Mordain had prepared himself for the questions the Cerebus Guild might ask. As they traveled together, all of them moved swiftly through the air, carried by their own wind magic. This was no leisurely trip. It was a prompt mission, the kind where speed mattered as much as caution.
Even though Mordain had claid the Dark Guild mbers had already been captured, the Cerebus Guild remained wary. They were always cautious, especially in situations like this. There was the constant thought that the Dark Magus himself might catch wind of what was happening and attempt to rescue his people. That was why they wanted as few people as possible to know about the situation.
"So," Lias said, his voice calm yet edged with suspicion. "You ntioned that it was your cousin who first inford you about this?"
"Correct," Mordain replied evenly. He kept his tone asured, steady. "My cousin works at the factory, and from the beginning, he felt sothing was off about the takeover. According to him, none of it made sense. The change in ownership happened far too quickly, and strange things were occurring inside.
"During the days leading up to the handover, he noticed people visiting the factory often, inspecting everything, watching what was happening. At the sa ti, the factory started losing far more product than usual. That loss was apparently one of the reasons the company had to sell it off so cheaply.
"My cousin thought there were two possibilities. Either there were traitors within the factory itself, working for the other side, or it was directly connected to the Dark Guild. He said he overheard coworkers openly sympathizing with the Dark Magus and even badmouthing the Grand Magus. They weren’t being subtle about it.
"One day, he happened to glance at a coworker’s magical device. There were several ssages there, ssages supporting the Dark Magus and his cause. That was when my cousin reached out to . He asked to look into things.
"When I investigated, everything about the situation looked suspicious. But I decided we shouldn’t report it imdiately. If I sent word up the chain, I risked tipping off the Dark Guild. I was certain they’d be watching every move the Cerebus Guild made, but the military? They might not keep as close of an eye.
"So I waited. I knew today was the day the takeover would be finalized. I gathered those who were loyal to , and we went to see if the rumors were true. That’s when the large-scale fight broke out. As expected, they used Dark Magic."
Mordain paused for only a mont, then continued his carefully woven lie. "They didn’t expect one of the workers to have a relative who was a War Magus. Because of that, we were able to fight back. Honestly, we couldn’t tell who was truly part of the Dark Guild and who wasn’t, but we managed to capture them. Right now, my n have them restrained and surrounded. We didn’t want to act further, just in case reinforcents appeared."
This was the story Mordain had prepared. It was a lie, but one he knew the Cerebus Guild would accept. With his position, with his reputation, there was no reason for them to doubt him. From the perspective of the public, and even among most of the guilds, Dark Guild mbers were people who were unhappy with their lives, cast out and bitter, with a few exceptions. But a War Magus? Soone of Mordain’s status and authority had no reason to betray Alterian. And they would be right to believe that.
"You’ve done a good job," Lias said finally, his eyes narrowing as though he were examining Mordain for cracks in his story but finding none. "No one has ever managed to capture mbers of the Dark Guild alive before. There have been cases of suspects, of course, but they all perished before we could interrogate them.
"With this, perhaps we can finally extract real information. We’ll know who the mbers of the Dark Guild are, where their bases are hidden. Once we have that, we can put an end to them. All of Alterian will be in your debt."
Mordain didn’t respond. He simply gave a small nod, keeping his thoughts to himself. He continued leading the group forward until the factory ca into view in the distance.
They landed just shy of the main building, boots hitting the asphalt hard. Even at a glance, the signs of battle were clear. The ground was scorched and torn apart, evidence of destructive spells that had been unleashed. Parts of the factory walls bore the marks of magic strikes, chunks of stone and tal ripped away.
"We have them held inside," Mordain explained, his voice calm, steady. "They haven’t been moved since the mont they were captured."
The Cerebus Guild mbers followed his lead, stepping through the battered entrance and into the wide factory floor. There they saw it for themselves.
On the ground, lined up in rows, sat the so-called Dark Guild mbers. Around them stood seventy mages, their hands glowing faintly, ready to cast spells at a mont’s notice. The tension in the room was thick, every mage poised for violence, yet the illusion was perfect.
Seeing this, Lias walked forward, leading the rest of the Cerebus Guild mbers deeper into the factory. He passed Mordain and his n without hesitation, his gaze fixed on the "captured" Dark Guild mbers in the center. He stopped only when he stood directly in front of one of them.
It was Harvey.
Lias looked down at him with cold disdain. "Finally. It’s been a long hunt, but we were always the ones with the upper hand. When you’re gone, the whole world will rejoice."
For a mont, Harvey’s shoulders shook. His head dipped slightly, as though he were trembling from fear or exhaustion. Then his lips curved into a small, dark smile.
"I could say the sa for you," Harvey said, his voice low but steady. His shoulders straightened, and his eyes glead with nace. "Everyone, attack!"
The words were the signal.
The soldiers on the outer edges moved instantly, and the Dark Guild mbers sitting in the center of the floor leapt to their feet, their bindings dissolving into shadows. In an instant, spells erupted from every direction. Dark magic flared, crashing forward in waves. The factory floor exploded into chaos as the Dark Guild unleashed their power against the stunned mbers of the Cerebus Guild.
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