Ethan currently was walking through an unknown part of the city.
He had just skimmed through a set of system rewards, though he hadn't checked their details yet. Especially the one that said;
[Special Reward]
He however decided checking out all these rewards would be left for later when he got home safely.
Albedo was at his side and had been commanded to stay quiet for the rest of the journey back home.
On the rooftops above, Finn leaped from one building to the next, scanning through the surroundings with his skill; Eagle's Eye.
He would reach one building, take a pause, then activate his passive skill.
His vision would zoom in, scanning the streets below in a sweeping motion, checking faces, looking for threats. Then he'd leap to the next rooftop and repeat.
Both summons had their thoughts bonded to Ethan's, and with that, the memories of those he had seen in the basement were shared with them.
Should they ever come across one, they'd know how to act per the instructions Ethan had given earlier.
Finn was to shoot them in the head on sight, and if per chance one got close, Albedo was to attack with the intent to kill.
While he moved, he thought about how truly insane Beatrice was. I mean, he knew vampires had the most heightened senses along with emotions.
So naturally, they would feel the pain of a heartbreak more than any other, but going this far? Ethan shook his head. Nah, that vampire had to get an insanity check.
He sighed, taking his thoughts away from it as he had one major worry: how he'd get home. He had never been to this part of the city before, had no Arcphone to reach Eduardo with. So how was he going to do this?
Then he spotted an older lady walking down the street with a shopping bag in hand.
Ethan approached with his most charming smile, knowing that older ladies always had a soft spot for him. It was like a cheat code.
"Excuse me, ma'am," he said politely.
The woman turned and looked at him, then her eyes drifted to Albedo standing beside him. Her expression shifted immediately into one of judgment as she took in the demon's cleavage revealing outfit and the way she carried herself.
But she turned back to Ethan and softened a bit. "Yes, dear?"
"I'm a bit lost," Ethan said sheepishly. "Could you point me towards Leon Square?"
Leon Square was the most popular square in Grayfort, known for having the massive statue of the King at its center. If he could get there, he could find his way home.
The woman nodded and pointed down the street. "You'll want to head straight down this road, then take a left at the third street. Keep going until you see the old clock tower, then it's just past that."
"How far is it from here?" Ethan asked.
"About a twenty-minute walk, maybe less if you move quickly."
"And what time is it now?" He followed with another question.
She raised her wrist, checking the small stopwatch strapped to it. "It's past the hour of eight."
Ethan's eyes widened. Eight?!
That's when he remembered that he was actually supposed to have been somewhere with Isabella since the hour of six.
He cursed Beatrice and Wilson in his mind with every foul word he could think of.
"Thank you so much," he said quickly to the woman, then turned and started walking in the given direction.
Albedo followed silently, and Finn continued his rooftop patrol above.
—-
Meanwhile, at Ernie's, Isabella sat with two of her other friends. One was an elf girl with long brown hair named Renie, and the other was a human boy with glasses named Marcus.
Isabella looked distant as she stared the door. She raised her head at it each time it opened and someone walked in.
Renie took a sip of her drink and said, "Still waiting up for this friend of yours?"
Isabella turned towards her, shook her head, and said, "No, no. I stopped already. I don't think he'll show up. I mean, I wasn't even expecting him to."
She shook her head, trying to play it cool with a fake laugh as she took a sip of her juice.
Renie and Marcus glanced at each other and smiled knowingly, then took their own drinks.
But Isabella's eyes drifted back to the door one more time.
——
A vintage car pulled up through the streets before the Grey Fangs building.
Eduardo turned upwards from looking at the beeping tracker still in one place inside, then looked at the building.
His nose made a sniffing sound, and his face turned into a scowl. He muttered in what sounded like a grunt, "Vampires."
Which meant something was definitely and obviously wrong, because it made no sense why Ethan would find himself within a guild with a good number of vampires in it.
He stepped out. But before he even reached the door, it opened, and a member of the guild walked out and stood right in front of him.
Based on his tall and extremely huge body build, with the red eyes, it was safe to assume he was a Guardian Class vampire.
"State your business," the vampire said in a deep, rumbling voice.
Eduardo had that smile on his face as he said casually, "Bring me Master Ethan."
The big vampire looked at him weirdly. "There isn't any Ethan here. Now be on your way, old man."
Maya from inside called out, "Who's that?"
The huge guardian turned back and said, "There's an old man at the door looking for—"
But right then, there was a quick slice.
SHING.
The big vampire's body sliced into one diagonal half, falling over to the ground below in two separate pieces.
Maya's eyes widened. The entire guild got alarmed and agitated at once.
Eduardo had already sheathed his katana back in so effortlessly it wasn't even seen moving.
Then he walked in with that same calm smile and blood splattered on his face.
One of the mages of the guild thrust his hand forward, and a magic circle appeared in front of his palm.
But the spell wouldn't failed to activate when instantly, his hand and entire body were diced into pieces, falling to the ground in a grotesque pile.
And once again, Eduardo sheathed the blade back in as though it had barely moved.
Another person moved to act, but Maya called out at once, "Don't you move another inch!"
The guild member stopped, and alongside the others, turned towards her in absolute shock. They had not expected that.
One even called out, "President?"
Maya looked like she had her nerves racked as she said with a disturbed look on her face, "Men who know this man do not look for battles with him."
They all looked shocked and turned towards the smiling old man.
Then Eduardo said, "Ah, that's good. I see there is no need for introductions. Now, bring me Master Ethan."