The task management hall is built at the outer edge of the Crucible, just near the main entrance.
Considering the continuous flow of tasks that are given to the Swordsmen in the hall, the hall is near the entrance with the specific purpose of easing this very flow.
Three of them step into the hall; Kael guides them toward the table where a lady sits.
She notices them when they stop near her table, though the stoic expression doesn’t leave her face as she scribbles something on the paper.
Kael is the first to speak, placing his hands on the table.
"We are here to complete our mission."
He slides three badges toward the lady: two belong to him and Bram, and the other belongs to Zane.
"Please give us a task with the danger level of a Bachelor."
She narrows her gaze at the badges and glances behind him at the other two. A frown appears on her face.
"But there’s a lower level in your team."
However, she doesn’t question further. Looking down at the ledger near her, she flips open the pages and scans through the lot of information before she nods.
"Kael. Bram. Jack."
"Okay, you all have your tasks pending here. Considering your levels, I will give you a suitable mission for you."
As she starts skimming through the tasks, Kael takes a step back to join the other two.
Bram’s whisper reaches him, hushed and urgent, his eyes looking at the lady warily.
"This is all? You aren’t going to provide her more information about what we want?"
Realising the implication behind his words, Kael shakes his head and whispers back.
"We are already under suspicion for making Jack do some of our tasks before. If we ask for an easy mission again, then she might make out something from it."
Soon, she slides back their badges and a written form in her handwriting, including her signature at the bottom of the paper.
"Early Bachelor-level danger. It should be enough for you three to work at a time and keep yourselves safe."
Without elaborating on anything else, she goes back to her work, leaving them to their own devices.
...
Having received the task, they start making their way in a direction different from the one they came through earlier.
For Zane, the path is not unfamiliar because he had walked down it during his visit to the Aeris Credit House. Though, as they pass through the house and leave it behind, he finds himself genuinely lost.
He eyes the paper form in Kael’s hand, wondering about the location of the task and what that danger level truly implies.
I did come here, but I haven’t found any opportunity to do anything at this point.
"Where is your sword?"
He blinks once and notices Kael staring at his waist. His face scrunches in confusion for a second, but as he also scans their waists and sees the swords there, the realisation dawns upon him.
The sword! I didn’t bring one!
But when he remembers the early morning encounter, his confusion turns into fury as he points a finger at him.
"You didn’t give me the time to bring one! Remember what happened earlier?"
Kael just lets out a grumpy hmph and keeps walking.
"Whatever. We will get a sword on rent for you ahead, though we are not paying the money for you."
"Rent..."
...
The sword in his hand looks old, as if it has been used for years at this point, rough at the edge and with a slightly tilted hilt. But despite this, it looks sharp enough to cut the vegetable without any struggle.
"But I don’t need it for cutting vegetables..."
He shakes his head, but ties it to his vest anyways.
Better than nothing, I guess.
The other two let out a chuckle at his misery, which he just endures for now.
Earlier, just before they had passed through the village’s entrance gates, a shop made specifically for renting swords and blades had been there.
From swords and daggers to kitchen and fighting knives, many kinds of things were there. However, even after searching through a large portion of the shop, this sword was the only thing he could afford with the meager pouch of bronze coins he was holding right now.
Just as he grumbles about it, a commotion near one of the village huts attracts his attention.
Kael and Bram follow his gaze too.
More than a dozen villagers crowd around something at the centre, their chattering loud as they point at it in fear and wariness.
Just when they spot the men with swords walking toward them, their chattering quiets down and they part ways for them.
A middle-aged villager is the one who approaches them first, his hands clasped in front as he eyes them both with respect and cautiousness.
"Knights... It’s a pleasure for us to see you here. If I may ask... are you here for this issue?"
Kael ignores his question and walks past him, followed by Bram, who just nods once toward the man, smugly.
Zane fixes his hair once at being called a knight, even though it hasn’t been a week since he wielded the sword. Passing by the man, he pats his shoulder once and huffs.
"Don’t worry! Let the Knights handle these dangerous things. Ask everyone else to stay several paces away, hmph."
"..."
An awkward silence hovers in the air before Kael lets out a cough and gestures toward him.
"Just come here and take a look at this. We are investigating right now."
Everyone’s gaze follows the centre at last, moving away from the brief moment of distraction.
A dead corpse with its limbs bent at an unnatural angle lies there.
Kael takes out his sword and shifts the body’s hand. At the ribs, the skin is disordered and uneven. Dark bruises and bite marks cover the legs and arms too.
"The hair is somewhat sticky. Hm... considering the condition of this corpse, it seems that it was in the water for a large amount of time."
Villagers watch with horrified fascination as Kael dissects the cause with just a single glance. The middle-aged man from earlier nods immediately, grief passing over his features briefly.
"That is right. We found this in the river when some of us were hunting for fish."
Zane grips his nose to block the smell, looking at the corpse in faint discomfort, though he doesn’t divert his gaze away from it.
"Ha! Then, why didn’t you hand over this corpse to the authorities!? Are you lying!?" Bram yells at him, reaching toward the hilt of his sword.
The villagers flinch, but before they can explain, Kael shoots a glare toward Bram.
"Investigate. Don’t waste time on blaming them."
He points at the corpse and adds, "Fish have been chewing on this skin for a while, definitely. That’s normal to happen if someone falls in the water. The limbs must have bent after getting hit by the rocks, most likely. But, look at this..."
Standing up, his blade tugs at the waistband of the trousers on the body. As he prepares to slice, the villagers look away abruptly.
With a single swing, the pants part near the crotch area, revealing... nothing.
Zane’s throat lurches, his hands covering his mouth as he resists the urge to puke. His eyes stare at that part in disgust.
The part of the fabric where the sword has sliced through is filled with a disordered patch of skin, with the blood washed off already by the river currents, but the mess is still clear.
From the crowd, a woman’s voice echoes, loud and grieving as she cries.
The middle-aged man shakes his head and murmurs to them with a sigh.
"This body is her son’s. We wanted to hide this from her, but..."
His words trail off afterward.
Kael finally turns toward Bram and Zane, his expression unreadable as he speaks.
"Looks like we have a clue now. Hopefully, the one who took away that part from him is the one we are looking for."