"So the fogging was caused by fairies?" Asked the Vice Guildmaster of the Kingdom of Autumn, Loknar.

His calm brown eyes showed hints of his deep experience, while his grayish hair represented the wisdom he had accumulated, truly befitting his position.

Each continent has only one Vice-guildmaster, with each being second in command only to Odino, the Guildmaster of all guilds.

They are usually stationed at the capital of the kingdoms and would assign guild captains to different estates.

The armor he sported was made of evidently elegant white cloth and silver silk. It fitted perfectly as it truly matched the respectable image he seemed to uphold.

"Yes, Sire. Unfortunately, the magic has a duration. It would end on its own." Replied Naell calmly. He was currently at the Adventurer's guild reporting his findings with his investigation.

As they were seated by the table, where he and Naell were facing each other, Tahina was standing by Loknar's side.

Both of them would often find themselves impressed with Naell's way of carrying himself.

The young master of Beryldot was by no means tense, which was unusual for him. The wealth he would later gain from the negotiation made him fearless.

While his choice of clothes was often simple, like on that day where he was just wearing his everyday clothing; plain black pants, topped with a white button-up shirt, with the addition of his signature mage robe of red and white.

Still, it managed to heighten not just his good looks, but also his demeanor of nobility.

Nonetheless, Naell's intimidating appearance was amplified as well. Had they been normal people they would have certainly been frightened by him.

"Hmmm... Well done, Mr. Naell. That's some good news." Said Loknar with a smile.

*******

When the Vice Guildmaster first met Naell, it was some days after the incident of Odino having his head bumped by his hammer. He had been invited by the guild to formally welcome him.

"Congratulations, Mr. Naell for becoming a B-rank adventurer."

It was not a common thing to be congratulated by a high-ranking official of the guild, but because Naell was able to become a B-rank adventurer with ease, Loknar knew he would become someone prominent in the future.

Yet even so, Loknar was disappointed, as Naell seemed to be arrogant and prideful. With a fake cough, and a misunderstood line of thought, Loknar then said,

"I'm sorry if the Guildmaster was not able to meet you today. Unfortunately, he was needed elsewhere."

Loknar really thought Naell was offended at the fact that Odino wasn't the one welcoming him. He knew young men like that would often not manage to reach their potential.

'Pitiable.' Loknar thought, yet after that, he immediately got surprised when Naell became fairly composed and polite.

*******

Even at that point, Loknar was still confused about what had happened at their first meeting.

Much to his surprise, not only was Naell polite and far different from the rumors, but he was also a man of few words and logic.

Little did he know, the young master of Berlydot was actually nervous at that time.

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He even thought of not attending since he already had the identification card. Yet due to him not wanting to offend anyone, he still attended reluctantly.

Smiling from recalling the past, Loknar after sipping some tea added on,

"Please help yourself."

Brewed green tea, with spinach sandwiches filled with eggs and melted cheese were prepared in a considerable amount.

The assorted cupcakes, doughnuts, and even chocolate-dipped pieces of bread were broadly presented as well.

Naell could only wryly smile. The one that would usually benefit from those sweet alluring treats was at the moment, sleeping somewhere together with the protagonist's party.

'I'll be telling you all about it Owly.' He thought to himself while smirking.

Naell politely declined after taking a sip of his tea. He truly did not have a sweet tooth, as even on Earth, he was bitter on Valentine's Day; Not because of romance, but because of the prevalence of sweets.

"Thank you, Sire, but I'll just be having some tea. I'm not really a morning person."

"I see... How unfortunate." Sadly said Loknar. Like Naell he wasn't fond of sweets. He only made it because he thought Owly would be there.

Loknar, as a seeker of knowledge and truth, was excited to be acquainted with Owly, the son of the Guardian of old [ Wisdom ] Athena.

Tahina's ears pricked knowing that those sweets would later fall in her grasp. No matter how professional and old she may have been, sweets were still her weakness.

Loknar didn't miss the opportunity of seeing Tahina's pleased face as he added on,

"Please do share it with everyone later on, Tahina."

With a pleased smile and the most gracious bow she could offer, Tahina expressed her gratitude as she thought,

'He truly knows everyone working beside him.'

"Thank you for your hard work, Naell."

After saying those words, Loknar again examined Naell as he asked,

"Now what was Sampua, the Golden fairy doing in Lagupa?"

"..."

Naell then realized again why he was so nervous meeting Loknar in the past.

'This man is truly sharp...'

In the novel, Loknar was the one who first discovered the culprit of the bombings involving Volume 3, yet before he could even report it, he was comatosed upon being ambushed by terrorists.

After the incident, Odino declared an all-out war against the terrorists and decided to head to the Western Adventurer's guild until Loknar recovered.

With a [ poof ] Naell decided to not hide it any longer. He actually planned on selling it to a merchant privately to not cause any commotion.

Yet because he trusted his gut that Loknar would eventually connect those dots, he decided to then report it to the guild.

.

.

.

The meeting became somewhat heavy upon seeing the golden apples. Loknar and Tahina knew of the value and importance of those fruits.

Not only was it known to be a gift from the Celestials, but it was also a rare ingredient that was sought throughout Mundo, especially by nobles that would like to exhibit their wealth and connection.

Loknar knew little when it came to the fairies, yet he knew that Royal fairies were bizarre in their own way, and would not leave their land without any odd reason.

He knew of Sampua from stories, as he recited a line from a famous poem.

'"A Golden fairy clad in the most beautiful garments befitting her charm."

Naell nodded, he thought that the poem was well done but felt something strange about it.

Regardless, even he agreed that Sampua was beautiful, but because of her tendencies to be so "free-spirited," he was overwhelmed and could not help but want to stay away from her--- far far away.

After seeing Naell's confirmation, Loknar then continued reciting the poem. His Piercing eyes were then gazing directly at him.

"But she was known for her affection towards Gold."

Without even missing a beat, Loknar went and spoke. All the while, carefully examining Naell's behavior.

"She might have been disappointed." He said as he stared towards the golden apples.

'This guy is truly sharp!" Naell thought as he smiled, hiding his anxiety. He knew, at that moment, he made the right choice.

Naell, before Loknar could even speak once more, decided to reveal everything about his yesterday's endeavor.