In the room, Williams solemn invitation was met with surprise by both Roel and Teresa.

Teresa turned to the armored figure beside her, not expecting the latter to have said those words at all.

Meanwhile, Roel looked at William and blinked his eyes contemplatively. He had a rough idea as to what the latter was talking about, but he felt that there was a need to enquire the details.

Pardon me, but may I ask you to clarify further?

Its an organization founded by the descendants of the Twilight Sages and a few other sequestered houses. We call it the Dawnbringer Order.

Dawnbringer Order.

Dawn, as in after twilight? An interesting name.

Instead of accepting the invitation right away, Roel assessed William with his golden eyes as a thought arose in his mind.

Its a little abrupt.

Roel already saw William and the others as friends after confirming their identities, but even long-lost family members would need a few days to warm up to one another after their reunion. It hadnt even been an hour since the two of them just met, and they hadnt built up a relationship of mutual trust yet. To join their organization all of a sudden was simply

Roel looked at William with a conflicted expression. Teresa also seemed to think that Williams actions lacked consideration as she began scribbling something down on her notebook.

William himself also quickly sensed that his question was too abrupt, and he hadnt provided Roel with enough information to make an informed decision yet. So, he quickly supplemented.

I know that you might have never heard of our organization before, and its only to be expected. The Dawnbringer Order hasnt been established for long. Its core members consist of a few sequestered houses and the descendants of Twilight Sages, and it seeks to carry on the torch of the already departed Assembly.

The Dawnbringer Order doesnt just accept anyone into the organization. We recruit mainly through a recommendation system, and there is a series of strict tests to determine the recommended individuals eligibility. However, the procedure is simplified for the descendants of the Twilight Sages. As an awakener of the Ascart House, youre eligible to directly join the Order.

We didnt manage to offer you any meaningful help this time around, so honestly speaking, we were intending to leave this conversation for a more appropriate time in the future. However, you happened to appear right in front of us by some coincidence. I personally believe that this is the string of fate at work, which is why I wanted to seek your opinion on this matter, William explained his thoughts.

Roel could only smile bitterly after hearing the truth.

He knew that it was not fate but the effect of the Blessed Wheat that brought him here. It might look like a coincidence, but this encounter was inevitable due to the barrier around the room.

By Roels standards, the only ones who would abruptly get someone to join their organization on their first meeting were either from MLMs or some weird cult. Given his meticulous personality, there was no way he would accept such an offer, or at the very least, he would postpone the decision.

However, it was a fact that he had just been saved by their barrier, and Teresas warning had been helpful in alerting him to danger too. So, he had to be tactful and polite about it.

How should I go about it?

While Roel was deep in thought, Teresa and William began engaging in an intense discussion, seemingly harboring different thoughts about this invitation. It was also then that shouts began sounding from the distance.

Roel!

Fief lord!

The voices calling for Roel grew more and more numerous, snapping the trio in the room from whatever they were doing. Roel quickly looked out of the window, surprised at how quickly the battle had concluded.

The mercenary band led by the Eirbower Duke must have given them a decisive lead in the battle.

This gave Roel an idea to resolve this awkward situation he was in.

Sire William, my friends are looking for me now. Ill have to head out to reassure them of my safety. If you arent too busy at the moment, would you like to head out with me?

Im extremely interested in the Dawnbringer Order you mentioned, but as the proxy fief lord of the Ascart Fiefdom, Im afraid that I cant just make such decisions on a whim. Itd be helpful if we could have further discussions on this matter. What do you say?

Roel thought that his excuse to buy some time for him to think through matters was good, but to his surprise, William fell silent upon hearing his words.

Hm? Whats wrong? Did I say something wrong?

Sensing the bizarre atmosphere, Roel blinked his eyes in confusion, not knowing what he had said wrong. While he was feeling confused, Teresa scribbled something down on her notepad and raised it up apologetically.

Sorry. We dont want to get too involved with the rest of the world.

Hm? What does that mean?

Roel couldnt help but wonder what those words meant. William let out a sigh before clarifying the situation.

Mister Roel, I understand what youre saying. Im sorry, but were unable to trust your comrades due to several reasons.

Unable to trust my comrades Youre referring to Nora and the others?

Thats right.

The firm response from William rendered Roel speechless.

I let my excitement get ahead of myself earlier. Its only to be expected that my abrupt invitation would put you in a spot. Id ask you to treat it as if I havent said anything. However, you need not worry. We should be able to meet each other soon enough.

Well take our leave for the time being. Till then, said William as he bowed slightly.

Before Roel could respond, he placed one of his hands on Teresas shoulder. Teresa waved her hand at Roel before speaking for the very first time since their meeting.

Teleport.

Wait a moment, you

There was a strong mana pulsation following her melodious voice, and a spatial magic started manifesting in the room. Roels words trailed to a halt as he widened his eyes in shock.

Spatial magic is one of the rarest and most difficult magic in the Sia Continent, but Teresa was able to activate it with a single word How is this possible?

While Roel was struggling to comprehend what was going on, a brilliant light suddenly shone from the spatial magic, forcing him to quickly place his arms over his eyes to shield him from the blinding light.

He only slowly put down his arms several seconds after the light had faded. By then, William and Teresa were already nowhere to be seen.