The guild hall fell silent as Drakar's deep voice echoed through the room. "I have found the thief." Everyone turned toward him in shock. Lila, Adrian, Sera, and Doran stared at him, waiting for him to say more. But instead of revealing the name, Drakar simply crossed his arms and remained quiet. Lila, unable to hold back her excitement, leaned forward. "Well? Who is it?" Drakar looked at her calmly and said, "I do know who the culprit is, but for now, I won't say who it is." The entire room erupted in confusion. Lila's excitement turned into frustration. "What?! Why won't you tell us?" Drakar's expression remained unreadable. "Lack of proof." And with that, he turned around and left the guild.
The other adventurers in the guild scoffed. "He's bluffing," one of them muttered. "If he really knew, he would've said it." But Lila wasn't convinced. She believed in Drakar. Fizzle, who had been lazily resting on Drakar's wing earlier, smirked as she turned to Lila. "You really are a fool," she said in her usual sassy tone. "You're not blind, you can see, but you can't see where you don't look." Lila blinked. "Huh? What does that even mean?" Fizzle's smirk grew wider. "That's up to you to figure out." Lila huffed, feeling even more frustrated.
Meanwhile, Adrian had been deep in thought. He was trying to figure out how Drakar had identified the thief without leaving the guild. Not to mention, another theft had occurred today. After thinking for a while, something clicked in his mind. He snapped his fingers, a smile appearing on his face. "I think I got it," he said. He leaned in and whispered something to Fizzle. Fizzle grinned and nodded. "Adrian, you are smart indeed." Lila, now even more annoyed, turned to Adrian. "Wait, wait! What did you figure out? Tell me!" Adrian shook his head. "Sorry, Lila, but I can't tell you yet." "Whattt!!!" Lila groaned, throwing her hands up.
Sera stepped in, placing a hand on Lila's shoulder. "Calm down, Lila. I'm sure we'll find out soon." Doran, on the other hand, was completely unbothered by the whole situation. He leaned back in his chair and muttered, "This whole spy-like thinking isn't for me." With nothing else to do for the day, the group decided to leave the guild and rest for the night.
---
The next morning, the Rising Team returned to the guild, ready to continue their investigation. As soon as they entered, they overheard a conversation at the reception desk. Another group of adventurers had come to deliver their goods, only to discover that some items were missing once again. Lila clenched her fists in frustration. "What?! Again?" She turned to Drakar. "Now can you please tell us who the thief is?" Drakar nodded. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and pointed at someone in the guild. Everyone turned in the direction he was pointing. The room fell into stunned silence. The person Drakar was pointing at wasn't some shady figure lurking in the shadows. It was one of the guild workers.
The worker's eyes widened in shock. "W-What are you saying?! You're accusing me without any proof! You dragonkind are just framing me because you couldn't find the real culprit!" Drakar remained calm. He raised his hand and activated one of his detection skills. A faint glow filled the room, and suddenly, the worker's right hand turned red. Gasps filled the guild hall. Drakar's voice was steady as he explained, "This group's goods were under my detection spell. Anyone who touched them would have their hand turn red. Other than the owners of the goods and the receptionist who checked them, you are the only one whose hand is glowing." His piercing gaze locked onto the worker. "And you had no business touching the goods."
The worker began to panic. He took a step back, his face pale. "T-This is a trick! You're lying! You're trying to frame me!" Before he could try to run, Lila swiftly stepped forward and kicked him in the legs, making him stumble and fall to the ground. The other adventurers in the guild surrounded him, their eyes filled with anger. Some of them had also lost items to this thief. The worker looked around, realizing he had no way out. His shoulders slumped, and he lowered his head. "I… I confess," he muttered. "I stole the goods." The guild members let out a mix of relief and anger, but the matter was settled.
---
With the case solved, the Rising Team finally accepted their reward. As they prepared to leave the town and return home, Lila stretched her arms and sighed. "Well, that was an adventure." Adrian chuckled. "Took us longer than expected, but we got there in the end." Sera nodded. "It was a good experience." Doran yawned. "Let's just hope the next job doesn't involve playing detective." Drakar, as usual, said nothing, but Fizzle smirked and looked at Lila. "You still don't get what I meant yesterday, do you?" Lila groaned. "Ugh, just tell me already!" Fizzle laughed. "Nope. Figure it out yourself."
And with that, the Rising Team set off to return back, ready for whatever adventure awaited them next...