Chapter 143: Desert shaman

"Hmm… Kyrie did look distraught," Lemuel recounts what happened when he guided Kyrie and Federline inside the maze.

The guild members grin while getting embarrassed, diving into their fantasy of maybe seeing a lady boss shortly.

However, Lemuel still feels weird regarding the guild members' view. He sees how deep Kyrie feels about the person he is waiting for. The guild members are not completely wrong regarding how anxious Kyrie looked when Laurel was in danger. Federline's scrunched-up face appears in his mind.

'Federline was also nervous…'

The guild members are excited talking about their boss. Despite how the word 'evil' is thrown at Kyrie's name, Lemuel can feel how much respect the guild members have for Kyrie. Laughter gets shared naturally amongst them while recounting all sorts of memories. The atmosphere between the guild members is light and warm. 

The guild members genuinely want Kyrie to be happy. For that reason, on the surface, they criticize that lover for not appearing, but in reality, they are all worried. Kyrie does a good job taming his emotions really well, but he is also a human being. Like everyone, there are times where he would not have enough strength to hold his countenance from dropping. 

Despite all that, Lemuel respects Kyrie for remaining true to his own feelings and refuses to give up on the person he deeply loves. Kyrie tells him to live with courage, staying truthful every step of the way. Kyrie lives by those terms as well, keeping those promises to himself. 

'Difficulties will always come, but the choice is always available.'

Sulfrid raises his voice, drawing Lemuel away from his deep thoughts, "Let me tell you! The headmaster is the scariest being on this continent if you make him mad… Don't you agree, Celine?"

A woman who possesses a large frame and sharp features nods while she intensely pops up her eyeballs while recounting memories. 

Sulfrid flips his index finger back to get the crowd closer before he starts his story. The crowd becomes quiet, and they draw in to listen.

"It happened around half a year ago when we were still looking for some information about this perished goddess. We had to get into the desert to look for a shaman who might know what we were searching for. Traveling in the desert, I remembered how my lungs burned, and my lips cracked like the drought-stricken land during the day. At night, the cold pierces into your skin like needles. Sometimes, you will hear the wolves cry, and the desert was a land of pure darkness without the fragile warmth of the bonfire."

Celine strikes on Sulfrid's head, "Get to the point, Sulfrid. Stop showing off!"

Sulfrid clicks his tongue and takes a sip of beer, "Can't you see that I have been preparing for such a long time to tell this story? Just let me, will you, honey?"

Lemuel widens his eyes, looking back and forth between Celine and Sulfrid. Sulfrid tugs on Celine's shirt and Celine looks at him with disgust. 

'So they are married…'

Sulfrid continues after Celine rolls her eyes, "We unexpectedly ran into a sandstorm, and we got stranded in the desert. Before losing hope of coming out alive, the headmaster and chief found an oasis. That moment, I would never forget the relief I felt. I even thought I was looking at a mirage, but I never tasted water so sweet when it touched my lips. At first, the village that inhabited that place took us in warmly - gave us food, a roof over our heads, and seemingly good friendships. Headmaster wanted to stay there for a week so that everyone could recuperate from that exhausting trip in the desert. Unexpectedly, they attacked us on the fifth night. That was when we found out that those bastards were actually slave traders. Fortunately, the headmaster actually saw through them early on, but he decided to act like he did not know. That was how he was able to find the slaves that those slave traders hid. Those slave traders…"

Sulfrid's knuckles crack thinking about the situation back then, and he gives out a deep sigh, "They had impure intentions towards our headmaster… They separated us from the headmaster and led him into a different place."

Lemuel gasps in shock, 'So this kind of thing could happen to people like Kyrie… But why are we talking about something this personal and traumatizing?'

The guild members pale when they hear that part of the story, but it is not for Kyrie. Those slave traders were as good as dead.

"Those slave traders were terrible at choosing people…"

They all nod with a bit of sympathy. However, all the members feel uncomfortable thinking about how disgusting those slave traders looked at their boss. If the slave traders choose someone else, none except Laurel and Federline could defend themselves due to the sheer disadvantage in number.

"Even when we were locked into the cages with other slaves in chambers underneath the ground, we started sensing the air turning cold. Our throats were getting dry as if we inhaled powdered sand, and soon we saw our breaths. At first, those slave traders were buzzing with joy, and outside sounded like they were having a blast. Then, an eerie silence… We never heard anything other than our clanking of teeth and heavy breaths. The headmaster found us and released everyone from the cages. We went out, and the slave traders were all gone - as if they vanished into thin air. Boss completely wiped off all traces of their existence."

One of the kitchen staff mentions, "Isn't it similar to what happened to the priests that the Saintess purged from the corrupted temple? All those corrupted priests vanished into thin air."

Sulfrid shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head, "There is really no way of knowing… However, I have never seen the headmaster so livid when looking at the horrendous conditions that those slaves were under."

A woman with pigtails comments while twirling her hair, "I would have never guessed that the headmaster is this strong… He looks harmless in a way."

"True… Boss has a mild character."

The members of the battalions snicker at the remark. Mild character? That man is the embodiment of the devil. He reveals his true colors only when he is training them…

Suddenly, the group splits into two from opposing views and starts to argue about who is right.

Lemuel tugs at Sulfrid's sleeve, "Then what happened?"

Sulfrid turns his attention away from fighting and responds, "When the sun came out, the desert shaman came to us. We were able to get the lead of where we could find information about the goddess."

"A lead? Not an answer?"

"Yeah… Even that shaman didn't know, but she knew that the fairies would know. The problem is that the fairy kingdom is not a place where anyone could just enter whenever they want. No one really knows where the entrance is located."

Now, Lemuel understands his role in this search for this goddess's information. He has the role of guiding them to the fairy kingdom.

Lemuel ponders, "But fairies are not that friendly with the human race."

Sulfrid nods while taking in more beer, "Yeah, but that shaman told us a precious piece of information."

Lemuel leans in closer to hear since Sulfrid paused.

"The Fairy Queen turned blind from an occurrence in the past, and she needed the Midnight Queen to heal her eyes. But, the Midnight Queen only blooms under the red moon, which rarely happens. That flower is also extremely fragile and requires the recipient to freeze it with a special type of ice seconds after it bloomed. The person in charge of freezing it would also have to do it at the right maturity. This is why it is hard for even the Fairy Queen to get her hands on that flower. In all recorded history, only two times were successful."

Celine lifts an eyebrow, "Then how in the good name of Vita are we going to get our hands on that? How long has this place been existing? The human recorded history extends to five thousand years!"

"Which is why… I say that fate is really on our side! The ambassador from the Guild of Clythia sent the message that the Protectorate of Analybe has that flower. Lord Analybe is thinking of using that flower to attract talent to work under his Protectorate."

"But isn't it extremely precious? Plus, he can only give that to one person!"

Sulfrid clicks his tongue with some disappointment on his face, "That is exactly why! Remember well that the Protectorate of Analybe is the closest to the demon continent! It is only a day worth in ship to cross the waters between them, so let's not mention using magic to fly over! What is the flower's use if it can only save one person? The thing is… They are using the flower to attract people to participate in a tournament! That way, they could at least draw in people who would submit to the lure of wealth!"

Lemuel nods in amazement, "That is actually a brilliant plan! There are so many sicknesses in the world, so the prize must attract many people! They can also test people's strength in battle!"

Sulfrid gives a slap on Lemuel's back with pride, knocking Lemuel's air out. Sulfrid flinches, looking at his hand whether he has used too much force.

'This kid is so weak!'

Lemuel has never felt that much violence to his body in all his life. Just the first day, he is getting his air knocked out of him.