As the Trinity Blade stepped out of the guild hall, the cold evening air did little to cool Garron's frustration. His boots scraped against the cobbled path as he came to a stop, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in deep thought.
Darin and Lena exchanged glances.
"What the hell was that?" Darin was the first to speak, his tone sharp with irritation. "You had her right in front of you. Why'd you stop?"
Lena eyed Garron carefully. She had seen it—the hesitation, something she had never once witnessed in him before.
Garron exhaled slowly, then glanced over his shoulder at the guild's entrance, as if expecting Belle to walk out at any moment. "Didn't you feel that?"
Darin frowned. "Feel what?"
Garron's grip tightened around his arm. "A heavy pressure—like something was pushing down on me. It was just for a moment, but…" His voice lowered. "I couldn't move."
Lena raised an eyebrow. "From Kai?"
"No." Garron shaked his head, then looked at them both seriously. "From her."
Darin scoffed, crossing his arms. "That girl? Come on, we've never even heard of her before today. She barely even looked at us."
Lena, however, remained quiet. She didn't feel the pressure Garron was talking about, but she wasn't so quick to dismiss his reaction either. Garron wasn't the type to hesitate—if he had stopped, then something had forced him to.
Garron gritted his teeth. "We know Kai—he's been an adventurer here for a while, and yeah, he's strong. But that girl? Nothing. No information, no history."
Lena's gaze sharpened. "And nobody in the guild talks about her."
The realization settled between them.
They had pushed hard for answers inside the guild. The adventurers, the staff—even Alina—all avoided mentioning Belle.
Darin clicked his tongue. "So what? The guild is covering for her?"
Garron remained silent.
"Come on, Garron. We all saw what happened in there. That girl didn't even look at us. She ignored us completely. And Kai? He treated us like we were beneath him. He is just a D-Rank." Darin clenched his fist. "They humiliated us."
Lena's eyes narrowed in thought. "One thing is clear. She's not from Dawnstead."
Darin rubbed his chin. "She's an outsider, but somehow, she walks into the guild and acts like she owns the place? No fear, no reaction to us, and apparently, she's strong enough to make Garron stop in his tracks?" His eyes gleamed with irritation. "I don't buy it. Something's off."
Lena's fingers tapped against her arm thoughtfully. "Then that just means one thing."
Darin raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"
A smirk crossed Lena's lips.
"She's hiding something. Something big is going on here."
A slow grin spread across Darin's face. "Well, well. Now that's interesting."
Garron didn't smile. His fingers twitched as he recalled that moment—that split second where his instincts screamed danger.
He had faced monsters, bandits, even elite knights before. But never—not once—had he felt like prey.
Garron finally turned toward them fully. "Then we find out who she is."
Lena smirked slightly. "And when we do?"
Garron's lips curled into a sneer. "We remind her who actually runs this town."
Darin's grin widened. "Now that's more like it."
Lena glanced toward the guild, her expression unreadable.
Back inside the guild, the tense atmosphere had finally begun to ease after Trinity Blade left. The adventurers still murmured among themselves, throwing occasional glances at Belle and Kai. Some whispered about what had just happened, others questioned why Trinity Blade had backed down.
Belle, however, paid no mind to the stares.
She stood in front of the quest board, her eyes scanning the parchment sheets with quiet focus.
Kai leaned against the counter, arms crossed. His gaze flickered toward Belle briefly before letting out a small sigh. "You're taking your time."
Belle didn't respond immediately. She traced a finger across one of the posted quests, her mind already processing what had just happened with Garron.
He hesitated.
Belle knew exactly why.
But he didn't.
That moment of hesitation meant something. Even if Trinity Blade didn't understand it yet, they would start looking for answers soon.
Kai watched her closely. He had noticed it too—the moment Garron had stepped forward, ready to cause trouble, only to suddenly stop in his tracks.
Kai didn't know what Belle had done, but he didn't need to ask.
Instead, he exhaled and changed the topic. "So, which one are we taking next?"
Belle finally spoke. "Something outside the town."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "You want to avoid Dawnstead for a bit?"
Belle simply nodded.
Kai smirked. "Smart."
With Trinity Blade sniffing around, it was better to stay out of sight—at least for now.
Belle plucked a quest from the board and walked back toward the counter.
Alina, still stunned by their calm demeanor, hesitated before taking the parchment. "Are you… sure you want to head out again so soon?"
Kai shrugged. "Why not? It's a simple monster hunt quest."
Alina bit her lip. She looked as though she wanted to say something—but in the end, she simply nodded and processed the request.
She slid the approval slip across the counter.
"Be careful," she said softly.
Belle took the slip, gave a slight nod, then turned to leave. Kai followed, stretching his arms behind his head.
The guild watched them go, whispers still lingering in the air.
The dirt path stretched ahead, winding through the forest as Belle and Kai walked in silence. The sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls filled the air, but Kai could tell Belle's mind wasn't on the scenery.
She was thinking.
She always got like this when something didn't sit right with her.
After a few more moments of quiet, Kai exhaled through his nose. "You want to ask about them, don't you?"
Belle didn't look at him, but he saw the slight shift in her posture—a silent confirmation.
Kai smirked. "Figured. Trinity Blade, huh?"
He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck slightly. "Well, let's start with the basics. They're Dawnstead's strongest adventuring party. At least, that's what they like to think."
Belle glanced at him. "They're not?"
Kai chuckled. "Strength-wise? Maybe. But they act like they're bigger than they really are. The truth is, outside of Dawnstead, no one really cares about them."
Belle listened carefully, her expression unreadable.
Kai shoved his hands into his pockets. "The party's made up of three people—Garron—the Tanker, Darin—the mage, and Lena—the healer. You saw how they were back at the guild. Garron and Darin are a C-Rank and Lena is a D-Rank, which makes them the highest-ranked adventurers in town. But here's the thing: Dawnstead doesn't have any B-Rank adventurers."
Belle raised an eyebrow.
Kai continued, "Normally, in bigger cities, C-Ranks wouldn't be at the top of the food chain. But here? They're the strongest group around, so they get away with acting however they want."
Belle absorbed this information before speaking again. "You don't like them."
Kai let out a dry chuckle. "What gave it away?"
Belle simply stared at him.
Kai sighed. "Yeah, I don't. Not just because they're arrogant, but because I've seen what they do when things don't go their way."
He paused for a moment, kicking a loose rock on the road.
"They weren't always like this," he admitted. "When I first came to Dawnstead, they were already the strongest team, but they weren't… as bad as they are now. They used to actually care about their reputation. They took quests seriously, even helped train new adventurers sometimes."
Belle tilted her head slightly. "What changed?"
Kai's expression darkened.
"A quest. A year ago."
Belle remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.
Kai's voice grew more serious. "They took on a high-risk quest—an escort mission for a merchant caravan heading to another town. It should've been simple, but they got ambushed by a group of monsters."
Belle narrowed her eyes. "They failed?"
Kai shook his head. "No, they survived. But they lost a teammate."
Belle blinked.
"There used to be four of them," Kai explained. "A warrior named Rowen. From what I heard, he was the one keeping the group balanced. He wasn't as strong as the rest of them, but he was smart. Kept them from making reckless decisions."
Belle remained still, processing his words.
Kai's gaze hardened. "But when the ambush happened, Rowen was killed. And after that… they changed."
Belle finally spoke. "How?"
Kai scoffed. "They stopped taking escort missions, for one. Any quest that involved protecting someone? They avoided it. Instead, they focused on subjugation quests—hunting down monsters, eliminating threats. But the worst part? They stopped caring about other people. It's like losing Rowen made them decide that strength is all that matters. That if you're weak, you're not worth saving."
Belle looked back toward the road.
She was starting to understand.
"They've been looking for a fight," she said.
Kai nodded. "Pretty much. They were probably itching for an excuse to put someone in their place."
Belle considered his words for a long moment. Then, she finally asked, "Why didn't you stop them?"
Kai blinked.
Belle wasn't accusing him—her tone was calm, simply curious.
Kai scratched the back of his head. "Tch. What was I supposed to do? Pick a fight in the middle of the guild?"
Belle didn't answer.
Kai clicked his tongue. "Look, I know what you're thinking. And yeah, I could've stepped in earlier. But if I did, things would've gotten worse. If I start something with them, it's not gonna end with just one fight. Trinity Blade holds grudges."
Belle didn't argue with that. She had seen it herself—they weren't the type to let things go easily.
But then Kai glanced at her, his expression shifting slightly.
"Honestly, I didn't need to step in." He smirked. "You handled it."
Belle said nothing.
Kai studied her for a moment before shaking his head. "Garron didn't even realize what happened, did he? That's the funny part. One second, he was ready to cause trouble, and the next, he just… stopped."
Belle remained silent.
Kai's smirk widened. "You did something, didn't you?"
Belle looked straight ahead. "…I don't know what you mean."
Kai let out a short laugh. "Sure you don't."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Kai let out a breath. "Anyway. You get the picture now. Trinity Blade's strong, but they're not invincible. And more importantly? They don't like being ignored."
Belle knew he was right.
She could already tell—this wasn't over.
Trinity Blade would come looking for answers.
They wouldn't stop until they found out why Garron hesitated.
The streets of Dawnstead at night were a far cry from the lively bustle of the day. The laughter of drunken adventurers still spilled from the taverns, but the farther one walked from the main square, the quieter—and more dangerous—the town became.
Trinity Blade prowled through the shadowed alleys like a pack of restless wolves, their moods darkening with every dead end they encountered.
Nobody was talking.
Not the innkeepers, not the shopkeepers, and certainly not the adventurers who usually cowered before them.
It wasn't just avoidance. It was silence. A wall had been placed around that girl—and they didn't know who built it.
Darin slammed his fist against the nearest wall, a flicker of flame curling around his knuckles before he let out a slow breath. His patience had never been the best. "This is getting ridiculous. No one's ever given us trouble before. Why the hell is everyone suddenly playing dumb?"
Lena, standing a few steps away, her sharp gaze scanning the streets as if the answers might be lurking in the shadows. "Maybe it's not that they don't know—but that they've been told not to say anything."
Garron, standing at the center of their group, exhaled through his nose, arms crossed over his chest. His thick brows furrowed. "By who?"
Lena shrugged. "Could be the guildmaster, could be the knights. Someone with enough influence to make people scared of talking."
Darin scoffed. "Since when did the guild give a damn about protecting people like that?"
Garron didn't answer right away. His pride was already raw after the humiliation in the guild earlier, and now, even the information he sought was slipping through his fingers. It made his blood boil.
But then—a thought slithered into his mind.
"…Kai."
Darin and Lena both turned to him, their expressions shifting.
Garron's voice was low, thoughtful. "Kai's been an adventurer here for a while. He was the only one who didn't seem surprised by that girl. If anyone knows something about her, it's him."
Darin cracked his knuckles. "So we go after Kai?"
Lena, ever the cautious one, tilted her head. "We've fought him before. He's strong."
"Stronger than us?" Darin asked, the firelight from his hand casting flickering shadows over his grin.
Lena didn't answer immediately, which was an answer in itself.
Garron scowled. He wasn't afraid of Kai, but he wasn't an idiot, either. A direct fight wasn't the answer—not yet.
"We don't attack him outright," Garron said after a long pause. "We watch him. See if he lets anything slip. If he has a weakness, we'll find it."
Lena smirked. "And what about the girl?"
Garron's fists clenched. The moment her presence had washed over him back in the guild—the invisible weight that had made him hesitate—it had burned itself into his mind. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt.
And that infuriated him.
"She made me hesitate."
Lena and Darin exchanged glances. Garron never hesitated.
His voice was quiet, simmering with unspoken anger.
"I don't care who she is."
He let the words hang in the cool night air before finishing, his tone deadly.
"We'll find out soon enough. And when we do…"
A slow, predatory grin stretched across his lips.
"She'll wish she never crossed us."
End of Chapter 29