Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Frostnight Guild Master
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Frostnight Guild Master.
She was the younger sister of the Bluebird Knight Order Captain.
Leyzon's eyes widened round upon hearing this.
"None of the information I gathered on the Bluebird Knight Order mentioned anything like that."
The Bluebird Knight Order's records had mostly been erased by the empire.
So all that remained were tales of them vanishing on missions.
Even their members' identities were unclear—that was the Bluebird Knight Order.
Who would have thought the guild master of Frostnight was the younger sister of someone from that very order?
It was completely unexpected.
"Yeah, that's not surprising. I only found out by chance directly from her."
Rafila scratched the back of his head with a slightly awkward expression.
"On top of that, she's the half-sister of the Bluebird Knight Order Captain, so there's even less information out there.
I figured digging deeper into the Bluebird Knight Order might get dangerous, so I backed off."
While investigating, Rafila had noticed someone deliberately wiping away traces of the Bluebird Knight Order.
Problem children or not, they were still an imperial knight order.
For an entire order to be erased like that, anyone could see it pointed to the imperial family.
So he'd wisely pulled back.
'Frostnight Guild, huh.'
Who could've guessed he'd pick up a lead on the Bluebird Knight Order like this?
Leyzon marveled at his own luck.
To be precise, it was the steady accumulation of efforts he'd built up over time finally connecting and bearing fruit.
Absorbing groups for information had been his call.
"You mentioned a regular meeting between guild masters just a bit ago."
"Yes, it's for the major guild leaders. It's about to start soon."
"Can you bring me along as your plus-one?"
As long as he didn't flaunt magic openly, no other necromancer would clock him.
And if worst came to worst, he had the black mask.
"Sure, you can come as my aide."
Perfect.
He'd snag a chance to talk with the Frostnight Guild Master at the meeting hall.
"Rafila, you're a real lucky charm!"
Rafila grinned sheepishly at Leyzon's praise.
The seeds he'd planted for the future were blooming one by one.
Couldn't ask for better results.
"Then I'll go meet Pensaldor first."
"Yeah, and give him a good rundown on how Steel Wolf Guild is shaping up going forward."
Leyzon said that as he pulled out Rafila's chair and sat down.
"Five, go train with Hanok."
"Sounds good!"
Hanok bounded off excitedly with Five in tow.
Maybe because they were master and disciple, but Hanok especially looked up to Five.
Leyzon settled into the seat in the meantime.
Time to review the intel Rafila had gathered.
Rafila returned a few hours later.
Exhaustion was plain on his face.
"As expected, they were discussing Steel Wolf Guild's future moves."
"Figured as much."
Lately, Steel Wolf Guild hadn't done anything to give them ammunition.
To be exact, there hadn't even been a window to nitpick.
The Sword Saint had fixated on Syria and chased after her, leaving no gap to scrutinize Steel Wolf.
In that time, Rafila had swiftly cleaned house with Five's help.
Thanks to that, there were no loose ends.
"Instead, they warned us about exploiting rumors around the Pioneer Association."
"We won't need to milk that anymore anyway."
He'd only spread info to sway public opinion.
No more entanglements with the Pioneer Association ahead.
With that, Leyzon set aside the reviewed intel.
Unfortunately, nothing new had surfaced.
"Info on the Sword Saint is basically a black hole, huh."
"Yes, he vanished completely after a certain point."
The Sword Saint, nursing a grudge against Syria.
He'd surely resurface before long.
"For some reason, the Judgment Sovereign started hunting necromancers."
The Judgment Sovereign, lately scooping up necromancers left and right.
His actions were a headache for Leyzon too.
"The empire's beefing up military spending over the necromancer issue and deploying troops aggressively."
"Imperial intel's limited for us too—that's as far as we got."
Rafila expressed his regret.
He'd tapped every channel, but penetrating the empire's inner workings was tough.
One slip, and tails could turn on them, so he'd stuck to surface-level scans.
But the real issue was elsewhere.
"More than that, why the hell are these necromancers suddenly kicking up such a fuss?"
That was the biggest puzzle for Leyzon.
These usually quiet necromancers were stirring trouble everywhere all of a sudden.
No matter how he sliced it, something was off.
Rafila gave him a strange look.
"They claim it's the will of the Abyss."
Leyzon blinked.
"Whose will?"
"The will of the Abyss."
The same answer came back.
The pinnacle of necromancers.
The one who'd instilled fear in the empire.
The Abyss—that was him.
Leyzon himself.
"...I never said anything like that?"
Leyzon scowled deeply.
Was some flame-haired imposter pulling this now?
As Leyzon pondered, the doll-like Eden tilted her head.
"Leyzon, I heard something from the necromancers too."
Eden had been scouring necromancers while searching for Leyzon.
So she'd picked up their chatter.
"They said the Abyss commanded them to hunt down the Bluebird Knight Order to expose themselves.
And that awakening their true power is the Abyss's intent."
What nonsense is this?
He'd told them to find the Bluebird Knight Order.
And these idiots had run off in the wrong direction.
'No wonder there were no necromancers in the Resonance World besides that lone spider.'
Leyzon covered his face with his hand.
What the hell were they doing?
Then Leyzon slowly lowered his hand.
'...Wait, is it actually not so bad?'
His thinking shifted positive.
'If the necromancers rampage like this, it'll sow chaos in the empire, making it even harder to track me down.'
These were necromancers who'd been in hiding.
Whatever Leyzon did, it traced back to him—but with a swarm of similar necromancers loose, the trails would scatter.
'Especially with so many already chasing the Abyss.'
Distraction like this was ideal.
'The risk is them botching the Bluebird Knight Order search over this misunderstanding.'
Even that was fine.
Smart ones lurked among the necromancers.
'Especially guys like Butterfly Mask.'
Given their personality, they'd likely pursue the Bluebird anyway.
Leyzon trusted his eye for people.
No big worries there.
"Eh, as long as they don't get wiped out."
From Leyzon's view, the empire's response was odd too.
This scale warranted knight orders, yet they stuck to soldiers—no knights deployed even now.
Five felt the same.
She'd expected knights hot on their heels by now, but radio silence.
"Five, any read on Night Raven Knight Order's movements?"
"Not yet. But the window for action seems passed."
The Night Ravens were quiet too, oddly.
They'd have mobilized over Five's disappearance at least.
'Maybe.'
Was the empire deploying knights elsewhere?
And where would warrant that?
'The Bluebird Knight Order took its name from the blue bird opening paths beyond the empire.'
Wild guess, but maybe the empire was tangling with the outside.
"...So many questions, zero easy answers."
Leyzon smacked his lips.
What kind of world was shrouded in this many secrets?
He wanted to blow them all wide open.
Leyzon crunched on the cookies Five had prepared.
The sugar hit cleared his head a bit.
'Alright.'
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
One piece at a time.
"Rafila, tell me more about the major guild regular meeting. Including Frostnight's guild master."
First up: Charm the Frostnight Guild Master at the meeting.
The major guilds' regular meeting.
It stemmed from cutthroat competition among the big guilds.
By definition, other majors were eternal rivals.
Thus, rivalry was constant.
It often boiled over into bloodshed.
After one such war caused massive casualties,
The exasperated Pioneer Association stepped in to mediate.
The guilds, weary of the excess themselves,
Accepted.
Thus, the meeting was born.
That was old history, though.
Now it was just another battleground for posturing.
This session's host: Flower Deer Guild.
An absurd guild that only recruited based on handsome looks,
Yet it scrapped for top ranks among majors.
Thanks to merchant backing.
Their striking appearances hawked clothes, gear, and more like billboards.
Merchants vied to sponsor Flower Deer.
Bolstered by fat backing, they poured into rear-line builds.
Result: Flower Deer's average combat power topped all guilds, with the fattest coffers.
And they were hosting this regular meeting.
"Flashy as ever for those guys."
Rafila spoke with a jaded face.
Lake's center.
A lone wooden building towered above.
Multicolored lights spilled from its windows.
From the massive Flower Deer head statue at the entrance,
To the garden brimming with stunning sculptures and blooms.
All screamed opulence.
A blatant flex of Flower Deer's capital.
"They could share with me."
The man beside Rafila spoke up.
Leyzon.
Here as Rafila's aide for the meeting.
Leyzon had plenty of coin, but not merchant-backed Flower Deer levels.
This extravagance fatigued even him.
"Other guilds are arriving too."
Sure enough, guilds approached by lake boats in the distance.
Majors, each flying their banners.
Ten majors total now.
Each brought star members, decked out to rival Flower Deer's splendor.
"It's a full-on luxury showdown."
"Guess they hate looking second-best as guilds."
Rafila shrugged indifferently.
Steel Wolf ranked lowest among majors.
So Rafila had funneled such funds into the guild instead.
No escaping the basement anyway.
Better invested elsewhere.
"Should've prepped more since you're with me."
"Nah, I hate that stuff anyway."
Born and bred petit bourgeois,
Waste like this turned his stomach.
"Save it for the guild even if it's pennies."
"Glad we're on the same page."
Rafila smiled faintly.
"And Rafila, pure combat power? Nobody tops you right now."
Leyzon puffed up.
They packed two high-level undeads.
Even all major leaders couldn't touch that firepower.
"Haha, true enough."
Rafila straightened proudly, beaming.
Once enemies, maybe.
Now Leyzon's man.
With him, Rafila could stand tall anywhere.
Then Rafila spotted a distant boat.
Plain compared to the others.
But its passengers were untouchable.
A snowflake banner capturing the night sky fluttered.
"Leyzon."
Rafila called cautiously.
Leyzon looked over.
A woman with silver bob hair stood on deck.
Cold demeanor, sharp gaze.
Silver lashes gleamed like her locks.
Major Guild #1.
Frostnight Guild Master.
Aegis Gaibel.