Chaos Era, Year 1814.
"Hum hum hum~" Liyana hummed a cheerful tune, swaggering down the street.
Xia Lun and Aina walked behind her, one on each side, maintaining some distance between them—like her personal guardians.
Not long ago, they had successfully hunted down a powerful wyvern, earning them great fame and a hefty sum from the spoils.
Now that their pockets were full, it was only natural to indulge a little.
"No time."
"Handle it yourself."
"Don’t rely on me."
"Useless fools."
Aina’s expression was grim. Despite all this time, she still hadn’t managed to gauge the true strength of that so-called "hero."
She had to keep wasting her time here, while matters concerning the Blood Clan… well, she had no time for that now.
Not that Aina wanted to deal with it anyway.
If not for the fact that those family members still held some value to her, she would’ve cut ties with them long ago.
"Aina, what are you muttering about?" Liyana suddenly turned her head to ask.
"Nothing." Aina tugged at the brim of her hood, hiding her face beneath its shadow.
"She’s always so mysterious," Liyana grumbled before dropping the subject.
Aina had been part of their group for nearly half a year now.
Her strength had long since won Liyana’s admiration.
Almost as if to spite Xia Lun, Aina dispatched every monster with a single strike… even now, Liyana still had no idea what her limits were.
"Hey, Xia Lun, if you and Aina fought, who do you think would win?"
Liyana nudged Xia Lun’s arm with her elbow.
"Aina is our comrade. I would never fight her," Xia Lun replied.
"It’s just a hypothetical! If you two did fight, do you think you could take her?" Liyana pressed.
"That scenario doesn’t exist," Xia Lun shook his head. "Aina is our ally. Fighting her would only disrupt our team’s harmony—it’s meaningless."
"Ugh, you’re so stiff…" Liyana smacked Xia Lun’s shoulder in frustration.
Xia Lun lowered his brows slightly but didn’t explain further.
Sometimes, Liyana just lacked common sense.
Aina, however, seemed intrigued by their conversation.
"I’d also like to hear the answer to that question, Mr. Xia Lun," Aina said, surprisingly siding with Liyana for once. "Do you think I stand a chance against you?"
"You’re too modest, Miss Aina," Xia Lun replied.
"Oh? So my odds are high?" Aina pressed further.
"If it were a sparring match, I likely wouldn’t be your opponent." Though reluctant to answer, Xia Lun considered it carefully before responding honestly.
"And if it wasn’t a spar?" Aina’s eyes glinted with a hint of challenge. "What if I were the Demon King—your mortal enemy? What then?"
"If my opponent were the Demon King, I’d drag them down to hell with me."
Xia Lun’s gaze was deep and calm, as if stating an undeniable fact. Aina’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
"You sound awfully confident," Aina sneered, though her voice carried a trace of unease she hadn’t noticed herself. "You’re that certain you could take me down with you?"
Xia Lun shook his head. "That’s how I’d face the Demon King."
Aina frowned. "What do you mean?"
"If the Demon King were you… I don’t know how things would turn out."
Xia Lun’s expression twisted slightly, as if genuinely tormented by the thought. "I can’t say for sure whether I could truly raise my sword against you."
Beneath her hood, Aina’s face flickered with surprise before she lightly pressed her lips together. "…My apologies. I shouldn’t have asked such a question."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Liyana let out a loud whistle. "Damn, Xia Lun! Dropping bombshells like it’s nothing—what a smooth direct hit! Even our ice-cold mage lady is apologizing to you now…"
"Liyana…" Xia Lun sighed.
"I think I really need to learn from you, Xia Lun. I mean it." Liyana slung an arm over his shoulder. "Teach me your ways. If I had your level of smooth-talking, I could sweet-talk any naive girl into bed by noon…"
"I only speak the truth. Aina is our comrade—I shouldn’t deceive her."
"Oh? Starting the lesson already, Professor Xia Lun?" Liyana grinned. "Leading by example, huh? Not that it’s working yet… but trust me, if I were Aina, I’d be throwing myself at you by now."
A vein pulsed on Xia Lun’s forehead.
Liyana, sensing the mood had lightened enough, wisely decided to stop—especially since Aina’s dagger-like glare was boring into her back. Pushing further might be dangerous.
Never provoke the party’s mage. That was an ironclad rule Liyana had heard from many seasoned adventurers.
Otherwise, you’d never know when an ice spike—or something worse—might suddenly sprout from the ground and impale your backside.
The lively elf archer switched to business. "Xia Lun, didn’t you say before that our team might need a new member?"
Xia Lun nodded. "The traps in the labyrinth are troublesome. They’re not living creatures, so you can’t sense any killing intent… If possible, I’d like to recruit an experienced rogue for our team."
Liyana glanced at Aina.
"Whatever." Aina scoffed. "I can react instantly anyway."
Liyana blinked. Aina seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood.
"Well… a rogue, huh? With our reputation and skill level, we’re bound to attract some top-tier talent, right?" Liyana said confidently.
…
"Rejected."
"Sorry, you don’t meet our standards."
"You’re a good rogue, but we might not be the right fit."
…
"Tch—" A shifty-eyed, balding man with a scarred scalp spat on the ground before shoving his hands into his pockets and walking away.
Xia Lun rested his forehead on his interlaced fingers, elbows on the table, his expression stern.
"Why are all the rogues like this?!" Liyana wailed. "Where’s the cute, trap-savvy, agile, scantily-clad rogue girl of my dreams?"
"Your standards might be a little too high," Xia Lun said, rubbing his temples.
Still, after a whole afternoon of interviews, they hadn’t found a single suitable candidate.
Truly skilled rogues were in high demand—ironically, many of them dismissed Xia Lun’s team for being too young.
"So, you’re the ones recruiting a rogue?"
A low voice sounded from behind Xia Lun.
"How about me?"