Hero of Darkness

After the mind-boggling revelation about all of the hosts being Saints was revealed to the attendees, most of them quickly agreed to join the guild these powerhouses were forming on the spot. 

Why? 

None of them were new to this profession. They already knew the importance of powerful fighters like Saints who stood at the pinnacle of strength in the world. Even in the Zivot Empire, there were only 103 saints among the population of 3.2 billion people. 

However, these monstrous beings rarely joined the Mercenary profession as most used their strength in either military or other fields of the ruling structure to gain prestige and benefits. 

So a single saint was already rare but 8 were akin to gods bestowing their blessings without restraint. 

Also, given their own battle prowess, skills and ranks all these attendees had… 90% of them wouldn't even qualify to join a guild led by so many saints in the first place. 

Thus, the majority took upon this offer because no way in hell would they get another opportunity like this. 

"Alright, alright. Those who want to join, form a line in your row order. 

Those who don't, take the promised amount and you may leave." spoke Legolas.

Everyone orderly formed ques and started signing Contracts of Employment and also received the signing bonus. 

Here, unlike the Rakos Empire... no one used the Blood-binding contracts. 

Rather, they used the ancient elven method of Lifespan Contracts. 

In this method, instead of a body part, one's life force was at stake. The breach of contract by the guilty would reduce their life by the number of years mentioned in the contract. 

And this varied on the grade of the Lifespan Contract that had a range of 10 years, 20 years and 50 years; going from low, high and supreme rank respectively. 

This was their version of Blood-binding and Blood-oath token. The higher the rank, the more lifespan could be added to the contract.

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The procedure carried on without any trouble and ended in 3 hours. However… Some people still didn't sign. 

But Legolas and the group were unaffected because he had already expected this outcome. 

Not all people came with the intention to join in the first place. 

Some had their own arrangements and means to survive while others were either going to act like informants and relay the information about the events of this gathering to other envoys and guilds in Alfheim. 

In a way, this was still a good thing for Legolas and their soon-to-be-established guild to get fame and become popular in the community. 

As for those who tried to cause trouble for them… Kahn and the company had fucked over 2 empires already with his actions and involvement. 

What the hell could these pesky little guilds do to those who once ruled over millions of people? 

And finally as the evening came, Legolas visited the mercenary association. 

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Thud! 

Legolas dropped a small heap of employment contracts on the desk. 

"So you did manage to do it. I'm impressed Mr. Ragnarsson." spoke Logan as he smoked a cigar and offered one to Legolas. 

"And what's the next procedure? There should be a fee to register and stuff, right?" asked the elf on the other side of the desk as he too lit it up and leisurely enjoyed the distinctive scent that packed a punch in both his mouth and mind. 

"Given how you have a total of 634 members, the price would be close to 200 thousand Purple Itikar." declared Logan after tallying a few things. 

Purple Itakar was the highest denomination in the Zivot Empire's currency structure. 1 Itikar being equivalent to 100$ on earth. 

"That much? Just to get certified and legalized in the business? 

Man, you guys really swindle us poor and needy people. Can I get some discount?" cajoled Legolas shamelessly. 

"There's no room for bargain. This isn't a vegetable market. 

Besides… there's a problem." responded the brown wolfkin executive associate in a serious voice. 

"I'm listening." said Legolas without any worry. 

"My superiors… 3 of them are Elves and 2 humans who have held those positions for decades now. 

Normally, when a big-shot client wants mercenaries to work for them, these people favor the guilds they have under-the-table arrangements with. 

The association gets their cut but my superiors also get their share from the guilds for bringing in a huge source of income. 

A new guild means dividing big time and prestigious clients because new guilds often approach and steal away those clients from already popular and well-established guilds." explained Logan who had the voice of an old man.

"So you mean approving my guild is a conflict of interests?" asked Legolas with curiosity filled in his eyes. 

"Yes. If one is well connected to them, they'd get you approved within a day. 

But if you creating a guild poses a threat to their potential incomes… then they'd stall you for months in the name of technicalities. 

This business… is very unfair." iterated Logan as he sighed. 

"I see. 

And I assume approving a new guild also gets you some rewards as well. That's why you're telling me this, right?" asked Legolas with a coy smirk. 

"You're a smart person, Mr. Legolas. It is indeed the case. 

That is why I'm telling you this inside information. To smoothen your situation that is." replied the wolfkin. 

"Mr. Vargr… I do not have the time nor the will to play mind games and politics with these people. 

Instead of making friends with them and losing too much money investing just to please these people and receive a few breadcrumbs… I tend to work differently. 

So I have another proposition. This should be a win-win situation for both of us." spoke Legolas and leaned forward as Loki who stood behind him isolated the room under a barrier. 

Legolas then told Logan a plan that just hatched in his mind. 

"Nonsense! Are you out of your goddamn mind?! 

How could you do that?" complained Logan in a voice full of disbelief. 

"Arr… Mr. Executive Associate, you should know what kind of strength we possess by now, right?" asked the elf gleefully. 

Suddenly, Logan's expression turned grim. 

"I have heard." he said with an incredulous expression. 

Because among the mercenaries who attended the gathering, he sent a few of his own people to the auditorium. 

[This elf isn't simple. More than a mercenary, I feel like I'm talking to a businessman and war strategist. 

He's cunning, ruthless and doesn't even trust me. He already saw through my initial plans.

They're all saints and destined to make big waves after their debut as a guild. That's why I wanted to deepen our ties.] thought the wolfkin. 

His initial ploy was to use the higher-ups as an excuse to make Legolas feel cornered and then make the latter reliant and indebted to himself. 

So that in the future, he'd see Logan as his only ally in the association. With that happening, Logan would also get to catch a few fish in the pond. 

[But now… he's taking the initiative instead. 

The idea he proposed… it's radical. But also beneficial to me as well. However, I can't blindly trust this elf. 

This Legolas Ragnarsson… is a very calculative person who sees 10 steps ahead.] he recollected his thoughts because soon, things might get out of hand. 

"So what do you think? 

Who do I have to deal with first?" asked the Elven saint whole smoking the cigar like a connoisseur. 

"My direct superior in this department… the Chief Operating Executive. 

You get rid of him and we won't have to worry about anything." responded Logan. 

"Give me all the details. I'll be thorough." said Legolas and took out a pen and paper from his space ring. 

"How are you going to do it? You're not going to kill anyone, right?" asked the wolfkin cautiously. 

"No such thing. We're honest people in an unjust world. 

Besides, how I solve our problems shouldn't be of any concern to you. 

You just have to provide the intel." said the elf in black and blue longcoat attire. 

Logan then wrote down everything he knew about this superior of his who would cause them trouble later. 

Both Legolas and Logan wanted to get rid of an enemy even before they stood in their way. 

Legolas and Loki left the association and came to their suite. 

Just today, they had used up all the money and were left penniless at this point. Yet there seemed no sense of urgency on the elven saint's face. 

Because the plan he proposed would not only help them progress in their objectives to establish themselves in Alfheim quickly but would also solve a lot of their adversities too. 

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When the night came, Kahn and Ronin appeared in the northeastern end of Alfheim, in a region where only the noble class lived in their pristine and luxurious mansions in widespread properties. 

Soon, they infiltrated inside a particular estate using Invisibility and Phase Shift, facing no obstacles as they passed through walls and all forms of protection barriers and magic formations. 

And finally, they stood inside a master bedroom where they saw a figure sleeping soundly. 

"It's nothing personal."

Spoke Kahn as he looked at the person who was going to become their victim. His soft and gentle voice masking the lack of empathy in his eyes. 

"It's just good business."