There was a lot of noise downstairs. Voices, chairs scraping against stone, the muffled thud of boots. I headed down without much thought, weaving through the flow of people crowding the hall.
I spotted Monday near the base of the stairs and walked up to him.
"What's with the commotion?" I asked.
He glanced at me, then at the mass of people gathered ahead.
"A emperor's guard is here," he said. "He's talking with Wanora right now. Apparently to find the missing nobles."
"Missing nobles?" I repeated, frowning.
"Yeah. A lot of them vanished in the past couple months. He came here and just ordered us to do the work, but Wanora didn't allow that. Said he needs to submit it properly or they won't accept it. A fight broke out... poor guard had to write it."
"Ah. I see," I muttered.
I pushed past him, trying to squeeze through the sea of bodies. It wasn't easy—everyone wanted a front-row view—but eventually, I broke free from the crowd and stepped outside.
Wanora was standing there, speaking with a guard clad in imperial colors. Both of them turned toward me when I approached.
The guard didn't say anything. His head lowered slightly as he scribbled on a piece of parchment. His movements were rigid, mechanical. Once he was done, he walked up to the board and nailed the paper onto it with a sharp motion.
Without waiting for anything else, he turned and walked away. The crowd parted for him like waves before a ship.
I moved closer to the board, along with everyone else, and read the paper pinned there:
---
[Task Board Request]
Title: Retrieval of Missing Nobles – Royal Decree
Issuer: His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor
Location: Imperial Palace, Throne Hall
Details:
A total of 380 nobles have gone missing under unknown circumstances. Their retrieval is classified as a matter of utmost importance to the Empire.
Only the successful return of the missing nobles—alive or otherwise—will be acknowledged. Rumors, unverified information, and failures will be punished accordingly.
Retrieval operatives are expected to exercise discretion. The condition of the returned nobles will influence future considerations.
Reward:
Compensation will be determined upon verified retrieval and evaluated according to the usefulness of the returned individual.
Negotiations will occur at the Imperial Palace following proof of success.
Unauthorized demands or failure to meet standards will be treated as acts of insubordination.
Report directly to the Imperial Palace upon mission completion.
—By Absolute Order of His Imperial Majesty
---
The moment people finished reading, a wave of disappointment swept through the crowd. I heard them muttering as they turned away, shaking their heads.
"Not worth it."
"Other guilds will handle it anyway."
One after another, they drifted off, disappearing back into the alleys and taverns.
Only a few of us remained.
I walked up to Wanora, who was still standing near the board, arms crossed.
"Hey," I said. "Do you think we should accept the task?"
She nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Even if we don't want to, we need to at least pretend to. And by the looks of it, since no one else is planning to, the core members will handle it."
"In the afternoon we'll discuss who'll be the two to go."
"Two? Isn't that too few?" I asked, frowning.
"Well, yes. But we don't have a choice. There's a high likelihood another task by the emperor will show up soon."
"And why's that?" I pressed.
Wanora exhaled, glancing at the thinning crowd.
"The common folk will likely use this opportunity to spark something. To calm it down, we'll need people here."
I thought about that for a second. It made sense, in a way. Still, something nagged at me.
"Any ideas why this is happening? How did they all go missing? Did the emperor give any clues?"
She shook her head.
"He probably isn't searching for them personally. He's sending his guards... and that's why he made the guilds handle it. Technically, we qualify as one too. So even we were sent the order."
She brushed off her sleeves, the finality clear in her voice.
"Go for now. Let's discuss this in the afternoon, alright?"
"Yeah..." I muttered, turning back toward the entrance as the last of the crowd faded behind me.