Chapter 118: The Broken Oath

By the time afternoon arrived, Jet had finally recovered enough strength to sit without feeling as though someone was repeatedly driving a hammer into his ribs.

The treatment Safiya had administered earlier had helped considerably, although the bruises covering his body remained painful.

His Mana reserves were recovering at a frustratingly slow pace, and every attempt to move his injured shoulder reminded him of the punishment he had endured throughout the night.

Nevertheless, compared to the desperate hours he had spent running through Zenith City with Inez and Nadia, sitting inside a secure building surrounded by familiar faces felt almost luxurious.

Inez was still sleeping in the adjoining room, while Nadia had finally agreed to rest after someone examined her injured ankle. Jet had checked on both of them twice already, partly because he was worried and partly because he needed to reassure himself that they were genuinely safe.

Now he sat around the common room’s largest table with Captain Adesewa, Cassian, Marcus, Safiya, and Bastian. A detailed map of Zenith City occupied one of the monitors, while several photographs and reports were displayed on the tablet Cassian had placed before them.

Unfortunately, the information they had gathered was anything but reassuring.

"Another confirmed casualty," Cassian announced, lowering his phone with a grim expression. "One of the expedition members who returned to the northern districts was discovered dead inside his residence this morning. His family survived because they happened to be visiting relatives outside the city."

Marcus cursed beneath his breath. "That makes another one. Whoever organized this operation certainly didn’t waste time."

Adesewa studied the report before adding the man’s name to their growing list of confirmed deaths.

She had spent most of the morning coordinating with contacts across Zenith and several neighboring cities, but every new report seemed to bring worse news.

Some expedition members had been discovered dead, others had vanished entirely, and a handful of residences had been destroyed so thoroughly that investigators were struggling to identify the victims.

"At this point, we can stop pretending these are unrelated incidents," Adesewa said, her expression cold. "Every confirmed target participated in our expedition, and the attacks began within the same narrow window. Someone deliberately organized an operation against the people who returned from the Palladium Tree."

Jet leaned forward, ignoring the discomfort in his ribs. "Then they know about the fruits," he said, watching the Captain carefully. "There’s no other explanation for why they’d target everyone who participated."

"That’s our most reasonable conclusion," Adesewa replied. "But knowing about the fruits and knowing everything that happened during the expedition are two different things. We need to establish how much information our enemies actually possess."

Safiya folded her arms, her expression thoughtful. "They certainly knew enough to identify us individually. The people who attacked my residence didn’t waste time searching for valuables or questioning my neighbors. They came directly for me."

Bastian nodded in agreement. "The same happened to me. They knew which entrance I normally used and attacked shortly after I returned home. If I hadn’t noticed something suspicious outside, they might have caught me completely unprepared."

Jet remembered the assassins who had pursued him through the city. Their coordination, their knowledge of Nadia, and their willingness to target Inez had demonstrated an unsettling familiarity with his personal life.

Whoever had supplied their intelligence hadn’t merely obtained a list of expedition participants. They had investigated the people surrounding those participants as well.

"There’s something else," Jet said, drawing everyone’s attention. "The assassins sent after me knew exactly how to exploit my situation. They weren’t trying to overpower me immediately. They kept attacking Inez and Nadia because they understood I’d have to protect them."

Cassian’s expression darkened. "That matches what we’ve discovered elsewhere. Some attackers targeted relatives first, while others waited until their targets were isolated. Whoever planned this understood that even powerful Awakeners become vulnerable when ordinary people are involved."

Adesewa remained silent for several moments, considering the implications. She had initially hoped the attacks were the work of a small organization attempting to steal the fruits from individual participants.

However, the number of simultaneous operations, the intelligence involved, and the strength of the assassins suggested something far more dangerous.

And there was still the matter of the Red Seal oath.

"Let’s discuss the most troubling part," Adesewa said, placing both hands on the table. "Every one of the twenty-nine participants swore the Red Seal oath before we separated. We agreed not to reveal the existence of the Palladium Tree, its location, or the details of our harvest to outsiders."

Marcus frowned. "Which means someone shouldn’t have been able to simply walk into a tavern and tell everyone what we found."

"Exactly," Adesewa replied. "The oath was intended to prevent deliberate disclosure. Yet someone outside our group appears to have learned enough to organize these attacks. We need to consider how that information escaped."

Jet recalled the moment they had sworn the oath. None of the participants had objected, and everyone understood why secrecy was necessary.

Fifty-seven Grade Three Palladium Fruits represented an extraordinary fortune, while the discovery of a tree capable of producing such treasures was even more valuable.

If powerful organizations learned about its existence, they wouldn’t simply ask the expedition members to surrender their shares.

They would attempt to seize the source.

"Could someone have broken the oath?" Jet asked, looking toward Adesewa. "I mean, deliberately ignored whatever consequences it imposed?"

Adesewa shook her head slightly. "I wouldn’t assume that without evidence. We know the oath places restrictions on voluntary disclosure, but we haven’t established how it interacts with every possible Divine Rune. There are abilities capable of interfering with memories, perceptions, and even a person’s conscious control over their own actions."

Cassian leaned back in his chair. "That’s what worries me. A person might refuse to answer every question they’re asked, but what happens if an enemy possesses a Divine Rune capable of examining memories directly?"

"Or forcing someone to relive an experience," Safiya added, her expression growing serious. "An information-gathering ability wouldn’t necessarily require its victim to willingly explain anything."

Jet felt a chill run through him.

During his previous life, he had encountered Awakeners whose Divine Runes possessed abilities far stranger than ordinary elemental attacks or physical enhancements.

Some could perceive hidden traces of Mana, while others could interfere with senses, emotions, or memories.

He had learned long ago that underestimating an unusual Divine Rune was often more dangerous than facing an enemy with overwhelming destructive power.

And if someone possessed an ability capable of extracting memories, the Red Seal oath might not provide the protection they had expected.

"Then the oath might not have been broken at all," Jet said slowly. "Someone could have obtained information without the victim willingly revealing it."

"That’s one possibility," Adesewa agreed. "But we cannot treat it as fact. We don’t know what kind of abilities our enemies possess, and we don’t know whether the information came from one person or several."

Marcus tapped a finger against the table. "Which brings us back to Odhran."

The atmosphere immediately became heavier.

Jet looked toward the photograph displayed beside Odhran’s name. He remembered the archer’s raven-marked arm, his precise attacks during the expedition, and the quiet confidence with which he had fought alongside the others.

Now nobody knew where he was.

"His disappearance is suspicious," Marcus continued, glancing toward Adesewa. "We haven’t found his body, and his communications went silent before we could establish what happened.

If the enemy captured someone and obtained information from them, Odhran is one possibility."

Cassian frowned. "He’s also one of the people we haven’t confirmed dead. We shouldn’t start treating him as a traitor simply because he’s missing."

"I’m not calling him a traitor," Marcus replied, raising a hand. "I’m saying we need to consider every possibility, including the chance that he was captured."

Adesewa nodded. "Marcus is right about that much. Odhran may have been killed, he may still be imprisoned, or he may have escaped and gone into hiding. Until we find evidence, none of those possibilities can be dismissed."

Jet stared at Odhran’s photograph for another moment before asking, "Captain, if they managed to get information from him, do you think they already know where the Palladium Tree is?"

Adesewa’s expression became noticeably colder.

"That’s what concerns me most," she admitted. "The fruits we harvested are valuable, but they’re limited in number. Anyone who understands their origin would realize that the tree itself is worth considerably more."

Bastian shifted in his chair. "And if they obtain its location, they won’t need us anymore."

"Precisely," Adesewa replied. "Which may explain why so many participants were murdered instead of being kept alive for questioning. Perhaps the attackers already obtained what they wanted, or perhaps they’re eliminating everyone who could interfere with their plans."

Neither explanation reassured Jet.

He remembered the enormous Palladium Tree standing within Beyond, its golden fruits gleaming among the branches.

At the time, their discovery had seemed like an unbelievable stroke of fortune. Now that same fortune had become the possible cause of dozens of deaths.

Cassian rubbed his forehead wearily. "We also need to consider that the attackers might not know the tree’s exact location. If they did, why continue hunting everyone?"

"To eliminate witnesses, recover the remaining fruits, or prevent anyone else from reaching it," Safiya answered. "There are several possible reasons, and we don’t have enough information to distinguish between them."

Adesewa nodded. "Which is why nobody here should assume the danger has passed. Until we understand who organized these attacks and what they know, every surviving expedition member remains a potential target."

Jet glanced toward the adjoining room where Inez and Nadia were resting. He had brought them into danger simply by being connected to the expedition, and the realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Then we need to find whoever is responsible," Jet said, his expression hardening. "Because I refuse to spend the rest of my life running every time someone decides my sister makes a convenient target."

Adesewa studied him for a moment before answering. "We will, Jet. But you’re in no condition to pursue anyone right now. Your first responsibility is recovering and making sure those girls remain safe."

Jet wanted to argue, but the persistent pain in his ribs made that difficult. He reluctantly leaned back against the couch, acknowledging that another confrontation in his current condition would accomplish nothing.

Before anyone could continue, a familiar ringtone suddenly interrupted the discussion.

Jet froze.

The sound was coming from his pocket.

He immediately retrieved his cracked phone, expecting another failed notification or an unfamiliar number. Instead, the name displayed across the damaged screen made his heart leap.

Frey Valentin D’Aubigné.

After hours of unanswered calls, his best friend was finally calling him.

"Frey!" Jet exclaimed, immediately accepting the call and pressing the phone against his ear. "You bastard, where the hell have you been?!"

For a moment, there was only faint static.

Then a familiar, exhausted voice emerged from the speaker.

"Jet..." Frey answered weakly, his breathing uneven. "Thank fuck... you’re alive."