"Why would someone like that be interested in my brother?"

"I don't know, and that's why I'm panicking."

"But is it really something to overreact about? Sure, she's S-rank, but it's not like she'd attack my brother out of nowhere."

"That's true, but..."

Nadia was right.

Panicking like this without even knowing the other party's intentions was pointless.

"...But she was recently scouted by UD..."

"UD, as in *that* UD?"

I nodded.

United Dungeon.

The world's only *international guild*.

Something like that shouldn't even exist.

Dungeons are treasure troves of resources. No country would be okay with outsiders plundering them.

But UD crushed that barrier with sheer force.

Its financial and military power is said to rival that of small nations, and its influence continues to expand even now.

Even though it's called an international guild, it's more accurate to call it a stateless guild.

It has bases all over the world, yet it belongs to no country, completely independent from any nation.

That’s precisely why it has maintained its current position.

Had it aligned with any country, it would have become the spark of war.

There are countless justifications for taking down UD.

But that hasn't happened.

That delicate balance, that political finesse—that, too, is UD’s strength.

(Well, even if war did break out, there's no guarantee UD would be destroyed.)

UD might be the one to win.

Its opponent might be the one to fall.

Even if that opponent were a great power.

UD possesses enough strength to make people believe that.

That’s why no country dares to make a move against it.

(Has UD finally set its sights on Shahzad?)

If they went out of their way to send an S-rank adventurer, they must be serious.

If it's just recruitment, there's no issue.

But what if, just in case, their intentions were hostile?

"...No matter how strong big brother Shahzad is, he can't afford to make an enemy of UD."

"Yeah."

Nadia nodded solemnly.

Kaiser was nothing compared to them.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

No, the real problem wasn't UD itself but rather...

"Anyway, Nadia, I might just be imagining things, but... isn't someone following us?"

"Shh! Just pretend you don't notice."

"Hey, you two."

Crap, they spoke to us.

"Do you really not know Shahzad?"

"I mean, we know of him. But why are you asking us?"

"Because I can smell Shahzad on you..."

"That's..."

Nadia thought for a moment before replying,

"Oh, that! In Bangladesh, Shahzad is super popular, you know? They even sell Shahzad-scented perfume."

(...This girl just took the easy way out.)

Nadia was always like this.

She only cared about her brother.

(There's no way they'd believe such a ridiculous lie...)

Or so I thought, but the woman’s eyes sparkled.

"I want one too!"

"It's a limited edition."

"But you just said they sell it."

"Figure of speech."

"Then sell me yours! I'll give you five hundred million taka!"

"I already used it all up."

Too careless.

"Well then, if you'll excuse us."

"Wait, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because it's her birthday today."

"Do you have plans?"

"Not yet, but..."

"Then come with me! Let's celebrate together!"

"But we just met..."

I tugged on Nadia's sleeve.

"What?"

"Uh, Ms. Riya..."

"Just call me Riya."

"Then, Riya."

Normally, I’d be too reserved to go along with this, but this time, I decided to follow along.

A certain *jack-of-all-trades* kept flashing through my mind.

"Can we talk in private for a moment?"

"Sure, go ahead."

I pulled Nadia away to a spot where Riya wouldn't hear.

"What's up?"

"I think we should accept her invitation. If we refuse, she might follow us home, and we still don't know UD’s intentions."

"But..."

"Besides, she doesn’t seem hostile, right?"

That didn’t mean we could let our guard down.

Her intentions and UD’s goals were two separate matters.

That’s why approaching her ourselves wasn’t a bad idea.

"Mm... but..."

"What’s bothering you?"

"The way she refers to herself. She calls herself 'I' like a guy would. Isn't that scary?"

"Let's just leave that alone..."

I also used to refer to myself that way once, more like a boy.

The boys in my class mocked me so hard I stopped immediately.

A memory I’d rather forget.

"Well, I guess you're right, Keya."

"See?"

"I can't let such a beautiful woman get close to my brother."

"Ah... Well, that’s not quite what I meant, but sure, let’s go with that."

We returned to Riya and agreed to her invitation.

She smiled like a blooming flower.

She genuinely seemed happy.

(She really doesn’t seem hostile...)

All that fear I had earlier felt silly now.

"Hold on, I’ll call a car."

Riya made a call, and within five minutes, a sleek black car pulled up.

"...A Benz."

I wasn’t a car expert, but when a black luxury vehicle like this arrived, it was usually a Benz.

"Keya, this is a BMW."

"...My whole world just turned upside down."

Riya took the front seat, and we sat in the back.

She spoke to the driver in English.

A white man in his mid-thirties replied,

"Yes, sir."

(He actually said *sir*...)

And he was as bulky as the car itself.

I had started to let my guard down, but this reminded me, Riya and I lived in entirely different worlds.

"Now that I think about it, I never asked for your names."

As the car started moving, Riya asked.

I hesitated, but—

"I'm Nadia."

Nadia answered first, setting the stage.

"I'm Keya."

Using a fake name felt wrong, but I wasn't ready to share my full name.

Besides, she only introduced herself as Riya, so it shouldn’t be rude.

"I see."

"Um, can I call you Riya too?"

"Of course. No need for formal speech either."

"Okay, Riya. Why do you refer to yourself as 'I' like a guy?"

"Hey, Nadia!?"

"What? Someone should point it out. Maybe no one around her dares to correct her."

"Still..."

That reasoning did make sense, but...

This was a sensitive issue.

Depending on how she felt about it, it could leave a scar that never heals.

"Is it weird?"

"Not exactly weird, just... unusual."

"But it suits you! You're a cool, handsome type of beauty, so it fits!"

I blurted out an awkward attempt at reassurance.

Half of it was directed at my past self.

"I see. People often say that. But it's fine, I am who I am."

She turned back with a proud expression.

"Wow... This is an S-rank adventurer... I gave up so fast, but she's completely different..."

"That's not where you're supposed to be impressed!"

Before we knew it, the car reached its destination.

When Riya said, "Come to my place," I thought we'd be visiting her home, but....

Of course, she was a foreigner here.

She had no home to invite us to.

(But still, this place is...)

A fortress.

That was the only way to describe this heavily guarded facility.

One of UD’s bases.

"What’s wrong? Come in."

Riya beckoned us in front of a massive gate, like the entrance to a dungeon’s boss room.

No, this gate was probably designed to resemble one.

The taste was terrible, but it was the perfect intimidation tactic.

"Come in," she said, but...

A UD base was practically a consulate.

Meaning, beyond this gate was "extraterritorial territory".

Bangladeshi laws did not apply here.