CHAPTER 46: THE COMMANDING VOICE

That was when Ella, the receptionist, noticed him. Her eyes widened, and without hesitation she rushed out from behind her desk.

"Nolan! You’re back!" she said brightly, relief and excitement in her voice. Then her gaze flicked to Lyra. "And... who is this young lady with you?"

"Her name is Lyra," Nolan said calmly. "She’s a young girl I saved in the dungeon."

Ella raised a brow. "Then why is she wearing your clothes... while you’re topless?"

"Well, she wasn’t dressed properly. What she had on was torn and too revealing. So I gave her my battlesuit top." Nolan replied simply.

"I see... so that’s the reason." Ella nodded, though she still looked uneasy.

"Why are you worrying like that?" Nolan asked. "I just stepped out for a bit. It hasn’t even been long. It’s still afternoon. You’re making it sound like I’m a kid sneaking out."

Ella shook her head firmly. "Nolan, what are you saying? This is the second day. You never came back yesterday."

"What?" Nolan froze. "You’re telling me I spent the whole night inside that dungeon... and I didn’t even realize it?"

"Yes. You did." Ella said, her expression serious.

Nolan blinked in disbelief. Adventurers nearby were already staring at him and whispering. Ella quickly gestured for him to follow. "Come. Let’s go inside the training room."

Nolan walked with her, Lyra trailing behind, and soon they entered. Inside, he saw Celia and Linda training together—both of them were doing squats, sweat glistening on their skin.

The moment their eyes met his, they dropped what they were holding and ran.

"Master!" they cried in unison, leaping into his arms.

"You’re back!"

"Yes... I’m back." Nolan said softly, feeling the weight of their relief. "I hope I didn’t make you worry."

"You did," Celia said, her voice trembling. "We were really worried."

"Next time you go anywhere, I’m coming with you," Linda added quickly. "That way I won’t have to spend a night wondering if you’re safe."

Nolan smiled faintly, but inside he felt something shift. That touch... it doesn’t feel the same as before. They aren’t just followers anymore—they’ve become true allies, true companions. And I can tell, just by the look in their eyes, how deeply they worried for me.

It was then that Lucan stepped out of his office and approached. "So, Nolan’s back," he said with a slight grin. "Why did you take so long in there?"

"Well... I didn’t even notice time passing. I wasn’t in touch with the outside world at all," Nolan explained.

"You should know," Lucan said firmly, "your ladies here were really worried about you. They kept talking about how much they missed you."

Celia and Linda instantly turned their faces away, cheeks burning red.

"Is that true?" Nolan asked gently.

They both nodded silently, embarrassed.

"I’m really sorry I made you worry," Nolan said with a small bow. "I promise it won’t happen again."

At that moment, Celia and Linda suddenly noticed something. Their eyes widened—Nolan was shirtless. Heat spread across their faces even more, their gazes darting away.

And then they noticed Lyra, who had quietly entered behind him, still wearing Nolan’s battlesuit top.

The air froze for a moment.

"N-Nolan..." Celia stammered.

"Shirtless... and with her..." Linda whispered.

"What’s wrong?" Nolan asked, noticing the way Celia and Linda stared at him. "Why are your faces like that... like you want to say something but can’t?"

They stood frozen, eyes wide, as if they had just seen a ghost. Slowly, their gazes shifted—not at Nolan—but at the girl behind him.

Their trembling fingers pointed. "That... that’s—"

Nolan turned his head, then chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, you’re talking about her. Heh... yeah, I know. This is going to be weird. I walk in here shirtless, and I bring along another girl you’ve never met." He let out a small smile, scratching the back of his neck.

"She’s someone I saved in the dungeon. She was trapped down there alone, for who knows how long. And... her clothes weren’t exactly decent, so I gave her mine."

Celia narrowed her eyes. Linda folded her arms. "I hope you two didn’t... spend the night together."

"Of course not. We didn’t." Nolan said quickly.

Both girls let out a long sigh of relief. "Good..." they said in unison.

Lyra, however, hadn’t spoken a word since stepping into the hall. She had followed silently, her sharp eyes watching everything. For a moment, she looked like a quiet, timid girl who didn’t know what to say.

But then, out of nowhere—

"Hey," Lyra said, tilting her head at Nolan. "Why are you staring at me like that? If you’re going to keep gawking, at least get me something to eat. I’m starving."

The entire room froze.

Celia blinked in shock. Linda’s jaw dropped. Even Lucan raised his brows.

No one had expected such a commanding, blunt voice to come out of the petite girl. The way she said it, with sharp authority, almost sounded like she was the one giving orders—as if she were their leader.

For a second, silence hung in the air. Then Lucan gave a small chuckle.

"I’ll... go get something for you," Ella said, still processing her tone.

But before he could move, Lyra turned on her heel, walking out through the massive guild gate without hesitation. "Never mind. I’ll get something myself."

The others just stared, stunned at her boldness.

"Hey, what’s with that attitude?" Lucan said sharply, his brow furrowing at Lyra. "Talking like that... do you really not get who’s the boss here? I know you went through a lot in the dungeon, and I get it. But that doesn’t mean you can just raise your voice like that."

Lyra’s eyes snapped toward him, her expression turning dark. She stepped forward, her presence pressing down on the room like a storm.

"Boss?" she repeated, her voice low and dangerous. "Hey, old man—mind the way you speak to me, or I’ll rip your limbs from your body."

The guild fell into silence.

Celia froze where she stood. Linda’s face drained of color, and even Celia instinctively shifted back a step.

"N-Nolan..." Linda whispered, "she’s terrifying."