“So, about the dungeon exploration,” Ark says with confidence. His commander, Elizabeth Avalon, calmly listened, ready to offer consulation. “I was thinking of creating an elite team of sort. No more than ten members. I'm confident in my ability to break through the dungeon on my own, but to properly explore it and get all the benefits, there are a few that could be useful...”

“Stop right there.” Elizabeth stops Ark before he can give his list of candidates.

“What? You said I'm still leading the dungeon exploration. I was really looking forward to it too.”

The opportunity to learn another ancient magic was irresistibly tempting for him, now more than before.

Ark had nearly lost to an opponent that could be considered inferior to himself. He also got to feel a gulf in terms of technique and once again came to the realization that his abilities are lacking. No matter how great the Knights of Black are, Ark was determined to surpass them.

“Yeah, an elite team is a good idea, but you can't do this anymore.”

“...Which boomer?”

“The commanders of the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th. Sorry, but you will have to choose a few from each of these orders.”

They pushed to have their knights participate, using Ark's recent 'troublemaking' behavior as an excuse to have them earn merit. It was obvious to a fault.

“It's actually half as much as I expected,” Elizabeth said. “The others are either with an intact conscience or trying not to get on your bad side.”

By saving the kingdom's greatest talent, Ark's own reputation shot up significantly. The talks about sending him to jail are of the distant past now.

Suddenly recalling the fact that they knew of his dirty past, Ark frowned. After thinking about it for a bit, he looked at the Sage like a golden key.

“Commander, I'm ashamed to request this, but could you help me spread the word that I never actually 'cheated'? I don't want this to come bite me in the back.”

Hearing her subordinate's request, she sighed. “In retrospect, it would have been better if you had denied it until the end.”

She was willing to help, but it was engraved in their minds that Ark had cheated. Changing that conception was difficult.

“Well, you can say it was a misunderstanding on both sides.”

“A misunderstanding?”

Elizabeth maintained a supportive tone, so Ark decided to proceed, glad she wasn't so strict.

“You misunderstood your methods, and I didn't understand that my method was illegal.” He spreads his intent and gathers mana at breakneck speed. “I thought that using ambient mana was a breach of rules due to fairness, and you thought I prepared this in advance. We didn't discuss the details, so you didn't realize I can use this at a moment's notice, at all times.”

The use of intent to control mana fascinated the Sage, a lover of magic. Ark wasn't sure she heard him halfway through.

(Is this because she doesn't consciously handle intent? She looks like a kid being shown a magic trick.)

Ark waited patiently for the answer. He wasn't nervous as Elizabeth's intent spilled the answer before her.

“Oh my, what a blunder we have made.”

Thus, Ark had managed to rear the Sage to help him set his past straight.

“In order to correct this blunder, I must study the source of your abilities in detail.”

...At the cost of his body.

Her real intentions were clear: in exchange for her help, Ark would allow her to study him a bit.

“At least... make it usable as training,” Ark, the forever training fanatic, conceded.

“Deal.”

While the Sage felt satisfied, Ark was haunted by a deep sense of loss. He felt as if he had lost something important to him as a human being.

He coughed. “Back to the subject, you said members from the 2nd, 3rd, and 8th are mandatory, right?”

“Yes. It's actually not that bad.”

“I agree. The second order focuses on magicians, the third on healers, and the eighth on all-arounders with auxiliary magic. I can work with that.”

Every commander has a taste for their knights, preferring a certain type of ability and skill. As a result, the orders gained a specialized orientation.

But what bothered Ark wasn't the orders' specialties but the degree of competence of an individual.

Elizabeth made three piles of paper float with magic, putting them in front of Ark neatly and in order.

Each stack contained personal information, including name, skill, attribute, and ability. It was simply the basic profile of the knights, but it was at least something.

(Ah, my commander is actually useful.)

For some reason, Ark didn't benefit much from Elizabeth directly. He had imagined studying magic under her or receiving some pointers that came from her time with the Hero, but there was nothing.

(I guess she is good as transportation and administrative work. Maybe consulation from time to time.)

“What about her? She is an epiphet holder and a capable healer.”

“Too whiny.”

“How about the Quadra? Their magic is versatile and strong, and they fill four spots.”

“Tempting, but they'll be useless if separated.”

“Then how about this one...?”

It took several minutes to put up a list of people that would at least be bearable, with a minimum level of competence. They finished relatively fast since Ark was clear about his standards.

“I have other things to do, so please hurry up and get this done.” Elizabeth massaged her temples.

“Don't worry, I have a list ready.”

Sliding over the list, Elizabeth takes a short glance, erases one name, and adds two different names.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Nodding, Ark takes the list without a word and walks away. The consulation meeting about the expedition members was finalized, and the two proceeded to deal with the rest of the work.

There were long, long three days.

Ark had formed a solid opinion about leading others.

“It was a new experience, so I had a hard time. I'm sure I made some mistakes. I hope I did well. Overall, it was a valuable experience.”

But really, what he thought inside was more like...

(Leading is bullshit. It's a scam!)

Ark genuinely believed that true leadership lies simply in telling others what to do, not being buried in mountains of paper.

Unfortunately, during the three days, Ark learned the darkness of the clamorous position of a leader.

“Don't worry, I'm sure you did a great job.” Silvia, wasting her time on a useless person, tried to encourage Ark.

The expedition members were officially sent by the king, so it was made into a charade. They moved in fine carriages to the city, located near the dungeon.

For some reason, they were placed together in the same carriage. That alone was fine, but the two other passengers made the ride insufferable.

“I can't believe I got to be inside the same carriage as Ms. Silvia, hehe.”

“Such an energetic girl. Hey, Ark, will she let me drink some of her blood?”

One was giggling like a stalker getting to spy on their target more, even though the person was right there and could hear her. The other was a woman with a thing for blood. Silvia scratched her head, looking worriedly at Scarlet.

“Stop with the blood jokes, please.”

“Of course, if you say so.” Scarlet turns to look at Silvia with the eyes of a predator. “You have such an elegant fragrance, and you are cute. Let's get along, Silvia.”

(Damn, she is good. I want to take notes.)

Although Silvia was clearly feeling uncomfortable and flustered, Ark didn't pay much attention to her distress signals and was impressed by Scarlet's ability to flirt.

She was even bold enough to call her without any titles or honorifics. It was quite a sight, as the two were both women with a great deal of charm.

Only a sliver of attraction towards Scarlet remained after Ark internally labeled her crazy. He firmly resisted even that, as he knew it's best not to mess with her. He can't deny that she is a mesmerizing beauty.

(Crazy women are no good, though. The other is just a disguised gorilla, and... well, the stalker isn't that pretty.)

Somehow, even as he enjoyed the company of beautiful women, he kept complaining in his heart. Surely, Ark was someone deserving of the curses of men and women alike.

Ark opened the window of the carriage, letting a small bird fly inside.

“What's this little guy?”

Ark and Silvia answered in unison, “He is Jeff.”

(Shit! I got a cringe!)

The simultaneous answer caused Ark to feel disgusted, but even as he did, he continued to stroke Jeff's head with his index finger.

“We found him on the brink of death. After Ark healed him, it started to look at us like parents,” Silvia explained.

“Or more accurately, he looks at me like his dad and at Silvia like his fated partner.”

“We agreed to disagree on that matter.”

Ark shrugged. “Okay.”

(Sure, argue with the guy reading the actual intent. It's bound to make you correct.)

“Anyway, he is a chick, but he has a good amount of magic power and is very intelligent. His race is peregrine, and I think he is a mutant...” Ark trailed off with his thoughts.

“His compatibility with wind magic is also great, and...”

Ark didn't listen halfway through. He observed Jeff and tried to read his intent.

(This bird is too smart for a chick. Even if he is an intelligent monster, age is still a factor in most cases.)

There was no doubt that Jeff wasn't a normal bird. Although it was clear it wasn't a trap or anything, Ark was still a little suspicious.

(Is it because of Silvia?)

Considering how Silvia did nothing to gain Jeff's affection, it could be that the meeting was coincidental.

Basically, Ark was the third wheel in their fateful encounter.

(A partner for the Wind Avatar. Does that mean that Jeff... has the same potential as a dragon?)

Feeling like he had struck gold, Ark grinned. However, his expression softens as Jeff flies around as if to show off.

In the short time they spent together, Ark found himself fond of this bird. He even felt like it wouldn't have mattered even if there was nothing special about it, much to his surprise.

(I'm such a softie. I guess I'm a sucker for people who regard me as family.)

Bullshit.

The members of the Solitary Wolves regarded each other as family, and they all saw Ark as their younger brother. As he trained and tried his best, the others only watched him with warm expressions.

And Ark knew that. He simply ignored it since he regarded them as psychopaths.

“I have to thank you, Ark. Port City Neronis has goods from the eastern continent, Longzhao, so I will take this chance to buy some exotic skin care products.” Scarlet seemed genuinely excited, which was unusual.

“Yeah, sure.”

Scarlet was only invited at the discretion of Elizabeth, but Ark didn't say that as he saw his image improving.

(I only wanted Kristan, though.)

He thought that Kristan's shadow abilities would be extremely convenient in a dungeon, but Elizabeth crossed him out, so there was no helping it. Ark was disappointed, but he had a clue as to why Kristan was excluded.

“Oh, by the way, it's not just for me but for Liliana as well, so look forward to it, okay?”

(And instead, I am stuck with these girls.)

Sensing Silvia's intent, he knew she wanted to say something. Ark was glad, as she decided to choke down her words and continue chatting with Wendy.

They were in a peculiar relationship.

Although Ark knew Silvia was interested in him, he wasn't sure if she herself was aware. Clearly, she had no romantic experience whatsoever, so Ark hoped to misguide her feelings on a different path.

(Seriously, why are women so inconvenient? Always wanting stupid stuff... requiring high maintenance... damn, it's annoying just thinking about it.)

Translation: Please beat me. I have a special spot in hell reserved just for me.

Anyways, Ark was scheming to manipulate the heart of a girl who could surely find someone better, and soon, the smell of salt filled the air.

An entire inn was reserved for a month ahead for the entire expedition members, funded by the kingdom. It could accommodate more than double their current group, so there was a lot of room to space out.

Gathering the knights, Ark cleared his throat as he maintained an authoritative demeanor. It was time for him to charm and instill respect.

“Thank you all for coming. As you probably know, I am Ark from the Solitary Wolves knight order, and I will be the leader of this expedition. Our goal is to explore the new dungeon that appeared, map it, and bring our findings back to the kingdom. Surely, it won't be an easy task, but I'm certain we can succeed.”

There was some tension in their eyes—just the right amount. Good.

“Take today to rest and explore the city. However, we will start the preparations tomorrow, so I expect everyone to be in top condition. Any questions?”

A young mage knight hesitantly raised his hand. “Isn't our group too small?”

(It's more than I wanted.)

“Don't worry. I have judged this group to be more than capable of clearing an entire dungeon. You could say that this group is an elite squad.”

Ark could see pride forming in the knights' eyes. He felt like laughing since most of them were tag-alongs chosen for the lesser probability of being a burden.

(I say burden. Pain in the ass would be more accurate.)

He decided that buttering up their pride would be the shortest path to winning their hearts, but he couldn't help sneering like a villain in his mind, mocking the knights.

No one asked anything else, so Ark dismissed them and proceeded to place his stuff in his room.

“Being a leader sure has its perks. A room alone is much better. Whoever said sharing is caring was talking bullshit.”

For a moment, Ark deluded himself into thinking he would get to enjoy some rest.

However, there is no rest for the wicked.

“Right, I need to go greet the city lord.”

He would've preferred to doze off for a few hours, but he knew better since a prideful noble wouldn't take kindly waiting.

Ark knocked on the door of the room Silvia stayed in. Unfortunately, the one who opened the door was Wendy, who glared at him like an angry puppy.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Call Silvia, please. I have some business with her.”

(I thought she was stupid for giving up a single room, but she surprisingly got herself a watchdog. Maybe we are more similar than I thought.)

It was a nonsensical comparison. The two lived on the two ends of the moral spectrum. Ark just now insulted Silvia more than he did every time he swore at her in his mind.

“Hi, Ark,” Silvia called somewhat flustered, “what do you need?”

She was thinking of inviting Ark to tour the city and was caught off guard, as she didn't expect him to visit her first. Silvia was secretly starting to expect something.

Ark, shameless from birth, showed no agitation despite waiting by the door. Even though the other party was flustered, he wasn't bothered.

“I was about to visit the city lord. Wanna come?”

“...Well, sure.”

“Thanks. It would just be lunch at most, so let's tour the city later. See you in two hours.”

Not bothering to check her reaction, Ark leaves feeling he had made a mistake. He regretted suggesting the tour.

Silvia's intent pricked him like a needle. It was an intent fundamentally different from that of normal humans', so it was easily distinguished even from a distance, at least as long as he was alerted.

(What are you so serious about?)

For some reason, Silvia was feeling serious about something, as if she were challenging her limits to the extreme. It made Ark truly puzzled.

But thinking that he would rather not know, he grabbed a book about magic and immersed himself in reading. Still, a vague feeling of foreboding haunted him, and he was stuck on the first page for a while.

Meanwhile, on Silvia's side, things were getting serious.

“Wendy, please help me with this. I need you.”

She gulped, sensing her idol's determination. “Okay.”