The Guild Master of the Guild was an extremely mysterious man.
There wasn’t much news about him, and despite my best efforts to dig deeper, all I ever managed to uncover was surface-level information. Nothing substantial, just the kind of details anyone could stumble across without really trying.
He was a rising star of the Containment Department, rising like a comet and making a name for himself in the World Congress before fading completely into obscurity, appearing once more as the Guild Master of the Severed Star Guild, one of the fastest rising Guilds within the island.
There wasn’t much that I could pick up during my search, but if there was one thing that I understood, it was that this man was no normal person.
Staring at him sitting opposite me, his half-smile fixed in place while those cold, dark eyes locked unblinkingly onto mine, it felt as though I was under the scrutiny of some enormous predator.
My skin tingled, and my lips pursed dryly.
Despite this, I managed to maintain my outward cool despite shivering on the inside. My stomach churned, and my legs felt like jelly.
I understood clearly that I couldn’t give a single inch in such a moment.
In the still silence that took over the place, the Guild Master’s lips parted shortly after.
"...So you’re going to come clean just like that?"
"I am."
I nodded without hesitation, leaning back on the chair while keeping my eyes locked onto his.
"I can see from your eyes that you’ve already made up your mind. In that case, I’ll just play along. I... am the Jester."
The Guild Master’s lips pulled higher as he looked at me, a sudden understanding washing over him.
"Of course it wasn’t going to be this easy..." He mumbled, his tone unreadable. For a moment, he reminded me of the rat.
A thought occurred to me.
Could they be related?
’Hmm, according to the storyline in-game, Myles should be an orphan, but I know better than to rely on the game storyline for the reality before me.’
The two didn’t really look alike.
They just gave off the same ’snake-like’ vibe.
I started to feel uncomfortable.
"Well, I of course didn’t think things were going to be so easy." The Guild Master spoke, leaning back on his chair. "With that being said, I’m curious as to why you suddenly jumped to the conclusion that I found out about your relation to the Jester."
"Oh, that."
I answered truthfully.
"A certain rat came to me and told me his findings. I figured that if they can figure it out, so can you."
"....."
The Guild Master didn’t reply, but from the slight tug of his lips, I could tell that he was more than satisfied with the answer.
"So there was someone else who figured it out? In that case, it suddenly makes sense as to why you’d want to meet up with me. You..." The Guild Master paused, his eyes flickering with amusement as he stared straight at me. "...You want to use my help in order to get rid of them, isn’t that right?"
"That’s right."
I nodded calmly as my leg trembled under the desk.
The longer his gaze lingered on me, the more exposed I felt, as though every layer I’d built around myself was being peeled away. It was as if he could sift through my thoughts, one by one, without effort.
This...
’It feels like shit.’
Silently clenching my teeth, I pointed at the proposal on the desk.
"Let’s go with your assumption that I am the Jester. A being that somehow managed to help clear up several high-ranking gates. You’ve seen my capabilities. I’m sure you’re aware of how invaluable I am. You can’t do without someone like me."
I remained seated, using every last bit of energy to point at myself.
"...I’m most likely the best you’ll get or will ever get. You, of all people, should understand just how previous someone like me is. Not only am I capable of creating games that can be used for training, but I’m also the Jester?"
I stopped before the desk, lowering my head to stare at the papers.
I tapped on them a couple of times.
"The choice should be obvious, right? Give me what I want, and I’ll stay."
Pausing and taking in the silence that was between us, I took a deep breath before lowering my voice.
"Get rid of Myles Holms and I’ll stay."
***
’Bold.’
That was how the Guild Master would describe that young man standing before him. With his dark hair, moderately sized frame, and pale face, he looked like the average human. His features were somewhat handsome, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before.
However, if there was one thing that stood out to him, it was his eyes.
They were...
Dark.
Very dark.
To the point where it almost felt as though he had no soul of his own.
But that wasn’t the most striking thing about him. What stood out even more to the Guild Master was the ease with which Seth looked at him.
It was as if his gaze was nothing to him.
’It’s such a rare sight.’
The deeper one delved into the gates, the more they were exposed to their darkness. In time, this bred a kind of pressure within them. A creeping intent that clung to the soul and was nearly impossible to shake off.
One that... could be clearly felt by those who held no ’order’ or ’power’.
The fact that Seth could stare him in the eyes without feeling such ’intent’ was a surprise in itself.
There weren’t many people who could do that.
’Is he really the Jester then...?’
It had all been a hypothesis to the Guild Master. From the start, he didn’t really believe that to be the case. He knew the Jester’s strength, and he was also aware of the fact that Seth held no powers.
In reality, his thoughts were more in line with, ’He knows the Jester or has some information about him.’
He had never once thought that he’d be the Jester.
But what if...?
"Guild Master."
Seth’s voice descended once more, his tone lower than before.
"...Although there’s not much information about you online, from the little information that I have been able to find, I know that you’re the pragmatic type. You only do things that will benefit you the most. In that case, I’m telling you that keeping me satisfied is in your best interest."
Despite the tone Seth spoke in, the Guild Master took no offense. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy it all the more.
It was well known amongst the Section Chiefs of the Guilds that he disliked people he could control.
He liked people like Seth.
People who... could put themselves in such uncomfortable positions in order to fulfill their goal.
He leaned back on his chair while staring at Seth and then at the paper in front of him. After a small bout of silence, he tapped his finger against his desk.
"So you’re saying that I can’t keep you and him at the same time?"
"You cannot."
Seth didn’t hesitate as he replied.
"It’s either him or me. The two of us can’t coexist."
"Hmm."
The Guild Master closed his eyes. It’d be quite a pity if someone like Myles left the Guild. He was extremely talented and a potential star like Kyle and Zoey. But at the same time, Seth wasn’t much different.
Add to the fact that he could create games and was also the ’Jester’, the choice was obvious.
"....."
Opening his eyes again and staring at Seth, the Guild Master smiled.
Tap!
"I’ll need a good excuse to get rid of the Myles. I hope that you can provide me with one."
Seth’s face changed for the first time. `
"Does that mean...?"
"Yes."
The Guild Master nodded.
"I’ll agree to your terms. Of course, that is if you agree to mine as well."
Seth paused in that moment, his gaze locked onto the Guild Master.
But then—
"Alright."
He nodded, his hand reaching towards the Guild Master.
"...That is doable."