I could probably learn something interesting from those, yet I had no time to read through them all. However, as I started to go through the following stack, I couldn't help but smile victoriously. 'Bingo...'

It was a list of imported goods and collected fees. I hurriedly picked up the latest one, but before I could read it, I heard a bang from the hallway and the sound of hurried footsteps accompanying it.

'Tsk!' I cursed inwardly, realizing I was out of time. Originally, I only wanted to read through the documents, not leaving any traces of me being here.

But at that moment I realized it wouldn't be possible so I quickly stuck the report into my pocket and ran up to the window.

Lifting the latch, I threw it open, and after making absolutely sure there was no one on the other side, I jumped through and bolted across the courtyard and back into the chaos of the roused Town.

Ignoring the commotions around me, I quietly sneaked back into my shared room in the Guild, slipping into my bunk bed.

There I simply lay, looking at the worn-out wooden ceiling while replaying the insane events of the past hours as I listened to the agitated shouts on the streets, knowing I probably wouldn't get a wink of sleep.

The next morning, I carefully emerged into the main hall, acting inconspicuously, and by listening to the excited conversations of my fellow hunters, I got a sense of what happened afterward.

The massive fire was obviously the main topic of discussion. Still, it seemed that thanks to the warehouse being secluded on the outskirts of Town, it didn't spread out onto other buildings, although the whole place continued to smolder even now, so they had to leave several people to watch it just in case.

I noticed there were no mentions of any casualties, but since nobody could investigate the site until the fire completely burned out and the area cooled off, it would take some time.

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There were also a few rumors about someone breaking into the Mayor's office last night, but given the ever-present chaos, nobody saw anything amiss until the following morning.

Realizing that my cover was safe, I released a sigh of relief and went about my usual business as if nothing happened.

***

Finished with my morning training routine, I secluded myself in a quiet corner as I finally had the time to carefully study the vital document I had procured at such great lengths the night before.

I furrowed my brows, going through the rows of notes while thinking. 'It must be here somewhere...'

Even though the gang would undoubtedly try to hide it, they couldn't possibly smuggle such a huge shipment through the gate unnoticed.

And as it turned out, I was right on the money. 'What do we have here... a shipment of fine mead from... Weisberg?'

That was truly odd. I knew that Weisberg was a major city west of here, thanks to the research I did on the main trade routes back when I was investing in merchant caravans.

That's why I also knew importing mead from such a faraway place would be a pretty stupid idea, especially since Ereneth produced mead, too, and was right next door.

Not to mention, there wouldn't be many customers for a fine mead in this shabby Town.

However, an ordinary guard inspecting a carriage wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a bottle of mead and a bottle of purified water at a glance.

I broke into a grin as I began putting the pieces together. Weisberg was also a significant trading hub close to the Kingdom's capital and undoubtedly had its own Alchemist's Guild, so it would be a no-brainer for the gang to set up its base there.

It was also probably where all the potions I sold to Dominic ended up. Still, the question was why they were sending purified water to Ostengard, of all places.

If they wanted to set up a workshop here, why did I not find any traces of Theo or Dominic?

'Hmm, they must have skipped Town when they learned about me escaping, probably not wanting to be so close to Ereneth in case I would want revenge... Well, they were right on that.'

Anyway, whatever the reason, I now have a new target to investigate. The question was how to get there.

It was too far for a simple trip... It will require some serious preparation and planning, not to mention that I still have my obligations in the Guild.

I knew I couldn't just disappear from Ostengard like steam over the kettle. I had already sacrificed too much time and energy to become a beast hunter, so I didn't want to simply throw it all away.

Besides, I needed some alibi to freely travel between the various cities, and being a wandering beast hunter looking for work was the best excuse one could hope for.

Thus, all I need is to somehow convince Wolf to let me take the final exam ahead of time and become a real beast hunter. Then, I could freely travel across the Kingdom unimpeded.

***

"Ya want what?!" Wolf exclaimed, his eyes wide open as I informed him of my decision.

"I know ya are eager for adventure, but hold ya horses, lad! Ya still had plenty of training left in front of ya before it's time to let ya into the wild!" Wolf continued admonishing me, a tinge of worry coloring his voice.

"It's not like I'm unprepared or anything... I spent my whole childhood running across woods, so my tracking skills aren't too shabby, and you said it yourself that I'm one of the best recruits you ever trained." I tried to reason with him.

"Even so..." He grimaced, still looking quite unconvinced.

"Hahaha! If the lad is so eager, then let him prove himself. Didn't you also finish your training a month early while sneaking into the forest to slay monsters on your own?" An elderly instructor who was nearby chimed in while laughing heartily.

Wolf threw him an annoyed look before looking back at me as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I was young and stupid... it took several run-ins with death before I realized the importance of proper training. That's why I don't want ya to repeat the same mistakes I did!"

I sighed, realizing this might be harder than I initially thought. "I know you mean well, but I feel I'm ready and need the money... it's not like I will stop practicing with you even after being a proper hunter."

I said that even though I knew I would probably never see him again after I left the Town for good.

Wolf then looked at me for a long while, being uncharacteristically deep in thought before saying.

"Alright, ya can take the test! But if ya get anything other than a perfect score, ya will dutifully train for another two months without any complaints. Is that clear?"

"Of course! Thank you! You're the best." I grinned at him, overcome with happiness, to which Wolf only showed me an awkward smile before he urged me back into the training grounds, determined to beat into me as much as he possibly could before the upcoming test.

With Wolf's blessing, I eagerly applied for the next hunter exam that would take place at the end of the month, determined to pass it with flying colors even if I had to cheat a little with magic to make it happen.