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Chapter 64: Tying Up Loose Ends (2)

The reason Wooden Cloud could function without a head lies in the nature of the Lurein family, the ruling dynasty of the Lurein Principality. Karyl pondered, as he walked through the streets after receiving Thomson\'s note. The founding ancestor of the Lurein family, Ralph Lurein, was an illegitimate child of the then-Pope Byer III. As a result, the principality still enjoyed the protection of the church to this day.

In exchange, the Lurein family had a tradition of sending the second sons to the church with each generational change. It was perhaps a pact between the church and the principality to cover up Byer III\'s indiscretion.

Over the centuries, the Lurein family expanded. And thus, many of their children found their place within the church.

Wooden Cloud wasn\'t just an organization confined to the principality; its members were scattered across the continent, embedded within the church. Thus, the number of roots leading the organization was incalculable.

The problem isn\'t Wooden Cloud. The continent had originally worshipped and had a church devoted to the god of light, Yula, the one who revealed the Oracle.

But after the fall of the principality, Wooden Cloud came to power in the continent in the form of a new church. The name of this church was Blue Roar. They claimed that the monsters erupting from Pharel—the Tarak—were the hand of the mother goddess, Xech-Mut.

According to them, death at the hands of these monsters was a true blessing—an utterly absurd claim. Even after pondering and reflecting on it countless times throughout eons, it still seemed like absolute nonsense. Yet, like fuel to an already raging fire, the fervor of Blue Roar spread like wildfire across the continent, even posing a threat to the church of Yula, the rightful recipients of the Oracle.

Perhaps this was possible due to the centuries-long influence of the church over the people. Information about Wooden Cloud\'s background was scarce, with only whispers of their leader, "Rael," which was possibly a pseudonym. Even that name was merely an alias, as they always hid behind a mask, and quite naturally, no one knew their true face. Still, one thing was certain—They needed to be caught.

Karyl hoped that the information provided by Thomson would serve as the first step in unraveling the background that had eluded him in his previous life, like trying to capture clouds.

***

"Ha-ha-ha!! Have you all heard the news? Karyl has conquered the Gray Training Ground and even gained recognition from the lord. Our guild can now finally establish its reputation."

"Indeed, word of his accomplishment has spread throughout the city. Even the top four guilds, who were once so arrogant, can\'t say a thing now."

In a dimly lit shop, Bargo Sira cheerfully hummed a tune as he cleaned his collection. "I always knew that kid had potential, but to actually return alive from there... he\'s a true monster."

Looking mischievously at the contract in a box on the table, he chuckled. "From now on, you\'ll be representing the Ulkas guild at the empire’s guild association. Pick a few A-grade quests to bring back."

"Me? To the association?" The underling looked surprised by Bargo\'s suggestion.

"We can\'t just confine ourselves to Azor forever. It\'s time to make a bold move and establish put our name in the empire. Let’s achieve what those top four guilds couldn\'t, shall we?"

Bargo, who couldn’t even make a name for himself within Azor until recently, was already envisioning himself at the top, just from hearing about Karyl\'s feat.

No matter how monstrous the kid is, thanks to this, he\'ll have to listen to me.

Click—

Suddenly the firmly locked door swung open.

"...!!" Startled, Bargo\'s underling hastily grabbed the sword by his side. However...

"No need to be alarmed," Bargo said, merely wearing a bizarre smile upon seeing the boy at the door. "Oh, look who it is. It’s our guild\'s rising star. What brings you here? You must be tired after your journey to the Gray Training Ground. I was just about to come to you."

"I\'m here for a quest," Karyl replied, brushing aside Bargo\'s outstretched arms.

"Hm?" Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Bargo glanced at his underling, who also shook his head.

"Ha-ha-ha, well, it\'s no surprise you\'re being sought out everywhere now. But you know, your position is no longer an ordinary one. A person of your stature shouldn\'t take on just any old task. You should just stick to the quests provided by the guild."

Though Bargo’s words sounded like concern, he was essentially instructing Karyl to only accept the tasks he specified. According to the contract, Karyl was obligated to undertake three guild quests per quarter, and Bargo believed he held absolute authority over those orders.

"So, what quest brings you all the way here?"

"I\'ve heard that most of the magical tomes taken from here have ended up in the possession of the church."

Instantly, both men\'s faces tensed.

"I have no idea what you\'re talking about. Who\'s spreading such nonsense? I don’t know what quest you\'ve taken on, but all dealings with the Yula church are only permissible under the supervision of the empire and the principality."

"What you guys are doing is illegal in the first place, isn\'t it?"

"Hey... watch your mouth!!" The underling spoke up, glaring at Karyl as if his words made no difference.

However, Bargo gestured for him to back off.

"Karyl, why all this fuss? We\'re cautious about our affiliations. We wouldn\'t dare make enemies of the empire and the principality, would we?"

"But what if the person involved were a child of the Lurein family?"

"..."

Thud—!

"Here. It’s evidence of just a part of your dealings with the church. On the surface, it may appear normal, but you seem to have been involved with a specific family."

Karyl tossed the note that Thomson had given him in front of Bargo. "Selling illegal magical tomes to the sacred church is one thing, but that\'s not the main issue. The problem is that only individuals related to the Lurein family are in that branch."

"I don\'t understand what you\'re getting at. Hey, throw this trash away right now."

"Yep."

The underling shot Karyl a dirty look, as he picked up the note. Just as he brushed past Karyl’s shoulder, a cold chill seemed to fill the room. One side of the wall had turned stark white with frost, and the underling who had just tried to flee found himself frozen in place.

Karyl lightly traced the man\'s body with the edge of his Freezing Talon, and he shattered into pieces—it was unclear when he had drawn his weapon. All that remained was the severed head of the underling, rolling around on the floor.

"T-This... w-what the..." Bargo stammered, overcome with shock. He just stood there, having lost his senses from the piercing cold as the severed head came to a stop at his feet.

"Thinking you\'re the boss just because you stand next to one, huh? A branch should act like a branch."

"...!!"

"Oy, answer my questions; I don’t have much time."

"You... you madman! Have you forgotten the oath in the slave contract?!" Bargo exclaimed, his voice trembling.

"I\'m well aware. That\'s why I\'m acting on it now."

"What?"

"I agreed to take on quests from the Ulkas Guild, not specifically from Bargo Sira. And what I\'m doing now is a quest accepted by the Ulkas Guild." Karyl explained, his lips curling into a sinister grin.

"What kind of bullshit are you spouting! I\'m the guild master!!"

"Not exactly. There\'s another person who can authorize guild quests."

"Surely not..."

"Yeah, the vice guild master."

"Thomson...?" Bargo was at a loss for words, his mouth was agape. He had completely forgotten about Thomson\'s existence. After he became afflicted with mana poisoning, Bargo considered him no longer useful, and Thomson slowly faded to the back of his mind.

"Hmm, the eradication of illegal trade...? Nah, let\'s just call it a burst of forgotten loyalty that was rekindled after a sorcerer from the Empire discovered the relationship between the principality and the guild." It was nothing more than a flimsy excuse, but Karyl didn’t even care a tiny bit. He just shrugged, wearing a peculiar smile. He actually wanted to ask about something else, this was just to break the contract\'s rules.

"Y-You... you bastard!! Did that dying fool have a sudden bout of madness!!" Bargo hastily scanned his surroundings. Every possible escape route was frozen solid.

"Oy, listen to me. I know you\'ve been trading with a church that\'s a member of the Wooden Cloud. Start talking. Tell me everything you know, from the list of members to which of the Lurein family\'s seven brothers is involved."

"How would I know anything about that?! If you know about the Wooden Cloud, you should understand! Branches like us don\'t know anything!!"

"Is that so? But Baker said you\'re a messenger belonging to the Stem."

"What?" Bargo\'s pupils wavered, betraying his true emotions.

Gotcha! Baker never said anything like that. It was pure speculation that Bargo was part of the Stem. However, thanks to him mentioning a genuine Wooden Cloud member—Baker—Bargo\'s flustered reaction confirmed Karyl\'s suspicions.

"Your trembling can be heard all the way here, don’t try to deny it. Look, I don’t really need your confirmation, Baker has already spilled everything. He has not only informed me about you but also about Ledios and Douglas."

"So what? Do you even know how many people with those names there are throughout the continent? Do you really think you can find them!?" Bargo gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Well, I found you, didn\'t I?" Karyl replied in a sinister tone. "And now that I already know one of you, I\'ll soon find out who the other one is too. After all, you\'re going to tell me, aren\'t you?"

"You are Insane...!" Bargo muttered, his body twitching very slightly. It didn’t escape Karyl’s notice, almost instantly his hand shot into Bargo\'s mouth.

"Cough...!" Bargo choked, his tongue gripped tightly by Karyl. The pain was so severe that Bargo couldn\'t even scream. He knelt on the floor, writhing in agony.

"Don\'t even think about taking your life. I\'d much rather just cut your tongue off. Don’t worry, it\'ll freeze instantly, so there\'ll be no bleeding. Besides, as long as you have one arm remaining, extracting information won\'t be a problem."

"Ugh...! Agh...! Ahh!" Bargo thrashed about desperately as Karyl applied more and more pressure.

"Hmm, right or left? Which should I cut off...? It’s hard. Well, I guess it doesn\'t really matter if I cut off the rest, right?"

Bargo could see the sincerity in Karyl\'s eyes—no child could possess such a gaze. He didn’t doubt at all that Karyl could genuinely rip out his tongue and far more.

"Hah... The lengths I have to go to for people like you." Karyl lamented, seeing the dampness spreading across Bargo\'s pants. With a calm demeanor, he continued, "Looks like you\'re finally ready to talk."

There was no need to even ask.

"Guh!! Gah!!"

Ignoring the pain he felt with each nod as if it were nothing, Bargo vehemently shook his head, not even caring about the possibility of his tongue being pulled out.