Nox watched her quietly for a few seconds before speaking again.
"What happened?"
Serena avoided his eyes at first. Her fingers moved nervously against her sleeves while the boy near the door slowly backed away, clearly sensing the atmosphere had changed.
Nox noticed it imdiately. "Leave us."
The boy nodded quickly and grabbed his wolf cub before slipping out of the office. The guards outside shut the door after him, leaving the room quiet except for the faint sounds coming from the plaza outside.
Serena let out a small breath and walked back toward her desk. She picked up a few fallen papers just to keep her hands busy, but her attention clearly was not on them.
"You asked who built this place," she muttered while stacking the papers unevenly. "This is the Tristan Kingdom."
Nox’s eyes shifted slightly.
"Tristan Kingdom," he repeated.
Serena nodded. "You spent most of your ti in the Vermilion Kingdom before you disappeared. Hardly anyone here knew what you looked like before the Beast Taming classes spread."
Nox leaned lightly against the side of the desk. "That explains the reactions outside."
"In Vermilion, people would recognize you imdiately," Serena replied with a faint smile. "Here, most only know the stories. So people even think Jack was the founder instead."
Nox gave a quiet snort at that. "Jack probably encouraged it."
"He definitely did," Serena said while rubbing her forehead tiredly. "He said less attention ant fewer problems."
Her expression softened again as she looked at him properly. Even after calming down a little, her eyes still lingered on his face longer than necessary.
"The king commissioned this entire place himself," she added. "After the Beast Taming class started spreading properly, he pushed resources into building the Beast Emporium. I’m only managing it while the others are gone."
Nox glanced toward the window where voices from the plaza still drifted faintly into the room. "He built all of this in less than two months?"
"A little over that," Serena corrected quietly. "A lot changed after you disappeared."
Nox stayed silent for a mont.
He had expected so growth after the demons were pushed back, but this felt far larger than simple recovery. The number of beast tars outside alone was already enough to show how quickly things had expanded.
His gaze returned to Serena. "What about the others?"
Serena’s hand paused over the papers.
"Nox..."
"Where are they?" he asked again.
She lowered her eyes briefly before answering. "Everyone split up after things stabilized. Jack and Miss Eve traveled around the continent spreading the Beast Taming class properly. They were also searching for more statues connected to Terra."
Nox nodded once. "And Nyx...you are always with her."
Serena visibly hesitated this ti. Nox’s expression did not change, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "Serena."
She looked away. "There were movents from the Order of the Flaming Rose after you left."
The room went quiet. Nox’s eyes flashed faintly as mories surfaced in his head.
"So they are still being troubleso."
Serena nodded slowly. "Yes. At first nobody noticed anything strange, but a few weeks ago attacks started happening near so of the new Beast Taming settlents."
"How bad?"
"They move carefully now," Serena replied. "No large attacks. Mostly raids, kidnappings, and sabotage. So of their mbers are pretending to be rchants and adventurers."
Nox’s face remained neutral, but the air around him felt colder.
Serena noticed it imdiately. Her shoulders stiffened slightly, and even the loose papers near the desk shifted from the pressure leaking from his body.
"They’re targeting beast tars specifically," she added quietly. "Especially younger ones."
Nox’s eyes settled on her. "Who’s fighting them?"
"Nyx and Akira mainly," Serena answered. "The ant colony joined them too. They’ve been hunting down Flaming Rose hideouts for weeks now."
Nox frowned slightly. "The ant colony left the barony?"
"Only part of it," Serena replied. "The queen sent enough forces to help clear the hidden bases. Apparently the Flaming Rose tried attacking one of the transport routes connected to the colony."
A small silence settled between them again.
Serena watched him carefully. She already knew what he was thinking before he even spoke. His expression always stayed calm, but she had known him long enough to notice the small differences.
His eyes had already changed.
"You’re going after them," she said softly.
"Yes."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Serena looked down briefly while tightening her grip on the edge of the desk. "I knew you would say that."
"They should have been wiped out completely the first ti," Nox replied. "Leaving the leader alive was a mistake."
Serena slowly walked closer to him again. "Nyx and the others are already handling it. You just returned."
"They’ve been fighting without long enough."
Her lips pressed together slightly after hearing that. She looked like she wanted to argue more, but the words never fully ca out.
Instead, she reached forward and fixed the collar of his coat quietly.
"You disappeared without warning," she muttered. "Now you return and imdiately want to leave again."
Nox looked down at her hands briefly. "You know how this works."
"I know," Serena sighed. "Doesn’t an I have to like it."
The room grew quiet again after that.
Outside, the sounds from the plaza continued normally. People laughed, beasts growled, rchants argued over prices, and life inside the Beast Emporium moved forward without knowing about the conversation happening inside the office.
Nox finally pushed himself away from the desk.
"Where are Nyx and Akira now?"
Serena hesitated for only a second before answering. "Near the desert region. You already decided?"
"Yes."
She let out a tired breath and rubbed her forehead again. "At least stay long enough to tell the others you returned before disappearing again."
"I’ll et them after the Flaming Rose is dealt with."
Serena looked annoyed hearing that, but she also was not surprised.
Nox walked toward the door calmly. Serena watched him reach for the handle, and her eyes lingered on his back for several seconds.
"Nox."
He stopped and glanced back at her.
"Be careful," she said softly. "This ti... don’t vanish again without telling anyone."
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