Inside the SUV, the world seemed like a comfortable cocoon of silence. The noise of the city outside was muffled by layers of soundproofing enchantments, and the air inside had the subtle scent of fine leather and magical mint—standard in Association vehicles on "diplomatic priority" missions.
Seth sank into the back seat with a sigh, feeling exhaustion finally overtake him. Bastet had already merged completely with his shadow, asleep like a forgotten thought. Beside him, Connie took off her coat and settled in unceremoniously, laying her head on his shoulder as if the gesture were her birthright.
The driver up front, silent and precise, was Kaguya—an A-Rank Hunter known for her immobile expression and ability to drive anything with wheels or wings while reading classified reports. Her white hair tied back in a ponytail contrasted with her dark uniform, and her jade eyes remained on the road with impeccable attention.
"Was it bad?" Connie asked, her voice muffled against Seth's collarbone.
"It was... a living dungeon," he replied, staring at the car ceiling as if he could still see the spider's pulsing crystal. "More trap than challenge. Prisoners were taken down quickly. Gregory tried to betray us—must have gotten some extra incentive. Died to the boss."
"Crystal spider, right? Kaguya said the mana flow changed just before you guys came back."
"She was smart. Defensive. Hunted in the dark like a bad thought." Seth ran his fingers through his hair, pulling the strands back. "Bastet dealt with her."
Connie lifted her face slightly to look at him in profile. "Is she okay?"
"More hungry than hurt. Nothing a bath and an offering of pure shadow won't fix."
Connie smiled slightly. Her hand rose to his chest, resting there like a silent promise.
"You killed the creature. And you still protected the rookie."
"Eliza? She was useful. She held her own. But... she still believes in the rules." Seth turned his eyes to the window. 'I don't know if she'll last long in this world.'
"Maybe she doesn't have to," Connie said, almost as if it didn't matter. "Not everyone has to become a wolf."
"Some need to be sheep so the wolf remembers why it howls." Seth spoke calmly, with a touch of bitterness.
The silence dragged on for a moment. The car crossed avenues protected by diversion spells—no pedestrians or vehicles approached. Night slowly engulfed the city, and the magical lights of the urban infrastructure gave the landscape an almost dreamlike glow.
Kaguya spoke for the first time, without taking her eyes off the road, but with a cell phone in her hand.
"I just received the report from Supervision. They're going to investigate Gregory. A name was mentioned as the source of the order."
Connie sighed deeply, as if she had expected the news even before hearing it. She didn't lift her head from Seth's shoulder, just closed her eyes for a moment, as if sealing the irritation inside her with a calm gesture.
"Ignore it for now, Kaguya," she said, her voice firm but unhurried. 'We'll deal with this Gregory business later. Dead man's politics are never in a hurry.'
Kaguya nodded silently, already sliding her finger to file the notification away on the enchanted display of her cell phone.
Seth raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
Connie then straightened slightly, pulling her hair out of its bun and letting the dark strands fall over her shoulders. She turned to him, her eyes now alive with that dangerous gleam that always appeared when she was about to say something uncomfortable, necessary—or both.
"By the way," she began, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate elegance, 'I managed to schedule your reevaluation.'
Seth froze. "Reevaluation... of Rank?"
Connie nodded with a half-smile, innocent as poison in a crystal glass.
"Unfortunately, I had to use Vixen's name to unlock the administrative window. And make one or two indirect threats to an evaluator. But it worked. Tomorrow. Noon. Room Alpha at the Association."
Seth groaned softly, throwing his head back against the seat. "Finally."
Connie smiled, not particularly surprised by his response.
"Finally, huh?" she repeated, smiling.
Seth gave a lazy smile, but there was a different gleam in his eyes—something even she didn't see often.
"Yeah. I need to get that Rank-E off my record." He turned his head toward the window, seeing his reflection in the dark surface. 'That way, I can go to bigger dungeons.'
Connie watched him more closely. That kind of talk wasn't typical of Seth — much less said out loud.
"Do you think you can do it?" she asked, her voice lower now, without irony.
He nodded slowly.
"I think if I don't succeed tomorrow... it's because I don't want to."
Connie rested her head on his shoulder again, more gently this time, almost as if it were a truce.
"Maybe you have more of me than you think," she murmured.
"Is that a compliment or a curse?"
"It depends on whether you pass the evaluation."
Kaguya let out a slight sigh through her nose, almost a stifled laugh, still focused on the road. But Seth could swear he saw one of her eyes sparkle in the rearview mirror.
"Are you going to watch?" he asked Connie.
"Of course," she replied. 'Someone has to applaud or silence the gossips.'
"You can do both at the same time."
"That's why I'm your wife."
The car turned smoothly around a bend, entering the Association's restricted access zone. Towers of enchanted obsidian rose around them, and the runes on the pavement began to light up one by one, recognizing the seal on the SUV. The magical security adjusted in real time, and invisible gates opened with the subtle sound of glyphs being released.
Seth closed his eyes for a moment.
Noon. Room Alpha. The evaluation crystal awaited....
The meeting room was too large for a single person, but that didn't seem to bother the woman sitting at the head of the table. The windows were covered by enchanted curtains that blocked any attempt at scrying, and the dark mahogany walls absorbed sound with almost supernatural efficiency. A set of globes suspended from the ceiling created a diffuse, soft but cold lighting—light for work, not comfort.
She worked with methodical efficiency: pen in one hand, enchanted stamp in the other. The sheets of parchment slid under her fingers with precision, each receiving a mark, a note, or a silent rejection. The stamp descended, glowed with blue runes for a second, and sealed the document with a swirling symbol of the Association.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
She didn't seem tired—it seemed like it was part of her breathing, her existence. Until her eyes landed on a black leather folder marked with the seal "Internal Pending - Level 6 Access."
She opened it slowly. Her fingers, protected by thin fabric gloves, leafed through the documents until they stopped at a file.
SETH CHAMBERS.
Current classification: Rank E.
Status: Operational.
Evaluation scheduled: Yes.
Date: 12:00 p.m., May 26.
Room: Alpha.
Requester: Connie Parker. Exceptional authorization via Vixen.
The woman stood still for a moment. The stamp hovered in the air. Her golden eyes analyzed each line with the patience of someone accustomed to sniffing out lies in detail.
She leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing her legs with disciplined elegance. On her desk, a pot of cold tea had long since stopped steaming, but she didn't care. She picked up a fine pen, and under the "internal observations" field, she wrote in impeccable handwriting:
"Maintain discreet surveillance. Undocumented potential. History of evasion — cross-reference with previous records."
She paused, then added, with a heavier stroke:
"Allow evaluation. But inform the Council if it exceeds standard Rank-S parameters."
And then, with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, she brought down the stamp.
THUMP.
The rune glowed red for a second before fading.
The woman closed the folder. Her eyes went to an enchanted monitor in the corner of the table. A blurry video—dungeon security—showed Seth leaving with Eliza.
"You're a problem that has finally decided to reveal itself, Chambers. Two Rank-S interested in you," she muttered, more to herself than to any ear.
She snapped her fingers. A small circle of mana activated in the corner of the desk.
"Notify the Internal Council: special observation during tomorrow's evaluation."
The rune flashed, confirming the message had been sent.
And then, as if nothing had happened, she picked up the next sheet from the pile.
THUMP.