In a lavish room within the palace, Ryan lay on a grand bed as several healers stood beside him. The bruises and cuts he had suffered during the fight were already gone, erased by their magic.
The young man with glasses from earlier was also present.
"Young Master Ryan, are you feeling alright now?" he asked carefully.
Ryan turned his gaze toward him.
"Oh… Austin. Yeah, I'm fine now." His expression darkened. "What happened after….."
Ryan didn't finish, but Austin understood what he meant.
"Well… after you were knocked out, Lady Selen arrived and brought him before His Majesty, but—"
He stopped himself.
"Austin!" Ryan shouted. "Just tell me what happened."
"…He was pardoned, Young Master Ryan."
Ryan's face darkened. He waved his hand dismissively at the healers, signaling them to leave.
The healers bowed their heads and quietly exited the room.
The healers quickly bowed and exited the room.
"Where is that filthy commoner now?" Ryan asked coldly.
"The last information I received says they were heading toward the capital… in a royal carriage."
Ryan stood up and walked toward the window, staring out at the palace grounds.
"Austin. Bring me the communicator."
Austin's eyes widened. He knew exactly what Ryan intended to do.
"Are you sure, Young Master? That commoner is currently considered a guest of His Majesty. And the Queen is already furious that you lost to him. If you do something this drastic—"
"I don't care," Ryan snapped. "Just do as I say."
Austin clenched his fists, then bowed and left.
Ryan continued staring through the window, his reflection warped by the glass.
Ryan Armstrong—heir to the strongest duchy in the entire Mecadonia Kingdom.
From a young age, he had shown overwhelming talent in magic and academics. A prodigy among prodigies, he was personally selected as one of the Queen's protégés.
Though he despised commoners, Lilian had caught his attention the very first time they met.
In that moment, he had forgotten all about prejudice and confessed his feelings without hesitation.
He was rejected.
That rejection became the seed of obsession.
Perhaps because he had always gotten everything he desired, Lilian's refusal only made her more precious—and more dangerous to lose.
He had made it clear: no one was allowed to approach her.
And when Ryan saw Orion standing beside Lilian, it felt as though something inside his mind snapped.
What made the matter even worse for Ryan was that Orion was a commoner.
After some time, Austin returned, holding a white, glowing, globe-like object.
"Young Master Ryan, the communicator."
Ryan took it and poured mana into the device. The surface rippled, forming the image of a bald man lounging lazily on a sofa.
"Young Master Ryan," the man said with a crooked smile. "It's been a while. Do you have any tasks for me?"
He was Baldwin, leader of a small criminal group known as the Grim Reapers. Publicly, they were nothing more than petty thieves and hustlers—an intentionally ridiculous name to avoid suspicion.
In truth, they were assassins who worked for corrupt nobles.
"Yes," Ryan said coldly. "Why else would someone of my caliber contact you?"
He continued,
"There's a royal carriage heading toward the capital. Inside is a young man with black hair. You'll find him easily. I want you to kill him. As for his strenth he is C-Rank."
Baldwin's smile faltered.
"Young Master… are you telling me to attack a royal carriage? In the capital? Have you lost your mind?"
Ryan's eyes turned icy.
"You will attack him when he's outside the carriage. And watch your tone. Speak like that again, and it will be the last conversation you ever have."
"I—I apologize!" Baldwin bowed deeply. "It won't happen again."
"I want a thorough job."
With that, Ryan cut the connection.
Austin swallowed hard.
"I don't think this is a good idea…"
"I don't care," Ryan replied.
Inside the royal carriage, Orion and his two beast companions were having the time of their lives.
The capital city was much like Orion had imagined a great medieval metropolis—only larger. Stone towers rose above tightly packed streets, banners fluttered from their walls, and iron lanterns lined the roads, casting a steady glow as dusk approached.
Seeing it with his own eyes made everything feel unreal.
After traveling for a while, the carriage passed a massive building engraved with swords and crests.
"The Adventurers' Guild…" Orion's eyes lit up.
"Hey! Stop the carriage in front of the guild!" he said quickly.
The driver assumed Orion merely wanted to visit and pulled over without question.
But Orion wasn't there just to look around.
He wanted to take some quests if he could.
The inside of the guild was even larger than the exterior. A massive hall opened before him, filled with noise and energy. Dozens of booths lined the walls, each staffed by receptionists handling requests.
Adventurers of every type were present—burly warriors, robed mages, eccentric individuals with strange weapons.
"Wow…" Orion muttered. "This is way better than I imagined."
He approached an unoccupied booth staffed by two female receptionists. They were quite pretty—though they were nothing compared to Ember and Lilian.
"Good evening, sir. How may we help you?" one of them asked sweetly.
"Uh, hello. How do I take on a mission or quest?"
"Are you a registered member of the Adventurers' Guild?"
"No. Do I need to be?"
"You can take quests without registering," she explained, smiling professionally. "However, becoming a member comes with many benefits."
"Oh?" Orion leaned forward, curious. "What kind of benefits?"
She gestured toward a board behind her.
"Priority access to quests, higher-ranked missions, legal protection under guild law, discounted supplies, access to private training facilities, and—most importantly—the guild's backing."
Her smile sharpened slightly.
"In this city, that protection can mean the difference between life and death."
Orion's smile slowly faded.
"…I see. What do I need to become a member?"
The receptionist's smile softened.
"First, you need to be at least F-rank, and second, you must provide documents proving you are a citizen of this kingdom."
Orion sighed.
Although he was far above F-rank, he lacked the necessary documents.
"Well, maybe next time then. Can you at least show me what kind of quests I can take without being a member?"
The receptionist looked a little disappointed, but she nodded and pulled out a few quest sheets. However, all of them were clearly meant for F-rank adventurers.
Orion frowned.
Do I really look that weak?
"You know," Orion said bluntly, "I'm not some weakling. I'm a C-ranker, so you can show me some proper quests."
"…Certainly, sir."
Though she found it hard to believe, the receptionist didn't want to offend someone claiming to be C-rank. And even if he lied and got himself killed, it wouldn't be the guild's responsibility—he wasn't a registered member.
She replaced the sheets with a new stack—B- to C-rank quests.
Orion began scanning through them when one title immediately caught his eye.
[Slime Subjugation]
His interest spiked.
Every isekai novel he'd read, every RPG he'd played—slimes were always there. He almost felt obligated to take the quest.
"Alright," Orion said, tapping the paper. "I'll take this one."
"Oh! Excellent choice!" The receptionist clapped her hands lightly.
"The location and detailed information are written there. Since it's a D-rank quest, you must complete it within three days, otherwise the guild won't accept the completion."
"Got it. Thanks for the help."
With that, Orion turned and headed back toward the royal carriage.
But unbeknownst to Orion, several figures had already begun watching the royal carriage.