The woman seated before me was breathtakingly beautiful. She had long, golden hair, pointy ears, and eyes that seemed to contain all the essence of nature itself.
With her emerald gaze, she scanned me from head to toe as I sat on the couch opposite her. She elegantly sipped a cup of tea.
"So, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"What do you mean?"
She placed the cup on the table between us, folded her hands over her lap, and continued.
"You broke a valuable measuring stone, and you're asking me 'what do I mean?'"
For a brief moment, I flinched.
Valuable?! That tiny rock was valuable?!
I spoke hesitantly. "And... how much is 'valuable' exactly?"
She closed her eyes. "Valuable is about 10,000 Yulia."
Let's see… if 1,000 can feed a family for two years, then... twenty years?!
No, no, no… I don't have that kind of money! What should I do?! Think...
And so, my noble instincts kicked in, to always act calm no matter what.
"I see... but I don't have that kind of money on me."
She opened her eyes again. "Then you'll have to work it off."
"What should I do?" I asked eagerly. There was no way I was paying off such a ridiculous sum. I'd rather work.
Not that I'd done much of that in my past life.
"Something strange has been happening on the outskirts of town. I'd like you to investigate it."
"That's all?"
She gave a subtle nod. "Yes. But be warned—this mission is a dangerous one."
"Explain."
"As I mentioned earlier, something unnatural is occurring a few miles from town. Everyone we've sent out there has gone missing."
She paused briefly, her voice low.
"But the strangest part is... they return weeks later, with no memory of what happened—and then, just days after, they die of natural causes."
I rested my chin in my hand.
That is strange.
"And you want me to investigate this?"
She gently nodded.
"But why me?"
She smiled faintly before replying, "Because you are strong."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Maby even the strongest being I've encountered in the last hundred years."
What?! She's that old?
I rubbed the back of my head.
"I thought I was hiding my magical energy pretty well..."
She let out a soft chuckle. "Even a god couldn't hide their power from me."
She then raised her hand, pointing to her eyes which shimmered with a faint golden light.
"I have good eyes," she said, smirking. "I can even see through all disguises."
And in that moment, I knew—she had already figured out what I was. Her eyes... they pierced through me as if looking straight into my soul.
Was it some kind of skill?
She then gave me the details. The village was called Aurora. A strange place, plagued by frequent sicknesses and a recent outbreak. She urged me to proceed with caution.
She also explained how that village came to be. About twenty years ago, the current mayor of the Town of Beginnings and his younger brother had a falling out over inheritance. Each had massive support, and in the end, the brother decided to found his own village—his reasons still a mystery.
And that led to the birth of Aurora.
After briefing me, she eyed me once more, then stood up and approached a standing wardrobe. From within, she pulled out a dress.
"Here, put this on. We can't have you looking like that while investigating."
I narrowed my eyes. "You know I'm male, right? Or are your eyes not that good after all?"
She smiled coyly. "You need to look helpless. And what better way than to dress like a noble lady? You already have a beautiful face."
I looked away from her eager expression. It felt like she had... ulterior motives.
"Fine. But just this once."
Her eyes lit up. "Yes! Now put this on."
She handed me a sleeveless white dress made of plain silk, then left the room to give me privacy.
After a few minutes, she returned—and her reaction was immediate.
"Wow! If I were a man, I'd have fallen in love with you."
I frowned. "Stop joking."
She giggled softly before pointing at my arm. "You also need to hide that. How in the world did you even come to possess it?"
And so, I put on my acting face—becoming a noble lady.
It wasn't too difficult. In my past life, I could've been considered half-noble... but that's a story for another time.
"Let's just call it a lady's secret," I said with a confident smile.
She returned the smile, her gaze saying, Even if you don't tell me, I already know.
Then she rummaged through her wardrobe again.
"Where did I put it...?"
After a few seconds, she returned with a long black glove embroidered with rose patterns.
"Put this on."
I slipped it on. It fit my hand perfectly.
She gave me a few final warnings about what to look out for in the village.
I bid farewell to the guild master and headed downstairs to the lodge to retrieve a fake identification stone—without it, I wouldn't even be allowed entry.
At the front desk, I could feel eyes on me.
Understandable. A beautiful face with violet eyes and flowing black hair... even I had to admit—I looked good. For a man, at least.
I picked up my identification stone. It held only the basics.
Name: Laurel Flast.
Age: 17.
Background: Daughter of a wealthy merchant-turned-noble. Already holds the rank of knight, close to becoming king.
That would be our cover story.
And so, I left the guild with my head held high and a confident smile across my lips—just like a noble lady should. My destination: the village of Aurora.
***
Meanwhile…
As our protagonist made his way to Aurora, something unthinkable stirred within the nearby village of Flora—a mystery not even his wildest guesses could uncover.
In a dim wooden house, an old man with a cane stood trembling before a shadowed figure seated in a candlelit chair. Beside him stood two female silhouettes.
Gerald, the man with the cane, dared not raise his eyes. He feared death would strike him down if he did.
One of the women growled, "How dare you keep our lord waiting!"
She unsheathed her blade.
Gerald quivered. "P-Please, great ones! Spare this lowly being!"
The woman's eyes glowed a deep violet.
"Die. For your disrespect..."
But before she could strike, the seated figure waved his hand once—and she immediately silenced herself.
He finally spoke, voice deep and smooth, sending a cold shiver down Gerald's spine.
"Gerald... are you trying to play us?"
Gerald dropped to his knees. "N-No, I would never! It's just that—"
"Speak up, scum!" the woman snapped.
"There's... there's no one strong left in the village!"
The man in the chair opened his eyes. Violet. Cold. Unforgiving.
"Then we have no more use for you. Lint, kill him."
Gerald panicked. "N-No! Please! I'll do better! I'll bring more sacrifices! Plea—"
Shing.
His head hit the ground before he could finish. The woman called Lint sheathed her blade.
The figure in the chair closed his eyes again. "Envy, take the Town of Beginnings."
Envy knelt. "Yes."
She vanished in a flash, leaving behind only an afterimage.
Then, the man opened one glowing eye.
"I sense something strong headed this way... Lint, check it out."
Lint bowed. "As you command, my lord."
As she opened the door and stepped out, the faint candlelight illuminated the figure's arm—pitch black, smooth, and unnatural...
Almost like that of a...