Dilek hasn't come home yet," Hela said, her arms folded as Marcus, Ami, Nandita, Diego, and Dua sat around the table — all with their hands on the wooden surface, tense and uneasy. From the staircase above, Kelid watched silently, leaning on the railing.
"So… anyone knows why?" Hela asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Saint said he was going to come back after getting the quest rewards," Diego answered quietly.
Hela turned her gaze toward him. "And how long ago was that?"
Diego went silent. Nandita hit his thigh under the table, whispering, "Was it really long?"
"I don't know," Diego whispered back. "I didn't check the time."
Marcus spoke up, hesitant. "Uhm, why exactly are we getting scolded?"
Hela scoffed, glaring at him. "I'm not scolding you. I'm reminding you of your responsibilities. Dilek is eighteen — and you let him go alone."
"Well, he's our leader, isn't he? I think it's common knowledge we accepted him," Marcus muttered.
"He is younger than all of you!" Hela snapped. "That doesn't excuse your carelessness around him!"
A tense silence fell over the room. Ami glanced at Hela and thought, 'Look at her… she seems like a mother in distress.'
Duja raised his hand slightly. "Uhm, if I may say — honey, why exactly am I sitting while they're getting scolded? Should I… stand with you?"
"No," Hela shut him down instantly, not even looking at him.
Then she turned to the group. "Go. Each of you. Find him. If you don't come back in three hours, I'll find you, understood?"
The last words sounded like a threat, As the group got up, already tired and hungry from the day. They had just taken a shower and hadn't eaten dinner, but still, they obeyed.
As they walked toward the door, Duja followed.
"WHY ARE YOU GOING?" Hela's voice echoed.
"Oh, I thoug—"
"GET BACK IN, DUJA!"
Duja sank his head like a scolded child and shuffled back inside, muttering, "Good luck," as he waved weakly to the others.
Marcus shut the door behind them with a sigh. "Now what? Where's Dilek?"
"I'm not sure," Nandita said, rubbing her arm. "Is he… walking around maybe?"
Diego crossed his arms. "If I may say — I think Saint's probably spending the night preaching to the poor again, showing everyone how generous he is."
"Oh, good point," Ami said, snapping her fingers.
"Then it's decided," Nandita said. "Let's go check the alley where he visits the people."
—
The night was cold. The cobblestone roads glistened faintly under the soft light of lamps, puddles reflecting the moonlight. The group moved quickly, their boots echoing lightly through the narrow street.
When they turned the corner, the alley stretched before them dark, and lined with makeshift tents stitched from old cloth and torn sail fabric. The air smelled faintly of smoke and boiled potato.
"Hold on," Marcus whispered. "We should tiptoe."
"You tiptoeing would sound the same as me walking normally," Ami laughed under her breath.
Diego forced a chuckle, while Nandita looked unimpressed.
"What?" Ami whispered. "I was just trying to lighten the mood. This is what I get? A bunch of humorless souls?"
Marcus gave an awkward smile. "Let's just go in."
They began checking tents one by one.
In the first tent, a man slept soundly, covered in a patchwork of blankets.
The second held three children huddled together, sleeping on top of each other for warmth.
The third contained a man eating a boiled sweet potato, who slowly turned to look at them. He shook his head slightly — a silent warning to keep quiet.
Ami stepped forward, hand outstretched, pointing at the potato. The man looked at her blankly, then broke it in two , one piece clearly larger than the other. He handed her the smaller half.
Ami frowned and pointed at the bigger one instead.
The man shook his head, but when Ami raised her eyebrows threateningly, he sighed in defeat. Just as he was about to hand it over, Nandita smacked the back of Ami's head and whispered fiercely, "WE ARE HERE TO CHECK ON DILEK! KEEP YOUR GREED TO YOURSELF!"
They moved on, checking more tents Ami making several more failed attempts to steal bits of food or items, each time being dragged away by Nandita, Marcus and Diego.
Finally, they stepped back out into the street.
"Well," Ami said, stretching, "Dilek wasn't sleeping with these guys to spread his preachings."
Nandita glared at her. "Why the hell are you stealing from them?!"
Marcus sighed. "You really gotta stop, Ami. Just steal from the rich."
"What?!" Nandita turned to him, horrified. "Marcus! Encourage her not to steal!"
"Well, stealing from the rich is a hassle," Ami shrugged. "They have guards and all that."
Diego chuckled under his breath. "Robin Hood."
"Oh, not at all," Nandita said sharply. "She's Robin Hood's evil cousin. Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. She probably steals from the poor and gives to the rich."
Marcus pointed at her. "You just explained the IRS and taxes. Amazing, Nandita. Well, kind of — but good job."
Ami smirked proudly. "Of course not. I steal from the poor, yes, but that doesn't mean I give it to the rich. If I could, I'd steal from the rich too. They just have too many security measures. Whereas poor people don't. And hey, it's another poor person borrowing from another poor person — doesn't mean it's stealing."
"That makes you a thief, right?" Diego said quietly.
"Okay, forget it," Nandita sighed. "Let's get back to the topic. Dilek isn't here. Where else could he be?"
The group fell silent for a moment. Then Marcus snapped his fingers. "Hold on, the guild! He must've gone there at least once, right?"
"Ohhh," the others said in unison. "Good point."
They made their way through the still streets. The night wind carried the faint smell of burning firewood and distant chatter from taverns that hadn't closed yet.
Finally, they stopped before a massive stone building, , with tall pillars. The wide double doors loomed before them.
It was closed.
"Now what?" Nandita asked, turning to Ami.
"You've been asking 'now what' so many times — your turn for a suggestion."
Marcus nodded in agreement. Diego raised a hand. "Yep. I already did my part by suggesting the alleyway."
Nandita crossed her arms. "We break in."
"Are you serious?" Ami's eyes widened. Then, after a beat, she smirked. "Couldn't have suggested a better idea, honestly."
Marcus just stood there, stunned. 'Is she only strict with Ami? Does she act like an idiot only when she's not scolding Ami? Is she what you call a… hypocrite?'
They stood before the massive double doors of the Guild Hall. The streets were empty, silent except for the occasional rustle of wind through the banners. The moonlight fell across the carved signs on the doors.
"None of us are good as ninjas," Nandita said, cracking her knuckles. "So we break the main door. It's bound to get attention then we can ask everyone who came to arrest us to help look for Dilek."
"Genius. Only flaw how do we break this?" Marcus asked, knocking lightly on the thick oak surface.
Nandita turned to Diego. "Diego, pose."
Diego immediately struck a dramatic Renaissance pose, chest out, chin tilted high.
"Nooo," Nandita groaned, dragging her hand down her face. "I said pose, not pose for a painting!"
Diego then sat cross-legged on the floor, pretending to pose for an invisible camera.
"I SAID POSE — THE ONE YOU DO BEFORE HITTING SOMETHING HARD! How come you only do it when Dilek asks?"
Ami burst out laughing. "Why do you think? Diego here probably senses what his Saint wants."
Marcus nodded thoughtfully. "That… might actually be true."
Diego sighed but finally got into a stance legs wide, knees bent, fist drawn back. He began to count under his breath.
"Fifty-six… fifty-seven… fifty-eight… fifty-nine…"
"FIFTY!" he shouted, throwing his fist forward — only for the door to swing open right before the punch connected.
Inside stood Teruru, blinking at them in confusion.
"Uhm… why are you guys here?" she asked.
Ami tilted her head. "Why are we here? Why are you here, counter girl?"
Teruru stepped back, flustered. "I'm… I'm poor."
A soft whistle passed through the air as Ami blinked. "Whoa. She folded under zero pressure."
"No, she didn't," Nandita said. "She just told you her circumstance. Obviously, she's been sleeping here."
Then, suddenly, Nandita wrapped her arms around Teruru. "It's alright. I get it." she said with a tear falling down her cheek.
Marcus blinked. "How the hell do you know that?"
Nandita smiled proudly. "Watched too many K-dramas. The girl sleeps in the office, gets caught by her boss and then the romance starts."
Diego stared blankly. "What?"
"Uh, no…" Teruru said awkwardly. "We get our own beds on the third floor. Since I don't have a house, I decided to just stay here."
"Ohhh." All four of them nodded as if it suddenly made perfect sense.
It did...It's free.
They followed Teruru upstairs to the third floor, where a few other staff members slept on neat bunks. The warm smell of herbal incense filled the room. Percy was there too, sprawled across his bed, his hair sticking up in all directions.
Teruru shook him awake gently. Percy blinked, barely conscious, listening half-heartedly as the group explained their situation.
When he finally sat up, he rubbed his face and muttered, "Ah… well, shit. Let's go to Iris."
They moved up to the fourth floor. The corridor lights flickered slightly, the faint hum of a night crystal buzzing somewhere. Ami asked on the way, "You guys can't buy a house or something?"
Teruru shrugged. "Guild wages."
"Guild wages, Yea sure" she chuckled "YOUR VICE GUILDMASTER IS SLEEPING HERE AS WELL" Ami shouted
They reached the Guild Master's office and knocked.
After a pause, the door creaked open — revealing Iris, the guild master, in pink pajamas covered in tiny cat prints.
"What is it…" she muttered, rubbing her eyes. Then she froze, seeing the group, and looked down at herself. Her eyes widened in horror before she slammed the door shut.
A minute later, it reopened. She was now in full black pajamas, hair tied up. "What's up?"
Percy sighed. "Well… Dilek's gone missing."
"Missing?" Marcus frowned. "We never said he's missing — we just asked if you know where he is."
Iris froze. Then she slammed her forehead into the door. "GODDAMMIT, CASTORIK!"
Diego blinked. "What happened?"
Iris took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Okay. Listen. Dilek's a really handy guy. After that trick he pulled during the raid, I knew Castorik would try to recruit him."
"What? Why?" Nandita asked.
"Because Castorik's a snake," Iris said flatly. "And we're going to need to start a rescue operation. Just know — he's not a good man. He'll milk Dilek dry."
Diego gasped. "Milk the Saint?! But the Saint isn't a cow!"
Everyone turned to stare at him.
Ami sighed. "No, Diego. Dilek doesn't have udders. They're talking about sucking hi—"
"MOVING FORWARD!" Iris shouted before she could finish. "We cannot confront Castorik directly. He's a Duke — he's got more authority than the entire guild combined. If we go at him, we'll be crushed politically. Got it?"
"Don't shout," Percy grumbled, covering his ears. "It's midnight. My ears hurt."
"Well, we need a plan, right?" Marcus said.
"C-can I leave quietly?" Teruru whispered from the corner, but her voice was drowned out as everyone began talking at once.
The room buzzed with chaotic energy half panic, half exhaustion and for a brief second, Iris just stood there, rubbing her temples.
'It's always chaos when he's involved,' she thought grimly. 'Always that guy.'
—
"So, uhh… you married?" Dilek asked as he sat at the long table — Castorik on one end, calmly eating his dinner, and Dilek on the other, picking at the meal prepared for him by the Duke's servants.
Castorik looked up, a faint smirk on his face. "Why are you asking that? Are you interested in me, perhaps?"
Dilek gave him a grim look that clearly said, 'Why would you even suggest that?'
Castorik chuckled. "I understand your intent. You're asking why, despite all this, I'm alone, yes?"
"Don't make jokes like that," Dilek scoffed. "Old man."
"Well then, if I tell you why" Castorik said, taking another bite. "Will you tell me about Jonah?, like, Where does he live? I want to join your faith."
Dilek smiled awkwardly. 'Someone save me.'