The sun had barely risen when Kaze found himself trapped behind a growing mountain of paperwork. Contracts, mission reports, guild maintenance forms—each sheet screaming for his attention.
He had just begun to imagine setting the entire stack on fire when a knock on his office door pulled him back to reality.
"Luna?" Kaze blinked, seeing the normally stoic adventurer standing awkwardly at the threshold. "You're up early."
"I have a request," Luna said, stepping forward with unusual hesitation. "I would like to undertake a personal mission... alone."
Kaze leaned back in his chair, studying her.
The request wasn't unusual in itself—guild members often had personal matters to resolve—but coming from Luna, who had always been team-oriented, it hinted at something deeper.
"...This is about your old guild, isn't it?" Kaze asked quietly.
Luna gave a curt nod, her eyes burning with restrained emotion.
For a moment, Kaze debated. Sending her alone wasn't ideal.
*But if I say no, she'll just sneak off anyway,* he thought dryly.
After a beat, he exhaled. "Fine. But if anything looks off, you run. You hear me?"
"I understand," Luna replied, bowing lightly before slipping out.
As soon as she left, Kaze slumped forward on his desk.
*"Great. More things to stress about. Just what I needed."*
---
The guild hall buzzed with life as Kaze made his way to the main floor, where another matter awaited him.
Today marked a special occasion: Chris and Ana, the twins he had saved from slavery, were officially being promoted to A-rank.
The ceremony was modest—just a few witnesses, a badge ceremony, and Kaze awkwardly clearing his throat.
"You lived through your trial quest," Kaze said, handing them their new badges. "Congrats. Try not to die on the next one."
Chris and Ana beamed with pride, unfazed by the backhanded encouragement.
Later, the twins approached him, faces full of excitement.
"Guildmaster Kaze! Can we have personal training with you next?" Ana asked.
"Please!" Chris added, eyes shining.
Kaze's soul left his body for a second.
Personal training? With *him*?
*Yeah, no. They'd end up learning how to perfect the art of napping mid-mission.*
"Ahem. I'd love to, but Bran and Lyra are way more qualified," he said quickly, nudging the nearest two unlucky souls forward.
"Trust me, you want to learn from people who can actually teach you how to fight, not how to file paperwork faster."
Bran and Lyra shot him matching looks of betrayal, but Kaze pretended not to see it.
---
That night, Kaze summoned Caelith for a more serious matter.
The normally composed elf looked grim as he laid out the report: enemy guilds had begun to stir. Backed by nobles tied to a shadowy secret society, they sought to undermine Veilborne's growing power—or worse, eliminate Kaze outright.
As Caelith finished, Kaze leaned back, processing the news.
"So... secret society nobles, enemy guilds, and probably some random assassin trying to poison my coffee," Kaze muttered.
"Fantastic. All that's missing is a coup attempt."
"We must tread carefully," Caelith said. "They have resources and eyes everywhere."
Kaze grinned lazily. "Good thing I enjoy disappointing powerful idiots."
Still, he ordered tighter security, quiet investigations into potential spies, and started feeding false information into the wind—seeing who would bite.
---
Days later, Chris and Ana returned triumphant from a dangerous beast hunt, quest scroll in hand and minor scratches telling the story of a hard-fought victory.
"You're alive. Good start," Kaze said dryly as he scribbled his approval across their report.
The twins beamed, and even Bran and Lyra, acting as their supervisors, looked faintly proud.
---
The momentary peace shattered when an ornate royal carriage pulled up outside the guild.
Inside the palace, Kaze was ushered into a gilded chamber where a collection of nobles waited like hungry wolves.
"Kaze Arashi," one of the noblemen began, false sweetness dripping from his tongue, "surely you understand that as your guild grows, certain... obligations to the realm arise."
Meaning, of course: bend the knee, take their bribes, and dance to their tune.
Kaze smiled politely while mentally flipping each of them off.
*Smile and nod, Kaze. Smile and nod. Then figure out how to burn them later.*
The nobles hinted at everything from diverting adventurers to noble-controlled projects to handing over strategic locations.
Kaze listened, smiled again, and left with vague promises that meant absolutely nothing.
*"If they think I'm some dog they can leash, they're gonna need bigger hands,"* Kaze thought darkly as he mounted his horse and rode back to Veilborne.
---
**As Kaze returned to his office, new plans already taking shape in his mind, he realized with a sigh that his brief moment of peace had officially died.**
The Veilborne Guild had survived its first real test.
But now?
Now the real war—the war from the shadows—was just beginning.
And Kaze wasn't planning to play fair.
---
The heavy doors of Veilborne's guildhall creaked open as Kaze Arashi strolled back inside, expression unreadable. Caelith, Lyra, Bran, Mizuki, and Anisa immediately stopped what they were doing. It wasn't every day their Guildmaster got personally summoned by nobles—and came back without burning anything down.
"So..." Bran broke the silence, crossing his arms. "Are we burning some houses or what?"
Caelith leaned back in his chair, cold gaze sharpening. "Or blackmail. Blackmail works better long-term."
Anisa sighed from her stack of paperwork, already preparing an apology letter just in case.
Mizuki, leaning quietly near the windowsill, tilted her head. "We could also reinforce our security. Spies may already be lurking."
Kaze pinched the bridge of his nose. Why was the quietest one always the most logical?
"No burning, no blackmail," Kaze finally said. "Yet. Mizuki's right. We focus on strengthening the guild first."
The mood settled, though Bran still grumbled something about "nobles needing a good punching."
---
Later that evening, in Kaze's private office, the true plan began forming.
"We're setting up a new division," Kaze said, voice low. "A ghost network."
Caelith's eyes gleamed with interest.
"I want eyes and ears across every noble house. If they breathe funny, I want to know."
"And if they fart?" Bran muttered. Lyra elbowed him sharply.
Mizuki, composed as ever, stepped forward. "I'll handle the magical surveillance. Warding runes, illusion barriers, cloaking spells—I'll make sure no one watches us without being caught."
Kaze smiled faintly. "Perfect. Start tomorrow."
He leaned back, feeling the first threads of true security tightening around Veilborne.
---
The next morning, a hilariously oversized scroll arrived—sealed with an absurd amount of wax and glittery ribbons.
Anisa opened it and immediately regretted her life choices.
"A banquet invitation from the royal family," she announced, deadpan.
Without missing a beat, Kaze took the scroll, tossed it into the fireplace, and watched it burn.
"And here I thought death by boredom was just a saying," he muttered as the ashes curled upward.
"You're impossible," Anisa grumbled, already drafting a polite decline letter. Again.
From across the room, Mizuki smiled faintly behind her sleeve. Bran openly laughed. Even Caelith cracked the ghost of a smirk.
---
But far from the laughter, beyond the safety of their walls, something stirred.
A figure cloaked in gray watched Veilborne's guildhall from a distant rooftop, unseen by all but the night.
"The strings are pulled," the watcher murmured, voice like crumbling parchment. "Soon, the tide will turn against you, Kaze Arashi."
Their silhouette vanished into the darkness, leaving only the faint scent of sulfur behind.
---
Just when things finally started to feel normal inside Veilborne Guild...
A deafening clatter outside shook the entire building.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of royal guards, fully armored and carrying banners, surrounded the guild in a matter of minutes.
Bran peeked out the window and immediately dove for cover. "Boss! It's the royal army! You definitely blew up something, didn't you?!"
Kaze Arashi, halfway through sipping tea, froze mid-sip. "I didn't even leave the building today!"
Even Caelith, normally calm and unshakable, slowly reached for his sword, just in case.
Then, the front doors swung open... and in walked **the King himself**, beaming like a proud father visiting his favorite child at school.
"KAZE!" the King boomed, arms wide open.
The entire guild dropped whatever they were holding. Even Mizuki almost fell off her chair.
Kaze scrambled up from his seat, trying to look formal despite still wearing his casual, slightly wrinkled uniform. He bowed so fast he almost faceplanted.
"Y-Your Majesty! Welcome to Veilborne Guild! We, uh, weren't expecting royal inspections today!"
Behind him, every single guild member stood straighter than iron rods. Even the usual troublemakers like Bran and Lyra were lined up like students facing their terrifying principal.
The King laughed heartily, clapping Kaze's shoulder hard enough to nearly knock the smaller man over.
"No need for formalities, I'm here on a personal visit!" he said. "I just missed my daughter."
The guild members froze.
**Daughter?**
**Daughter?!**
Murmurs broke out as the realization hit like a meteor.
**Anisa—their beloved vice guildmaster—was actually the Princess?!**
Chris and Ana, the newly promoted twins, looked like their brains short-circuited.
---
Inside Kaze's office, Anisa blushed furiously as her father fussed over her.
"You're doing well here, right? They're not overworking you?" the King asked, glaring suspiciously at Kaze.
"N-No, Father. I'm happy here," Anisa stammered, desperately glancing at Kaze for backup.
Kaze just nodded rapidly, terrified of being accused of anything.
The King smiled warmly, sipping the tea Anisa prepared... then casually dropped a nuclear bomb.
"So... have you thought about marrying Kaze yet?"
Kaze, mid-sip, choked violently, spraying tea across the table. Anisa turned redder than a volcano about to erupt.
"F-Father!!" she cried, mortified.
The King laughed so loudly the windows shook. "Ahahaha! Just kidding! Well, not really. But I won't rush you."
Outside the office door, half the guild members were pressed against the wall, eavesdropping with expressions ranging from shock to devilish amusement.
The rumor spread faster than wildfire:
**Guildmaster Kaze might marry the Princess!**
After that, wherever Kaze and Anisa walked, whispers and sly grins followed. Some even saluted Anisa more respectfully... and joked about calling Kaze "Your Highness" behind his back.
Kaze, meanwhile, internally screamed every time someone winked at him.
Still, part of him—a small, hidden part—couldn't help but think:
*"Marrying a princess... maybe not a bad endgame plan."*
He quickly shoved that thought deep into his subconscious.
**He had bigger problems to deal with first.**
---
When things finally calmed down, a royal envoy from a neighboring kingdom strolled in.
They brought official papers: a **diplomatic engagement proposal**.
The powerful kingdom of **Valkenstadt**, known for its terrifying SS-rank adventurers and the Guild of the Crimson Spear, had formally requested to betroth one of their princes to Princess Anisa—for political alliance purposes.
Because of pressure from multiple sides, **the King couldn't outright decline**.
Furious but trapped, he summoned Kaze and Anisa privately.
In the quiet, tense room, the King's words echoed:
"I need your help. We must find a way to reject this engagement—without igniting a war."
Kaze cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Leave it to me. We're Veilborne. We don't lose."
Anisa smiled tightly, clutching the tea tray a little too hard.
It seemed their quiet days were over once again.