Knock, knock!
"Excuse me, young master!" After a number of knocks on the door, the servants opened it. A room that was both empty and luxurious greeted them.
They worked for the Grayhound family as servants.
"Where is he?" The servants looked curious as they looked around the room.
The Head Servant then instructed the other employees to clean the room while she went back to the office. In the office, Amon Grayhound, the head of the Grayhound family and Amour's father, occupied his customary seat at the desk.
"Master, the young master wasn't in his room," The Head Servant bowed to him as a sign of respect before informing him.
"Hmm, then where did he go?" Amon frowned and appeared to be getting ready to stand. However, right at that moment, one of the servants came running in and handed the Head Servant a letter. Additionally, he murmured something in her ear.
Amon received the letter from the Head Servant, who said, "It would appear that young master has written a letter."
"A letter?" Amon smiled and nodded before picking up his glasses. He did not start reading until the spectacles lay on the bridge of his nose.
Because Amour didn't put much effort into the letter, and his father was able to tell, there were only a few rows of words included in it. He gave the letter a few more readings before taking off his glasses and letting out a heavy sigh.
"It would appear that he went hiking, which is a blatant lie." Amon sat with his legs crossed and applied pressure to his temples.
"W-What exactly should we be doing?" The Head Servant asked while she was shaking in her shoes.
"Nothing." Amon sat back in his chair, placed his hands in the crooks of his knees, and looked out the window through the holes in the curtain. "He is just like his mother; he is always getting into trouble. However, he will be fine and back in a few weeks."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
…
Bam!
"Brother, your mother is asking whether you would like..." Xerxus' sister swung the door wide open. After realizing that her brother was nowhere in the room, she closed her tiny mouth and curiously looked around.
"Where is he?" She discovered that the helmet had been left behind on the bed.
Then, a tall figure appeared behind her and asked, "Where is Xerxus?"
"I am not sure!" She entered the room with a skip, and her older brother came right behind her.
They searched the room thoroughly before discovering the letter lying on the ground. Xerxus' sister grabbed it with vigor and proceeded to read it all the way through.
After reading the letter, she sported a surprised and very suspicious expression.
"It would appear that Xerxus paid a visit to some of his friends!"
"That's a lie!" Her older brother yelled out of complete and utter reflex. But as soon as he realized his mistake, he quickly covered his mouth.
Her younger sister stifled her giggles and proceeded to read the letter once more. She persisted in tapping her foot against the wooden floor, pondering the possibility that Xerxus might, in fact, have companions.
"Let's talk with mother!" She leaped to her feet and dashed briskly out of the room, her ponytail twirling behind her as she ran.
…
In the Souldeath Castle.
Smash!
"What?!" Lord Souldeath let out a scream filled with rage. He appeared to be about to blow his top, as evidenced by the protrusion of his veins and the ballooning of his face.
The soldier's face was very pale, but he nodded. The information was relayed to him by the highest-ranking soldier stationed close to White Paradise. The soldiers had a duty to report the incident back to Headquarters, regardless of whether or not Lunatic attempted to keep the news hidden.
Unhappily, it was the duty of the soldier with the pale face to deliver the news to Lord Souldeath, who never reacted well to receiving unfavorable information. His frail body appeared to be trembling violently, and it appeared as though he might pass away at any moment now.
"How does that make any sense?!" Lord quickly grabbed the bottle of medication and sat down on the chair. He grabbed a handful of pills and then crammed them all in his mouth. After that, he got a hold of the cup of water and drowned them till they started traversing through his throat.
"There are four people who are assisting him." The soldier with a pale face responded.
"Who on earth are they?! Are they associated with the Secret Society?!" Lord inquired while his anger seeped into each and every word he spoke.
"We are not sure. However, their outward appearance is quite peculiar, so identifying who they are shouldn't be too difficult."
"Then you better find out, and once you do, kill them!" Lord gestured for the soldier to leave his office immediately. dAfter the door had opened and then closed, he held his sore chest and heaved a heavy sigh.
He could feel his heart thumping against his chest.
"God damn it… Arthur, why don't you just give up and die already?"
…
The moon was perched high in the night sky, and a brisk breeze was blowing through the snow-covered forest as the massive shadow of the Four Mountains loomed over the area.
The trees in the forest turned completely black, and the howls of wolves echoed throughout the night sky. The scene was made more beautiful and mysterious by the presence of stars in the sky.
Somewhere in the forest, Arthur and the four men sat around a hot campfire with the fiery flame.
The smoke signal was barely visible in the pitch blackness of the night, but the flame was high enough to send it into the sky. They knew it wouldn't be too hard for the Hunters to notice it.
Arthur claimed that they had a lead of four hours over their enemies. As a result, they came to the conclusion that they should rest for two hours before continuing their journey toward the mountains.
They weren't going to be getting any sleep tonight.
"Kalzer, is it true that Alpha Test had another Shooter Class?" Xerxus inquired in an inquisitive manner.
Arthur appeared to be smiling for no apparent reason while he was looking at the fire. His eyes reflected the glimmer of flame.
Kalzer nodded while enjoying the chilly air and the cozy campfire.
"It's true," Amour responded while rubbing his hands together, "Moonfall, that was the class' name."
"Moonfall… Why was it taken out of the game, Arthur?' Xerxus faced Arthur and asked.
"Well, I found a better use for that class," Arthur gave a cryptic grin and said, "Also, that class contributed to a disruption in the balance. Because of this, I needed to proceed cautiously and ensure that all classes had the same amount of power."
"Break the balance, like a game's balance?"
"…" Arthur didn't respond because none of the young men were aware of the demons' existence.
"What about the beta test? Was there anything interesting going on there?" Kalzer asked.
Xerxus shrugged his shoulders and said, "The majority of the things were optimization. Do I have it right that the Alpha Test was all about fixing the classes, etc.?"
"Yup."
"Well, Beta Test was a lot duller,"
With a grin on his face, Arthur replied, "Yes, because I planned the game for a long while, and by the time Alpha Test rolled around, I almost had all the things ready. But before I could release the game, I needed to make a few more adjustments. That's why Beta Testing came to fruition."
"Why wait a few more years to get the game published?" Isaac chimed in with a comment out of nowhere.
Arthur scratched the back of his neck and said, "Well, the timing was everything..."
"Hmm?" The four men appeared to be very interested.
"It doesn't really matter, but I think it would be best if we leave now." After looking at the watch on his wrist, Arthur realized that the allotted time of two hours was almost up.
The four men nodded and stood to their feet. They stamped on the campfire, putting an end to the blaze in the process. Despite this, it still left a trail of smoke that Hunter could use to find their current location.
