12 - Old Connection

As night fell over the capital, the guard's shift ended, and he began his walk back through the bustling streets. The image of the discarded badge haunted him, glinting from the trash can in the back of his mind like an accusation as he recalled that disorienting aura around that Van Hellix from earlier.

"...Just to be sure..." he muttered to himself, finally giving in to the nagging doubt. He retraced his steps, retrieved the badge from the garbage, and made his way to the guild.

The guild hall was alive with the usual evening revelry—adventurers clinking mugs, raucous laughter echoing off the walls, and the smell of hearty meals filling the air. He wove through the crowd, his uniform parting the sea of revelers slightly, as they gave a respectful nod to the city's guard.

He approached the receptionist, a central figure in the guild known for her warmth and keen memory for faces and names. Despite her mature age, she was a known beauty. She was busy managing the night's festivities but caught his eye as he approached.

"What brings you here at this hour, Riry?" she asked with a smile.

"Don't call me that, I'm not a kid anymore... It's Garry now," he corrected her, a blush coloring his cheeks.

"...Miss Veil."

"Sure, sure~ And it's AMORIA for you. I'm not THAT old yet! Anyway, what can I get for you, Garry? Came to have a drink with your buddies again? You could have at least changed to your civilian uniforms..." she asked as she served drinks to the bar's patrons.

"Actually, I need you to check something for me. Could you look at this badge? I've got a feeling about it..." Garry replied, handing it over somewhat sheepishly.

She sighed, her tone playful yet exasperated. "You and your 'feelings'... And you still wonder why I still see you as a kid.. Why don't you leave it till tomorrow? Have a drink, relax. I'll even throw in breakfast for you and the wife."

"No, really, I need this checked now, please. Just to see if it's genuine..." His voice carried a serious undertone, urging her to comply.

With a resigned sigh, she took the badge and began, "Alright, if you're that insistent, but I'm telling you—"

Her words trailed off as she examined the badge more closely. Her playful demeanor vanished, her face turned pale as her eyes widened sharply in disbelief as she looked at the name on the badge.

"V... Van...?" she whispered, the badge slipping from her fingers and clattering to the ground as her legs gave way beneath her.

"Miss Veil!!?" Garry called out urgently as she crumbled to her knees, her colleagues quickly gathering around.

"Amoria, what's wrong!?" they exclaimed as they rushed to her side.

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL WALLS...

Van lingered outside the capital's formidable walls, observing the guards with a keen eye throughout the day. He noted their alertness and the precision of their routines.

As dusk enveloped the city, readiness surged within him. "Alright... Let's do this," he whispered, his resolve firming. With silent, rapid strides that outpaced the swiftest steed, he launched into a sprint.

He looked at the capital's extremely tall wall.

'Hmm... This much strength? I'll start low and climb my way up from there so that the people up top won't spot me,'

With the power of his hyper-condensed muscles, Van leapt over 100 meters into the air, his arm piercing the wall to carve out a handhold. Methodically, he ascended, each movement creating another notch in the ancient stone, propelling him upward.

"It's been a while since I've done this... I can jump higher than this, but I'd risk people see me. I need to climb my way up from here," he mused as he crested the top of the wall.

Standing over 2,500 meters above the castle grounds, Van surveyed the sprawling city below. "...I miscalculated... The walls ARE A LOT taller now. And they seem to want to make them even taller" He thought to himself as he looked construction sights scattered across the top of the wall.

"Why would they need walls this high...? Just to flaunt their wealth and strength...?" he pondered, momentarily distracted by the grandeur and his own thoughts.

"WE GOT A BREACH!!!" The sharp cry of a nearby guard jolted Van back to full alertness.

'Damn it! I was spotted!! How careless—' he chastised himself internally.

"MAN THE CANNONS, CALL THE WYVERN RIDERS NOW!!! IT'S THE BIGGEST ONE YET!!! CODE BLACK, CODE BLACK!!! PREPARE YOUR SOULS!!!" Another guard bellowed, escalating the urgency.

'Wait, isn't that too excessive for one man...?' Van's thoughts raced as he scanned his surroundings, searching for the cause of the commotion. Then, his eyes widened. High above the city, the silhouette of a dragon cut through the twilight sky.

'Oh... They meant THAT thing...' Realization dawned on him as he grasped the true scale of the threat.