“Easy, everyone… Looks like we still have a customer here who hasn’t eaten yet.”

  Mash said it in an even, unhurried voice—like someone who’d spent his whole life standing above chaos and watching it fail to reach him. With one hand, he casually held out a small plate to Valda. On it sat five cookies, neatly lined up as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

  The moment Valda took the plate, another customer made an appearance.

  Thump! Michan sprang out from the corner it had been hiding in—like a box equipped with a built-in cookie radar. It had been waiting for this moment. Earlier, the place was packed with other customers, so it had tried to keep a low profile and avoid causing a scene…

  …as much as a mimic possibly could.

  Now that the coast was clear, it dropped the act entirely.

  It snapped up the first cookie with pure happiness. Its white eyes flared bright, like lightbulbs switched to full power. Then it chewed with tiny, satisfied motions and let out a soft little sound.

  

  “Mumi… mumi…”

  Valda watched the scene with the expression of someone witnessing the universe’s idea of justice. Then she turned back to Mash.

  

  “Thank you so much… but how did you know?”

  Mash gave a faint smile—the kind a kind-hearted chef wears when he simply wants everyone to leave with a full stomach.

  

  “First… I could feel the aura of the young master from the Ripper family the moment the caravan arrived.”

  As he spoke, he glanced toward Earp.

  Earp sat as upright as ever. His face was calm and blank, like someone who hadn’t done anything wrong at all—yet the entire restaurant somehow felt like the temperature dropped by one degree the instant the words Ripper family landed.

  Mash continued immediately, as if he didn’t want the atmosphere to stiffen any further.

  

  “And also… this village has no monsters. If even one were to enter, there’s no way it would escape my notice.”

  He turned to look at Michan, who was happily devouring cookies, wearing a blissed-out expression like it had ascended to heaven—despite the fact that it was just a cookie.

  And despite the fact that it was a hybrid of undead and dark element.

  

  “And don’t worry,”

  Mash added.

  

  “Our place is pet-friendly. You can bring your pets inside as usual.”

  The tension in the air loosened—just a little.

  Not because everyone felt relieved.

  It loosened because a living legend had just implied this was smaller than the kind of work he used to do.

  Ace drew in a breath, like he was trying to keep his excitement under control—only to fail immediately.

  

  “Unbelievable… A legend like this. Thirty years ago back when he was at his peak he built myth after myth. Then one day, he just retired and vanished… Never thought I’d find him running a restaurant out here.”

  Sight nodded with the same solemn intensity, even though the faint scent of beer still clung to him.

  

  “Yeah… I used to read books about him when I was a kid.”

  While the entire table kept orbiting around legend and thirty years ago, Michan remained in its own universe—one made of nothing but cookies and happiness.

  

  “Mumi… mumi…”

  “You don’t seem very shocked, Mary.”

  Lily’s question snapped out instantly—like she couldn’t stand someone not being as impressed as everyone else.

  Mary scratched lightly behind her ear, thinking for a moment before replying in a calm, flat tone.

  

  “Mm… I’ve met him before. I just didn’t know he was running a restaurant here, that’s all.”

  The whole table fell silent for a beat.

  The kind of silence that says Wait, what did you just say?

  The kind where even Sight stopped messing around.

  Mash let out a soft chuckle and looked Mary over with quiet scrutiny. Then, in a tone far more familiar than anyone’s mental image of a living legend would allow, he spoke.

  

  “Oh… the would-be Archbishop. You’ve grown up. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

  Mary paused—like that old title was an outfit she’d already taken off and thrown away, and someone had just shaken it out in front of her.

  

  “Not anymore… I left the Church.”

  Short. Clear. Like a stamp pressed onto paper.

  Mash chuckled again, as though he’d seen it coming from the start.

  

  “Ha-ha… I figured you would, someday. That place never suited you.”

  Lily suddenly switched modes. In an instant, she went from suspicious to wide-eyed—full mage gremlin, hungry for Something Big.

  

  “If we’re meeting a legend like this… then we have to duel!”

  She pointed at Mash without hesitation—like she was challenging a random street vendor.

  Except she was challenging the Ultimate Dragon Slayer.

  Mash lifted both hands, smiling as if surrendering for the sake of comedy.

  

  “No, no. I’m old now. I’ve retired. I’m sure I can’t fight anyone anymore. Ha ha ha…”

  It sounded humble.

  But it was the kind of humility that only lands that smoothly when you’ve already done the impossible—more times than anyone can count.

  Mash shifted the topic smoothly, then looked across the group one by one.

  

  “So where are you all headed, then? Or is this just a sightseeing trip taking it easy for a while?”

  Rome answered in his usual fast, work-summary style.

  

  “We picked up a job. Delivering something to Luna.”

  Mash nodded, as if he’d already drawn the route in his head.

  

  “Ah… Luna. If you’re traveling with the caravan, you should arrive by tomorrow evening, right?”

  Romeo nodded.

  

  “Probably. Once we deliver it, we’re planning to head straight back.”

  

  “What?!”

  Lily immediately complained out loud.

  

  “You’re not going to stop and enjoy Luna first?”

  Sight—reeking of beer but still capable of strategic thinking when it came to good food—slid in his idea with suspicious smoothness.

  

  “That’s fine. Finish the job and come straight back. On the way back, we can stop here again.”

  Romeo shot Lily a quick glance before answering in a calm voice.

  But his next sentence hit the entire table like someone pressed the instant headache button on everyone at once.

  

  “No. On the way back, I think we’ll have Lily open a warp for us. Seems like something urgent might come up.”

  Mary lifted her head.

  

  “Urgent? What kind of thing, Rome?”

  Romeo replied like he was restating a fact she should’ve already remembered.

  

  “Did you forget? We have to attend an audience with the King. I don’t know what it’s about yet.”

  Mary let out a small sigh, then spoke with blunt stubbornness—the tone of someone who was already sick of ceremony.

  

  “It’s probably just another general meeting… another social gathering where they burn through the budget for fun, like always.”

  The words burn through the budget made Ace choke on air for a second. Lily looked like she wanted to argue—then realized she had no solid argument and shut her mouth.

  Mash went quiet for a heartbeat. When he spoke again, his voice had softened.

  

  “In that case… I think you should all head back and rest tonight.”

  He looked at each of them in turn—just slightly more serious than before.

  

  “I’ve got a feeling… that something big might happen after this.”

  The atmosphere in the restaurant, which had been playful just moments ago, suddenly grew heavy—without anyone needing to explain why.

  Before long, everyone stood up and said their goodbyes to Mash.

  As they headed for the door, Mash smiled at them—just like any ordinary chef would.

  

  “Next time, if you get the chance… please feel free to stop by our place again.”

  The door closed. Their footsteps slowly faded down the streets of Oakspell.

  Mash remained behind the counter, lifting his gaze to the small window—watching them the way someone might watch young people who still had an entire world waiting ahead of them.

  

  “Young folks really have it good…”

  he murmured to himself with a quiet fondness.

  

  “Man… I really don’t want to get old.”

  Then the laughter caught in his throat and stopped.

  

  “But the road ahead… they still have so much they’ll have to face.”

  And his eyes settled on one person in particular—Ace.

  

  “Especially that young man… it’s like something is leaking out of him…”

  Mash muttered under his breath, the way someone does when they’ve noticed something no one else can see. Then he turned back to tidying up as usual, as if it had all been nothing more than another perfectly ordinary night.

  In the large room at Oakville Hotel, the lantern light had been turned down until only a warm glow remained—just enough to reveal shadows moving quietly around the room.

  Ace dropped onto the bed like someone who’d spent more energy being shocked all night than fighting any monster. He let out a long sigh and spoke as if complaining to the ceiling.

  

  “Being high-class sounds like a pain…”

  Sight, organizing his things nearby, let out a soft chuckle—quiet, like someone who agreed but couldn’t be bothered to make a bigger deal of it.

  

  “Seriously. Good thing we don’t have to do stuff like that. If we did, I’d get so tense I wouldn’t be able to say a word.”

  The mention of an audience shifted the mood in the room by just a fraction—like they all remembered at once…

  …this story didn’t end with great food and meeting a legend.

  Ace turned to look at the quietest person in the room.

  

  “Hey, Earp… you’re from a noble family too. Don’t you have to attend an audience?”

  Earp, folding his clothes with careful precision, slowly raised his head. His face was as straightforward as ever when he answered.

  

  “No…”

  He paused, then gave a dry little smile and scratched the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed with himself.

  

  “If someone from the Ripper family walked into the palace… I think it’d cause more trouble than it’s worth. Heh…”

  That line made Ace laugh immediately—relieved, like a tight knot in his chest had just been released.

  

  “Yeah, you’re right! Ha-ha! I didn’t even think about that.”

  Sight laughed too—the kind of laugh you let out when something is so true it circles back around to being hilarious. And then the three of them let a comfortable silence settle back into place.

  A short while later, the soft rustle of someone shifting on the bed sounded in the dim room, followed by breathing that gradually evened out.

  Oakspell’s night drew to a gentle close—at least for this room.

  In the other room, warm lamplight softened the walls—making everything look gentler than the outside world ever was.

  Lily popped her head out from under the blanket like a kid who suddenly remembered something important right before falling asleep, and immediately fired a question at the one person here who’d actually survived palace etiquette in real life.

  

  “Hey Mary… when you go to an audience, what are you supposed to do?”

  Mary was leaning back on the bed. The moment she heard the word audience, she sighed like her stamina bar had just dropped by half.

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  “It’s nothing. You go in, stand there, pay your respects, listen to whatever the King says… and then it’s a banquet. Boring as hell.”

  She made a face—irritated and tired at the same time—then kept complaining like she was digging old frustration out of her own chest.

  

  “They could’ve just sent a letter explaining what it’s about. No need to drag people in there to put on a fake smile.”

  Lily looked like she was about to argue, but Mary didn’t give that moment a chance to exist. She slipped right into a more pointed rant.

  

  “Honestly, by tradition… once I was sent to the Church, I technically didn’t need to attend audiences anymore. I was considered the Church’s person.”

  She paused, then let out a small, defeated sound—like someone being yanked back into the same loop she’d sworn she was done with.

  

  “But then they went and made me a would-be Archbishop… so it got complicated. And on top of that, I still have to carry the family representative role even though I’ve already left both places.”

  Valda, sitting at the foot of the bed and playing with Michan, let out a quiet hmph—the sound of someone who understood all too well how “it got complicated” was the worst phrase in human history.

  

  “Still… at least you’ve got it better than me. I actually caused trouble in there once.”

  Lily snapped around instantly, eyes shining with the pure enthusiasm of a top-tier drama addict.

  

  “Trouble? What kind of trouble did you cause?”

  Valda gently patted Michan’s head, like she was about to tell a normal everyday story—definitely not something that could’ve gotten someone killed.

  

  “Normally, weaponsmiths and gear-crafters get summoned to the palace to present items they’ve been commissioned to make… except I got banned from entering.”

  Lily sat bolt upright like she’d been hit with a wake-up spell.

  

  “Keep going. Keep going!”

  Valda continued with zero emotion, but every word landed like a rock thrown through a window.

  

  “I put effort into every piece, obviously. Everything was going fine… until some noble started flirting with me. Relentlessly. It got annoying.”

  She released a short sigh, like she could still remember the exact feeling.

  

  “And when I finally couldn’t take it anymore…”

  Valda looked completely calm.

  

  “I smashed his face with a hammer.”

  The room went silent for one beat.

  The kind of silence where even Michan stopped playing, turned its head, and stared at Valda like it was reassessing whether this human was… actually dangerous.

  Lily’s mouth fell open, and the words came out before her brain could filter them.

  

  “Hold on You hammered a noble in the face inside the palace? You’re lucky you weren’t executed!”

  Valda shrugged like the word execution was somehow less annoying than the memory of that flirting.

  

  “I’m Rank S, and I can make equipment with quality way above most crafters. So I still get work… but now a military representative comes to collect everything. They won’t let me present it in the palace anymore.”

  She finished as flatly as if she’d just closed out a routine work report.

  Lily stared like she’d just discovered a brand-new world, then let out a small, breathy sound.

  

  “Wow… that’s… incredible…”

  Mary chuckled softly, the way someone does when they’ve always liked Valda’s hammer-powered honesty. Meanwhile, Michan rolled around on the bed, seemingly delighted just to be included in the conversation—even if it had no idea what royalty was.

  The girls’ night drifted on with little stories and bits of chatter, until the voices gradually softened and melted into the familiar quiet of a hotel room—like they’d all agreed to leave tomorrow to tomorrow, for now.

  The next morning, Oakspell felt so fresh it was as if the entire world had been rinsed clean overnight. The faint scent of moisture from the dew drifted through the air, mingling with a chill that still refused to retreat. The thin mist that had blanketed the village slowly began to fade, little by little, as morning sunlight slipped through the gaps between wooden houses and along the edges of rooftops—bringing warmth with it, like a clear, unmistakable sign that…

  A new day had truly begun.

  The caravan began to stir, preparing from early morning. Passengers gradually emerged with their luggage in hand. Soft conversation blended with the creak of wagon wheels and the steady rhythm of horses stamping the ground. Ace’s group stepped out as well, waiting in line like everyone else.

  They gathered at the luggage checkpoint, following caravan rules, then climbed back onto the wagons in their familiar spots—like it was all routine…

  …even though something that shouldn’t have happened in a small village like this had happened just last night.

  Before long, the caravan rolled out of Oakspell at a slow, steady pace. More than a few people glanced back over their shoulders without anyone saying a word—no coordination, no signal.

  Not just because they’d enjoyed the inn.

  But because something lingered in their chests. A leftover feeling they couldn’t quite shake. An impression they never expected to find…

  …this close to the capital.

  Oakspell’s silhouette gradually thinned, swallowed by the last scraps of mist, until it finally disappeared beyond the horizon. The journey to Luna…

  …was beginning once again.

  That day’s travel went more smoothly than anyone expected. The caravan didn’t stop anywhere in particular, only pulling over now and then so people could stretch, use the bathroom, or simply change posture after sitting on a wagon for too long. The road was flatter and quieter than they’d imagined, and the world seemed to glide by in rhythm with the wheels.

  And then, at last, the wagons slowed… and came to a complete stop at Luna’s immigration checkpoint.

  The signs and the line of walls ahead made it unmistakably clear—

  They’d arrived.

  And they seemed to have arrived even earlier than expected.

  Everyone climbed down from the wagons one by one.

  Ace raised his arms over his head and twisted his torso until his joints popped softly.

  

  “Thought we’d get here in the evening…”

  Romeo nodded as if he’d already calculated it in his head, eyes drifting over the flawlessly even road.

  

  “Yeah. On the old road, we probably would’ve arrived around evening. But with the new paving, the route’s better so we got here faster.”

  Then he turned to Lily, slipping straight back into mission mode.

  

  “By the way, Lily… where are we supposed to deliver the package?”

  Lily answered without hesitation, like the job was too simple to deserve extra words.

  

  “Just drop it off at the guild. The owner will come pick it up. That’s all we have to do. Let’s go.”

  The others followed immediately.

  Luna felt like a completely different world compared to a roadside village like Oakspell. This was a gathering place for magic users—and the home of the kingdom’s magic academy. The same academy where Lily had once pulled off countless feats and set record after record.

  On the way to the guild, the streets were packed with all kinds of people from all kinds of races—humans, elves, dwarves, and even the occasional Half Beast weaving through the crowd. It gave the road the unmistakable pulse of a big city that never truly slept.

  There was scattered chatter everywhere… but one phrase kept repeating so often it became like a soundwave hanging in the air.

  Elemental Overlord.

  

  “That’s the Elemental Overlord, isn’t it…? What are they doing here?”

  “Is the Magic Council holding some major meeting? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

  “Don’t tell me the Elemental Overlord is going to become a teacher at the magic academy…”

  “This is the Elemental Overlord? Doesn’t look like much, honestly.”

  “Don’t say that… if she hears you, you’ll turn into dust.”

  “I’ve been studying for ten years and I still can’t even pass beginner Mage…”

  The whispers traded places nonstop, as if the entire city had decided to talk about only one thing. And it felt like every pair of eyes was searching for someone—until Ace’s group drew closer and closer to the guild, walking straight through the murmur that refused to die down.

  Luna’s Adventurers’ Guild felt different from other cities the moment they stepped inside.

  At the entrance, magical devices had been installed to scan every person passing through—security measures other cities simply didn’t have. Even the capital, Vanir, had nothing like this. And the staff here weren’t just ordinary employees either; you couldn’t work in this guild unless you’d trained and passed a professional evaluation at intermediate Mage level or higher, because many of the devices required direct magical power to operate.

  As a result, the interior atmosphere was orderly—quiet—and everything was arranged with system-like precision. It wasn’t chaotic like Vanir or Freyja. And that kind of atmosphere…

  …was visibly getting on Sight’s nerves.

  Not because it felt dangerous.

  But because there was nowhere for him to sit down and drink like he was used to. Sure, they sold beverages—but it didn’t feel fun. It wasn’t lively. It didn’t tempt you to waste time in a way that matched the dignity he demanded from proper drinking.

  Luna was also known for its flawlessly strict bureaucracy, razor-accurate intelligence, and as the base of a secret unit—giving it a presence that felt heavier and more solid than even some larger cities.

  The instant Ace’s group stepped inside, the guild—which had already been fairly quiet—somehow became even quieter.

  Every gaze froze in place and locked onto them.

  But to be more accurate… almost all of those eyes weren’t looking at them.

  They were looking at her.

  Lilius Ursula, Lily.

  Even though she still didn’t have an official class title, she was the only person who had graduated from both the Warlock and Sorcerer programs. Which meant she was also the only one who carried two adventurer cards at once, each proving a different class identity.

  And in a city where magic users walked the streets like it was the most normal thing in the world…

  News spread too fast to avoid.

  Plenty of mages here called her by the same name.

  Elemental Overlord.

  

  “Hello. How may we…”

  The guild staff member’s polite greeting began on instinct… then abruptly stalled.

  

  “Eh…?!”

  Because the person standing right in front of her was Lily.

  Her face locked up for a beat. Her eyes went wide, like she’d just seen a dream crawl out of a spellbook and stand there in real life.

  

  “Th-the… Elemental Overlord… What can we do for you today, ma’am?”

  Her voice was a messy blend of shock and excitement—and tucked into the tail end of it was something else, too.

  A tiny bit of fear.

  Lily’s expression soured immediately.

  

  “Since when is that a real class name?!”

  She drew a short breath, then forced her voice back into place.

  

  “I’m here to turn in a quest. I brought the delivery here. Please certify it.”

  The staff member jolted like she’d been snapped back to reality, then nodded so fast she nearly lost all composure.

  

  “Y-Yes, of course! For you to come in person… it must be an advanced magical device, or a rare magic ore, or an ancient spell tome, right?”

  It was a question—

  —but the way she said it made it obvious she wasn’t actually waiting for an answer. Like simply getting to say it out loud was enough to satisfy her.

  Lily stared at her with a look that clearly said Can you please stop making things up? before replying flatly.

  

  “How would I know? I’m just delivering it. Certify the quest.”

  She repeated it again, firmly.

  Just as the guild staff was about to accept the package according to procedure, hurried footsteps suddenly thundered in from the entrance—like the entire city had spies tucked inside its walls.

  A man came charging in, pale and wide-eyed, running so hard he was practically out of breath. The moment he spotted Lily, it was like the weight of the legend in his own head slammed down on him. His legs went weak.

  

  “I-I’m the owner of the delivery…! I’m truly sorry that the Elemental Overlord had to go through the trouble of bringing it here personally!”

  And then he dropped to his knees on the spot.

  The guild’s atmosphere went even quieter—another level down—as if everyone was watching a ritual that absolutely should not be interrupted.

  Ace leaned in and whispered to Valda, barely holding back a laugh.

  

  “She’s really got that much influence…?”

  Valda shrugged, replying in the same flat tone someone would use to comment on the weather.

  

  “Yeah. I mean… ever since the city was founded after the hero defeated the Demon Lord, it’s been two thousand years. She’s the first and only person to master magic at that level. Of course she’s famous.”

  Ace tried to keep it in, but a small grin slipped out anyway—because the beyond-common-sense prodigy the entire city worshipped was, in reality, the party’s resident chuuni girl… who had literally been annoyed two seconds ago about being called a weird name.

  In the heavy silence that had just been reinforced by the owner kneeling on the floor, whispers began to rise again. Quietly at first…

  …then louder…

  …then more and more, like a wave no one could control.

  

  “What’s in that box, anyway…?”

  “If the Elemental Overlord delivered it herself, it has to be important.”

  “I heard there’s a new magic-weapon prototype… could it be that?”

  “It must be some insanely rare magic ore.”

  “You can tell just by looking at it there’s that much magic essence packed inside…”

  “I’m not going anywhere near it. If I get hit by that by accident, I’ll melt into a puddle.”

  “So that’s what it takes to do something like this…”

  “Who even is that owner? How does he have something like that?”

  “I’m telling you, he’s not going to end well.”

  “Or maybe he’s from a secret unit testing magical weapons…”

  Wild guesses. Rumors. Fear. Curiosity.

  They all flowed together until the air inside the guild felt tighter and tighter, like it was being compressed.

  The guild staff tried to work as fast as possible, certifying the quest and finishing the procedure without a hitch—then stepping aside so the owner could take care of his own package.

  The young man slowly lifted his hands to the lid of the box.

  The moment the seal started to come undone, the whispers exploded into another wave.

  

  “Wait… seriously?”

  “He’s opening it here?”

  “What if the magic inside detonates?!”

  “I mean, I kinda want to see it if it’s really a prototype weapon…”

  “If the Elemental Overlord is here… it probably isn’t that dangerous.”

  “Yeah. If something happens… she can handle it.”

  The pressure in the air thickened until it felt almost tangible. Some people started breathing harder. Some had sweat beading on their skin. A few even shifted their hands toward their weapons, as if preparing for an emergency.

  The young man carefully pulled the item out of the box.

  And what he held in his hands…

  …was a bag.

  A single leather bag—so ridiculously ordinary that the entire guild’s atmosphere felt like someone had cut the power for half a second.

  Rome stared at it for a moment, then spoke in a voice that still leaked surprise no matter how hard he tried to control it.

  

  “Wait… that’s a Rose Laurent bag. The famous designer from Vanir.”

  The young man nodded rapidly, visibly relieved that someone recognized it, and answered with blunt honesty.

  

  “Yes… It’s their newest collection that just came out. I ordered it as an anniversary gift for my wife.”

  The silence from earlier—so tense you could practically hear heartbeats—shattered instantly.

  Several people in the guild exhaled hard. Some wore expressions like they’d been tricked in broad daylight. And a chorus of grumbling rose all at once, like it had been pre-planned.

  The moment the quest was completed, Lily spoke up—without giving anyone a chance to stall.

  

  “We’re heading back right away, yeah? Then let’s go find a warp spot.”

  The whole group left the guild and headed back toward the city’s entrance gate—the same place they’d stepped off the caravan when they arrived. The area there was a wide, open plaza. People flowed through nonstop, and of course, more than a few pairs of eyes still turned their way—along with whispers that refused to fade, fueled by the name Elemental Overlord.

  Lily pulled out a map and unfolded it across her palm with practiced ease. She tapped the mark for Vanir’s entrance with her fingertip, murmuring as if double-checking the coordinates one last time. Then she inhaled—steady and deliberate—and began to chant.

  

  “O Sevenfold Jewels of the Sky… cast forth the arcane bridge—cross the veil of clouds and the borders of dimensions.

  Carry the invincible mortal host,soaring upon the path of divine conveyance, crush distance beneath the covenant of light…

  Now! Let the seven colors blaze, proclaim the royal decree here, before me!”

  “Bifrost!!!”

  The instant the final word rang out, the ground beneath all seven of them flashed.

  A rainbow magic circle bloomed into existence—intricate layers of interlocking geometric patterns, lines of light drawn with the precision of a master engraver beyond anything human.

  It shone for the span of a single breath.

  Then it vanished without a trace—

  along with the entire group.

  A short hush swallowed the plaza.

  And then, panic and astonishment erupted from the crowd that had been watching.

  

  “That was… Bifrost, wasn’t it?! The high-tier spell that requires all seven elements”

  “She cast it and used it alone?!”

  “Isn’t it supposed to take seven Sorcerers each calling one element and another seven Warlocks to forge the covenant?!”

  But no one got an answer to their own questions.

  Because the answer…

  …was no longer there.

  In that same instant, the seven of them appeared once again—back in the capital city of Vanir.

  The return trip was complete.

  All that remained was the familiar entrance gate—and the air of the capital, quietly welcoming them home.