Glimpse of SUN

Toru gazed at the girl sleeping next to him.

He'd been anxious when Chieko didn't wake for the third day in a row, but their medics told him she would be ok. They were in a two-person wing of [Raincloud]'s hospital in the center of town.

Medical procedures were on the house for those injured defending [Raincloud]'s territory, so they wouldn't have to pay for their stay.

There was already a high-ranked rescue group headed to the void. Toru had told them about the man in red, his abilities, and the rune which allowed him to see past the dungeon's gift.

He expected a hint of surprise, but their reaction revealed knowledge about this person. Toru tried to ask who he was or where he came from, but they ignored him. Confidential information, it seemed.

They'd been given a shot of guric root extract, which supposedly put their bodies into 'full repair' mode. Their recovery would take around four days, but Chieko sustained greater injuries, so she would be out of commission for a while. Toru wanted to ask why they weren't just given health flasks, but bit his tongue in the end. Guilds were a business, and HP was expensive.

[Fen]-{A beauty.}

The more Toru looked at Chieko, the more he agreed with his unique spirit.

[Fen]-{I should have told you more about the identity rings...}

'It's not your fault... I didn't even look at the rings... I-I just...'

In fact, before entering the spire, Fen had been rather explicit about making sure the portal's identification ring was two bars:

[Fen]-{My voice won't be able to reach you because of [Grand Void]'s veil. Don't worry, the abilities I've given are now a part of you. Please don't make a foolish mistake, you are my first host in millennia.}

Despite his warning, Toru made a foolish mistake. He'd inadvertently killed Neto.

His chest constricted at the thought of his savior. Toru had known no one willing to put their life on the line for him besides Isobe. Though, unlike Isobe, Neto and Toru didn't have time to become proper friends...

Did he really expect his first delve to go smoothly? What if he'd been by himself during that? Only the strong could enter portals by themselves or with one other person, not a first-timer.... If Toru ever went to [Grand Void] again, he'd go with a proper group.

"I don't deserve to live..." Toru muttered, curling into a ball.

"Neto didn't die for you to give up."

When had the door opened? An unfamiliar voice came from beside Toru's bed. Pulling the sheets down from his head, Toru sat to face a light-skinned human boy around 17 years of age.

A draft blew from where he'd entered, silent as an assassin.

He had a short-sword at his waist and wore the uniform of [Raincloud], meaning he was at least a silver-rank adventurer with a party of five. Was this one of Neto's friends?

"He saved me too, you know. I heard he even saved the Demon of the forge."

"E-excuse me, but who are you?"

Despite what Toru said earlier, his knuckles whitened around the hilt of a concealed dagger.

"My name is Peter, a good friend of Neto's. I found out about what happened from the guild, but it seems like you're under a misconception. He's still alive.".

Even though Peter's smile was genuine, Toru knew this was a lie. There was no way the guild would release confidential information to a random silver-rank... Unless he was eavesdropping.

Toru couldn't help but notice the foul air around this human, subtle as it was. He held a similar aura to the Bishop.

"I-I appreciate your visit, but would you m-mind coming back once we've rested? The past few days have been rather intense..."

Peter narrowed his eyes. He could tell Toru didn't believe him.

"Neto is alive, but he's still trapped in the void. We are searching for him as best as we can. In the odd chance he makes it back by himself, would you mind giving him this letter?"

Peter left a sealed envelope on a nearby desk, keeping his eyes peeled on Toru with careful precision. Did Peter know about Toru's dagger?

"S-sure." Toru nodded, hoping the boy would leave.

He would feel bad if this really was one of Neto's friends, but Toru didn't believe this was the case. He recognized the seal on that letter.

Neto was someone who could use demonic abilities, which meant the church of SUN would target him. This was an organization known for their secrecy, and no doubt had assassins with enough experience to evade Toru's [Ubo] instincts. Peter was looking like one such assassin. The seal all but confirmed this.

Thankfully, Peter nodded with gratitude, and exited with the same level of stealth. Toru marveled at the technique in his movement, then breathed a sigh of relief once his aura faded.

[Fen]-{Destroy that letter. There is soul magic imbued in the seal.}

Toru's eyes went wide. Soul magic? If the guild found out about this, there would be a manhunt!

'Wait, isn't the guildhall imbued with detection magic? How was this smuggled inside?'

Realization hit Toru like an arch-mages fireball. [Raincloud] was working with the church of SUN...

[Fen]-{This must have happened recently...}

Cold sweat slithered down Toru's spine. If SUN was hunting for Neto, that meant he really was still alive!

For now, at least.

'We have to find him before they do.'

[Fen]-{you'll die if you go out by yourself}

Toru knew his spirit was right.

'Damn...'

He would've recruited newbies at [Raincloud], but SUN was likely monitoring his movements here. If Toru could get outside after Chieko healed, he could definitely lose anyone trying to follow them. But where would they go?

A brilliant idea came to Toru at that moment.

"The demon of the forge, huh? Let's hope that guy hates SUN as much as the rumors say."