Far in the north, a massive castle stood among the peaks of mountains. Removed from civilization, this was the home of the Bailey family, a group that grew massive throughout the years. They produced some of the best offspring in the Frigus Kingdom.
Their wealth was enormous after generations worked together to amass as much as possible. Not a single member of the family split off to do something else. They all stuck together to create their own empire.
Since they shared their wealth and intel, they created a massive network of informants and business avenues. Now, they stood among the most powerful families in Frigus.
Inside the castle, there were a ton of rooms, and they kept expanding as the family grew over time. In one of the more secretive halls, a butler was dusting off one of the tables. The rooms were cleaned on a daily basis, but that didn't mean he would slack off. The folk that would visit them today weren't ones to mess around with. Everything needed to be in perfect condition.
The food needed to be prepared by the best of chefs, only the most trusted maids were allowed to pass by, not a speck of dust should be in sight. The butler worked himself to the bone to make sure everything was in order.
His tiny light gray mustache sat comfortable on his upper lip. He himself, in a basic black suit that looked to be completely normal, was making sure his appearance was something to enjoy. Of course, that was just how people would see it, the clothes contained enough enchantments to surprise even the nobles in the capital.
When his work was finished, it didn't take long before he got the message that his guests were here. The butler looked at the table in front of him and was pleased, ordering the maid to bring them in.
A few minutes passed before the maid came back with three people. A young girl with long brown hair, unassuming at best. There didn't seem to be anything special about her, but maybe that made her special in the first place. Her brown eyes matched her straightened hair, as her clothes were a soft dark green.
The second was a large man with a double-sided axe on his back. The weapon was almost as big as him, his spiky red hair and sharklike teeth made him stand out. If one would think of a berserker, he would fit that image perfectly. His manners didn't seem to be up to par, making the butler a bit worried about what he might do.
The final person was a man wearing a red mask. There were no holes in the mask, just a few lines and a swirl decorated the mask. His black robes hid anything that stood out.
'I guess hiding their identity is a necessary act, the Demonic cult isn't really that popular anywhere.'
"Welcome to our humble abode, I'm the personal assistant to our lord Bailey. My lord has tasked me to help out with the killer of his grandson and find the family of the man who hurt his son. We need to make our presence known in these lands again. In order to do that, we are ready to use any means. Since you reached out to us, I assume you have a solution."
'I wouldn't let some dirty bugs in our home for no reason.'
"We would like to discuss the first issue that has been troubling you, we sadly can't help you with the second matter. Still, I believe that this deal would serve us both."
The three of them sat down, the masked man in the center with the little girl at his right side while the brute at his left. Beautiful maids started to enter the hall. Plates of freshly made meals were neatly placed upon the table. The axe wielder couldn't help but enjoy the looks of maids more than the feast.
The little girl stared at the food that was being served on the table. She didn't reach out to the food, only looking at it while swallowing the spit she had accumulated in her mouth. The plates were only set down, and the bigger brute reached out for a piece of chicken. Ripping it from the body, he started eating it without any shame.
The man in the middle didn't move an inch, although he did start to speak. His voice scrambled, as if the mask was transforming his voice.
"Thank you for accepting us. I cannot divulge my name, so you can call me whatever you please. This is Grok and Selicia, two of our professional assassins. I'm one of the managers that works in the assassination department of our group. We know how apprehensive some people are from using our services. But I can assure you, we don't leave deals unfinished."
The butler wasn't impressed, he was mostly annoyed at the way the brute was eating his meal. He knew plenty of people didn't know etiquette perfectly, yet the man wasn't showing the slightest bit of respect.
"As I stated before, do you have a solution? You said you found an answer for the demon that killed the Lord's grandson?", the butler didn't want to end the meeting, his patience was just running out already.
"Of course, we've investigated the site and know where the killer of the grandson went. I'll be completely transparent, he went to The Underworld.", the man stated with a strange calm in his voice.
Giving away such information for free didn't suit any of the high standing mages. But the butler knew why he did so. If there was one thing the man did in his spare time, it was gathering information. He knew about The Underworld from ancients legends, but didn't know the fine details.
"I see, what do you have in mind?", the butler gained a bit of openness when the man shared such crucial intel for nothing. He found it worthy of investing some of his time and energy into again.
The masked man was about to clarify why he wanted to convene in the first place, yet everyone's attention was caught by the largest member of the group. His way of eating was distracting, but now he started to eye the maids as well.
As one of them passed by, he reached out to her bottom to get a good grasp. "Hahaha, you look like a good one, why not stay with me for a bit?"
"You bastard!", the butler lost his patience as he pressured the brute with his aura. The Rank was at such a level, he could've easily started his own empire, yet the man was loyal to a family that wasn't his. It showed the group who they were dealing with.
Grok's arm stopped as the pressure of the butler made it impossible for him to breathe. Trying to reach for his neck, he found out his movement were restricted. The other members didn't feel anything, the pressure was so precisely used that only the brute felt anything.
The masked man stayed still, yet it wasn't as if he didn't act, his own pressure made certain that the man could at least breathe somewhat.
"My apologies for his unusual behavior. Why don't we continue?", the masked man said, without any hint of exasperation in his voice. He acted as if this was par for the course.
The butler stared daggers at the brute and directed the maids to not enter anymore. The butler took his time eyeing the brute almost suffocating. In the brief moments of freedom, he hurriedly gasped for air before chocking again. The butler and the masked man worked together to make the brute suffer. Letting one of his members experience such pain showed how sincere the manager was being, leaving room for negation.
"Go ahead, I assume you know about how The Underworld works?", his voice containing a slight hint of anger, the butler wanted to be done with this conversation as soon as he could.
"Certainly, The Underground is protected by a magical barrier that, according to legends, blocks anyone from entering. Only those with the right bloodline are able to unlock the barrier and visit the Underworld. Nobody can be brought with though, making The Underworld something more of legends, as barely anyone has ever visited and come back."
"Then how are you planning on finding him if he's in a place we can't enter?"
"I wouldn't have brought these people with me if I didn't have to.", the masked man gestured towards his two companions. One choking and almost dying, while the other almost too scared or shy to even touch the delicious food or look the butler in the eyes.
The butler wanted to hold back a sigh, yet his body didn't listen as he placed his hand on his face.
'What a waste of time, now I'll have to cover this up as well without gaining anything from it.'
"I can tell you don't trust these two, but I can assure you that they have killed more than you can imagine. Grok handles his task with a direct method, he has great ways of torturing his victims and is known among his colleagues as The Bloody Bull. His achievements aren't something to scoff at.
Selicia has more indirect strategies of taking out her targets. Silent as the shadows in the dark, she kills targets without them even knowing it. She's gained the title of Sharp Shadow. Which of these would you prefer?"
The masked man provided the servant a simple choice without even discussing the price first. But the butler could feel the intentions of the man. He didn't have any other choice at the moment anyway, so why not give it a shot?
"The man we're after is someone who never stepped into the light before. He does everything in the background, never being attention grabbing. Nobody heard of him, yet he won the local competition in his school and beat a bunch of mages that were a lot stronger than him.
Then he vanished again, like he never existed in the first place, a shadow dancing in the night. During the national competition he reappeared again, without having any information, he took control of the entire island without anyone realizing. In the end, he killed the Lord's grandson, who was an entire Rank above him. I don't see how these two could handle this task."
The idea that someone killed a mage a whole Rank above them was a rare feat. It was known among the population that it shouldn't be possible, yet with the large amount of legends the butler knew about, he knew that there were enough cases of such happening. Still, it didn't make it any easier for the family to handle the remarks and rumours.
The masked man nodded slightly before placing his hand on the shoulder of the frail little girl. "I believe that Selicia is the best choice then."
The butler stared at the girl for a bit, and his mind did not see this girl going around killing a bunch of people.
"Selicia, please show our client your capabilities.", the masked man didn't turn his head once as he sat almost perfectly still. The little girl looked like she was panicking as she lowly raised her hand, the butler had perfect control over the room and would know in an instant if she used magic.
Raising her small finger, she pointed to the left ear of the butler. The man frowned, seeing her even being uncapable of using magic in the face of pressure. Before he could turn the cult down, the manager spoke once more.
"You might want to look to your side.", he said, with an unusual calm. The butler looked to the side and couldn't see anything special until he noticed a small thread. A little line that he could only see because the light reflected off it. Once he traced the lines, he noticed that his neck was completely surrounded by tons of threads ready to choke him to death.
"She likes to call it her web, it is strong enough to withstand a Rank 2's attack. I believe she will perform her duties well, if you choose her, of course.", the masked man continued his talk. But the butler wasn't convinced yet.
"The intel we have of the target is that he doesn't let anyone near him, the ones that make it close to him either disappear or die. The only way he lets someone close is they have somehow created a debt for him to pay. Is she willing to risk her life to get close to the target?
If you approach him with killing intent, you would be dead before you know it. Our lord's grandson had a master plan for the entire island, yet in the first confrontation they had, he failed to make it out alive. Someone who had mastered Rank 2 was beaten by someone who had just reached Peak Rank 1. Don't think you can fight him head on."
"You don't have to worry about that, Selicia's personality is that of a shy and cute looking girl, but it is all an act. She would make him let his guard down. If you're willing to choose her, shall we make a deal?"
The butler and the masked man discussed for a few hours before they found something they agreed upon.
Bidding the group farewell, the butler was left behind in the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, he could only hope that the frail girl would be smart enough to handle the murder that stained their reputation.
"For a commoner to become so strong, he must've had some deals with higher Ranked beings.", the butler hadn't done nothing in the past few months. He already created a list for every family that might've had a grudge against them, yet none should be so stupid to make such a move.
"To steal a token from a Wyvern's corpse without two Rank 2 begins to notice it isn't something so easily accomplished."
The butler heard that the slates that Conrad was supposed to have weren't found in the place he was last seen. Nobody knew where the slates were, but the butler kept a close eye on the capital, waiting for the man who claims to have the right slates. Then the killer or an associate would be found.
Unbeknown to him, someone had already visited the King and claimed the reward for both the Special Token as the first place reward. The slates were identical from the ones that the competition used, and the amount of tokens was perfectly aligned to what the headmasters reported as well.
It didn't take long to convince the King that they were the rightful owner of both rewards. Both a special token which could be exchanged for something incredible and a wish. What the King had to do to fulfill that particular wish was never known.