Secret Meeting [Pt 1]

"So… how are things now?"

Ralyks was seated on a couch within the vast reception hall of the main building within the Royal Estate. He was such a distinguished individual that the Royal Council considered him more than worthy to be treated with the utmost courtesy.

The entire room sparkled with luxury. The curtains were made of fabrics of the highest order. The same could be said about the carpets and furniture.

Exquisite paintings could be seen in all directions, and the fine decor radiated such pristine elegance that it could only belong to the very top of the social ladder.

Of course, the most expensive kind of chandelier was affixed to the cieling, and the sheer radiance it depicted could make any man shed tears.

The fact that Ralyks was not overwhelmed by this experience simply spoke volume of his character, and how he was probably used to this kind of excessive luxury.

He was clearly unfazed.

"Things have stabilized, thankfully." Conrad answered his question. Seated beside him were Adonis and Vida, both of whom were parties to the secret meeting between Ralyks and the Alliance's higher-ups.

The goal on the side of the Royal Council—which the Hero was informally now a part of—was simple, yet difficult.

… To make Ralyks a permanent ally of the United Human Alliance.

His strength and resourcefulness was enough to make them unanimously decide that this was the best course of action that they could take.

They were willing to ignore his unknown identity and shady abilities.

As long he was on their side… that was all that mattered.

"That is good to hear." Ralyks responded calmly, as always.

The ball was in the court of the Royal Council. For the Dark Adventurer, he had confirmed all he wanted to know.

It had been a bit over two weeks since the Dark Gathering, as well as the Full Sweep Incident of the Merchant City.

A lot had happened since then.

Not only were things dug into and further investigated by the Royal Council, but they were able to discover even more criminals tied to the Underworld.

The eerie thing about their investigation, however, was that anytime they tracked down one of the people they had confirmed to be complicit in the illegal side of the Alliance, those individuals were already dead.

It was almost as if someone, somewhere, was carrying out divine judgment.

They had asked Ralyks about it, but he claimed not to be involved, so they had to figure out who was responsible for the Nation-wide culling that was happening.

Other than that aspect of things, everything else was stable.

"We aren't sure how many shadows are still lurking around, but everyone is working diligently to search for the last remains of the criminal underworld." Vida added with a smile.

"That's good to hear…" Ralyks responded once again.

"We've also recovered most of the resources that the Dark Triumvirate hoarded. Since they now belong to the Alliance, we plan on properly redistributing the wealth and also ensuring the relevant resources go towards the battlefront."

Adonis' words were coupled with his smile.

The older ones beside him nodded in total agreement. Every resource they got from the entire incident would be geared towards the betterment of humanity.

"You've all done well." Ralyks said, nodding in satisfaction.

His audience beamed once they noticed he was pleased with the full analysis of their activities.

"No, we didn't really do much, Sir Ralyks."

"It's all thanks to you, Sir Ralyks."

"We really owe you more than words can say, Sir Ralyks."

Their words were most certainly true, but they also had the intention of asking for even more of his favor. As such, they had to take on this approach.

"You are still yet to recieve your reward, Sir Ralyks. Please tell us what you would like. Even though what we have is limited, we will grant you anything we have the power to." Conrad took the bold step to ask the pending question.

Everyone waited to hear what their masked hero would say.

However, much to their surprise, he just shrugged as soon as the question was posed.

"There's nothing on my mind at the moment. I'll think about it and get back to you." Ralyks' response betrayed his identity as an Adventurer.

It caused the three who heard him to open their mouths in shock.

"Is that fine?" His modesty and exemplary attitude painted him as a saint—far more righteous than any man could possibly be.

Beads of sweat fell from their faces and they nodded.

"Y-yes, it's fine!"

Now that they had confirmed his true nature, this was the perfect time to ask for the alliance. Conrad, Vida, and Adonis exchanged nods, their signal obvious to the man who sat directly opposite them.

They seemed like excited children who were ready to execute a plan. They didn't care, though—not when such an opportunity had presented itself to them.

Before the three could say any more, though, a question arrived from Ralyks.

"Do you fear me?"

Once the question echoed in the hall, there was silence. Absolute, undisputed silence pervaded everything.

Conrad, Adonis, and Vida looked at Ralyks, unable to see beyond his dark mask and crimson eyes as he awaited their response.

Their gulps didn't seem too strange as well.

"To be honest… yes. I fear you, Sir Ralyks." The first to speak was Adonis.

He had a grave expression on his face, which made his answer seem that more genuine.

"You're different from anyone I've ever encountered. Your power is unreal, and your kindness is unmatched. In all honesty, you seem too perfect."

This came from the guy whom everyone thought was perfect.

Adonis was the golden standard for what an exemplary person should be: strong, kind, powerful, and well-mannered.

Yet, Ralyks beat him in almost every regard.

"Your power is worthy of awe, Sir Ralyks. But… your strength is ultimately unfathmable. And we tend to fear what we can not understand." Conrad added with a sad smile.

"Forgive us. It's just the nature of the weak." Vida gave the same kind of smile as Conrad.

In the end, their answer was unanimous.

They feared Ralyks.