9th volume prologue

Two weeks have already passed since our last assignment. As promised, the Rector paid us twice as much as we earned, but the best reward for our guild was still the interaction with ordinary people.

Katrina spent several days in a state of blissful euphoria, as her dream of a guild of heroes was beginning to come true. However, gaining fame from the common folk didn't have much impact on the arrival of new contracts. Most of our orders still came from feudal lords, and cases like those in Merenlake and Rigdale were rare. Many nobles didn't appreciate the rumors about a guild where nobility befriended commoners, so private commissions hardly ever reached us.

Today was supposed to bring something interesting, about which Vina had been buzzing in our ears already. She also held onto a large portion of the money given to her by the confectionery owner, giving only ten thousand to Seleria, Ragni, and Levris. According to her, the money was needed for some important affair, which was about to begin any day now.

I rose early in the morning and, stretching, headed to the window to breathe in some fresh air. But something was amiss. Although the sun should have risen by now, not a single ray of light seeped through the curtains, as if something was obstructing the view. I cautiously pulled back the curtain, and before my eyes appeared an enormous brick wall, standing just a dozen meters from the window. Leaning over the windowsill, trying to understand what it was, to my surprise, I beheld a colossal circular structure, spanning across the entire main square and towering more than ten stories high.

"What in the world is this?!"