"What is that supposed to an?" asked Arthur, since the Mansell Gang was in this country for a long ti. The ashen-haired bartender smiled and reached out toward the disappearing body, absorbing all the light particles into his arm.
"Alexander Mansell was a lie, and so was everything he did. I just wanted to know how you would fight against the Transmutation Guardian. The Voldor Family are not descendants of that guardian, but a different one."
Arthur was silent in response, trying to wrap his head around this. The bartender spoke as if he was unrelated to Ilios but rather a trap set for Arthur to fall into and reveal his runes.
"This land was once filled with elents and the origin of the Transmutation Guardian," said Arthur, exposing his lies. "Are you saying the Ilios Empire is misplaced?"
"Far from it, but there are stories behind the rise of the guardians, too," smiled the bartender as he rose. "You should know that the Transmutation Guardian once stole the elents of the Origin Pillars, rendering them useless. However, the guardian abandoned this land. What would make their descendants inhabit it? There are no elents left within the pillars."
"And you lied to about that for what reason?"
"As I said, I wanted to see how you would fair against us," said the bartender while adjusting his glasses, revealing his myriad-colors eyes. "This is no more than a test to prepare against the outsider."
"It sounds more like a warning."
"You are quick to realize things," said the bartender, spreading his hands. "It is just to inform you that we have information about you. We will have the technology that disables your rune in due ti."
"The technology?" muttered Arthur with confusion, and then he realized this man's origin. "You are from Orlan, the Republic of Technology."
"And the place ruled by the descendants of the elents," said the bartender, aiming his finger at Arthur. "Don't you think that using raw elents is too wasteful? Orlan found a better thod to utilize it."
"This was no more than an experint?"
"We needed to protect ourselves against the outsider and gauge his abilities before we ever have conflict," said the bartender while raising his hand in surrender. "Please rember that this is not us picking a fight with you. We did nothing to harm you, but we prepared."
"How did you know I would be here?" asked Arthur while his denaturing sharpness disappeared. "You have been in this nation for too long to make believe this is no more than scouting."
"After realizing you were still alive, we had to move fast and learn more about this new threat to our republic. Since you were alive, it ant that at one point, you were a part of Mistletoe, those who appeared the mont you died. You were one of the masked n, weren't you?"
Arthur was silent, and the man continued.
"The next step is to understand Mistletoe itself. We received intel about their failed attempt in Ilios a while ago and the arrest of a single mber of Mistletoe. Therefore, we believe that your next destination is to save them."
"Mistletoe mbers were here earlier."
"As a part of the negotiations to release their imprisoned mbers," said the bartender. "The door behind you will lead underground to the man waiting for you, Erin Voldor. He has set a trap underground that prevents the usage of mana."
"Are you betraying him?" asked Arthur with a frown, but the man simply shook his head. "Unless you were never his ally."
"Bravo! A sharp mind indeed," clapped the man. "It was for the sake of this eting, where we would get to talk like this. Orlan is taking a different stance from the other nations."
"And what stance is that?"
"Leave us alone, and we'll leave you alone. The data gathering today is to ensure you understand we wouldn't go down easily if push cos to shove."
The corridor was silent as Arthur's mind processed everything. It did not surprise him that the other nations were moving to protect themselves as well, but the fact his movents were anticipated were a fatal mistake on his side.
"You expect to be left alone after using for experints?" asked Arthur with a smirk. "Orlan created a human out of elents, so what do you have to fear?"
"That is purely my doing," said the bartender with a smile. "As a token of peace, I will give you one piece of information: The ancestor of Voldor is no other than the Transmutation Guardian's brother and sworn enemy: Protector Guardian, God of Destruction!"
"His brother?" doubted Arthur, but the man was already disappearing. "Wait! Tell who you are!" shouted Arthur as he threw his arm.
"The na is Rolan of Orlan," said the bartender while half of his face was made of light. "A powerful visitor has entered the estate, so take care, Arthur Silvera."
After that, Rolan of Orlan disappeared without a trace. Arthur looked at the empty corridor for a few seconds before the powerful presence Rolan ntioned approached the main building. Then, in this race against ti, Arthur kicked the double doors behind him and destroyed them.
BOOM! CLANK!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The double doors slamd to the ceiling of the stairs heading down, tumbling down the stairs. Arthur looked down and saw the gate falling, their resounding fall echoing through the stairway.
Arthur jumped, dropping toward the underground labyrinth. Although Rolan warned him about the trap that Erin Voldor created for him, he didn't care. This kind of trap didn't just affect Arthur but Erin as well.
After landing at the bottom of the stairs, Arthur bolted forward. The presence above should belong to the Trinity mber that Oriole ntioned. He could teleport out of this place if he saved Gray in ti.
The underground labyrinth was full of prison cells, each having people inside. Arthur rembered Lyle told him about the Mansell Gang's main inco revenue: human trafficking.
Gray should be locked up in the deeper parts of the prison, also known as the Last Cell. The gangster, which Arthur read his mind, inford him of this intel.
As Rolan told him, no mana could be summoned in the underground prison. Arthur had to rely on his stats to rush toward the Last Cell, hoping to rescue Gray before the Trinity mber arrived.
"Wait! Please, save us!" shouted a voice from within the cells. Arthur stopped running and turned toward them to find won chained to the walls inside. Their clothes were tattered, but their bodies were uninjured. "You are not from the Mansell Gang?" asked the woman of unparalleled beauty.
Arthur walked toward the cells and looked inside. The won were all beautiful, but their eyes were lifeless. The exception was the woman talking to him, whose blond hair and fair skin made her seem like an angel.
"Nope, I'm here to destroy them," answered Arthur as he looked at the won. "I have no ti to waste, so I must leave."
"Please, let us out! We all have been kidnapped and tortured in this place, only to be sold as slaves. Please, help us."
"I have no reason to refuse, but if I let you out now, death awaits you. A powerful knight arrived, and I doubt they would save you from this imprisonnt."
The woman's face paled when she heard this, and her pleas stopped. Arthur felt sorry for them, but he couldn't protect them while fighting against the Astra-ranker.
"There are no gangsters on this floor, so I will throw the keys toward you. Then, after the fight, use them to sneak out of here. At that ti, I will hold off the knight," instructed Arthur before he looked around and found the keys hanging on the wall. "Understood?"
"Yes, yes!" the woman nodded as she caught the keys Arthur threw. Arthur stared at them for a mont before sprinting deeper. Finally, after a few minutes of running and taking several detours, left and right, Arthur reached the cell.
The door was open, and Arthur could perceive two life forces inside. He slowed and walked inside to find two figures standing beside the wall. One was chained, while the other had his back toward Arthur.
"Am I interrupting your chat?" asked Arthur as he stood by the door, and Erin Voldor turned toward him. A man was chained to the wall in front of him, who Arthur recognized as Gray from the picture Lyle showed him.
"It has been a long ti since we last t," said Erin Voldor while grinning at him. "Do you still rember what you did to , Arthur Silvera?"
Erin Voldor looked older than Arthur rembered, and his hair was longer too. He tied it behind his back in a ponytail while wearing a set of earrings that seed to be artifacts.
"I do and wouldn't mind doing it again," said Arthur, rage sparking in his heart.
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