CH670 eting the BattleBane Guild Master II
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"Your domain was not the problem," Alex said plainly. "You are not the first Saint I have t who keeps his domain imposed upon the surrounding area. In fact, I have trained under such a domain for an extended period of ti."
He turned his gaze towards Dalton and Lady Rosa.
"I would have preferred if you had inford of the situation before leading us into the room."
The BattleBane Guild Master, Lady Rosa, and Dalton were all visibly stunned by Alex’s casual admission. From Eleanore’s relaxed and unsurprised expression, the BattleBane Guild Master could already tell that the youth was not lying.
’But from the way he speaks, this Combat Saint he trained under was not his actual master... perhaps rely a passing teacher,’ the BattleBane Guild Master thought to himself.
He took a closer look at Alex—his deanour, his presence, the subtle confidence in every movent.
’Soone like him could not have been shaped without the guidance of a truly powerful master. If that Combat Saint was not his teacher, then the person behind him must be soone even greater...’
’Just who exactly are you...?’
Even so, the BattleBane Guild Master understood that this was not a question that could be answered imdiately. It was the sort of truth that would reveal itself slowly over ti. For now, maintaining a cordial relationship was the wiser path.
"They ant no harm. I am certain they simply believed it was a matter best kept secret," the BattleBane Guild Master said.
"Understandable, I suppose," Alex replied.
"You do not need to keep your domain compressed. At this point, I assu maintaining it has already beco second nature to you. Besides, it is clearly helping you suppress your affliction."
He folded his arms lightly.
"I do not mind. Between your condition and my personal comfort, it is obvious which should take priority."
Another flicker of surprise passed through the BattleBane Guild Master’s mind.
He could not tell whether this was confidence or re bravado. Either way, he shook his head.
"Perhaps you would be able to tolerate my domain and suffer only minor discomfort. However, even that discomfort would make a proper conversation between us unnecessarily strained.
"More importantly, the others would not be able to endure it for long," he said.
"That is not truly a problem. This discussion is between the two of us anyway. The others would rely serve as witnesses," Alex responded.
"Witnesses are important. Misunderstandings are easily born when there are none to bear witness to an agreent between two parties.
"Besides, learning to control this bad habit of mine will be beneficial for the day my curse is finally alleviated," the BattleBane Guild Master said with a faint laugh.
Having heard him say this much, Alex saw no reason to press the matter any further. Doing so would likely only produce the opposite effect.
The BattleBane Guild Master compressed his domain even further before rising from behind the desk and walking towards a set of sofas arranged in one corner of the room—a small lounge area set within the study itself.
Alex understood his intention imdiately and gave Eleanore a small nod. Together, they moved towards the seating area and took their places on the sofa opposite the BattleBane Guild Master. Kavakan and Mogal silently move to stand behind them. Dalton and Lady Rosa also remained standing behind their master like silent guardians.
"Once again, I apologise for my earlier conduct," the BattleBane Guild Master said. "I would also like to thank you for honouring my invitation, despite your group’s current circumstances."
"It is rely a simple misunderstanding—one I believe will be resolved soon enough," Alex replied calmly.
"I certainly hope so," the BattleBane Guild Master said.
Though most of his expression remained hidden behind the battered armour, his eyes—and the weight of the gaze he directed at Alex—clearly conveyed his scepticism.
Alex gave a subtle nod, as though acknowledging the man’s concern for his well-being.
Seeing this, the BattleBane Guild Master tactfully allowed the matter to drop.
Shifting the conversation back to the true purpose of the eting, he said, "I appreciate the gift you gave my people. Seeing them freed from our affliction, even if only for a single day... you have my sincere thanks."
"I cannot claim I did it without my own agenda, but you are welco," Alex replied with a faint smile.
"Very few n act with genuine selflessness. Fewer still are so honest in admitting their selfishness," the BattleBane Guild Master said, amusent colouring his tone. "Then I suppose I may also admit that, just as you expected, that gift has greatly influenced my decision to seek a cure from you for them."
He leaned back slightly before continuing.
"I am told you did not state a price for this cure. Instead, you requested a personal eting with to discuss the matter. Since we are here, allow to ask plainly—what do you want in exchange for curing my people of their curse?"
"Honestly, part of the reason I requested this eting was to understand exactly what kind of curse your people are afflicted with. The other part was to determine what sort of trouble I would be inviting upon myself by helping you rid yourselves of it," Alex stated plainly.
"Are you afraid of reprisals from the Deities?" the BattleBane Guild Master asked.
"Afraid? No, not particularly." Alex shrugged with complete nonchalance, much to the surprise of the BattleBane group.
He continued, "Let us just say I am not especially fond of the deities, and conflict with them is more or less inevitable. I simply would prefer that conflict not arrive this soon."
It was Eleanore’s turn to be surprised by Alex’s words.
However, she chose to trust him and kept her thoughts to herself for the mont.
"Aren’t you worried that saying such things to could bring you trouble?" the BattleBane Guild Master asked.
"Not particularly. First, I am the one holding the cure to your group’s affliction. Second, even if you wished to report , could you truly do so? For you to carry a divine curse, the deities must already hate you far more than they would ever hate ," Alex said with a casual shrug.
"Besides, I am hardly the only person who dislikes the deities. What exactly would you even report for?" he added.
"I have seen the Temples move for far less," the BattleBane Guild Master replied, amusent hidden within his tone.
"I do not doubt that. But that only happens when it is convenient for them and helps keep their flock of sheep obedient. This is the Wildlands—they are not going to trouble themselves chasing all the way out here," Alex replied.
He shook his head lightly.
"Let us not drift too far from the real issue. Before we can say with certainty whether we can cure you completely—and what such a cure would cost—I first need to understand what exactly you did, and what kind of curse you were afflicted with in the first place.
"For one thing, I can already tell that you do not carry the sa curse as him," Alex said, pointing towards Dalton standing behind the man. "Or rather, I should say that in addition to the curse Captain Dalton carries, you suffer from an even worse underlying condition—one that is being further aggravated by the curse."
He glanced towards Eleanore for confirmation. She gave a quiet nod, affirming his deduction.
They both turned their attention back to the BattleBane Guild Master, who studied Alex in silence for a long mont.
anwhile, the expressions on Dalton and Lady Rosa’s faces were filled with unmistakable surprise, all but confirming that Alex’s observation had been correct.
"If you can discern that much, then there is little point in hiding things any further," the BattleBane Guild Master said. "But are you certain you truly wish—or need—to know? This concerns a dark Chapter of history that the deities themselves erased from the world.
"Once you know, and if they discover that you know, they will do everything within their power to hunt you down," he warned.
Alex smiled.
"Trust . Whatever you are about to tell pales in comparison to what I already know," he said with quiet confidence.
’Yes... if he truly cos from ’that’ place, then that must be true,’ the BattleBane Guild Master thought to himself.
"In that case, let us begin with their curse," he said. "As I ntioned before, it dates back to a dark history erased from the records by the deities themselves... the history of the Twilight Adjudicators."
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