Despite having parted ways only a few months ago, the two greeted each other like people meeting after several years.

“Pooka! I heard you got stabbed with a knife, but it seems you took a real hit. Hahaha! Your face looks cooler!”

“Now that I have more scars than you, I should call you ‘hyung’ (older brother).”

“Ridiculous!”

To Jack, who didn’t see both the person making fun of him for looking cool even with frightening scars on his arms and the one laughing at those words as normal, neither seemed right.

Still, judging by how warmly the captain welcomed him, it seemed he wasn’t a bad person. However, intimidated by the aura emanating from his face, Jack kept stepping back.

“Jack! Come here and greet him. He’s your boss.”

“Boss? What’s that?”

Even though he didn’t know what a boss was, seeing such a formidable person being called a boss didn’t seem like a good thing, making him hesitate to step back.

“If anything happens to me, Pooka here will take care of you in my place.”

“Uncle, where are you going?”

At Pooka’s words, Jack’s eyes quickly welled up with tears. The boy who always laughed heartily, no matter how unpleasant the errands, suddenly choked up, leaving Kukros extremely bewildered.

“Why, why are you crying?”

“Are you going to abandon me too, Uncle?”

Only then did Kukros realize the reason for the child’s tears. With an “Oh,” expression, he quickly lifted Jack into his arms.
Jack, embraced in the muscular arms of Kukros, appeared relatively small. As soon as Jack was enfolded in Kukros’s arms, he buried his face into his shoulders.

Despite the strong scent of sweat, it didn’t bother Jack at all. Instead, he tightly clung to Kukros’s thick neck.

“Why would I abandon you? You’re so useful.”

Kukros patted Jack’s back with his large hands, making a thudding sound. Jack hugged his neck even tighter, nodding his head.

“You do errands well, and you’ll learn your job diligently.”

“Yeah, I know. I know how hard Jack works. Pooka, um…”

Looking at Pooka’s face, which became more rugged due to the scars, Kukros continued awkwardly.

“Yeah! Just like an uncle. You’re gaining another guardian.”

“Really? I’m not being sold to that man, right?”

When Jack looked at Kukros with a skeptical gaze, Kukros, bewildered, flicked the small, round head of the boy with a gentle smack.

“How much do you think I’d get for selling you?”

Only then did the hint of tears vanish from Jack’s face. Kukros, looking at the now blushing Jack, chuckled thoughtlessly when he saw Pooka, who had become even more awkward due to the scars.

Even Pooka, who didn’t dislike his friend’s unfamiliar appearance, smiled contentedly at the two.
Jack, perhaps due to shedding tears for a while, dozed off and eventually fell asleep on the table after lunch. Kukros carefully lifted Jack to prevent him from waking up and gently placed him in the room on the second floor before coming back down.

“The person Princess is looking for is a maid who used to live in Amaloon?”

“Yeah. Her name is Rudina. She’s twenty years old, just like the princess. And this is a portrait drawn based on the description Princess provided.”

“Quite cute. Does this face match?”

“Yeah, she said it’s similar.”

Pooka nodded as if understanding and, after confirming, Kukros carefully folded the portrait he had given and put it in his arms.

“I’ll let the princess know. She won’t accept a reward.”

As Pooka had done anything for money, Kukros was quite surprised at his refusal to accept money.

“Are you serious? You, who would do anything for money, suddenly saying you won’t take any. What’s gotten into you?”

After Kukros’s question, Pooka, seeming lost in thought for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“I have a feeling that Princess will repay me with something better than money later.”

“You must be blind not to see, but I find it hard to believe… Princess Stella is now completely penniless. She even sells vegetables in the market. Of course, she still has some precious silver, but we don’t know how much it is yet.”

“That’s why you still have a long way to go, Kukros. Without a proper eye for people.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”

Kukros felt oddly puzzled, as if he understood Pooka’s words.

“I’ll tell the princess. I’ll find and bring her within a month.”

“Another boastful claim.”

“I’m boasting because I’m good at it.”

“You might get stabbed for all that boasting.”

As the two bickered back and forth, a customer entered the guild. Pooka, noticing people coming in, lowered his hat deeply and stood up from his seat.

“Leaving already? What if she arrives soon?”

It was a question about leaving without meeting Princess Stella. Pooka nodded vigorously and replied with a cheerful voice.

“I’ll be back in a month. Oh, and this.”

As if he was about to leave right away, Pooka swiftly turned around, then came back and extended a small dagger toward Kukros. It was a dagger with a silver handle and a small octagonal gray stone embedded in the center.

“What? I don’t take assassination contracts.”