Chapter 34: The One Who No Longer Fights
Opening the door cautiously, I discovered a room lit by the cold light of a window set behind a large desk of solid wood. The daylight carved out a silhouette in backlight, letting me glimpse the outline of a man seated, focused on a pile of documents he was annotating with a skillful hand.
Contrary to my expectations, he wasn’t part of the Gorr’Shul race. No dark tattooed skin, no massive build, no oppressive aura. No, this man seemed... human.
His outfit was simple yet neat: a linen tunic beneath a leather vest, sleeves rolled up to reveal nervous forearms. His calm stood in sharp contrast to the belligerent atmosphere of the place, as if he belonged to another world.
He didn’t immediately raise his eyes to me. His quill continued scratching the parchment for a few moments before he stopped, closed his inkwell, and finally straightened slightly in his chair.
— I was wondering when you’d arrive, he said in a calm voice, without the slightest hint of surprise.
His eyes, two icy embers, settled on me.
— I was wondering when you’d show yourself, he murmured in a deep voice.
So he had sensed my presence. In an instant, he had deployed his aura — a subtle but noticeable pressure — inviting me to fully enter the guild, to cross that invisible threshold.
I knew he was stronger than me, infinitely so. Every fiber of my being felt it. But there was a reason, after all, why he had summoned me. I couldn’t let myself be impressed — not now.
— I have something to ask of you, he finally said, his voice calm but firm, as if his request was nothing more than a formality.
I straightened, meeting his icy gaze despite the intense light behind him. In this dim room, his presence seemed denser, more imposing. I couldn’t help but feel that he was weighing me in silence.