"Did you bribe the guards?" Ann asked with widened eyes.

There were only two cases under which special treatment will be provided.

It was either if the person traveling was a high-ranking noble with zero patience to wait or if it was due to the power of money. Since the border guards are less likely to be under the influence of nobles, the latter proved to be the most convincing one.

There was a brief pause before Kalan answered,

"No"

"Really? Then how did you get us a free pass to the gates?"

"I have my ways"

"Wha.."

'Is he affiliated with a powerful noble by chance? Or is he a powerful underworld in disguise?'

Ann shook her head to stop herself from spewing more conspiracy theories.

'Now that's just stupid'

But for some reason, her intuition was telling her that something was not right. Although she couldn't put her finger on it, it felt as if she was being led by the nose.

To rid herself of any doubts, Ann decided to place an additional request to the information guild, along with the one to collect intel regarding the whereabouts of the protagonists.

The new request would be to gather information about Kalan and the Orion merchants since there was nothing known about them other than the information provided by Elijah.

It would be well within professional ethics to know about the employer and their backgrounds in order to provide a satisfying service.

'I'm not doing it because I'm suspicious of him. It is important to have mutual trust between employee and employer. So what I'm gonna do is well within professional boundaries'

Ann tried to pacify her guilty conscience for digging information about Kalan behind his back.

Even though Kalan's background was guaranteed by Elijah, Ann had to be cautious of anyone or anything from Orion.

It has been three years since the incident, she only had to wait for two more for the set five years to be over before she could go home. It would be a waste if her cover gets blown when she was close to victory.

'I'm being a professional here. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's totally normal to be curious'

"The guards are aware of our arrival since we are transporting a relic"

Kalan's calm voice brought Ann back to her senses from inner rambling.

"Huh?"

"Orion's legal procedures for transporting relics take hours to process. So it's better if we go early and wait for the rest of the day. Than to wait all day in a queue only to stay for hours till the procedure is complete"

"Is that so?"

Ann smiled awkwardly. Her guilty conscience for suspecting Kalan of having ulterior motives was prickling her like thorns.

From her observations for the past few days, Ann knew that Kalan may not be the friendliest person in the world. But he was comfortable to be around. It took more than an average person to be around two people constantly picking fights as a source of entertainment.

So from her point of view, he was a good guy.

Still, it was better to be safe than to feel regret later.

'Sorry Kalan. I'm still going to place the request. It's a matter of life or death for me'

Around noon, the entourage successfully crossed the gates and into Orion led by border security.

'I'm back'

Ann smiled as she went past the large golden gates feeling nostalgic and happy about returning to her home country for the first time in two years.







One by one the carriages were led to a building near the guard tower to verify the identities of the people as well as the transported items entering the country.

The Nero mercenaries gathered at the front when one of the chief guards came forward and introduced himself to Kalan.

"Welcome. I am Chief guard Milton Tozier. We were informed of your arrival..."

A few other guards emerged and carried the relic from the carriage into the tower.

"Seems like he knows people from the guard tower too" said Oliver as they watched Kalan and the Chief guard talking from a distance.

"The relic will be held at the tower till tomorrow. So we'll be staying the night here as planned" Jade passed a stack of papers to Raeden and said,

"It's all done"

"We have to sit through individual identity verification. After that, we can rest at the inn till the other procedures are done"

Raeden passed a piece of paper to everyone, each containing basic information about them and the purpose of their visit.

It was akin to a visa.

Ann read through the contents of her paper with a smile.

Everything in it including her name and origins was fairy tales created by the group. Since the Nero mercenaries had a basic understanding of her situation when she joined them, they did not pry into the past and instead helped create a new one to fit the present.

The best part was that they had a fun time creating the background story that fitted with each member of the group to make it as flawless and dramatic as possible.

Everyone paid a part to develop the tale even including Bea and the village Chief.

Just in case there was a cross-examination between the members, their stories would align the same despite how tricky the questions were.

That was how far the Nero mercenaries were willing to go in order to protect a member of their own. More than friends, they were a family.

Now, the only thing left was to get through the individual interview with the made-up story.

'Even airport security is way lenient compared to this' Ann folded the paper into two and put it in her pocket.

According to Raeden it was standard procedure to check the identities of everyone involved in the transport of relics to avoid incidents of smuggling and counterfeit trafficking. But the border checks have become more intense due to the Orion foundation festivals coming up in a few weeks.

"You get what he's saying right? Don't do anything reckless when the guards question you"

Jade turned to Ann,

"Especially you"

"I won't. I swear" Ann raised her hands in the air as a symbol of faith.

'He's such a worry wart'

Ann smiled at him feeling touched. Although the way he expressed it was mean, she knew Jade was being cautious for her sake.

"I find it hard to believe hearing it from your mouth" Jade smirked and turned away from her knowing gaze.

"Why are there so many procedures for a single box?"

Eugene mumbled as he watched Kalan and Ezra disappear behind the doors guided by the Chief guard.

"Right? I didn't know relics were such a big deal either"

Ann closed her eyes and tried to remember the contents of the book. As far as her memory serves, there was no mention of any relics in the main story. If relics were really such a big deal as they are told now, then there should have been at least a mention of the word in the passing.

"You didn't know?" Noah asked Ann, as he wrapped his arms around her neck from behind and rested his chin on her head.

"Of course I didn't know. Had I known the value of relics, I would have snagged a few before my getaway" Ann pouted, thinking about the opportunities she missed.

'I'm sure my b*stard of an ex is loaded with relics'

Gallahan and the Tullus mercenaries were the first to enter the guard tower since they were a lot in number.

Among them, Ann was able to catch a glimpse of Will, who had supposedly gone through a traumatic experience walking on his own feet.

'He seems fine'

Soon the Nero mercenaries were led to a room in which they waited till each member was interviewed separately until the last person remained.

It took approximately fifteen to twenty minutes for each person making it feel like a job interview rather than a background validation.

"You're up Ann. We'll be waiting outside" Eugene said as he passed by Ann after completing his interview.

'All these security checks will be thrown out the trash chute once the male leads start a war' Ann sighed as she sat for her verification.

The room she was taken to, looked like an interrogation room in a television drama where cops question their suspects. It had a single entry and exit door, a small wooden table in the middle of the room with two chairs and no windows.

"Your name is Ann?" The middle-aged guard asked as he flipped through the stack of papers to pick out Ann's sheet from the pile.

"Yes"

Ann answered in a flat tone.

"What is it short for?"

"Ant"

"Your full name is Ant? As in the insect?"

The guard looked up from the paper confused by her indifferent answer.

"Antarctica. If this is over. Can I go now?"

'I'm hungry' Ann sobbed, hoping for the interview to end fast.

It has been thirty minutes since the interview started and the only question she was asked so far was her name.

Just then there was a knock on the door which made Ann look in the direction of the sound unconsciously.

Chief guard Milton Tozier entered, prompting the guard who interviewed Ann to stand up and salute him. His attire was different from the rest of the guards making it evident that he was of higher status than the others.

'Should I salute him too?' Ann debated, sitting on the chair with her legs crossed.

As Ann continued debating, Tozier walked in the room and took the paper containing her information from the guard's hand.

"I'll take it from here"

"Yes sir"

Without any objections, the guard left the room leaving behind the two, and closed the door on his way out.

'You're leaving just like that?'

Ann watched as the guard left the room in a hurry following the orders of his superior. Although he was slow, compared to the chief guard he looked easier to handle.

"Antarctica Leveret"

Tozier read from the paper with a stern expression.

"Where are you from?"

Thus began the real interview.