Whenever mercenaries had just cashed in their loot from an Aedifex Dungeon, they'd celebrate their success in a popular restaurant or buy expensive stuff. Some might even take a few days off and go on a vacation.

None of those interested Leon, although he'd earned enough to buy a new motorbike. In his mind's eye, he could still see a smiling Bright waving its paw at him as he left the construction site.

Oh, quit it! Leon hissed as he strode along the corridor with his bulky backpack. That wolf is just a nuisance!

"Hey!"

Leon stopped in his tracks and gasped. Oh, no. It seemed like his backpack had just hit a corridor guard, a high-ranking worker in the academy, by accident.

Arms folded over his chest, the humongous man in a black suit stared down at him. "Use your eyes when you walk, Leonhardt! Being close to Mr. Burke doesn't mean that you're free to do whatever you want!"

Leon bowed. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll be more careful next time."

"You'd better be!"

Once the man left, Leon facepalmed. Indeed, he was "The Master of Reminiscing at the Wrong Time." The worst part? The security cameras on the ceiling must've recorded his flub.

He really wanted to bang his head against the wall.

The mahogany door beside him creaked open and drew his attention. A short, rather chubby man in a black suit stood with a puzzled look in his face. "Leonhardt, where are you going?"

Recognizing that graying black hair, square jawline, and somewhat wrinkled face, Leon sighed. Great. "The Master of Reminiscing at the Wrong Time" had just made an ass of himself again: walking past the principal room because of not paying attention to the door signs.

"Sorry, Mr. Burke." Leon stepped into the room. Gusts of cool wind from the aircons blew against his face. Scent of jasmine emanated from the golden clock and certificate frames on the wall. Ah, yes, stuff made from the treasures of Aedifex Dungeon. An academy's prestige level depended on how much of these fragrant decorations it had.

"Good thing the security cameras in the corridor are also connected to one of my computers." Mr. Burke closed the door and headed to the ornate mahogany desk, atop which two computer sets and a golden chalice stood. "Did Mr. Marino let his pet fiend accompany you?"

Following Mr. Burke to the desk, Leon shrugged. "That wolf insisted on following me despite Mr. Marino's protests. Tried to distract it with a bone, told it to take care of my backpack instead of following me, and blocked the dungeon's path with a metal wall, but nothing worked."

Mr. Burke sat on the oversized swivel chair behind the desk. "That explains the commotion in the corridor." He gestured at the florid wooden chair in front of the desk. "Have a seat."

"Yes, Sir." After setting down the backpack beside the chair, Leon sat down.

Leaning back, Mr. Burke steepled his fingers. "So, you still don't plan on settling your score with Idassar Academy and reuniting with your parents?"

Leon looked down with a long face. "I can't do it, Sir. As you can see, I got all jittery just because of a wolf. What's gonna happen if I go to Idassar, the place wh-where..." Dammit! He was shaking already!

"'I watched my big bro die because of me?' Leon, you can't keep running away from your past."

Leon kept looking down, his hands balled into fists. Unlike talking to his GS, not maintaining a good attitude here would result in suspension or worse. "At least," he murmured, "running away keeps the past from catching up with me."

"Only temporarily. Those people will find out about you someday, so why don't you just face them?"

Leon shifted his gaze to Mr. Burke. "Everything related to Idassar brings up a lot of memories I don't want to remember. That will screw me up real bad."

"What if those people come to Kraindr?"

"I..." Leon looked down again. Run away again? Can I actually do that when they're already here? Or should I man up and face them? I dunno...

"What do you think?"

Leon remained silent. Would answering with "running away" lead to a deeper question? What if he said that he'd fight back? Would Mr. Burke praise him or dig even deeper? Let's just hope that the middle-aged man would soon change the topic...

A chuckle broke the silence. "You're considering changing your mind, correct? If you aren't, then you must've answered, 'I'll keep running away,' or something similar."

Leon gulped. Well, he hadn't decided on his final answer yet, but honestly, he was more into fighting than fleeing.

"Surprised? I'm used to dealing with you." Mr. Burke cleared his throat. "Okay, listen to me. No more missions today. You're going on a special mission tomorrow."

Leon looked at Mr. Burke, his voice brimming with interest. "A special mission?"

"This request came a few days ago, but I was torn between accepting or rejecting it. I accepted it anyway, considering who made the request." He stroked his chin. "Then after talking to you about your issues, I'm glad that I've accepted it. This mission can help you deal with the past."

Leon's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be; a Kraindr mercenary could never do a mission at Idassar, and vice versa.

"You're going to Dakan, a mountainside village located at the westernmost region of Kraindr. Your task there is to investigate the tale of the Sasquatch."

In the other world, a Sasquatch, or better known as a Bigfoot, was a giant ape-like creature that was said to live in the wilderness and leave big weird footprints. Inhabitants of the other world had often argued about its existence because nobody had ever seen it with their own eyes.

Leon nodded. That sounded like an interesting mission, although not as rewarding as an Aedifex Dungeon exploration, but what did it have to do with his past?

Before Leon could say a word, Mr. Burke spoke, "Lyn made that request. She specifically asked for you."

"What?" Leon jerked back, his heart hammering wildly against his chest. How should he feel at this? Happy because he'd finally see her again? Sad because he'd have to say farewell again when he was done with the mission? Angry because Mr. Burke had kept his mouth shut about her for years?

"After Lyn graduated, I sent her away to that remote village with my wife. It's too risky to keep them close to me as long as you're here, unwilling to resolve your issues with Idassar Academy."

"Yeah..." Leon said under his breath, his heartbeat slowing down a bit. Say whatever you want. I'm not gonna face the past for your family's sake.

"You won't be going there alone. Lyn also asked me to send Neil."

"Neil Phoenix?"

"Ah, you remember him."

Leon nodded. Why not? That rooster head was an annoyingly friendly and noisy guy. At least he was upfront about being unable to see Leon again, but Leon couldn't really blame Lyn for never visiting him after the graduation.

"Go to Rivera Car Rental and find a man named Daniel Rivera at 8AM tomorrow. It's located near Ereasicon Train Station." Mr. Burke took his phone from his pants pocket. After swiping and tapping the screen several times, he showed it to Leon. "This is Daniel."

Leon looked at the picture. Okay, he got it: graying black hair and rather wrinkled face like Mr. Burke, flat top hairstyle, thick chevron mustache, and oblong jawline. "Yes, Sir."

"Remember, Leon." Mr. Burke swiped and tapped the phone screen a few times before returning the phone to his pocket. "Keep this mission a secret. I don't want people to find out about my family's whereabouts."

Leon nodded. "Understood."

"Any questions about this special mission?"

"No."

"All right. Now, before you leave, I'd like to talk about the Raging Bull's case."

Leon sat still with a poker face. Sometimes when Mr. Burke was in the mood, he'd tell Leon about the details on the case. It always irritated him since he only cared about the reward and nothing else.

"We'll split the payment between three mercenaries, but because you were the one who killed the Raging Bull, you'll get the most."

Thank Aedifex he jumped straight to the best part! Leon smiled a bit. "How much?"

"50%. Mark and Mia get the rest. When we have located where the Raging Bull stores all his money, you'll get a bonus as well. The academy will take 50% of the Raging Bull's money, while you get 30%."

Leon nodded with a broader smile.

"The academy's financial dept will transfer the money soon, along with the reward for completing Mr. Marino's request. The bonus is coming much later." Moving the mouse on the desk, Mr. Burke looked at one of the computer screens. "You're just as prolific as ever, huh? You've earned about 5,000 Bits today, not counting the treasures from Aedifex Dungeon and that bonus."

Leon's smile faded. "I w-was born dirt poor." Damn, he was shaking again!

"Hard work is always rewarding," Mr. Burke responded. "See, your savings are enough to buy a house. I'm sure that your parents will be proud of you."

Only if I get to see them again. Leon looked down, tears welling in his eyes. Are they still alive? Do they still remember me?

"Leon, you should return to Idassar. Don't you want to see your parents' proud smiles?"

"I want to, but... Uh, never mind."

Mr. Burke chuckled. "I know you'll change your mind someday. It's pretty easy to read you."

This is getting annoying! Standing up, Leon picked up his backpack. "Okay, let me repeat my task tomorrow. Go to Rivera Car Rental and meet Daniel Rivera at 8AM. It's located near Ereasicon Train Station. Correct?"

"Yes. Remember to pack up some clothes and stuff. The mission may take a few days." Mr. Burke paused. "However, I ask that you waste no time and finish it quickly. I don't want to see Idassar people coming to Dakan to hunt you down and harming my family in the process."

Why the hell would he do that? The longer he stayed with Lyn, the more painful he'd feel when he said goodbye to her! "Yes, Sir."