Chapter 1030: Snowball Effect
Chapter 1030: Snowball Effect
"So... has he responded to your message yet?"
Having returned to Algerie Kingdom for over a day already, it was only a matter of time for both Wells and Edward to readjust to how they were before, with any hints of their participation of the war seemingly gone from every inch of their body.
"Nope." Making the most out of the week-long vacation their efforts had given them, Wells took the opportunity to laze around in the room they'd occupied for a long time, shaking his head as he responded to Edward's question.
In response, Edward had a slight look of concern. "What do you think he's doing right now? Do you think he's in danger?"
"Perhaps..." Wells looked back at the young teenager before shrugging his shoulders. "But most likely not."
"After all, he's the strongest between the three of us," he continued, making use of his words to ease the tension Edward was feeling. "If anything, we're the ones who are more likely to fall in danger."
"Then, why has he not replied back to your messages yet?"
"He's most likely busy doing something else," replied Wells. "He's probably in the middle of forging something. He's usually like that."
"Is that so?" Having not interacted with Valyr for as long as Wells, there were still many aspects about the young man that Edward was still unsure of.
Because of that, Wells' words temporarily put the young teenager at ease, giving the former the opportunity to order a hearty meal for the two of them from the inn.
"In any case, it's only a matter of time until he replies," said Wells to Edward. "You don't remain vigilant and cautious all the time, you know? After all, we're currently under the safety of the kingdom."
"Though... it really would be nice if he comes and meets up with us before we head back to the battlefield."
...
Bang!
Within one of the larger clan estates located in Algerie Kingdom, a man with a long beard slammed his fists into the desk before him, turning it into wood pieces of various shapes and sizes as it could not resist the man's strength.
"What do you mean you accepted the Blacksmith Guild's request?! Do you think the Nicholas clan is some sort of pushover to fold when an organization requests to buy the clan's people?!"
Channeling his rage into every word that came out of his mouth, the man glared daggers at the young man on the other side, whose face had long become pale the moment the table in front of him was crushed into pieces.
"You better explain yourself well, Christopher," said the man after taking the time to control his rage. "Because if you don't..."
"Who knows whether this clan would still remain standing the next day."
Feeling immense fear and terror from the man's words, Christopher continued to shudder for quite some time, only to have it under control after taking a few deep breaths.
Looking into the eyes of the man before him, the young man then gave him a respectful bow as the gears in his mind began to furiously turn.
"I dare not lie in front of the Ancestor. We have indeed sold the rights of that family from the fallen Imperio clan due to the Blacksmith Guild's request."
"To be exact, we have given the rights to the Blacksmith Guild over 10 months ago," said Christopher as he maintained subservience towards the man before him.
"I wouldn't have asked you to come here if I didn't know all of that," the man with the long beard replied, his expression showing a hint of annoyance. "Instead, what I want to know is what came over you for you to agree to the request in the first place."
Remaining silent as the gears in his mind continued to turn, it was only after a while did Christopher respond.
"As the current leader of the Nicholas clan, I've deemed the family of the fallen Imperio clan unnecessary..." said the young man, his tone that of slight uncertainty. "Hence I've decided to agree to the Blacksmith Guild's request."
"Unnecessary... unnecessary, you say?" Focusing his attention on a single word Christopher uttered, the man began to move closer to him, releasing his aura to its limits as he wanted the former to sense the immense rage he was feeling.
"Do you really think the family of the fallen Imperio clan is unnecessary?"
"Are you telling me that I, Zachial Armand Nicholas, have made the useless decision of taking in the family of the fallen Imperio clan?"
"T-That's not what I meant..." Realizing that the man before him was truly incensed, Christopher immediately tried his best to resolve the situation and appease the man...
But to no avail.
"Then, what do you mean, Christopher?!" yelled Zachial with great fury. "Did you really think I took that family into the clan as slaves for no reason? Do you think of me as an imbecile,
Christopher?!"
"No, I..."
"They had something I wanted, Christopher!" continued Zachial. "Something the entire clan could've used to finally enter the ranks of Imperial clans! Something we could've used as a foothold in the ongoing war against the orcs!"
"Yet, you blew it all away! You blew it all away because of your immense stupidity!"
"..." Understanding that nothing he'd say could change the current situation, Christopher eventually decided to remain silent, enduring all of the harsh words Zachial threw at him. Fortunately, the decision turned out to be correct, with Zachial eventually catching his breath after spewing a tirade of curses at the young man a few minutes later.
"...Haah." Letting out a low sigh as he realized the words he'd thrown at the young man, Zachial went over his thoughts for a bit, only to realize that Christopher wasn't wholly in the
wrong.
After all, he'd hidden the reason why he'd taken the family of the fallen Imperio clan in from the entire clan, which inadvertently resulted into the current situation they were in. However, even though he knew that, Zachial still refrained from apologizing, keeping up an infallible facade as he looked at Christopher with a serious expression. "So, what happened to the family after they were taken in by the Blacksmith Guild?"
"...Thanks to our reconnaissance team, we've found out that the parents are under the care of the Blacksmith Guild," replied Christopher after some time, gathering his thoughts amidst
the silence.
"Currently, they're residing within the sector the Blacksmith Guild has claimed for
themselves within the kingdom."
"How about the child?" asked Zachial in response, noticing the oddity in Christopher's words.
"He's been taken under the wing of a man named Ylvar from the Blacksmith Guild," replied Christopher. "Under that person, his strength had grown by leaps and bounds, even going so far as to participate at the frontlines in the ongoing war against the orcs."
"Ylvar..." With no way to bring the family of the fallen Imperio clan back to his clan, Zachial decided to cut his losses, focusing his attention towards the man that had taken the child of that family in. "Do we know who he is exactly?"
"The Blacksmith Guild has kept his identity under wraps." Christopher shook his head. "However, the information gathering team has made speculations that Ylvar is a being that a certain clan has been looking for all this time, considering the man's appearance." "Which clan are you talking about?" Zachial raised his eyebrows, only for his eyes to flutter as
a thought came to mind. "Wait... the Zeihardt clan?"
Christopher faintly nodded in response.
"...Hahaha..." Taking note of the young man's response, Zachial soon began to chuckle, only
for it to turn into a full-on cackle as more and more time passed.
Eventually, the man let out a slightly relieved sigh as he looked at Christopher with a
confident smile. "Well then. This situation isn't that bad either."
"We could use this as an opportunity to push our clan to a position that even an Imperial clan
can't reach."
"Christopher."
"Yes?"
"Send an envoy to the Zeihardt clan."