Soldiers' battle stance. Because of the smoke, they couldn't see who was inside.
"What's going on?" he asked, his face tinged with malice as he awoke.
"Ah! What an entrance I made!" Derek exclaimed as he stretched his hand.
"Who?" exclaimed Geld.
"Oh, why isn't this the guild master and soldiers?" Derek wondered.
("Wait a minute, this voice.")
Soldier A asserted, "Guild master, you must not approach."
The smoke gradually dissipates, revealing the man's identity, he takes a step forward and greets the crowd,
"Hello, everyone. Could you please lay down your weapons?" in a cheerful way.
"Sir mage?" the soldiers and hunters said in unison as they laid down their weapons.
"Derek-"
"Derek? Have I allowed you to call me that?" He said smugly.
Geld was dumbfounded and irritated at the same time,
"I'm just joking, you can call me Derek no need to make that face," Derek said and leans on Geld's shoulder with a smirk on his face.
"Sir Derek, why are you here?" Geld said suppressing his rage.
"Now I look at you, you age more so than I saw you previously," Derek said teasingly.
"I'm not that old, I'm just lacking sleep," Geld said calmly and gripping his fist tightly suppressing his anger.
"Is that so?" Derek said questioningly.
Geld looked at the surroundings and notice the people gathering he suggests, "Let's go to the guild."
"Hm... Alright." Derek replied.
The crowd disperses as they headed to the village guild, as they arrive Geld sends someone to call Roswald back into the guild.
For a while, Geld was troubled by the person in front of him, but then he remembered that one of his receptionist girls said that Roswald was out on a quest.
Derek became agitated and enraged when he learned Roswald wouldn't be arriving, but he quickly calmed down.
For an hour, the two remained silent, Derek couldn't bear the silence and started a conversation, "Hey..."
Geld flinches hearing him say a word, he instantly calms down and replies, "What is it?"
"Get me a room," Derek said lazily.
"Why?" Geld inquired with slight irritation.
"Isn't it obvious? I will stay here tonight." Derek replied.
Sheena who was beside them keep quiet as if she was part of the wall and started talking, "Should I prepare the room on the other end of the corridor, sir?"
"Please do," Geld said and sigh.
Sheena excuse herself from the room and as soon as she was out of the office, she calls the guild staff to prepare to clean the other room, which had not been used in decades.
The guild was bustling with activity, with all of the staff coming and going to buy new sheets and pillows for the guest.
Derek was quiet the entire time, and when the room was finished, he went in and promptly fell asleep.
The next day, Roswald was fast asleep when someone stormed into the room, Della awoke in terror and fled to the corner, holing herself right off the corner of the room.
"Hey, Roswald!" Derek yelled slamming the door of the inn.
"Eh? What? What?" Ramy said as she was startled.
Solana steps up and says, "Who might you be? barging in the morning like this."
"Uh... who are you, people? I... I'm looking for Roswald I heard he was here." Derek said nervously.
"Sir Roswald is upstairs resting... w-why are you looking for him?" Ramy said with a troubled look.
"*cough* The guild send me to bring him over," Derek said with little hesitation.
"Hmmmm~" the innkeeper Balder stares with suspicion.
"I see... Ramy goes and wakes him and you sit down and wait." Solana said.
Roswald woke up from the commotion downstairs, he sat on the chair and cleans his shoe heels.
Ramy knocks on the door twice and says, "Sir Roswald are you awake? someone is here looking for you."
"Tell him I'll go in the afternoon." He said in a serious tone.
"Yes, I will tell him..." Ramy said cheerfully.
"Big sister Ramy?" Della said not fully awake and robbing her eyes.
"Oh Del, your awake?" Ramy said in a bright and cheerful tone.
"Yes..." Dela replies in a low hoarse voice.
"If you are come down and let's eat," Ramy said.
"Yes... I will go down in a minute." Della replied.
Ramy headed back down the stairs and as soon as she saw Derek she immediately says, "Sir... Sir Roswald said that he will go to the guild in the afternoon."
"What?! Hayyss..." Derek yelled in surprise but didn't say anything further and exited the inn.
Della washes her face with water and headed down together with Roswald,
"Big sister Ramy," She said rushing towards Ramy smiling cheerfully.
"Oh, both of you are here... come sit down for breakfast." The innkeeper Balder said with a bright smile.
They sat down and eats their breakfast, bread paired with hot cream soup.
"Thank you for the meal," Roswald said when he finishes his plate of food.
"You finished quickly... are you heading out now?" innkeeper Balder said.
"Yes, I'll be heading out now." He said as he slowly stands up from the chair.
"Be careful on the way," Della said timidly with a smile.
"Hn," He nodded and exited the inn.
Roswalds spends his time in the smith shop until the afternoon comes, he headed right away to the village guild and meets the guild master.
"You arrive," Geld said standing in the hallway of the guild holding a thick paper in his arm.
"Hn, what's that in your hand?" He asks as he approaches.
"Some small matters that need to be taken care of... let's head up to my office," Geld said handing the thick paper to his assistant.
Derek was patiently waiting for them to arrive, he drinks coffee again and again until two hours they finally entered the office.
Roswald sat down on the couch while Geld stood up in front of them and goes straight to the topic.
He reaches out in his pocket and places the object on the table, "What is it?" Derek inquired curiously.
"It's a ring, one of my people handed it to me," Geld explained in a short paragraph.
"I see, so? what of it?" Derek asked arrogantly.
"I want you to appraise it," Geld stated straightforwardly.
"What? Isn't there someone here who can do that?" Derek exclaimed.
"Sadly there isn't anyone who can appraise this," Geld responded right away.
"Why are you eager to appraise this thing? Hey, Roswald did you send that paper bird to me just for this?" Derek said angrily.
"Hn," Roswald said and slightly nodded.
"It was a week ago, the villagers found a scattered body of a woman in the fountain and this object was found there," Geld explained.
"Sorry, I'll do something for you in return. Help him." Roswald said bowing his head.
"Hayyss, I'll do it, don't take back what you said," Derek stated with a big grin.
"Thank you," Roswald responded.
Derek remained focused and began appraising the ring, but he discovered nothing. He tried again and again, but nothing happened.
He became irritated but he calms down in a second and then tried another method of incantation.
Roswald and Geld didn't understand the words he uttered.
The ring emits light and the light disintegrated into shards of glass, forming a mirror with a black aura surrounding it.
At first, the mirror displayed a hazy image of someone, and then an image of a woman who died on the night of the new moon began to play.
His incantation continued, becoming longer and more strenuous.
The mirror image continued to play out a variety of scenes, as it progresses, an image of the shadow with a human-like figure is shown.
Derek's incantation was cut short, and the ring exploded, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.
His breathing becomes labored, and he coughs up blood, staining his clothes.
Roswald and Geld were taken aback by his condition,
"You alright?" Roswald inquired.
Derek replied, "I'm alright." while wiping the sweat off his body.
Geld, concerned, handed the potion to Derek and asked, "What happened there?"
Derek immediately accepted and drank the potion, then replied, "I got cut off by someone."
"I see, thank you for appraising the ring but it's ashes now... you should rest." Geld said out of concern.
"No big deal, you better give me the reward," Derek said and exited the office.
'Geld looked grim and he asked, "What do you think it was?"
Roswald paused for a moment before responding,
"I haven't a clue about it, it's kind of familiar but I don't know. I can't be sure of what it is."
"I see. Well, what to do now?"
They pondered for hours, and Roswald suggested, "What about strengthening the forces in the village for now and see what happens we should alert the villagers."
"You're right about that... then I'll do that, we need to talk to the village chef," Geld said with a stern expression.
"You go and tell him," Roswald said after a moment's delay.
"Me? Hayss, Fine," Geld answered and scratches his head.
"I'll head out now... If you need any assistance, just call me." Roswald said and headed out.
"Right," Geld said.
Roswald walks to the board quest and gets one and handed the paper to the receptionist, after confirming the quest he quickly exited from the village guild, making his way to the smithy to purchase some tools and materials.
He purchased two knives, traps, and farming tools, he then headed to the potion shop and purchases two healing potions, poison, and an unnamed old potion.
He then went to the farm outside the village, where he met the old farm owner, Rook, who had the temperament of a bull.
When he arrives, he noticed an elderly man standing nearby and approached him, asking,
"Are you Rook? The one who puts out the requests?"
"Hm? I am, are you the one who accepted it?" the old man responded, looking at him from head to toe.
"Yes, my name is Roswald," he said that as he extended his hand for a handshake.
"You seemed trustworthy, that's a relief, unlike the other hunters." Rook the farmer said brushing his little beard.
"Did the other hunter who took this mission play around?" he inquired, bewildered for a while.
As he remembered the incident, Rook was enraged and yelled, "That's right! They don't do things right! Those damn bastards!"
"What happened to them?" Roswald asked as he stared at Rook, who was blabbering constantly.
"Of course, I chase them off of my farm," Rook replies as he stifles his rage.
"Is it okay if I inquire about the farm's current state?" Roswald said, politely.
Taking a deep breath and gazing at his land, Rook remarks as he sighs, "My farm is shattered, and some of the cows have died, as you can see."
"Do you know when the rats normally appear?" Roswald inquired with a serious expression.
"Usually it's night, but they arrive at the early dawn today," Rook responds, surprised by Roswald's forthright query without mending his words.
"I'll do everything I can to get rid of them, are you going to stay inside the village?" Roswald said.
Rook the farmer was astounded for a moment and said, "I'll be counting on you then," smiling brightly.
To be continued...