The weight of silence did not come suddenly.
It drifted.
Like cold ash settling over the hall.
No doors slammed. No footsteps rang. And yet, the Adventurer's Guild changed. In a breath, all the loose noise—the steel laughter, the coin counting, the table slaps—dulled into stillness.
The woman had arrived.
Rei turned first.
Ailith followed.
She passed them, that figure in black.
Boots silent. Steps feathered. Eyes hidden under a low hood. Blades tucked clean beneath her coat.
The presence wasn't loud. It was more dangerous than that.
She didn't demand attention. She denied it. A quiet fog curling through a battlefield.
The guild didn't breathe for three full seconds.
Then, from behind the counter—
"Welcome, Guild Master."
Leyla's voice was light. Measured.
The woman stopped.
Her head turned slightly, just enough to acknowledge.
"Yeah. What was the commotion just now?"
Leyla didn't hesitate. But her eyes flicked, just once, to Rei.
"The boy in black. That's Rei Noven."
A pause.
"A Level 7."
Silence stretched again. Then—
"...Just above me," the woman said.
Leyla nodded.
The woman stepped forward. Toward them.
Ailith straightened almost involuntarily. She knew that aura. That tone.
That title.
> She's not just the Guild Master. She's the city lord of Asha Town. Madam 07.
Reka Nywars.
The woman stopped three steps in front of Rei.
"Nice to meet you," she said quietly. "I am the Guild Master of Asha. And the city's keeper. Most call me Madam 07."
She lifted her head slightly. Just enough for the lantern light to catch her eyes.
Cold. Silver. Deep.
"But you," she said, voice low, "can call me Reka Nywars."
Rei met her gaze. No shift. No bow. No hesitation.
"I'm Rei Noven."
His voice held no tone. Only calculation. Not hostile. Not curious. Just exact.
Reka smirked. A twitch of the lip, like a blade sharpening under silk.
> A cautious one. Not afraid. But careful.
Ailith stepped forward half a pace.
"Do you have business with our party?" she asked.
Reka turned her gaze slightly.
"You just completed a mission," she said. "So you can leave. I was only introducing myself."
That was it.
No commands. No requests. Just facts.
Rei gave a short nod. Ailith mirrored it. The two turned and began walking toward the guild exit, the buzz of the hall just beginning to reawaken behind them.
As the door shut behind them, Reka finally moved. She stepped lightly toward the counter and took the chair in front of Leyla.
The receptionist didn't speak immediately.
She set aside a clipboard. Folded her hands once. Then leaned forward.
Her voice dropped.
"So," Leyla whispered, eyes still watching the closed door, "how was he, dear Reka?"
Reka didn't answer right away. She didn't need to.
But then— a smirk. A subtle twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"A Level 8," Reka said softly. "Confirmed."
Leyla leaned back slightly. Her fingers tapped once on the oak desk.
Then she smiled.
Not the kind she gave adventurers. Not the one she wore during guild hours.
> The kind that belonged to something older. Something watching from higher ground.
"I see," Leyla whispered.
And behind her glasses, something flickered.