224. Appearance (II)

Snow was stupefied by what she had heard. Dairen was on a hit list? How? Nothing made sense. She thought she would be the one to be on the hit list. Something wasn’t right for the sudden change of target, which threw her off even more.

“The Pope said it's because he was covering for Levian.” Mr. Rogers said with seriousness; he was staring straight at Snow, waiting for an explanation.

“Preposterous, Dairen’s not the type to back up Levian,” Rodney said with seriousness. “He’s the type to only back up the interest of the guild or Snow.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing with what Rodney had said. He was sitting next to Mike.

“Which is why I thought the same.” Mr. Rogers continued to speak. “But, the Church of Light despises everything about what Dairen’s is. A necromancer.”

A muffled voice continued to ring throughout the meeting. Everyone knew how there was a huge ban against Necromancy, and for someone as powerful as Dairen to appear at this time of age was something still shunned. There were many dark histories about Necromancy and their ability to destroy and ravage cities. Mostly through the use of sickness that brought about the great Black Death.

“True, but Necromancy has been classified as a dark arts. It makes perfect sense on why he would be targeted.” One of the medium size guild leaders that Snow had never met spoke up. His name was Gary of the BlackHaven guild. “Doesn’t that put you in a tough spot?” He asked Mike.

“I only just learned of this now, but I just sent a message through the guild chat to get this under control.” Mike calmly spoke, racking his brain for what he needed to do.

“Did Dairen really change over? Do we need to worry about a possible war with his undead army?”

“No,” Snow spoke up. She didn’t like how they were speculating about what Dairen would do and specifically bring harm to them all. “He wasn’t covering for Levian. He was covering for me.”

She didn’t want people to misunderstand him, mostly when she was the cause of her memory block's predicament. It didn’t take her a moment to speak up.

“What do you mean covering for you?” Mr. Rogers asked. A slight smile was growing on his face that knew everything.

The others looked in her direction. They wondered what she meant.

“I don’t know how many people know this, but for the past three months, I had been cursed. My memories were blocked. I had somehow ended up out in the streets with no memory of everything that had been happening to me. At that time, Levian had appeared and took me off the streets.”

“What?! So, you are saying that you had no memory and was colluding with the enemy?” One of the guild leaders shouted. “Then who's the Saintess that has been with you guys? No, wait, which one is real?”

Everyone became tense, looking at her as if she was an enemy. Some even started to summon up their weapons and armor, waiting to go into a fight.

“She’s the real Snow.” Mike smashed his hand on the table, startling them. “The one we had was a stand-in, so we don’t cause any unnecessary panic.”

The guild leaders started to speak one after another.

“Wait, if she’s real, then why still mingle with the enemy?”

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“Did she sell her position?”

“What did she do to get Levian to work with her?”

“Are you guys now a dark guild?”

Snow was getting fed up with their accusations. “I am working with Levian.” Her words brought even more noise than before. “But it is only temporary. You don’t need to know why I am working with him, but please get this straight. We aren’t a dark guild, or a traitor, or whatever you call it. There is a common goal that Levian and I are working towards, which sounds incredible, but as it stands, the guild Gold Phoenix or the Dragon Express is not working with Levian. These are two different things.” She laid down her thoughts. She didn’t want her guild to be tangled up with her decision.

Taking a deep breath, she calmly and confidently continued her speech. “If I must leave the guild because it tarnishes their reputations, I do not mind. I will gladly leave if I have to. Dragon Express is a hunter provision company that works with monster parts and rare commodities of plants. Our business is for trade purposes only.”

“No.” Mike spoke up, “You don’t need to leave the guild.” He was dead set on not budging from his opinion.

Snow was surprised that he would choose to stand by her when she didn’t tell him everything.

“Your personal business is your business. We still stand behind you, and that’s that.” Mike wasn’t going to discuss it any further.

A warm bubbling of emotions welled up in her heart. She wanted to go over there and hug him, but she stopped herself. “Thank you.”

Mike nodded.

“But this doesn’t solve the problem with the Pope.” Mr. Rogers had broken the silence between them. “What are you going to do about the Pope and Dairen?”

“I’ll be going to talk to the Pope.” Snow had said with seriousness. She knew she had to deal with him sooner than later.

“Do you think it would work?”

“No.” Snow couldn’t deny that she would have a problem on the first day that she came back, and it was something that affected her decision immensely. “But I got to try.”

Mr. Rogers liked her statement, nodding his head. “I’ll assist you as well.”

“Thank you.”

The number of thanks that she was saying continually increased. Some of the others voiced their concerns about Snow’s decisions, but most people were on Snow’s side. They knew that she wasn’t someone to make light of.

Eventually, the meeting ended with a bit less serious tone. Everyone started to stream out, leaving Mike, Snow, Rodney, and Mr. Rogers behind.

Mr. Rogers was the last to stand up. He was congratulating a few more people and discussing last-minute discussions with the others.

Snow waited for Mr. Rogers to finish talking, and when she saw an opening, she walked over.

“Well, Snow. It was quite the meeting.” Mr. Rogers chuckled, looking at her with glistening eyes.

“You could say that.”

“I’m glad that you are back with us.”

“I am as well, but did you have to put me on the spot?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“Why not? You will have to cut the bud before something germinates, don’t you think?”

“Well...yes.”

“Then it was nothing to worry about.”

Snow sighed. She couldn’t keep up with Mr. Rogers' pace. Still, she knew the problems that she had to be dealt with sooner than later, and Mr. Rogers was only pushing the timeline a lot faster.

“Fine, let’s say this was for the better. What would you be doing to help me?”

“Well, I would like it if you would do me that favor that I owed to you.”

“But, isn’t a favor supposed to be by my own will?”

“Well, yes, but you see, this would take a bit more out of me.”

Snow rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t work like that when you already offered to help.”

Mr. Rogers burst out laughing. The glittering effect of his charisma increased in volume, making him dazzling. He eventually stopped, wiping away his tears. “Still, a favor from me would get me a bit more motivated.”

Snow crossed her arms. She wanted to save her favor with Mr. Rogers later, but his consistency for her to use it made her think twice. There must be a reason for him wanting her to ask in such away.

“Fine. I would like to use my favor with you.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Mr. Rogers winked. He then clapped his hand in front of him and rubbed it together. “Your wish is my command.”

“How is your curse coming along?”

“I actually like it.” Mr. Rogers said with glee. “It reminds me of my human days two thousand years ago.”

“That’s quite old.”

“Yes, I am. Having warm blood flowing through me, making it very exhilarating to live again.”

“So, you don’t want my help to break your curse?”

Mr. Rogers thought about it for a moment.”

“Could you break half of it?”

“Half of it?” Snow was confused by his sudden question. She had never broken a curse halfway through.

“Yes, I would like that.”

“You like being human?”

“Of course.” Mr. Rogers nodded, “but having the ability of a vampire would be better.”

“I guess I would try.”

“Could you break ours as well?” Rodney spoke up. Even Mike raised his hand as well, hoping that he would be included as well.

“Yes. I’m going to have to do this all separately.” Snow nodded. She started toward Mr. Rogers, who was patiently waiting for her to work her magic.

Looking at him, she calmly examined how the curse was tangled around him. Her eyes flicker with gold, scanning his body.