Dungeon Of Pride, Laplace

Miser was quite sure that the girl he saw was one of the extremely rare species the Forest Spring Royal Spirit. 

Although he had no definitive proof, but even if she is not one of them, there are hundreds of spirit orbs to be harvested. Therefore he needed to act fast and gather allies to subjugate the Forest Spring Spirit village.

However, before he could put his plans into action, he was caught and beaten up by the members of the Seven Swords guild. They had broken through his house and demanded that he pay back his debts.

Miser had accumulated a lot of debt and was on the verge of being enslaved if he didn't pay it back soon. Left with no choice, he disclosed the information regarding the forest spring spirit village to the Seven Swords guild in return for a share and all of his debt being settled.

One could only imagine the kind of uproar the guild had gone through once they got hold of this news. Their first reaction was to laugh at him as if looking at a clown. But the allure of hundreds of spirit orbs was something that would even make a top tier empire covet it, much less their small Seven Swords Guild.

The guild immediately decided to send forth a subjugation team of more than forty people led by Laris towards the Ghastly Winding Forest where the settlement of the Forest Spring Spirits was.

The guild could only afford to send a small team of elite warriors as sending anymore would be attracting the attention of the surrounding guilds. 

Laris looked at the fawning and sly face of Miser and couldn't help but feel disgusted. He hated people like him who could backstab you at any moment. Hence he decided to silence Miser after the completion of their plan.

However, he couldn't deny the usefulness of Miser up until this point. The man had planned out a safe route till the Forest Spring Spirits village and even knew the hidden entrance that led towards the inside of their village.

Without knowing that there was a hidden entrance inside the trunk of a dead Ancient Treant, they wouldn't have been able to capture the Forest Spring spirits so easily. The plan that Miser laid out, worked in the favour of their guild.

"Well since you are so sure that there is a Royal Spirit amidst them, then it's truly a piece of great news. If we are able to capture that royal spirit then our guild will be the strongest in the whole central continent... no the strongest in the entire world hahaha" Laris laughed out loud as if he could already imagine the glorious days their guild would bathe in after the success of their plan.

The forest spring spirit orb is able to purify one's bloodline, allowing them to break the restraints placed on them and reach a whole new realm. The price of each of these spirit orbs could be said as astronomical and would create an uproar no matter where they appeared. 

"Hehehe, it's as sir Laris said the Seven Swords would become the strongest guild in the whole world so please don't forget my share out of the loot" Mise gave few flattering words and reminded Laris of their agreement as he was afraid that they would forget it.

"Yeah I know, you don't have to remind me. The guild master promised you thirty percent share out of the loot we harvest. It will be handed to you after we return to the city. Don't worry the guild would naturally abide by its words" Laris smiled at Miser and said. 

What Miser didn't know was that there would be no share for him. The guild master of the Seven Swords Guild, Morgress had instructed Laris to silence Miser here after the completion of their plan. The fewer people that knew about the operation, the better it would be for the guild, or else if the word of them having a large number of spirit orbs got out, there would be no short-comings of trouble that would befall their guild in the future.

After all, hunting an ancient race like the Forest spring spirits for their spirit orbs is looked down upon by the whole world, a taboo. It is an act that is prohibited all around the world and if word gets out that their guild is secretly disregarding this, their whole guild might be wiped out in a single day and that is why he had to be extremely careful not to leave any loose ends.

While laris was delving into his thoughts, suddenly a person in an assassin's garb materialized seemingly out of thin air in the corner of the room. The man that appeared did not bother with the stunned look of the onlookers and swiftly took out a scroll and reported "Sir Laris, I bring words from the guild master".

Laris looked at the man shocked by his appearance. Why will he be not? The man was the direct subordinate of Boris, one of the Seven Swords a top-ranking officer in the guild and his appearance here meant that something had happened back in the guild.

His mind churned and the worst-case scenario appeared in his head. He thought that their plan had been found out. Laris took the Scroll and just when he was about to open it, he realized that Miser was still in the room. He ordered "Get out of here. I have some other work to do right now" as he looked at Miser.

When he saw that Miser was gone, he finally opened the parchment and read its content for a while. Towards the end, he finally couldn't take it anymore, crunched the paper, and threw it at the corner of the room.

Laris looked at the man with anger flashing in his eyes as he demanded " what does guild leader mean by sending Dale's team as a backup. Does he think that I am unable to finish this job by myself?".

The man was indifferent and simply gave a curt reply "what does guild think? The likes of you aren't qualified to question him. Just know that the situation has changed and that you are to stay here for one more month as per the orders of the guild master. As for sending Dale's team, he is here to safeguard the goods. You are to not make any big moves until further orders are given. Is that understood?".

Laris had an indignant face but he still replied with "Understood".

Seeing that he made himself clear, the man was just about to disappear when Laris asked "what does my big brother think about this?" laris looked at the man who was the direct subordinate of his brother. Sending him here didn't it mean that even his big brother thought the same? 

The man observed at laris deeply from behind his mask and said "Sir Boris is busy with another task that guild master had given him. You have to grow up, your brother cannot always look after you all the time. Besides sir Boris also consented with the decision of sending Dale here. It is in your best interest and also for the guild that you work together with him".

Boris was not only one of the Seven Swords but also his big brother. Laris had always looked up to his brother and that is also why he had joined this guild. But now he was told that even his big brother thought of him as incapable of handling this task.

Laris couldn't understand why the guild had suddenly decided to send another team as a backup. He could vaguely feel that the guild was acting a little different and so he asked "What is the situation is back in the city?".

The man seemed to be deliberating for a while before shaking his head and said "I have told you everything that I needed to tell you. As for other things, it is best that you do not question it. Focus on your task at hand".

Although Laris did not get an answer from the man, he was still unresigned to give credit for all his hard work to someone else from the guild. He thought internally as he made his resolve 'I'll show you guys that I'm not an incapable man.. Soon I'll get my hands on the Royal Spirit orb and prove you all wrong.'