The conversation between Ethan and Gordon finally ca to an end.
Five empty beer cans were scattered across the table, rolling slightly whenever soone passed by.
Ethan had no choice but to sling Gordon over his shoulder as he carried him out of the bar.
For Gordon, just two cans of beer were enough to leave him completely wasted.
"Do you need so help?" soone asked from behind them.
Ethan shook his head and thanked the person, assuring them that he could handle Gordon on his own.
The two of them returned to the LionArk headquarters later that night.
The place was alive with light, glowing brightly under strings of decorations and party lamps that shimred like stars fallen to the ground.
When Ethan reached the front gate, several people noticed their arrival. Smiles spread across their faces as they raised their glasses in greeting.
"A toast for Sir Ethan!"
"Cheers!"
Ethan smiled back and acknowledged them before continuing inside, still supporting Gordon’s limp body.
As he passed through the crowd, his eyes caught sight of Rick.
"Rick!"
Hearing his na, Rick turned his head, scanning the area until he spotted Ethan standing there with an unconscious Gordon slung over his shoulder.
"Ethan? Gordon?" Rick hurried over. "What happened to him?"
Ethan explained that Gordon was just drunk and would be fine after so ti.
"He cannot even handle alcohol, yet he still insisted on drinking with you? He has lost his mind," Rick complained.
Ethan chuckled softly. He noticed several female LionArk mbers sitting at the sa table as Rick, and he could not help but pick up on the situation imdiately.
"I am leaving Gordon with you," Ethan said casually as he transferred Gordon’s weight onto Rick.
"What? Wait! I am busy!" Rick protested.
Ethan had already turned away, leaving Rick to deal with the drunken ss on his own.
Ethan made his way up to the third floor, stopping by the corridor window as he caught his breath.
From there, he could see the entire celebration clearly. Laughter, music, and movent filled the courtyard below.
"It is rare to see a party like this, right?"
Ethan glanced to the side. Ashley had stepped out of her office and now stood beside him, both of them looking down at the sa scene.
"Yeah," Ethan replied. "They need this. Consider it a reward for themselves."
"You are right," Ashley agreed.
Silence settled between them for a mont. Two months apart had made things awkward, leaving neither of them quite sure how to start a conversation.
"Ashley," Ethan called.
"Yes?"
Ashley turned to face him. Her pupils widened slightly as her heart began to race.
She clenched her fingers together, trying to calm the anxiety and fear swirling inside her.
"About what I said earlier," Ethan continued. "I am not going to raid the tower anyti soon."
Ashley’s eyes widened further before she broke into a wide smile and looked away again.
"I am glad you decided that," she said lightly. "That ans the files on your desk need to be taken care of imdiately."
"What files?"
Ethan instinctively turned around and opened the door to his office. His gaze landed on stacks upon stacks of docunts piled high on his desk.
His body instantly went slack. His eyes widened, and his face paled.
"This... again?"
Ashley watched his reaction and smiled. She stepped closer, crouching beside him.
"Do not worry," she said gently. "I will help you later."
"Of course you will," Ethan replied. "You and Sherly."
"I will ask her to co tomorrow," Ashley said.
Ashley reached out and took Ethan’s hand. Their eyes t, and her heartbeat grew louder in her ears as she looked at him with unwavering focus.
"Welco ho, Ethan."
Ethan smiled softly. He cupped Ashley’s cheek and kissed her under the glow of the party lights in the courtyard below.
They kissed deeply, both closing their eyes as they let themselves sink into the mont, tongues eting with quiet intensity.
Ethan finally pulled back, smiling at Ashley with affection.
"I am ho, sweetheart."
***
The next day.
Ethan was utterly miserable.
Hours passed as more and more docunts piled onto his desk. He had initially thought everything would be done before noon, but it quickly beca clear that he would not finish before sunset.
Sherly was in his office, helping him sort through the work, but even that was not enough.
"Lyodra!"
[Mode: Aggressive Soul Servant]
[1. Lyodra Vulkanis || Level 10 || S Rank || Passive: Aggressive || MP: 2500]
A chibi version of Lyodra flew forward, her body glowing red as she transford from her miniature form into that of an adult woman. The sudden burst of crimson light startled Sherly.
In an instant, Lyodra appeared in her adult form, wearing a dress of fire and holding a lava sword.
"Put your sword away," Ethan said calmly. "Help sort these docunts."
Lyodra stared at him in confusion, saying nothing. Ethan showed her how to organize the files, separating one type of docunt from another.
It was simple enough. Lyodra completed the task almost imdiately. With her help, their work progressed much faster.
"You are not calling your other servants?" Sherly asked.
"Sera and Luna are still on cooldown. I cannot activate them."
"With Lyodra here, this is more than enough," Ethan replied.
They continued working until Ethan paused as a woman entered his office. She was from the reception desk, carrying new information.
"Sir Ethan," she greeted.
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
"A group of guild mbers has arrived. They call themselves Sacred Hall."
"Sacred Hall?" Ethan exclaid.
Sherly turned to look at Ethan’s hardened expression. His eyes narrowed as he allowed the guild leader and vice leader to et with him.
The receptionist nodded and left. Not long after, two people entered the office. One of them was Yuna.
"Hello, Sir Ethan," the man said, introducing himself as Atlan.
"Hello. It is a pleasure to welco you here," Ethan replied.
"We thank you for allowing us to settle in the Eastern Plains," Atlan said.
"Yes. That was part of our agreent. I would not dare break it."
"Atlan," the man continued, "you already know her, right?"
Yuna smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, Sir Ethan."
"Hello, Yuna. I am glad to see you are safe."
"Thank you."
Ethan invited them to speak in a more appropriate place, the Guild Hall. They gladly followed him.
"How are things in the Central Plains?" Ethan asked. "Have you heard anything?"
"Yes," Atlan replied. "Chaos."
"Chaos?"
Atlan explained everything. Eight days before the event ended, after the Redemption Sword returned, they began hunting.
According to Atlan, Redemption Sword’s goal was to eliminate Scavenger and its mbers, capturing assassins, interrogating them, and destroying guilds affiliated with Scavenger.
"Within a week, many guilds were destroyed after their leaders were captured," Atlan said. "The Redemption Sword has beco the absolute power in the Central Plains."
Ethan froze, his hand gripping the Guild Hall door.
I made a mistake.
"A mistake?" Atlan asked as Yuna narrowed her eyes.
"I should have killed him," Ethan said quietly. "And Scavenger too. Now the Redemption Sword may beco a greater threat than Scavenger ever was."
"Why do you think so?" Atlan asked. "Arthur and the Redemption Sword lost many mbers."
"Arthur craves power," Ethan replied. "He is a veteran of this ga. He knows exactly how to reclaim his influence."
Ethan turned sharply toward them.
"Maintaining power is far harder than taking it."
"So you believe he let LionArk rise on purpose," Yuna said, "so he could later spread chaos and propaganda to reclaim authority?"
Ethan inhaled sharply. He had not expected such insight from her, yet she was absolutely right.
If Ethan and the Eastern Alliance were careless, even a small weakness could be exploited, threatening regional stability.
"That is correct."
"But you do not need to worry," Ethan added. "As long as I am here, I will stop Redemption Sword."
Atlan and Yuna nodded, trusting his words completely. Ethan led them into the Guild Hall, where they discussed many matters.
Atlan explained that Sacred Hall had adapted well to the Eastern Plains. Trade agreents had been established, and the economy was thriving.
Everything had gone smoothly since Sacred Hall relocated, though the cost had been significant.
"About the budget," Atlan began.
"You only need to pay half of the relocation cost," Ethan interrupted. "Consider it repaynt for Yuna’s help in securing LionArk’s victory."
Yuna blushed and smiled. Atlan was visibly shocked. Seven million gold was no small amount.
"Besides," Ethan added, "LionArk received ten million gold as a reward. I do not need the money urgently."
"You can pay in installnts."
Atlan turned to Yuna. Both of them thanked Ethan for his generosity and even expressed willingness to join the Eastern Alliance.
Still, there were conditions.
"You may join," Ethan said, "but you will start as a non-permanent mbers."
"Once the situation stabilizes, I will raise your guild’s status."
"Is that clear?" Ethan asked.
"Of course, Sir Ethan."
And with that, the balance of power in the region quietly shifted once again, unseen by most, but deeply felt by those who understood what was coming next.
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