Chapter 803: Unexpected Proposal [2]

I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling in silence.

The room had grown quiet again. On the other side of the partition, the chair the Guild Master had used remained slightly pulled out from the table.

I looked at it for a moment before returning my attention to the ceiling.

’Just what is his goal?’

That was the part I couldn’t quite understand.

The sponsorship was one thing, but surely, someone else could’ve handled this conversation. He had people working for him. Quite a few, probably.

Was he using the situation as an excuse to recruit me?

Two months.

That was enough time to show someone what their Guild could offer. Perhaps he thought I would enjoy my stay so much that I wouldn’t want to return to Severed Stars.

It wasn’t a bad idea.

I was talented, after all.

Probably the best.

But even then...

I turned my head towards the glass.

Was that enough for him to take responsibility for me? Especially when doing so would upset some of the people within the BUA?

He didn’t even hesitated when I asked him about it.

’There’s something more.’

Something that I didn’t know, which made me even more apprehensive. What if he had sinister thoughts? In fact, what if he was with the Hand?

’But if he really was with them, then they wouldn’t have threatened me with my past...’

Unfortunately, lying here and looking at the empty chair wasn’t helping me figure out what it was.

"...Hoo."

I let out a long breath.

"Still, this is a nice offer."

A little too nice.

My heart itched again.

’...I really can get out of this place.’

There were restrictions, but they weren’t abd.

I looked towards the door connecting the two sections of the room.

It had remained closed ever since the Guild Master had left.

"I..."

I stopped.

Then I sat up.

"Never mind."

Lifting my good hand, I slapped the side of my head.

"What’s there to think about?"

Anything was better than remaining stuck here.

A man stuck in a room couldn’t do much.

I knew that from experience.

I had already spent several days waiting for someone to find something, but it was clear that it was just a way for me to cope.

At this rate, I would spend even more than a month in here.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

’Right. This isn’t going to work.’

If I wanted to do something before it was too late, I would have to accept a little risk.

Perhaps Obsidian Bastion would be troublesome.

Perhaps the Guild Master really did want something from me.

But I could worry about that once I was there. At least I would have somewhere to start, rather than spending another day wondering when I would get out.

I reached for my phone.

My mind was made up.

Whatever was waiting for me outside, it couldn’t be dealt with from this bed.

Unlocking the screen, I opened my contacts and started scrolling.

Joanna.

Kyle.

Zoey.

My thumb slowed.

I scrolled a little farther before stopping completely.

"Wait..."

I stared at the screen.

"How am I supposed to contact him?"

"....."

I don’t have his number.

***

Zoey walked down the corridor, trying not to pay attention to the people around her.

It wasn’t working particularly well.

Someone near the reception desk looked at her before quickly turning back towards their phone. A little farther ahead, two Guild Members stopped speaking as she passed.

She was used to people looking at her.

That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was how they kept looking away when she looked back.

"....."

Her steps grew a little quicker.

Several days had passed since the visit to the hospital, but the irritation had yet to go away. If anything, returning to the Guild had only made it worse.

Kyle didn’t help out either. If anything, he seemed to make things worse. He was also one of the people who looked at her weirdly.

Zoey ignored him for that.

But for some reason, he seemed to take that as further confirmation.

’Damn bastard.’

Zoey entered the Containment Department Kitchen area.

She needed some coffee.

That was all.

A little coffee, followed by some work to take her mind off the matter.

Really, the more she thought about it, the more irritated she felt.

There were a few people inside, but nobody spoke to her as she approached the counter. She picked up a glass cup, added a spoonful of instant coffee, and filled it with hot water.

For a moment, she watched the powder dissolve.

Then she stirred it.

The quiet scraping of the spoon against the glass helped a little.

Until she noticed someone looking at her.

"What?"

The recruit standing a short distance away straightened.

"What are you looking at?"

"Ah, I..."

His expression immediately changed, and Zoey’s hand stopped against the cup.

"....."

She took a slow breath.

"No, sorry. I’m a little thrown off."

The recruit hesitated before nodding.

"It’s alright."

It wasn’t his fault.

She knew that.

He had probably only come here to get something to drink. Snapping at people for looking in her direction wasn’t going to make things any better.

’Damn bastard.’

Once again, Seth’s face came to mind.

She pushed it away and put on a smile.

"So? What can I help you with?"

The recruit looked a little relieved.

"I was just wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Is it true that you’re dating—"

CRACK!

The glass shattered in her hand.

Coffee spilled across the counter, with several small pieces falling onto the floor.

The recruit flinched.

His eyes moved towards her hand before slowly returning to her face.

"....."

Zoey remained perfectly still.

So did he.

For a few seconds, the only sound came from the coffee dripping over the edge of the counter.

Then the recruit took a small step back.

"Actually, I just remembered..."

Zoey looked at him.

"I have something to do."

He took another step.

"Sorry. I’ll... I should go."

She didn’t answer.

He left anyway.

Quite quickly.

Zoey watched the door close before looking down at what remained of the cup.

’I’m going to kill him.’

She took a deep breath.

’I’m going to kill him.’

Another breath followed.

’I’m going to kill him.’

There was coffee on her sleeve.

She had yet to even take a sip...

"....."

Slowly, she put the broken cup down.

The others in the kitchen became rather occupied with what they were doing. Nobody seemed particularly interested in looking at her anymore.

That was good.

She wasn’t certain how much more patience she had left.

After taking another breath, Zoey found something to clean the counter with. She gathered the broken pieces, wiped up the coffee, and made sure nothing remained on the floor before leaving.

She didn’t make another cup.

By the time she reached her desk, her expression had settled somewhat.

She sat down and turned on her computer.

Work.

She could do some work.

Preferably something that required enough attention that she wouldn’t have time to think about anything else.

While waiting for her PC to boot, she scrolled through her phone to check out the latest news.

Several articles concerning the hospital appeared near the top. Most repeated the same information, with very little that she hadn’t already heard from the Section Chief.

She scrolled past them.

Then past another article discussing Ivory Thorn.

Her fingers slowed after a certain point.

A headline near the bottom of the page caught her attention.

At first, she only glanced at it.

Then she stopped.

[Breaking — Malovia Aftermath: Unanswered Questions Surround the Jester Incident]

"....."

Zoey leaned closer to the screen.

Beneath the title was a photograph of damaged buildings, with part of a ruined street visible in the foreground.

Her gaze returned to the headline.

She read it again, the irritation on her face slowly fading.

For a moment, her thumb remained still.

Then—

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