Chapter 370: A Tail
(Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpent Headquarters, Vice-Guildmaster Antonioās Office)
Antonio sat behind the long wooden desk of his office, hands clasped and eyes narrowed, as the elevator door hissed open.
*Hiss*
Captain Reema entered with calm, deliberate steps.
Her silver hair was neatly braided down her back, her robes were spotless, and her gaze was razor-sharp, as though, despite surviving the chaos of the Time-Stilled World, she still hadnāt lost her sanity.
*Bow*
She bowed respectfully before Antonio, her posture dignified.
āAt ease,ā Antonio said, motioning to the chair across from him. āI hope youāre not plagued by too many nightmares, Captain.ā
Reema sat, spine straight. āHaha, of course I am, Vice-Guildmaster. Itās not easy returning to civilian life after that placeā¦ but Iām holding up. The taint didnāt get to me too badly.ā
Antonio studied her closely, noting the steadiness in her voice and the absence of tremor in her hands. No signs of traumaāat least not on the surface.
āIāve summoned you here because Leo Skyshard claims that you and your team were present when he killed Transcendent Karl Maxtern. Is that true?ā
Reema nodded without hesitation. āItās true, sir. I witnessed it myself.ā
Antonio raised an eyebrow, visibly taken aback. āYou saw it with your own eyes?ā
āMy unit was under heavy attack,ā she said, voice firm. āLeo appeared out of nowhere. And in a flash, Karl was dead. Just like that. One clean strike. No wasted movement. If he hadnāt stepped in, I wouldnāt be here.ā
Antonio blinked slowly, digesting her words.
āHe had no outside help?ā
āNone that I could see,ā Reema confirmed. āHe handled it alone.ā
Silence settled between them as Antonio continued to evaluate her, expression unreadable.
āYouāre absolutely certain?ā
āAs certain as I am sitting here, sir.ā
He nodded slowly, then leaned back into his chair. āThatāll be all, Captain.ā
Reema stood, gave a crisp salute, and exited the room without another word.
Left alone, Antonio exhaled through his nose, the silence feeling heavier than before.
āSoā¦ the kid really pulled it offā¦..ā He mused, as something about this whole situation did not add up for him.
āThe kid has a clean background, but somehow I donāt buy his story.
A boy as talented as him joining the Black Serpents by leaving Rodova early? And then instantly going to the Time-Stilled World, from where he has no guarantee of return?
I donāt believe his story. Nor his motive to be here.
With his fame, he should be taking life easy, or training to improve his skills.
But the desperation with which heās improving, suggests that he has a hidden agenda that Iām not aware about.
Also, his request to choose an item from the vault instead of picking 6.5 billion MP is also suspicious.
He can buy any item of his choosing for 6.5 billion MP from the open market, or hire the best blacksmiths to make a custom one, but heās going into the Vault regardless.
Why?
Why? Go in the vault when there are only three items in there that are probably unique and priceless, two of which would be made off limits to himā¦..
It makes no sense.
Something about the boyās actions does not add up!ā Antonio talked to himself, as he did not feel at ease about allowing Leo to enter the vault.
On one hand, he couldnāt deny Leo the right to enter either, because that would undermine the guildās integrity and damage its foundations.
However, on the other hand, he couldnāt shake off his suspicions either.
With Leo openly defying the Evil Cult, not once but twice, Antonio could not link him to the Cult, but somehow he did not trust that the boy had no hidden agenda at all.
āThe only people desperate enough to enter the vault regardless of the price, are the Evil Cult Operatives.
They want their scroll back so bad, they will go to any lengths to get it.
But the boy doesnāt seem to have links to the Cult.
But if not them. Then who?
Why would someone request to enter the Vault and not take the cash?ā Antonio mused, when the elevator door to his office hissed open again.
*Hiss*
This time a tall man entered his room, his expression neutral as he looked into Antonioās eyes before bowing.
āSo Fredrick, what did you find by tailing the boy the past few days?ā Antonio asked, as the spy who had been tailing Leo for the past few days presented his report.
āThe boy is strange. He spends most of his day aimlessly walking through the streets of Twin Fang, looking at what strangers are doing, like an old man out on a morning walk.
He doesnāt train his physical combat skills, nor does he do much exercise.
He just walks.
Visits expensive restaurants.
And sleepsā Fredrick reported, as Antonio frowned at his words.
āWhat kind of a Circuit champion doesnāt train his body?ā Antonio asked, sounding worried, as he found Leoās behaviour to be increasingly suspicious.
āThe boy is weird, but heās not doing anything illegal, or meeting anyone suspicious.
He received a package today, but when I ran the name it seemed to be from his professor at Rodova. So itās understandable.
I havenāt performed a security sweep of his room, but if you want me to, I can break into his apartment when heās out on a walk and give it a thorough searchāā Fredrick suggested, as Antonio nodded and gave him the thumbs up.
āDo that and let me know what you find.
I guess the boy being a strange loner is not a problemā¦.. heās clearly a genius, and all geniuses are a bit eccentric and unusual.
But I need to make sure that he can be allowed to enter the Vault before I let him in, because I canāt afford to invite a wolf into a sheep penā Antonio instructed, as Fredrick bowed and turned to leave.
āI hope for your sake Skyshard, that you really are as innocent as you look, because if not, Iād find great satisfaction at saving the guild 6.5 billion MP in reward price moneyā¦.ā Antonio said, as he let out a deep breath and looked outside the glass window of his office, where he enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the city skyline.
For a moment, as the sun dipped lower beyond the skyline, Antonio wondered if he was simply overthinking.
Perhaps Leo truly was just an eccentric prodigy, haunted by something unspoken, driven by motives that werenāt sinister but personal.
But in Antonioās experience, there was never smoke without fire, and the fact that his instincts flagged Leo as a threat, was smoke enough for him.
*Glug*
*Glug*
Antonio stood and poured himself a drink from the cabinet near the window, the amber liquid catching the last rays of sunlight.
āIāll give you your chance, boy,ā he muttered to himself. āBut Iāll be watching.ā
Because in the Black Serpents, trust wasnāt given. It was earned, bled for, and proven over time.
And the Guildās Vault was no place for secrets.
If Leo had even a single hidden intentionā¦ Antonio intended to find it, drag it into the lightāand crush it before it became a problem the guild couldnāt contain.