"No matter how cautious they were, they still couldn't resist making a move."
Moen and Jude walked together to the twin brothers. Of course, neither of the two had died, and Moen would not let them die just like that.
"But relying only on these two, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to implicate Duke Savalu, right?"
Jude's expression was serious. He believed Duke Savalu would definitely not leave such obvious evidence. Through these two dark mages, could they really directly implicate Duke Savalu?
Moreover, even if these two dark mages identified Duke Savalu, how credible would their words be?
"Who said we need to rely on them to identify Duke Savalu?"
Moen glanced at Jude strangely.
"As long as Duke Savalu isn't stupid, he wouldn't personally go to a dark guild to submit a commission, right? These two definitely haven't met Duke Savalu. They might not even know who exactly ordered them to act. Dark guilds don't have that many rules, they don't need to meet the client at all."
Moen was naturally clear about this. These dark guild mages basically never saw their employers; most of the time, the employer dealt directly with the guild.
"Then what's the point of capturing them?"
Jude looked puzzled. If they couldn't implicate Duke Savalu, wasn't it meaningless? Without dealing with Duke Savalu, they still wouldn't be able to truly open up the southern heartland of the kingdom.
"Kill the chicken to warn the monkeys first."
Moen said. Capturing these two might not implicate Duke Savalu, but it would definitely implicate the dark guild behind them.
And what they would do next was to eliminate that dark guild swiftly and decisively with thunderous means.
"Kill the chicken to warn the monkeys…"
Jude thought for a moment. Eliminating a few dark guilds supported by Duke Savalu and frustrating his plans was indeed a way to demonstrate strength. But could that really intimidate Duke Savalu?
"Not only that. After eliminating this dark guild, it will be much easier to try to implicate Duke Savalu. And when that time comes, what gets exposed won't be up to him."
Moen narrowed his eyes. If Duke Savalu were a bit sensible, everyone could remain at peace. If he really wasn't sensible…
Then Moen would abandon courtesy and simply pin the charge of colluding with and raising a dark guild on him first.
This wouldn't even be framing Duke Savalu, because he truly had transactional relations with these dark guilds. That was something he couldn't wash clean.
He had genuinely hired killers, and very likely it wasn't the first time.
When the time came, both the Magic Council and the Kingdom of Fiore government would come to hold him accountable. It would absolutely leave Duke Savalu in a miserable state and completely ruin his reputation.
Neither the Magic Council nor the Kingdom of Fiore could tolerate such matters. Once certain things are put on the scale, the weight cannot be contained.
As long as Savalu had done it, there would definitely be traces. He couldn't possibly change the person contacting the dark guild every single time and then silence them afterward; otherwise, his trusted subordinates would be replaced far too quickly.
And if such matters weren't handled by trusted confidants, then Duke Savalu was truly bold, because once such things were exposed, he would inevitably face investigation and severe punishment from the Magic Council. Image
"Will these dark guilds definitely keep evidence of contact with Duke Savalu?"
Jude was still somewhat doubtful. He was relatively law-abiding and had never dealt with dark guilds or hired them to harm anyone, so he didn't know much about such matters.
"Jude, do you think the mages in dark guilds… follow rules? Would they honestly refrain from investigating their clients' identities?"
Moen's answer left Jude speechless for a moment, because the answer was obvious. If dark guild mages followed rules, would they even join dark guilds?
"So… as long as someone hires a dark guild, there will definitely be a record? And if that dark guild is wiped out, those records will fall into the hands of the Magic Council?"
Jude's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Not fall into the hands of the Magic Council, but into the hands of the guild that wiped out that dark guild. It's just that most guilds will hand them over, since dealing with those employers is the Magic Council's responsibility. But it's not impossible…"
Moen explained. Some things are fine left unsaid; once spoken, they make matters seem rather underhanded.
"Not impossible for some guilds to privately contact those people themselves…"
Jude immediately understood. The list of clients obtained after wiping out a dark guild could also become an additional source of income.
"Most guilds still have integrity and bottom lines, especially the legitimate guilds strong enough to eliminate dark guilds. Generally, they wouldn't do such things."
Seeing Jude's expression as if he had a new understanding of the mage world, Moen smiled and added that he had exaggerated a bit earlier. Such situations were rare among legitimate guilds; they didn't have the time or energy to extort people off a list.
"…"
Jude still looked shocked, clearly thinking, "I don't quite understand you combat guilds." He had once joined a guild as well he and his wife Layla had met in one, but it had been a merchant guild.
"Jude, you don't need to worry about the rest. Continue your work and wait for my news."
Moen controlled several crows to seize the two brothers, then boarded the glider himself. Matters of the magic world should be handled by mages; Jude didn't need to be involved in the rest.
This dark guild had quite some nerve. But since they dared accept this commission, they must have been prepared for destruction, right?
When facing ordinary people, mages were restricted by various rules. But when facing dark guilds—also mages—mages could go all out. Moen naturally would show no mercy.
Soon, under the guidance of the twin brothers, Moen found the dark guild they belonged to. The brothers were straightforward and had no intention of stubborn resistance, especially the elder brother who had experienced being covered in black feathers.
The suffering the younger brother hadn't endured, the elder had endured entirely in his place. Physical pain was nothing; that sensation of slowly suffocating and sinking into darkness was what truly shattered one's will.
Led by the twin "guides," Moen located the dark guild within Duke Savalu's territory.
"Neck of the Swamp, built in the middle of a swamp. How do you usually live? This place doesn't look self-sufficient at all—honestly, it doesn't even look habitable."
Looking at the old and oddly shaped guild hall before him, Moen asked curiously.
"Someone in the guild transports supplies regularly. The local villages prepare them for us. We never worry about that."
The elder twin, covered in black feathers with only his head exposed, answered.
That explanation sounded somewhat strange, almost as if the local authorities were funding them. But they were a dark guild!
"Who could be behind that? So hard to guess…"
Moen couldn't help but laugh. Duke Savalu was indeed a genuine local tyrant. He even had a hand in the local dark guild? Was this dark guild truly raised by him?
On second thought, it wasn't surprising. When they had met before, Duke Savalu had many mages by his side. Perhaps among them were dark mages from "Neck of the Swamp."
"Cygnus Bronze Cloth!"
There are no obvious spelling, grammar, name, or factual errors according to Fairy Tail canon in this translated portion.
Looking at the "Neck of the Swamp" guild hall in the marsh, its gaping mouth as if ready to devour someone, Moen directly summoned the Cygnus Bronze Cloth and donned it. The swan helmet spread its wings, and pieces of silver-white armor attached themselves to his body one by one.
After the armor was fully equipped, Moen's figure began to move, his dance as elegant as a swan about to spread its wings and take flight.
As Moen moved, the Cygnus constellation in the sky shone brilliantly, seemingly visible even in the daytime sky.
At the end of the dance, Moen clenched both fists and thrust them forward, and a frigid torrent of magic power poured out along his arms.
"Aurora Thunder Attack!"
Starlight cascaded down as magic power rapidly gathered toward Moen's body.
"Crackle! Crackle!"
A massive tornado of freezing air infused with lightning instantly swept out, terrifying frost accompanied by crackling thunder and flashes of lightning.
The icy magic roared toward the swamp, blasting toward the guild hall shaped like a goblin with its mouth wide open.
Where the blue-green torrent of magic passed, all things in the world were almost immediately covered in layers of ice. Even the wet, foul-smelling swamp with no place to step instantly formed a thick layer of solid ice.
"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"
The roaring frost magic washed over the guild hall, and in an instant the entire structure was frozen solid by hard ice. The goblin-mouthed building was directly turned into a massive ice sculpture.
The twin brothers' mouths hung open. The scene before them left them nearly speechless. This was magic completely beyond their understanding.
This terrifying frost magic had practically sealed the entire swamp in ice. The originally wet, foul, greenish-yellow swamp world suddenly became a frozen realm of ice and snow. Even the color tone shifted from rotten yellow-green to sacred blue.
The magic overflowing from Moen's body turned into frost, constantly condensing in the air. It was as if frost and snow had suddenly begun to fall from the sky.
"The world changed color…"
The elder twin trembled as he muttered in amazement. The two of them were right beside Moen. If not for the black feathers covering them, they would probably have been frozen as well.
Moen ignored the twins. He stepped forward, walking atop the layers of solid ice until he reached the entrance of the "Neck of the Swamp" guild hall, now turned into a giant ice sculpture.
"Crack! Crack!"
The ice sealing the entrance quickly split and melted, opening a passage for Moen to enter.
Moen stepped into the guild hall. The interior was eerily silent, because everything inside had already been frozen solid. The freezing gale had swept through, freezing all things in its path.
All kinds of people in the guild hall were sitting or standing, lifelike in appearance, but all were covered in a layer of blue ice.
Stepping on the solid ice beneath his feet, Moen came to a middle-aged man and lightly knocked on the ice covering him.
"Is it him?"
Moen asked the twin brothers, who were being dragged in by two crows.
"Yes, that's him—our guild master!"
The elder twin nodded frantically in reply, looking at Moen as if he were some kind of god.
Was this the power of the legendary "Rose Star"? No wonder he was someone who had defeated one of the "Ten Wizard Saints" twice!
"Crackle!"
The ice melted, and the frozen middle-aged man regained his ability to move.
"Th-this! Wh-what is going on?!"
The moment he regained mobility, the middle-aged man immediately began trembling and stammering, looking thoroughly frozen, though whether from cold or fear was hard to say.
"Don't ask. Just answer."
Moen's voice rang out, making the man shudder. Looking at Moen's face, his heart was completely filled with fear.
"Is Duke Savalu the one funding you from behind?"
Moen asked his first question. He believed this dark guild called "Neck of the Swamp" could not possibly be unrelated to Savalu.
"Y-yes… and no…"
Seeing Moen's expression, the middle-aged man stammered.
That answer gave Moen a headache. Had he guessed wrong? Was this dark guild not so closely connected to Duke Savalu after all?
"Yes means yes. No means no."
Moen spoke coldly, his voice as piercing as ice.
"Uh… Duke Savalu has indeed given us quite a bit of money, but strictly speaking… that wasn't support. It was protection money we collected."
The middle-aged man trembled as he answered, the chill in the air making his throat ache.
"Protection money…"
Moen frowned and glanced at the dark mages in the guild hall.
Their quality could only be described as mixed—no, actually, quite consistent. They were all a bunch of insignificant underlings. Even this guild master was very average in strength. Not a single person in the entire guild had been able to withstand his freezing aura.
"A trash dark guild like yours, not even fit to sit at the table, can collect protection money? What is Savalu playing at?"
Moen found it hard to understand. A legitimate guild of decent strength could probably wipe them out easily, right?
This guild couldn't even compare to "Eisenwald." At least Eisenwald had some notoriety as a dark guild, but this "Neck of the Swamp"—Moen had never even heard of it.
"…"
The middle-aged man flushed red at Moen's words, wanting to refute them but unable to. Compared to "Fairy Tail," they were indeed nothing, not even worthy of entering the other's sight. But in the local area, they did have some degree of intimidation!
It could only be said that "Fairy Tail" stood too high, lacking understanding of the lower and middle levels of the magic world!
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