Sokram’s voice rang out across the room once more, confessing, “Ah, here’s the part where I offer my teammates so business opportunities.”
Sokram flashed Hannah a wide grin. “Grandma, looks like we’ve got a few visits to make tomorrow.”
Seeing his greedy grin and recalling the exhausted expression on the store attendant’s face, and the sheer number of items Sokram had extracted from her in exchange for a single spell, made both pairs of cousins and the twin sisters break into cold sweats.
Amber, however, couldn’t help but stifle a giggle at their panicked expressions.
“Sure, darling,” Hannah replied, pride shining in her eyes.
But the Silverfang Alpha cut in impatiently, his voice sharp. “Can you skip to the part of the recording that actually matters? We don’t have all night.”
Sokram nodded, glancing at the old wolf-kin.
Despite his age, the Alpha didn’t appear frail or ready to step down as leader. “I can, but I don’t want anyone accusing of foul play or tampering with the recordings.”
Licarus, who had been thoroughly entertained by the recordings so far, waved dismissively. “We’ll watch it all. You raised this complaint, so we’ll see it through to the end. And if I don’t find anything wrong, as I haven’t thus far, we’ll have a very frank heart-to-heart.”
And so they watched.
Sokram’s display of knowledge and preparation left an impression on everyone present.
The way Kazzah and Timothy stopped interacting with the team wasn’t lost on anyone either.
Then ca the segnt where Sokram tracked the boars, showcasing his tactical ability.
“Heh,” Leona chuckled proudly, raising her head high. “My disciple learns fast, but I’m the one who taught him."
Her comnt drew a few giggles from Nora and Lara, who exchanged admiring glances at Sokram’s master, clearly fawning over her beauty and strength.
Then ca the mont when Kazzah said the supposed insubordination had happened.
Licarus’s expression shifted from indignation at Kazzah’s lack of insight into devising his carefully laid-out plan to relief as the recording revealed Sokram’s simple yet effective corrections.
It clicked.
Kazzah had lied shalessly.
Licarus’s glare turned razor-sharp, aid directly at Kazzah, though he remained silent, watching how everything unfolded.
The disappointnt of both Layca and the wolves of the Silverfang family was palpable as the recording highlighted Kazzah’s poor leadership.
anwhile, the rest of the team scrambled to kill the boars.
Savannah worked tirelessly to cast healing spells, even with Sokram’s help, but it was clear she was being overwheld.
When the boars broke free from the encirclent, Kazzah held back. And Sokram repeatedly stepped up to protect his teammates, a move that earned him approving glances from the elders present.
The recording continued, showing just how exhausted the team was after killing the boars.
Their argunt about Kazzah’s flaws followed, along with Sokram's challenge to him.
Kazzah refused to give the team adequate rest out of anger and jealousy.
Then ca the second hunt, where Sokram single-handedly tanked a surprise attack from a boar.
His mastery of the Killing Blade techniques filled Leona with imnse pride.
Next, the recording showed Savannah confronting Kazzah about the conflict of interest during their rest ti.
Kazzah and Timothy’s words about their lost teammates were replayed, along with Kazzah’s threat against Sokram and his baseless accusation of insubordination.
Finally, the footage was nearing its end, with Kazzah attacking Sokram first and fleeing with his tail between his legs, only to stop as Sokram rejoined his team, Kiana still calling Kazzah a coward aloud.
When Kazzah initially raised the complaint, Licarus had assud Sokram was causing trouble because he’d refused to let him join the Extermination Hall.
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But now, having witnessed the truth firsthand, Licarus felt ashad, not only of his initial judgnt but also of how he’d allowed personal feelings, and with Sokram’s personality being so similar to Hilda's that it clouded Licarus's judgnt.
“BANG!”
The deafening crack echoed through the room, startling everyone who hadn’t been watching the City Lord closely.
Licarus brought his fist down on the table with enough force to split the newly magically reinforced, enhanced wood clean in half.
“YOU! SORRY, EXCUSE FOR A WOLF! I DON’T EVEN DARE TO CALL YOU A FUCKING WHELP…” Licarus roared, his voice shaking the room.
Though there was no killing intent, the raw fury behind each word made even Sokram take a cautious step back.
Karini stepped forward, attempting to intervene.
“Father, calm yourself, please! You’re scaring the young ones.”
Seeing Karini followed by Leona, who also stepped forward, Licarus let out a heavy sigh before delivering one final shout: "FUCK!"
He punched the wall, leaving a massive crack in its surface.
After taking another deep breath, gathering himself until his heart rate was back to normal, he cald down.
Licarus turned to Sokram. “I apologize once more, young dragon. I allowed my personal feelings and your likeness to your mother to cloud my judgnt.”
Licarus sat back down, or rather, slumped into his chair, in front of what remained of his now-broken table. “Now, will you raise a complaint against him for trying to fra you?”
Sokram scratched the back of his head, still sowhat unnerved by Licarus’s explosive temper and surprised because even as an ancient being himself, Licarus's rage still scared him enough to make him step back.
“If I register a complaint, will he be removed as our team captain?”
Kazzah’s eyes widened at the question, but Licarus’s answer knocked the wind out of him. “Yes, definitely.”
Sokram shook his head. “Then no, I won’t file any complaint. After all, how am I supposed to thrash this pup during the captaincy challenge if he’s not even captain anymore?”
Licarus’s eyes widened, as did Layca’s and Karini’s.
The wolves of the Silverfang family frowned deeply.
After seeing how Sokram fought in the recording, they knew full well that Sokram would crush Kazzah in such a challenge.
Leona and Hannah burst into laughter, joined by Sokram’s teammates, who giggled and chuckled at his bold response.
anwhile, Kazzah and Timothy exchanged worried glances, realizing they’d gained so ti to strategize their next move.
“Well, that’s your choice,” Licarus said, leaning back in his chair, his gaze fixed on Kazzah.
“But I can’t let this slide. You raised a false complaint involving your Alpha and wasted all of our ti for nothing.”
Licarus turned to Savannah. “You, snow elf, your na?”
Savannah stepped forward hurriedly, saluting Licarus. “City Lord, I’m Savannah vid Chrystalia, Vice-Captain of this team.”
“Chrystalia, hm?” Licarus mused. “Until Sokram can challenge this… this pup, you hold the authority of captain. Understood?”
His declaration stunned the team into silence, though Kiana looked positively thrilled to see Kazzah finally held accountable for sothing.
Of course, the Silverfang Alpha wouldn’t accept this quietly. “Licarus, do you really need to ddle like that in the affairs of the younger generation? Let them resolve it themselves. Besides, the young dragon said he wouldn’t raise any complaint…”
His voice trailed off as Licarus fixed him with a piercing stare.
“I gave you enough face for one day, Kamal,” Licarus snapped. “Look at the ss I’m in now because of you. Tell you what, how about you go and apologize to them, bowing deeply? Even that won’t change your grandson’s punishnt, but at least I won’t imprison him.”
Licarus’s tone was sharp as he gestured toward Leona and Hannah.
Kazzah paled at the ntion of imprisonnt, cursing his luck.
It felt as though Fate itself had turned against him.
The disapproving glares from Kamal and the elders only made Kazzah hang his head in sha.
When Kamal turned to Hannah and Leona, standing side by side across the room.
Hannah spoke up. “Not to , to him,” Her tone was firm as she pointed at Sokram, brooking no argunt.
Leona chid in as well. “Besides, wasn’t it you who called us all here to embarrass my disciple? Saying that his genius was going to his head? What about now?”
Sokram smirked at the Alpha Silverfang. “Don’t worry, Alpha Silverfang. I know that you, like my grandmothers, dote on this pup a great deal.”
Sokram patted Kazzah’s shoulder condescendingly.
“Besides, I wouldn’t feel comfortable having an elder bow to . However, I think that while the City Lord’s punishnt is fair…”
Sokram raised his hand, mimicking the universal sign for money, “…you could compensate our team instead of bowing your head. Of course, only you can decide how much your honor is worth, right?”
Hearing this, Hannah noticed a pattern.
Sokram seed determined to gather funds, for what purpose, she didn’t know.
It wasn’t as though they needed the money...
“Darling, you know we don’t need money. Why are you asking for compensation instead of accepting a bow from an elder?”
The other elders looked at him curiously, including Licarus, who awaited his response.
But Sokram wasn’t ready to reveal his plans just yet.
Instead, he offered a sensible excuse.
“Two reasons. First, such an apology wouldn’t fix things. It would only increase animosity between two influential families at a ti when Eversnow needs unity. We all know war is coming.”
Sokram’s reasoning impressed most of the elders with its maturity.
“And the second reason?” Licarus prompted, eager to get a better grasp of Sokram's motivations.
Sokram’s eyes glead mischievously as a shaless grin spread across his face. “There’s no such thing as too much gold, right?”
He winked at Hannah. “As you said, Nana, draconic greed knows no bounds. Besides, Alpha Silverfang will agree with that it’s better to have a friend and empty pockets than lots of money and no friends, right?”
Kamal swallowed hard at the ntion of ‘empty pockets,’ his pride warring with pragmatism.
Still, he couldn’t deny the wisdom in Sokram’s words, or the opportunity to form a business-oriented relationship with a rising star like him.
“Very well, I’ll compensate you and your team, young one, two hundred gold each. Not because my honor is worth so little, mind you, but because I wasn’t expecting this… unfortunate turn of events.”
The announcent shocked everyone, especially Amber and Lucy, who lived in the slums.
Even Sokram was surprised, though he quickly realized it wouldn’t hurt to have another wealthy client for future endeavors.
“We’ll gladly take it, right, guys?” Sokram turned to his team, who stood frozen in stunned silence at the thought of receiving such a fortune.
His words jolted them back to reality, and they eagerly nodded in agreent.
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