Episode 4
Early in the morning, the sound of rain tapping on the window woke her.
The rain that had started at dawn showed no signs of stopping even by the afternoon.
After drinking a warm glass of milk, Laria set down the cup.
‘My parents are away on a business trip, and my brother’s at work. Perfect.’
Since last year, Laria had taken to sneaking out whenever her family was away.
Whenever she tried to go out, her family would bombard her with questions—where, why, with whom—making it a nuisance.
She told the house staff she’d be napping and not to disturb her, then selected a bracelet from her jewelry box.
“This should do.”
It was a leather strap adorned with five sapphire stones, each the size of a pinky nail.
Apart from the sapphires, the bracelet lacked any ornate design and looked too rough to be worn simply as jewelry.
Finally, Laria pulled her hood low over her face and chanted a spell.
**Crack—**
One of the sapphires shattered into dust.
At the same time, white flames burst up around her feet like iron bars.
The bright flame shot upward and then collapsed into mist.
The white mist wrapped around Laria’s body.
When she opened her eyes again, the familiar workshop had disappeared, replaced by a room resembling a hunter’s cabin.
Brick-red walls, floors lined with animal hides.
A massive fireplace, built into one of the walls, exuded a commanding presence.
In front of it stood a man with brown hair tied in a braid, his back to her.
“Long time no see. I was just thinking about you.”
Without even turning to check her face, the man greeted her.
Not surprising, since Laria was the only one who ever suddenly appeared in this private space.
The man threw the paper he had been reading into the fireplace.
The flames licked at it and devoured it whole.
As he slowly turned, his full appearance came into view.
He looked to be in his early 30s, with a tall, handsome face and glassy green eyes.
A black eyepatch covered one eye, leaving a strong impression.
His shirt was half-buttoned, revealing his chest, and he wore a cape over his shoulders.
From head to toe, everything about him screamed eccentric. This was Solike—the owner of the information network and a man known as the Golden Crow.
Standing far from the fireplace, Laria opened her bag and pulled out two vials of elixir.
Solike’s eyes sparkled like a crow spotting a gem.
“The elixirs you asked for.”
“One to change eye color, and the other to put someone in a comatose sleep for a day, right?”
When he asked, Laria nodded.
Snatching the bottles eagerly, Solike held them up to the light.
The swirling liquid shimmered brilliantly.
“These are amazing.”
His jewel-like green eyes shone with a mix of awe and greed.
In this world, some beastkin could use magic, and among them, only a few skilled sorcerers could brew elixirs.
Even among that elite, Laria’s elixirs were considered top-tier.
Solike sold them at outrageously high prices.
In exchange, he provided Laria with the information she wanted.
“Any new intel?”
“…Sorry, but nothing new’s come in.”
Laria’s face twisted like a crumpled piece of paper.
“Give them back.”
“Aww, at least let me explain first!”
Solike chuckled nervously, rubbing his palms together.
Though he ran the empire’s most powerful information network, he was the kind of man who would beg for a single coin.
Laria crossed her arms and tilted her head.
Worried she might take the elixirs back, Solike quickly added:
“We were digging deep this time—too deep. I think the Duke of Crasseum caught wind of it.”
At the mention of the Duke of Crasseum, Laria’s shoulders stiffened.
“We had to back off before we got traced. I only have one life, you know.”
She let out a sigh.
She had been investigating this for quite a while, but hadn’t gotten a single solid lead.
Laria had been digging into matters related to Zenox, even selling elixirs to fund it.
More specifically, she was trying to uncover what had happened the day she escaped the Crasseum estate.
Three years ago, she had been kidnapped by Zenox in her fox form.
She lived at the Crasseum estate for half a year, until one day when a fire broke out and she fled.
Officially, the Crasseum side claimed that a careless servant caused the fire.
But Laria knew the truth.
*There was an intruder.*
Of all times, the intruder came when Zenox was away.
Laria nearly died at the hands of the intruder, barely escaping and suffering serious injuries in the process.
Since that day, her connection to Zenox had been severed, but she continued to chase down the identity of that intruder.
Because she knew what they were after—
The Crasseum heirloom.
It wasn’t just any ordinary artifact.
It had the power to awaken her dormant magical ability, even though she had been born a fox without any powers.
*But now I have it.*
And the intruder knew she had it.
Though she now lived disguised in her beastkin form, there was always a risk of being targeted again, so she had to find out who it was.
It definitely wasn’t out of concern for Zenox.
“So basically, there’s nothing useful?”
“…Right?”
“Pay up.”
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Solike handed over the payment for the elixirs.
Laria smiled with satisfaction after extracting every last coin.
Unlike other sorcerers, she had to use a gemstone every time she cast magic.
The higher the purity and value of the stone, the more powerful the spell.
Because of this, she was constantly strapped for money.
Thinking about how those precious gems vanished with every spell made her feel a little sad.
Even though she worked as a mercenary through the information network while hiding her identity, she hadn’t been able to save a single coin.
After the transaction, Solike slyly brought up a topic.
“You had a blind date, didn’t you? With the Duke of Crasseum, no less.”
Laria’s face immediately soured.
“What, already a rumor?”
“No way—it’s my top-tier intel.”
Grinning smugly, Solike added with a mischievous tone:
“But I thought you had no interest in the Duke?”
“I didn’t know it was him when I agreed to go.”
If she had known in advance, she would’ve done anything to avoid it.
“So, do you think anything will come of it?”
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m not interested in the Duke.”
Laria replied firmly and added,
“What I want is information about the fire at the Crasseum estate.”
More precisely, information about the intruder.
She had been tracking them for a year but intentionally avoided anything related to Zenox.
She was curious how he was doing, but feared knowing would only stir up unnecessary feelings.
She had run away, and there was no going back.
That’s why she had deliberately rejected all intel about him—as if they were strangers.
“Hmm. Then can I sell this info?”
Narrowing his eyes, Solike smirked.
“You know how expensive information about the Duke is.”
Even just the news of him having a blind date could earn him a fortune.
Laria clicked her tongue and muttered,
“You money-obsessed freak…”
“If you were me, wouldn’t you sell it?”
“Of course I would.”
Laria was just as obsessed with money as he was.
So, she shared every detail—where she met Zenox, what they drank, and how the date ended.
The rumors would spread soon anyway. Might as well cash in first.
With the deal sealed, the two beastkin shared satisfied smiles.
Money-based relationships were stronger than friendship.
“There are going to be more people looking into you soon.”
Even now, some people were quietly buying information about Laria.
After she suddenly awakened as a sorcerer, interest in her had spiked.
Still, it wasn’t a large number.
She wasn’t part of the Sorcery Bureau, and Solike had been suppressing the spread of information about her.
“That’s just a complimentary service for my VIP customer!”
He hadn’t even charged her for that—so she trusted him enough to continue their business relationship.
This transaction had been a satisfying one too.
“Let me know when the next request comes in.”
With those words, Laria left the information broker’s office.
Since she was already out, she figured she might as well go buy some gemstones.
Unlike the quiet shop, the world outside was filled with the sound of rain.
Though it wasn’t late, the lack of sunlight made everything look dim.
Holding the umbrella Solike had given her, Laria walked through the alleyway.
Raindrops splattered and foamed like white bubbles.
*Maybe I should’ve just gone home…*
Making sure no one was around, she pushed back her hood.
The pressure around her head eased.
She walked quickly to avoid getting the hem of her cloak wet—until, just before turning a corner, she spotted a man leaning against the wall.
*What the—?*
The man had no umbrella and looked incredibly suspicious.
Not wanting to get involved in anything shady, Laria tried to walk past without noticing him.
As she got closer, she caught the faint scent of blood mixed with the rain.
Almost hypnotically, she looked up at the man’s face—and froze.
*Zenox Crasseum?!*
So shocked, her ears popped out.
She instinctively raised her hands to cover them.
The sound of the umbrella falling must’ve caught his attention, because Zenox slowly lifted his head.
Despite the downpour, the blood staining his body hadn’t been washed away.
In those sunken eyes—like someone who had lost everything—Laria’s reflection appeared.
He blinked slowly and then, in a voice that sounded like it was sinking into the earth, spoke:
“…Hayang?”
