Chapter 784: A clear head [1]

By the time I returned to the Guild, the radio had gone quiet.

I tried adjusting the dial several times, but nothing else came through.

Only the constant static sound.

Krrr⎯

And right as I put it away, the car stopped. Thanking the driver, I eventually stepped out. My head felt a little clearer, although I couldn’t say the same for everything else as I looked down at the bracelet that I was wearing.

’It’s not perfect, but it’ll do for now.’

The entrance was considerably busier than usual.

No, it was usually busy, but today it felt incredibly busy.

Several people stood near the doors, looking at the same phone while someone spoke beside them. Further inside, the screens in the lobby had been changed to a news broadcast.

I slowed down.

’...What happened now?’

Nobody was looking at me.

That alone was the strange part. I mean, I was wearing a disguise, but even then, I’d usually get a few looks here and there.

I searched the lobby until I spotted Rowan standing near one of the screens.

He was holding a folder, but whatever was on the display seemed to have made him forget about it.

"Rowan."

Snapping out of it, he turned his head. It took a moment for him to recognise me.

"Cult Lea-Ehm, Team Leader, you’re back."

"Yes, I’m certain I am."

His gaze lowered towards my wrist before returning to my face. Somehow, he didn’t seem to find it at all weird.

I then looked towards the screen.

People and reporters gathered outside of what appeared to be a Gate, with medical personnel moving between the vehicles.

"...What happened?"

"A raid went wrong today involving one of the major Guilds within the Oak Circle, and several teams belonging to them were wiped out."

My attention settled on him.

"Dead?"

He nodded, his expression growing more serious.

"Some are still missing, but there are already confirmed deaths. People are saying they might not remain one of the major Guilds after this."

"....."

That was considerably worse than I had expected.

Losing ordinary members was already bad enough. Losing people that were very likely Paragons was probably a massive blow, regardless of how strong the Guild was.

I looked back at the screen.

"How did it happen?"

"They haven’t released the details yet. Apparently, they committed a large part of their main force to the raid. It seems like they were trying to push to reach a higher ranking. Probably they wanted to get closer to the five big Guilds."

"Hmm."

Greedy.

"Not everyone is dead. Some are being treated, which is good."

I nodded slowly.

"Which Guild is this?"

"Ivory Thorn."

"...I see."

I wasn’t extremely familiar with them.

There wasn’t much point asking for more information when even the people involved probably had yet finished figuring out what had happened.

That didn’t explain why several people near the reception desk looked rather excited.

Rowan followed my gaze.

"The other Guilds are already moving."

"...To help?"

"Well, some but not really."

"Oh?"

"I mean, if there’s no better time to swallow up a big Guild then now, then I don’t know when."

Ah.

That explained the expressions.

Guilds belonging to the Oak Circle were considerably big, and naturally, they held the license to quite a lot of large Gates. If someone swallowed up the Guild now that it was weakened, then...

"And this is allowed?"

Rowan nodded.

"I mean, yeah. It’s kind of normal. There are already rumours about offers. Partnerships, taking over operations... some Guilds have started approaching their surviving members."

"That’s fast..."

"It’s a rare opportunity."

I watched one of the Guild Members near the reception desk smile into his phone.

He looked quite excited.

"What about the bigger Guilds?"

"They’re interested too, but they’re different. There’s a status quo between the major Guilds, so it’s very unlikely they’ll move. If they do move, it’ll provoke the other major Guilds to move, and that would be pretty bad."

Which gave the Guilds beneath them room to move.

I could more or less understand the situation now.

It was also becoming rather clear why everyone seemed so busy.

Suddenly, I had a bad feeling.

’...Please don’t.’

And sure enough⎯

Trrr!

My phone vibrated.

I looked down.

[Emergency meeting — Team Leaders and Section Chiefs.]

[Your attendance is required. Proceed to the main conference room immediately.]

"....."

I read the message twice before looking at Rowan.

"....I can skip this event, right?"

"Sure...? Cult Leader, you can... Ehm, you’re a Team Leader though, so I think it’s best if you go. If you don’t go, nothing will happen, but it might be annoying."

"You have a point."

I put the phone away.

I had to avoid annoying.

***

"Before anyone makes a commitment, it will be brought to me."

Section Chief Johansberg stood at the head of the table, one hand resting beside the reports laid out in front of him. Reading through them, he caressed his large beard.

The seats around the table were nearly full, with Team Leaders gathered along either side and the other Section Chiefs studying the information already distributed.

Johansberg looked across the room.

"Let me remind all of you. You are not to make any independent offers and approaches to the Oak Circle on the Guild’s behalf without my approval."

A man near the middle of the table lowered his phone.

"Some of the other Guilds have already made contact."

"I’m aware."

"Then waiting could mean losing the opportunity."

"But it would also mean attracting the attention of the Major Guilds. We can’t afford to go against them. We’re taking a more conservative approach."

Johansberg’s words were sharp, leaving no room for discussion.

Only then did the Section Chief turn towards the screen.

"They weren’t attempting an ordinary clear."

The Section Chief said, laying eyes on the long list of names on the screen. They were the names of all those who were confirmed dead.

"The Gate they were clearing is an <A> Ranked Gate. They likely wanted to clear it in order to compete against the major Guilds."

One of the Team Leaders leaned forward.

"So the rumours were true?"

The Section Chief nodded.

"Yes, it’s very likely so. There are a few confessions already happening by those that survived."

Johansberg paused, looking at the names.

"They got greedy."

Nobody responded.

"From going up, they now have no choice but to go down. The best case scenario for them is to get swallowed up by one of the Guilds before the smaller ones eat them alive."

He changed the display.

Several Gates appeared, along with the information currently available about each.

"Our interest is here. Reaching for the Guild will only make us a target of the major Guilds. In that case, if we reach for these Gates, we’ll be able to profit quite considerably. This will no doubt push us forward several spots."

The plan earned the approval of quite a few.

"The other Guilds will be making offers as well," another Section Chief said.

"Yes, but most of their attention will be on acquiring the Guild. This is an opportunity that we can’t waste."

Johansberg rested both hands against the table.

"I want an accurate account of the licenses that we can snatch. Provide me a list by the end of the day, and I’ll negotiate to bring those to our side."

Several people began writing.

"And until we’ve decided on our position, the details discussed here remain in this room."

Johansberg stopped speaking, looking satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.

Until the door opened.

Seth stood outside, his bandaged hand resting against his stomach as he looked around the room.

"...There are quite a few people here."

The Section Chief glanced at the clock before looking back at him.

"How kind of you to finally join us."

Seth shrugged.

"I was told to come immediately."

"And yet everyone else managed to arrive before you."

"I was actually far away."

He stepped inside and closed the door. Several eyes followed him as he approached an empty chair beside Soran and pulled it out with his uninjured hand.

Johansberg watched him sit.

"Now that you’re here, perhaps we can continue."

"Today..."

Seth paused, looking around the table before settling his attention on the Section Chief.

"I went to the doctor."

Johansberg’s fingers slowly curled against the report in front of him.

"And...?"

"I feel better. My mind does."

"....."

Nobody spoke.

A Team Leader glanced towards the bandage around his wrist, then at Soran, as though waiting for him to explain why this was being announced.

Soran studied Seth for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"If he’s good, you should recommend him to me."

"I will."

Seth nodded back with considerable seriousness.

"He found something."

"In your head?"

"Yes."

Soran’s expression became thoughtful.

"Serious?"

Silence settled in the room, all eyes focused on Seth as they waited for him to say something.

But⎯

The follow-up never came as he closed his eyes and leaned back.

That was until Seth opened his mouth again to speak, but Johansberg’s voice cut across the table.

"Enough with the nonsense. If you don’t⎯"

"What? You’re going to kick me out?"

Seth raised his brows.

The room fell silent as he stared at the Section Chief, the tension within the room rising considerably. As if unbothered, Seth looked back at the Section Chief.

Then...

BANG!

His palm came down against the desk.

Several people flinched as he raised his voice.

"Today I went to the doctor!"