When the doubt creeps in (4)

I didn't know what it was, but the day felt a little odd. 

The weather seemed to mirror my mood as dark clouds loomed over the sky. Rain drizzled down, and I hastened my steps toward the Guild.

Upon entering, I noticed the peculiar gazes of those around me. Typically, or at least in recent times, they would approach me with friendly smiles and engage in small talk.

But, now...? 

Why did it seem like everyone was avoiding me?

Was that the case?

I approached someone I knew and waved my hand.

"Hey, is th—"

"Sorry, I have something to do. I'll talk to you later."

He left before I could finish my sentence. My hand fell, and as I turned my head, I was taken aback to find no one around me.

'Okay, what's going on?'

I momentarily halted. Something was definitely wrong. 

Just what in the…

"Oh, thank god. You're finally here Liam."

Dean's hurried voice echoed from behind me. The tone of his voice alarmed me, prompting me to spin from my spot and see him rushing toward me with an apprehensive look.

"What's going on? Did something happen? 

"Quick. Quick. Come with me."

"Wai–"

He dragged me by the arm, moving away from the Guild lobby and into a more private room.

Clank—!

As the door closed behind us, I momentarily froze, my gaze landing on several familiar figures. Chief Madalyne from PR, and the Leader of Unit 2. 

There was also another guy I was unfamiliar with, but I knew who he was. Section Chief Malone. He was technically supposed to be my direct superior had it not been for Dean working with me.

"You're finally here."

The Unit Leader's low voice reverberated within the confines of the room as Dean settled into a seat at the table. His expression appeared unusually serious, and I swallowed my saliva. 

What was up with this all-star lineup?

What exactly happened? 

"A scandal broke out."

Those were the first words that came out of the Unit Leader's mouth.

It took a moment for me to process those words as my gaze wandered toward Dean, Chie Madalyne, and the Section Chief.

Then, I finally managed to regain my voice.

"…A scandal?"

"Yes."

Dean nodded his head, his eyes lowering as he crossed his arms.

My emotions underwent a series of changes upon his confirmation.

Scandals proved to be quite troublesome, as they often had the potential to ruin the reputation of those involved. In some cases, the damage was irreparable, marking the end of their careers.

Knowing this, I had to force myself to calm down.

I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me. 

No, I wouldn't let them get the best of me. I thought for a moment before asking,

"…and what about this scandal? Who is it about?"

The others frowned, their faces looking a little troubled. 

Then, the Unit Leader replied bluntly.

"You."

"…What? Me?" 

I could feel my face stiffen. The composure I had been trying to maintain almost crumbled at that moment.

The Unit Leader continued, 

"The Scandal. It's about you."

"What...? What happened? I don't think I've done anything to warrant such a situation." 

"We're still not very sure how this happened, and we're looking into it."

Chief Madalyne took over from the Unit Leader, a relief considering the latter's bluntness wasn't helping.

Clinging to the little composure I had left, I managed to sit down on one of the chairs present and took a deep breath.

"What's this scandal about?"

"The news still isn't out yet since we've managed to stall for a bit, but…"

Dean flipped over his tablet. In bold letters, a huge title popped off from the screen. 

Breaking— [Liam Marken. Luck, talent… and power abuse?]

I frowned. Power abuse? What was this about…

"Recent reports have indicated that Liam Marken, a prominent figure in the Tier 1 section, is allegedly benefiting from blatant favoritism by Emblem of the Sun."

"According to the reports and multiple insider sources, Liam Marken has secured a project named 'Clash of Swords,' an individual assignment, without the consent of the relevant Unit within the company."

"The insiders claim, 'The project was intended for one of our emerging members within the Unit. However, before our leader could hand it over, he directly seized the project and awarded it to the star he managed. She's not even an individual user and belongs to a group. She has no business taking our project, aside from protecting the image she herself ruined. It's honestly baffling and frustrating.'"

Despite no names being dropped, it was obvious as to who he was talking about. 

'So you don't just want to smear my name, but Sarah's as well?'

My emotions underwent a series of changes hearing Dean's comments. From confusion to anger to numbness, and then I became calm.

"Has success gone to the rookie's head? Was his refusal to join the Tier 4 Group 'Tears of the Wild' a genuine display of modesty, or merely a pretense?"

Dean stopped talking by that point. The faces of everyone in the room were as gloomy as they could be.

In my calmness, I managed to ask the Unit Leader, 

"What newspaper will this be on?"

"The Sun-Times."

"I see."

I'll take note of them. 

"…What are you thinking about?"

"Um?"

When I raised my head, I realized everyone was looking at me with a frown. 

I didn't mind their gazes and simply responded, 

"I'm just taking note of them, that's all. I'll know which media company to avoid talking to in the future." 

"Liam."

When the Team Leader called for me, the Section Chief spoke in his stead, 

"The Sun-Times is one of the largest media companies in the world. It wouldn't do good for you to antagonize them. Furthermore, they most likely aren't even the ones who orchestrated the entire thing." 

"Oh, I know."

There was no way I didn't know. 

Everyone in the room was already clear on this. 

Still, that didn't mean I didn't know who had played a part in this, and who was most likely the 'insider'.

"It's the Unit 1 Leader, right?"

"This…"

Everyone frowned. From how troubled they looked, it was most likely the case. They were probably trying to avoid name-dropping him because there was no evidence and he worked for the same company. 

Chief Madalyne hesitantly spoke, 

"We aren't sure. There's not enough evidence to prove that it was him, but…"

"You suspect that it's him, right?"

I finished the sentence for her.

In the end, she could only look at me with a troubled look. I shrugged.

I wasn't stupid. Besides him, who would have the power to be able to do this? The Guild Master? 

Maybe, but my coins were on the Unit Leader. 

I licked my lips. 

'This is the third time.' 

The third time that he tried some funny shit with me. From his attitude to the stunts, he pulled on me.

I more or less anticipated some form of retaliation after taking the project away from him, but... he certainly gave me one hell of a surprise.

"Liam… what are you thinking? You're not going to…"

Dean stopped halfway. I gave him a strange look. From his expression, I could easily tell what was bothering him. 

I waved my hand. 

"You're thinking too much. I'm only keeping the situation in mind. I won't do anything for now."

"For now? Does that mean…"

I simply smiled. 

Heat? Hate? I could take it. I had no problem taking it.

That was fine. 

I knew that time would speak for me. I was a very patient man.

Be it waiting for the article to age bad, or revenge. I could wait.

I had no trouble waiting.

Because.

All good things need time to marinate.

Bzzz—! Bzzz—!

Just then, the entire room erupted with multiple buzzes. Phones vibrated as all of us were flooded with calls and messages. 

It was then that I knew... 

The article was out. 

***

Epryria. 

Floating islands ranged from different sizes. From small to medium-sized, to large, and then... supercontinents. 

Of those, there were only two in existence. 

Epryria in the north, and the Shard in the south. 

Almost all of the largest 5-star Guilds were located within the two supercontinents, where the economy thrived as one of the most prosperous.

In the bedroom of a large suite, Guild Master Evon calmly stared at the moving vehicles beneath, his eyes transfixed on the lights displayed around. 

"Guild Master, the meeting will start in ten minutes." 

The door to his bedroom opened and his secretary came in. Massaging his eyes, the secretary stood straight at the end of the room. 

He realized that there was something a little odd about the Guild Master. 

Typically, he would have already been ready by this point. Yet, he was still in his bathrobe, scanning the city below. This was unusual of him. 

"Is there something bothering you Guild Master? Did something happen back at the Guild?" 

Guild Master Evon, who was lost in his own thoughts finally showed some changes, his lips slowly curling up. 

"I was on a call just now." 

"Ah? Yes? With whom?"

"The Leader of Unit 1." 

"Ah, and then...? Did something happen?" 

"It did." 

The Guild Master flung a newspaper to his secretary, who deftly caught it with one hand. As he opened it and glanced at the contents, the secretary's mouth fell open. 

"This is..." 

He raised his head. 

"Guild Master. Is... is this for real?" 

"It is." 

"Then...!" 

"Leave it be." 

"Uh?" 

The secretary blinked. For the first time in a very long time, he struggled to understand the Guild Master's intentions. 

"But!? This is serious. We need to get rid of this immediately before it starts negatively impacting the Guild's image." 

"It's fine." 

Guild Master Evon lightly chuckled. 

"I..." 

The secretary found his words stuck in his throat. 

Wasn't this scandal related to the image of their Guild...? It also seemed to be related to the person that the Guild Master was paying special attention to. 

So, why would he...? 

"How much time do we have left?" 

"Ah? Yes? Time?" 

The secretary snapped out of his thoughts. Blinking, he hurriedly checked his watch and responded, 

"We have seven minutes left." 

"Okay." 

With a slow nod, the Guild Master turned around. 

Understanding what was happening, the secretary bowed once and closed the door, leaving the Guild Master alone. 

Once he was gone, instead of immediately changing, the Guild Master picked up his phone, which rested on his bed. Turning it on, his eyes rested on the most recent message. 

It belonged to a familiar number, one that he had only recently received. 

The message only consisted of two words, and yet seemed to insinuate much more than that. 

[Don't interfere] 

Attached to it, was a small clip. One that the Guild Master replayed many times over in the past two hours.

His lips curled. 

"Very well, then." 

He tossed the phone to the side. 

"I won't interfere."