It was getting harder to understand.
The guy in front of them threatened them, then claimed to be some kind of vigilante.
What absurdity was this?
"In what way would owning this guild help you achieve these goals?" the lion-masked member asked, apparently more curious than angry.
Zeref let out a mischievous smile.
"Isn't it obvious? I intend to make use of the available resources to achieve my goal of peace in the world. Peace costs a lot, you know."
"What would we get in return?" rasped the lion-masked member. "If I'm not mistaken, there was talk of bargaining at the beginning, wasn't there?"
A mocking smile appeared on Zeref's lips.
"You still underestimate me, it seems," he replied calmly but determinedly. "I am well aware that you have your own motivations and interests. In exchange for the guild, I will give you a country, and not just any country. Joranis, one of the five great nations. What do you say, isn't that more than profitable?"
The members looked at each other, unsure if they had heard Zeref's words correctly.
Did he just say they would be given a country?
The height of it all, one of the five great nations?
Understanding the thoughts of his audience, Zeref continued, "Believe it or not, just as I managed to find you, I can also hand Joranis over to you. For that, you only need to do one thing: deliver the guild to me."
"And if we refuse your offer, what then?" intervened the bear-masked member, his voice tinged with suspicion.
A flash of lightning shone in Zeref's eyes.
"In that case, my friends, I fear we will be condemned to look at each other until our differences destroy us all," he replied, a hint of underlying threat in his voice. "I'll give you time to think about the consequences of such a choice. Don't disappoint me."
With these words, Zeref swept the audience with his gaze one last time before removing his glasses, and leaving the meeting at the same time.
The masked members remained silent, letting the words resonate in their minds.
As Zeref disappeared into the darkness, the lion-masked member finally spoke up.
"Let's meet again tomorrow night to discuss this proposal," she said firmly.
"And what about the others?" intervened the bear-masked member.
"It's unlikely any harm has come to them," declared the cat-masked member. "It would jeopardize the negotiation otherwise. This guy isn't that foolish."
"Are we really going to hand over the guild to him?" then asked the eagle-masked member.
"Considering what he claims to offer in return, it's quite conceivable," replied the cat-masked member.
"Are you delusional or what?" retorted the bear-masked member. "Do you really think he's capable of such a thing? I say we make him regret his affront!"
"You seem to forget..."
"That's enough!"
The cat-masked member was about to retort to the bear-masked member when the lion-masked member's voice abruptly cut in.
"I said we'll continue this discussion tomorrow night, with the others present," added the lion-masked member, her tone more serious. "Until then, try to find out how he could have targeted us. I want answers by the next meeting."
The masked members nodded, each lost in their own thoughts.
With that, the meeting came to an end.
Meanwhile
In the room with mysterious and elegant allure, Zeref was back to reality.
The first scene that greeted him was that of a woman suspended in the air, unconscious.
It was Pilar, one of the people who had suddenly left the meeting.
Despite the astonishing scene, Zeref didn't seem so surprised, instead focusing his attention on the young boy who was sitting right where the woman had been.
At the intersection of their gazes, the young boy stood up hastily and bowed respectfully.
"Good work, Klein," Zeref congratulated the young boy.
The latter bowed even more respectfully, touched by Zeref's words.
"What about the other two?" Zeref asked next, as he rose from his seat and adjusted his attire.
"As you ordered, I simply knocked them out. They will regain consciousness in a few hours, all three of them," Klein replied, with no real remorse, recounting the events solemnly to Zeref.
"Good job, as always," Zeref congratulated again.
He then headed towards the exit.
"I'll wait for you at the hotel, master," the boy said, disappearing immediately.
Zeref simply waved his hand in response as he left the hidden room.
And as he walked, Zeref could barely contain his excitement.
Thoughts swirled in his head, creating a mix of excitement and anticipation.
It was exhilarating to see each piece coming together to form the pattern.
It was a sensation his former self would never have been capable of feeling.
The joy of living such an exciting and intriguing life.
The final preparations were finally completed.
Zeref could finally begin his quest.
"The Unholy King, here I come."
Time jump
The atmosphere was imbued with an almost magical serenity.
A room was bathed in a soft orange glow emanating from the sunrise.
A panoramic window offered a captivating view of a majestic landscape stretching as far as the eye could see.
Zeref was sitting in a comfortable armchair near the window.
He wore a soft and comfortable gray wool sweater, paired with white linen trousers, giving him a sense of freshness and lightness. On his feet, he wore leather slippers in a shade matching that of the trousers.
His silver hair was lightly combed back, revealing his serene face.
In his hand, he held a glass of wine, the dark and deep color of which echoed the hues of the dawn unfolding on the horizon.
As he brought it to his lips, he let out a sigh of satisfaction, savoring every drop of the delicious beverage.
Outside, the landscape gradually revealed itself, silently.
The sun's rays gently slid over the tall buildings, illuminating an urban city.
The city sparkled under the first rays of the sun, creating an enchanting scene.
Zeref gently let his thoughts drift to the recent events that had upheaved his life.
The starting point was his brutal death, the result of a violent assault.
It was an end that marked a new beginning.
Without knowing why or how, he had reincarnated into the world of a novel, and what's more, one he cherished so much.
Ironically, he had been endowed with the body of one of the antagonists of this fictional universe: Zeref Darthen.
From there, instead of procrastinating about his fate or seeking to lead a peaceful and quiet life, he had decided to seize this opportunity and make his new life an exciting adventure.
Zeref felt a growing excitement at the prospect of becoming the hero of this world.
To this end, he had to abandon his old habits and adopt new ways of thinking and behaving.
But this excited him even more, as he had always been bored in his previous life, a dull life devoid of any excitement.
As a first goal, he had embarked on being the one to overcome the seven, no six calamities that would shake this world, thus laying the groundwork for his epic.
The first Calamity on the agenda was that of the Unholy King. A profoundly evil and perfidious being who would take the helm of a great country and try to conquer the world.
Zeref had decided not only to defeat this calamity but also to devise a plan that would not only ensure his victory over the Unholy King but also put himself in the spotlight, in the most beautiful way.
To do this, he had enough resources, being the secret ruler of a prosperous City-State, and competent subordinates.
Joranis, one of the five great countries, was the nation that the Unholy King would take possession of.
In order to ensure total control of the country, the Unholy King, while still only the crown prince, had managed to manipulate to oppose the noble houses against the royal family.
His goal was to weaken them mutually, then advocating a semblance of peace, he would annihilate them to then become the undisputed sovereign of the great nation that was Joranis.
In the novel, he would succeed in his goals and even trigger the second Great War, before finally being stopped by the main character and his group.
Zeref's plan was first to accelerate the rise of the Unholy King to power compared to the novel, to ensure that he was not surpassed by the original protagonists.
To achieve this, he first had to quickly end the internal war ravaging Joranis, ensuring of course that the Unholy King emerged victorious as in the original plot.
But to do that, Zeref needed to approach the forces involved without arousing suspicion and inflaming the conflict, which was no small feat.
Although Joranis was in internal war, the country had managed to retain its sovereignty as a great nation dominating the entire Middle Land.
To overcome this problem, Zeref, with the help of his supporters, had devised a plan to infiltrate the country from its underground.
No matter the country, it always had a dark side.
From there, they would tacitly contact the families' camp and sow seeds that would only intensify the conflict with the royal family.
The plan was proceeding smoothly, the infiltration having been a resounding success.
With this, even after settling the case of the Unholy King, Zeref would have a firm grip on the shady part of the country.
However, the plan did not stop there.