Although it seemed like Riley’s location would be determined, it wasn’t. Seeing that the earring was malfunctioning even after coming to Lulat, rather than a simple magical tool flaw, there was something interfering with the transmission of magical power around.

And based on his experience, there was only one place around here that could interfere with the transmission of magical power.

“Master, I brought her.”

Sak entered with Hila.

Hila walked in awkwardly, but when her eyes met with Gibben’s, she was startled. She was so surprised that she almost fell backward, but Sak grabbed her in time to prevent her from falling.

“Sorry for summoning you in the middle of the night.”

“Oh, no…”

Hila looked at him suspiciously. Seeing the man in front of her, who used to decorate the front page of various newspapers if he was bored, made her doubt if he was really the person she knew. She never imagined a day would come when she would encounter the real-life version of Horizon’s Matapju. She had hoped to see the real thing someday when she got a job at Horizon, but she had never imagined that such a random encounter would take place.

Even in this situation, it was impossible to take her eyes off his beautiful appearance. Although she didn’t want to look, her gaze kept involuntarily shifting toward him.
“I heard you were with Riley until the end.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Can you explain in detail what happened at that time?”

Hila mentioned a day when she was walking on the promenade with Riley, and at some point, Riley disappeared without a trace.

She emphasized that she waited in that spot for over an hour after Riley disappeared, feeling anxious. Despite the fact that there were no threatening or suspicious individuals, and there were even many onlookers, no one had witnessed Riley. Hila also added the fact that no one saw Riley, even though many eyes were around.

“Can you guide me to that promenade?”

“Of course, I was waiting there even before you came.”

Hila calmed her surprised heart and led the way.

“Follow me.”

Unlike the bustling daylight, the ambitious early morning promenade was somber.

Although there were lights on the street lamps, they didn’t completely illuminate the darkness; instead, the subtle light created a more somber atmosphere. Moreover, the cries of animals, which were unheard during the day, were audible.

Gibben looked at a high iron grate hidden in the darkness.

“Is this perhaps the habitat of the demons?”

“Probably.”

Gibben fiddled with his earring.

The location of Riley was still sporadic, but it was located not far from here.

The fact that her location was identified meant she was still alive, and it was fortunate. However, her emotional state, which was anxious and restless just a few hours ago, was surprisingly calm now, almost as if she had fallen asleep completely.

Considering the late hour, the probability of her being asleep was high, but it couldn’t exclude the possibility of her losing consciousness.

“Are you going in alone?”

“And then?”

“I’ll go with…”

“You stay here and watch.”

The demon’s habitat was a restricted area. Without permission, entry was not allowed, and entry was only possible during regular demon suppression periods.

Entering the demon habitat without permission was a clear violation of the law and even counted as a serious offense. It was questionable whether he would overlook it quietly like last time if caught.

“Alone?”

“That’s your specialty. Guard the lady there. Do you think I would leave her alone in the middle of the night?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Watch who comes. I don’t want to be dragged to the Magic Bureau again.”

Sak frowned, sweeping his hair back.

“If you use magic inside and get caught, you’ll be exposed, won’t you?”

“You never know.”

“…”

“Come up with a plausible excuse.”

After finishing his words, Gibben disappeared in an instant.

Sak sighed long and extended his hand towards Hila, who was still wide-eyed.

“I’ll take you to the hotel room.”

Hila grabbed Sak’s outstretched hand in surprise.

Just when Sak was about to activate the portal magic, Hila subtly spoke.

“Excuse me, Riley Oppa…”

“…Did you say my name?”

“Yes!”

“I’m not Miss Riley’s brother. Moreover, I am a woman.”

“…What?”

Hila was so surprised that she opened her mouth wide.

“Not her brother? Not a man?”

“I’m a woman, and I’m not related to Miss Riley by blood. If we have to specify, it’s more like a superior-subordinate relationship.”
“Th-then, is it true that Riley… I mean, Lady Matoq is actually going to marry you?”

Bahn clearly stated that if he waited, Riley’s ‘husband’ would come, and Lady Matoq did arrive. And the rumor about Lady Matoq’s marriage had been spreading like wildfire since this morning.

“Well, since you’re a friend of the lady… It’s okay to tell you. Yes, that’s correct, for now.”

“Oh my goodness.”

Hila’s face turned pale. The panoramic scene of her enthusiastically gossiping about Lady Matoq in front of Riley passed through her mind.

“Oh, that blasted gossip, gossip!”

Hila didn’t speak to Sakh anymore. When the conversation ended, Sakh opened a portal to take Hila to the hotel room and then returned. He closed his eyes, cross-legged, and began to radiate magic. It was a spell that could detect if anyone suspicious was approaching within a certain radius.

“…Overtime hell… kill me…”

His inner cry went unheard by Gibben.

Finding Riley’s location wasn’t too difficult. Despite the continuous interference from demons and plants disrupting the flow of magic, the state-of-the-art location-detecting earring did a decent job of pinpointing Riley’s location.

As Sakh approached Riley’s location.

“….”

Arrows flew towards him.

Gibben dodged them and looked down. Upon closer inspection, they weren’t ordinary arrows but rather ice arrows, sharply crafted from carved ice. Dozens of ice arrows were flying towards him. Of course, these ice arrows fell powerless to the ground just before hitting Gibben.

Instead of retaliating, Gibben conjured fire.

In an instant, the figure of a man guarding Riley, holding her, came into view.

“…You.”

Very familiar, undoubtedly a fellow student.

Someone he had clashed with before.

Undoubtedly, the guy who had held Riley’s hand back then.

Bahn Claff.

The handsome classmate who had helped Riley several times.

There’s that annoying guy again. As soon as he snapped out of it, his distorted spirit roared, revealing sharpened teeth.