Paul POV
After Greta left, Paul immediately began eating with unusual haste. Watching him eat in a manner far removed from noble decorum, Liselotte gently reminded him, "Prince, please don't be too hasty. Remember your manners," as she gathered the empty plates and handed them to a waiting maid.
Paul glanced at her with a grin. "Time is money, I think," he replied, before resuming his rapid eating.
Liselotte sighed and shook her head. "But, Prince—"
"Ah... finally finished," Paul interrupted with a satisfied tone. He stood up, smiled at Liselotte, and said, "I'll leave the rest to you," before making his way to the living room. There, he placed a vial of magic ink, a pen, and a large wooden leg skeleton onto the table.
After examining the materials, Paul gave a small nod and smiled. "Now, just need to draw the magic runes," he said, settling down to begin his work.
Only a few minutes had passed when Edeline came running in. "Prince!!" she called out, her voice urgent.
Startled, Paul looked up. "What is it?" he asked, confused.
Edeline quickly lowered her head in apology. "Forgive me, Prince, for disturbing you so suddenly." After Paul nodded, she continued in a flustered tone, "There's a call from Renya. She said it's urgent."
Paul's expression turned serious as he stood. "Let's go," he said, leaving his tools on the table and heading straight to the communications desk, with Edeline hurrying behind him.
After arriving at the radio desk, Paul wasted no time. He grabbed the mic, put on the headset, and immediately said in a firm tone, "Paul here. Over."
A moment later, Renya's voice came through the earpiece—quiet, but clear.
"Prince... this problem is more serious than we thought."
Paul frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone laced with confusion.
Renya responded without pause. "The first house I entered... it's occupied by a D-rank adventurer."
"So?" Paul replied, still puzzled.
"The problem is," Renya continued, "the place is huge—two floors, plenty of space—and yet he's only D-rank. According to the records, he's a commoner. A foreigner. Arrived exactly three years ago."
Paul froze for a second. He trusted Renya's intel—and the address was correct. Something wasn't right. His expression tightened as he leaned slightly closer to the mic.
"Investigate every name tied to that registry," he ordered in a firm, clipped tone. "This could be bigger than we expected. Over."
"Understood. Over," Renya replied immediately.
Paul exhaled through his nose, removed the headset, and handed it back to Edeline with a calm smile. "Continue," he said, nodding to her.
He then turned around, returned to the living room table, sat down, and resumed drawing the magic runes on the large wooden leg skeleton—though now, with a noticeably more focused and serious expression.
Thirty minutes later, Paul received an incoming call through his headset. He answered in a cheerful tone, almost like a customer service operator.
"Yes, Paul here, how can I help you?"
Renya, on the other end, ignored the joke entirely. His voice was flat and firm.
"Prince, we've got a problem..."
Hearing those words, Paul's expression instantly turned serious. He leaned slightly forward and replied in a firm tone,
"Speak."
There was a brief pause on the other end before Renya answered, her voice hesitant,
"Greta had a run-in with someone from the Adventurer Guild administration... right after she finished helping out—near the area where my fight happened."
Still relaxed, Paul raised an eyebrow and replied confidently,
"Isn't that easy? Just get out of town, right?"
There was a pause. Renya's response came, but this time it was hesitant.
"That's the problem..."
Paul's expression shifted to one of confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone growing serious.
After a moment, Renya responded,
"A few minutes after we got back to the inn, the town bell rang. But here's what really confused me..."
She paused for a beat, then continued in a firm tone,
"The ones who responded weren't the town guards. They were guild members—and there were far more of them than what's allowed under the standard regulations for a newly formed guild."
Hearing that, Paul's expression turned pale.
"This sounds like... an international guild," he said in disbelief.
Renya answered, her voice hesitant,
"Yes, but..."
Paul frowned, thinking aloud,
"An international guild like that should be dungeon-focused. Their forces should be spread across regions—not all concentrated in one place. But this one..."
Renya immediately replied, her tone turning sharp,
"Yes... they're concentrating all their forces in one city—and that alone is highly suspicious."
While Paul was still speaking with Renya, Liselotte approached and said softly, "Prince..." with a polite bow. Paul gave her a small nod, prompting her to continue, "Eldrin has arrived with the final delivery for today," she informed him gracefully.
Hearing that, Paul gave another nod and returned to the call, saying,
"All of you, stay at the inn for the night. I'll ask Eldrin—maybe he can find us a way out," his tone calm but thoughtful as he stood and made his way toward the door.
Renya acknowledged the order at once.
"Understood. Carrying it out now," she responded firmly before ending the call.
As Paul stepped outside, Eldrin was already waiting at the entrance. The butler bowed respectfully and greeted him,
"Prince."
Paul nodded in return.
"This is the final delivery for today," Eldrin said while gesturing toward the direction of the carriage.
Looking over at the parked horse-drawn carriage, Paul simply replied,
"Let's see," and began walking toward it, with Eldrin and Liselotte following closely behind.
While being assisted by Eldrin, Paul examined several identical items laid out before him. Holding his chin with one hand, he murmured in a resigned tone,
"Hmm... it's not very precise."
He then turned to Eldrin with a small smile and added,
"Thank you, Eldrin. Even if it's not perfect, I think we can still make use of it."
He handed the items back for Eldrin to organize.
Eldrin bowed respectfully and replied,
"You're welcome, Prince. Still... perhaps we could file a complaint with the shop?"
Paul shook his head, his gaze lingering on the items as Eldrin tidied them.
"No need. It's impossible to get everything exactly the same," he said quietly, then added with a sigh,
"Reproducing perfect copies takes too much time..."
Eldrin gave a gentle nod and smiled.
"Very well, then."
Just as he looked over to confirm everything was in order, he began to say,
"Since everything has been checked, I'll—"
But Paul raised his hand slightly and interrupted,
"Wait a moment. There's something I want to ask you."
Hearing that, Eldrin—mildly intrigued by what question the prince might ask—bowed respectfully and said,
"Please, Prince. Is there anything I can help you with?"
He rested his hand thoughtfully on his chin as he waited.
Paul offered a reluctant smile.
"Ah... nothing urgent. It's just..."
His tone faltered as he looked at Eldrin with a glimmer of hope.
After Eldrin gave a nod of encouragement, Paul continued,
"You know... today we had an infiltration mission."
Eldrin's eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity.
"Ah... You mean Miss Renya's assignment tonight?"
Paul nodded.
"Yes. After the infiltration, a small skirmish broke out. Greta, who had been helping from afar, ended up being spotted by someone from the Adventurer Guild..."
He paused, then looked at Eldrin, clearly hoping for a solution.
Eldrin nodded with understanding, then gave a small smile.
"So, what you're asking is... how to get Miss Greta out without raising suspicion?"
As Paul nodded again, Eldrin brought his hand back to his chin and said,
"Actually, there's no need to panic just yet. Until morning, it should still be safe."
He glanced toward the city as he explained,
"Even if her identity was compromised, word won't spread immediately. The guild members will likely be instructed to keep quiet for now—it's standard protocol for their kind of work."
Paul seemed reassured, but Eldrin tilted his head slightly, puzzled.
"That said... wouldn't it be better for her to leave now? It's not closing time yet. Besides, Miss Renya is officially acting under a noble's authority—she can authorize Greta's presence if needed."
Eldrin looked at Paul with a confident, questioning gaze.
Paul felt a little embarrassed and scratched his cheek with one finger.
"We're late..." he admitted.
"It was only a few minutes after the fight ended that the gatekeeper rang the alarm bell, and..."
He glanced toward the city, his tone growing serious.
"Many of the guild's subordinates are already running around, searching for the culprit."
Eldrin muttered under his breath,
"So fast..."
He held his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then looked back at Paul with a gentler expression.
"By the way, Prince... what guild did Renya infiltrate today?"
Paul hesitated, holding his chin as if weighing the answer.
"It seems to be the Crimson Talon, along with all their followers..." he said doubtfully.
Eldrin sighed deeply, his face darkening as he met Paul's eyes.
"Oh... this might get complicated, Prince," he said firmly.