In a hall of jade covered in white carpets, a fairly old man ate fruits cooked from the body of an A rank beast captured days ago.
His light brown hair touched his shoulders, standing, no, sitting at 5'8, he was short but hefty.
This was Fredrick.
As the head of the wealthiest guild in Lexon, he was living the life.
With money, he got resources that increased him in height, however little.
Everyday seems magical, was it not seven years ago he was sleeping in a cramped old cottage, awaiting death from the curse inflicted upon him? Now, so much had changed, he was still astounded by it.
'Hmm?'
His interest was piqued seeing his ring shine.
While the Emperor left orders…Since when did he take orders?
He'd stationed guild members to inform of any strange happenings, and then went to get himself a hearty meal.
Pulling out a scroll from it, he read through.
With haste, he writes back grinding the ink into the scroll, his expression having morphed into that of anger. 'Someone actually dares to target my lord'
Such news made him lose his appetite.
His benefactor was being targeted.
Unacceptable!
Clapping twice, maids rushed out from other compartments to clear the table.
He took off the white shawl around his neck, and took off.
__________
The council members, Nathan, Cabrera, and Kron arrived into the hall, their steps quick.
Each person wore clothes rare even for nobles-it was apparent how much things had changed for them as well.
Each person thinking the same thing.
'Whatever is the matter?'
Fredrick called them up with an urgency unheard of, so it could only be something very serious.
As for the meeting place, it was the guildhall built in Traxford slums.
As a consequence of Black Jaws actions, Niton progressed in leaps. The amount of money they made was astronomical, especially regarding Black Sky.
That thing pumped money beyond imagination, and it should, because it the money consumed building it was equally mind blowing.
It had become a hotspot for nobles.
Commoners were allowed in, so long they wore decent dressing.
It irked Nobles, but Black Sky didn't give a dime.
You either shop peacefully-or get out.
With the state of the arts functions and fantastic experience it provided, you could be sure Black Sky wasn't on the losing end.
Moreover, since the royal family and some of the great noble families had been wooed with resources, they turned a blind eye to the matter.
Then, Black Jaw's academy was underway, it already neared completion.
Entering the hall, the trio find Fredrick awaiting them.
"What is so urgent?" Cabrera asked.
"I received information that enemy grandmasters are headed for Niton"
The others were stunned.
While most knew of Ezra's existence, they knew him as the first of the three calls.
Only Fredrick and Cabrera knew who he actually was.
Cabrera knew because washed off the effects of the memory potion upon reaching master rank and remembered.
Regardless, Fredrick wasn't leaking where the information came from.
"Aren't you able to feel the presence of nearby grandmasters?" Nathan asked.
Fredrick replied. "It seems someone else has learnt how to cover their presence"
"Someone else?" Cabrera caught onto that part.
"Yes. It was said to be possible during the golden age, someone might have figured it out"
The hall went silent.
The greatest threat on Orion were grandmasters.
The damage they caused was only limited because their presence wasn't concealable.
Once it became such, you had Orion's greatest nightmare.
Kron gulped nervously thinking about it.
Fredrick glanced around.
In truth, he had learnt to hide his presence as well, but kept it a secret.
Most of Niton's powerhouses were already pressuring them to give away the blueprint for the Skyscraper-but they couldn't make any moves because of Fedrick's strength.
The moment his ability was found out, other grandmasters would surely make sure to get rid of him.
Both their economic and physical power had reached a crescendo, it matched just enough for Niton to tolerate.
If an overwhelming advantage such as the mana stone or Fredrick's ability was discovered…
It would war all over again!
"There's a high chance that the enemies will arrive at Gattiste, so dispatch twelve masters to the location and give them decent stealth equipment"
Kron was alarmed. "Isn't that too much?"
Fredrick shook his head. "Depending on the situation, if they're too few, they might all die before I can arrive"
"Even so" said Nathan. "That's too much, send six instead. Moreover, we have one master already there"
'Hmm'
Fredrick calmed, "Let's do that then"
They nodded.
"That is all for the meeting"
Fredrick went back to his abode, writing back to Ezra.
_________
Receiving the report of events, Ezra nodded to himself.
Thereafter, he thanked him again for the armour sent his way before closing it off.
With reinforcements inbound, Ezra's worries lessened.
Then he started thinking of his next move.
'Where should I run to?'
He shook his head.
'Wrong question. How will I run without alerting the enemy?'
His absence would be noticed, and since he couldn't estimate the moment the enemy would arrive, the success rate of leaving unnoticed was low.
No matter what, his absence could be covered for a day at most, after that, there were no guarantees.
His forehead creased, 'What a headache'
As for other ways, you had instant transfer scrolls made by space mages, which allowed you to warp between two spaces.
But the-
'Wait a moment' he paused. 'Space mage?'
His lips parted to reveal a ridiculous smile. 'Didn't I meet one just yesterday?'
Mrs. Elisa.
But…
'How do I contact her?'
Yesternight, she left with Valentine.
Therefore, she didn't have reason to come back to the fortress.
Regardless, Ezra was happy that he found a convenient solution.
'Now I just need to find a way to contact her'
__________
Theron looked at the sun. 'It's almost an hour'
He'd been waiting for the others to make up their minds.
"Hey, it's almost an hour. Hurry Up!"
Each person took glances at one another.
Roxanne spoke. "I'm not going"
Theron simply looked at the rest of them.
"I'm also not going" toned Johan, staring into the horizon.
Velora had her eyes darting to both sides, "I'm going"
She walked past Roxanne, who grabbed her.
"What are you doing?!"
Velora stared Roxanne straight in the eye. "I've never felt like a slave with Uncle Ezra, I owe him this much" and pulled away from her grip.
"I'm going too" Ashton huffed. Looking at Johan and Roxanne. "We've been with the Boss for the past eight years…crazy isn't it? Honestly, even if I left, where exactly am I suppose to go?"
Ashton motioned to them. "What are you two going to do with this 'freedom' anyway?"
"I-I-
Roxanne gushed out, but was unable to make anything of herself.
Johan came to the rescue. "With freedom, we can travel around the world"
"Doing what exactly?" Theron asked, giving him 'the look'
"Doing…eh, doing what people do while travelling"
"With what money?"
"We saved a decent amount, should be enough"
"Tch. Brother, you could die out there"
"I could die here as well"
"Sigh" Theron raised his hand out. "Just come with us and stop this pointless argument"
Johan stared for a long while… before rubbing his head really hard.
Unable to come up with anything, he admits defeat. "Argh! Fine. Whatever"
Theron just shook his head with a funny smile.
Roxanne stared with a look of annoyance. "Since I can't travel by myself, I guess I'll join you guys"
"Yes" Velora flew in for a hug.
"It's almost an hour, we better hurry"
_________
"We thought it through" said Theron.
"Yes?" Ezra stared intensely.
"We wish to follow you"
He let out a heavy sigh of relief, nodding.
"Thankfully I wasn't wrong"
Their ears perked up. "So, your earlier words were lies?" Theron muttered.
"Oh no, not at all"
The expressions fell.
Ezra let out a chuckle.
"All of you, sit"
They sat.
"As you have decided. I must let you know that this is your last chance to gain freedom, are you all sure you don't want to?"
"Freedom isn't worth a dime when you're weak" spat Theron. "I'd rather die by your side"
The hesitation in the eyes of others was wiped away.
"Ho" Ezra smiled. "Alright then, you're fit to advance"
An object appeared in Ezra's hand and illuminated the surroundings in blue light.
Thankfully, the tent made sure to contain the light.
_________
Across the cities of Itrevezar, Quartez and Iris was a gruesome sight.
*Crack*Break*
A restaurant had its contents thrown over.
The assailant? A man with sunken skin and red eyes garbed in a torn shirt painted in blood and a dagger in one hand.
Heik!
A small girl on the adjacent stairs let out a meek.
The man turned to her direction instantly.
"Ahhh!" Her legs got to work, taking her away at fast speeds.
Unfortunately…Puk!
A dagger pierced her head, killing her instantly.
The man made a disfigured smile.
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