Knowing the Truth

The next morning, at the Alchemist Association…

Every member of the association was still immersed in their respective work. It was only natural for them to be this busy; beyond honing their skills in alchemy, each member also trained as an Adventurer so they would not fall behind other factions or forces within the Sacred Dragon Kingdom.

Another reason they valued the advancement of their levels and ranks—and the mastery over their energy—was because these were essential to their expertise in alchemy itself.

Meanwhile…

Two days had passed since the Adventurers' Guild spread the news that Finn was alive. Only a handful within the Alchemist Association were aware of this, as most did not have the privilege to learn such a shocking revelation.

Inside a certain room, a woman sat with all ten of her fingers pressed together. She wore an elegant dress and light makeup upon her delicate face.

Her expression was etched with deep worry and contemplation.

And this woman was none other than Alicia.

Just yesterday, Alicia had received word that Hitch had disappeared from his room. He had not requested permission from the Alchemist Association's higher-ups, so it was impossible he was simply training long-term somewhere on their territory.

The guards stationed at the gates were strict, and they were certain that no core member could have slipped past them unnoticed. More than that, Alicia knew Hitch well—he obeyed every rule and directive of the Association and placed great importance on the Elders' opinions, especially those of Morris. There was no way he would simply flee.

Yet this was not the only matter gnawing at her thoughts. As the second most influential Elder of the Association, she had also received the intelligence that Finn was alive—and had returned.

Alicia felt a twinge of guilt, for she had done nothing to aid the Azure Wood Family. She had wanted to help them, but with the Crown Prince entangled in the conflict, it had been impossible. Even her teacher Morris, despite being an Alchemy Master, did not wield influence to rival the Crown Prince. They could not intervene, for they held no formal ties to the Azure Wood Family.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Lost in thought, Alicia was jolted back to herself by three urgent, resounding knocks. She quickly composed her features, rose to her feet, and opened the door.

Standing there was the Punishment Elder of the Alchemist Association, his face unmistakably stricken with distress.

"Elder Wan, you look terribly unsettled. What has happened?" Alicia asked in confusion, studying the man called Wan.

Wan was drenched in cold sweat and could not bring himself to meet her gaze. He lowered his head in a deep bow and stammered, "Elder Alicia! Your teacher—Association Master Morris—he has been gravely wounded on his way to the palace! Lord Helbram brought him here. He… he has yet to regain consciousness!"

Alicia stood frozen, the words striking her like a thunderclap. Utter shock washed over her face.

She could scarcely believe anyone would dare attack her master—a 3rd Level Sky Rank Adventurer! And more than that, an alchemy master renowned across the kingdom!

It was no exaggeration to say that in all the Sacred Dragon Kingdom, none would be so brazen as to target her master.

She locked eyes with Wan, her voice shaking as she demanded, "Elder Wan, is this true?! Where… where is my teacher now?!"

Wan recoiled from her sudden shout. Gathering himself, he spun on his heel and set off without another word.

Alicia followed him swiftly. Soon, they stopped in front of a modest chamber. Wan pushed the door open, and her eyes swept the small room.

There, she saw two elders speaking in hushed tones beside the motionless form of an older man lying in bed.

"Grand Elder, Lord Helbram!" Alicia exclaimed.

She hurried inside and bowed respectfully to the two elders.

Helbram looked upon her with weary gentleness, then sighed. Without a word, he stepped aside to let her see the bandaged and broken body of Morris.

Alicia rushed to her teacher's side, studying his injuries with a pounding heart. She placed her fingers upon his wrist—and her expression twisted in shock.

It was true. Her master's body had been utterly ravaged.

Straightening, she turned to the elders, her eyes dark with dread and disbelief.

"Lord Helbram…how could this have happened?!" Her voice was calm, but her hands were clenched with worry.

Helbram drew in a steadying breath. "He was attacked…while on his way to the palace."

Alicia's expression shifted at once, her voice rising again. "Who would dare assault my teacher? He is a 3rd Level Sky Rank Adventurer, and beyond that, an Alchemy Master! No one in our kingdom would dare challenge him!"

Helbram's gaze turned heavy as he looked down upon Morris's unconscious form. "It is true that no citizen of our kingdom would dare. But…the one who struck him was not of this kingdom. The attacker was none other than Morgan of the Alchemy God Sect."

"Alchemy God Sect… Morgan?!" Alicia's voice trembled, and the Grand Elder's eyes widened as well. "How did they even know the precise day?"

Never had they imagined such a foe would come from beyond their borders.

Recalling the cause, Helbram's expression darkened with rage. His voice grew thunderous.

"It was because of that treacherous young spy! He is the reason the Crimson Blood Kingdom learned the exact date of the king's treatment!"

Alicia's eyes narrowed. A face flashed unbidden in her mind. But she needed to be sure.

"That young man you speak of… who was he?"

Helbram exchanged a grim look with the Grand Elder. After a heavy silence, he exhaled and answered:

"The student your teacher loved most… Brien Latter."

"B-Brien?!" Alicia's voice broke, her hands trembling. "Where is he?! Please, Lord Helbram, take me to him—because I swear I will tear him apart with my own hands!"

"Your fury will serve no purpose, Elder Alicia," Helbram said quietly. "He has surely fled this kingdom already… with that vile Morgan. I, too, am furious. But even if I faced Morgan myself, I lack the strength to detain him."

He sighed again. "Now that they have learned the identities of our kingdom's most promising Adventurers, I must gather them at the Royal Clan's side to protect them."

Alicia stood frozen. But as her mind spun, she suddenly recalled another matter—one even more unsettling.

"But, Lord Helbram—now that Finn Doria has returned alive…he will demand an explanation from the Royal Clan. Aren't you afraid of what will come, since the Crown Prince himself is involved in this war?"

At her words, Helbram fell silent, then slowly turned to her. His voice rose in shock.

"What did you say?! Say that again!"

Alicia felt a chill run through her as Helbram's aura pressed upon her like a mountain. She forced herself to meet his eyes.

"Finn Doria—he is alive. And I am certain he will not rest until he has vengeance for his clan!"

"H-How…!" Helbram's face turned ashen. A realization struck him like a blade.

"No…this is a disaster! I must return to the palace immediately!"

--

Three days earlier…

Finn Doria had departed from the Azure Wood Family's territory, heading straight for the Cloud Soaring Sect. His journey had been swift—far swifter than before.

Where once he, Ashe, and Marcus had traveled for nearly two weeks to reach the sect, this time he had taken only three days. He did not rest. Each time his soulforce dwindled, he consumed a Recovery Pill, paused just long enough to stabilize, then soared onward without hesitation.

After several more hours flying upon his new Low-tier Epic Armament—a gleaming flying sword—he finally reached the place where the core members resided.

He scanned the surroundings from above. When he was sure no threats lingered, he dismissed the sword into his interspatial ring and let himself drop lightly behind a familiar elder.

Sensing the presence at his back, the Elder whirled around, instantly tense.

But when she saw the young man standing there, her eyes widened in disbelief.

She knew this youth—she had spoken to him himself, during the selection of the Seven Great Faction Games!

"Finn Doria?!" the Disciplinary Hall Elder blurted.

Finn smiled faintly. His voice was calm. "We meet again, Disciplinary Hall Elder."

The Elder could only stare, unable to fully believe what her eyes saw.

Drawing a deep breath, she spoke in a low voice, "Then…the rumors were true. You're alive."

"Yes," Finn replied meaningfully. "And surely you know why I have come."

The Elder's face darkened. Of course she knew. Finn was here to demand a proper explanation from the sect's higher-ups.

She was about to answer when another figure appeared beside her—a purple-robed elder who seemed to materialize from the air itself.

"Disciplinary Hall Elder," the old man said mildly, "leave this to me—and to Sect Master Noah."

Finn studied the newcomer's lined face, then dipped his head slightly in greeting.

"It has been over four months, Elder Marcus."

Marcus inclined his head and sighed. Turning away, he said quietly, "If you truly wish for answers, follow me. Sect Master Noah is waiting."

Without another word, he began to walk.

Finn glanced at the Disciplinary Hall Elder, then bowed respectfully and followed.

He bore no hatred toward the Cloud Soaring Sect. Not yet—not until he learned the truth.

True, when he had first learned that no help had come for the Azure Wood Family, rage had consumed him. But it had been brief. Once his thoughts cleared, he realized there must be reasons behind the sect's silence.

In the end, he had brought great honor to the Cloud Soaring Sect. It would have been a humiliation for them to so brazenly revoke the protection they had pledged to his clan.

And besides…he could not imagine Noah was that kind of man. Brien had once said Noah was a prince himself. A man like that would not stain his own name so cheaply.

They walked in silence. At last, they reached a second-floor chamber.

Marcus paused, breathed out slowly, and opened the door.

He gestured for Finn to enter. Finn did so at once, then halted when he beheld the familiar figure seated within.

Marcus stepped to Noah's side and stood tall, watching Finn in solemn stillness.

Finn bowed. His voice was low but edged with feeling.

"Sect Master Noah, I will not waste words. I have come to know why—why you broke your promise."

Though he did not raise his voice, emotion rang clear: confusion, anger, grief.

His hands clenched at the memory of his slaughtered clan—of the man he had called father.

"I have known…ever since I learned you lived," Noah said quietly, meeting Finn's gaze. "I knew this day would come."

He exhaled and continued, "You must understand—Cloud Soaring Sect could not interfere in a war between two clans."

"Could not interfere?!" Finn's voice finally rose, raw and hoarse. "If you had upheld your protection, do you truly think the Nine Ice Family would have dared act? Do you think hundreds of innocent clan members would have died?!"

Finn's voice shook with the force of his rage. He could no longer keep the bitterness from flooding out. He could no longer pretend the memories did not haunt him every moment.

The chamber seemed to darken under the pressure of his emotions.

"Finn…" Marcus spoke at last, his tone gentle but firm. "Do not lay all the blame at Sect Master Noah's feet. Even if the Cloud Soaring Sect had intervened, the outcome would not have changed—because the Ice Feather Sect stood behind the Nine Ice Family. If we had joined the conflict openly, the war would only have escalated. Countless more would have died. And—"

"Elder Marcus!"

Noah's voice cut sharply across the room, silencing Marcus in an instant.

Marcus fell quiet, startled by the uncharacteristic severity in his sect master's tone. He turned to face Noah, speaking with deliberate gravity.

"He has the right to know everything, Sect Master Noah. If you deny him the truth, he will plunge headlong into vengeance, blind to the consequences."

The words fell into the quiet.

Finn felt the tremor of their meaning in his bones. He did not flinch. He did not look away.

No—he had already resolved that nothing, not even the certainty of his own death, would stop him from avenging the Azure Wood Family.

He drew a slow breath, steadying the turmoil in his chest, and lifted his eyes to meet Noah's.

"I understand," he said, his voice quiet but unwavering. "I will hear it all. But no matter what you say—no matter how many reasons you lay before me—the Nine Ice Family and the Ice Feather Sect must pay for what they've done. And no one will stand in my way. No one."

Noah studied him in silence, the weight of years and power and responsibility resting in his gaze.

At last, he sighed and rose from his seat.

"You must understand, Finn…" He stepped forward, his voice soft but resolute. "If you attack the Nine Ice Family, you will not only face them and the Ice Feather Sect."

He paused.

His eyes did not waver.

"Your greatest enemy will be the Crown Prince himself."

For a heartbeat, Finn could not speak.

The words struck him like a blade through the chest.

"…The Crown Prince?" he echoed hoarsely. "But why?"

He knew full well what the Crown Prince represented—second only to the King himself, a man already regarded as the heir apparent to the throne.

Noah inhaled, then slowly exhaled. He locked eyes with Finn, and there was a grim finality in the way he said it:

"It was your clan's rise—your sudden strength—that drew the Crown Prince's greed. He became obsessed with uncovering whatever secret the Azure Wood Family guarded. It was he who sanctioned and supported the war between the Nine Ice Family and your kin. Once he learned how greatly your family's power had increased, his desire to seize your hidden wealth only grew."

Noah's gaze darkened, his voice growing colder.

"He craved the treasure you protected…and he exploited the King's illness and indecision to act without restraint."

A low, ragged breath shuddered from Finn's lungs. His aura, long held in check, erupted.

A suffocating force pressed outward, so dense and cold that Marcus and Noah felt their pupils contract.

"All…for wealth?"

His voice was a growl of fury.

Noah did not deny it. "Yes. For wealth. For ambition."

He let the words hang in the air.

"In the end, it was discovered that your clan possessed a Low-tier Epic Armament. If the Crown Prince had known sooner, he would have taken it himself."

Finn's hands trembled.

His eyes were lowered, shadows hiding the storm raging within.

Slowly, painfully, he drew a long, steadying breath.

At last, he lifted his head.

His voice came calm—too calm.

"Then all of them—every last one—must pay for what they did."

Noah and Marcus exchanged a look.

Finn's gaze remained unbroken as he continued, "There is only one thing I wish to confirm before I leave…"

Noah did not interrupt him.

"Was it you?" Finn asked, his voice low. "Were you the one who arranged for those Rogue Adventurers to come to my clan's aid?"

It was a question that had tormented him from the moment he first heard of their intervention.

Neither elder answered at once.

They only looked back at him—silent, solemn.

And in that silence, Finn understood.

His heart clenched tight.

A heavy breath left his chest.

He bowed, deeply, the cold fury in his aura receding into something softer—something wounded.

"…Then I am grateful," he said quietly. "For everything you did."

He straightened, lifting his chin. "It was foolish of me to hate the Cloud Soaring Sect when I did not know the truth."

Yet in the next breath, his voice turned hard again—unyielding.

"But even so…"

He paused, and the finality in his tone made both elders stiffen.

"…Even so, I must ask that you grant me permission…to leave the Cloud Soaring Sect."

The words struck the room like a falling blade.