After his conversation with Nicholas and collecting everything he needed, Victor returned to his office. Upon entering, he noticed two men sitting comfortably, sipping coffee in the chairs he'd placed in front of his desk. Victor raised an eyebrow, unsure who they were, but he didn't ask. Instead, he silently closed the door behind him.
As Victor started preparing his own coffee, the room filled with an awkward silence. The two men exchanged glances, clearly puzzled by Victor's lack of acknowledgment. Just as one of them was about to speak, Victor broke the silence, stirring his coffee as he made his way to his chair.
"May I see your Supreme Cards?" he asked, his expression serious.
Without hesitation, the two men placed their identity cards on Victor's desk. He examined them one at a time.
'Both S-rank. Not bad.' Victor sighed inwardly. ' Their previous leader must've been strong. I wonder how they'll feel about having a B-rank like me as their new captain.'
Victor's furrowed brow didn't go unnoticed. The men grew curious about his thoughts on their ranks and kill counts.
"Uh… Sir?" one of them finally said, a man with black, slightly long hair.
"Victor Noir," he replied calmly. "But you can just call me Victor or Noir. No need for formalities."
The man nodded. "I'm Marcus Thorne, but everyone calls me Mark."
The second man, also with dark hair but shorter, introduced himself next. "And I'm Tobias Quinn. You can call me Toby."
"It's nice to meet both of you," Victor said, leaning back in his chair. "To be honest, there's nothing wrong with your records. In fact, they're much better than mine. Forgive my demeanor—it's just how I am. Starting today, I'll be replacing your previous leader, Tomas, right? I hope I can lead you as well as he did."
Toby squinted as if trying to remember something. "If I'm not mistaken, I saw you on the news yesterday."
Mark's face lit up. "Oh! That was you!"
"There's nothing to celebrate about what I did," Victor replied, pulling a cigarette from his coat. "Mind if I smoke?"
Both men nodded, respecting Victor's position even though their ranks were higher.
Mark crossed his arms, a smirk on his face. "But it's not every day someone uses a forbidden spell."
Toby turned to Mark, eyebrows raised. "Forbidden spell?"
"Word around headquarters is that Mr. Noir used one to save countless civilians in District 1," Mark said proudly. "A risky move, but it wiped out the Riftborn quickly."
Toby's expression shifted to one of amazement. Everyone in the SSDC knew the dangers of forbidden spells—not just to enemies, but to the caster themselves. That's why the spell is called Forbidden spell, because no one is allowed to use it.
Victor exhaled a plume of smoke, his voice calm. "It's nothing worth praising. Compared to your records, what I did is insignificant. Besides, I'm not even allowed to use it. I just use it because my mind went blank. "
Still, Toby couldn't hide his amazement. Forbidden spells, while immensely powerful, came with a steep cost. Victor's use of the Time Clock spell had clearly left an impression on both men.
*
The three spent hours in conversation, diving into various topics. Victor had many questions about the book Nicholas had given him. How strong were the Riftborn? How did ranks increase? He learned that a detective's rank depended largely on the rank of the Riftborn they managed to defeat.
The strength of the Riftborn varied greatly. Even if a swarm of E-rank Riftborn attacked a single B-rank Riftborn, the latter would still have the upper hand. This disparity highlighted why ranks were assigned based on the strength of the Riftborn one could take down alone.
Some detectives could eliminate countless E-rank Riftborn, but against a single B-rank, their chances of survival would drop. To earn a promotion, a detective had to defeat a Riftborn of the next rank entirely on their own.
Victor also discovered that every member of the SSDC, whether part of a squad or not, was referred to as a "Detective." While the Archkam branch had only ten official squads, there were still many members with various roles. Those not assigned to squads often held specialized positions.
For instance, medics played a crucial role, rescuing injured members and civilians during Riftborn attacks—just like the ambulance Camila had summoned for Victor and the victims of the recent assault.
Meanwhile, trackers operated within the SSDC headquarters, monitoring the Dimensional Rift, the massive tear in the sky visible not just in Archkam City but across other parts of the world. This Rift was enormous and had to be closely watched to prevent the sudden emergence of countless Riftborn.
'Hmm… working here is more interesting than I thought,' Victor mused, satisfied with what he'd learned. He turned to the two and said, "Thanks for helping me understand all this."
"No problem. If you have more questions, just ask," Toby replied cheerfully.
Victor gave a small smile and glanced at the clock. "Didn't realize it's already noon. Want to grab some lunch?"
Despite knowing he didn't have the budget to treat them, Victor offered anyway. Fortunately, Mark spoke up, easing his worries.
"There's free food in the cafeteria. Let's go eat together."
'Oh, right. I forgot the meals here are free. That's a relief,' Victor thought, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
*
The three shared a meal at the cafeteria, and after finishing, they returned to Victor's office. Mark and Toby, however, lingered, their eyes scanning the spacious but empty office.
"This place needs a proper sofa," Mark suggested, eyeing the vacant corner.
"Yeah, maybe a bookshelf too," Toby added, already imagining how to brighten up the place.
Without mentioning their plan, the two excused themselves. Victor, still engrossed in the book Nicholas had given him, simply nodded. Hours later, the pair returned, carrying a large sofa. Both were drenched in sweat, struggling with the bulky furniture.
Victor glanced up from his black-covered book, a cigarette lazily placed on his lips. His expression was a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "Where did you even get that?"
Panting, Toby set the sofa down and replied, "We bought it. This office needed a bit of personality."
Victor raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Instead, he returned to his book, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to protest.
Their work wasn't done yet. Soon, the two were hauling in boxes, a cabinet, and stacks of books. They carefully unpacked the boxes, arranging the books neatly on the new shelves. To top it off, they brought in a large potted plant and placed it near the sofa.
Victor pinched the bridge of his nose, watching the scene unfold. The once spacious office was now filled to the brim. Inwardly, he grumbled about how cramped it felt but chose to stay silent, letting them do as they pleased.
When the setup was finally complete, Mark and Toby collapsed onto the sofa, each grabbing a book to read. Victor shook his head, exhaling a cloud of smoke as the evening settled in.
*
Night had fallen, and it was time to leave. The two had fallen asleep while reading for hours, and Victor found himself glancing at them with a mix of amusement and disbelief. Shaking his head, he stood and nudged them awake.
"Hey, wake up. You're not planning to sleep here, are you?" he said, raising an eyebrow, the cigarette still dangling from his lips.
The two stirred groggily, slowly sitting up before sluggishly making their way to the door. They paused, waiting for Victor to lock up his office.
Victor frowned, eyeing them curiously. "What are you waiting for?"
"Nothing. We're just waiting for you so we can all leave the headquarters together," Toby replied with a small grin.
Victor shrugged. "Alright, let's go," he said, hands casually stuffed in his pockets as he walked past them.
The three stepped out of the building together, the crisp night air wrapping around them. As they reached the main gate, the two suddenly stopped and turned to face Victor, standing at attention.
Victor blinked, confused by their behavior. "What's this all about?"
With a synchronized shout, they declared, "It's an honor to have you as our leader, Sir!"
Victor froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. After an awkward pause, he offered them a faint smile. Without a word, he turned and waved over his shoulder as he walked away.
The two watched him go, standing in silence as his figure disappeared into the distance.