Julian’s routine had settled back into its usual rhythm. He’d wake up late in the morning, enjoy a cup of something sweet along with a pastry, then relax watching a few drama episodes or just catching the news on TV.
A slow, lazy life always felt like a welcome thing. And as luck would have it, these days had been genuinely peaceful, no Invaders suddenly appearing, no crisis he had to painstakingly deal with.
Kina had already secured her place at the Academy and was busy studying the new skill book she’d earned, while Ilunia had grown even more diligent about showing up at the Academy, accompanying Kina and even preparing to receive a skill book of her own to study.
Given how Ilunia’s blindness made reading fairly difficult, the Academy needed some time before they could arrange a separate program tailored specifically for her.
So, essentially, everything was proceeding exactly as it should.
During the day, Julian would head out to breathe in the fresh air at the park within Canelo’s residential district, where he’d run into a few neighbors and kids playing around.
And in the evening, as always, he’d head off to work at LittleMart, doing his usual shift as an ordinary cashier.
"...I’d like to buy this, please."
Julian went quiet, his expression completely flat as he studied the customer standing in front of him. An adult woman with a fully matured figure, long green hair trailing down her back, a black hat, a mask, and glasses, all working together to hide her face entirely.
Still, Julian was certain, that shade of green hair felt oddly familiar.
’...Maybe it’s just my imagination.’
So he glanced briefly at what the woman was purchasing and found she’d only picked up a single piece of candy.
"....."
Julian looked up again, studying the woman once more. Oddly enough, under his stare, the woman broke out in a nervous sweat, an awkward smile creeping onto her face.
’Is this some kind of prank or something?’
Julian let out a small sigh, there was always something interrupting his attempts to just enjoy life in peace.
"Ma’am, we don’t—"
"Ah, of course..."
"....?"
Just as Julian was about to point something out, the woman suddenly cut him off with a long sigh. Glancing around the empty store, she removed her glasses and pulled down her mask, finally revealing her face clearly.
’Huh? What?’
Julian nearly jumped out of his skin, his eyes going wide internally as he registered exactly who this woman was.
’S-she’s... the Academy headmaster? What’s she doing here?’
Julian froze on the spot, genuinely stunned. But from Adelle’s perspective, Julian looked remarkably calm, showing no shock whatsoever, as though he’d already known her identity all along.
"Just as expected, no wonder you’re Kiena’s Master. Here I thought I’d disguised myself well enough, but you saw through it instantly."
".....?"
’What is she even talking about?’
Julian glanced around, was this some kind of code for acting along with something?
Was the Academy headmaster caught up in some kind of trouble, being watched, and had decided to play along with an act like this?
As it happened... Julian was genuinely excellent at acting.
’I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll play along. As long as it doesn’t put my life in danger.’
Julian thought it over, watching Adelle with a mix of complicated emotions.
"...Your disguise was pretty obvious," Julian said, taking a breath before adding:
"What about you? How exactly did you manage to find me?"
’Yes! That was a perfect performance! I really do have a talent for this.’
Julian smiled proudly to himself, genuinely pleased that his acting skills clearly hadn’t dulled one bit.
Watching how closely Adelle was studying him, she must have been thoroughly impressed by Julian’s acting ability.
Meanwhile, Adelle herself:
’H-he’s just admitting it, out of nowhere?’ Adelle forced a smile. If she hadn’t already known Julian was Kina’s Master, she might have simply assumed he was just an ordinary Rank-E hunter.
And thinking it over again, about two weeks ago or more, Julian had still been sitting at Rank-F, yet now he’d already climbed to Rank-E, as though ranking up were something he could just casually walk into whenever he pleased.
This made Adelle think she probably needed to reconsider exactly how strong this hidden Master truly was.
"So, here’s the thing, I have no intention of interfering or doing anything malicious. It’s just, I hope you understand I’m acting this way out of genuine concern for Central, you understand, right? Lately, there have been a few instances of Invaders managing to infiltrate."
"Yes."
Adelle smiled with satisfaction, seeing the hidden Master seemingly ready to cooperate.
"So, I’d like to ask a few things, like... could I know exactly who you are, and where you originally come from?"
Worth noting, the Slums, Central, and Elite made up the primary divisions within a Safe Zone like Canelo.
So it wasn’t as though no human had ever managed to survive entirely alone out there. If anything, it wasn’t uncommon for a handful of survivors to occasionally make their way here, showcasing just how remarkable their experience and combat style had become, forged through countless brushes with life and death.
So there was a real possibility Julian fit that same pattern. Especially considering he’d come from the Slums with no records at all, simply appearing there one day, somehow.
Watching this hidden Master, Adelle felt a genuine sense of anticipation as she waited for the man’s answer, who currently stood in silence before finally parting his lips.
"I come from... well, a place very far away."
A place very far away meant somewhere outside human-controlled territory entirely, meaning that region had almost certainly already fallen to the Invaders.
’Just as I expected.’
That matched exactly what Adelle had guessed.
"As for me... hm... how should I put this? Perhaps, just an ordinary Master?"
’An ordinary Master...’ Adelle wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. But since this man clearly intended to keep a low profile, she decided not to push the matter further.
’Well, it’s honestly a little funny hearing him say that, right after training a little monster like Kiena.’
After a brief hesitation, Adelle nodded in understanding. She couldn’t afford to offend this hidden Master, especially in a situation where she herself had no idea just how powerful he truly was.
Besides, wasn’t there that rumor too?
The rumor about a Rank-A legend showing up right in Canelo’s residential district, and, coincidentally, right in front of this hidden Master’s own house.
Given that, could Adelle really rule out the possibility that the figure in question was none other than Julian, standing right in front of her?
Adelle gave a wry smile. "By the way, you still don’t have an Identity Card here yet, do you?"
"Hm? No, I don’t."
"Good, I’ll help you get one arranged. Thank you, I’ll be heading out now."
With that, Adelle dipped her head slightly, then turned and walked out of LittleMart.
Julian watched her until she disappeared from view entirely. After that, he simply stood there, silent, for one minute, then two, three minutes, then ten minutes, before finally letting out a breath of relief.
His body still felt stiff, but considerably better now. He glanced around, making sure no hidden onlookers he’d imagined earlier were actually watching them.
’That was nerve-wracking...’
Julian had no idea whether he’d handled that well, but judging by Adelle’s reaction, he’d apparently done just fine, right?
As for that last promise, Julian wasn’t sure whether she’d genuinely meant it, but if it turned out to be true...
’I would be so, so grateful!!!’
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