Chapter 231: Going to take the Registration ID’s(1)

<Yo, Old Man and Fire boy.>

<I’m not writing a love letter, so I’ll keep this short.>

<Since I broke your million-dollar Bloodline Checking artifact before, here’s a gift for you along with my letter.>

Cedric’s gaze slowly shifted away from the paper, landing on the wrapped object lying on the floor.

For a few seconds, he stared at it before, without saying anything, motioning for Leonardo to open it.

Leonardo cautiously grabbed the long, wrapped item in his hands, and just from its weight alone, along with its shape beneath the wrapping, he already understood what it was.

His cautiousness slowly turned into curiosity.

As he unwrapped it...

A gleaming silver blade appeared before his eyes, while the beautifully designed hilt rested within his palms, looking like a weapon made for actual combat rather than simple decoration.

It was a sword.

That was what Lucian had given them.

Yeah...

Lucian knew it was a little stupid, since there was no real reason for him to give them something like this.

But despite how shameless he seemed, the Director had helped him quite a bit, and Lucian had his own pride.

He didn’t like the feeling of getting something without giving anything in return.

And mainly...

To him, it seemed like Cedric now held a favour against him after he had destroyed that stupid compass of his!

Leonardo’s eyes brightened slightly as he stared at the weapon in admiration. His fingers tightened around the hilt before he swung it slightly, testing its balance and sharpness.

But after a few seconds, he noticed faint traces of dust near certain areas of the blade, as if it had been used before... though that didn’t undermine its quality even a little.

"W-What kind of sword did that brat give us?!"

Cedric’s panicked voice suddenly brought Leonardo’s attention back.

"What is it, Grandfather?"

Cedric didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes remained fixed on the sword, though his expression had changed considerably.

"That sword... is an A Rank weapon," he muttered, his voice turning completely solemn as he spoke.

His eyes shifted toward the line where Lucian had written—

<Just so you know, that weapon is of A Rank... you owe me a favour, Old Man.>

Cedric’s face twitched.

Despite not being able to see that brat right now, the Director was absolutely sure that the young lad was laughing madly while writing those words.

And the worst part was...

He was right.

Cedric had indeed spared Lucian the cost of the artifact, not simply because he was generous, but because he wanted to leave Lucian with the feeling that he owed the Association something.

Like a debt... one that would’ve made Lucian feel compelled to remain on their side.

But now...

The situation had completely reversed! Now they were the ones who owed the lad!

And an A Rank weapon wasn’t some cheap gift that could simply be handed away.

If properly evaluated, this sword alone could easily be worth more than a couple of hundred million dollars.

Perhaps even more, considering that high-ranking weapons were even more difficult to find compared to artifacts, as there were rarely any weaponsmiths capable of making such exclusive weapons.

Of course... if Lucian had known the expected price of his so-called gift, then he wouldn’t have given them anything like this!

"It seems he wants you to have it.

He even said... ’I want you to be stronger in the next fight, so train harder, you—’"

Cedric didn’t complete his words, but then—

"You Fucker... he said that, right?" Leonardo asked, to which Cedric quietly nodded.

But instead of getting angry—

"I’ll keep that in mind," Leonardo replied with a faint, anticipatory smile, his face lighting up as he closely admired the blade, gently wiping it with the cloth.

Meanwhile, Cedric slumped into his chair.

"Haaaaa..."

A long, exhausted sigh escaped his mouth as he leaned back, staring blankly at his grandson, who seemed to be far too invested in his new gift.

"That brat is making me more and more anxious for some reason..."

He rubbed his forehead.

For some reason, after meeting Lucian, he really had the urge to leave his job and settle down on a farm or something, especially with all this exhausting awakened stuff.

Yes...

The old man was getting a bit lazy.

Or perhaps he was simply getting a bit too old for this young shit.

***

The next day came soon, and Lucian, carrying Selene in his arms, jumped down toward an abandoned-looking, narrow alley near the nearby Association Branch, where they would be getting their IDs and...

He would finally be able to go to the Dungeon and kill some monsters.

His body descended silently before landing on the ground without making much noise.

The alley was quiet, and it was a perfect place to arrive without drawing too much attention.

Lucian gently removed Selene from his arms, and she remained quiet, her pitch-black mask covering her face while the dark hood rested over her head, hiding most of her black hair.

Both of them calmly walked out of the alley together before stepping inside the Awakened Association Building...

The same place where they had met Lily before.

The moment they stepped inside the building...

Everyone’s eyes gradually shifted toward them, and even those who hadn’t been looking their way were drawn in by the sudden silence that instantly grabbed everyone’s attention.

"Who... who are they?" A quiet voice came from somewhere nearby.

"And who is that... scary woman?"

"Oh! They are the pair who came a few days ago!"

"Ah, right! How could we forget?!"

"But that woman... is she the same woman?"

Murmurs instantly began running through the building, and Lucian, to his absolute annoyance, could clearly hear each and every one of them.

If not for his high Intelligence and Will, perhaps he would have already been overwhelmed by the amount of noise ringing inside his head.

But he tried to keep his face calm.

He wasn’t here today to cause any trouble—not like he had ever done something like that.

Right~~?

After taking a brief pause, Lucian continued walking—

Or at least... he wanted to.

Because just as he took another step forward—

Three men suddenly stepped into his path.

"Hey."