Derek stared at the middle-aged Mage with a questioning gaze and a confused expression. He spoke.

“What do you mean?”

Lohann waved the piece of paper in his hands again.

“One of my scouts saw that a young man was communicating with someone through a Whisper spell. This is their report.”

Derek stood up and grabbed the paper, reading it carefully, but its contents were the same as what Lohann had said. He looked at the Mage.

“Couldn’t he be talking with a Mage from Yellowbright or Greenwood?”

The Mage nodded.

“He certainly could, just as he could be talking to the monster at Bluestone.”

“Do we know anything else about this?”

“No, the report was sent as soon as it was witnessed. Further information isn’t required to make a decision.”

Derek furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean?”

“One of ours is communicating with a Mage from another Village. That alone is enough to pursue them.”

“It’s possible that another Mage capable of using Whisper has appeared within Redglow. This information doesn’t mean this young man is a traitor.”

Lohann shrugged.

“That’s possible too. My point in coming here was to strongly advise further investigation. We need to know more. That’s the decision you need to make: whether to invest our resources on this or not.”

“There’s only one sensible answer. Of course we’ll get to the bottom of this. If it turns out he’s contacting another Mage from our Village, it’s fine. We’ll find a way to recruit them. If he turns out to be reaching out to other Villages, we can deal with him and make him an example. And, if his partner is the monster of Bluestone…”

A twisted smile made its way to Lohann’s face as he completed Derek’s words.

“…We’ll use their relationship to crush both of them. I’ll start by asking the Mage instructor if there’s any other Mage capable of using Whisper in Redglow. I doubt he’ll tell me anything, but it’s still worth a shot.”

“I’ll ask my men to look into what exact information he could be giving to the enemy. We might find a pattern. Personally, I think it’s more likely for him to be one of Yellowbright’s people.”

Lohann nodded. Yellowbright Village was certainly the strongest Village, and the organization that ruled its humans was much more efficient and streamlined than Derek’s. It was entirely plausible that they would attempt to infiltrate Derek’s group by communicating with villagers from Redglow. On the other hand, Bluestone and Greenwood weren’t particularly difficult to handle. However, Bluestone was becoming a problem; their coordinated effort was quickly reaching the level of an organization. If allowed to grow, Bluestone would end up matching Derek’s organization, and this was without considering the existence of a single being.

He's been recruiting those who were willing to change Villages.

He remembered the young man’s hateful face, making him scowl. He bitterly regretted the way he had built up his organization. Not because of his morality, but because it was proving to be too fragile. Those who had been coerced into joining did not hesitate to change to another group. Only the organization’s core remained strong. He turned to Lohann.

“There’s something else.”

The middle-aged man, who had already turned around and was about to leave, stopped and looked at Derek. He continued to speak.

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“How do you think you would fare in a battle against the monster?”

The Mage replied without hesitation.

“I’d lose.”

Derek frowned.

“…It’s that bad, huh?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m confident I don’t lose out compared to anyone when it comes to spells and Skills, knowledge on how to use them, how to string them together, and whatnot, but I simply don’t have strong enough defenses to handle his firepower.”

“Even with a group to protect you?”

“What difference would it make? He killed eleven men with what I believe to have been only three casts of Mana Wave, at most. Although…”

“What?”

“Based on what I could see when I visited the place where the fight had occurred, I believe the eleven men were all standing next to each other before death. It was hard to make out, given that the Skills’ power bisected them and threw their parts all over the place, but I still believe that was the case, even though there’s no way to be sure. They weren’t simply killed; they were executed.”

Derek’s frown intensified.

“That means that what they came across was powerful enough to make all of them surrender.”

“Yes, but it also means that there was no desperate struggle for survival. Maybe the monster wouldn’t have been able to kill them so simply had they not surrendered. Perhaps the monster is less monstrous than we think, just enough that we can manage to think of a way to defeat him.”

Derek scoffed.

“Are you willing to bet your life on it?”

Lohann merely looked at him with a deadpan expression.

“Yes, I am. But not now. We need to find a weakness first. This possible traitor seems like a strong lead.”

“That just means you aren’t willing to fight him.”

“You asked about whether I could defeat him, not that I had to do so in a battle. I maintain my stance that fighting him would lead only to death, even with a group to protect me. But that’s not the only way to handle someone.”

Derek stared into the eyes of his right-hand man. A thought crossed his mind, one that had already done so many times before.

This guy is dangerous.

If Derek was the face and brawns of the group, Lohann was the brains. But that wasn’t quite it either. The Mage went beyond being the strongest Mage in the organization and a good strategist. His most alarming trait was his willingness to do what many others could not, for any reason. Killing was only the first step of a staircase that he could climb far too easily. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone’s family just to affect them somehow. Derek didn’t know why that was the case; the man didn’t appear to be a psychopath. What exactly drove him?

Derek didn’t attempt to hide his clenched fists. He was only thankful that he was on the same side as this crazy bastard.

At least we can match the other side’s monster.

He didn’t consider himself a monster in any sense. Every death in his wake had been necessary and merciful. He might have killed more people than Bluestone’s monster, but he had only done so because he had to. Every man sent toward Bluestone was one that could never return again, but Derek didn’t waste his time thinking about them. If they died, it would have been for the greater cause. None of his men’s deaths were wasted. It was only right for them to die for the group. No, it was the bare minimum.

Derek spoke.

“Do what you have to do. Just find a way to stop that monster before he comes for our heads.”

He was effectively green-lighting any and all strategies Lohann could pull off. He received a twisted smile in return.

“Of course.”

The man turned around and left the room. Derek kept his frown. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was a blade hanging over his neck. He rubbed it absent-mindedly, returning to the table with the map. He gazed at the area depicting Yellowbright’s Territory with a severe expression. This was what he should be worried about. Lohann would handle Bluestone’s monster.

He needed to be the one to handle Viktor. If things continued on like this, he would soon be forced to spend his core warriors as expendable troops. That couldn’t happen. He needed a way to halt Viktor’s incredible advance before the point of no return.

He watched the boundaries of each Territory attentively.

***

“What the hell is this?”

Michael stared at the System message floating in front of him, baffled.

[You have acquired a new Title.]

[Title

The Monster of Bluestone Village: your renown and fame have spread far and wide, although not necessarily for good reasons. You are known as the invincible, brutal gatekeeper that guards Bluestone Village. None who defied you remained standing.

Effects: +3 All Stats.]

He sighed. He didn’t like this Title at all, but it was proof that the actions and reactions of other people could influence his Titles. It was important information. He slightly frowned as he realized its implications. Would this Title be removed if his reputation changed? Or was it permanent, like in games?

Besides that, I should be worried about being known for being a killer.

It was hateful, but these were the consequences of his actions. He didn’t regret executing those men. Maybe he really was a monster. At that moment, he turned his head. He had heard something. Walking toward him and into the light was a single man, waving a white cloth. Yet, he came from Redglow’s Territory. His frown intensified. As his hand was raised, the man yelled.

“I bring a message!”

Michael scoffed. What the hell was Derek planning this time?