Gilbert stood amidst three individuals, each exuding an aura of power and purpose.
One had deep blue hair that cascaded over broad shoulders, boasting of an Olympian athletic build adorned gracefully with a blue armor that seemed to shimmer with an inner light.
The next wore a casual thick coat, an indifferent cold look etched onto his features as if he had seen too much of the world’s cruelties.
The last was a dark-skinned lady with a tank top that only covered her ample breasts, leaving toned arms and a taut midriff exposed.
She looked at Gilbert, her grey eyes brimming with an unwavering focus that spoke of a will tempered by countless battles.
As he addressed all three of them, someone quickly approached and whispered something into Gilbert’s ear, their words carried on hushed tones laced with urgency.
Immediately, Gilbert’s expression darkened, the lines of his face hardening as if etched from stone.
He tried to recompose himself, forcing a calm veneer as he turned to his audience once more.
“Sage Gilbert, is all well?” The blue-haired youth, Arlem, asked, his brow furrowing with concern.
“All is well, Arlem. I just might need to round this up now to attend to something else,” Gilbert responded, his tone even and measured, betraying none of the turmoil that now churned within him.
“It’s fine, Sage Gilbert. We already understand what we need to do… besides, Master Annette should be arriving anytime soon. I need to see her too,” Vida replied, a hint of eagerness seeping into her words.
Gilbert’s gaze shifted to the dark-skinned lady for a couple of seconds, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“You really adore Annette despite her nature. I’m impressed, Vida.”
The lady, smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly. “She’s strong, and I want to be stronger. That’s all that matters.”
Gilbert nodded in agreement, his smile widening ever so slightly.
“Keep up that front, and you’ll be a Master too in no time.”
He turned to the last of them, the one who seemed so lost even though he was amongst esteemed company, his gaze distant and unfocused.
“What about you, Ryan… what’s up with you?”
“Nothing,” came the curt reply, devoid of any emotion or inflection.
Gilbert’s smile took on a wry edge. “As usual, you don’t really say more than a word, do you?”
Ryan merely nodded, his expression remaining impassive, indifferent to his environs as though he were bored by everything around him.
“I’ll leave you to it, then. I have to go,” Gilbert said, giving them one last appraising look before turning on his heel and striding away, his movements purposeful.
His face etched with a grim expression, Gilbert brisked forward, walking past groups of people that greeted him with respectful nods and murmurs of “Sage Gilbert.”
After a minute or two of weaving through the crowds, he reached the familiar dark hallway and entered his private chambers, the heavy door thudding shut behind him with a sense of finality.
Two individuals were seated on the couch, leaning on their knees with their heads bowed.
Their faces pale as though they’d had their souls sucked out before coming here.
There was one other tall man standing next to the couch, his hands pocketed, a rough beard adorning his chin as he oversaw them with sleepy eyes that nonetheless seemed to miss nothing.
Gilbert strode to his table, leaned against it, and folded his arms across his chest, his gaze sweeping over the three figures before him.
“They claim they saw a hellion rank monster,” the bearded man started, his voice a gruff rumble that carried the weight of countless battles.
Gilbert looked at him, then shifted his gaze to the two seated figures.
He would have laughed if not for their sullen expressions and the way they trembled, as if still gripped by the throes of some unspeakable horror.
The way they carried themselves, the haunted look in their eyes, told Gilbert that they weren’t just spouting idle words.
They must have genuinely seen a hellion rank monster.
Another reason why he couldn’t doubt their report was the man with the scarred face – Vaughn, one of the best drifters among the natives of Lotheliwan.
According to what they had said, he used to be an elite member of the kingdom’s scout knights.
On top of that, he possessed an ability that allowed him to discern the rank or strength of drifters or monsters at a mere glance.
So if he said it was a hellion rank, he couldn’t be lying.
Gilbert sighed, a heavy exhalation that seemed to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders.
‘But there have never been a hellion rank monster at all in these Plains. We’ve never encountered one. If we did, we wouldn’t even be alive right now.’
Gilbert was torn, unsure of what to believe. He sighed once again and finally spoke, calling out, “Vaughn.”
The scarred face man shakily looked up, bowing his head respectfully as he responded, his voice tinged with evident fear.
“Sage Gilbert.”
“Can you calm down and report what you saw to me?”
Gilbert asked, his tone even and reassuring, a balm against the palpable dread that now seemed to permeate the very air.
“We were… were… f-f-following the t-t-target,” Vaughn stuttered, struggling to maintain his composure before finding his flow once more. “Then when he got to Brimfield estate’s gate, he disappeared all of a sudden. And so we followed. We were pursuing when we suddenly heard a monster’s roar. We thought it was the target fighting a monster…”
“We?!!!”
The young drifter, Flynn, suddenly erupted, leaping to his feet and screaming at the scarred face man, his eyes wild and accusing.
“I told you! But you insisted!! You acted all tough! You said I had to grow up?! You acted like something was wrong with me!!”
“STOP!”
Gilbert’s voice soared across the room, a thunderous command that put a stop to Flynn’s tantrum, the weight of his authority crashing down like a tidal wave.
“Sit,” Gilbert commanded, his tone brooking no argument.
With an attitude of sullen defiance, Flynn eventually sank back down onto the couch, biting his lips as his eyes remained glued to the ground, smoldering with impotent rage.
“I’m not sure what happened to you two,” Gilbert said, his gaze sweeping over them with a measure of pity and concern. “But it’s clear that both of you are not in the right state of mind to give a proper report. That is one.”
He lingered, letting his words sink in before continuing. “Two is, there is an apex level savage rank monster in that estate. Although we last confirmed it in the mansion, there is every possibility that it might have stepped outside to hunt other monsters, and you encountered it.”
“No!” Vaughn protested fiercely, his eyes blazing with a fervor that caused Gilbert’s brow to raise in surprise. “You don’t know! You didn’t see it! I know what I saw! It was a devil level hellion rank!! I swear, it is the strongest monster I have ever seen in my entire life!!”
Gilbert’s brow creased into a tense frown, his features hardening once more.
“A devil level hellion rank? Can you even hear yourself, Vaughn?”
The man’s face paled further, his eyes growing wider with each passing second as the memory of what he had witnessed seemed to claw its way back to the forefront of his mind.
“It might be hard to believe, but I swear it was true. What we saw was not a savage rank, it was a hellion rank, a devil. I swear that thing will singlehandedly wipe out all of us.”
Gilbert watched coldly as the man freaked out, his body trembling with the force of his conviction.
After a few tense seconds, he let out a weary sigh, the weight of the world seeming to settle upon his shoulders once more.
“Perhaps I gave the job to the wrong set of people,” he said, his voice heavy with resignation. “See them out, Gustav.”
The man with the sleepy eyes, Gustav, nodded and looked at the two scouts, his gaze impassive.
They sluggishly stood up, and he helped them open the door, their movements sluggish and uncoordinated, as if they were still trapped in the throes of some waking nightmare.
Then he closed it back and faced the Headmaster.
Gilbert, released his folded hands and turned away from the couch – to his chair, leaning on the table and letting out an exasperated sigh.
“Do you really think they are lying?” Gustav asked.
Gilbert was silent for a few beats before he responded.
“I don’t know exactly what to think. I am confused myself. If they insist that what they saw was a hellion rank, then it must have been true somehow. Even if it isn’t true, they must have seen something.”
“I see…”
Gilbert added:
“But what I am curious about is the state of our guest. If that horror could make experienced drifters like this. What about the rookie who just came out of a rift…. I can’t but feel like something is strongly amiss.”