Deep within the ordinary-looking textile shop which is inconspicuous during the day, several men and a woman gathered around a huge room. Even in broad daylight or at night, the shop is actually a front for its real operations. A mercenary guild. Some of the mercenaries were about to set out for their mission, leaving only Elric, Eve, Roy, and another man.

After the rest had gone away, two other figures appeared in the hallway leading to the room. Both of them were wearing dark cloaks, with the hoods down to conceal their faces. As soon as they came to the open and had let their presence known, the four immediately got alerted and stood up to greet them.

The two cloaked figures, with the towering man on the lead, entered the guild master's private quarters quietly. Elric and the two other men followed suit while Eve remained in the hall, wistfully staring at the door.

Lukas tiredly plunked himself on the chair and swiped the hood off of his head, revealing himself. His dead-set eyes were cold and intense as if they don't belong to a human but a savage animal instead.

Together with Yvan, he had been scouring the entirety of Rosenthal, even the kingdoms near the borders, nonstop. He was exhausted from the two-week-long trip all over the country. His only rest was when he's eating at a hotel that he's also investigating and that was a week ago.

Lukas got an order to search for the suspicious organization's hideout, who was responsible for the attack, and yet he gained nothing. His efforts are futile.

Sure, he had raided some illegal business during the mission but that's it. There was no hint of them at all. It's like they don't exist.

Tension radiated off of him in waves. His anima won't settle down, getting so restless it drives Lukas mad. He wanted to kill someone… something... He wanted to drive the lust away but can do nothing about it when he's stuck inside a room. There's nothing else that could slake Lukas's bloodthirst right now but violence. He wanted to be on the battlefield… Anywhere he could appease the madness within.

But there is no battlefield. Nor does a place that could be an alternative. He had solved the warring issues from the barbarians so he can't just go over there and appease himself with their lives in exchange. Nothing.

Sleeping with a woman is another thing but he can't do it. He had tried before and the ending would always be the same. He would drive them all away.

He hated their touch.

He hated another human's touch.

During times like this, Lukas could only sneer at the blood running in his veins. It also doesn't help when your anima is just as fvcked up like him. It goes ballistic every now and then for no apparent reason at all. Thus, driving Lukas to be the indifferent person he is right now.

Frowning, Lukas's gloved hands reached towards his pockets and fished a cigar out. He then put it between his lips and Yvan wordlessly lit the cigar for him, like clockwork. Slowly, he puffed a cloud of smoke and relished the feeling of it entering his lungs. His purple eyes slid over to the people standing by but said nothing.

Elric and the two others with him could feel the heaviness in the air and immediately concluded that the guild master was not in a joyous mood. Heck, the murderous intent is so thick it could choke them.

To Elric who had been working directly under Lukas for years now, it was nothing new. He had seen worse, actually. As time went by, he then got accustomed to their master's temperament.

The two, on the other hand, were about to ** themselves. They never interacted nor saw the guild master up close but they have heard stories about him. And seeing him so closely now, the stories don't give him justice at all.

It's already established that working under Lukas, one won't definitely last if they don't have the will and the balls. Hence why Elric had such huge respect towards the Greywolf twins.

Roy, however, even though his heart was beating so loud he almost couldn't hear anything due to nervousness, was still thrilled to see the master.

He had volunteered to take the mission because he had nothing else to do and also because he wanted to take part in something that interested Lukas. He's a big fan, he says.

"Greetings to the master,

" Elric announced in a formal tone.

Lukas remained silent but his eyes did narrow upon seeing the two other men behind Elric. One was short and looked rather young, while the other had a more bulky frame. Roy straightened his back instantly upon noticing and even raised his chin to appear bigger. Elric saw this and immediately cleared his throat.

"We have come to report to the master regarding the investigation about the Castello family,

" he said.

Lukas heard it and tried to recall who they were. He then vaguely remembered something about Nadia wanting to know things about them.

"Speak,

" he then commanded. It was curt and yet held a lot of power.

"These two were the ones who were given the mission,

" Elric gestured towards the two who in turn stepped forward.

Lukas stared at them and cocked his head to the side.

"Why are they here then? Is your mission finished already?

"

As the leader of the mission, Roy chose to speak first. He put his fist together in a salute and bowed. B then followed his example.

"Master, I am called Roy. We couldn't finish the mission because we were attacked by an assassin while doing so,

" he said.

"We were observing Seraphina Castello as per the lady's request to gather data surrounding her when the attack happened.

"

One of the main reasons why Roy was chosen by Elric to go over to Wisteria aside from him volunteering, is that he could pass as an ordinary citizen and can blend easily within the crowd. He is also a capable assassin despite his appearance thus making him the lead.

Roy and B's mission was going smoothly. But one particular evening, when they were on another stakeout, someone suddenly disrupted their movement, much to their surprise.

"We didn't see who they were. He had already immobilized B when I realized that we were being attacked. And before I could fight back, he already got me trapped,

" Roy narrated.

"He warned us to never lurk around Seraphina Castello again or he'll kill us the next time.

"