The Traitors (2)
In the past, the Salvatore Guild had been one of the strongest guilds in the East, boasting immense power. The trigger that set it on the path to ruin was the Elnot Kingdom's petty hostage scheme.
They targeted Tiriya, the lady of the ducal house, by taking nobles from the Erman Duke's family hostage to blackmail her. In truth, no matter how royal they were, using a duke's family as hostages for personal gain was an absurd notion—but in the Elnot Kingdom, where royal authority was overwhelmingly strong, such depravity was possible.
Tiriya, with her family held captive, faced an impossible choice: hand the entire guild over to the kingdom for her family's sake, or abandon her family and defy the kingdom. It was far too cruel a dilemma for a single woman.
She couldn't bring herself to choose either path and fell deep into anguish. As her indecision dragged on, the Salvatore Guild began splitting into factions—one urging submission to the kingdom to protect Tiriya's family, the other calling to rebel against it.
Then came the decisive blow. The Elnot Kingdom approached Tiriya and demanded her S-rank rare item, Grace of the Archangel.
The Grace of the Archangel was the powerful artifact that formed the foundation of her strength, the very item that had allowed her to stand at the pinnacle of a colossal guild like Salvatore.
As she agonized, a crystal orb arrived. The footage within showed her younger brother having his arm sliced off alive.
The horrific screams echoing from the orb. Blood gushing from the severed stump of his right arm. Her brother's desperate pleas for mercy.
She panicked completely and surrendered the Grace of the Archangel to the Elnot Kingdom. She knew it was a trap. She knew it was a dangerous gamble.
But she couldn't keep her wits about her. How could she? She'd seen her family member's arm cut off. Heard the agonizing screams, the desperate cries for life.
In that situation, stay calm because it might be a kingdom-orchestrated fake? What nonsense. Who could keep their reason intact through that?
Afterward, the Elnot Kingdom—having promised to release her family—betrayed her as expected, keeping the hostages and demanding even greater compensation.
The pro-Tiriya faction, hearing this, flew into a rage and proposed invading the Elnot Kingdom immediately. Most of them were people Tiriya had personally saved through her kind heart—those who had lost their way and teetered on the brink of death.
But "kindness" could be a virtue for a leader—or a fatal flaw. The opposition faction, who had resented her gentle nature from the start, rose up simultaneously.
They had long harbored grudges against her strict bans on bullying or abusing weaker guilds despite Salvatore's overwhelming might. The guild's unique family-like atmosphere wasn't what they wanted.
They craved power through raw strength. And the immense profits that came from wielding it. They hadn't joined a top guild to play the good Samaritan.
The pent-up resentment, suppressed only by Tiriya's power, exploded with this incident. They declared her unfit as guild master now that she'd lost her strength and rebelled, plunging Salvatore into a civil war that led to its downfall.
And now, the anti-Tiriya faction that had broken away from Salvatore had formed a guild called Judas and was operating in the Ixys Kingdom.
"...So that Judas Guild is the one pursuing us?"
"Yes. I'll explain the details once Yeong-sik arrives."
Bae Han-seong spoke in a stiff voice. Yeong-sik's face clouded with momentary thought, but he soon nodded and replied.
"Understood. I'll head out right away."
Yeong-sik recalled the location Han-seong had mentioned and immediately set off.
* * *
Leopold, the capital of the Elnot Kingdom. A natural fortress backed by the Sirenchium Mountains, it was also where King Derian III resided.
Even monsters struggled to survive the sheer cliffs of the Sirenchium Mountains, but a group had gathered atop them nonetheless.
It was Yeong-sik's party—who had parted ways with the Salvatore Guild members in the fortress city of Talion after the Light Shield Guild ambush—and the guild members themselves.
"Nice to see you. I hope you've been well, Yeong-sik."
As Yeong-sik approached, Tiriya emerged from the tent and greeted him. Her usual bright, gentle smile was gone, replaced by profound exhaustion.
"Yes, I've been fine... but it seems you haven't, Guild Master."
Yeong-sik eyed her pallid face, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Tiriya managed a faint smile in response.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be showing you this side of me right now..."
"Tiriya unnie! I told you to stay inside and rest!"
Yuna rushed over in a panic, supporting her body.
Yeong-sik fixed her with a deep, sunken gaze.
"Is she ill?"
"No, nothing like that."
The answer came from beside him. Yeong-sik turned to see Bae Han-seong, whom he hadn't met in a month.
"The guild master is just... worn out from the mental strain."
Han-seong's voice was bitter. Yeong-sik's expression hardened slightly as he asked,
"How did those traitors find our location?"
"Hoo... I'll explain. Come inside."
Han-seong let out a deep sigh and entered the tent. The other guild members were already gathered within.
"Hm...?"
Yeong-sik narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar faces among those seated at the table. Han-seong approached and spoke.
"Let's start with introductions. These three are new recruits to our guild."
"New recruits...? Did Salvatore have the luxury to take on fresh blood?"
"Haha. We can't rot in stagnation forever."
A middle-aged man at the table sighed and nodded. Han-seong turned to Yeong-sik.
"These three are the guild masters of Cheonseong Guild, Deo Peiser Guild, and Laira Guild, here to aid our plan. We had deep ties with them in the past."
"Pleased to meet you."
"Hoo. I heard you're from the 61st summoning wave, but it feels like you're walking a thorny path from the start."
Yoo Tae-sik, guild master of Cheonseong Guild, eyed Yeong-sik's group with a sigh. Kim Chan-hyeong of Deo Peiser Guild chimed in.
"But Tiriya isn't one to hide guild troubles, so you must have come prepared, right?"
"Yes. We heard everything about the guild's situation before joining."
Yeong-sik replied flatly to Kim Chan-hyeong.
"Heh. Admirable courage. You must know how dire things are for Salvatore right now."
"Things were urgent for me too back then."
Park Eun-young, guild master of Laira Guild, prompted a smirk from Yeong-sik. Her eyes sparkled at his composed demeanor.
"You really from the 61st wave? You're awfully calm..."
"Ah, let's cut the chit-chat. Time's short."
Han-seong interrupted Park Eun-young's suspicious gaze and stepped forward. He addressed the group at the table.
"After parting with Yeong-sik, we've been gathering support forces for the 'plan.'"
Yeong-sik nodded. He'd anticipated as much from the introductions.
"Then, through a tip from Deo Peiser's guild master Kim Chan-hyeong, we learned Judas Guild had pinpointed our location."
"It's solid intel from a spy we planted in Judas Guild."
Kim Chan-hyeong confirmed stiffly.
"How did Judas learn our position before the kingdom's security bureau?"
Yeong-sik asked, baffled. Han-seong's face darkened.
"Among the guilds we requested support from... there was a traitor."
Han-seong bowed his head in dismay. It must have hit hard, given he wouldn't have reached out without vetting them.
"Judas Guild set out from Ixys Kingdom, gunning for us."
Han-seong lifted his head and continued.
"Fortunately, they haven't contacted the kingdom's security yet. We need to eliminate them with our own strength before they do."
"Why target Salvatore now?"
Yeong-sik's gaze deepened as he pressed Han-seong. They were former Salvatore members turned Judas, but there was no reason to cross borders for a fallen guild now.
Han-seong answered gravely.
"They're likely after capturing the guild master for a massive bounty... or demanding the Grace of the Archangel."
"Grace of the Archangel..."
Yeong-sik recalled the item Han-seong had mentioned before, frowning.
"Yes, the S-rank rare item I told you about."
"Hm...?"
Yeong-sik let out a low hum at Han-seong's words. An S-rank rare item was certainly worth crossing borders for.
"But didn't you say the Grace of the Archangel was Tiriya-exclusive?"
As Yeong-sik understood, it was the core of her power.
"Not exclusively. She just needs it to wield her full strength."
"Hm. What kind of power requires that?"
Yeong-sik realized he'd never heard the details of Tiriya's abilities and asked.
"That?"
Han-seong hesitated, glancing at Tiriya. She, supported by Yuna at the table, spoke with effort.
"Our Erman family has inherited angelic power for generations. The Grace of the Archangel lets me control it."
"...Unnie's power is the strongest in Erman history, so without it, control is nearly impossible."
Yuna added. Yeong-sik nodded, impressed.
"Angelic power... So strong it needs an S-rank rare item to rein in?"
He asked, struggling to picture it. Yu-jin, silent with arms crossed in the corner, answered.
"Even uncontrolled, she can match a level 103 ranker."
"Level 103..."
An impossibly distant level for Yeong-sik now. His face fell slack.
Summoners past level 100 were called rankers. They weren't just strong because of three-digit levels.
Stats exploded upon hitting level 100 from 99. The gap between 98-99 was small, but 99-100 was vast.
That's why nations and guilds fiercely recruited level 100+ rankers. And from 100 onward, each level brought unimaginable stat boosts—103 was no trivial milestone.
"Tiriya has that kind of power...?"
Yeong-sik stared at her dubiously. The frail woman slumped in her chair showed no trace of ranker might.
"I'm... sorry. This is all because of me..."
Tiriya bit her lip, murmuring sadly. Yuna shot to her feet.
"Why say that, Tiriya unnie?! You did nothing wrong! It's those scummy bastards trying to exploit you who are the problem!"
She shouted fiercely. Yeong-sik watched Tiriya's shadowed face intently, about to speak, then closed his mouth.
"Han-seong. How close is Judas Guild?"
He turned to Han-seong.
"...Close. Three days at most."
"Numbers?"
"Over 100 strong. Not just the size—the real issue is they know us too well."
Han-seong sighed deeply. Former comrades turned traitors knew Salvatore's key forces intimately.
"It's fine."
"Fine? What do you—"
Han-seong stared, uncomprehending. Yeong-sik's eyes gleamed coldly.
"They don't know about me."