A woman, clad in a sharp black suit and matching glasses, stood with perfect posture. Her jet-black hair was tied into a tidy bun. Flanking her were two tall, broad-shouldered men in tactical vests, each with communication earpieces in their ears and unreadable expressions on their faces.
Kaiden’s body tensed, and his eyes narrowed. He knew it was a possibility, but...
’Already? Damn it! How did they find our location so soon?’
The woman didn’t replicate his hostile stance. Instead, she lifted both hands slowly and calmly as her lips parted into a polite, professional smile.
"Please don’t be alarmed," she said in a smooth, practiced voice. "My name is Grace. I serve as the executive secretary to the Chairman of the Awakened Association."
Kaiden didn’t relax. Neither did the others, who had already grabbed their weapons from their bags while Bastet’s pupils thinned as she scanned the intruders.
Grace’s gaze briefly drifted to the feline, and for a moment, she froze with her eyes widening in unfiltered awe. Her breath caught in her throat as her pupils trembled with wonderment. She couldn’t believe what her eyes were showing her.
But she quickly composed herself, coughing lightly into her palm. "Ahem. Pardon me. It’s... not every day you see such a sight."
Bastet merely tilted her head to the side, not impressed by the praise she was receiving. "What do you want, human?"
Grace smiled again, though slightly tighter now. She turned back to Kaiden.
"We believe you, Kaiden Grey, your companion Bastet, and the young women accompanying you, namely: Luna Aster, Aria Levander, and Nyx Cosmos may be facing imminent danger. Not from dungeons or monsters, but from rogue organizations, foreign governments, and private parties eager to study—or claim—you all."
Kaiden’s frown deepened, but the wild pounding of his heart lessened. ’So that’s what this is about... They’re quick to act, that’s for certain.’
"You’re all too unique," Grace continued her explanation. "An awakened male who successfully tamed a monster. Three women who awakened in the same time frames, at the same location, and are acquaintances. If that wasn’t enough, all three of you have the previously unseen Valkyrie subclass category and were shown to have the exact same power output during your evaluation as Kaiden with his Paragon of Sin class. The five of you have become a beacon... and a target."
She gestured to the two imposing men standing beside her. "These are Agents Hugh and Oren. Both are A-tier awakened, trained for close protection, extraction under duress, and rapid magical response. The Chairman wishes to offer their services to you."
The one on the left, Agent Hugh, gave a slight nod, face like stone. His visible aura radiated the same pressure Kaiden remembered feeling from his mother—though to a much lesser degree. It marked Agent Hugh as a high-level awakened. The other, Agent Oren, looked a touch more relaxed but was equally formidable. The kind of guy who wouldn’t flinch if a dragon landed on the roof.
Grace continued. "The Chairman has personally ordered that you be given a temporary secure residence. One shielded with high-grade stealth enchantments and spatial interference barriers. It’s off-grid and not something easily traced or broken into, unlike this rental apartment."
"So you’re saying this is all for our safety...?" Luna asked suspiciously.
Grace nodded. "The Chairman believes in acting before tragedy strikes, not after. But the choice is yours. We won’t force you. However, we would highly advise against staying in this location any longer. If you do choose to remain, we’ll be forced to evacuate the other residents for their protection, as... hostile encounters are a near certain guarantee."
Kaiden had to do his utmost to not have his lips curl into a giant, victorious grin.
This development was exactly what he was hoping for.
The government was ready to secure his safety while he and his girls were still weak, letting them traverse the road to stardom with more peace of mind. The services of bodyguards with the level of these two men were incredibly hard to come by. Valhalla’s Sinners certainly couldn’t finance their protection out of their own pockets.
The secure location was a giant added bonus he didn’t even expect. Grace was right—this apartment was nice to live in, but its defenses against awakened attacks were nonexistent.
Kaiden was very well aware that the association wasn’t doing this out of the kindness of their hearts: with this arrangement, they had the perfect chance to spy on him and his girls, allowing them to try learning their secrets through this peaceful method. He didn’t want to have government agents sniffing around his home, but it was definitely a trade he was willing to make until they became strong enough to give them the boot.
There was just one issue.
"Miss Grace, I truly appreciate your thoughtful actions and I’m leaning toward accepting your generous offer. But..."
"But?" Grace asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly expecting him to jump on the hand they extended toward him.
"I must ask, do you happen to have female agents instead?"
"... What?" The executive secretary couldn’t help but gasp. The two agents also raised a surprised eyebrow in his direction.
Meanwhile, his three Valkyries eyed their man with a deadpan expression. They couldn’t believe he was being serious right now. However, after a mere moment of observation, they each realized it in perfect sync and cried inwardly together, ’He’s totally serious!’
Kaiden ventured to explain himself. "You must know the kind of career path we decided to follow, correct? We’re not just awakened combatants but entertainers. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my time with my ladies if I knew a pair of men were listening to their sexy moans outside my bedroom door." Kaiden then grimaced strongly as if he’d just smelled the stink of rotten fish before saying, "Truth be told, it would be a complete turnoff."
Grace blinked once. Then again.
A long pause followed in their conversation.
Agent Hugh and Agent Oren exchanged a single glance. Neither of them looked offended, but their perfectly stoic professionalism cracked just slightly, enough for a flicker of ’...Did he just say that?’ to slip through their eyes.
Grace, to her credit, didn’t immediately object or scoff. Her years in high-level diplomacy and executive operations kept her composed, but it was clear this wasn’t a request she received often. Or ever.
"I... see," she said while carefully adjusting her glasses. "That is certainly... a unique consideration." Grace studied him for a few seconds longer, clearly recalculating her approach. She had handled all sorts of eccentric requests from celebrities, diplomats, and worst of all, the chairman himself, but this one still made her blink twice.
"Mr. Kaiden," she began slowly, "we are trained to handle requests with privacy, and I assure you these men are bound by strict nondisclosure and personal integrity-"
"I don’t doubt their professionalism," Kaiden cut in, waving a hand dismissively. "But this isn’t about trust. It’s about mood. Atmosphere. Vibe." He motioned at his girls, all of whom wore slightly pinched expressions caught between embarrassment and acceptance. "What kind of a man wants to be passionately expressing himself to his partners while two guys are listening in?" He finished while glancing at the two men, who offered no response.