Aside from the rookies, every adventurer currently in the Adventurers Guild held Rank E or D.
Hankus was the sole Rank C adventurer present—distinguished by his golden insignia.
Had he unleashed violence publicly, few could have stopped him.
The guards acted out of duty. Several Rank D adventurers also stepped forward; though lower-ranked, they couldn’t ignore his blatant aggression.
Unexpectedly, it was a maid who subdued him.
No one saw her appear—and no one imagined she’d overpower Hankus so effortlessly.
Silence fell over the Guild’s first floor. All stared at Suran, stunned.
After a long pause, murmurs broke out:
“Hankus… beaten like a helpless chick?”
“Yeah, he’s infamous here—but his strength matched that rep… and yet…”
The chatter jolted Hankus’s team awake. The priestess cautiously approached, eyes flicking to Suran’s face—testing if she’d block the healing spell for Hankus.
Click, click, click.
Before Suran could respond, sharp heel-clacks echoed from the second-floor stairs.
A hoarse voice followed: “Violent task-snatching is strictly forbidden by the Guild.”
Suran turned. A woman in black military uniform descended slowly.
An eyepatch covered one eye. Mature features, striking presence. Crimson hair flowed to her waist like a cape. Thigh-high boots revealed only a sliver of skin—the signature “absolute territory.”
A diamond adventurer insignia hung at her waist; her cap bore the “Solflare Legion” emblem. Dual insignias signaled extraordinary status.
“When accepting commissions, ‘first come, first served’ is normal competition,” she said, voice raspy. She glanced at Hankus’s priestess. “So tend to the boy’s wounds first.”
“Y-Yes! Vice Guildmaster!”
The priestess nodded nervously and hurried to Hushang, chanting healing magic as if fearing delay.
“Vice Guildmaster?”
Hearing the title, Suran looked up—only to meet the woman’s gaze.
At that moment, Ruby beside her and the Rank F rookies gasped:
“P-Principal Examiner… you’re the Vice Guildmaster!?”
“She’s the rookie assessment examiner?” Suran asked Ruby.
“Y-Yes! And Maid Sister—the answer about bringing helpers? It was her! She said, ‘Connections are a vital asset for adventurers’…”
“That hoarse voice… the iconic uniform… Could you be the legendary ‘Sunset Sacred Flame,’ Lady Androde!?” a rookie blurted.
“I am Androde.” She gave a slight nod. “But no longer call me ‘Sunset Sacred Flame.’ That title is gone. Only ‘Sunset Ember’ remains.”
“Lady Androde—you slew the dragon, brought back the ‘Sacred Flame’! How can you discard your title?”
“Dragon slaying!?”
“Don’t you know? As Grand Commander of the Third Legion and Sunset Holy Order, a true general of Auster Kingdom and double Rank A adventurer—she led the Third Legion over a decade ago to vanquish the Blackflame Dragon King, purify the Sacred Flame, and found today’s Holy Flame Order!”
“Oh… I recall… it was… a brutal battle…”
“It’s all in the past.”
Androde removed her eyepatch and glove, revealing a prosthetic eye and arm. “The entire legion fell. Only this ember remained. Blackflame ash ruined my voice. Losing an eye and arm forced my resignation—and a rank downgrade.”
“Now I am merely Vice Guildmaster of the Adventurers Guild, overseeing the Lobet City branch.”
The crowd fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.
“I share this so you rookies won’t view me through ‘hero goggles,’” Androde sighed. “Treat me as your Vice Guildmaster. Otherwise… even I feel sorrow remembering.”
“Y-Yes… Vice Guildmaster.”
They bowed, shifting address from “Lady” to “Vice Guildmaster.”
Androde then walked toward Suran.
Suran had expected it—their earlier eye contact made it inevitable. A Rank C adventurer subdued by a mysterious maid? The Vice Guildmaster *had* to approach.
“Maid miss,” Androde said, offering a hand-over-heart salute with her flesh-and-blood hand, “might I trouble you for a private word?”
Suran curtsied. “I’m sorry, Vice Guildmaster—now isn’t possible.” She glanced at the healing Hankus. “If my interference harmed him, please state your terms directly.”
“The Guild discourages violence—but Hankus is an exception. Exceptional people warrant exceptional measures. You saved us effort.” Androde’s tone softened. “What I wish to discuss is unrelated. If you’re unavailable now… another time?”
*Other matters?*
Suran slightly furrowed her brow.
This was their first meeting. No prior connection.
If Androde wasn’t pursuing Hankus… what did she want to discuss—alone?
