In the pitch-ck, unknown depths of darkness, an orange light flickered on, casting a dim glow that barely illuminated the narrow room.


    "Thank you all for gathering… esteemed members of the ouws," came a voice that was calm.


    The speaker was a man with a gentle face, but there was a cold, unsettling light hidden deep within his thin eyes. His name was Sholk. Lyria''s man, who is from the Sria Sanctum.


    Lyria returned since she knew with Kerum present, she can''t do anything. However she left Sholk, letting Sholk do whatever he want.


    If Sholk got sessful capturing Maris and Lucan, then Lyria will take credit and if he doesn''t or failed then it''s his fault, nothing to do with her.


    Surrounding Sholk were several men and women.


    "The reason I have gathered you esteemed individuals of the ouws is not without purpose," Sholk began, his voice smooth as silk. "I have a job I would like to request."


    But before he could borate, one of the people in the room—a man with a rough, ouw-like face—spoke up, his voice dripping with suspicion.


    "I''d like to hear about this request right away," the man growled, his hand resting on the hilt of a dagger at his waist. "But… why are those people here?"


    The flickering light revealed his scarred face, hardened by years of surviving on the edge of society. This was Durak, a mercenary known for his brutal efficiency andck of loyalty to anyone but himself. His reputation as a man who would do anything for the right price was well-known, but his distrust of others was just as infamous.


    Sholk smiled, a hint of amusement ying on his lips.


    "To invite business rivals like this is quite the story, isn''t it? Don''t tell me you want us to work together?"


    Before Sholk could respond, a woman with striking crimson hair and a sneer that could cut through steel interjected. "I refuse that," she said, her voiceced with disdain. "I''d rather step down than work with them."


    This was Katty, a former noblewoman who had fallen from grace and now operated as an assassin. Her beauty was as dangerous as her de, and she had a notorious reputation for seducing her targets before ending their lives. She was a woman of contradictions—elegant yet ruthless, charming yet cold-hearted.


    "No matter how high the reward, I won''t take a job I''m not into," Katty continued, her eyes narrowing as she nced at the others in the room. "Working with someone I dislike is out of the question."


    "I''m the one refusing," another voice chimed in, sharp and venomous. "I won''t join forces with a woman who only has the ability to seduce men!"


    This came from Griselda, a former knight who had turned to banditry after being betrayed by herrades. Her once noble armor was now battered and worn, but she still carried herself with the pride of a warrior. Unlike Katty, Griselda had no use for subtlety—she was direct, brutal, and had a fierce hatred for those who relied on maniption instead of strength.


    The room filled with hostility as the ouws exchanged res, each one sizing up the others as potential threats rather than allies. They were all viins in their own right—thieves, bandits, assassins, and gang members. Some had been operating in the kingdom from the start, while others had entered with Sholk''s assistance.


    Despite their shared status as ouws, they trusted no one, least of all each other.


    "Ten million gold coins."


    However, Sholk''s calm voice sliced through the hostility like a de, immediately silencing the room.


    "The request is for kidnapping," he continued, his tone casual, as if discussing the weather. "I want you to abduct two people and bring them to a certain location. The reward is ten million gold coins."


    "Ten million…?"


    One of the ouws, anky man with a nervous twitch, gulped audibly. This was Ss, a thief with an uncanny ability to disappear into the shadows. Despite his jittery demeanor, Ss was known for being able to get in and out of ces no one else could, making him invaluable for jobs that required stealth. But even he was taken aback by the sheer amount of money on offer.


    Those who had been noisy before were now speechless, frozen in ce by the staggering amount of the reward. It was an astronomical sum,parable to the budget of a small country. Even the most hardened criminals in the room couldn''t help but be awed by the offer.


    "Ah… please don''t misunderstand," Sholk added, a sinister smile ying on his lips. "It''s ten million coins per person. In other words, if you bring both of them, the reward will be twenty million coins."


    """""...!"""""


    The ouws were frozen in shock once more. The maximum reward was twenty million gold coins—a sum so unreal that it was hard to believe. Even the most jaded among them were shaken by the possibility.


    "...Who are we supposed to kidnap?" Ss asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Are you asking us to abduct the king?"


    Sholk''s smile widened, "Less guarded than the king… I want you to bring a woman called the Saintess, Maris Rainsa, at this country''s temple, and a man recently recognized as a Holy Priest, Lucan Ironfist."


    The room went silent. Sholk''s grin widened, his thin eyes glinting with malevolent intent. The purpose of gathering these ouws was now clear—to kidnap the Saintess Maris Rainsa and the Lucan Ironfist and bring them back to the Sria Sanctum. Their will was of no concern. As long as they were brought to the Sria Sanctum, there were many methods to erase their will and brainwash them.


    Even if they were protected by holy spirits.


    "As preparation money, I will give everyone here this…" Sholk said, gesturing to the butler standing beside him. "Even if you refuse the request, you won''t need to return it. Consider it a souvenir."


    The butler, a tall, stern-looking man dressed impably in a ck suit, began handing out packages to the ouws. The packages, heavy with gold coins, were filled with an unknown number of coins—at least over a thousand coins per package. It was a fortune that would be a burden to carry for any ordinary person, but to these ouws, it was just the beginning of an unimaginable windfall.


    "I leave the methods up to you," Sholk continued, his voice smooth and unhurried. "You may cooperate with each other orpete for the task. Once you have brought either of the targets, or even just one, I will give you a magic bag with the reward."


    The ouws exchanged nces, their expressions unreadable. Each of them weighed the risks and rewards, the promise of untold wealth against the dangers of crossing paths with saints.


    "Who are you, anyway…" Griselda muttered, her eyes narrowing.


    "Please do not inquire into our identity… that is a condition for receiving the reward," Sholk replied, his tone final.


    The ouw who had been about to ask a question swallowed his doubts, his mind reeling from the enormity of the offer. The amount of ten million gold coins was an unprecedented sum, one that could make even the most cautious criminals throw caution to the wind.


    In truth, it made sense to hide their identity. Though Sholk stood before the ouws without hiding his face, he actually possessed a magical item that obstructed recognition, making his face and expressions invisible to those around him. Just the magical item itself must have been worth an extraordinary amount.


    "…I''ll do it. I''ll take the job," Durak finally said, his voice firm. He clenched the package of gold coins in his hand, his mind already racing with ns.


    "I will too," Katty said, her earlier disdain reced by cold determination. "I''ll do it."


    "…Understood," Griselda muttered, her eyes narrowing as she epted the package.


    One by one, the ouws nodded in agreement, each epting the job despite their initial reservations.


    "Then… I look forward to working with you," Sholk said, satisfaction evident in his voice. "I must leave this country for personal reasons, but I will leave this butler as a contact person. If you need anything, please go through him."


    Smiling with satisfaction, Sholk spread his arms wide, as if embracing the darkness that surrounded them.


    "May all be ording to the will of the great goddess. May all light and glory be in thend of the gods…"


    With those words, he disappeared.


    Saintess Maris Rainsa.


    Holy Saint Lucan Ironfist.


    With their eyes clouded by dark desires, the ouws began to maneuver in secret, each one driven by the promise of unimaginable wealth.


    ---


    Maris, unaware of these dangers, was happily dragging Lucan to a café she had discovered. Even if she knew some dangerous ouws wereing for her and Lucan, she would simply wave her hand, and those ouws would be squashed to pieces like mosquitoes, without a second thought.


    Lovey Dovey Cafe.