Chapter 232 ~ On the Brink

Words : 1580 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

chapter 232 ~ on the brink instead of magic lanterns and lamps, only candles lit the dark safehouse in the far corner of re-estize’s royal capital. a skinny man sat upon a wooden stool as he rested his elbows on the table, clutching onto his head. ashes blackened parts of his pale white skin as trembled. his sweat-drenched silken pajamas were torn at parts, revealing cuts and bruises, and his pants were in no better condition, with the additional mud and dirt staining it. “this is a disaster... how could they know where my safehouse is...?! i was just sleeping... and before i know it, everything’s on fire! those damn blue rose whores...” ampetif cocco doll, head of the slave trafficking department of the eight fingers, failed to understand just how everything could turn to shit so suddenly. he looked up, and saw a pale, emaciated woman. her long, curly, voluminous golden blonde hair he knew she had was now pale yellow, having lost its luster. her face, normally beautiful and impeccable, now showed clear signs of fatigue. the sunken eyes, pale lips, and wrinkles that she would’ve covered up with makeup and magic were now apparent. and the previously bewitching eyes, capable of giving men the “wrong idea” of invitation, were now without luster. she now looked like an old lady instead of the “high-class prostitute” that she was. “...i heard about your place too. hell, your place should’ve suffered more than mine. they’re burning your fields, right?” “...yes. every one of them...” the voice that once sounded alluring was now a mere, tired whisper. but he could understand how hilma could fall to such a state. the blue rose whores, who raided their bases, seemed to have been targeting spots where the farms for “black dust” were. in other words, as the leader of the drug trade department who oversaw most of the farms, her place was their primary target. he even heard that her mansion was turned upside down. none of her servants were alive by the time dawn breaks. she only escaped by a sheer miracle. “what are we going to do...?” the flamboyant, feminine voice that cocco doll normally used was no longer there. hilma could hear the desperation and gravity in his every word. “i-i’ve sent letters to the others... we need to meet up... and discuss... we need to have zero deal with them.” “but where should we go...? didn’t most of our bases were raided?” “...there’s one place.” cocco doll stared at hilma for a moment, his eyes confused, curious, and hopeful. “i have a place in the inner circle of the noble’s district... it’s under the prince’s name. i’ve used them before a few times for parties.” “that’s right... but wouldn’t it be too dangerous? those adventurer whores are known to deal with the golden princess frequently. we should avoid the palace for now...” hilma suddenly shook her head vigorously and slapped down her hands onto the table with desperation. her eyes were bloodshot as she looked at her colleague while shaking terribly. “n-no! i-it’d be safe there! i guarantee it! i-it’d be the last place they’ll be searching, since it belongs to the crown prince...” a look of shock and confusion flashed across cocco doll’s face. but after a moment of thought, he relented and nodded. “alright... it’s not like we have any other choice... let’s head there the first thing in the morning.” and with his agreement, hilma fell back to her chair, panting, as if the strings on her had been cut. cocco doll could only shake his head and pity the poor woman. the sight she must’ve seen in that mansion must’ve been traumatizing. --------------------------------x-------------------------------- a man with dirty blonde spiky hair slammed his wooden tankard onto the wooden bar table, shattering the solemn silence within the small inn. “dammit...” the leader of the worker group foresight, hekkaren termite, cursed under his breath and clutched his hair tightly. to his right, the purple-haired half-elf, imina, wore a deep frown on her face as she stared blankly at her pint of ale. the loud slam did not jolt her with surprise. recurring noises rarely do to people. while to his left was roberdyck, a man with a warrior’s body but in a priest’s garment. his short, neatly combed hair and cleanly trimmed beard that he usually maintained was absent. there was a look of tiredness given the dark circles around his eyes and a pale complexion to his skin. news of the arson that befell upon the furt’s household mansion spread across the arwintar in a matter of days. foresight had been investigating the incident, trying to find out more about arche and the twin sisters she cared for so dearly. but days quickly turned into weeks, and nothing came up. there were only rumors that it was the madam who lost her mind after living in poverty since the fall of their noble household that burned the house down and killed her husband with her. the servants were fortunately able to escape in the nick of time, though they’ve all disappeared. arche and her sisters... similarly disappeared, never to be found. and before they could come to a conclusion, a massive whirling darkness appeared behind the girl and she began walking into it. “w-wait!” “...?” the girl stopped and looked back, and tilted her head in confusion. hekkeren wanted to ask all of his questions. but in the end, only one came out. “...is she really still alive?” the girl nodded. “... alright. we’ll do it.” “good. see you.” the girl then vanished into the darkness, disappearing as quickly as she appeared, leaving foresight alone in silence, but now, with a newfound hope in their hearts. --------------------------------x-------------------------------- narberal gamma waited within the office of the human pest she was supposed to meet under the order of yuuji-sama. her raven black hair, tied in her usual ponytail style, bounced lightly as she tapped her foot impatiently. ‘how dare this insect make a servant of the gods wait... filthy flea...’ it was incredibly unfair for her to judge him for being late to an appointment he didn’t even know existed. but narberal was in no mood to be fair to anyone, let alone a piece of trash human. she was supposed to be serving yuuji-sama and accompany him for the day. but instead, she had to be here, waiting for a lower life form, wasting her time. bookshelves lined the walls, filled with dusty old tomes with letters she didn’t recognize or care enough to learn unless she had to. a mess of papers and old, leather bound tomes cluttered the many desks and floor, leaving very little room to even move. a single window admitted light, but the amount of glowsotnes around the room suggested that the ultimate weapon of the empire was something of a workaholic who’d spend his time in his office within his home late into the night. ‘maybe catching the gnat here was a mistake after all...’ it had only been around ten minutes since narberal arrived here. but it was still a second too long for her. every minute away from yuuji-sama and nazarick felt like an eternity. but just then, she heard a click in the lock and saw the door open soon after. there, an oldman with a long white beard and a simple staff that looked more like a walking stick entered. “who are you?! what are you doing in my office?! get out this instant!” fluder paradyne, archmage of the baharuth empire, shot at her, his old body shook with rage at the stranger within his sanctum, where all the secrets of his magic and life-long gathered knowledge was held. “hm, so you’re the one who wanted to look into the abyss of magic, huh? truly a frog in a well. but... i suppose a duty is a duty.” narberal said and held up a hand. the mention of magic and the abyss were enough to still the shaking of the old man’s rage and turn his wizened eyes from wrathful to focused. she touched the ring on her finger, and removed it, and revealed to the lower life form a glimmer of the peak. “guhaaaahk!” fluder paradyne clenched his chest. ‘s-seventh- no, i-is that the eight tier?! eighth?!’ his knees began to wobble as he saw the height of magic he didn’t know could exist, barely clinging onto his staff that kept him from falling over entirely. the burst of magic he saw from the unassuming dark-haired beauty was unthinkable. impossible. and yet, it was there. narberal slipped the ring back onto her finger, and the unthinkable display of the depth of magic disappeared, like an illusion he always thought it was. “my masters are far more magically gifted than i, gnat. come with me, serve them, abandon this empire, everyone, and everything within it. and you may serve some purpose to the only gods in this wretched world.” fluder did not know what just happened. all he felt was... confusion, shock, awe, and for the first time in many years, true optimism. a whirling darkness appeared behind the dark-haired beauty, and when she stepped through it, there was nothing in this world that could keep him from following her.

Chapter 232 ~ On the Brink

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