In the governor’s residence...
Jarvis, the middle-aged gentleman, paused in his tracks. He slowly lifted his gaze toward the door before him, hearing sothing shatter inside.
A shallow breath escaped him before he knocked.
Three knocks echoed through the room. He waited for a response — which he didn’t get — before reaching for the knob. As soon as Jarvis opened the door, his steps halted.
Inside stood a short, fat man with a bulging belly barely held in by the buttons of his blouse. His sleeves were rolled up to his thick elbows, and his clothes were sared with patches of blood as he held a golf club in one hand.
The man lying bloodied on the carpet told the rest of the story.
"Jarvis," the governor huffed, his voice coarse and strained. "Why did you co back empty-handed?"
Jarvis remained unfazed despite the fury burning in the governor’s eyes. "Governor, our n are already hunting down every rat that ca in here."
"I don’t need you to hunt them down!" the governor roared, marching toward him in heavy steps. His body bounced as he moved. "I want you to kill them right now!"
Because the governor was several feet shorter than Jarvis, he grabbed the middle of the man’s clothing with his blood-sared hand.
"Jarvis, I told you not to co back without that wretched thief!" he barked. "And not only did you return empty-handed, but our port was taken over! Who was he?!"
Jarvis stared at the governor in silence. His height and calm composure only fueled the governor’s rage.
Grinding his teeth, the governor shoved him away and raised the golf club in frustration, ready to strike. But just as he lifted it, soone rushed in.
"Governor—"
The person froze at the sight before him.
The governor paused at the voice, though his eyes never left Jarvis. Jarvis, in turn, kept his gaze steady and lowered his head slightly.
"I am still verifying the identities of those who took control of the port," Jarvis said calmly. "But what I do know is that Billionaire helped them."
He paused, then lifted his gaze just a fraction. "The person requesting an audience with you will not easily disclose his identity—unless you request it yourself. Forgive for my incompetence, Governor. I will make this right."
The governor panted, both from rage and from the beating he had delivered to the man now dead on the carpet. He ground his teeth, his face twisting, knowing deep down that it was not Jarvis’s fault.
"That ungrateful Billionaire," he hissed. "After letting him live all these years, he still dares to bite back? Hah! I’m going to kill him."
Then he glared at Jarvis. "Jarvis, I cannot allow you to fail this ti. If you do, I’ll cut you open myself!" He shook his head, scowling. "If this turns out as it did years ago, I will not forgive you. Even if I kill you a thousand tis!"
"Find out who she convinced to enter this territory," he continued, his voice shaking with fury. "I don’t care how you do it. I want to know who they are, so I can kill them... and their entire families."
"Yes, Governor."
Jarvis lowered his head politely. He knew that uncovering the identities of those who had slipped into the territory would not be easy. Or so... he thought.
Just as he turned to leave, he paused and glanced at the man who had rushed in after him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the young man.
The governor turned sharply toward the young man.
The newcor cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "His na is Atlas Zorken!"
Both Jarvis and the governor frowned.
Panicking, the young man rushed forward, holding a folded paper. "The man Jarvis spoke to—his na is Atlas!" he blurted out. "And he sent this!"
Jarvis took the paper and unfolded it. His brow twitched. The governor hurried to his side to read over it.
It wasn’t a letter.
It was a resu.
A real résumé—complete with a photograph, a full na, and a list of achievents.
For a mont, neither Jarvis nor the governor spoke. They stared at the expressionless photo of the man. Sohow, Jarvis felt the face matched the voice he had spoken to earlier.
After a beat, the governor snatched the résumé and stared at it.
Just monts ago, he had assud uncovering the identity of the demon accompanying the Thief of Ravah would take ti.
Yet here it was—his full na, age, height, and personal details laid out plainly.
"Is he mocking ?!" the governor roared, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the floor before stomping on it. "This bastard—who does he think he is?! I’ll kill him! I’ll rip him apart!"
The more he thrashed, the more exhausted he beca. His large fra glistened with sweat, dampening his clothes further. His hair clung ssily to his face, his armpits dark with moisture.
The young man winced, waiting for an opening to relay another ssage. But he hesitated, knowing better than to step into the governor’s rage.
Jarvis, anwhile, observed quietly—amusent flickering in his eyes.
I didn’t see that coming, he thought. Either this man is a fool... or he’s confident.
Whatever the reason, Jarvis knew one thing for certain.
The Thief of Ravah had brought monsters just as unhinged as herself.
What does she want this ti? He wondered, narrowing his eyes. She already took the blueprints. What else could Ravah have that she wanted?
When the governor finally stopped, breathless, he whipped his head toward Jarvis.
"Jarvis, get the other governors on the line," he ordered sharply. "Tell them I’m calling for a truce until these people are dead."
"Yes, Governor—"
"Gov—"
The young man interrupted, unintentionally cutting Jarvis off. He offered an apologetic glance before turning to the governor. "There’s... another note that ca with the résumé."
"Why are you only telling now?!" the governor snapped.
Wincing, the young man handed over a smaller piece of paper. The governor grabbed it and read. Jarvis watched closely, waiting.
Before the governor could speak, the young man continued nervously.
"This Atlas fellow..." he said. "He said he’s coming here."
Then, the room fell utterly silent.
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