Chapter 377: Clan Shadows

The room had no windows, and if there was a door, it had been swallowed so completely by the darkness that it could not be seen.

There were no decorations on the walls, no banners displaying the crest of a noble house, and nothing that could reveal whether the chamber belonged to a mansion, fortress, underground compound, or some distant place beyond the borders of the Kingdom.

The only source of light came from several small candles placed around the room, yet even their flames seemed strangely weak, illuminating only a small portion of the stone floor before the darkness swallowed everything beyond it.

At the far end of the chamber sat a man whose features remained hidden beneath the shadows.

Only the outline of his body could be seen, one arm resting casually against the side of the chair while his other hand slowly tapped against the wooden armrest. Several meters before him, another figure knelt on one knee with his head lowered, dressed entirely in dark clothing that concealed everything except his eyes.

Neither of them spoke for some time. The silence did not feel uncomfortable, however, because the kneeling man clearly understood that he was expected to wait until he was permitted to speak.

He remained perfectly still until the tapping against the armrest finally stopped, and only then did he raise his head slightly.

"Riven entered the Vault as planned, but he never returned with the surviving groups. We waited several days to make certain there wasn’t another exit or some delay caused by the Vault itself, but there has been no sign of him."

The kneeling man’s voice remained controlled as he delivered the report. "More importantly, his life mark disappeared shortly before the Vault closed. There can be no mistake anymore. Riven is dead."

The seated figure showed no visible reaction.

There was no anger, no surprise, and not even the smallest change in his posture. The death of Riven seemed to carry no more emotional weight than hearing that an expendable piece had disappeared from a board.

His fingers remained still against the armrest for several seconds before he finally asked the only question that apparently mattered to him.

"And Valeria?"

The kneeling figure had clearly expected that question. "Alive. She entered the Vault with the Adventurer Guild’s expedition and returned with them several days ago. Our people confirmed her arrival in Greyvale."

The fingers against the armrest began moving again.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

"Then nothing important has changed."

The kneeling figure hesitated before carefully answering. "Riven was one of the people assigned to watch her movements. His death will make maintaining observation inside the Evergreen Region more difficult, especially now that the Adventurer Guild controls most of the former Gryphon District. Their influence inside Greyvale has expanded much faster than our earlier reports predicted."

"Riven was useful," the seated man replied calmly, "but usefulness should never be mistaken for importance. If the death of one operative were enough to disrupt our plans, then the failure would belong to us rather than him. Do not waste resources investigating how he died. The Vault killed many people stronger than Riven, and whether he died to a monster, a trap, or another person makes little difference now."

The subordinate lowered his head again. "Understood."

Another silence followed, though this one lasted only a few seconds before the kneeling figure continued. "There is another matter. Valeria’s position within the Adventurer Guild appears to have strengthened considerably. She is no longer simply staying around the organization because of her sister. According to the latest information, she participated directly in the Vault expedition and has become one of the Guild’s most important combatants. There are also rumors that Sage Alistair recently reorganized part of the Guild’s internal structure, although we haven’t confirmed the details yet."

The tapping stopped once more.

"Sage Alistair."

For the first time, there was something different in the seated man’s voice. It was not anger or concern, but interest.

The name had clearly become familiar to him.

"The Guildmaster who appeared in Greyvale with nothing and somehow transformed a mercenary town into the center of a regional organization," he continued. "The same man who obtained the Gryphon District, constructed that strange cultivation tower, expanded into several cities, and survived the Vault alongside Valeria."

"Yes."

"Interesting."

The subordinate raised his eyes slightly. "Should we consider him an obstacle?"

"No."

The answer came immediately.

The kneeling man remained silent, waiting for an explanation.

"Not yet," the seated figure added. "We know too little about him to decide what he is. Treating every unknown person as an enemy is how fools create enemies faster than they can kill them. Sage Alistair has interfered with none of our affairs directly, and from everything we know, he does not even understand what Valeria truly represents."

The subordinate frowned slightly. "But if he refuses to surrender her when the time comes?"

"Then the situation changes."

There was no threat in the man’s voice, which somehow made the statement heavier.

The kneeling figure nodded. "And Valeria herself? Should we send someone else to Greyvale? With Riven dead, we could replace him before the Guild becomes even more difficult to infiltrate."

"No."

This time the subordinate could not hide his confusion. He raised his head farther, though he still avoided looking directly toward the man sitting in the darkness. "Forgive me, but if we leave her alone, she could disappear again. We spent years locating her after she left the Clan’s reach. Greyvale has already become increasingly difficult to operate within, and if the Adventurer Guild continues expanding—"

"Do nothing."

The subordinate stopped immediately.

The seated figure leaned back slightly, and for the first time the faint candlelight touched the lower half of his face, revealing only the edge of a jaw before the shadows concealed it again.

"There is no reason to chase someone who is already walking toward us."

The kneeling man’s expression changed.

"What do you mean?"

A quiet sound escaped the seated figure. It might have been amusement.

"The Adventurer Guild has nearly completed its expansion throughout the Evergreen Region. Riverdale City already has a branch, several other cities have followed, and their membership continues increasing at a rate that would have been ridiculous to predict when the Guild first appeared. Sage Alistair has no intention of stopping at Evergreen."

The subordinate’s eyes narrowed. "You believe he’ll expand into another region?"

"I don’t believe anything. I know what he intends to do."

That answer made the chamber noticeably quieter.

The kneeling man slowly straightened his back. The Adventurer Guild’s future plans had not been publicly announced. Even most ordinary Guild members should not have known where Sage intended to expand next, yet the seated figure spoke as though the matter had already been decided.

"Sage Alistair intends to establish the central headquarters of the Adventurer Guild in the Royal Capital," the man continued. "Preparations have already begun within Greyvale. If nothing interferes with his plans, he will make his move within several months."

The subordinate stared into the darkness.

"The Royal Capital..."

"Exactly."

Understanding slowly appeared in the kneeling man’s eyes. "If Sage moves there, Valeria will likely accompany him."

"Likely?" The seated figure’s voice remained calm. "She has already fought for his Guild, entered the Vault beside its members, and returned to Greyvale with them. Her sister remains attached to the organization as well. Unless something changes drastically, she will go."

The subordinate finally understood why he had been ordered not to replace Riven.

There was no need to send another operative deep into Greyvale. There was no need to risk exposing more of their people inside territory increasingly dominated by the Adventurer Guild. Most importantly, there was no reason to pursue Valeria across thousands of miles when she would eventually walk directly into a city where the Clan already possessed far greater influence.

"So we wait," he said quietly.

"We prepare."

The correction came immediately.

The man leaned forward, though his face remained concealed. "Increase observation around the Capital. I want every movement connected to the Adventurer Guild reported once their people begin arriving. Do not interfere with them. Do not threaten them. Do not approach Valeria, her sister, or Sage Alistair. If they send merchants, scouts, Adventurers, or representatives ahead of the main group, allow them to operate normally. I don’t want the Guild realizing someone is waiting for them before they have even entered the city."

The subordinate nodded slowly. "You want them comfortable."

"I want them predictable. There is a difference."

The answer immediately silenced him. "For now, Greyvale is their territory. The Royal Capital will not be."

The seated man’s fingers tightened slightly against the armrest. "There are too many powers there for one newly established organization to understand immediately. Noble houses, merchant families, military factions, old organizations, and people whose names never appear publicly. Sage Alistair may have conquered Evergreen with surprising speed, but the Capital is not Greyvale."

The kneeling figure lowered his head again. "And when Valeria arrives?"

"We will deal with her then."

There was still no anger in his voice. If anything, he sounded almost patient.

"The Clan has not abandoned its claim because she ran away. It did not abandon that claim when she became a mercenary, and it will not abandon it because she has attached herself to this Adventurer Guild. Riven’s death changes nothing. Valeria was the objective before he entered the Vault, and she remains the objective now."

The subordinate remained silent for several moments before asking the final question. "Should the others be informed?"

"Only those who need to know. There is no reason to attract unnecessary attention before she arrives. Continue gathering information on the Adventurer Guild, particularly Sage Alistair. I want to know what kind of man is building an organization this quickly and what he intends to accomplish after reaching the Capital. Whether he becomes relevant to our affairs will depend entirely on what he does when the time comes."

"Understood."

The kneeling figure placed one fist against his chest before lowering his head deeply.

"I’ll begin preparations immediately."

"Go."

The candles flickered.

The kneeling man’s body seemed to blur for an instant before melting backward into the darkness. Within moments, his presence disappeared completely, leaving no footsteps and no sound behind. The chamber returned to silence, and the seated figure remained alone, his attention fixed on nothing visible as his fingers slowly resumed their rhythm against the armrest.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Several months.

For someone who had already waited this long, it was nothing.

The faintest smile appeared beneath the darkness.

"Run as far as you like, Valeria."