The flame of the oil lamp flickered softly.
The sound of pages turning continuously echoed throughout the room.
Raijin rapidly flipped through the papers one after another.
There was a gleam in his eyes.
The papers related to the missing children were spread out in front of him.
Mira — Age: 9.
Theo — Age: 14.
Lina — Age: 12.
Louie — Age: 10.
Rufus — Age: 10.
Raijin's gaze shifted from those papers to another pile of documents placed in the corner of the room.
They contained information about the young people who had disappeared this month.
He immediately picked them up and began reading them one by one.
Nejhin — Age: 22.
Sylvia — Age: 27.
Rowan — Age: 24.
Kale — Age: 29.
The gleam in Raijin's eyes gradually grew brighter.
He carefully examined all the papers once again.
Then his gaze stopped on one particular detail.
All the missing children were under the age of fifteen.
And—
All the missing young people were over twenty but under thirty.
Raijin remained silent for a while.
He had found his first clue.
But there was no happiness on his face.
Because this was only the beginning.
He was still a long way from the truth he would eventually discover.
Raijin slowly closed his eyes.
After reading papers continuously for so long, his head had begun to feel heavy.
He placed all the papers on the table and walked toward the bed.
The next moment, he collapsed onto it.
Within a few moments, exhaustion took hold of him.
---
Knock... Knock... Knock...
Raijin's eyes opened at the sound of someone knocking on the door.
For a few moments, he remained motionless on the bed.
Then he turned his eyes toward the window.
Bright sunlight had already spread throughout the room.
For a moment, Raijin felt as if he had fallen asleep only five minutes ago.
Then the knock came again.
Knock... Knock... Knock...
Raijin reluctantly got out of bed.
Before the third knock could come, he opened the door.
Fins was standing outside.
He was wearing ordinary clothes. A wooden tray was in one of his hands, while he had been knocking on the door with the other.
Raijin looked at him in surprise.
"How did you get here?"
Then he looked at the tray.
"Oh... I know. You came to bring me food. But wasn't it a girl who usually delivered the food?"
Fins raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Were you hoping to see her?"
"No... no!"
Raijin immediately waved his hands.
"I mean... you're usually downstairs at the counter. You rarely come upstairs. That's why I asked."
A faint smile appeared on Fins's face.
"She's off today. So I have to deliver everyone's food."
He extended the tray toward Raijin.
Raijin took it and went inside the room, sitting down near the table.
Today's meal was somewhat different.
Lamb had been cooked with vegetables. The slight sweetness of the vegetables blended well with the spicy flavor of the meat.
There was also a yellow-colored juice, which tasted like pineapple to Raijin.
He didn't waste much time and quickly finished his meal.
Then he left the room, went downstairs, and arrived at the hotel counter.
Standing in front of the counter, he tapped his fingers against the wood.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Fins's attention shifted away from his other work and toward him.
"What do you want?"
"Last night, you gave me information about the missing children and some young people."
Raijin leaned slightly forward.
"Do you have any more information about them?"
One corner of Fins's lips lifted slightly.
"Why? Was the information I gave you not enough?"
"No. It was only enough to confirm a few things."
Raijin answered directly.
"If you have more information, I want it."
Fins stared at him for a few moments.
"You found something in just one night?"
"When did I say that?"
Raijin spoke calmly.
"I haven't found anything yet. But if I get a little more information, maybe I can find something."
Fins sighed deeply.
"The information I gave you was basically a slightly more detailed version of the posters. If you want the complete information, you'll have to go to the Guild."
At the mention of the Guild, Raijin's expression twisted.
"I can't get information from the Guild."
Fins asked in surprise,
"Why? Aren't you an Adventurer?"
Raijin said nothing and simply held out his card.
Fins took it and examined it carefully.
A few moments later, sympathy appeared on his face.
"Something bad happened to you."
He returned the card.
"This is the result of that useless king's decision. If he allowed Adventurers to enter Vanguard without so many restrictions, perhaps you wouldn't be in this situation."
Raijin silently looked at him.
Fins continued,
"The king became afraid of a few Adventurers and almost completely stopped Adventurers from outside entering Vanguard."
He paused for a moment.
"Although... there have been some benefits as well."
"How?"
Raijin asked, narrowing his eyes.
Fins began counting on his fingers.
"Employment has increased. Fewer people are dying of hunger. The Guild has more work. The number of monsters outside has also increased, so the demand for Adventurers is higher than before. Even small jobs now offer better payment."
Raijin silently listened.
"This benefits both the Adventurers and the Kingdom."
"You're right."
Raijin spoke calmly.
"But while fewer people may be dying from hunger, far more people are now disappearing."
Fins's expression gradually became serious.
Raijin continued,
"When even small jobs pay more money, bigger jobs pay even more. So lower-Rank Adventurers have started forming groups to take on High-Rank missions."
"And the Guild is giving them those missions because it needs Adventurers."
His eyes turned cold.
"The result?"
"Adventurers are getting injured. Some are losing their lives."
Raijin looked directly into Fins's eyes.
"Then tell me... how exactly is this benefiting your country?"
Fins fell silent.
Raijin's voice remained calm, but his words carried weight.
"Yes, perhaps more money is being deposited into the royal treasury."
"But how has that benefited you?"
"Your taxes have probably filled their pockets."
Raijin paused for a moment.
"And your king is ruling this country while climbing over the corpses of Adventurers."
Fins's expression fell.
An outsider had just criticized his king in front of him.
And the worst part was—
He wasn't entirely wrong.
The two of them remained silent for a while.
The atmosphere around the counter suddenly became serious.
Finally, Raijin broke the silence himself.
"Where else can I get this information besides the Guild?"
Fins thought for a moment.
"There is one place."
A gleam appeared in Raijin's eyes.
But he immediately kept his expression neutral.
Fins said,
"You could join the Convict Hunters Order."
Raijin's expression became strange.
"The Convict Hunters Order?"
"What kind of Guild is that?"
Fins shook his head.
"It's not a Guild."
"We call it the CHO."
"Convict Hunters Order."
He leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice.
"It's an Order. It doesn't directly control them, but it influences the Guild and, to some extent, even kings."
Raijin listened carefully.
Fins continued,
"Their job is to capture runaway Adventurers, criminals, and people who betray a country or continent."
"After obtaining the necessary information, they are sentenced to death."
Raijin's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Fins's expression became serious.
"But if someone falls into their hands..."
He fell silent for a moment.
"Then things worse than death await them."
Raijin said nothing.
"Even the king of our country cannot interfere in their work."
"Because the CHO has influence almost everywhere."
"And kings don't interfere too much in their work either."
"Because, in the end, the CHO does work that benefits the country."
Raijin placed a hand beneath his chin.
He had been listening carefully to every word Fins said.
After a few moments, he asked,
"So how can I join them?"
He looked at his Guild Card.
"With this card?"
"I'm an Adventurer from outside. And this is an Order belonging to your country."
"Why would they accept me?"
Fins's expression became serious.
"If you haven't worked against this country or the CHO, then perhaps you won't have any problems."
"But how you can join them..."
Fins scratched his head.
"I don't know that either."
Raijin's eyebrows furrowed.
"Then why did you even tell me about them?"
Fins helplessly raised his hands.
"Because you asked where you could get information besides the Guild."
"I simply gave you an option."
"The identities of CHO members are kept secret. Unless they want to reveal themselves, no one can even meet them."
"And no one can become a member of the CHO without their permission."
The irritation Raijin felt toward Fins was clearly visible on his face.
Fins looked at him.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"You can't get information from the Guild."
"You can't join the CHO."
"What is your plan now?"
Raijin remained silent for a while.
Then he answered directly,
"I'll go outside and gather information."
Fins raised an eyebrow.
"Go outside?"
"Won't that be difficult?"
"It will."
Raijin answered calmly.
"But gathering information from people is the oldest method there is."
Fins looked at him.
There was a faint gleam in Raijin's eyes.
"I've gathered information that way before. Information even the Guild didn't have."
Fins's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are you talking about Lord?"
A faint smile appeared on Raijin's face.
"Yes."
Fins immediately understood.
Raijin continued,
"And I also know about his attacks."
Fins's eyes widened.
Raijin smiled and said,
"But I won't tell you about him."
A faint smile appeared on Fins's face.
But his irritation was clearly visible as well.
"You're truly a very cunning person."
Raijin answered without hesitation,
"Thank you."
Fins glared at him.
Raijin walked away with a smile.
But one thing was completely clear in his mind.
If the Guild wouldn't give him information...
And reaching the CHO was impossible...
Then he would have to go among the people himself and find the answers.