CH 13

“Where is the location? Should I go to ONCE?”

Cassian went straight ahead with a cold, hardened face. And he said to Elsez.

“You are here. I will figure it out.”

“Let’s go together…. They told me to come with you.”

As Elsez grabbed Cassian’s arm and followed him, Cassian didn’t stop her even though he looked displeased.

It was because there was already a determination that could not be broken in Elsez’s eyes.

The two headed to Guild Once together.

The Bountiful street was full of people and lively, but just two more blocks to the back, a completely different world unfolded.

Few people came and went in the alley behind Bountiful Street.

In addition, it was in a location where the sun did not shine well, so there was an eerie atmosphere even in the daytime.

Cassian, who was watching Elsez walking faster than him, who was much taller, called her from behind.

“Rookie.”

At that moment, Elsez’s pace slowed to match his stride.

“I haven’t joined the guild yet.”

At Elsez’s answer, Cassian frowned slightly, then continued.

“Anyway, stand by for a moment.”

Elsez stopped walking and looked at him with puzzled eyes.

Cassian said seriously, looking straight into the amber eyes that looked at her.

“It’s not your fault this time.”

After what happened yesterday, the Master of Once came to Elsez. Holding the eternal guild members hostage.

Anyone but an idiot would notice that this was yesterday’s revenge.

Realizing that, her heart could not be at ease. It is that anxiety that hastened the steps like that.

He rebuked her for not being able to stand the injustice, but he hoped that the guilt would not weigh on her heart for doing the right thing.

“They are cowards.”

Elsez stared at Cassian like that, noticed his intention to bring up that, and smiled.

No matter how much he pretended not to be, he was always a friendly person.

Enough to understand the feelings of even one new guild member.

“I know. But anyway, it seems like I have a business over there, so I have to take responsibility.”

Either way, it happened because of his actions. I couldn’t say I wasn’t entirely responsible.

Cassian added to her, who seemed not to fully understand what he meant.

“I will take responsibility, so don’t overdo it.”

Saying that, Elsez stared blankly at Cassian’s back as he walked in the front.

‘I think he’ve grown quite a bit in three years.’

Cassian was the oldest of the four heroes, but two years younger than Ruel at the time.

Perhaps that is why, three years ago, he had a strong feeling that he was an immature younger brother or childhood friend who grew up fighting with each other.

But for some reason he now feels more like an older brother than a friend.

‘Actually, Elsez is 22 and Cassian is 25, so it is true that he became an older brother.’

Elsez followed behind him, feeling some kind of reassurance on his wide back.

The two stood in front of the pub, the hideout of Guild Once.

[CLOSED]

There was a sign in front of the door saying that the store was not yet open, but as soon as he turned the handle, the door opened.

As I entered the dimly lit store, two men who looked sloppy approached me.

“I will search for a moment.”

They groped Cassian’s body, and had Elsez pull out her inventory and what she had in his pocket.

Then, Leti came out of her inner pocket.

Elsez looked at Leti and sent a signal to stay calm with her eyes.

The men pressed Leti to see if there were any weapons, and soon found that there was nothing but cotton, and looked at Elsez with strange eyes.

It seemed strange to see an adult woman carrying a bunny doll.

Elsez looked at the man who was looking at her strangely with a sullen look.

‘Why? What?’

At Elsez’s eyes, the man flinched and left without saying anything.

The men who finished the check took the two of them into the store.

On one side of the store, there were two eternal guild members who were caught by two other men and tied to a chair, and in the center of the store was a white-haired woman in gorgeous clothes.

Madame Latour. She was the master of the Dark Guild Once.

Madame Latour smoked a cigarette and looked at Cassian and Elsez in turn.

“It is you. The one who slapped our children.”

Her voice was soft, but there was a strange intimidation in her voice and appearance that overwhelms those around her.

But Elsez did not hesitate to ask, looking straight at her.

“Isn’t it the principle and pride of ONCE to not touch the weak one?”

“Yeah, you know it well.”

“Then shouldn’t you have kicked out those bastards who insulted Once before you asked for my responsibility?”

“As soon as I heard the news this morning, I killed half of them and kicked them out.

Thanks to you, I did a good job.”

Cutting off the shameful guild members and retaliating against Elsez for insulting the guild would be another matter.

Elsez watched her with wary eyes.

Madame Latour, noticing Elsez’s gaze, took a deep breath, spit it out, and opened her mouth again.

“I didn’t mean to fight, I just wanted to see your face.”

“……?”

“I was wondering who the kid who touched my dogs without fear was.”

Madame Latour glanced at Elsez.

Cassian, noticing the gaze, stepped forward and obliquely blocked the gap between Elsez and Madame Latour.

But Elsez did not avoid that gaze and looked straight at her.

Madame Latour, looking at those eyes quietly, raised one of her red lips and smiled.

If I had come this far, I wouldn’t have known who she was or what kind of notoriety she had, but I liked the look in Elsez’s eyes, looking at me without a sign of fear.

“I like your eyes, sweetheart.”

“…….”

“It’s the look I saw when I first came to this floor.”

Madame Latour put down her cigarette and said to Cassian, as if she had made up her mind.

“I will return the guild members, instead.”

Cassian waited anxiously for her next words.

“Give me the child you have.”

“… What?”

“I wanted to raise a successor.”

Madame Latour’s eyes gleamed with greed as she looked at Elsez.

Her obsession was also famous on the guild streets.

She had to have everything she liked somehow.

Whether it’s a person or an object, a man or a woman.

And this time, it seemed that the target was Elsez. This is bad.

Cassian burst out laughing as if it was ridiculous, but then looked at Madame Latour with cold eyes that had lost the smile.

“I don’t do business using people.”

“Your guild members must be precious, kid?”

“Isn’t it okay if the guild that I’ve been raising all my life turns to dust because of that perverted tendency, grandma?”

Even Cassian did not lose to Madame Latour’s threat, growling and responding.

Blue mana fluttered from Cassian’s fist.

He was ready to destroy everything in the store at any moment.

Noticing this, Elsez quickly stepped forward in front of Cassian and Madame Latour.

“These people have nothing to do with me, Madame. I just went to see the guild for a while yesterday, and I haven’t signed a contract yet.”

“Hey, Rookie.”

Cassian twisted his forehead and looked at Elsez, but Elsez turned his gaze away and focused on the conversation with Madame.

“Then the story will be simple. There is no need to terminate the contract with this guy.”

“So, let them go and talk to me.”

“It can’t be. If I leave it like this, the guy next to you will start to bite me.”

Madame Latour pointed to Elsez with a wink at the subordinate who was waiting next to her.

The subordinate approached, pulled out two contracts from his inner pocket, and handed it to Elsez.

One belonged to the contractor and the other belonged to the owner of the contractor.

Elsez looked at Madame Latour with suspicious eyes, and Madame Latour chin gestured at the contract.

“Sign it. Then I’ll let these guys go.”

‘The person who asks you to sign the contract at the place you received it is a scammer.’

Elsez muttered to herself and quickly skimmed through the contract.

The conditions were so good that it could not be compared with the contracts of other guilds that I knew.

‘It has to be so. I do a lot of illegal things, and I don’t take that much risk.’

Nevertheless, there were many people who could not join because they wanted to join due to good conditions, but they did not accept it.

‘If you sign this contract, you are subordinated to Madame Latour.’

The contract with several clauses was blurred, but a magic circle was drawn.

It was a black magic circle.

Unlike other guilds that contract with magic, the Dark Guild signed a contract with black magic.

Contracts made with black magic also suppressed and restrained the contractor to obey the terms of the owner.

It was a dark guild that used illegal black magic when joining a guild, so it was only natural that most of the quests were crimes.

Elsez of course did not want to sign this contract, but they took the guild members who were being held captive.

In fact, Cassian alone would be able to subdue everyone here without having to step out, but in a situation where there was a hostage, Cassian would not be able to move too hastily.

‘What if? sign it… Should I?’

Elsez swallowed her saliva, keeping her eyes on the contract she had already read a long time ago.

‘Think about it, Elsez.’

From the information you know about this game and the memories of the first round, how to overcome this situation.

Elsez, who had closed her eyes tightly and looked back at her memories, suddenly remembered something and opened her eyes.

There was one way.