(29) The Dark Guild

Chapter 29: The Dark Guild

After gathering information about the location of the ruins, Mira and Silver left the small village and arrived at a nearby hillside.

Setting up a canvas between several trees, they used the gaps in the foliage to glimpse a corner of the distant, ruined remains.

With a few swift strokes, they sketched the ruins along with the surrounding forest onto the paper.

"All set," Silver said, adding color to the scene before him as the setting sun illuminated the horizon.

Smiling faintly, he continued, "Now, let's see what's really going on in the ruins near that village."

With that, he activated a spell.

A magic circle, consisting of two interlocking rings, appeared below the painting and began spinning rapidly.

The leaves in the image began to sway as if in a real breeze.

Through Silver's manipulation, the painting soon focused on the ruins.

By then, night had fallen, and bonfires were lit within the ruins.

However, something puzzled both Silver and Mira—they couldn't see a single person anywhere.

"What's going on?" Mira asked, staring at the bonfires on the canvas, puzzled.

"I'm not sure. Maybe something is obscuring the image?" Silver speculated, his face also full of doubt.

Suspecting interference, he waved his hand, producing an object Mira had never seen before—a rectangular device with four small rotors and a transparent lens attached beneath it.

"What's this? What does it do?" Mira asked, her curiosity piqued by the unfamiliar device.

"It's a drone," Silver replied casually, as he began operating it.

Once the drone ascended and flew toward the ruins under his control, he continued, "This is another way to observe distant scenes. Unlike my painting, which uses magic to connect the image to the real-world scene for real-time updates, the drone transmits signals back to this remote control and display device."

He showed Mira the live feed on the remote control's screen.

"Why is the image black and white?" Mira questioned, noticing the lack of color.

Scratching his head, Silver explained, "That's because the drone uses night vision. As for the lack of color, it has to do with how light reflects off objects and the principles of human vision. To put it simply… well, I just don't have the knowledge or technology to create a color night vision system."

"So, in the end, it's just because you're not skilled enough. Why not just say you can't do it?" Mira retorted, rolling her eyes.

All the technical jargon about vision, light, and wavelengths went over her head until Silver's final admission.

"Hmm?" Just as Silver was about to defend himself, something caught his attention.

On the drone's screen, a few figures appeared around the bonfire.

Glancing back at the painting on the easel, the area around the bonfire was still empty.

"It seems there's definitely something strange going on," Mira commented.

Standing beside Silver, she also noticed the figures.

She quickly realized that the individuals must have used some kind of magic to block detection spells.

Without the drone, they might never have discovered them.

"What should we do now?" Silver, inexperienced with handling such situations, turned to Mira for guidance.

"They're definitely wizards, and given how secretive they are, they're likely dark wizards. Use the drone to check for any guild emblems on them," Mira instructed calmly.

"Shouldn't we contact the guild leader first?" Silver asked while maneuvering the drone to circle around the figures for a better view, as Mira had suggested.

"Let's identify who they are first. If we can handle them, we won't need guild support," Mira said, leaning closer to the remote's screen.

As she observed the figures carefully, she suddenly said, "Wait, go back a little."

"Alright," Silver replied, rewinding the footage until the drone reached a specific angle.

"Stop. Right there," Mira ordered.

"What's this?" Silver asked, examining the screen closely.

On the drone's feed, one figure had a faint emblem on their shoulder—a pattern of a large circle enclosing a smaller one.

The circles weren't regular or concentric; instead, one edge of the large circle overlapped with the small one entirely.

"The Devil's Toe," Mira said grimly.

"Toe?" Silver squinted at the image, then realized the meaning behind the two circles.

"Yes, it's the symbol of the Dark Guild: Devil's Toe," Mira confirmed, her tone serious.

"So, should we request guild support now?" Silver asked.

Mira shook her head and explained, "Devil's Toe is just a bottom-tier dark guild. Their guild master is only a B-Class wizard. Besides, they were defeated by a light guild a few months ago, and most of their members were captured."

"These few are merely stragglers who slipped through the cracks. There's no need to request support from the guild. With one A-Class wizard and one B-Class wizard, we can take them all down ourselves."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mira activated her Satan Soul, spreading her wings and flying straight toward the ruins.

In a matter of moments, she was hovering above the site. Without any hesitation, she unleashed her ultimate move: Soul Extinctor.

Though the darkness obscured the black vortex forming in her hands, the massive surge of magical power immediately alerted the remaining members of Devil's Toe hiding below.

Having already been on edge since their main base was destroyed by the light guild, the dark wizards panicked as soon as they sensed the overwhelming magic.

Rather than resisting, they scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives. As a result, Mira's attack only took out two or three of them within its range.

Seeing that her ultimate move hadn't finished them all off, Mira flapped her wings and shot off in pursuit without a moment's delay.