Calan Vaard breathed in the fresh air as he opened the windows of his study room. There was no better way to start the day. With a smile on his face, he looked at the scenery outside.

A beautiful garden spread out. Red, yellow, and white flowers joined one another to create a harmonious picture. Tall trees extended themselves towards the sky, their green leaves shaking gently in the breeze. The scent of flowers filled the room. Calan took another deep breath. Then, he turned around and sat on the plush chair in front of him. There were several papers and reports on the mahogany desk. They were his duties for the day.

He grabbed the first one and started to read it. A frown made its way to his face. The report described how some of the City Guard’s funds were being diverted. It was still unclear who the perpetrator was, but the answer would surface after a bit of tracking.

I’ll tell Father.

He read the report in its entirety twice more, ensuring that he memorized the information properly. Then, he put it down and grabbed another one. This pattern repeated itself several times. Time passed by quickly. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and an elderly man walked in. He had a well-kempt white beard and donned an all-black attire. His posture was perfect. He took exactly four steps into the room before stopping and bowing.

“Good morning, young master. I have come to you with a message.”

Calan nodded for him to proceed. Yet, the elderly man hesitated. Calan raised an eyebrow.

“It is unlike you to hesitate. Go on, what happened?”

The man let out a sigh.

“That… Someone’s asking for an audience with you.”

A confused expression crossed Calan’s face.

“And?”

“…It’s Rylan Flameheart.”

Calan blinked several times. Then, he scoffed before openly laughing. His disbelieving laughter echoed throughout the room, while the butler had an embarrassed expression. Calan knew that Thomas, the butler, would never lie to him, but the situation was so unbelievable that he had a hard time believing the news. What did Cantavega’s biggest waste of space want with him when they were polar opposites? His laughter stopped as he let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“Throw him out.”

He turned his gaze to the remaining papers on the desk. Thomas had a conflicted expression for a few seconds before speaking.

“He instructed me to tell you that he has important information about Evenon Bled’s criminal activities.”

Calan froze. Once he looked at Thomas once more, his gaze was much deeper than before.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Calan leaned back on his chair. A few seconds of silence ensued. The clock on the wall seemed to be ticking much more slowly than usual. A thousand different possibilities passed through his mind, but in the end, he spoke.

“…Let him in.”

Thomas nodded, bowed, and left the room. Meanwhile, Calan stood up and looked at the garden as if he wanted to burn the sight into his memory. He spoke to himself.

“This is ridiculous.”

What was he doing? Had he really believed the words of the city’s most infamous scoundrel? Any information about Evenon Bled was welcome, but wasn’t this the most unreliable source possible? Already regretting his decision, Calan made up his mind to throw Rylan out once he entered the room. If he weren’t desperate to solve this, he wouldn’t even have allowed the wastrel in.

It had been around a week and a half since strange rumors started floating around the town. A group of adventurers claimed to have witnessed Rylan Flameheart fight and kill a hobgoblin and ten goblins. Most of the people Calan knew had instantly dismissed it as nonsense, including Calan himself. Combat was something Rylan was completely incapable of. It was far more likely for him to have paid the adventurers to spread such rumors. Yet, for some reason, Calan was reminded of these rumors.

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The door opened as he turned around. Beyond, he looked at a handsome, black-haired, blue-eyed young man. It was a face that everyone in Cantavega knew. Calan tried to keep himself from frowning. He had encountered Rylan before in several situations, none of them pleasant. They had involved a lot of questioning by his side – the City Guard. The magnitude of Rylan’s fuckups was so great that it had become a staple, but due to his position and the monumental efforts of the Flameheart family, he had escaped prosecution. The Flamehearts had paid the Vaard family far too much money because of this one waste of space.

Yet, the person in front of Calan didn’t seem to be the same Rylan at all. He stood tall, with a clear gaze and an honest expression. There was no trace of the sliminess and craftiness of his past self.

What happened?

If this was a mere front, Calan had to admit it was a good one. His level of distrust rose. It was unthinkable for Rylan to have truly changed. This was an act. The rumors flashed through his mind. As if he were unaware of Calan’s thoughts, Rylan spoke in a firm voice.

“Good morning, Calan.”

Calan didn’t respond. He was too busy trying to disguise how much he despised the man in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his emotions. This was a business meeting. The least he could do was act professionally, even if the other party was Rylan Flameheart.

“Thomas told me you wanted to talk about Evenon Bled.”

Rylan nodded simply.

“I’m sure you’re not thrilled to be talking to me, so I’ll cut to the chase. I will offer you first-hand reports on Evenon’s most used sites and illegal revenue streams, alongside whatever other help you need to catch him.”

Calan frowned.

“We’ve been trying to catch Evenon for years. Based on our reports, you’re his most faithful customer. Why help us?”

Evenon Bled was a dangerous man, but one who knew very well how to cover his tracks. Even though the Vaard family and the City Guard were aware of his crimes, they had no way of proving anything. Under ordinary conditions, this wouldn’t be much of a problem, as they commanded enough influence to arrest someone under simpler charges and worry about the rest later. However, Evenon was a well-known businessman and philanthropist in several cities. Arresting him was much more significant than arresting an ordinary criminal. They needed solid reasoning backed by evidence, and that was the one thing they lacked.

Rylan shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I know what I’ve done in the past. I have just… decided to live differently.”

Calan narrowed his eyes. For some time, both young men just stared at each other. Rylan said nothing else. Then, Calan spoke.

“I have no reason to believe anything you say, especially about this. See yourself out.”

Another bitter smile crossed Rylan’s expression.

“I knew you’d say that, so,” Rylan pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, “I prepared something. Written in this are the locations of three of Evenon’s largest dealing spots of Dust. I’m sure you and the City Guard will know what to do with this information. You don’t have to like me, but I ask that you please believe me on this.”

Slowly, Rylan placed the paper on the desk between the two men. Calan felt the mana within him move as he prepared for a sneak attack or something like it, but nothing happened. Rylan simply stepped back as soon as he finished putting the paper down, as if he were aware of Calan’s thoughts. Then, he pointed at the study’s windows as he turned around.

“Nice garden.”

With those parting words, Rylan left the room and closed the door behind him. For a long while, Calan simply stared at the piece of paper on the desk. He had half-expected it to contain some hidden magic spell, but Rylan wasn’t even remotely skilled enough for anything like that. Additionally, there was no known motive. As his thoughts reached this point, Calan grabbed the folded-up paper.

Slowly, he unfolded it.

***

Rylan let out a breath as he stepped through the Vaard estate’s gate. The guards eyed him with caution, their hands resting on the wands on their waists.

I feel like I’m getting used to being treated like a criminal.

Of course, taking into account everything he had done, he definitely fit the claim. It was why he didn’t protest. Buying Dust or Glamour was a criminal act in and of itself. He sighed within his heart. Next to him, Sarah stepped closer. For a few seconds, she stared at him before speaking.

“Are you alright, young master?”

Rylan waved his hand dismissively, a bit surprised by her question. Did she now have a modicum of appreciation for him?

“Nothing that I’m not used to. Thanks for worrying. Let’s go.”

Confidently, he started making his way back to the Flameheart estate. Now, it was a waiting game. If Calan didn’t believe him and simply threw the piece of paper away, he would need to rely on more dangerous ways of tackling this situation. This was the safest path, but it was not the only one. He had already made moves to keep the staff in Evenon’s possession.

It’s still early to take matters into my own hands.

His personal strength hadn’t developed enough to slaughter his way through this. Yet, over the past week, he had made solid progress. By eating well, resting, and training hard, his body was steadily developing. It was a slow process, but because of his knowledge, he was growing faster than Roland had at the start of his training. He just needed a bit more time.

I also need to understand how to fight against Mages.

He had been hunting monsters but still had no experience battling other people. He would need to rely on his senses and Roland’s memories. Even though Roland had never fought a Mage, he was no stranger to long-range battles. They were the closest thing in his memory, given the knowledge he’d accumulated as Rylan.

I’ll ask Father.

Gerard would be able to guide him. As his thoughts reached this point, Rylan thought of the Magic Academies and his older brother and sister, who were both in the capital’s Royal Magic Academy. They were the places where he would learn the most. Yet, he could only think about them after he dealt with Evenon. He narrowed his eyes.

Steadily, he was beginning to tighten the noose around the man’s neck.