Raymond's mind raced as he walked back toward his room.
The Grand Duchy of Celendria
The name continued to echo inside his head as he tried to figure out the reason behind this sudden expedition. Unfortunately, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer.
The information simply wasn't there. Raymond rubbed his forehead lightly as he moved through the guild corridors.
'Of course I don't know.' He thought, frowning a bit.
There were still more than two years left before the main story of the game was supposed to begin.
Everything happening right now belonged to a period that the game had never explored. If not for some of the character backstory, he wouldn't even know about it.
The players had started their journey when the protagonist and then main cast entered the academy. Before that, the world was mostly a blank page.
There were no quests. No detailed records.
At most, there were a few lines of lore hidden in some item descriptions and books. But nothing more.
'Haa...'
Raymond let out a long sigh.'
The developers had apparently assumed that players cared more about fighting monsters and collecting loot than learning what happened years before the story began.
Unfortunately, their decision was now coming back to haunt him. If this expedition happened after the game's story started, Raymond would have immediately known what was going on.
But now?
He was completely blind. The thought made him slightly uncomfortable.
One of his greatest advantages in this world was his knowledge of the future. Whenever he thought about something that would happen, that fell outside his knowledge, he felt a rare sense of uncertainty.
Still, there was no point worrying too much. Panicking wouldn't magically reveal information. Raymond calmed himself and continued walking.
The Grand Duchy of Celendria was one of the strongest territories on the continent. Whatever was happening there, it was unlikely to be a minor matter if the Adventurer's Guild was mobilizing people.
After all, there would have been some hints if something major was happening-
Thud.
Raymond suddenly bumped into someone.
Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed another person walking toward him.
"Ah, I'm sor—"
The apology stopped midway, as the words died in his throat. For a moment, Raymond froze. Then his expression became completely blank.
Cold and Emotionless.
Because standing in front of him was someone he absolutely did not want to meet.
The young man had dirt-blond hair and dull brown eyes. He possessed an average build and an average face, yet somehow managed to look irritating at first glance.
Standing beside him were his two ever-present lackeys.
Jack and Jill.
And in the middle of them all stood Austin.
The same Austin who had relentlessly bullied the original Raymond. The same Austin whose constant harassment had eventually pushed the original owner of this body toward his death.
And now…
He was standing directly in front of him.
Austin stared at Raymond for a moment before a mocking grin slowly spread across his face.
"My…oh my." His eyes swept over Raymond's robe, mocking with a cruel sneer.
"Look who finally decided to crawl out of his room." Jack immediately laughed.
"Hah! I thought he would spend the rest of his life hiding."
"Maybe he finally found some courage," Jill added mockingly. "Though I doubt it."
The three burst into laughter. Raymond simply watched them.
Silent and Calm.
The lack of reaction only made Austin's grin falter slightly and scowl. Normally, Raymond would lower his head, avoid eye contact…heck even plead sometimes. But right this Raymond simply looked at him.
As if looking at a stranger.Or worse, as if looking at someone insignificant. Austin frowned deeply.
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
Raymond tilted his head slightly. To be completely honest right now, he wanted to laugh…this was too funny and childish.
Three ganging up on one, while behaving like those idiotic npc's who were created just to tick the player off. However instead of laughing, he decided to say something.
"No."
"Then say something."
For a moment, Raymond remained silent.
Then he spoke. "Okay then…you know, Austin."
The young man instinctively straightened.
"Your lackeys at least laugh harder than you do." Austin blinked, unable to understand.
"What?"
Raymond's gaze shifted toward Jack and Jill.
"It's almost impressive." Then he looked back at Austin.
"Usually the leader in groups like these has some presence. But every time I see your group, I can't help but wonder which one of them is actually in charge."
Silence.
Jack and Jill froze while Austin's face twitched. Raymond continued mercilessly.
"Actually, forget that." His tone remained completely calm. "The more I think about it, the more it makes sense."
Austin's jaw tightened, he was just a straw away from exploding.
"What are you trying to say?" Raymond shrugged.
"If I had to follow someone, I probably wouldn't choose the guy who needs two people to help him bully one weak person."
The corridor went silent. Austin's face instantly turned red. The insult wasn't particularly vulgar. Nor was it especially clever.
But it hit exactly where it hurt.
His miserably haughty pride and image. His authority over his two followers.
"You little—!"
Austin stepped forward violently.
Mana began gathering around his fist.
Jack and Jill immediately moved behind him, sensing a fight about to break out.
However…Raymond suddenly looked past Austin. A polite smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, Vice Guildmaster. Hello."
The words were simple. Yet their effect was immediate.
The three of them froze instantly. Then, like creaking wooden puppets, they slowly turned their heads and looked behind them.
"Huh?"
The corridor was completely empty. There was no Vice Guildmaster. No one at all.
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then Austin's face darkened. Realizing he had been fooled, anger immediately surged through him.
"You fucking wimp!" he spat, turning back toward Raymond.
However…there was no one there.
Austin blinked. His eyes swept across the corridor.
Empty.
Raymond had disappeared. The moment they had turned around, he had run.
His expression twisted. His fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"He's gone..." Jack muttered.
"W-when did he leave?" Jill asked in confusion.
"Dammit!" Austin slammed his fist against the wall.
Bang!
A crack spread through the stone. Yet the anger in his chest only grew. Meanwhile, far down the corridor, Raymond hurriedly ran towards his room.