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Skeleton horses with blazing blue eyes were lined up on both sides of the wide-open gate, and the Azure Dragon Magic Division and Red Phoenix Magic Division were arrayed to the left and right.

Unlike usual, they were all dressed in formal attire.

‘Who’s coming?’

Beyond the gate, in the manor’s courtyard, the Clan Head Balkan stood with his hands behind his back, and elderly men who appeared to be Urgon’s elders occupied the spaces beside him.

The special forces were also clinging to Balkan’s back like shadows.

It was a formation as if they were welcoming someone with all the etiquette due to the clan.

‘Hmm.’

Seeing them gathered like this, Urgon looked different. It felt like the clan’s power was on display. There weren’t any particularly noteworthy individuals, but there weren’t any who looked third-rate either.

Indeed, gathering mediocre individuals together does increase their presence. No matter what it is, I’m someone who welcomes gathering things together. It’s more satisfying to crush them when they’re all in one place.

I walked a few steps along the guideline to the right of the main gate and suddenly turned around, feeling a sense of emptiness.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“…….”

“How long are you going to space out?”

Only then did the three of them awkwardly start walking.

“Get a grip.”

They’d been like this since last night.

Whether they didn’t sleep a wink or what, their faces had turned gray in a single day.

Unexpectedly, Arin was relatively calm. Her gait was stable, and her breathing was even. The icy gaze she used to give me had also mostly disappeared.

Arriving at the entrance of the annex, I turned and spoke to the three of them.

“Pull yourselves together, now.”

As we stepped inside, there were quite a few people on the first floor. As we took a seat at a table, a familiar attendant approached.

“You’ve arrived, Young Master.”

I replied with a smile.

“We see each other often. Bring me something to drink.”

Looking around, the atmosphere here was a bit strange too.

The monkeys were all excitedly chatting amongst themselves. The attendant, who had been busily moving around, finally approached us again after a long while.

“It’s absolute chaos today.”

“Why is the atmosphere like this?”

“I heard that some high-ranking people are coming.”

“Who are these high-ranking people?”

The attendant shrugged.

“I’m curious too. Yesterday, they were cleaning and organizing the manor all day. It’s never been like this before.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. I have a lot to do.”

“Good work.”

I suddenly looked at the large container the attendant had left behind and laughed.

“I asked for something to drink, and he brought alcohol again.”

Inside the iron container, filled with ice, was a bottle of alcohol.

The same cold, strong liquor he always brought.

“Does he think I’m a drunkard?”

I opened the stopper, and a fruity aroma wafted up.

At that moment, a familiar man from a group standing a little distance away approached and acknowledged us.

“So, Taylor and Blair have returned as well.”

“…”

I glared at the two of them.

Their pupils seemed a bit unfocused, so I blew on my middle finger and flicked it towards them.

“Haah!”

Suddenly, Taylor hurriedly gulped down the liquor and then, grabbing Blair’s chin, poured some into his mouth. Gradually, their eyes regained focus.

“Taylor? Blair?”

“Ah, greetings. We were lost in thought for a moment.”

“It’s Alvin, isn’t it?”

The unremarkable man responded with a smile.

“You’re late. We thought you weren’t coming.”

“Of course we would come. The atmosphere seems a bit strange. What’s going on?”

Seeing Blair respond so casually, it seemed like he had come to his senses.

Meanwhile, as I carefully observed Alvin, he gave an awkward laugh.

“Ah, Ruin is here as well. I apologize for the last time. I couldn’t bring myself to greet you because I was conscious of Urgon’s presence.”

As if my inner thoughts had been exposed, I waved my hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not so narrow-minded. Go on with your conversation.”

Alvin spoke with a serious expression.

“It seems you haven’t heard. Today, a VIP is scheduled to visit Urgon.”

“And you don’t know who it is?”

Elvin shook his head.

“They wouldn’t tell us. From the afternoon onwards, access to the main gate will be restricted.”

“So, in short, they’re telling us to stay cooped up here.”

Perhaps my voice was a bit too loud. The surrounding gazes gathered on me.

A man suddenly stepped forward into the center and spoke.

“Frankly, I think this is a bit much. Just how important are these visitors that they would neglect us like this? Even if it is Urgon, this is too much.”

I quickly looked around. Many people seemed to agree.

“He’s right.”

“That makes sense. He has a point.”

As if waiting for this moment, Walter stepped forward.

“I have a hunch about this.”

All eyes immediately focused on Walter.

“If it’s Walter’s opinion, it must be reliable. Tell us quickly.”

I also looked at Walter. This was the man who knew about Samael. After savoring the attention and building suspense, Walter began to speak.

“Firstly, it won’t be a clan from the Quebec region. It’s also not a place we haven’t heard of, right? For Urgon to be this cautious, it must be a clan at least on par with them. I’m sure you all have guessed this much.”

Heads nodded here and there.

“…It’s likely a place that has had little interaction with Urgon before. Usually, during a first visit, it’s common to display the clan’s power. Almost all of Urgon’s mages are stationed at the main gate. Controlling us is probably to avoid unnecessary conflict. I have a feeling it might be a somewhat dangerous group.”

“That makes sense.”

“Considering the purpose of this gathering, it must be one of the groups from the eastern part of the continent. And among them, there’s one that recently visited Shan Kris. I’m almost certain.”

At that moment, the faces of some who seemed to have realized something turned pale.

Walter glanced at Argain and Gaby and then, with a meaningful smile, said,

“The Death Sword Guild.”

Gasps erupted from all around, followed by a flurry of questions.

“Are you referring to the Death Sword Guild, the one where all those fearsome swordsmen gather?”

“I heard they’re so secretive that hardly anything is known about them.”

As people flocked towards Walter, I inwardly chuckled.

Seeing how their naming conventions remained so consistent, past and present, confirmed my suspicions.

‘So, the Life Sword Guild has become the Death Sword Guild.’

I picked up the bottle and rose from the table.

Taylor and Blair looked at me simultaneously.

“Where are you going?”

“To meditate. You guys enjoy yourselves and then go upstairs to rest. I don’t think anything useful will come from staying here.”

Entering my room, I lay down on the soft bedding and took a nap. Then, after a sip of the strong liquor, I began to meditate.

This was my first attempt at meditating while under the influence of alcohol, and it wasn’t bad.

While focusing on sensing mana, occasionally my mind would wander due to the alcohol, but it was alright.

Rather, it was good.

The ultimate goal of meditation is to achieve a state of “Emptiness,” a state of no-thought. A state where you forget yourself, forget the rat, forget everything, and naturally become one with mana. It’s not for nothing that sages seeking enlightenment favor meditation.

I have no intention of becoming a sage, but I do intend to become a madman. Extremes meet, so they say. If I diligently meditate, I’ll become a splendidly mad mage.

After meditating for a while, I opened my circle and fully extended my senses. Someone was loitering near my room.

Judging by their qi, it was Arin.

‘What’s this?’

Arin hesitated like a puppy needing to poop and then… returned to her room.

I gradually expanded the range of my senses.

I could feel Taylor and Blair’s qi, and even the faint traces of those unremarkable monkeys gathered on the first floor.

Beyond that, I felt nothing. That was currently the limit of my sensory range.

Then, at a certain moment…

I felt a faint vibration. An energy pushing in from outside.

“They’ve arrived.”

The combined force emitted by Urgon’s mages at the main gate was affecting even this distant location.

I stopped meditating and picked up the half-empty bottle. Looking out the window, the sky was already dark.

Lost in old memories, I drank alone, and when I came to my senses, there was a commotion outside.

Just as I was about to teach a lesson to whoever was causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night, the sun shone brightly.

“Time flies.”

I had meditated until nightfall, and in the blink of an eye, morning had arrived.

There’s a man here who has discarded the concept of time and entertains himself well alone. That’s me.

Knock, knock—

At the sound of knocking, I went outside to find Taylor and Blair standing there.

“The chief steward told us to gather at the training grounds.”

I looked from side to side and replied,

“Where’s Arin?”

“We haven’t seen her. It’s strange; she never wakes up late. Could she still be in her room?”

I knocked on Arin’s door across from mine, but there was no response.

I could sense her qi, so she seemed to be inside…

“Is she still asleep?”

Bang, bang—

Suddenly, a whimpering sound came from within the room, and Taylor and Blair exchanged glances.

“Open it.”

As Blair was forcibly turning the doorknob, the door burst open. Arin appeared, her eyes narrowed.

“What is it?”

Blair responded, flustered,

“Ah, sorry. We thought something might have happened. We should probably head out.”

“Go ahead. I’ll follow.”

Arin walked back into her room with awkward steps and slammed the door shut. I carefully observed Arin’s behavior and then let out a chuckle.

“Looks like she had a leg cramp.”

***

The attendant guided us to the spectator seats in the arena.

Arin, who had followed us, sat down next to me, and soon the seats were packed with people.

“The atmosphere is tense.”

No one was laughing or chatting.

Urgon’s mage corps emanated a sharp aura in front of the head table, and behind it, swordsmen I’d never seen before were lined up.

Finally, Clan Head Balkan and Elder Parin appeared at the head table.

Balkan, with everyone’s attention on him, began to speak.

“There are some people I’d like to introduce to you. They’ve come from afar to celebrate this gathering. Please excuse me for not informing you beforehand. I received confirmation rather late.”

Balkan glanced around the quiet audience and then nodded with a pleased expression.

“Personally, I’m deeply moved that they were able to join us, even if it’s a bit late. I hope you all share my sentiment. Let me introduce them. They are from the Death Sword Guild.”

“As expected!”

At that, exclamations erupted simultaneously from the audience, and everyone looked towards the head table with a mix of excitement and tension.

Two women dressed in black martial attire slowly ascended to the head table.

Both wore scabbards at their waists, and one of them looked familiar.

“There she is.”

The woman I had seen at Kris Beer.

Celestine took her seat at the end of the head table, followed by a slightly older woman who sat in the second seat.

The murmuring in the audience grew louder.

“As expected, their aura is chilling. I’ve heard that the swordswomen of the Death Sword Guild are incredibly cold-hearted.”

“But is the Death Sword Guild really that significant?”

“For Clan Head Balkan to show them such respect?”

While Clan Head Balkan was nervously facing the woman from the Death Sword Guild, the women appeared relaxed. Elder Parin also rose from his seat and greeted them.

“Even if the Death Sword Guild is doing well, this is strange.”

“Perhaps those two are simply being given special treatment?”

“Idiots.”

I accidentally spoke my thoughts aloud. As people around me stared, I quickly looked to the right and said,

“Someone called them idiots. I couldn’t help myself.”

Seeing my expression, everyone seemed to let it slide. As expected, my acting is top-notch.

Anyway, whether it’s the Death Sword Guild, the Life Sword Guild, or even a “raw fish guild,” that’s not important. Judging from their reactions, Balkan and Parin already seem to be aware.

The name changes every time, but the essence remains the same.

The Death Sword Guild is merely one of the many organizations within the clan, meant to conceal the identities of their disciples and allow them to gain experience.

Come to think of it, is this the first time in this life that I’m encountering a clan I know?

‘It’s been a while.’

One of the Six Noble Clans that have supported the continent for ages.

The Black Lotus.

The House of Ardehain.

———-