Merik was pretty fed up already. The vibes she gave off at the office and now were completely opposite. She was just a poor and sorrowful try hard.

Old man, what had you got me into?

“Sure, but we called ourselves Cloaked Investigator here. In short, Cloaked.”

“Cloaked. Noted. Cloaked. Cloaked.”

After nodding for several times, she continued.

“Oh, if you don’t trust me. I have all the documents with me so if you can just look at them...”

“No need. It’s fine. If you say Albert recommended and accepted you, I have no further question.”

“Umm, okay.”

“But just one question. Why do you think Albert accepted you?”

“Hmm, other than him weirdly saying “The dull guy needs company after I’m gone.” in his letter, I believe that he trusted my ability and wanted to further hone it and utilize it in this city!”

“I see.”

“My name is Merik, Merik Ashenwood. From the Browmourn division. A Cloaked.”

“Umm, I know, already. Mister...umm, Merik.”

Was it just Merik or wasn’t this girl just too awkward?

No one would be surprised if someone said this girl was elegant and mature from her appearance.

She was wearing a yellow bonnet covering top of her chestnut color hair. Maybe if you asked the favorite color of her, she would definitely answer “brown” as her entire outfit lean towards brown and yellow aesthetics. Air-headed, yes but Merik couldn’t deny the fashion sense of this awkward girl called, Cora. What a waste.

“So, Mi... Merik, may I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“Umm, if you are a Ashenwood, ...why is your skin pale and white?”

Now, she’s just racist. Merik just stared at her with pity.

After realizing the weight of her question, she abruptly tried to change the question.

Of course, Merik was amused by her reactions.

“Mi... Merik. Is it okay for us to be leisurely drinking coffee like this? Aren’t we supposed to be strolling around, making sure everyone was, okay?”

“Hmm, at least you know the basics, huh?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t need to worry. This neighborhood doesn’t get much attention from the public because these people are one of the friendliest and content bunch, maybe even on the entire continent.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“To say on the entire continent would be an exaggeration, wouldn’t it?”

Merik just gazed at the people in their vicinity minding their own business.

“Any kind of crimes, even the minor ones, weren’t seen in this neighborhood, long before I was stationed here. When you look at them, what do you see?”

Cora couldn’t understand even after following the line of sight of Merik. They were people who were just doing their own jobs. The sun had risen for hours now so it was a not so early time.

It wasn’t the best of times for rumors of wars were spreading around there and there. A war was brewing between their Euronean empire and Azshax, the foreign land of savages. At least there should be some levels of worry and caution.

However.

The coffee brewers, the waiters and the customers.

Cart drivers tipping off their hats towards couples passing by. Some of the kids catching one another intensely throughout the streets.

An old floral giving an extra rose to a beautiful lady buying her flowers. Some kind of businessman waited for the kids to pass through him, without any grunt or complaints despite his rushed steps.

A baker baking his bread and a small sneaky waitress trying to get a taste of some of the chocolate cakes. And the waiter from before gazing affectionately at the sneaky girl, while holding a tray tight before getting shouted by his superior to do his work.

Just daily, mundane activities.

The sun was dancing up the blue sky and greyish fogs were still there and there, maybe some pollutions from the industries but it wasn’t so...gloomy?

Cora couldn’t point at the exact answer to Merik’s question but she kind of understood.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to point out but I think I... ahem, I understand, of course.”

“They are not doing anything good or big. They are just living their own lives, trying to get by another day. They, at this moment, are not worrying about the future or the past. They are genuinely hopeful for tomorrow but living in today. You’ll ask me what is so special about all this but if all these scenes were in a painting, do you think that it would be a beautiful one? Because living oneself to the fullest has its own beauty in it, don’t you think?”

She was speechless and surprised. Surprised at the pale man with the messy hair in front of her.

Everyone from her previous garrison told her to be careful of a man called Merik. They said he was irrational, reckless and psychotic. They warned her because no man could ever solve the case of monstrosities alone and a lone man called Merik did. Only monsters could kill monsters, they said.

These thoughts explained the erratic behavior of Cora, more precisely, the behavior Cora was trying to project. She didn’t want to be intimidated by him and worse, dominated by a monster like him. She had to stand her ground!

But if monsters like that existed, could they be thinking of things like this? Would they be capable of? Wouldn’t they just be heartless and cold-blooded?

“Though these kinds of peaceful people will be fine no matter the situation, it is just plain boring and dull. Tsk. Such dry people, pushing me to be jobless.”

Cora frowned slightly and glanced at Merik’s face who was now drinking coffee while staring at the running kids in the streets.

“Cora, what is your purpose in being a Cloaked?”

She struggled for a bit whether or not to answer before blowing out a long sigh.

“I... want to save people.”

For the longest of times, she got told that her dream was too simple and childish. She got mocked by boys and men alike all her life. There was nothing wrong with wanting to save people but reality had been harsh. Was it because she was a woman?

Right now, she was expecting some sarcastic remarks from her sarcastic senior but there weren’t any. She glanced back at him.

“Same.”

Under the cover of the coffee cup, Cora could surprisingly see that Merik was smiling with his eyes. The kind filled with understandings and sympathy.

With that, Cora understood Merik’s words completely and her own painting was complete, with a pale dark-haired man silently enjoying his own coffee.

It really was... beautiful.

He might be the monster so as they said, but maybe he was just a kind-hearted monster who just wanted to enjoy his “today”, as many others do.

Wariness, worry and anxieties, all washed away from Cora and finally, before she even realized it, she was enjoying her cup of coffee, gazing at the same street as the young man in front of her.

It wouldn’t be so bad to work with this kind of person.

The coffee was bitter, though.