Chapter 14 — The Curtain Rises Again

Ren was in the dojo, a standalone building at the edge of the garden, built for training and duels.

The sound of the wind barely competed with the sharp whistle of his katana.

With the precision of a legendary samurai, he sliced through small leaves midair, again and again,as if time itself had stopped.

His bare torso gleamed with sweat, every muscle honed through silent repetition. No flash, no ego. Just deep, steady breaths. Perfect focus.

From the slightly open wooden door, someone was watching him quietly.

Mia.

The young maid held a clean towel in her hands, but her eyes weren’t on the cloth.

They were on him. Unaware, her tail swayed gently from side to side.

It wasn’t until Ren lowered his blade that he noticed her presence.

“...Mia? Is something wrong?” he asked, without breaking the rhythm of his training.

She bowed her head and stepped forward, ears down, making a quick reverence.

“M-my apologies, Master Ren. Lady Ada has returned. She asked me to inform you.”

He nodded calmly and set the katana down by one of the pillars.

“Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

Taking the towel from her hands, he wiped the sweat from his face, then his chest, his movements unhurried and quiet.

Mia remained still, her cheeks faintly flushed, though she said nothing more.

Ren slipped on a loose-fitting shirt, tying the cuffs with practiced ease. Without needing to look, he knew Mia hadn’t moved.

“I’m ready. Shall we?”

“Y-yes, Master.”

Together, they crossed the garden and headed back to the main building.

Upon entering the drawing room, they found Ada sipping tea while Nia gently fixed her hair.

“Good morning, Ren. Were you out training again?” Ada asked without fully looking up, her voice graceful as she raised her cup.

“Morning, Ada. You know what they say… ‘Idleness is the root of all evil,’” he replied with a half-smile, his hair still damp.

“I suppose I missed another good view then,” she sighed, narrowing her eyes playfully. “Oh well.”

“How did the meeting with the other adamantite adventurers go?”

Ada rolled her eyes with a huff.

“A complete disaster. No leads whatsoever. But that idiot Gaius tried to pin it on Aseina. According to him, ‘only a refined blade could make cuts that clean.’”

Ren sat beside her, his expression more serious now.

“That could be trouble…”

“Oh? You seem awfully concerned about your little ‘friend,’” Ada teased, with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

“It’s not that. I just… think it’d be wrong for her to be punished for something she didn’t do.”

“Justice, huh? How noble of you.”

“It’s one of the few principles I won’t compromise.”

Ada nodded, understanding.

“Don’t worry. No one takes Gaius seriously.”

“…Still, they’ve put a bounty on your head.”

Ren raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“How much?”

“A hundred thousand gold coins… or the title of viscount,” Ada whispered.

“Well… that’s generous.”

The room fell into a brief silence.

“Considering all the damage we’ve done,” she added with a faint smirk, “it’s practically a handout.”

“Diana already mentioned it. It’s likely they’ll try to bring in new slavers from Tulius,” Ren said thoughtfully.

Mia entered the room with a tea tray. She served Ren carefully, but didn’t step away right away. She hesitated. And Ren noticed.

“Is something wrong, Mia?”

“I… I’m sorry. I don’t know if I should say this.”

“It’s fine. You and Nis are both trusted. You can speak freely,” Ren replied, offering her a gentle smile.

Mia’s ears perked up slightly, and her expression shifted.

“Monteverde has an ace up his sleeve…”

Ada set her cup down with deliberate grace.

“Now you have my attention.”

“In Albus Village… where Nia and I are from, many demi-human races used to live together. We were a free community, far from the reach of any kingdom.”

“An independent village?” Ren crossed his arms.

“Yes. But there was one race in particular that guarded our borders… the Usagikage—better known as the Night Rabbits.”

“Rabbits? Sounds cute,” Ada commented with mild disinterest.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” Mia replied firmly. “They’re natural-born assassins. Silent, fast. They move through shadows. Merciless.”

Ren had already set down his cup.

“Interesting… and why are you telling us this?”

Mia lowered her gaze slightly. Her ears drooped.

“Because Count Monteverde has one. The deadliest of them.”

“How did he get her?”

“Her own people sold her. She was captured, trained… and now she serves as his personal bodyguard.”

Ada’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“Do you know her name?”

“She used to be called Mirai. And if you plan on going after the Count… she’s the wall you’ll have to break through first.”

A shadow slid across the wall, without warning.

Diana emerged from the darkness as if she had always been part of it.

“Mirai Schult,” she murmured in a calm, almost indifferent tone.
“Trained assassin since childhood.”
“Her skills rival those of an adamantite-ranked adventurer.”
“A living weapon.”

“Diana. Welcome,” Ada said with a polite nod.

“You should really learn to knock, you know?”

The woman gave a slight nod, as if etiquette held no meaning to her.

She walked to the table and placed several carefully sealed documents on it.

“Your little friend Gaius is also part of Monteverde’s defense system,” she added, unfolding papers filled with names and diagrams.

“He’s planning an incursion into a dungeon tomorrow.”

“He thinks he can defeat an epic monster… SSS rank.”

“Alone?” Ren asked, skeptical.

“With two clanmates,” Diana answered with a thin smile. “But you know how those dungeons can be…”

“Sometimes adventurers just… disappear.”

Silence.

Everyone understood what that really meant.

Diana opened another folder and dropped a second bundle of papers onto the table, each sealed with different noble emblems.

“And these… are the names of the nobles backing Monteverde from the shadows.”

“Some invest in slavers.”

“Others… just don’t want to lose their privileges if all this comes to light.”

Ada picked up one of the papers, her brow furrowed.

“So we’ve got names. Now we just have to decide… who to start with.”

Ren studied the documents for a moment, then separated them into two piles and slid them across the table—one toward Diana, one toward Ada.

“You two will take care of these nobles. I want them to ‘disappear’… without a trace.”

Both women nodded seriously. They knew exactly what that meant.

“And as for me…” Ren said as he stood, “I’ve got one stop to make before I deal with Gaius.”

He didn’t elaborate. He didn’t need to.

The silence grew thick—heavy with unspoken resolve. Each of them knew exactly what had to be done.

And just like that… Opera’s curtain rose once more.