As they kept walking, their usual nonsense bickering carried on, insults, sarcasm, dumb jokes—nothing serious, the kind of chatter you only have with someone you've known too long.
Then they reached the point where the stoned road from the academy split toward the city.
Four Eyes suddenly stopped and tapped Shun's shoulder.
"Good luck going back home, bud," he said with a lazy grin before jogging off, waving one hand above his head as he disappeared into the crowd.
Shun clicked his tongue and sighed.
Then he headed toward the plaza.
He circled around, scanning carriages left and right, hoping to see their family insignia painted on any of them. He checked one side. Then another. Then again. Nothing. The crowd came and went, people laughing, merchants shouting, wheels rolling. But none of it belonged to him.
Minutes stacked into an hour. The sky shifted orange. Shadows stretched and the city lights slowly woke up.
Shun's jaw tightened.
Those bastards.
So they really didn't send one.
He clenched his fist. Once I get home, I'm blowing them all up…
The sun dipped lower. He finally gave up and headed into a nearby inn.
Cling—
The bell chimed.
"Welcome," the innkeeper greeted warmly.
Shun leaned on the counter. "Got any rooms for the night?"
"Of course," the man smiled.
Shun grabbed a small pouch and stared at him.
"Erm… a normal room will be five Klip a night…"
Shun froze for a second.
"Fi… five Klip…?" he repeated slowly.
His fingers twitched as he nervously opened his pouch and peeked inside. His soul left his body for half a second.
He started counting quietly.
"One… t-two… three… four…"
Silence.
Then he breathed out like he'd just survived a war.
"…Wheew…"
He dug deeper with trembling hands, fishing out the coins and placed all five carefully on the counter.
"I'll… stay for a night," Shun said.
"Great!" the innkeeper smiled. "Here's the key to Room 25."
Shun took the key with a sad face and sighed as he headed up the stairs.
He wobbled up the stairs.
"Five… five Klip for a single night…" he muttered, clutching his chest dramatically. "I'm only getting paid a few Klip per quest… what kind of robbery is this…?"
He clicked his tongue.
"Just you wait, brother… father… you're both getting an earful from me."
The moment he entered the room, he didn't even bother looking around. He dove straight into the bed, face first.
"Reeeeeest…"
He rolled over, arms spread wide, staring blankly at the ceiling… and then the thoughts came pouring in.
It had been years since he actually heard from them. No letters. No messengers. No updates.
Not just that — they cut him off financially too.
He clenched his jaw.
"Ever since that day I've been working my ass off just to survive… paying for food, supplies, dorms, FAILED experiments… can you believe that!?"
He exhaled and covered his face with his arm.
Then that nobleman's mocking voice replayed in his head.
"Shun the fallen nobleman…"
His eyes twitched.
"It… couldn't be right…" he tried to reassure himself, forcing a laugh.
But the laugh faded quickly.
Then a faint flick of light stabbed his vision.
A reflection.
A lens glare.
Shun's eyebrow twitched.
"…you've gotta be kidding me."
The camera man.
He turned his head slowly toward the closet—
And there it was. Half-hidden. Half-breathing. Completely suspicious.
Shun shot up from the bed and marched forward, grabbed the camera man by the lens—
Well… his face.
"Dude… seriously? You're still here?"
He tapped the camera man's face twice with his knuckle.
"Why are you working this hard? There's literally no one reading this yet. Look—" knock knock "—nothing... Go home."
He sighed, dragged the poor thing by the face toward the window.
"Listen… I'm trying to rest right now. You're creeping me out. If you're desperate to film something…"
He leaned out the window, scanned the street below.
"There."
A thief sprinted down the road with guards chasing after him, crowd screaming, chaos everywhere.
"See?
The camera man focused so hard on the scene that he didn't even notice Shun casually shoving him out the window.
"Toodles."
Shun shut the window, flopped back onto the bed, and finally closed his eyes.
"Now… let me sleep."
Morning came fast.
Shun jolted awake, threw on his cloak, and sprinted straight to the Guild HQ. The place was already buzzing—seekers arguing over rewards, merchants posting new contracts, armed idiots bragging about scars. Typical morning chaos.
He ignored all of it.
He rushed to the quest board and scanned every parchment pinned up.
"Where is it… where is it…"
His eyes darted left and right, fingers flicking through sheets.
Ferrwyn. Anything near Ferrwyn. Anything headed north. Anything that would take him home.
Nothing.
Not a single mention.
Shun's jaw clenched. His shoulders stiffened.
"What were you looking for?"
A voice gently cut into his frustration.
He turned. A guild receptionist was watching him from behind the desk.
He walked over.
"Escort missions," he muttered. "Anything headed north."
"I see. I can help with that," she replied, already reaching for some records. "Do you have your Seeker ID?"
Shun handed it over. "Yeah. Here."
She accepted it… but didn't even look at it yet.
"Any place in particular?" she asked.
"Ferrwyn," Shun answered without hesitation. "Or anywhere close."
Her fingers froze.
Ferrwyn.
The air between them suddenly felt heavier.
"…I'm sorry," she said. "There's nothing available for that area.
"What? Why?" Shun frowned.
"You… haven't heard the news?" she asked quietly, then finally glanced down at his ID.
Her eyes widened.
"Shun… Drosswyn…?"
Her gaze snapped back to him.
"W-wait… you're Baron Ilrec Drosswyn's son?"
"…Yeah," Shun replied, throat tightening.
She swallowed, returned his ID with both hands, and looked at him with worry in her eyes.