The hallway outside the Guild Master's office was unusually quiet as Shin led Shuri through it, his strides sharp and composed. Shuri, now a bit more herself since the attack, walked beside him with a small satchel slung across her shoulder, filled with notes and materials.
"You didn't have to escort me, Shin-sama," she said lightly.
"That is fine, I don't mind really." Shin replied, not breaking his stride.
Shuri smiled faintly.
As they reached the office, Shin opened the door without knocking—something he rarely did.
Inside, the curtains were half-drawn, casting stripes of moonlight across the room. The scent of tea, half-finished paperwork, and fresh ink lingered in the air.
And there was Vel—slumped over his desk, completely asleep, soft snoring echoing gently off the wood paneling. His coat was draped halfway over the back of the chair, and a quill still rested loosely between his fingers.
"…Unbelievable," Shin muttered, his eyes twitching.
He stormed in, cleared his throat loudly, then leaned forward and shouted—
"VEL-SAMA!"
Vel jerked upright with a loud snort, papers flying in all directions.
"GAH—! I wasn't napping, I was just… resting my eyes—" he blinked blearily, then noticed Shuri at the doorway. "Ah."
Shuri covered her mouth, laughing softly. "Guild Master… hard at work as always."
Shin shot Vel a glare that could burn steel, then composed himself with a sigh. "We brought you what you asked for—about the stolen artifacts."
Vel, rubbing the back of his head and trying to act like he hadn't drooled on the ledger, gestured to the chairs. "Right, yes. Sit. Let's, uh, get to it."
Shuri pulled out a few documents from her satchel, laying them on the desk. "We've been reviewing the items stolen from the lab. The most critical were three: the broken cuff from the forest, a magical collar I was developing for controlling wild beasts, and several scrolls."
Vel frowned. "…"
Shuri added. "The cuff especially—it's a variation of the magical collar I was developing. It emits a mana meant to influence monsters. however… it was incomplete."
"…Then the monster in the forest—the one that wiped out Tessa's team—wasn't acting on instinct," Shin finished grimly.
Vel sat up straighter. "It was controlled."
Shuri hesitated, then added, "And there's more. Near the giant frog's corpse, I found fragments of an alchemical bottle. Not ordinary. It had traces of dark magic. Based on tests, it was meant to hold a monster."
Vel blinked. "Wait. That frog? That thing was… stored in a bottle?"
Shin's voice was low. "That shouldn't be possible. Not with something that size."
Shuri nodded solemnly. "The liquid found inside used dark spatial magic. When activated, it traps the creature in an interdimensional stasis. When the bottle is broken, and the liquid spills out on the ground—it reverses the seal. Releasing the creature from dimensional space."
Vel leaned back in his chair, hand on his chin. "That's a very rare and unique ability. I don't even know anyone alive that could do that…"
"Exactly," Shuri said. "There is very little recorded about this ability. Whoever used this isn't just a rogue mage. They're advanced researchers… possibly a scientist or alchemist working outside any legal guild."
There was a long pause.
Then Vel muttered, "A mad scientist… great. That explains a lot. Someone's building a way to control and weaponize monsters."
Shin crossed his arms. " We have to quickly find out where they're operating from, otherwise there will be more casualties like yesterday."
Vel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head as he let out a slow breath. "Well, let's see what kind of juicy details those intruders are hiding. If they went through all that trouble, they'd have to be working for someone big…"
Shin gave a small nod. "Understood. I'll update you as soon as we get more from the interrogation as well."
Shuri nodded and stepped out quietly, the door shutting behind her.
The instant she was gone, Vel stood up with a loud stretch, arms flailing like he'd just come back from vacation. "Man… I really wanna fight more of those big monsters," he said with a weird sparkle in his eye. "That frog thing? Kinda thrilling."
Shin stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Vel-sama," he said flatly, walking over, "that frog thing flattened three buildings, injured half a scout team, and almost swallowed you."
"Yeah, but still," Vel grinned. "Did you see the way it moved? That thing was a walking disaster. Kinda cool."
Shin pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're the Guild Master. You're supposed to prevent disasters, not chase after them like some battle-obsessed maniac."
Vel flopped back into his chair with a grin, "You know me—I love fighting strong monsters. The bigger, the better."
Shin shook his head, exhaling sharply. "The kingdom would fall apart if we had more of those monsters running around."
Vel just laughed, kicking his feet up on the desk. "Come on, admit it. It was a little fun."
A knock sounded at the door.
"Excuse me," a young staff member called from outside. "The reporting department requested Shin-sama help with the incident reports."
Shin exhaled. "Alright, let's get this over with."
He turned and exited, closing the door behind him.
Left alone, Vel's grin slowly faded. He lowered his feet from the desk and turned toward the window, staring out into the quiet night. His eyes, for once, were devoid of humor—focused, cold, and thoughtful.