The soft glow of candlelight flickered against the stone walls. The church hall had grown quiet — most of the children were already asleep. Inside an office room off the main corridor, Shin sat on a couch, elbows resting lightly on his knees. Across from him, Sister Arienna, sat upright on a single-seat couch. Beside her stood a younger sister in her twenties, her hands nervously clasped in front of her, slightly wrinkled robes — a clear sign of a long day caring for children.
"This is Sister Lienna," Arienna said gently. "She was close to the two who went missing. She might know more than the others."
Shin gave a polite nod to the younger woman before turning his attention fully to her. His tone was calm but firm.
"I need you to tell me everything you can about the sister's?"
Sister Lienna swallowed but answered without hesitation. "Sister Anya and Sister Mariel. They were both assigned with me to take care of the children."
"When was the last time anyone saw them?"
"Two days ago," she replied. "They left after morning prayers. Said they were heading to the market."
Shin's gaze sharpened slightly. "Did they seem… off? Nervous? Distracted? Any behavior that stood out?"
She frowned, thinking. "No… nothing like that. They were cheerful, really. Anya even laughed about sneaking back extra sweets for the children."
Shin asked "No complaints? No mentions of being followed or watched?"
Lienna shook her head. "None. They didn't seem worried at all."
"They were both well-liked, I assume?" Shin asked, straightening up.
"Yes, very much so. Everyone adored them. No one would want to hurt them." she replied.
Shin nodded slowly, piecing it together. "Then the market's our next lead. Someone there must have seen something."
He stood, brushing his coat lightly. "Thank you. If you remember anything else — anything at all — have someone contact the Guild immediately."
Lienna bowed slightly. "Of course. Please… bring them home."
Shin gave her a final nod, then turned to Sister Arienna, who met his gaze with silent understanding. Without another word, he stepped out of the room.
The cool night air stirred the trees as Shin stepped outside. Vel leaned casually near the gate, arms crossed, eyes turned toward the starlit sky.
Shin approached, adjusting his coat. "Sorry for making you wait."
Vel gave him a sideways glance, smirking faintly. "About time. Thought you might've gotten roped into evening prayers."
"I got what we needed," Shin replied, opening the carriage door. "Let's move. We're checking the market tomorrow."
Vel climbed in without a word, the carriage wheels creaking softly as they rolled into the quiet streets.
Next Day – Guild Office
Sunlight poured through the large windows of the Guild office, casting long rays across the documents scattered on the central table. Shin stood over a map of the city, marking a few areas in red ink. Vel leaned against the wall nearby, arms folded and eyes only half-focused.
Shin spoke crisply, "The bottle that the prisoner mentioned — the one their group was 'working with' — might be tied to the monster incident."
Vel pushed off the wall slightly. "You think so?"
"Possibly. The bottle fragments, shuri found near the monster incident, might be similar to it. I think Shuri can find out more — what it is, who could've made it."
"Then take it to her," Vel said with a nod. "Shuri will know where to start."
Shin gave a short nod. "Alright, I'll handle it."
He glanced up from the table and added, "But before you disappear again, go see Darius. He's been asking for a meeting all week."
Vel groaned and rubbed his temple. "Of course he has. Can't he just write a report?"
"He's sent three," Shin replied dryly. "Now go. I already told him you'd show up this time."
Vel looked away, muttering under his breath before finally saying, "Fine, fine… but I'm not staying longer than an hour."
"I'll take what I can get." Shin returned to his notes. "Meanwhile, I've activated my network. Street contacts, local informants — they're investigating all known disappearance reports."
"Anything yet?"
Shin tapped the map. "A pattern. Several victims were last seen around the central market district. That area's being watched closely now."
Vel nodded thoughtfully. "Then we start there."
Shin began gathering the papers. "Let's get to it."
Both men moved for the door, each heading off to their assigned tasks — Vel with a reluctant stride toward Darius's office, Shin moving to visit the research facility.
Scene Shift: Guild Hall
The guild hall buzzed with a lively atmosphere as adventurers moved between tables and quest boards. Near one of the smaller quest boards, a group of young novice adventurers huddled together, excitement gleaming in their eyes.
A boy with messy brown hair, pointed at one of the fresh quest notices. "Look! The Western Forest quests are back! We can finally get some real field experience!"
A girl with short black hair, she nodded eagerly. "Finally! We've been stuck doing small errands and odd jobs for weeks. If we want to rank up, we need proper monster-hunting experience."
A boy carrying a spear nearly as tall as he was, added, "Just gotta be careful though... The Western Forest's still a bit risky. Remember what happened with that giant frog?"
The girl gave a shiver, half laughing. "Yeah, I heard Vel-sama took that thing down. They say the ground was shaking from the battle."
The brown-haired boy smirked. "I wish I could've seen it. They say he split it in half like it was nothing."
As the trio chuckled and marveled over the story, the girl's eyes caught on a poster. Her smile faltered slightly.
"Another missing person…" she murmured, her tone growing cautious.
The brown-haired boy frowned. "Yeah... it's been happening a lot lately, hasn't it?"
The spearman shrugged uneasily. " If we just stick to the outer parts of the forest and don't do anything stupid, we'll be fine."
The girl nodded, rallying her spirits. "Right. We're just going for the wolf hunt and nothing more, we'll be fine."
The three exchanged determined nods. They quickly plucked a "Wolf Subjugation – Western Forest" quest from the notice board on the wall and made their way to the reception counter.
Behind the counter stood Maya, the guild's receptionist.
"Good morning," Maya greeted them. "Are you here to accept a quest?"
The brown-haired boy stepped forward confidently, holding out the quest notice. "Yes! We want to take this wolf-hunting quest."
Maya gave a nod, her smile kind but firm. "Alright. Please present your Guild Cards."
Each of them pulled their Guild Cards from their pouches and handed them over. Maya inspected them quickly, verifying their names and ranks.
After a moment, she stamped the quest notice with an official seal and returned the cards.
"Quest accepted. But be careful. The Western Forest has only just reopened. If you encounter anything unusual or anything you can't handle—retreat immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the trio answered in near-unison.
Maya chuckled softly. "Good. I'll be expecting your safe return. Good luck."
The young adventurers beamed, thanked her, and hurried off to prepare for their first hunting mission.