Silence returned to the courtyard in front of Ryan’s house once the nine assassins left to go get ready.

’I never imagined that upon coming to this world, I would end up leading a village with different races. Of course, it’s not something that bothers me; in a way, I’m getting used to this new life.’

Ryan observed the empty place for a moment, taking in the start of the reconnaissance operation before turning toward the four women who remained by his side.

’Having these beauties by my side all the time even usually makes me forget about all the problems we have.’

He sighed briefly.

’I must give it my best effort if I intend to have a peaceful life someday.’

Karol continued stretching her arms lazily, fighting off sleep, while Beatrice and Alicia maintained a firm posture, ready to receive instructions from him.

"I can’t believe Beatrice ends up being the commander of a special unit, she even got a rank before all of us." Karol commented while looking at Beatrice with curious eyes.

Then Alicia approached Beatrice.

"I was the one who suggested it. When I learned of her skills, I thought she would be the right one to lead such a team, besides, it’s something I assumed our King might need."

Beatrice was in silence observing how they talked about her, although she seemed to have a serious expression, her cheeks looked flushed.

"At first I opposed it, but since it is for Ryan’s benefit, I gladly accepted."

"Hey Beatrice, I told you it wasn’t necessary to accept. Don’t feel obligated."

Then immediately, Beatrice shook her hands and her head. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"No, that’s not what I meant, Ryan. Of course I want to do this."

He looked straight at her, but did not object to her response.

Then Karol began to laugh quietly and murmured.

"That Beatrice never questions anything if it’s about Ryan."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Ryan sighed and reached his hand into his inventory and extracted the linen bundle that Runa had handed him moments ago.

Upon opening it, it revealed three runic artifacts that were completely distinct from one another, even the ones he had assigned to the squad captains.

"Karol, Beatrice, come closer. This is for you," Ryan said directly.

The two girls approached with curiosity. Ryan took the first object, which was a ring bordered in polished silver with barely perceptible runes engraved on the inside of the band, and extended it to Karol.

Next, he took a slender bracelet made of dark metal and handed it to Beatrice. The last artifact was a small silver stud earring, designed to be placed in the earlobe, which Ryan kept for himself.

Beatrice held the bracelet between her fingers, examining the delicate engravings with a raised eyebrow due to the surprise.

"The relics of the other groups, and ours, each one seems different to me. Why is that?"

Before Ryan could respond based on his logic, Runa took a step forward. The little dwarf wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm, leaving a new smudge of soot on her skin, and crossed her arms with a smug smile.

"I made several types of accessories on purpose, Beatrice. Although I know you will move through separate quadrants within the city, it’s better if everyone goes with different accessories; after all, we don’t want you drawing more attention than necessary."

She continued explaining while they watched her attentively.

"It would be far too strange if everyone walked around with the same accessory. A ring, a bracelet, and an earring look like simple ordinary jewelry and won’t stand out, isn’t that what you wanted Ryan?"

He nodded his head, in agreement with the blacksmith’s analysis.

"Runa’s reasoning is correct. Besides being a city we’ve never been to, the best camouflage is to look like a group of ordinary travelers who have nothing to hide. Good job, Runa."

The dwarf puffed out her cheeks with pride, letting out a small chuckle before looking around, noticing the absence of the other three heroines of the refuge.

"By the way, Ryan, where are Irina, Helen, and Mirian? I expected to see them here to say goodbye to you guys."

"They’re asleep," Ryan responded simply. "Waking up early isn’t exactly that pair’s specialty. Though, I thought it would be a bit different with Irina."

Karol took a step forward immediately, adjusting the silver ring on her finger and looking toward the house entrance with an expression of slight urgency.

"If they are resting, then it’s best we leave before they wake up. Knowing Helen, even though she knew we were going on an outside mission without her, she will cause a tremendous scene and try to force her way along, which would ruin this highly pleasant atmosphere of peace."

"I can almost hear her grumbling already. I think you’re right, it would be best for you to get ready quickly, I’d like to reach Kalistia as soon as possible." Ryan agreed.

The group took exactly half an hour to ready the essential supplies just as they had agreed earlier in the brief meeting Alicia had prepared.

After securing the light armor beneath their travel cloaks and checking the condition of their weapons.

Once ready, they left the refuge and walked with a firm step along the white stone corridor until reaching the entrance of the village.

That spacious sector which housed in its center the large magic portal that usually sent them directly to the boss room on the one-hundredth floor of the dungeon.

Alicia stopped in front of the portal and extracted a roll of parchment from her baggage, extending it before Ryan.

"Your Majesty. This is the detailed map of the city you will be going to. It shows the main routes of Wind Valley, the location of the adventurers’ guild, and the commercial sectors you assigned to the captains. It will be useful to avoid getting lost during the moments of investigation."

Ryan took the map, storing it carefully in his inventory. The portal in front of them began to emit a hum once it was activated, indicating that everything was ready to head toward the one-hundredth floor of the sky dungeon.