Conference Video

Jules ended up spending a bit over a week within the walls of the Onyx Ravens' Hideout.

Jules stopped himself from trying to comprehend the Seraphim of War skill for now because he didn't want to make a mistake.

He spent most of his time cultivating his core, dedicated to refining it to the next Core Stage–Yellow.

His progress was evident as he had already made it to the Light Orange stage. 

Jules knew the main reason for this crazy boost was the 'blood' he drank, and its effects were already wearing out.

During this period, Jules realized the state of his general affinity to mana, his ability to sense and control them had improved.

Not only that, his affinity to the water element had increased.

Jules also dedicated more time to practicing magic.

The best part was that Jules' body was recovering faster than before.

Although he still had a small body frame and wasn't as strong as the average person in a similar core as him, he knew he was on a great path.

To top everything that had been happening recently, Jules sensed a now familiar presence through the mana he was spreading.

Over the past week, Jules engaged in a few conversations with Kira Moon, with the first being the longest–that was also the only time both of them have been alone.

Until now.

Knock. Knock.

'I guess she has something she wants us to talk about.' Jules commented, wiping the sweat off his forehead. 

Jules has noticed that matters regarding the Seraphims and the incident are treated with utmost care–especially after the incident.

'And that is because there is a sneaky rat within the Ravens.' 

Restricted to this room, Jules has thought about various topics and this was one it. He was certain his deduction was correct.

Taking his shirt from where he hanged it and putting it on, Jules walked to the door of the comfortable room he dwelled in after leaving the medical room.

Opening the door, he met a tall muscular woman with a packed onyx black hair and piercing purple eyes, wearing a black suit and pants, with a purple undershirt. 

On her chest was a sigil that represented her as a member of her guild and her status within the guild.

Revealing a warm smile, Jules said as he let her in, "Hello, Vice Guildmaster. To what do I owe your presence?"

"Greetings," Kira Moon said with indifference, "I need to talk to you"

"Oh my, let's sit then." Jules walked towards the side of the room that had two couches facing each other.

Sitting opposite Kira, Jules chuckled, "I would have served you tea, but alas, this is not my home."

Acting as if she didn't hear him, Kira Moon said, "Let's move on to business. I'd like to tell you that we've settled the family of your party mates who died in the incident."

Jules scoffed internally. 'So, was this supposed to make me see them in a better light?'

"Oh, that's good to know. I appreciate your care and concern." Jules replied to her.

Nodding, Kira Moon changed the topic, "Moving onto the main topic at hand, take a look at this."

Kira Moon handed Jules a phone displaying a video. It was a public conference with Kira Moon relating to the night where Jules and his party were attacked.

Due to immersing himself in training, Jules hadn't done much scrolling through the internet recently. The most he did was read novels or comics during his breaks.

'This happened yesterday. I guess they couldn't keep everything underwraps. I wonder how it went.' Jules thought, watching the video with interest.

- - - -

In a bustling hall with bright yellow lighting, a long table was placed on a high podium. 

Kira Moon sat coldly yet professionally behind the table with multiple guild members standing upright behind her.

Placed on the wall behind the table was a holographic screen. It displayed:

"Topic: Party Massacre within Nyxvale–Onyx Raven's territory."

Surrounding the podium were interviewers, journalists and newscasters. The Human Government officials stood at the sidelines, ready to maintain order at any time.

Soon, all the lights dimmed in the hall, giving way for the spot light to single out The Dullahan, Kira Moon.

A voice sounded through the Conference Hall. "Let the conference begin."

Interviewer: "Vice Guildmaster Kira, can you tell us about the incident that occurred 7 days ago, between 11pm to 3am."

Kira Moon: "A Party that booked a Beyond in district 12 managed to be successful with their explorations, but upon arrival in the real world, they were attacked by an unknown group that was interested in their findings."

At this point, murmurs began to swell within the hall, but Kira Moon's professional indifferent voice silenced them.

Kira Moon: "Upon detecting something wrong with our officials placed there, the Onyx Ravens reacted instantly, but unfortunately, the attackers were prepared; Too prepared. A bunch of our guild members and the party members died."

Interviewer: "What were the party findings?"

Kira Moon: "We do not know. We have no record of that Beyond holding items, much less knowing what item it held. 

"How the attackers were able to obtain an information like that is still a mystery.

"What we do know is that the findings were lost during the attacks. We are still trying our best to uncover what it is as it could be a clue to find our attackers."

Interviewer: "Vice Guildmaster, rumors have been going around saying there was a survivor. Is this true?"

Kira Moon: "Yes, there was one survivor. He was found on death's door far from the heart of the attack site. Given his low rank, he was not prioritized, which contributed to his survival."

Interviewer: "How did he escape when others couldn't?"

Kira Moon: "Jules Evanava managed to escape the attack site, but had a chaser. Based on our investigation, an unidentified party intervened at some point, killing his chasers and abandoning him. 

"Jules Evanava was ultimately saved by the Onyx Ravens medical team.This is the condition we encountered him."

A gruesome image of Jules bloody scarred and stabbed body was displayed on the holographic screen. 

Without waiting for the interviewers to ask, Kira added, "The motives of the unidentified party are yet to be identified."

Surely, murmurs sparked once more amongst everyone that was paying attention to the conference.

Jules' stomach twisted as he stared at the image. His own bloodied, battered body. That was him? He ran a hand over his chest, as if expecting to feel fresh wounds. How had he even survived that? He wondered.

In that instance, Jules vaguely remembered how he ended up in that state, sparking up a reaction within his core.

Interviewer: "What will happen to Jules Evanava now? Is he under the Onyx Ravens?"

Kira Moon: "Jules Evanava has no official ties to the Ravens. Once his treatment is complete, he'll go his own way

"If you check into the reason for Evanava being ranked low, the Ravens don't have the resources to help him, so we won't be involved with him anymore."

Interviewer: "Vice Guildmaster, some find it strange that the unidentified party eliminated only his pursuers and left him alive. Could he have some connection to them?"

Kira Moon: "That is pure speculation. Our priority remains identifying our true enemies, not entertaining baseless theories."

From that point on, the interviewers exchanged rounds of minor questions till when Kira Moon decided to give her closing statement.

"Our priority is to identify the group responsible for the ambush and to prevent future incidents like this from occurring. If any information regarding the unknown third party comes to light, we will take appropriate action. That is all."

The video clip ended there.

Jules let out a soft chuckle.

'Ishhh. I kinda just got cut off.'