The voice was loud and it boomed across the guild causing tables and chairs to shake with the impact.
Damien raised his head and looked up at the third floor of the guild. On the wooden railing of the corridor sat an old man. He was quite ordinary-looking with his bald head and bushy moustache but Damien didn't take him lightly.
This man could cause the entire guild to turn silent. Certainly, he must be —
"Master Godric," Xavier bowed his head respectfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Of course it is, boy. It is always a pleasure for those who meet me," the man said while fanning his face with the little paper fan that he was holding in his hand. "But I cannot say the same for you. What are you doing bringing this possessed man to my guild? I am telling you that we shall take no part in any war for the throne." His voice was calm but had the impact of a loud roar.
It terrified everyone in the guild, especially Damien who was the target of Master Godric's anger.
Master Godric turned his head to the right and glanced at Damien.
His gaze caused Damien to stiffen, he wasn't scared of Master Godric but the second he looked at him there was this really strange feeling that crept up his spine.
Like this man could squash him to bits if he wanted and Damien would be helpless to even defend himself against Master Godric.
"Host, are you alright?" Dan asked him, and he sounded concerned. Alright, as concerned as an AI system could sound. "The level of your fear is rising, are you scared? But why, you haven't done anything wrong."
Dan's words snapped Damien out of his daze. That's right, he hadn't done anything wrong. He was here to become a member of this guild and not to convince anyone to go to war with him.
That thought lit up another emotion in his heart. Anger.
This old man didn't even let him talk and decided to execute him without a hearing. Damien was getting tired of being treated like he was a scum on this planet.
Inhaling sharply, Damien began speaking while suppressing the fear in his heart, "I didn't come here to ask you to join me in a war. I don't want a war."
Master Godric raised a brow as he continued fanning himself. He asked, "If you didn't come here to convince my guild to join you in a war then why did you come here, Lord Damien? I don't think that my guild can do anything to help a besotted man like yourself."
Besotted man? Underneath the fear and the desire to flee, Damien felt his anger become even fiercer.
A part of him wanted to turn around and never return. But when he thought about his goal, Damien stopped himself.
Xavier told him that this was the best guild of the Aeloria city. One that received the most missions, if there was a chance for him to prove himself, then Damien would certainly find it here.
"I came to this guild because I want to become a member of your guild, master Godric," said Damien ignoring the angry hissing behind his back. He raised his head and looked Master Godric in the eye. "This is very important to me."
"Because you want to get strong enough to cause the destruction you have been hoping for?"
"Quite the contrary," retorted Damien. "I want to save someone. Someone really important."
Xavier turned to look at Damien, he did not know whether Master Godric could hear the determination and honesty in Damien's voice but he could.
Damien was not lying.
"Hmm," Master Godric leaned back as he continued to look at Damien. The aura that was suppressing Damien was also retracted, allowing him to breathe properly.
Three minutes passed by before the man leaned forward, with his hand under his chin as he studied Damien carefully. "Your beast nucleus is destroyed, Lord Damien and the mana in your body has also been sealed. You can neither use aura nor your beast form. What can you do even if you join the guild?"
There was a murmur of agreement from behind him and Damien clenched his fingers.
However, he did not shirk away from the penetrating gaze of Master Godric.
He said, "Your beast nucleus was also destroyed, Master Godric."
"How dare you—"
Someone behind him spoke up but Master Godric stopped that person as he raised his hand and silenced the man.
"Go on," he said to Damien. "I want to hear what you have to say."
"I don't mean any disrespect by saying this," said Damien. "I just wanted to say that despite losing your beast nucleus, despite the fact that the royal family didn't take your achievements and sacrifices into account you rose to power and created this guild."
"No one can understand my desperation to get back on my feet more than you, Master Godric."
"You are forgetting that I still have my aura boy," Master Godric spoke but this time around his voice was slightly softer.
"Then I will work harder than you did," stated Damien determinedly. "The weaker I am, the more downtrodden my dear brother wants me to be, the more I want to get stronger and show him that I don't need to rely on my beast nucleus and mana to become stronger."
He clenched his fist and lowered his head, before raising his gaze and meeting Master Godric's gaze head-on. "Do I need my beast nucleus to be someone? Can't I do what I want without it? Do I need to lower my head and bow down to the destiny others set for me?"
"But I don't want to, so what if I don't have my mana or beast nucleus? I can still live my life and move on from my past."
"I refuse to back down and live like trash."
"I want to save as many lives as I can," said Damien defiantly. "That's my ambition and I will pave my way no matter what."
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