"No branch under Syma had been spared, and reports suggest that the intensity of the attacks may increase further down the line."

The butler spoke, reading through the device in his hand.

"Increase? What can they even add to that chaos? The death toll is rising as it is."

The assistant uttered the words before glancing at the lords sitting before them.

"The soldiers sent to monitor the situation had reported that not everyone who was attacked had been killed. It’s as if the attackers were trying to ingrain fear in the minds of the survivors, that is, whoever may survive the tragedy. But—"

The butler paused before looking at his lord, and then at the other lord, before finally focusing his attention on the assistant who had asked the question.

"There are signs that the level of brutality is increasing, and that the number of dead will rise along with it."

Finishing his part, the butler went silent, letting the lords process the words.

Not that they required time to process them.

It was just that the silence from the lords was more serious than their actual conversations.

"What do you suggest?"

The silence didn’t last long as the current lord of House Elor finally uttered the words to know his twin brother’s opinion.

Xavier didn’t respond immediately, as he still had his eyes closed.

The silence once again extended for a minute before Xavier finally opened his eyes.

"Nothing."

"Hm?"

Haizel looked at his twin brother with a raised brow.

It was rare to see Xavier being passive about something that could have a direct effect on House Elor.

"There’s nothing that we can really do."

Xavier, seeing the expression of his brother, commented, making both the butler and the assistant confused.

"And why is that?"

Though Haizel was starting to get a hint about his brother’s thoughts, he still chose to proceed with the question.

Xavier, on his part, didn’t reply immediately, as he slightly leaned his head on the back of the chair he was sitting on... well, calling it a chair would be an understatement, as it was closer to a throne.

A long silence once again stretched between the two, as Haizel waited for his brother’s answer.

"Any action on our side would result in a loss, no matter what precautions we take."

Silence.

Though the words were limited, the meaning behind them was far deeper than what appeared on the surface.

Did it mean that the capabilities of the house were weaker, or was it that the enemy was too strong?

Though Xavier had given his answer... it had only increased the questions in the minds of the men standing behind their respective lords.

Haizel, on his part, nodded as if understanding the meaning behind his brother’s words, and maybe... he really did.

"How about explaining it in a language that would be easier for us to understand?"

Haizel spoke while giving a glance to his butler as well as Xavier’s assistant, who lowered their heads in shame.

The statement was meant for them.

Seeing his brother’s humour, Xavier’s lips stretched into a faint smile... if that action could even be called a smile.

As, looking closely, Xavier still had a neutral reaction on his face.

"Whoever is behind the attack is unknown."

"..."

"..."

The assistant and the butler listened closely, hoping to gain a new understanding of strategies and psychological warfare.

"Their motives are unknown and so is their identity. But seeing the way things are going, there’s a far broader conspiracy than just some attacks on Syma and the businesses allied to its charity campaign. If we help Syma, then... the guild would be saved from its possible downfall, and if we don’t, then—"

Xavier paused while looking into Haizel’s eyes, which too stared back at him.

"We would become the ultimate evil in the business world. Some bunch of rich people who have no sense of morality. At least those are the basic consequences of any actions taken on our part. On a deeper scale, things would get even messier."

The butler as well as the assistant quickly realized the thing that should have been easy to understand.

The Eloran Alchemists’, owned by House Elor, were direct rivals of Syma.

So helping Syma would mean cutting their own legs, while avoiding helping them would mean a loss of public trust, which was already deteriorating with Syma’s charity campaign.

Though the assistant felt that things were more complex than that... still, even the basic consequences of intervening in this attack were crystal clear.

Both choices were against House Elor’s interests.

Still... some decision had to be taken—

"Let’s just take a middle ground for now."

At Haizel’s words, Xavier simply nodded his head.

"Wait for some time, and then send some of our troops to help every branch of Syma as well as the other guilds that had been attacked."

"Yes, sir."

On the lord’s command, the butler slightly bowed his head before heading out to relay the necessary orders.

There was no need to actively save Syma, nor was there any need to completely abandon them.

"Maybe... try to get a favour from Syma for our help."

Haizel spoke while looking at his brother, who had once again closed his eyes.

Though Xavier nodded his head... from the inside, only he knew that the favour wouldn’t bring much benefit to them.

After all... had Syma truly lost anything?

"I heard Irtuk had made some suggestion in the guild meeting?"

Seeing that the necessary topic had been discussed, Haizel took the initiative to know more about his eldest son’s actions.

"He had."

Xavier didn’t elaborate further.

"A deal with Syma, huh. The elders told me about it."

Haizel confirmed whatever information he had on the topic before taking a sip from the cup of coffee placed beside him.

"What do you think? Will it be beneficial for us?"

At Haizel’s question, Xavier opened his eyes once again before getting up from his chair.

"Your son was the one who made the suggestion. It would be better to ask the person in question."

Saying his part, Xavier walked towards the exit, leaving Haizel in deep thought.

The family dynamics of House Elor weren’t the easiest out there.