The actual leader of the cult had finally chosen to show himself.

Well... contrary to my expectations, he didn’t have the presence that I had assumed an Immortal should have.

Or maybe...

"Immortal 1."

Right.

The guy was a newly evolved Immortal. That could explain his current state.

The only Immortal that I had known closely was Arthur, and comparing others with him would be a little unfair.

Maybe... this guy was strong in his own rank.

"You sure have a sharp tongue... Kael Frost."

The Immortal, after stepping out of the shadows, walked towards me with his guard lowered—or at least that was what he showed from the outside.

"Maybe I do have a unique tongue. But isn’t it a basic etiquette to introduce yourself, or does everyone in this cult have a few pieces missing here."

I said while pointing at my head.

The leader smirked at my actions, as he slowly placed his hand on his chest before giving a slight bow.

"The name’s Antra, and I serve—"

"Will you take the deal?"

I interrupted Antra, as I wanted to end this drama soon.

"Hm... a month’s premium potions from Syma Alchemists’. Your offer is good... well, it’s the best that anyone would have offered us. That makes me wonder... are you close with Syma?"

At Antra’s question, I didn’t show any reaction, as my face stayed the same.

I had expected such a question from anyone with a decent brain—to understand that the offer we were giving was in itself a highly expensive one on our end.

This would surely lead to questions being raised on how we could easily present an offer like that.

No matter what, every premium potion sold by Syma required a tremendous amount of wealth.

"Maybe we are just rich enough. And above all, I have a soft heart that’s into charity these days. So throwing a few potions to desperate people is the least I could have done."

Were my words right for the negotiations?

No.

Did that mean I had to be polite?

No.

I had already given enough chances to this cult, so this would be their last opportunity to redeem themselves.

"Why go this far?"

Hm?

Antra walked closer to me, as he slightly placed his hand near his lips.

"My little birds had informed me that you had presented similar deals to every cult out there, and according to the recent reports, almost all of them had accepted it. Now, those fools might have been desperate enough for a victory—however fake it might have been... I am clearly not one of them."

Haa...

Since the day the offers were released to the cults, I knew that word would spread easily among their circle, as an operation on this scale couldn’t be kept secret from everyone.

So...

Why the hell was he saying the same things... like he had achieved something great?

"I know that we have to hide ourselves from the eyes of the Authorities, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to our helplessness. I mean... I had just been thinking of reporting everything to the Authorities."

"..."

"Surely it would be an entertaining thing to watch."

"So you don’t want the deal—"

"I know you guys are strong."

Just as I was about to end the negotiations, Antra interrupted me, his voice dropping low.

And—

That was when I felt his presence in the truest sense.

He was indeed an Immortal.

Though he hadn’t tried to actively suppress me, I could feel the warning sensations from my instincts.

Still, all the warnings disappeared the moment Arthur stepped beside me, his hands out of his pockets.

"Others may have been fools to accept your offers that were, in a way, a death sentence for us. You portray it as if you were going to steal some goods from a shop and shift the blame onto us."

This guy...

"If you need all the cults in the world to take the blame, then it’s logical to assume that the extent of your operation runs far deeper than what appears on the surface."

Somehow, waves of wind appeared in the room that was in the basement.

My hair fluttered under the breeze—but so did his.

Antra had white hair coupled with slightly red eyes.

A vampire?

I couldn’t exactly tell his race, but red eyes had always been the specialty of vampires.

"Just who are you, Kael Frost—

To have Arthur Dimitri serving you... an Immortal 7 no less."

Swoosh!

One moment Arthur was beside me, and the next thing I knew, Arthur had drawn Garthel, its tip aiming in Antra’s direction.

Antra, on his part, still had the same smile on his face.

"Hehe... don’t be scared, dear. I don’t like to kill children."

Antra spoke as his smile stretched further, reaching his ears—though, looking carefully, he only had a small smile on his face.

An illusion?

Though my thoughts were calm, I too was ready to take out my sword.

Arthur, after having his core repaired, was far stronger than before—yet even after that, Antra had been able to sense his core’s rank.

And looking at the amusing expression on Antra’s face... he—

The guy was disregarding Arthur’s presence, as if...

Arthur wasn’t worth his attention.

"More than the power to kill, what I find intriguing is the power to make an Immortal bend his knee."

Antra took another step forward to reach me, though he had to stop as the tip of Arthur’s blade touched his chest.

"Easy there."

Antra smiled as he gently placed his hand on the edge of the sword.

"Garthel, was it?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"It had been a long time since I had seen the fella. How refreshing."

Silence.

Though I still managed to keep my reaction neutral, the same couldn’t be said for my state of mind.

Antra still had his hand over Garthel, as he inspected the sword with a knowing look.

I didn’t really know anything about Garthel’s history, as in the original game its name came up only when Arthur had become the main villain of one of the major arcs—that had been the most difficult to complete.

But—