CHAPTER 64: PREPARATIONS TO RAID

Vanessa adjusted herself in her seat, pressing her lips together with a sigh.

Stacks of reports lay before her on the polished oak desk, each stamped with the GRIMMAW insignia, each demanding her attention.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

She was tired — unfathomably so.

Some days she wondered if the weight of the guild was slowly crushing her.

No one ever said it aloud, but everyone relied on her strength, her discipline, her constant presence.

Sometimes she wished she could just let go.

Collapse onto a bed and sleep for days.

Be lazy, indulgent, unbothered.

’Honestly, I wish I could be lazy like Lucius right now.’ The young man was probably still curled up in his sheets, dreaming the day away.

A small pang of envy twisted inside her chest.

But then again if the guild master wasn’t present, would the members still feel motivated to do anything?

She already knew the answer.

They’d slack.

And so she couldn’t allow herself that weakness.

’I wish I could see Lucius right now,’ she admitted to herself quietly.

And the memory of this morning burned in her cheeks — falling asleep in his bed, waking in his arms.

She’d run out of the house in a panic after that, showering and leaving before anyone could notice her flushed face.

Her quill hovered over a mission draft when a voice cut through the silence.

"Hope I’m not disturbing you."

Vanessa’s head snapped upward.

Floating just outside her window, upside down with that irritating casualness only he could pull off, was Lucius.

His purple eyes gleamed with mischief as strands of his hair drifted in the air.

Her cheeks reddened instantly.

’Of all the times...’

But she steadied herself, lifting her chin in feigned composure as he descended and landed lightly, sliding into the chair opposite hers — the very one he had sat in yesterday.

"You’re supposed to be resting," she said firmly.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, the gesture meant to mask the embarrassment in her voice.

To anyone else, it might look like she was scolding him.

But inside, her pulse was hammering.

Lucius leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

"I feel much better now," he said smoothly. "And I’d like to talk about the mission briefing. Villy told me you were going to send me on a raid."

Vanessa blinked, startled by his directness.

"Yes," she admitted, fingers curling around her pen. "Do you have any issues with it? I can change the mis—"

"Change it?" Lucius interrupted, a grin tugging at his lips. "I actually like it."

That smile of his carried the infuriating mix of arrogance and charm that made her heart stumble.

"Though," he continued, "I’d have to ask for something."

Vanessa tilted her head slightly, pretending calm.

Inside, however, she already had a faint idea of what he wanted.

"Feel free," she replied, her voice smooth, even as she braced herself.

"I’d like to request protective gear," Lucius said. "I promised Luna she would stream the raid."

He pulled his phone from his pocket and set it casually on her desk, the device catching the candlelight.

"Of course I’m willing to pay for it. Then," his gaze sharpened slightly, "I’d like to add the three idiots to the raiding team."

A heavy silence followed. Vanessa studied him, one brow arching ever so slightly

Her lips curved into a smirk before she could stop them.

That smirk made Lucius strangely insecure.

He shifted in his chair. "What?"

"Elly," Vanessa called, ignoring his defensiveness.

There was silence and then a moment later, through the door, the counterpart Villy — Elly appeared.

The maid’s expression was perfectly composed as she placed a sleek black suitcase on the desk before Lucius.

She looked just like Villy except she had purple hair.

"This is protective gear that will last through the dungeon raid," Vanessa explained.

She leaned back in her seat, watching him carefully. "Villy told me about your streaming. Even I’m interested in watching, so I had this prepared ahead of time."

Lucius’s fingers brushed over the case.

He flicked the latches open and his eyes widened slightly at the contents.

Inside lay a fitted protective suit — crafted from lightweight alloys and mana-absorbing fibers, designed to resist both physical and elemental damage.

It gleamed faintly in the room’s light, its surface traced with faint silver lines that pulsed faintly with stored mana.

It wasn’t cheap gear.

Not even close.

"...You got this ahead of time?" Lucius asked, glancing up.

Vanessa only offered a small shrug, though her lips twitched. "Call it... a precaution."

She had actually been running around for it as usual , but he didn’t need to know that.

He closed the case gently, almost reverently, before looking back at her.

"And for the mission," Vanessa continued, reaching into her drawer.

She drew out a crisp document stamped with the GRIMMAW seal and slid it across the desk toward him.

Lucius took it, unfolding the parchment with careful hands.

His eyes moved quickly over the text.

...

[OFFICIAL GUILD MISSION SLIP]

Guild: GRIMMAW, Northcrest City Branch

Mission ID: NC-DR-2281-D

Classification: Dungeon Raid Operation

Mission Rank: D

Team Size: 6–8 Members

Mission Objective:

Conduct a full-scale raid on the dungeon located within the Black Fields region, east of Northcrest City. The dungeon has shown increased mana activity and scouting reports confirm the presence of organized mana-beast packs and possible elemental anomalies.

Mission Details:

Enter and secure the Black Fields Dungeon.

Eliminate all major monster groups and their leaders.

Recover dungeon cores, rare fragments, or artifacts for Guild Research.

Neutralize environmental hazards within the dungeon (mana fog, corrupted terrain, unstable mana veins).

Ensure safe exit and provide a full combat report upon return.

Reward upon Completion:

100,000 Royals (per Squad Member) plus bonus incentives for rare material recovery.

Issued By:

Northcrest City Council in cooperation with GRIMMAW Guildmaster.

...

Lucius whistled under his breath.

Truly doing missions were profitable.

A hundred thousand Royals wasn’t easy money, not that he needed to worry about it.

"You can choose any member from this list," Vanessa said, producing another sheet — this one neatly organized with names of capable awakened. "And of course, you can add the Hudsons. We can sort it out right now."

Lucius looked down at the paper, but his attention was already elsewhere.

His lips curved into a warm smile, one not meant for the mission, but for her.

"Thank you, Vanessa."

Seeing his face so warm and full of happiness made her eyes widen.

And in that moment, the last defenses Vanessa had so carefully built around her heart... crumbled.

[Author’s Note]

We’ll be beginning the raid in the next Chapter.