Red waited patiently as Anthony paced back and forth within his small cell for the better part of a half hour, but after that, the girl began to lose her patience. With a frustrated sigh, she stepped in front of the bars, her hands pressing down on her hips as she stared at Anthony.

“What seems to be the problem, Anthony? You don’t owe those mercenaries anything. In fact, they owe you! How could they leave you all on your own to do something so dangerous?”

Anthony glanced toward Red from the corner of his eyes, before shaking his head as he continued pacing across the cold stone floor.

“I don’t know why Edgar let me undertake such a risky ritual all alone, but I’m sure he must have had a good reason.”

Red’s eyes began to narrow, a hint of anger spreading across her girlish face as she pressed her black lips into a thin line. She held up a finger, its naturally dark nail mirroring the black hue of her lips, as she responded to Anthony.

"You’re making a huge mistake, Anthony. Have you even thought about the consequences of what you’re choosing? If you keep this up, you’ll end up as nothing more than a rotting corpse, swaying by your neck from a cheap rope in the town square, with flies as your only company. This might be your last chance to stop that from happening!"

Anthony winced at Red’s morbid description of the future he was rushing toward. The young man hesitated for only a moment before slowly closing his eyes. He took a deep breath as he focused his concentration on the beautiful starlike radiance that was constantly rotating inside his mind..

The spinning light was his ticket to the power he had always yearned for, and Edgar was the one who had gifted it to him, even going so far as loaning him the silver to pay for the required cultivation ingredients.

Anthony slowly clenched his fists, his face tilting forward slightly as his eyes drifted toward the ground, his brows deeply furrowed. An aura of solemn determination seemed to wash over the young man.

Red took a half step back out of instinct as Anthony shot a glare up at her, something in his eyes making her hesitate to say her next word.

“I think you should leave, Red… I am not going to do as you ask.”

As Anthony delivered his final answer, a few moments passed in awkward silence before a gentle smile began to spread across Red’s face, her disposition changing completely from what it had been just a moment before. At that instant, she seemed to be looking at Anthony with satisfaction. Turning her head around slightly, Red shouted back toward the closed door behind her.

“I’d say he passed with flying colors. Can this be over now, please?”

Anthony’s eyes shot open wide as his gaze darted between Red and the closed door. The sound of clapping could be heard as the wooden entrance swung open, revealing the tall form of Edgar standing just outside.

Jumping to his feet, Anthony dashed to the bars, a torrent of words spilling from his mouth towards the older man.

“Edgar, I’m so glad you’re here! Something went wrong with the cultivation technique, I’m sorry, I—”

Anthony’s desperate expression quickly turned to one of confusion, his words slowing to a stop as he noticed the jovial smile spread across Edgar’s face. The next moment the small area outside his cell began filling up as Belle and Garren interred next, both sharing Edgar’s celebratory attitude as they beamed at Anthony with bright expressions.

Finally, Christoff entered the room last, the only one still wearing a casual look on his face as he presented a ring of keys from under the front of his tunic. He approached the cell without saying a word and began flipping through the keys, as he searched for the one that opened Anthony’s iron bars.

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As the cell door swung open, Anthony stood rooted to his spot, staring up at Edgar for answers. Meanwhile, Red rushed up to Belle, taking the taller elf woman's hands in her own as she began to speak.

“I’ve got my first team member, Nana! Thank you! I mean… he’s a bit naive, but that will change fast enough as we start taking on missions.”

Belle continued to smile as she nodded along to Red’s enthusiastic words, wrinkling her nose in displeasure as her heightened senses picked up the lingering remains of the foul odor that had previously filled the room.

“Of course, Elara. I would not send you into the world with a subpar teammate. Now, can we get out of this filthy place?”

Anthony’s eyes narrowed as he overheard the name Belle used to refer to Red.

“Elara? So that’s it… You weren’t part of a rival troop at all. You’re the team leader I’m supposed to be joining!”

Elara smiled and shrugged her slim red shoulders.

“Don’t blame me. Edgar and Nana insisted on testing your character before allowing you to join my team.”

Anthony’s brows furrowed as he looked up at Edgar, a hint of anger creeping into his voice.

“Is that true, Edgar? Have you been toying with me this whole time?”

Elara stepped forward, placing herself between the two as she shook her head and spoke up in Edgar’s defense.

“Don’t be upset with them. We’ll be undertaking missions with only each other to rely on. Edgar and Nana couldn’t risk sending me into danger with someone unreliable—or worse, disloyal.”

Anthony sighed as his gaze shifted to Christoff, who stood at the back of the group, clearly enjoying the dramatic show unfolding before him.

“Were you a part of this too, Christoff? Did you arrest me just to help them test my ‘character’? Was all of it fake?”

One of Christoff’s eyebrows rose while he met Anthony’s glare, shaking his head slowly as he gestured toward Edgar.

“Not at all. You really did tear off Bo’s finger, and until Edgar got in touch with me, I had no choice but to charge you. Turns out Bo and his gang intended to rob you, and your actions against them could be considered self-defense. Bo confessed to his lies when he found out Edgar had been nearby, keeping watch during the entire affair. I gave him a choice: drop the charges or take up residence in a cell beside yours for thievery.”

As Christoff finished his explanation, Edgar stepped forward and placed his leathery, scarred hand on Anthony’s shoulder, smiling warmly.

“I’m very proud of you, Anthony. Moral character like yours is a rare thing in this unforgiving world. Not many people would be brave enough to do the right thing when their life and future were on the line—but you did. I want to take this moment to officially welcome you to The Iron Fang’s mercenary troop. We’re lucky to have you as a new member, young man.”

Edgar removed his hand from Anthony’s shoulder and pulled out a metal coin bearing the image of an iron-colored fang on the front and Anthony’s name engraved on the back.

Anthony accepted the coin, running his fingers across the smooth metal. His stern expression finally melted away as a small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. With a swift nod, he looked up at Edgar.

“I accept!”

A sudden eruption of cheers filled the small space as the members of the troop came forward to shake Anthony’s hand one by one. He winced as Garren approached with a wide grin, slapping him hard on the back after shaking his hand.

“Well done, Anthony! I’m sorry for doubting you—you’ve got my respect!”

After the round of congratulations, Christoff returned Anthony’s sword to him. Edgar quickly ushered everyone out of the building, and the group made their way across town toward the inn. As they walked, Elara and Anthony began to get reacquainted.

“You really had me going there, ‘Red.’ So, if you’re Belle’s granddaughter, how come the two of you look so different?”

Anthony immediately realized he had touched on a sensitive subject from the way the other members of the team reacted. Glancing around, he noticed the stern expressions on the faces of his companions as he continued to speak hesitantly.

“Did… did I say something wrong?”

Elara quickly suppressed the sadness that flickered across her face at the mention of her appearance, though she failed to hide the sorrow lingering deep in her eyes.

“It’s fine. You’ll find out sooner or later. If we’re going to be teammates, you need to understand my background and what my goals are.”

Belle looked over at Elara with a pained expression as she listened along while her granddaughter enlightened Anthony about the reason for her odd appearance.