Garrick caressed his massive battle-axe and grumbled, "Just what do those skeleton bastards want from our city? From what I've heard, those Master Ranks have only caused some trouble nearby, and after that, they were no longer seen anywhere—almost like they just wanted to scare the civilians. However, currently within our city, we have more than one Master Rank!"
Thorne, a tall, thin man with piercing green eyes, a shaved head, and two swords strapped to his back, continued after Garrick with a sharp tone, "Those necromancers are menaces; they've severely harmed the nearby towns and villages. From what I heard, Bellcleef Town has been captured, and a few teams are about to be dispatched to remove those dark robes."
Brunhild shook her head in exasperation. "Let me correct you, Garrick. Batley City only has one Master Rank! The rest are just adventurers or mercenaries who very rarely visit and aren't affiliated with our city. And currently, we also only have two Master Ranks within the city."
She glared at her teammates. "Next is information about Batley City's history. You guys are citizens of this city and don't know all this, or are you all playing dumb just to annoy me?"
Eventually, she sighed and explained, "This used to be the capital of a very small kingdom and was destroyed a long time ago. Countless people died back then, and although nothing is left here, to a necromancer there's something called 'death energy'—and this gathers substantially after a century or so. So, they appear to create some trouble, then take away this 'energy' and leave. Normally, it's not really a problem, and those who come are always below Master Rank—only Apprentice Rank. But this time, two Master Ranks have appeared, not because there's something in here but... Let me give you all a clue: multiple large cities are currently facing troubles throughout the Silvia Kingdom from various Rank 4s. Now, can you guess?"
After speaking so much, she took the cup in front of her and chugged its entire contents in one long gulp.
Elianor, bored while listening, suddenly widened her eyes. "Brunhild, are you suggesting there's some sort of conspiracy going on within the entire Silvia Kingdom? Where have you heard all this? Ah... never mind, you have a big family behind you." She chuckled awkwardly.
Garrick and Eilif's eyes widened as well upon hearing that the entire kingdom was in chaos—something that had never happened before in Silvia's known history.
Thorne narrowed his eyes in realization. "So, someone's plotting against the Silvia Royal Family in the capital?"
Both muscular men, Garrick and Eilif, gaped further.
Elianor was perplexed. "Why would anyone target the Silvia Family? They even have a Rank 5, from what I've heard. Who would dare trouble such a powerful family with only Rank 4s?"
Brunhild, who had finished drinking, placed the cup on the table and sighed. "Elianor, things aren't that simple. The cities being attacked could be brought to ruin if Master Ranks strike—not every city is well-guarded or has a Rank 4 like our Batley City. The citizens there would be terrified. If the Silvia family doesn't immediately dispatch their powerhouses, they'll lose reputation and their throne will be questioned. There's likely more going on behind the curtain that we don't know."
Thorne added, "Basically, the current situation—multiple Master Ranks attacking cities—is an open conspiracy. The Silvia family must play along, or they'll lose cities, the citizens' trust, and be seen as 'unreliable.' The people would support the next 'reliable' leader, whether from a neighboring kingdom's royal family or some random 'reliable' noble in the capital. As long as they can clear the troubles and restore peace, they're welcome to rule."
Elianor gulped nervously—though she also grew excited at the strange tension.
"You're saying it's an open annexation? But the Silvia Kingdom is huge, and so are its neighbors—they can barely manage themselves across such vast lands. What's the point of taking over?" she asked, equal parts curious and eager.
Thorne shrugged, clearly unable to answer.
Garrick chugged his mug and asked, "Just how many cities are in trouble, and how many Master Ranks are causing it? Any idea?"
Everyone turned to Brunhild, their sole reliable informant.
In truth, there were many ways to obtain information, such as through guild databases, and more, but they were all too lazy and only interested in news that came to them through rumors.
Brunhild answered, but her tone suggested she was also unsure. "I heard it was over twenty cities. At least two or more Rank 4s with disguises have attacked those cities simultaneously. It was clear that those Master Ranks were different people and from different groups."
"TWENTY CITIES?!" All four cried out, drawing glances from nearby tables.
After Eilif apologized to the tavern patrons, he turned back to Brunhild. His voice was equally shocked, though he kept it low. "Brunhild, you're saying nearly forty or more Master Ranks are causing trouble together? No neighboring kingdom I know has that many powerhouses. Guilds or similar organization might, but they don't belong to any kingdom—they certainly aren't united. Hiring so many Master Ranks isn't something a single kingdom can afford without emptying its treasury. It's a foolish decision, as far as I can see..." He sucked in a deep breath and shook his head. "All this is just too unbelievable."
Elianor sighed but without any pity, as none of that had anything to do with her. "Silvia royal family is finished!" She shook her head. "No family or group in the Silvia Kingdom has that many Master Ranks. Sigh... If such a wealthy person can hire so many Master Ranks only to create 'troubles' around, why don't they hire me to create troubles within Batley City? I'll do my best!"
All four turned to stare at Elianor weirdly.
She laughed awkwardly and waved her hands. "I was joking—what could a late-stage Rank 1 like me even do?"
While they were chatting, a man who looked to be in his early thirties, with short, wavy black hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a set of grey eyes, walked into the tavern.
He wore a well-maintained full set of plate armor, and his lone longsword hung at his back.
As he walked past, the people in the tavern looked at him in admiration while many snorted with hidden jealousy. The person in question didn't even glance at them and calmly took the open stairs toward the five people sitting at a round table beside a window.
All five heard the sound of full plate armor approaching, so they turned their heads with anticipation. As soon as they noticed the figure, they smiled widely at him.
"Leader!" They welcomed him with a cheer.
The man who appeared was the leader of the adventurers' group Eclipse. His name was Caius Valerian, an early-stage Rank 3 Warrior.
Caius smiled. He proceeded to pull out an empty chair from the round table, sat down, removed his longsword, and leaned it against the table corner beside him.
Elianor cutely pouted and complained, "Leader, we've been waiting for over two hours! You better give us a full treat as an apology!"
Caius's smile turned bitter. He raised his hands in surrender. "Blame the guild leader. Thanks to him, we were all pointlessly delayed. If he hadn't held us back and also arrived late, this meeting would've easily ended in just half an hour."
Elianor didn't give up and demanded, "Fine, but you still need to pay for our bill from the last two hours!"
Caius sighed and gave up. "Fine! I hope you all haven't drunk yourselves to death!"
Everyone chuckled, but Brunhild, at this moment, asked with solemnness, "How did it go? Did guild master Rodger inform you of any new news regarding Batley City or the capital? When are the Master Ranks from Sildargrade appearing to end the chaos outside?"
Everyone pricked up their ears, as they were also very interested to learn this. Their entire city and the surrounding areas would continue to be in extreme danger if those necromancer Master Ranks weren't driven off soon.
Caius's expression also turned serious.
He glanced around and noticed that the rest of the tavern was still bursting with noise, cheers, and drinks, completely ignorant of the danger the city and the entire kingdom was currently facing. To them, perhaps none of this mattered—as long as they could get drunk, they were happy. Whether the kingdom changed rulers or its entire name changed would have no impact on their lives. Instead, they'd have more things to gossip about.
However, this time, their entire Batley City was also facing a huge crisis, and these people were still drunk for no good reason. Caius felt frustrated and also pity for these ignorant folks who thought they would definitely be safe.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, then leaned forward toward his teammates. The remaining five also leaned forward to listen.
Caius muttered softly, "The current situation around Batley City is not good, though not terrible either. The enemy Master Ranks aren't seen anywhere—only Apprentice Ranks here and there creating trouble in nearby towns and villages that couldn't defend themselves. Thus, Grade E, D, and C teams will be sent over there."
The rest of them nodded in understanding.
Caius continued, "The capital's situation is fine. However, they're out of manpower and can't provide support to so many cities. But since our Batley City is very important—considering we're the southernmost largest city of the kingdom—if any enemy Master Ranks bothered us further, one Master Rank from the capital would be dispatched here through the space gateway that we have in our city."
He paused briefly, then his expression turned grim. "Leaving that aside, there's an unexpected situation here, and this is much more severe than the necromancer Master Ranks. A Newborn-stage Rank 3 Mana Beast has been detected within the southern plains."
"RANK 3!!!" Elianor, Garrick, and Eilif screamed their lungs out, while Thorne and Brunhild's faces turned pale with horror.