Royalz

"What are you doing here, Gabriel?" Lloyd asked, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

Gabriel, standing in the doorway with his usual composed demeanor, gave a slight bow. "Don't worry, Mr. Lucien. I didn't come here to start a fight. I came to seek your help." His voice carried an elegant cadence, refined yet firm.

Lloyd's expression darkened. "Stop calling me by that name. You already know—I left everything behind. There's no point in asking for my help." He turned back to his work, placing bottles onto the shelf with deliberate care.

Gabriel remained unfazed. "Someone has made a contract." His tone grew heavier, more severe.

Lloyd paused. His fingers tightened slightly around the glass bottle in his hand. Then, slowly, he turned his head toward Gabriel. "What?"

Gabriel met his gaze and continued. "Yes. It has happened for the third time. The contract was made ten days ago. Since then—the current king of Velldore, Mathieu da Gramont, has been assassinated. Mercenary bands, thieves, and assassins have begun to rise at an alarming rate. To find the one behind the contract and put an end to it, I need your help."

Lloyd took a deep breath, considering his words. Then, he exhaled and shook his head. "No. Even if Mathieu—the king of Velldore—is dead, Judge is still there to protect the kingdom. A monster like him wouldn't even let an ant slip past the gates."

Gabriel nodded slightly, as if he had expected this answer. "Indeed. But this is an order from Judge himself." He turned to leave, stepping toward the door. Then, just as he reached it, he stopped.

"Ah, I almost forgot." Gabriel glanced over his shoulder, his voice carrying a quiet warning. "There's a mercenary band near this town. They call themselves the Satanists. I would suggest being careful… Mr. Lucien."

With that, Gabriel stepped out of the Herbal Haven, disappearing into the night.

From inside the shop, Emilia stepped out and glanced around. "Did a customer come by, Lloyd?"

Lloyd turned to her with a calm expression. "Oh, no one was here, ma'am." His tone was casual, as if nothing had happened.

After finishing his work, Lloyd began preparing to leave. "My work's done, ma'am, so I'm heading out."

Emilia, however, quickly stopped him. "Wait a minute, Lloyd. Dinner's ready—you should eat with us today."

Lloyd was about to decline, but before he could, his stomach let out a loud growl.

Hearing that, Emilia chuckled. "Well, it seems like your stomach is saying yes."

Lloyd sighed, slightly embarrassed. "I guess I could eat today."

Everyone gathered around, enjoying the delicious meal Emilia had prepared.

"Honey, did you hear? Mrs. Sappleton's two kids went missing while playing outside."

Rituvik, taking a sip of his beer, nodded. "Yeah. Lately, a lot of people have been disappearing from town." His gaze flickered toward Lloyd for a brief second, suspicion flashing in his eyes. But then he shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Nah… I'm overthinking things."

Emilia sighed. "I wonder who's behind all this…" Her voice carried a hint of concern and empathy.

Outside the house, Lloyd stood near the door and bowed slightly. "Thank you for the meal."

Emilia smiled warmly. "Oh, don't worry about that. Our home is just like your home."

Before Lloyd could respond, Rituvik, now clearly drunk, muttered, "Feel free to eat here anytime... but stay away from my daughter." He swayed slightly as he spoke.

Rayna's face turned red. "Shut up, old man!" She smacked Rituvik on the head, grabbed his collar, and dragged him inside.

Lloyd walked along the quiet, paved roads. The streets were empty, the only sound being the faint rustling of the wind. He stopped near a fountain, his expression turning serious.

"So people really are getting abducted… Ignoring this would only cause more problems."

Kneeling down, he placed his hand on the cold stone pavement. "I should scan the entire town carefully."

A dark aura pulsed from his palm, spreading across the ground like ink seeping into water. It slithered through the streets, reaching every corner of the town.

Then—without warning—all the black energy suddenly retracted, flowing back into Lloyd's hand.

"Oh… right. I still have that curse on me." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to search the old-fashioned way."

Lloyd moved through every alley and side street, searching for any trace of the mercenary band known as the Satanists. Hours passed as he scoured the town, but eventually, he noticed a disturbing pattern—on the back of every house where a child or family member had gone missing, a pentagram symbol had been carved. A clear sign left by the Satanist group.

He narrowed his eyes."This means the next target has already been marked."

Determined, he searched for other markings, but the only houses bearing the pentagram were those where people had already vanished. Just as he was about to move on, he spotted the same symbol again—this time on the back of an abandoned house.

Lloyd's mind raced."An abandoned house? No family‚ no witnesses... The perfect hunting ground."

Then—clatter.

A sharp noise echoed through the empty street. Instantly, Lloyd turned, his eyes scanning the area.

…But it was just a gray cat trotting along.

Lloyd exhaled. "Looks like they're not in the town. They must be operating from outside." He stretched, stifling a yawn.

"I should probably head back before Rayna yells at me again."

With that, he turned on his heels and disappeared into the night.

Morning arrived, and Lloyd groggily woke up from the same nightmare again, his body drenched in sweat. Running a hand through his messy hair, he sighed.

"I guess I'm getting used to these nightmares..." he muttered.

As always, many people greeted him with a cheerful "Good morning!" as he walked through town. He smiled and responded in kind.

While making his way through the crowded streets, Lloyd noticed an unusual number of soldiers on patrol. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, the town administrators got the news too, huh?" he thought to himself.

Lloyd reached the store, and just as he was about to open the door, he overheard a conversation between two women.

"Oi, did you hear? There's a creepy man living in that abandoned house."

"The one near the restaurant?"

"Yeah."

"That place has been abandoned for over ten years. I guess it's only natural for some homeless guy to take shelter there."

"Yes, but he's really, really creepy."

Lloyd turned to the women and asked, "Good morning, Rachel. By the way, when did you see this man?"

Rachel blinked, then smiled. "Oh, Lloyd, good morning. But why do you want to know?"

"If he's homeless and struggling, I figured I could bring him something to eat," Lloyd replied.

Rachel nodded. "I saw him this morning."

"Okay, thanks." With that, Lloyd left for the abandoned house.

As he walked away, Rachel turned to the other woman and sighed. "He's so kind."

When Lloyd arrived at the abandoned house, he stepped inside. The place was empty, the wooden floor rotting with age. There was no sign of the homeless man.

Lloyd narrowed his eyes. Did the Satanists already abduct him? He clenched his fists. If they did, I'll have to find another mark tonight. More people could be taken… and this time, I won't let anyone go missing.

With that thought, he left the house and hurried back to the store.

As he arrived, he took a deep breath, bracing himself. Rayna's probably ready to scold me for being late…

But when he pushed open the door, he was met with an unexpected sight—only Emilia was at the counter.

Noticing him, Emilia greeted, "Good morning, Lloyd."

"Good morning, ma'am. By the way, where's Rayna? I thought she'd be ready to lecture me by now," Lloyd said, looking around.

Emilia let out a small sigh. "She was overflowing with anger, but then, out of nowhere, she grabbed a basket and stormed off to the forest to gather herbs. I tried to stop her, but kids these days just don't listen." A hint of worry crept into her voice. "It's been almost an hour, and she hasn't come back. Can you go look for her? Rituvik's out making deliveries in another town."

Lloyd didn't hesitate. "Don't worry, ma'am. Rayna will be fine." With that, he turned and left the store.

As he hurried through the bustling streets, he thought to himself, "If Rayna went looking for herbs, she's probably in the eastern part of the forest."

Reaching the town gates, he spotted a soldier standing guard. The man glanced at him and said, "Hey, Lloyd. How's it going?"

"I'm fine. By the way, did you see Rayna?" Lloyd asked, urgency in his tone.

"Oh, yeah. She went into the forest about an hour ago."

Hearing this, Lloyd wasted no time and rushed toward the forest. Watching him disappear into the trees, the guard frowned. "Something's up... I should inform Robert when he gets back."

Lloyd pushed through thick bushes, heading east where wild herbs grew in abundance. Soon, he reached a familiar clearing and spotted Rayna lying under a tree, her eyes closed.

His heart skipped a beat, but as he got closer, he noticed a strange plant beside her. His expression hardened.

"So that's what happened... That plant causes drowsiness."

Kneeling beside her, he placed a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. "Rayna, wake up. This isn't the time to sleep."

Rayna stirred groggily, rubbing her eyes. As she blinked up at him, she suddenly noticed his hand still on her shoulder. Her face turned red, and without hesitation, she smacked him across the face.

"Get away from me, you pervert!"

Lloyd sighed, rubbing his cheek. "Your mom sent me to find you. You were gone for almost an hour, and she was getting anxious."

Rayna's expression dimmed slightly. "So... you only came because my mom told you to?"

Lloyd gave a small smile. "No, I wasn't just looking for you because of that. I was worried something might have happened to you."

Hearing this, her face brightened—but only for a moment. The next second, she scowled and smacked him again.

"And you were late this morning!"

Lloyd sighed again, defeated. "Yeah‚ my bad."

Rayna then get's up and says‚"we should get going. Mom's probably worryied about me."

Lloyd nodded, and the two of them headed toward the gates.

As they arrived, the guard spotted them and smirked. "Rayna, you didn't tell me you were going out with Lloyd."

Rayna immediately froze, her face turning red. "Say that to my face, you baldy!" she yelled, charging at him with a clenched fist.

Before she could swing, Lloyd grabbed her by the arm, holding her back. "You should probably let it go. He's just teasing you," he said with a sigh.

"So what?" she huffed, pulling her arm free and stomping off.

Lloyd followed behind her, but suddenly, a powerful aura swept past him, forcing him to a halt.

Something felt off.

His eyes narrowed as he turned slightly, spotting a figure in the crowd—a man clad in a heavy, rugged overcoat that concealed most of his face. His hands remained hidden beneath the thick fabric, gripping something.

Lloyd's expression darkened. Something's not right about that guy… That aura...no doubt about it.A powerful Art.

At that moment, the strange man looked at Lloyd. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and his face bore the signs of hardship.

Meanwhile, Rayna, already a few steps ahead, called over her shoulder, "You're working double time for being late, Lloyd!"

When she didn't hear a response, she turned around—only to realize Lloyd was no longer behind her.

Her eye twitched in irritation. "If he ditched work again... I swear, I'm gonna kick his freaking ass!"