"I did consider the vast number of inconsistences in the boy's testimony," said Ferdiad. "Yet, there is no disputing the fact that he is a four-star adventurer. Before he has even reached the age of twenty.

As a human, that is exceptional, and his record is clean and impressive.

Fifty-six successful hunts. A few of which were a letter grade above his own ranking. The boy may be young, but he knows what he is doing."

"Then why the holes in his testimony, I must wonder," said Xie Bao.

"Oh, the poor boy has just lost his mind, me thinks," said Leanan. "He lost his love and his sister passed from her injuries.

Who can blame him for breaking down? I know I could never bring myself to." Her words were warm and compassionate, and yet, the tone of voice had a faint hint of coldness to it that made it clear to everyone in that room that Leanan was still an eight-star adventurer who had killed and faced death countless times.

"What I think happened is that he picked up the contract for goblins and retrieval of the one star party's corpses," said Leanan as she put a finger to her full, deeply red lips. "He hit an Unbound dungeon, got cocky because he's young and strong, and maybe it warped in something way too much for him to handle.

That could happen, right?

And to push blame away from himself, he just made up this big and scary monster."

"If he has lied during his testimony to us, members of the High Council, then he must be executed," said Xie Bao flatly.

"Oh, no, not that!" said Leanan. "The poor boy must be dealing with so much already. So cruel, so harsh, no I would vote against that in a heartbeat!"

Xie Bao scoffed. "You let your emotions rule you to this extent? I wonder how you have made it so far in our line of work.

Rules are rules.

There can be no exceptions. If it is proven his testimony has been falsified, he must be executed for breaching trust, and trust is a precious resource among us Adventurers. I will sever his head from his neck myself if I have to."

"You know, I miss your brother when he used to sit there. Zhen always comforted me and laughed with me, oh, he was so charming," said Leanan with a sigh. "How did you turn out so different?"

"My brother is a fool, a drunk, a coward to his duties, and a disgrace to the Xie name," said Xie Bao. "I am far better suited to this seat than he ever was and will be."

Ferdiad raised his hand and beckoned for quiet again. "We still have not proven his testimony is false. And we must entertain the possibility it is yet true.

The boy is not insane. His head is still set square upon his shoulders. In fact, I have not sensed such sharp drive and focused will in a man's eyes in quite some time."

He nodded to the seat opposite to him where the Sorcerer's Order representative sat.

"Mithra," said Ferdiad. "Has the second round of investigations returned any more substantial information?"

Mithra drew in a long puff from an elegantly curved wooden pipe as she looked down to a stack of papers in her hand. She breathed out, forming a neat ring of smoke that faded away when it reached the end of the range for her projection.

She looked every bit the quintessential sorcerer. Traditional robes colored a sandy brown to indicate that she was from Utu and green eyes lined with deep, dark bags that too seemed to be a common accessory for sorcerers and their long hours of research.

"Hmmm...," Mithra trailed off for a second before speaking again after gathering her thoughts. "The second investigatory team of sorcerers has yielded little more," said Mithra with a soft, bored tone. "But that is to be expected.

Judica has blocked the area for their own investigations. With their interference, it is quite impossible to perform the necessary scans, sample analyses, and leyline readings."

Ferdiad clicked his mandibles in irritation.

Judica was likely the most powerful city state in the entirety of Terra, perhaps even the strongest force across all of the Common Realms.

They alone did not have Guilds within their city for each and every one of their citizens were powerful and capable of slaughtering most low-grade monsters with their bare hands. Not to mention the Nine Rays whose combined might could rival even the gods.

Because of this, the Adventurer's League did not hold much leverage over Judica. They would have to ask for permission to investigate the area, and there was no telling what the holy state would allow.

"Judica," said Xie Bao in audible disgust. "Sun-crazed fanatics, all of them, but I cannot deny their efficiency. Considering their presence, is it not prudent to believe that the cause of this incident of daemonic or vampyrean origin?"

"Oh, certainly, it is possible," said Mithra as she took in another draught from her pipe. "But quite unlikely.

There are no more rogue daemonic or vampyrean entities across the realms, or at the very least, none powerful enough to pose any real threat.

With the destruction of Zerul, I should say that those that have not been killed or enslaved hold not even the numbers nor order to form anything resembling an organized state."

Mithra cocked her head, thinking as she exhaled, covering her projection in a hazy sheen of smoke. "Though I suppose the refugees banding together in New Zerul comes close."

"Oh, Mithra, you must stop smoking," said Leanan. "It will wrinkle your pretty face and make your lungs all black and smelly."

Mithra smiled faintly. "I am a woman of habit. There is nothing to be done about that.

But on to New Zerul: though it is located in Terra, I find it improbable they would send any of their kind out.

Already, the existence of their state is in constant uncertainty predicated upon the contingency that they do not harm any Common Life.

They cannot risk the Common Body bearing down on them lest they lose the one final bastion they may call home."

"Better to have them wiped out. Are they not merely monsters now that they are removed from the Common Body?" said Xie Bao. "They killed millions in the Red Night. They have yet to pay for their sins. My brother might not have been able to raise his blade against them, but I will."

"Stay on the topic at hand," said Ferdiad, raising his voice slightly, and silence fell into the room again. He sighed. "We simply lack information, then.

All we have is the adventurer's testimony and reports that detail the traces of an Unbound dungeon, and its collapse has probably masked any potential magical traces we could have found to track any abnormal monsters. Not to mention Judica's interference."

"What are the chances, Ferd? A monster would have to be S-class at the minimum for us to have to step in, and a creature like that in the Darkwoods of all places?" said Leanan. "You must learn to relax.

You know, both of us are in Foraoise, and I know my kind only comes out at day and yours comes out at night, but maybe I can see you and help you relax?

Oh, the queen of the Summer Court and the Erlking spending time together, that would be quite the scandal between our peoples."

"Yes, and precisely why it shall not be done," said Ferdiad. "We will get nowhere like this. I will make a decision now unless the rest of you wishes to put this up to vote."

"I trust in your judgement," said Xie Bao.

"I must say I am of the same opinion," said Mithra.

"Whatever you want," said Leanan.

Ferdiad's inky black eyes blinked, slivers of thin white flesh covering sliding over them as his antennae twitched. Of course they would agree with him. Because he was strong. Because they were strong.

This was the problem with a council filled only by the strong.

The weakest adventurer here was Mithra at seven stars, and even then, that was because she did not prioritize work with the League and more her research.

Everybody else was eight stars and above, and all of them had been invited to join the gods in Aetheria as Ascended but for one reason or another, whether it be a need to manage a people or personal matters, they had refused.

A proper seven star adventurer was the perfect threshold where those born with incredible natural talent could reach with consistent hard work and wits.

Nobody here had truly worked for their power. Every single person here was born with power from the beginning that made them comparable to natural disasters. Because of this, they never learned to work with others. Other people would merely slow them down.

They faced death, but trusted only in their own strength to overcome it, and because they were strong, they always did.

Ferdiad might have been the only one here that was not born with monstrous power, the only one among them that had ever been in a proper party, and even then, he outgrew his party incredibly quickly once he gained the Blessing that made him as strong as he was today.

In any case, he still liked to hear other voices. And, perhaps he thought with some amusement, he too had started to value only the opinions of the strong.

"Then I will take some precautionary measures. An A-rank contract spread across all guilds to find any monster that fits the adventurer's descriptions. Triple coin reward and a potential star-rank promotion if the monster is killed should be alluring enough," said Ferdiad.

"No."

Ferdiad shivered as did the rest of the representatives' projections. They all turned simultaneously to the throne. The sigil of interlocked rings glowed a bright red, and from it, a voice projected.

"Lady Amanirenas," said Ferdiad with bowed head.

It was extremely rare for Amanirenas, goddess of war and the highest authority of the Adventurer's League, to ever make her presence known. Ferdiad in his twenty five years as Leaguemaster had only ever felt her voice once during the Red Night.

"It is…it is an honor to have you with us."

"There will be no contract," said Amanirenas.

Her figure did not project, only her voice did. It was calm while holding a rough edge to it that felt like a prelude to an infinitely more dangerous rage simmering just underneath the calm. "There will be no mention of this matter outside the boundaries of this space."

"What of the young adventurer?" said Ferdiad, his head still bowed.

"He has potential to be a fine warrior yet. I will not dispose of him. And none will believe his words."

"Understood," said Ferdiad.

"You work well, and you work often," said lady Amanirenas to Ferdiad. "Ease yourself of this matter.

It is mine and mine only now"