Seren mentally denied her thoughts.
'Oh, it must be a mere illusion.’
That is a man whose past is unclear, whose power is unknown, and who has been called the strongest fixer in the world.
Seren thought she had gone too far to compare a newcomer with one of the best in the industry.
'Of course, there's something about him that makes me think this way.’
The attitude he's shown so far, and the successful requests he's had.
Osian may be new, but his skills must be beyond reproach.
'I see the talent. But what about his personality?’
The solver industry has always been a meritocracy.
As long as you're good, even if you're a bad personality and break the law, you'll be tolerated.Seren didn't like that.
One thing Seren learned for sure while working in this industry is that talented and young problem solvers tend to have either a bad attitude or lack humility.
‘First of all, he looks like he came from a rich family.’
Not an overnight rich person, but a high-ranking nobleman with some history and prestige.
His calm demeanor, his angular lips, and his serene eyes that didn't seem to move even when she looked at him.
He looks like a handsome man that a sculptor sculpted with all his heart or a masterpiece painted by a painter with every stroke of his brush.
A look that doesn't feel real, even though it's right in front of her.
It was the facial expressions that gave it away.
Even though she was intentionally appealing to her femininity, he didn't react to it at all.
It wasn't that he wasn't trying, but that he wasn't interested in her in the first place.
Seren was impressed, but her pride was hurt.
"So, do you have any questions? I can answer anything."
"Anything?"
Seren whistled inwardly at the response.
Well, if it came down to it, she'd have to respond.
"Yeah, anything."
"Then."
Osian asked, glaring at Seren.
"How strong are you here?"
"Uh, huh?"
Seren's voice trembled at the question, which was so out of character.
She looked at Osian’s eyes, hoping he was joking, but she still couldn't tell.
Given his demeanor, he must be serious.
‘Hey, is this how he is?’
Seren asked, rolling her eyes at Ronan.
Ronan gave a small nod at the sight.
Well, well.
Seren smirked, thinking Ronan had brought in another interesting new recruit.
"It's a shame, because I wouldn't have minded a more private question."
"Not interested."
"......Are you?"
Did he have to cut her off like that?
Seren pouted her lips in mild annoyance, but she answered Osian's question dutifully.
"You asked me how strong I am, don't you think you can tell by looking at my abilities?"
Seren's figure dissolved into thin air.
The Seren who had just stood before ceased to exist as if she were a mirage.
Osian's eyes narrowed.
It was obviously a stealth ability, but he couldn't feel it.
The only reason he could detect her in the first place was because Seren used it lightly.
'I've never seen this before. It's not like the inherent stealth used by the Thieves, but it's not magic, nor is it some lost ancient spell.’
All the lore of the game came to mind, but none of Seren's abilities matched up.
It must be a new kind of power, one that has emerged in the altered world.
It's invisible, and it doesn't smell. There's no sign of anything.
Just as he realized that she was definitely someone worthy to be recruited by Ronan, Osian's hand moved of its own accord.
-snap.
"What?"
Seren's eyes widened as she realized that the hand that was about to poke Osian's cheek had been caught.
Inwardly, she was puzzled, as was he.
‘What?’
Something poked him in the cheek, and his hand went up involuntarily.
It was Seren's hand.
"Wow, the new recruit is really impressive, huh?"
Seren laughed, but her gaze turned more serious as she looked at Osian.
She realized it was no mere coincidence that he had found her in the first place.
"But how long are you going to hold me? I don't mind the hot advances of a handsome man, but my wrists are starting to ache."
"......Yes."
Osian let go of her hand.
"So there you have it, my abilities are not very useful in combat."
Seren shrugged.
Osian didn't buy that answer. Certainly her stealth was a very good ability, and it alone could be substituted for most things.
He had a hunch that there was more to Seren Gracia than just her abilities.
"So you're the second highest ranking person in the office?"
"Me? Ahaha, thanks for thinking so highly of me. I'm sorry, but I'm number three."
Seren held up three fingers.
"Third."
"There are two more above me. Diolan here and my sweet Lorraine are fifth and sixth."
"Then I'm number seven."
That means there are three more who have yet to be revealed.
Seren has some pretty special powers of her own, and I wonder what the number one person in the office is like.
‘I could ask Ronan right now.’
Ronan would probably laugh and tell me to meet them in person so I decided not to ask.
It wasn't my style to force answers, and it would be fun to save the question for later.
"Ah, the omelet is cold."
Lorraine's words made the group realize that they forgot about their meal.
"Oh?"
Seren narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out as she realized she had interrupted the meal.
"Sorry, guys~"
It was hard to argue with such a shameless grin on her face.
"I'm going to have a few more words with Ms. Seren about the request first."
Ronan rose from his seat and headed for the second floor.
Seren followed him up the stairs, falling into step naturally behind Ronan.
Just before she disappeared beyond the staircase, Seren glanced at Osian, her eyes crescent-shaped, and waved.
*
-Thud.
The door to Ronan's office slammed shut, and Seren opened her mouth.
"What was that?"
Ronan, knowing who Seren was referring to, could only smile.
"Are you surprised?"
"Yes, he saw through my cover. The first time I hid just enough for a prank but the next time I did it, I was serious."
Of course, right up until the finger touched his cheek, Osian didn't react but almost at the last second, in a flurry of movement, he caught her hand.
"From what I hear, he's a physical enhancement mutant, but don't you think his senses are too sharp? Something's wrong."
"I've been thinking about that myself."
"Besides, it's not just physical enhancement, but you said that he draws something strange from his sword?"
"According to him, it's starlight."
"You said he appeared out of nowhere in Tirna, with no known past."
Seren's smile faded.
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"......."
Ronan's real eyes met Seren's.
It was his usual expression, but the faintest hint of reproach in his eyes told her what he meant.
“I’m not just saying this out of thin air. His past is too clean, and a man of his caliber is bound to stand out no matter where he is."
"There are more than a few people like that in this city."
"I'm saying it's weird even considering that. Maybe he's from the White House......."
"Seren Gracia."
For the first time, Ronan spoke Seren's name without honorifics and Seren, who was about to say more about Osian, automatically closed her mouth.
"Anything more than that, I will take as a distrust of my discernment."
"......I'm sorry."
It was Seren who raised the white flag.
"I didn't do it on purpose, I was just a little confused, and my cover was blown by a new guy who just became a fixer."
"I understand."
Ronan nodded, his smile returning to his face.
"I'm pretty surprised about that part myself."
It didn't show, but Ronan was surprised when Osian caught Seren's hand.
After all, Ronan was the second most familiar with Seren's abilities after her.
Seren's stealth is such that there is a record of her not being affected by detection magic from a 5-star or higher wizard.
It's almost unbelievable when you consider that a 5-star wizard can detect ants in the ground.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw it.
"You're surprised? You didn't even bat an eye?"
"Really."
"You're lying."
"Well, well. I can't believe you didn't know how I really felt."
"Well, if you're trying to console me, that's fine."
Ronan was truly saddened by the fact that his sincerity was unreachable.
Lorraine was one thing, but Seren was another, and he'd known her for years.
"You don't have to worry too much about Mr. Osian."
"......Yes. I guess I was being a little too sensitive."
"I understand, it's just that the way he's acting is so out of character."
That was the end of the story about Osian.
If Ronan chose to trust Osian, Seren had nothing more to say.
It was a compromise made possible because they were more than just fixers and brokers, they were bound together by trust.
"How are the others doing?"
"Haven't you heard from them?"
"There's someone in front of me who knows more than what I've heard lately."
"Well, it's all the same. The old man is off exploring, the king is wandering around as usual. The unruly kid probably just got into a new mission, right? Knowing his personality, he'll probably just smash everything and come back."
"I'm glad to hear everyone's okay."
"They're the kind of people who wouldn't die if you dropped them in the middle of the desert. Did you hear about that?"
"About what."
Seren stared at Ronan with a furtive glance.
"I heard that the Kingdom of Carleon is sending an envoy to Tirna."
"The Kingdom of Carleon......."
Ronan's brow furrowed slightly at the name of the kingdom.
"An emissary doesn't seem like such a strange thing, but the way you're talking about it, is there something else going on?"
"Your intuition is as sharp as a ghost."
Sitting sideways on the couch, Seren propped her legs up on the armrests.
"You do know that the Carleons are not on good terms with Tirna. The Absolute Monarchy despises the City of Freedom with a passionate hatred, which is why the emissaries they've sent in the past have been nothing more than lip service."
"Yes, they were."
"But this time, it's a different story. The kingdom of Carleon is sending an envoy, and they say it includes royalty."
Ronan's eyes twitched at that.
"Royalty, you mean?"
"Yep. Not a great one, of course, just someone at the very end of the hierarchy. Still, sending a blood relative means the kingdom is doing something different than usual."
Seren pulled a letter from her pocket and flicked it at Ronan.
Ronan removed the seal from the letter, which landed lightly on his desk, and skimmed its contents.
"I don't know if the change is positive or negative, of course."
Enclosed with the letter was a photograph of a small, petite girl.
She is the bloodline of the Carleon Dynasty and is currently last in line for succession to the throne, princess Orlea, the so-called doll in the cage.
Her arrival meant that someone very high up in Tirna was involved in this matter.
"......It looks like a storm is coming to the city."
Hopefully, the storm will pass safely.
Ronan could only hope so.