Michael walked alongside James and Elizabeth. As he did, Elizabeth gave him more information about what had changed while he was in the Dungeon. His attention never wavered. He kept his guard up at all times. The trio’s destination was a clearing in the boundary between Redglow and Yellowbright’s Territories.

He learned that it had been designated as temporary ‘neutral ground.’ The scale of the conflict between the two Villages had lessened considerably. Now, only a few attacks from rogue groups from Redglow occurred. Yellowbright’s leader’s influence resulted in almost all attacks from Yellowbright completely ceasing, except for other rogue groups. The reason for these changes was obvious.

Lohann became public enemy number one.

His messenger still didn’t dare to step out of Redglow, but Lohann’s other forces were at work. The information that almost ten people from different Villages had been murdered over the past couple of days spread like wildfire throughout Redglow. Michael was certain that it was the case for Bluestone as well.

Lohann’s indiscriminate killings caused a temporary lull in the Territory Wars. Almost all of Redglow was completely focused on either hiding – which was what the majority did – or finding him and dealing with him. Some wanted him to be ‘arrested’ while others argued that he should be killed, but the general sentiment was the same. In spite of this concentrated effort, nobody had succeeded in finding Lohann.

It was at that time that envoys from Yellowbright arrived.

They said that they came in peace and were focused on dealing with Lohann.

Their words had been effective. Many of Redglow’s groups started feeding them information after acknowledging the organization. James spoke.

“Michael, are you sure about your plan?”

Michael nodded.

“Yes. It’s the most effective way, in case Elizabeth can’t convince them.”

“You’ll end up blowing your cover.”

“That has to happen at one point anyway.”

James let out a small sigh.

“Alright. If you’re certain, I will support you.”

Soon, they reached their destination. Tens of people spread out in a circle around a group of five. Their leader was a man with a composed expression who was speaking with one of the people in the circle. That person’s words were heard.

“And that’s why I believe that Lohann isn’t hiding in Redglow Territory. We’ve scoured through it. There’s nothing else to be found.”

The leader replied in a stable tone.

“The existence of undisclosed hideouts should be taken as a given. The probability of there being hidden bases is high.” The other person frowned, but the leader continued to speak, “This is not to say that you have done a poor job. I don’t doubt that everyone here has tried their best to find Lohann. I am merely raising the possibility that you might have missed something.”

“Why is it so hard to consider that he might be in another Territory?”

“You know the answer just as well as I do. Hiding in another Territory would be no different from hiding amongst an enemy army.”

The conversation was gradually dismissed by Michael. The words turned into unrecognizable sounds, and then vanished entirely. He focused solely on staring at the composed leader. Gradually, his mind drew a picture of the man’s mana signature. After some time, Michael turned to his friends.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“I’m done. I’ll be able to reach out to him through Whisper.”

James responded.

“…I hope you know what you’re doing, bro.”

They had what they came for, but simply leaving would draw unnecessary attention. As such, they waited for the information exchange to be over. Others supported the first person’s claims that Lohann was in enemy Territory; they, too, had attempted to search for him. Yellowbright’s group listened to virtually everyone who stepped forward. However, there was no valuable intel. It was a frustrating development, and it was visibly starting to affect the people, as well as Yellowbright’s group. Even the leader had lost his composed expression.

It doesn’t feel like we’re any closer to succeeding.

If anything, at least looking for Lohann in other Territories could produce some results. At the same time, it would be a wasted effort if he were truly still within Redglow Territory. The lack of a clear course of action was infuriating. It was also why Michael decided to proceed with his plan.

As the crowd dispersed, Michael and his two friends followed along, returning to Redglow Village. He turned around just in time to see Yellowbright’s group’s leader scowling. He frowned as well. He half-expected this gathering not to produce any results, but it still left a bitter aftertaste.

No matter. We will make much more progress after I Whisper to them and get in contact with Yellowbright’s leader.

After reaching their room, they closed the door behind them. Waiting for them inside was the rest of their friends. Naomi quickly spoke.

“So?”

Michael shook his head slowly.

“Nothing. We’ll go with my plan.”

She furrowed her brow.

“It’s risky.”

“It’s our only alternative at this point. It would take too long to achieve anything with our current methods.”

Michael raised his hand, whispered a chant under his breath, and then spoke.

“I’m starting now.”

Mana shimmered in the air around him, traveling to its destination. The spell constructed itself, anticipating the moment when it could become concrete. After a few seconds, the other end responded. The spell took shape as a floating, ethereal mouth made of mana. It floated above Michael’s palm. A familiar voice echoed out of it. It was the voice of the Yellowbright leader they had just seen.

“A Mage capable of using Whisper decided to contact me? I suppose you’re already aware of our situation. Will you help us? Or is this some type of threat?”

Michael replied.

“I am willing to help, but I wish to have direct access to your higher echelon. I believe that would be most efficient.”

A few seconds of silence ensued. The voice that came out of the floating mouth was now irritated.

“You want to speak to our leaders? Why should I comply? Tell me what you know, instead.”

“No, I believe that you’ll recognize the need to accept my demand. Because,” Michael took a deep breath, “I am the Monster of Bluestone Village.”

Around him, his friends waited for the response. This was the critical moment. More silence. Just as Michael was beginning to think that he should speak more, a subdued voice resounded.

“…There’s no proof that you truly are the Monster.”

He wasn’t sure why the man sounded like that, but it seemed like his words hadn’t been dismissed as pure nonsense. Michael smiled.

“It can’t be proven that I’m the Monster, but aren’t I at least someone capable of using Whisper? I believe I will be a worthwhile addition to your forces.”

“…I’ll relay the message to my superiors. We have our own Mages with Whisper, but without your mana signature, we won’t be able to reach out first. Whisper to me in two hours.”

“Very well. Deliver my message in full. I’ll be anticipating your response.”

The ethereal mouth came undone, its mana dispersing through the air. Elizabeth spoke.

“That was the right call.”

Michael replied.

“If their leader truly wants to deal with Lohann, they’ll have no choice but to seriously consider my words. The possibility of getting in contact with the Monster of Bluestone Village – the one believed to have killed Derek – is too attractive to ignore.”

“Aren’t you ashamed of calling yourself that?”

“What can I do? It’s how they refer to me. There’s no better way to be clear about my identity. It might be embarrassing, but it is what it is.”

Michael had a frown as he said this. Elizabeth sighed. She spoke.

“We’ll support you.”

Michael wished that he could tell her not to worry, but truthfully, he wasn’t certain about what kind of reaction Yellowbright would have. If the man he spoke to didn’t talk to his superiors, there was no way for this plan to proceed.

The hours ticked by slowly. Michael noticed that all of his friends were anxious. It was a feeling that he shared. After the two hours were up, Michael used Whisper once more. The response was swift. The leader’s voice echoed.

“We are willing to meet you and hear you out.”

Michael nodded, even though the other party couldn’t see him.

“Alright. Come to the place of the last information exchange. We’ll meet there.”

“…You were among the crowd?”

“Yes.”

“…Very well.”

He dismissed the spell. Michael spoke to his friends.

“I should get going. Wait for me here.”

The response was immediate. James spoke before anyone else.

“Not a chance. We’re coming with you.”