Chapter 37: House Cleaning

The Dark Knights were divided into three corps, and those were further divided into teams composed of a mix of members from all the corps. The practical components of a team formed for swift dispatch to dungeons were: team leader, shield keeper, priest, and mage. Upon receiving a report of a dungeon appearing somewhere and its level, a suitable team would be immediately dispatched. When I first met Axion, he had mentioned undergoing a test by Mayer which would decide if he was qualified to lead a team into a high-level dungeon.

All of this was possible because of the large number of capable men in the corps, and it was also why the Dark Knights could close so many more dungeons than any other corps.

The aim of the team I had my eye on was to clear low-to-mid level dungeons. In other words, its team members were around the level range I intended on recruiting into my special unit. Why did things have to be so hard, dangit!

The vacant position of the corps member I had dibs on was filled in by another member who I, yet again, had dibs on—Sevi Ventus, a fourteen-year-old boy who was perhaps the youngest of the Dark Knights. Like his predecessor, Sevi was an archer, and I was paying particularly close to him because he had the potential to become a mage. His talent had yet to bloom, but once it did, he would be a huge catch. And that was because his element was wind.

If he were assigned to assist Axion, the main firepower of the corps, the latter’s power would be amplified several times over. I was certain the flame mage would love to have the boy realize his potential. After all, who didn’t like to perform even better? The utility of wind magic itself was quite good, and the fact that Sevi was able to join at such a young age spoke for his competence. The combination of bow and wind was so good that nothing needed to be said about it. In short, raising him well alone would be a tremendous help to the Dark Knights.

However, I had never heard of Sevi Ventus before… That probably meant the boy had died before his talent manifested itself. Had Sevi emerged as a wind mage, he would’ve been treated quite well in the Dark Knights and wouldn’t have died so easily either. The mortality rate of mages was, in fact, the lowest after priests. Considering how Sevi was on the brink of awakening as a mage… his death must certainly be connected to the Blue Flames as well. I had to act quickly, but it was difficult to just up and take him away as my initiation ceremony and vice-captain appointment would only happen a week later. As I was currently an outsider, it would be overstepping my bounds to issue orders. I briefly considered waiting until the next week, but it would be terrible if Sevi went out to a dungeon and died while I waited. Concluding that I had to make haste, I looked for Mayer and asked him if he knew about Sevi.

“Who? Sevi Ventus?”

“Yes.”

“Is there any reason for this interest in him?”

I frowned at his reply, but then again, he didn’t know Sevi’s potential as a mage. “Sevi has the talent of a wind mage,” I said.

“…What?” As I had expected, he was startled by the news. “You can even tell such things with your ability?” he asked.

I quietly stared at him. Oddly enough, he seemed more surprised by my ability than Sevi’s. He gazed at me with tender eyes full of admiration as he said, “It seems I was the one underestimating your worth. You are amazing—more so than I thought.” His golden gaze grew even more intense, his eyes lit with the desire to possess and monopolize.

I sighed at the restless look on his face. It wasn’t like I had anywhere else to go…

My intention was to bring the Blue Flames to attention after gaining some more certain evidence, but at this rate, I felt I had no choice but to make a report. I relayed every detail of my suspicions to Mayer. “I suspect that the Blue Flames are intentionally sacrificing their team members. The thing is, there’s no way to openly stop them due to the lack of evidence…”

“Hm.”

At his lack of response, I continued, “In Sevi’s case, I can simply bear some insults and take him into the special unit in advance, but if this team isn’t stopped, other talented members may be lost. We have to take them down at this opportunity.”

“The Blue Flames… Team Leader Wipera does not have a bad reputation.” Mayer frowned. “He could be said to be a founding member of the Dark Knights. What reason is there for a man like him to victimize his men?”

What other reason could there be other than an all-too-common story with an equally common cause? “There could be lots of reasons,” I replied with a shrug. “Like, say, he wants to monopolize the dungeon clear rewards, or perhaps he hates seeing recruits with better talent climbing the ranks.” Although my tone was light, the situation was serious.