Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 335: Exarchs

Chapter 335: Exarchs

On account of the Mouthpiece remaining silent even after Alex had realized his mistake and apologized, Lord Fitzgerald grew worried that she had picked offense and so in haste, decided to speak up to defend the boy. "Mouthpiece..."

A single finger up was enough to silence him, causing his worries to worsen as he felt powerless to make a difference.

Ignoring the helpless expression on Fitzgerald’s face, the Mouthpiece finally spoke. "You make a compelling argument, Lucius and though I am inclined to withdraw my decision to have you pay for what you did, I cannot, in good faith, do so."

"But..."

"I’m not finished." The woman said, cutting Alex off.

"I apologize, Mouthpiece."

"You are the first proxy to experience such a thing, so it’s doubtful that even if you were better prepared, you’d be able to make a difference. However, allowing you to go scot-free serves to leave only negative connotations to the rest of the Order and so, to ensure that this matter is settled properly, I will now pass my judgment."

"..." Alex remained silent, taking the initiative to hold his breath as he waited patiently for the verdict.

Then the woman began. "You will be tasked to head the current set of final-year students for the Imperial Academy in their mystical studies. If you fail to ensure that they are properly learned at the end of the semester, then your life shall be forfeit. Do you understand?"

Gulping nervously, Alex slowly nodded.

Alas, that wasn’t enough as the woman inquired yet again with a bit more force. "Do you understand?"

"... Yes, Mouthpiece. I shall do my best not to fail you."

"Good. I look forward to seeing what you can achieve by the end of the year."

With that settled, both men ended up letting out breaths almost simultaneously, only to hold their breath again as the Mouthpiece remarked.

"Fitzgerald, remain, the boy can leave."

"Yes, Mouthpiece." Lord Fitzgerald replied as he glanced at Alex, gesturing for him to take his leave.

Alex feigned hesitance at first before deciding to take his leave.

Rising to his feet, he turned to take his leave only for the Mouthpiece to call out to him once again, momentarily catching him off guard.

Taking a sharp breath, Alex turned to face the mirror where the blurry-faced woman was still visible, and then she spoke.

"Tell me something."

"Yes, Mouthpiece?"

"How many of the Dust people are left?"

"Mouthpiece?" Alex feigned unfamiliarity with the term with the Mouthpiece inquiring yet again.

"The Dust people, how many are left?"

Alex pursed his lips, seemingly in deep thought before he replied. "I cannot say for certain, the Beastmen were quite tight-lipped on the number they’d dealt with before the organization kidnapped me."

For some reason, Fitzgerald grew tense as silence bathed the room with Alex inadvertently holding his breath as he waited for a response.

Seconds later the goosebumps on Alex’s skin suddenly faded away causing him to realize just how close he had been to falling on his face.

It would seem the Mouthpiece was still wary of him, which was without a doubt an understandable outcome.

"Fine then, you may take your leave. I shall handle the rest."

"Thank you, Mouthpiece."

With that, Alex turned to finally exit only to pause once he’d gotten to the door.

Then, turning to face the mirror yet again, he intoned. "Mouthpiece, forgive my insolence but there is one more thing I should inform you about."

"Oh... what is it?"

Taking a deep breath, he replied. "The leader of the organization met with me and asked that I deliver a message."

"What message?"

"... That he was coming, that soon Cance shall experience the power of the Shadowless."

His words, though slightly exaggerated, earned a frown from Lord Fitzgerald and though he couldn’t make out an expression from the lady in the mirror, Alex had a feeling his words had an impact.

With his job completed, he bowed and took his leave, closing the door with a gentle thud.

Silence persisted for a moment before she spoke up. "Fitzgerald..."

"Yes, Mouthpiece." The Duke nervously replied.

"You raised a smart boy. He is quite capable, coming up with such an argument even when his life was at an end."

"I couldn’t be more proud." Came the response though the underlying sense of worry couldn’t be so easily discarded.

Ignoring his tension, the Mouthpiece continued. "However, you must keep an eye on him. Though he seems alright, I doubt things are that simple. Watch his movements and ensure he does nothing that could prove detrimental to the Order. Understood?"

"As you wish, Mouthpiece."

"Good. I shall take my leave now."

"Thank you for gracing us with your presence." Lord Fitzgerald remarked, taking a deep bow as he spoke.

The mirror soon turned completely black before returning to normal with the candle flames switching from green to yellow.

With the Mouthpiece gone, Fitzgerald finally let out a sigh of relief.

It would seem no one would be dying today.

***

Meanwhile, in a hallway held up by imposing stone pillars and lit up by floating green flame tongues stood a woman in an overflowing blue dress.

Her features were perfect without a single defect and her demeanor radiated the aura of a leader with her eyes sharp enough to pierce a person’s soul.

Her blonde hair swayed gently in the cold draft of wind that somehow found its way into the hallway, with voices from somewhere far away whispering something into her ears.

She acted as though in deep conversation, only stopping after 7 cloaked men, donning unique clown masks that expressed varying emotions and exuding quite potent auras emerged from somewhere behind the pillars.

"You heard the conversation, did you not, Smiley?"

"Yes ma’am, I had no idea that this... Shadowless would be so bold as to try and threaten us." a deep male voice replied.

"Perhaps they wish to use us as a stepping stone." A more vibrant feminine echoed from the cloaked figure wearing a teary-eyed clown mask.

"They are fools slowly marching towards their grave." Yet another added, his clown mask depicting an angry face.

"Enough." The woman finally remarked, causing the others to go silent.

Taking the time to glance at each one, she continued. "Since Aragon has turned on us, we can’t continue to remain lax. We are pressed for time and if we waste any more of it, we might end up... gone. That is what is most important right now, not some cultists."

"We understand, Ma’am. Just give us the word, and we’ll go over and kill the rest. It shouldn’t be a problem."

"And if it is?... The Beastmen are not so weak, Pouty."

"Neither are we."

Hardly picking any offense with the bold statement, the woman glanced at everyone present before nodding. "Fine then. You all are Exarchs of the Order, make no mistake, ensure the death of all remaining dust people. Understood?"

"Don’t worry, ma’am. We’d be back quicker than you know."

Ignoring, the woman added. "Take some Supremacists with you, you’d need the manpower."

"But what about the Shadowless Lucius mentioned?... I doubt they would be considered useless if they managed to convince Aragon to go against us." Smiley remarked, his baritone voice echoing in the silent hall.

"There’s no need to worry. Cance has been our base for so long, do you think some fools would be able to come here and beat us?... Do not underestimate the Order, Smiley. Now leave, the more time we waste, the worse the situation might become. We must complete this before the end of the month. Understood?"

"As you wish."

With that sorted, the clown masks quickly retreated into the shadows, leaving nary a trace that they had once been there.

"Soon." The woman muttered softly. "Very soon."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.