Wandering along the old cobblestone pathways, we were bathed in the bright late-morning sunlight. The honeyed gleam warmed the walls of the houses, as if dyeing them beige with the touch of time's rapid erosion.

A cold breeze flowed near the ground where the trees' shadows reigned, resonating with the clarity of the birds' chirping that soothed our ears.

The clicking of our heels was soon drowned out by the bustling chatter of the markets we passed through.

We walked west through Wolhabend Square and the markets, noisily surrounded by the hawking of merchants, arguments over prices between buyers and sellers, frequent greetings, watchmen's small bows, and colleagues dotted along slightly tortuous pathways and alleys.

In the centre of the square stood the well-known White Fountain, about which people whispered that it had been "brought back from the lake of Heaven." The fountain was constructed with intricately carved statues, oddly devoid of human figures, depicting unusual and fascinating plants and flowers, as though the Goddess had given them to us from her holy gardens, gradually fading from view.

Soon, the tiled roofs of narrow homes emerged atop the winding lanes that led to dining and relaxation spots for both locals and visitors from foreign lands.

Akif and Carstina followed closely behind my back as I moderately led the way.

Occasionally, small carriages rolled past us, pulled by clopping horses.

"So", I began, turning my head back to them and forward again, "how long are you two gonna stay here?" I asked. "Exchange student internships are not uncommon, but the funding is not always enough, you know?"

"I know..." Carstina sighed. "My course is about two years, but I think I might only last here no more than five months." She answered. "After the course, I will return to my family in Devlikan."

Akif was quiet for a moment after hearing her last sentence, eyes avoiding our gaze before he responded. "I have a five-year course, but I have permission to end it whenever I want." He adjusted the strap of his bag. "My family is fully responsible for my finances, their goal in supporting me through this course was for me to gain more experiences along the journey, and that's it." He shrugged.

"Experiences and knowledge are undeniably essential for people with highly influential families," I remarked, turning my head to the right and catching Carstina's eyes lingering on a doughnut stall on the road, "taking this course was not a bad decision at all." I continued, while opening my wallet to pay for her.

Carstina was determined to refuse my offer, as I framed it as "nobility from superiors to subordinates on their first day of work" since she was not very fond of owing others' money. However, when Akif agreed with me, she finally accepted my generosity.

As she held my wallet, waiting for her doughnuts, Akif questioned me.

"Have you ever taken an exchange abroad before working in the Order?"

"I didn't have that kind of privilege." I said.

"Oh... I-" the martial artist stuttered.

"Please don't feel sorry for me because of it," I interrupted before he could apologise and sighed, "getting abroad internships are not the only ways to learn new things." I lowered my eyes. "Besides, joining military units taught me plenty of valuable lessons with politics."

"... If you say so." He looked at me with concern after a pause.

Aside from the friends that I had made along the way, I didn't have any relatives or even a family.

The needs of involving other people in my life were not that necessary for me, when I found that handling things on my own saved me more time with myself. Although this might turn out to be more of a bad habit than a good one, I was aware of it.

Having no relatives or family members meant having no other financial support to fund internships abroad, so I ended up interning in my own kingdom instead and became a Magician Knight in the lowest unit of The Order.

After all, earning a job with a stable income was the best choice for someone like me.

In a moment, I unconsciously recalled the long-buried memories when the word "family" echoed in my head. My ears seemed as if as deaf but resounding of white noises and misty murmurs coming from the distant surroundings.

I remembered those days, before I was reborn again with this vaguely new body in Alteravita - days when my mother told me how disappointed she was in me.

I jolted when a figure flashed from out of nowhere right in front of my eyes.

Damn it, this isn't the time for you to zone out! I clicked my tongue in frustration.

That strange person attempted to snatch the wallet from Carstina's hands but later had to put extra effort against her stubborn grip.

Before I could react, one of our six-foot-tall psychic Khadunese Magician's long legs appeared right at my eye level in a millisecond.

A grunt rang out, followed by a loud, brutal thud.

His kick landed right on the thief's forehead like a terrorfying lightning strike, blowing away the pitiful soul of the insulter of his pride for daring to assault his people right in front of his eyes.

In seconds of thought, I wished that I could have that kind of kick to myself.

He knocked out the poor man in our flabbergasted faces.

However, the two of us weren't the only ones dumbfounded, the thief's accomplice, who was standing opposite us, was also stunned.

Akif conveniently jumped forward, grabbed that guy's collar, and threw a punch squarely on his face, making him fall with a panicked scream. The man instantly dropped to the ground, whimpering and crawling, trying desperately to get up, but Akif's knee pressed heavily against him.

"Aishhh, you dumbass shithead fucking footpad!" He swore.

Before I could collect myself and consider my intentions to call the guards, Carstina unexpectedly walked toward him with an emotionless face.

She handed her Spellring wand to Akif.

"Muggers don't have the right to steal our hard-earned wages," she said darkly, her gaze stabbing through the thief with her death penalty, "and you dare to steal my captain's money."

"Hey, hey... 'you sure about this?" Akif looked at her with concern.

"Good staff doesn't break."

I choked on my spit.

Carstina eloquently declared, then shoved the wand into his hand.

"... Okay." The young magician was taken back but accepted her unspoken offer.

My two sidekick gangsters, one from the dune, one from the seaport, were spitting out their words of abomination both in international language and in their mother tongues as they finished their business.

I admitted watching them was a guilty pleasure of mine, so all the time when the incident happened was just me quietly standing there, staring at the fuss we made with my blinking eyes, waiting for my sidekicks to end.

They were surprisingly belligerent, though I hadn't expected Carstina to cooperate with Akif so well.

Akif gave the man another hit on the head with the wand as if he were using a baseball bat, while Carstina finished after stomping on his manhood once, cursing mostly about how hard it was to work multiple jobs yet never having enough to take care of her family.

I could relate to her, honestly.

As I expected, none of the passersby paid any attention to our fight on the road, only minding their own business.

Only after Akif managed to find a rope and tie up the other guy did I intervene, stopping the two of them for the sake of proper procedure, of course, and calling the guards.

We waited for them carrying the two thieves to the booby hatch before we resumed our journey.

I tried to break the tense, awkward silence since both of my subordinates, flustered and embarrassed, accidentally let their intrusive thoughts slip out for too long in front of their captain.

Although I really didn't mind about it, actually.

"You guys, don't forget your doughnut!" The seller suddenly called, catching our attention.

"We don't." I said, walking toward him first, and handed the food to Carstina.

"Thank you," she replied in awkwardness, receiving the doughnut, "a-and uh... uh- here's yours. Thank you so much, captain." Carstina gave me back my wallet in exchange.

I smiled.

"Don't worry, it's-"

"We are so sorry for our troubles!" Carstina suddenly tugged hard on Akif's sleeve, pushing his shoulders down to make him bow with her.

"I-I'm... sorry for- for our bad attitude." Akif's ears were ripened red when he tried to mumble his apology out, eyes completely hidden from my sight.

I looked at them without any responses, my face had surely spoken out my annoyance.

So I just shoved their heads down, ruffled their hair until it got badly messy.

"Argh?!!" They jerked.

"You guys are silly, and dumb, really," I said while still stroking their heads, "no need to apologise. I need people who aren't hesitant to smack the hell out of others when needed, this world ain't mercy with anyone after all."

I spared them.

"However, the two of you are only free to do that when you are with me. I don't take responsibility when the both of you get suspended by the others though." I smirked.

Akif and Carstina looked at each other puzzled before turning to me and nodding.

"Very well, time to go now, shall we?" I headed back to the road.

The familiar smell of the dirt and gravel from the road wafted pleasantly through my nostrils.

***

We finally arrived at the Thornfort Mansion.

Situated close to the noble quarter, the palace was a magnificent fortified home with a blend of Renaissance and mediaeval architecture. A lengthy driveway surrounded by old oaks leads to a large iron gate emblazoned with the family crest. The facade is decorated with stone walls, elaborate carvings, and high arched windows.

Behind the gate, a servant greeted us and ushered us inside.

Viewed from the crossing of the verdant garden are marble fountains, thoroughbred horse stables, and topiaries carved into money, lions, and other emblems of affluence.

We entered into a large foyer adorned with a magnificent chandelier and marble flooring.

The home's central hall, the great hall, featured long oak tables, expensive tapestries, and family photos hanging on the walls. It also had a big stone fireplace. Furthermore, the master had been waiting for us to enter for a while.

Kaius Thornfort was in his late forties or early fifties, with his grey hair neatly styled and his well-kept beard. His eyes were piercing and perceptive, reflecting a lifetime of well-considered choices, yet they also showed tenderness glimmering under their fine wrinkles. Kaius wore a lavishly embroidered doublet, silk hose, and polished leather shoes. A fur-lined cloak was thrown over his large shoulders. Gold bands adorned his fingers; one was a signet ring, symbolising his ancestry.

His presence spoke of wealth, power, and a subtle warmth.

We reciprocated each other with friendly greetings, and the master continued leading us to the guest room.

The master hosted us for tea in an elegant sitting room adjacent to the great hall. The cosy space features plush, velvet armchairs around a low, intricately carved table, and the soft light from candelabras reflects off wood-panelled walls adorned with delicate tapestries.

Soon later, we were served with fine porcelain tea sets and silver trays of pastries.

"Long time no see, miss Evayesha." He smiled with amusement.

"I'm really sorry for my busy schedule." I sipped. "But I can't help but always be there when my people need me." I chuckled in politeness.

"I know you always do. You did help me once during the crisis of our business." Kaius raised his volume and laughed.

"It was truly nothing compared to the times you helped me when I got involved with troubles having my salary cut, sir." I added with swift bitterness.

"Would you mind cutting the quick-"

"Oh no, not at all, that would be better! We came here for your request after all." I waved my hand, showing my agreement.

Kaius Thornfort then told us again about the odd incidents that happened to the cattle pens next to the hotels he ran. He wanted us to fix the problem so there would be no hindrance to his business anymore.

We thought this was finished, yet Thornfort started calling the servants in the room to go out so he could have privacy with us.

I was quite surprised that both Carstina and Akif also had to join them too, but I didn't hold any grudge against him.

The door closed, leaving only the two of us.

"This might be asking for too much," he sighed, "but my daughter hasn't visited me as scheduled three days ago."

"...You suspect that she is missing?" I widen my eyes.

"It's just a possibility. But I really can't let this news goin' out there." He grimaced. "Forgive me my personal reasons, my friend."

"...You want me to find your daughter back without letting anyone know..." I clarified.

"Yes," he said, "please consider it as a request based on our friendship. I only trust people like you to ask for help."

I resigned myself for seconds before turning to him. "...I'll see what I can do about it," I replied, "I'm not hoping for the best-case scenario, but I promised I will try my best." I said with determination.

"Thank you so much!" He grabbed my hands in an attitude. "Just seek my help whenever you want after this is finished, and I am grateful to return my favour."

"I have no other interests but your discounted beer, sir." I joked.

Kaius let out a loud laugh.

After that, the doors were opened again, and we went out.

Kaius caught Carstina busy admiring the delicate white flowers arranged in an elaborate vase in a corner of the hallway.

"These are such pretty flowers!" She exclaimed. "Why do I feel it's getting cold on my fingers when my hand gets close to them?" Carstina asked, but Akif pulled her hand back, whispering.

Under the sunlight, those flowers seemed to glow, shimmering.

"Oh! Those are Eldenweisses." He said proudly. "These came from my hometown, actually. I even hired an elf Magician to cast a spell to keep it living longer." He smiled. "After all, these came from very cold places."

"Oh..." Carstina was full of admiration.

Kaius Thornfort soon then sent a servant to show us the way out and bid us farewell.

All the way to the outside, I was silent and did not say a single word. Both Carstina and Akif looked at me full of concerns and attempted to say something, but ended up holding their curiosity in.

My head was busy with thoughts, calculating options after options.

After the servant closed the gate, only I turned to them and spoke first.

"Investigation needs more than one person to bear the job," I knitted my eyebrows, "but this also involved other businesses that it should rather be kept to myself."

I continued.

"Both of you are free to quit this case and wait for my next order. However, if one of you wants to join, I need you to volunteer and swear with all your heart that you will be absolutely loyal and obey my every command." I explained tensely.

Akif and Carstina were speechless and confused for a while.

I waited for them to exchange their words in murmurs to each other before they ended up immediately responding.

"I swear to my heart that I will be absolutely loyal and obey your every command." They repeated my words with hints of nervousness.

"Very well," I let my shoulders down, "then I will disclose the request that I had received from Kaius Thornfort."

I told them everything.

I admitted I had a hard time deciding whether to drag these two into this or not. It was unfortunate that I had not found anyone trustworthy to assign this task. Thus, involving too many people to just solve "an insignificant problem of the peasants" might cause unwanted attention from my colleagues. I couldn't just sneakily search for Kaius's daughter on my own while keeping it secret from my subordinates, it would be too bothersome and time-consuming.

"But what does this have to do with important issues?" Akif questioned, Carstina eyed me.

I was hesitant before answering his question.

I didn't tell Thornfort this before when he requested me. I was afraid that this might adversely affect my judging ability.

"Because Kaius Thornfort's daughter... is Miss Iowyn Thornfort." I replied.

***

We soon showed up at Master Thornfort's hotels one by one and let the servers lead us to see the scenes of the incidents.

"So... 'Miss Iowyn was having an affair with the Grimton man?" Akif threw his glance to me when we had already witnessed five times of a cattle killed in five different places.

"Undoubtedly." I said while examining the savage bite marks on the animals' necks.

"Involving in a demon case like this is gonna cause us way more troubles." He winced while Carstina lost in her thoughts. "I feel like things might not be as simple as they look..."

I stood up from the cattle's corpses and began to reason with myself, piecing together the pieces.

"Starting from the beginning, we got Ms. Grimton and Mr. Grimton were officially married. However, Eagor engaged in an affair with Miss Iowyn Thornfort, but Miss Roza ended up finding out about the infidelity. She made a contract with a demon, whom we are supposed to find later, and cursed his mistress."

"...Her daughter's death might be the price she had to pay for her revenge." Akif blurted out his theory.

"If that was actually how it happened, then that's too tragic..." Carstina was quietly devastated.

I paused a bit before I continued.

"Mostly that was how things turned out last month when our unit had to deal with the demons, so yes," I said, "we have to always prepare for the worst scenarios."

We departed from the barn when its haystacks and messy trash littered with the rotting smell of dead animals.

In the middle of the yard and in front of the hotel's back entrance were we standing, covered with the shadows cast by the tall buildings filled with coolness, blocking out the midday heat.

It was probably past noon by then.

The rookies were busy, chuckling and murmuring to each other, probably about their family or such, when I requested their permission to spend some time alone thinking.

Cartina reached out to touch Akif's little right braid once he gave her consent to touch it. His cheeks flushed slightly while her eyes brightened with delightful curiosity.

Too busy with the investigation, I recognized only then I noticed their appearances.

Carstina could be underestimated with her optimism and her petite feminine figure. She was shorter than me, though. However, her tanned skin reflected a long harborage life, especially with those strong, flexible legs. I had no idea what it was like behind her long, burgundy cloak and her greyish-lagoon coat sleeves that covered her whole upper body, but I knew that she became a Magician Knight for a reason.

Akif, on the other hand, was taller than me, and appeared to be exactly six feet tall. With his usual expression, his looks could scare people out with uneasiness, yet he seemed willing to change his attitude when someone showed affection to him, like Carstina. Hidden behind the gold bracelets, his solid forearms were covered with a mass of scars that were completely out of character compared to his elegant attire, neatly styled hair, or his good looking face. There was also a yellow opal ring on his index finger, it might turn out to be his Spellring.

I called him out.

"Hey, you!" I shouted, "Ebrahem!"

"What?!" He answered.

"You said you are a psychic Magician," I stated, "Why didn't you step up to help me open their head when I was busy with the Grimtons before?!"

"Oh that?" He furrowed and sighed when I walked close. "In Yhtamiean, I made a sacred vow to my people not to use my psychic ability in any circumstances, but only to participate in the Court of Causation proceeding. In my society, it is not forbidden to use it for iniquity." Akif stated seriously, lowering his voice.

"And you actually believe in that?" I queried.

"Noooo!" Akif yelled, completely breaking out his previous character. "Of course not! Who do you think I am? A monk?" He stared at me, widened eyes under raised eyebrows, as if it were a joke.

Akif raised both of his hands, slightly shaking his shiny bracelets on his wrists. "I couldn't use it because of these. Making a sacred vow means putting magic restraint bracelets on, because psychics are dangerous to others and they are aware of it." He put his hands away. "After all, we psychics would have full permission to use our ability only after completing the working internship."

"So..." I wondered. "Besides psychic ability, do you have any talent that is actually helpful?" I squinted my eyes.

"I'm just like her." He pointed his thumb backwards to Carstina. "Also an elemental Magician."

"Oh well, then I don't have to worry about carrying another burden." I shrugged.

"Wait-! What did you say to me?!?" Akif was startled, furious.

"Heh." I accidentally burst out a chuckle and smiled.

Before he tried to yell something with his blushing face, I jumped right back in our business.

"So please, by proving your usefulness, can sir Ebrahem here analyse these scenes and show us which kind of creatures caused these such scenes?" I reached out my hand to the surroundings.

Akif rubbed his chin for a moment before folding his arms. "On the ground, if drained of blood, could be a Lamia, strigoi or moroi... but this..." He grimaced. "These animals died while their blood didn't get sucked all out, like a freaking mess- if this is actually what I'm thinking... That monster whose name starts with the letter C was only born from dark magic curses." He turned to me full of concern.

"A Chupacabra." Carstina replied.

"Correct," I remarked, "and the most disturbing thing about this case was that while all kinds of other Damned creatures that you had listed before are cursed products that mutated by the harsh nature, Chupacabras, on the other hand..." I paused, "are only born when someone puts wicked curses on them."

"...the kind of curses only comes from Dark Magicians and..." Akif hesitated to say the last word.

"Demons." Carstina finished his sentence.

We accidentally synchronised our silent halt.

"Is it just me, or are our cases too coincident to have the same problem?" Akif squatted down and rubbed his face with both hands in frustration.

"Get used to it, kiddo." I patted his shoulders.

"I'm trying." He grumbled through his fingers.

Carstina suddenly turned around her back more than usual. "...Have you guys ever noticed that the women over there had stared at us quite a long time ago?..." She then snapped instantly back to us in nervousness and confusion.

"What?..."

Both Akif and I glanced in her direction.

The woman, who turned out to be a maid, accidentally caught our gaze and immediately rushed out in panic.

We ran and chased right at her without delay.

The maid quickly rushed, appearing and disappearing from behind the walls of the hotel's rooms, throughout the hidden alleys and winding roads.

Our rapid steps tried to reach out to hers.

We almost caught up with the maid when she turned onto a major road.

Suddenly, a dark shadow bolted up out of nowhere from the roof and aimed its lance, landing right at her.

"Ascensus!"

Cartsina chanted.

She plunged her gleaming Spellring wand deep into the earth, and with a thunderous crack, a massive surge of rock and soil erupted beneath her feet. The earthen mound surged forward to an unyielding path, forthwithly stretching into the distance. A jagged wall of earthstone shot upward, spearing the air between the woman and the assassin, forming a towering, craggy shield that completely engulfed the maid in its shadow.

Eight metres in two seconds?! I was shocked.

The shield was successfully wielded when the murderer's lance got blocked, however the figure didn't give up when it tried to break the shield with another robust blow, close enough to almost break the shield down.

Before I tried to summon the Obsaepio shield, a glowing opalescent light of golden yellow blending with iridescent green, flashed right through my eyes.

"Clang!" A metallic colliding sound rang out.

The masked assassin directly blew the shimmering sickle that just got struck into her like a bullet off aside to defend, but by mistake, she lost her prey running away.

Yet the sickle just kept continuing, spinning around and flew right back to its owner's hands, to Akif hands, who restlessly dashing forward.

Eight hurried footsteps echoed loudly in the air.

Akif pulled out his other handlebar from the holder under his waist, which brightly materialised its blade into a second sickle, and swung a second blow up to his enemy's face.

Continuous strings of weapons' clashing sounds rang out.

Akif swivelled around, his two sickles wheeling around himself in a constant blur, blocking the assassin's relentless slashes one after another. The bravo fought fiercely, rotating her lance with insidious movements, shoving numerous shots in his direction, but got missed from his matching dodges.

She lunged forward, her lance poised for another strike, but Akif twisted away just in time.

She sliced down.

Akif stepped aside, avoiding the lance, thrust the right sickle forward the assassin and arched to a half-mooned incandescent arc behind his back, left hand forthrightly fended off her next attack, muscles tightened, and he immediately turned counterclockwise, slashed his right sickle horizontally upwards.

Carstina upheaved her wand, intended to assist her partner, but I raised my hand out to stop her.

"Don't waste your mana here." I warned them.

"But-" She stuttered.

When they broke apart with just enough distance, one of the assassin's onslaughts almost plugged straight down to his right foot, yet Akif was one step faster, instinctively slid his legs backwards and twisted his waist, using the momentum to fling both of his sickles toward her.

That lance...

That lance was familiar.

I definitely had seen this woman before, and I trusted my own gusts.

Anyone who was memorable enough to have my vigilance is either intimidating, or extremely dangerous.

And both Carstina and Akif barely had any experiences with these kinds of people. They had just graduated from their academies not long ago.

When the assassin rammed the lance straight down into a pillar and gained her momentum, swinging sideways and stabbed her kick straight ahead at him, yet got barricaded in time by his crossed sickles and did a backflip, I my sword when Akif braked his heel to stop himself from sliding backwards.

"Incanto fractus!" I chanted.

A magic circle disk was drawn in front of my five left fingertips, reaching out towards Akif as the three thick, solidified Obsaepio translucent shields expanded before him, blocking the assassin's two deadly space-tearing blows that bend the ambient light, one after another and shattering as fragments, glittering in the air.

Akif was horrified.

He should, because it was an advanced physical damage spell that was well-knowingly used by killers - "Spatium Incisor" - allowing users to easily dismember their victims in pieces.

How did I feel so calm knowing that? I became the captain of my own unit while successfully executing most of the demons last month for a reason.

The assassin was quite stunned in front of my shielding performance.

And I might have regretted opening that card to her.

"Retrorsus!"

I unleashed beams of white lights, blasting towards the assassin, distracting her.

"Protect our suspect! I will deal with her from here!" I shouted.

The assassin's Obsaepio white, limpid shields transpired out of thin air, busying neutralising my attacks, vibrating as though droplets of water were hitting the surface.

In double quick time, Akif rushed out to grab Carstina's hand and pulled her away.

"But our captain only has herself alone-!" She panicky yanked back.

"We made an oath!" Akif called out, aware of his enemy's strength after frustratedly testifying it himself.

"It's an order! Go!" I urged them to get out of the scene.

A towering fire wall soaring up from the ground behind the assassin's back, immediately curtaining parted to let them both run through.

When the female fighter swung her lance, whirling the wind around fiercely as hurricanes to clear the flaming wall, and accidently blew the hood off her head, revealing her dark blue curly hair, both of my subordinates had already disappeared from our sights.

She looked annoyed when thrusting her lance into the ground.

I was still prepared in my fighting position, my hand tightened the sword's handle.

After a halt, she pulled out her lance and suddenly casted a long, terrifying slash of fire with her lance towards me, sweeping the whole road like the long wingspan of a flying firebird, overwhelming my eyes.

Yet I immediately drew the sword and solemnly threw back with a similar blow, but vertical, half-mooned, glowing white, blocking her slash. My left hand held the sword sheath firmly at the side, and my back straightened at the end.

The flames disbelievingly collapsed from the collision at its point of contact, broke its string, and dissipated into nothingness but the remaining heat.

The assassin seemed to be stoned up for seconds when my defence didn't execute as elemental counterspells as she expected.

I could see why. After all, I had chosen the path that Magicians rarely accomplished.

"The ultimate essence of magic is casting spells and breaking the spells." I recalled the memory of the first page when I was reading the book The Case Studies of Magic of the legendary hero - Dalkieth for the first time.

I pointed my sword, glimmering with its magenta light, the same colour that softly lightened from the corner of my vision that came from my Spellring on my right ear, towards her direction.

She raised her lance and broke it into segmented parts, connecting together by new, luminescent sapphire chains.