Chapter 32 – Why Does This Sound So Dangerous?

No one spoke.

Noticing the strange atmosphere he had caused, the old man was the first to break the silence. He let out a dry cough, adjusting his monocle with his thin, wrinkled fingers.

“What… a coincidence to find you here…” He cleared his throat, his voice cracking halfway through. Internally, Alden was stunned and confused by the familiar figure in the room.

Since it had only been a few days, the encounter was still fresh in his mind, and he was dressed exactly the same, making him easy to recognize.

Mark simply stared back at him, giving a light nod, but said nothing.

“You two know each other?” Isolda narrowed her eyes, raising a brow as she asked.

Alden released another cough. This one was louder, sounding completely artificial. “Y-yes, Lady Isolda. I… met this… ahm, friend—” He froze, looking directly at Mark, clearly trying to drag his name from the back of his memory.

“Vaelin.”

Elara intervened. She spoke with a languid smile, resting her chin on her hand. “His name is Vaelin, Mr. Alden.”

“Yes! Yes, that’s right.” The treasurer quickly agreed, as if someone had just thrown him a rope while he was drowning.

“I met… friend Vaelin at Ivory Haven while I was having a meal one night a few days ago. Pure coincidence. Nothing significant!”

Isolda stared at Alden’s wrinkled face, then shifted her attention to Mark, waiting for him to confirm or elaborate, but Mark kept his expression blank.

“Oh.”

Just that. She made a short, almost dry sound, but it seemed to connect all the pieces in her mind. Whatever she was thinking.

“I suppose that simplifies introductions. Alden, as some of you already know, is the mission’s contractor.”

Alden gave a smile that was more nervous than anything else. He hurried over to the opposite end of the table parallel to Isolda’s. Pulling the chair with exaggerated care, he sat down.

“O-once again, forgive the delay.” Alden said, bowing his head in a formal apology. “The Coalition is in absolute chaos right now. I’m… dealing with more crises than I can count.”

Isolda simply nodded. She then tapped the table lightly, firm enough to draw everyone’s attention. “That’s enough chatter. Now that everyone is here, we can begin.” She pointed her chin toward Alden.

“Explain the mission to them.”

Alden straightened up immediately. He nodded, smoothing his beard as if convincing himself he was ready, and cleared his throat.

“Right… right. First of all, it’s important that you understand what the Merchant Coalition is.” Alden adjusted his monocle again, his gaze sweeping everyone at the table, ignoring Lyra’s group in the corner.

He needed to start somewhere, so he chose the basics.

“To make sure everyone is on the same page, let me first explain the Merchant Coalition’s role.” Alden took a deep breath and placed his hands on the table.

“The Coalition is a neutral institution headquartered in Luminaris. We do not belong to the Guild, nor to the city’s government, nor to any external force. Our job is to ensure the flow of goods and supplies across the desert and between nearby regions. That includes internal routes and routes going east, where the conflict between the Solis Empire and the Principalities continues.”

He paused briefly, as if arranging the next points.

“To maintain this flow, we operate logistics hubs and outposts tied to our caravans. These are escort points, storage locations, and transit centers for goods — many of them valuable.”

Lyra lowered her gaze slightly at the mention of “east,” but said nothing.

“The problem began when the conflict got too close to one of our trade bases in Oakhaven.”

Alden stopped, looking at Mark as he said that. “Oakhaven fell to the Solis Empire a few weeks ago. The base that served as a warehouse, refueling point, and dormitory for long routes coming from the east is now isolated with the city taken.”

Korgar — the massive man in dark armor — furrowed his brow, clearly more interested now. “The evacuation didn’t happen in time?” He asked, his chair creaking under his weight as he leaned slightly back.

He seemed relaxed.

“Not completely.” Alden answered with a sigh. “We managed to remove part of the staff and part of the cargo before the region was fully overtaken, but not everything. With the conflict advancing, the path there became extremely dangerous. Routes collapsed. Attacks by starving groups, deserters, uncontrolled refugees, and opportunistic bandits increased… not to mention the monsters drawn closer to the roads by all the chaos.”

Alden wiped his forehead, exhausted just from listing it.

“Caravans were lost. Some escorts failed. Others retreated midway. The desert turned into an even more unpredictable zone. And with that, a significant portion of the Coalition’s goods remain stuck in Oakhaven, along with some workers who couldn’t evacuate.”

Silence.

No one commented, waiting for the old man to continue his explanation.

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Some already had some knowledge of this information, but not Mark. Everything was fresh to him.

He was genuinely entertained, paying full attention to Alden, absorbing every word to the point of ignoring Elara’s stares.

“That’s the reason for the mission.” Alden concluded. “You will go to Oakhaven, enter the center, ensure the area is safe enough for evacuation, retrieve everything that can be retrieved, and bring back the valuable cargo and any surviving workers.”

Korgar let out a low grunt at that. “All of that justifies gold rank.” He said, cracking his neck arrogantly. “But there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense.” His gaze swept the room, landing directly on the Silver Wolf group.

“Why the hell are four Silver Ranks coming with us?”

Across the room, Kael’s posture stiffened, staring at the floor without lifting his head.

A Silver Rank had no say in rebuking a Gold Rank. Their positions made that obvious. Arguing would only worsen things before the mission even began.

So he endured the comment in silence, his fist clenched, while Lyra frowned.

“Because they know the terrain. They aren’t here as main force.”

Alden had been expecting that question. He replied simply and directly, keeping his tone calm. “The Silver Wolf group is familiar with the eastern region. When the parallel mission was posted, they met the requirements. Their knowledge will reduce the chances of you getting lost or ending up in dangerous areas.”

Korgar didn’t seem fully satisfied but didn’t refute the logic.

Alden didn’t press further, staying focused. Deep down, he already expected this kind of friction. Working with Gold Rank adventurers almost always brought difficulties.

Strength often came packaged with strong, demanding, or temperamental personalities. And knowing Korgar’s reputation, a clash sooner or later was inevitable.

“In total, eight adventurers will make up the escort. Four Gold Ranks as main force…” Alden gestured toward them. “…and four Silver Ranks as secondary support.”

He paused again, looked at his papers, and added almost casually, “I will also be going with you.”

This made a few eyes lift.

“The base in Oakhaven contains financial documents and internal records that must be recovered intact.” Alden explained. “I am directly responsible for them, so it makes sense for me to be present to identify, catalog, and transport the material. Don’t worry, I won’t hinder combat operations.”

He tried to add a small confident smile, but it didn’t work very well.

“We will follow a specific route, previously approved by the Guild and aligned with our scouts. It reduces the chance of interception. Still, attacks are possible — monsters, raiders, deserters, desperate groups, or simply people looking for advantage.”