"It began on the day that the King was about to give the speech for the anniversary of the Kingdom. Precisely, the moment that the White Reaper had dared to attack our beloved king and princess. Only by the miracles of the godbeasts did the arrow miss. We immediately had the guards and knights dispatched to search for him and apprehend the murderous criminal, but he evaded us. To ensure he doesn't get the chance, I had the castle on a strict lockdown."

"Oh, I see. Should have known the shutdown was your idea, captain. Brilliant as always.

"Was the sudden pause in our intelligence system also needed?"

"Yes, the efforts of how the White Reaper works is still a mystery to everyone, we have no way for us to know exactly how he managed to infiltrate the city's defenses and where to aim his arrow."

"Ah, I see. So you believe that the White Reaper used our own intelligence "

"Yes."

"Do you think he has a spy among us? Is that how he works?"

"No, I would like to believe that the good people of Atlas aren't so low enough that they would assist the White Reaper, especially in assassinating the King."

"Yes, the world would be a lot darker if we had people like that." The nobles nod in agreement with such a thing.

Yasuline had to bite her tongue from speaking up for him. She knew the world had such a distaste of the White Reaper. Even believing that she was the only one who completely trusted him. She wasn't as sure with Ann. But she felt a change in her when they departed.

"So then, I'm guessing all this time that nothing has happened since the lockdown began? We haven't exactly heard anything since and only now we hear he was spotted again."

"Actually no, the White Reaper is also a symbol of destruction and doom. And he showed that the night of the speech."

"Oh? Did something else happened?" The nobles ask, looking over to the royal family as to check if they missed anything that would indicate that something else happened.

"Something did happen, but it is the most strangest of all events that occurred here. I came across some members of the Hellfire Gang."

The room was filled with gasps from the nobles. Yasuline's mother would cover her mouth in shock, while her father crosses his arms. It was the reassurance that she needed of how big of a threat they really were. She sure was thankful to have the White Reaper at her side when she had to face them.

"The Hellfire Gang? Are you sure, Captain?"

"No doubt in my mind."

"But what could the Demones want to do with Lumines? Are they after the King as well? Are they working with the White Reaper!?" The nobles' minds all scatter to more and more to the worst possible scenario of what this news could be foretelling for them all.

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"So far, I have not gained anything to prove such a thing. But it could be that the White Reaper brought them back from the brink of extinction."

"He--" She lightly slaps her hands down on her knees, but she remembers where she was and holds back her tongue. Seemed that only her mother had caught her actions, as the others were too preoccupied with listening in to what Caliber had to say.

"With the knowledge of the Hellfire Gang being in the capital, I tried to get as much information about them as possible. Seems that some people have been seeing groups of hooded figures entering the Lumines Labyrinth at night."

"The Lumines Labyrinth? Really? They would dare use that place for whatever scheme they have in stored in their sick minds?"

"Well, I couldn't afford to go down on my own to investigate the matter. So I had to hire some adventurers from the guild to investigate for me."

"You mean, that was the reason you asked me about the entrances to the labyrinth?" The King asks, sounding a bit offended.

"Umm, of course, I did. What other reason would I be asking?"

"Well, I thought you had finally seen the glory of being an adventurer and anting to go explore it yourself." None of the others would be able to tell through the impressive beard he had, but both her mother and she could see the disappointment he had in this revelation.

Her father has tried to turn Caliber into an adventurer for as long as he met him. As he believed that he would be one of the best ones in the world after he retired. Something that Yasuline had always hoped to have been the one to do herself if given the chance.

"A-anyways, with the adventurers going in the labyrinth, I was sad to hear that they had never returned."

"Hmm, more adventurers that disappeared." One of the nobles commented. This piqued Caliber's curiosity and they inform them of the news from the guild.

"I see, that is probably why they took two days to find a group of adventurers to take the quest."

"But that could just be on the labyrinth itself, no? Even our king had trouble down there."

"Yes, I could vouch on that." He would say. His eyes looking into the air, Yasuline could tell that he was reliving a memory. He gets like that whenever she asked her a question about his adventures.

"Back to the matter at hand, when I heard that the adventurers were missing, I suspected even more that the adventurers have been taken out by the Hellfire Gang. I planned to organize a squad of the knights to head into the labyrinth."

"So it is an adventure!" King Suko says excitedly. Caliber simply responds with a neutral stare at him. Doesn't faze her father's cheery face at all.

"Now, then. About that squad of yours. What did you find in the Labyrinth?"

"I found the Hellfire Gang. Scattered about. With the king's directions, we arrived at the base of the labyrinth. We found more of them there, but they have suffered from the wrath of the labyrinth.

"We managed to round up the other Hellfire Members that were down in the labyrinth and that was about it."

He pauses before he continues. Hesitating like her father does in during his stories.

"When me and my squad, as you call it, journeyed our way back up, though it took much of our time since we had to do some extermination on some dire rats."

"You better give me the details later, but for now we should keep going with the report."

"Right, of course."

----------------------------------------

Near the gate of the castle walls, two guards stand at their posts as usual. After shifting positions with many of their comrades, they were back to their normal routines. Talking to the locals and sharing gossips. Even busier than ever what with all the stories they tell or have to learn.

Something different happened today. And that difference was coming their way right now. It took a moment for the two guards and the bystanders to wonder what could be going on. Then remembering what happened, the open the gates and allowed the two to enter.

"Were those two?"

"The ones who once fought the White Reaper."