Chương 74: The President's Request

They walked up the stairs to the third floor and soon stopped in front of the president's office door.

"Knock–Knock–" Celia knocked and waited.

"Enter!" A deep, calm voice sounded from behind the door. Celia waved for Kyle to wait a bit before pushing the door open and walking in. Kyle leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and waited. It didn't take long for Celia to open the door and wave for him to enter.

"Thanks," Kyle said before entering.

"No problem, see you later." Celia flashed a smile at him before closing the door and walking away. The president's office was illuminated by an orange mana crystal on the ceiling. The scent of incense wafted through the office, calming Kyle's irritation as he took a whiff of it.

"Good evening, President Richard." Kyle greeted the man with silver-streaked, slicked-back hair on the other end of the room. President Richard sat at his desk, still dealing with some documents. He took a sip of tea from his porcelain cup before looking at Kyle.

"It's been a while, young man. Take a seat." He waved to the seat across his desk. Kyle walked to one of the seats and sat down.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me?" President Richard didn't bother with formalities, cutting straight to the subject. Kyle also didn't mince words; he took a deep breath and started recounting everything that happened during the quest to escort the caravan to Velkaris. From Alric's ambush to Nick's appearance and their subsequent interrogation of him. He even added the fact that they had reported this matter to the Velkaris branch, yet nothing had come down from it.

President Richard's expression changed from nonchalance at the beginning to shock, then rage. Veins bulged on his forehead as he radiated an astonishing killing intent.

"Those bastards… Is it Morice? No, it has to be Neil." Richard muttered under his breath. He unconsciously radiated mana, scattering the documents on the table and cracking the wooden furniture. Even Kyle was forced back; sweat flowed down his forehead. He felt trapped by his chair, unable to move. His veins bulged, and bones started creaking.

'Is this the gap between us?' Kyle's eyes were filled with shock. Just the mana unconsciously released by the president was enough to completely incapacitate him. If the president wanted to take his life, it wouldn't take more than a swing. President Richard snapped out of his rage. He quickly realised that his mana was getting out of control and reined it in. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm sorry about that. Are you injured?" President Richard asked, his eyes slightly shifting to the side, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I'm fine." Kyle took a deep breath to calm his thumping heart and wiped the sweat off his face. President Richard nodded, still visibly embarrassed.

"Ahem. I'm very grateful for the information you provided. It's crucial." President Richard solemnly said. Pausing for a second, Richard pondered for a moment before adding.

"In fact, we have long suspected that the cult might have some arrangements inside the town, but we couldn't find any substantial leads. Now, it all makes sense." Richard picked up a complicated metal construct from a nearby drawer and pressed a button on it.

"Young Kyle, I want to entrust you with a quest. Can you do it?" President Richard crossed his arms and solemnly asked. Kyle's brows furrowed; he didn't really want to get involved with any more cult stuff.

"Can you tell me what quest it is first?" He cautiously asked.

"Don't worry." Richard shook his head.

"I just want you to lead the vice president to one of the locations you just listed. She's a powerful rank 2 mage. You don't have to worry about your safety."

"Can't you ask other people? I'm sure you have many people under your command who are more familiar with this town than me." Kyle was bewildered. Richard sighed; he stood up and walked to the window behind his desk. He looked at the dark streets illuminated by the occasional lighting pole, his brows furrowed, a trace of exhaustion setting on his face.

"I do have many people who know Mirevale like the back of their hand under my command, but…" Richard shook his head.

"Whether they can be completely trusted or whether mobilizing them would alert the cult is a whole other matter." Richard looked back, his eyes blazing with rage, yet hidden beneath it was more caution.

"You can never be cautious enough with cults. Sometimes, people might not even know that they had fallen under their control until the last minute." Kyle understood his point, but there was one matter he was confused about.

"If that's the case. Why are you placing so much trust in me?" Kyle couldn't understand. The president held reservations about his own subordinates, yet he placed such great trust in him.

"I've already tested you, young man, and more importantly…" A red-haired figure flashed in his mind. Richard shook his head.

"Anyway, you're a young man worthy of trust; I'm certain about that." Although he was still confused, Kyle deliberated for a moment before deciding to accept the president's quest. It was just leading a person to a location inside the town; there shouldn't be an issue.

"The guild won't mistreat anyone. You'll receive a substantial reward after completing the quest," Richard added.

"Knock–Knock–" The sound of knocking drew their attention.

"Come in!" Richard said. The door opened, and a tall figure stepped in. It was a beautiful woman with long violet hair and blue eyes. She wore a dark blue robe embroidered with silver patterns, which glowed faintly as the faint orange light shone on them, and held a long wooden staff; its tip was a violet gem. However, more striking than her appearance was her aura. The mana fluctuations she unconsciously emitted distorted the air around her.

Kyle felt the pressure settle over him immediately, different from Richard's explosive burst, but no less suffocating.

"Why did you call me this late, Richard?" Selene calmly asked, but anyone listening could tell that she was in a terrible mood. Richard sat back on his chair and crossed his arms.

"There's some new information regarding the cult, Selene. I want you to follow this young man to check a place inside Mirevale for possible cult activities." He said with a serious expression on his face. Selene's eyebrows twitched as she rubbed her forehead.

"Is it fun to always drive me around like that? I've been running around across suspicious areas looking for traces of the cult over the past few weeks without a rest. Not to mention that I had to decode the ritual records we have to deduce the cult's objective at night." Selene tapped the wooden staff on the ground, her expression getting worse.

"I've barely had a wink of sleep! Richard Valencrest! Do you have a shred of conscience? Do you have no consideration for a lady? You dumbass!" She shouted, clearly agitated. Richard shrank slightly in his seat, sweat sliding off his face.

"I know I've been overworking you, and I'm sorry, but this is an urgent situation, and you're the most reliable person I know." Richard raised his hand and tried to calm down the agitated Selene. She coldly stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and rubbing her brows. She shifted her gaze to Kyle, who was trying his best to remain invisible.