After taking three baths to get the oil off him, his hair still darkened by the oil, he went back to his bedroom. He looked outside his bedroom window to see a man with green hair knock on the front door.

A minute passed without anyone answering, and so Tibaut decided to go answer it himself.

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“Hello, can I help you?” He asked as he opened the door.

The man with the green hair took his time analysing the boy at the door, wearing a smirk as he did so.

“Ah, a westerner, I haven't cut open one of you in a while. And you, my friend look to be in dire straits, hehehe. What do say, friend, can I have a peek of what's under that skin when you succumb to your ailment?” He asked in a rather frightening tone. He sounded like a joyful reaper, observing a bountiful harvest.

Tibaut immediately backed and formed a flame in his hand.

“Who the hell are you!?” Tibaut shouted as he eyed this man up.

“Hmm?” The green-haired man stated. “You move far too well for a man in your condition. Is it a genetic disorder? Or perhaps a familial trait endemic to the West? Ah, I'm sorry young man, but I can't help but wait until your final moment.” He said, trying to hold back his excitement.

The two stood opposed to each other in a standoff until the man reached for a sack on his side.

(“A sack? Is he one of them? Those bastar- wait, that's not powder.”)

“My, I almost forgot why I came here. Is Elizabeth here?”

“What's it to you?”

“Then you will do.” He pulled the sack from his side and threw it towards him. The sound it made when he threw made it obvious what it was.

He grabbed it and looked inside. It was a bag filled with gold coins that had ten thousand labelled on each of them.

“(I think this is a lot.) Let me ask this again.” He looked up from the bag of coins. “Who are you?”

“Ah, right, introductions. I suppose you may not know of me.” He pulled out what looked like a business card before putting it back. “What am I thinking, the adventurers here don't even know what these are. I'm Cornelius Haeckel, chief biologist of the Adventurer's Guild. Nice to meet you.” He said with a bow.

Tibaut extinguished the flame he kept to the side of him and closed the sack. (“Ah, he's just a creepy scientist. Well, the zoology majors in my college never seemed that right in the head so I guess I shouldn't expect any different in this world.”)

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“Oh, you're from the guild. Let me call Elizabeth.”

“You'll do young man, the girl isn't needed. Ensure she gets that payment, it seems that the old man got himself in some sort of trouble. Tell her what she gave us wasn't suitable for the encyclopedia but she will be compensated nonetheless.”

He handed him a folded-up piece of paper.

“What's this?” He tried to open it up but the man stopped him.

“Easy boy, that's not for your eyes. It's a gag order for Elizabeth and those who saw what she gave to me. Tell her to send it to the capital branch after getting their fingerprints and names. Though I'm not sure what good it'll do this far after the fact.”

(“A gag order? What's this about?”)

“And I think this should be it. To think the body that old man described was ripped out of my hands. A boy that doesn't age, how I wish I could tear you open…” He headed for the door until Tibaut noticed a letter sticking out of his back pocket.

“Uh, are you sure that's everything?”

The green-haired man with a scar over one of his eyes stopped and clicked his tongue.

“Right, hehe I almost forgot they made an errand boy. I, the backbone of their research facilities. My time is far too valuable for this…”

He flicked the letter towards Tibaut.

“That's for her as well.”

He walked out the door and soon disappeared into the forest.

“...Well, might as well go upstairs.”

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“Cornelius came by?”

“Yup.” Tibaut answered.

They were both in her room. Given she was wearing her nightgown, he probably woke her up. But it wasn't without reason.

She opened the paper and rolled her eyes.

“(So that's why I received money.) Thankfully, this should be more than enough to get my sword repaired.”

Tibaut handed her the other letter.

She opened it and read through the first lines of it before crushing it and throwing it into a wall.

“Do those bastards think I want their pity!?”

“Guessing it wasn't good news?” Tibaut asked.

She looked up at him and sighed. (“This is pitiful. However, regardless of my feelings on the matter, I can't turn down something like this.”)

“No, it was. It just wasn't from someone I would want good news from. Tibaut, I'm telling you this information now, so you don't moan about it when the time comes.”

“Moan about what?”

“In a month's time, we'll be heading to the capital. We'll have some business to conduct.”

“Business? Like what type?”

“I'll tell you when we're on our way. That is all, now can I return to my rest?”

“Right, see you later.”

He exited her room and Elizabeth jumped onto her bed without a care in the world.

(“Bastards, do you think my father cares about this show of remorse?”)