Inside a dimly lit place, where the faint glow allowed one to see their surroundings and navigate the path, there was a large hall resembling a cave. The ceiling was made of stone, and its walls were also of solid rock. In the center of this hall, there were trees with violet wood and small glowing white orbs as fruit. It seemed these were the source of the hall's light—the vast hall of the third floor of the southern dungeon.
"Cold Spikes!" shouted a young man with white hair and leather armor as he aimed his needle-like sword at one of the Herboazes.
A series of sharp, frozen projectiles, resembling crystals, shot forward and pierced the Herboaz's body, sending it crashing to the ground as it struggled to get back up. Seizing the opportunity, the white-haired young man rushed forward and drove his thin sword into the weak monster, finishing it off.
"Amazing! It's been a week, and you're improving so much, Laos. That's incredible," a Foxen said as he approached Laos, clad in his leather armor.
"Well, it seems my magic level has advanced, so I can cast new spells," Laos replied.
"You've explained this a thousand times already. Anyway, we've taken down five Herboazes easily. Let's head back," Ponier said as he withdrew, pulling out the twisted tusks of the fallen monster.
They both exited the dungeon, and at the entrance, a large number of knights stood guard, as usual. They pulled up their hoods to shield themselves from the sun before continuing away from the dungeon, bustling with knights and adventurers.
"So, you said you saw a group of knights chasing that adventurer, Ralce?" Laos muttered.
"Yeah, I don't know what's going on in the town right now, but let's hurry and find out," Ponier replied.
After that, they reached the town, entering through the southern gate before heading straight to the Alis guild. The guild was crowded, but no vice master was delivering a speech from the balcony. They collected their reward and were about to leave quickly when they spotted a familiar party, making them stop abruptly. It was Grell's party.
"Hey, Grell! It's been a while since I last saw you all," Laos called out.
"Same here. Well, it looks like things are in chaos outside," Grell replied.
"What happened?" Laos asked, his face showing slight concern.
"You don't know?! Where have you two been?!" a short girl with rabbit ears, Penny, exclaimed in surprise.
"Apparently, the capital's knights captured Ralce. And shortly before they caught him, there was a murder in the town, near the center," said a burly young man with an iron axe strapped to his back, Miro.
"A murder inside the town?!" Ponier asked.
"Yeah, and it seems the victim was an adventurer from the Miracles guild. They rounded up a lot of people, but the killer's identity hasn't been confirmed yet. Looks like the Dark Eye has reached a terrifying level," Grell explained.
"This is really disturbing… things are getting worse," Laos muttered.
"Inside the town… impossible. Has the Dark Eye lost his mind? Committing a crime with all these knights around?!" Ponier blurted out.
"But what if the killer isn't the Dark Eye? What if it's just a regular murderer?" Laos suggested.
"Impossible. If it wasn't the Dark Eye, no one else could have killed that adventurer. I heard he was a veteran Gold-ranked adventurer," Grell replied.
"Alright, let's meet again later. I need to go!" Laos said as he quickly left the guild, heading somewhere else in the town as if he had suddenly remembered something important.
◆ ◆ ◆
Far from the Alis guild, inside one of the houses, Vinnel sat calmly before his nephew, Ralce. The knight's gaze was sharp—despite staring with only one eye, he was terrifying. He looked at the ground while gripping his long sword. Then, with an icy tone, he said: "Ralce, are you the Dark Eye?"
"What the fuck?! No way!" Ralce shouted loudly.
"Alright, why is he a suspect?" Vinnel asked one of his knights.
At that, a knight dressed in fine clothing stepped forward, seemingly ready to answer. "A group of knights saw him running near the town's center, but from the western side."
"I told you, I was just jogging as usual toward the Miracles guild!" Ralce shouted.
"This town has a center, and its center is that merchant's palace. Iveleth is divided into two parts—east and west, with the palace in the middle. The crime happened in the eastern side, but you were seen running in the west," Vinnel stated.
"So, Ralce, what do you have to say about this accusation?"
"I already told them when they caught me at the guild entrance! I wake up every day and jog to the guild. You can even ask the adventurers at Alis—they see me all the time. It's obvious and simple; there's no way I'm the Dark Eye!" Ralce protested.
"Alright, maybe you're right. Also, none of the witnesses who saw the Dark Eye described you at all… unless…"
With that, Vinnel ordered the witnesses to be brought in again—the old man and the girl. They stepped forward from the other room, their faces still marked with fear. Then, standing before Ralce, they waited for the interrogation to begin.
"You two… does he look like the masked man you saw?" Vinnel asked them.
"No, no, he doesn't look like him at all. He's much taller and has a bigger build," the old man repeated.
"Yes, I don't think it's him," the girl added.
"Don't be afraid. I know that Ralce is the second strongest adventurer in this town, so don't worry, he won't kill you if you snitch on him. Are you sure you didn't lie about the masked man's description just to keep us from catching Ralce?" Vinnel asked coldly.
"Uncle...?!?!" Ralce muttered.
"No, no, we swear it's not him!" the old man repeated in fear.
"Alright, you two may leave."
After that, they returned to the waiting room. Ralce seemed surprised by his uncle's behavior. He had assumed his uncle would understand the situation and believe him easily, but instead, his uncle took things seriously, treating Ralce not as a nephew but as a suspect. This level of professionalism made Ralce feel like the situation was escalating beyond his control.
"Alright, my last question… Ralce, do you have any connection with Avilat, the Alis guild master?" Vinnel finally asked, locking eyes with his nephew.
"Not at all. I've never spoken to him even once," Ralce replied.
"Then… Ralce, you are innocent," the one-eyed knight murmured.
"Until now? Are you serious?! Were you really suspecting me with your full mental capacity? It's obvious that I'm not the Dark Eye! Why did it take you so long to reach this conclusion?!" Ralce shouted.
"Of course, I have to be thorough. Alright, the final step to clear you completely is to ask someone from Alis if they saw you running this morning," Vinnel responded.
"Do whatever you want, old man. I have a dungeon to reach the final floor of before that demi-human does," Ralce said as he grabbed his greatsword, which had been held by the knights.
"A magnificent sword. Where did you get it?" Vinnel asked as he stood up from his chair.
"I bought it. The Berserker's Blade—that's its name. The greatest sword in this town," Ralce replied.
"So, aren't you afraid that the Dark Eye might target you next?"
"Hah?! Afraid?! If he wants to try, I'm waiting for him. He won't see the light of day again," Ralce answered, laughing.
"Amazing… Alright, this is where we part ways. The next time I see you, I want you to be the strongest adventurer in this town. Our bloodline must begin an era of glory. We… are the Kolin family, right Ralcy?" Vinnel said, placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"You got it, you bloodline-obsessed maniac," Ralce responded, walking out of the house with his usual smug grin.
Finally, the interrogation was over—an interrogation that Ralce saw as nothing more than an unnecessary hassle. His wild grin didn't fade even after stepping outside. As he left the building, he noticed an adventurer sprinting in the distance. From his appearance, the adventurer seemed like a rookie—black-haired, wearing a leather armor and a white cloak that trailed behind him as he ran. It was Laos, and he appeared to be heading toward Fiona's tavern.
"Hey, why are you running? Don't you know what's going on around here? If you keep running like that, people might mistake you for him," Ralce called out to Laos.
After that, Laos glanced at him but continued walking at a slower pace without saying a word to the massive knight clad in green armor. He seemed a little afraid. Seeing this, Ralce's grin gradually faded as if he had just witnessed something tragic. Then, with an irritated expression, he muttered: "Damn it! I won't run anymore!"
Laos kept walking, and after some time, he arrived at the tavern. He quickly went upstairs and knocked on the door. As usual, Maris was the one who opened it. Seeing her made him feel a sense of relief, and he let out a slow breath before flashing a broad smile. Then, he stepped forward and hugged her tightly, murmuring: "It looks like the Dark Eye killed an adventurer inside the town."
"Yes, I heard… It's truly tragic," Maris replied as she sat down for lunch.
"So… should we leave town?" Laos muttered.
"Do you have another job you can do?" Maris asked.
"I could become an adventurer in another town… No, no, Iveleth is the best place. Ugh, I don't know what to do. I'm just scared that things will get worse."
"Don't worry, Laos. Everything will be fine. We've started living a great life. You're making a lot of money, so I don't think we should leave just like that," Maris reassured him.
"Alright, I was worried you wanted to leave this town, but if there are no problems, that means I'll be staying here too!" Laos said, stuffing a piece of steak into his mouth.
"So, what will you do now?"
"I'll wait until evening, take on a Leaf-ranked quest, and call it a day. Honestly, Leaf-ranked quests annoy me. Thalesa's power is growing rapidly, and I can use a huge number of abilities. Even Tier 3 monsters aren't a challenge for me anymore. They should be paying me more and letting me take on Silver-ranked quests or higher."
"Unfortunately, you can't do that. You need to complete a lot of Leaf-ranked quests first if you want to rank up. But you're already making enough money through your partnership with Ponier, so Laos…"
"What?" Laos muttered with a full mouth.
"Don't be greedy!" Maris said, trying to make an angry face, though it ended up looking funny.
"You're right… But Maris, I want to…"
"What do you want?"
"Actually, I want to buy a house," Laos admitted.