After the Hunter's Association, Zane's first stop was the local hospital—the biggest, best one available in City X. Having Scarlet walk alongside him outside would attract a lot of unnecessary attention (Zane learned that the hard way), so he decided to first drop Scarlet off at his house—it was on the way regardless, and for whatever reason, she could not be simply left in his shadow like his other Servants. He figured that was a trait reserved only for resurrected Servants, not those he Marked.
Zane's prioritization was laying low—after all, he'd felt a pair of eyes on him from a while back, and wanted to avoid being tracked. [Soul Detect] was picking up on a presence, and although it was not openly hostile… he didn't like it. As such, dropping off Scarlet (and getting a change of clothes) was a necessity.
When he arrived before his apartment's door, however, he was met with a familiar note taped to its surface. Upon reading it, scribbled across in that messy, vile handwriting, Zane couldn't help but let out a sigh.
'Dear Mr. Zane Silverdale.
I have something I wish to speak to you about. Come meet me at my suite. You know where it is.
Sincerely,
Veronica Lannfield'
"… Veronica? What does she want with me…?"
Shaking his head, Zane removed the post-it note and crunched it up into a ball. Then, pulling his keys out of his worn-out wallet, he unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment. Immediately, the familiar smell of home hit his nose, and he bathed in it for a brief moment before crouching down and rubbing Scarlet's head.
"Alright, Scarlet. Stay in here for now. I'll be back soon—try not to break anything."
"Awr awr!" The Dragon yipped happily in reply, and Zane smiled before standing back up straight.
'Now then… time to go see what that woman wants.'
*****
It didn't take Zane long to reach where he wanted to go.
Via elevator, he ascended to the topmost floor of the condominium, which was owned by the landlord of the entire place—Veronica Lannfield. He wouldn't consider her a 'friend', necessarily, but due to just how long they'd known each other for, they could be said to be acquaintances. She knew Zane's situation very well, and he knew hers in the same way.
After ringing the doorbell, he heard the sound of shuffling footsteps coming from inside. Then, a few seconds later—probably checking the peephole—a blond woman inside opened the door. She was dressed in a luxurious maid outfit, professional and high-class. Do not be fooled by her cool beauty, however. Zane was fully aware of the amount of skill this woman possessed, from combat prowess to daily chores.
"Milady is waiting for you in her office. Follow me."
Turning around, she led Zane through the spacious halls of the manor. Since the entire top floor was Victoria's, she'd renovated it to become more like a house rather than separate apartment rooms. Zane had been here once or twice in the past for various minor issues, but despite that, he felt he could still get lost from just how large this place was.
Soon, the two arrived before the office, and the maid knocked on the door.
"Your guest is here, milady."
"Thank you, Ai. You can go."
The maid named Ai bowed and opened the door, inviting Zane inside politely despite the cold aura that she gave off. Inside the office sat a woman in a velvet chair, lined with gold. It was probably more accurate to describe it as a throne, but that hardly mattered—seats were only as important as the person sitting in them.
Despite being in her early thirties, she had flawless skin, and could only be described as 'quite mature' with a beauty that matched if not surpassed Ai's. Upon seeing Zane, however, she paused momentarily, stunned by how much his physical appearance had changed. However, she did not comment on it, knowing that would lead to a prying of information.
"Took you long enough to respond," she instead said with a wry smile. "Come in."
Saying that, she turned around and walked back towards her room, while Zane shut the door behind him and promptly followed.
"I've been… busy, these past few days," Zane replied on the way. Technically, it wasn't a lie.
"It's quite alright," Veronica said, sitting down in her chair and gesturing towards the seat across from her. "This isn't an urgent request—just something I figured I'd tell you about."
As Zane sat down, Veronica lit a cigarette and placed it into her mouth, inhaling deep before breathing out a plume of white smoke.
"It's simple, really. Lately, I've been thinking of establishing a Guild, and wanted to invite you to join."
At this, Zane frowned. "A Guild? What for?"
"Well—when you have too much money to spare, what's the best thing to do with it?" Veronica chuckled softly. "To invest it, of course. As you know, Hunting is a very profitable business. Porters are useful to have for every Dungeon Hunt, so what better person to ask than the best porter of them all?"
Zane thought about it for a moment. Veronica was incredibly rich—this was just one of the many condominiums she owned and rented out for fun. With her financial power, establishing and running a Hunter's guild would be no problem at all, and without a doubt, the pay offered would be far higher than most other guilds.
'Hm… if this had been before, I would accept without a second thought. But now that I can actually fight and clear Dungeons completely on my own… is there really a need for me to join a Guild? It would only limit my strength and freedom—and I doubt the salary they provide me would be more than the total of an entire Dungeon's worth of treasure and Monster Cores, which I can have all to myself if I continue as a Solo Hunter.'
Sensing Zane's hesitation, Veronica smiled and continued.
"You will be paid well, you know. Way more than enough to pay your sister's treatment fees, and live a comfortable life. Even if you used to be a porter, I see that role as quite important."
'Quite convincing… but I'm already finished with being a porter—that arc of my life has passed.'
"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to say no," Zane replied. "I will continue working on my own—I'm used to it that way. Joining a guild all of a sudden would be too large of a change for me."
At this, Veronica blinked in surprise, and moved the cigarette from her mouth. "Oh… interesting. I can tell that you've grown quite a bit stronger since we last spoke in person, but are you sure that will be enough?"
Zane nodded. "There's no need to worry about me. I'll be fine."
"Fufu… I see." Veronica smiled warmly, and placed the cigarette back between her lips. "You've changed a lot, huh, Mr. Silverdale?"
To this, Zane said nothing. After all, the evidence spoke for itself.
"Don't be so quick to refuse, though," she continued wryly. "I haven't finished speaking yet. The guild I want to form currently has no members. In other words, if you accept, you will be the first—and also the guild master. If it is freedom you are looking for, being part of my guild will not hinder that."
"No members? There are plenty of talented Hunters out there you can hire. With your financial power, even S-rank Hunters are not out of the question."
"Fufu, if I was just looking for the highest-ranking Hunters, I wouldn't be here, looking for you, would I?"
That was a fair point. Zane didn't see why she was asking him in the first place.
"I'm looking for hidden gems," Veronica explained, elegantly taking a sip of her red wine. "People who have potential, but aren't able to make use of it due to the environment around them. Your freedom won't be restricted, and you can choose to come in whenever you want. How does that sound?"
'So… she's already noticed my change, and that's why she was inviting me here, huh?' Zane thought in his head. 'No wonder that note on my door seemed to be placed there fairly recently… unfortunately, I'm not so gullible as to believe what a woman this shrewd tells me. She says that my freedom won't be restricted, but after we actually enter a contract, there's no telling what would happen. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.'
Sensing Zane's persistent refusal, Victoria sighed.
"Well, I won't force you. If you ever change your mind, though, just give me a call."
"Got it."
With that, she waved goodbye, and Zane took it upon himself to leave the room. While Veronica's offer was tempting, he didn't think the extra money was worth the restrictions that would be put on his freedom.
Like she said—Zane had changed. He was done being the porter whose sole purpose in Hunts was to carry items. He was done being the weakling who could only stand there and watch as his party members slaughtered each other out of insanity.
And so, as good as the offer sounded, Zane could not accept—especially when he believed his abilities were enough to make decent money now, even on his own. There was no need for him to join a guild or work with others any longer. He had his Servants, and a powerful Dragon Familiar named Scarlet.
For the time being, at least—they were enough.