Hero of Darkness

Inside a wide building with 10 floors, were thousands of people either working their daily jobs or they were people who came to do transactions. This massive building with intrinsic and pleasant architecture colored in red and white was one of the 3 biggest banks of Alfheim named as the Vikjah Bank, meaning 'The Fortress' in Elashor, the ancient elven language. 

On the topmost floors where the top officials of the bank worked, a room akin to the office of a billion-dollar company's CEO had a quiet yet very tense atmosphere. 

"How may I be of help, lord Xelvar." spoke a well-dressed elf with glasses as he bowed respectfully towards the person sitting across his desk. 

This middle-aged elf was the Deputy General Manager of the Vikjah bank but even someone of such a prestigious and powerful standing was talking respectfully to the visitor in front of him. 

A golden-haired obese elf adorning a red and yellow coat with blue straps on his shoulder who had a double chin and round face spoke in an authoritative tone. 

"I have come to do some 'checking' on behalf of our President. 

We heard some news that your bank is no longer safe for us to keep doing business with you." 

"What? My lord… there must be some misunderstanding. I'm sure someone has been spreading lies. 

We're definitely far more secured even than the other two top banks of Alfheim." responded the deputy general manager, hiding a bit of anger and disdain in his mind. 

But he couldn't talk back because although he was an Elf… the young and oversized elf in front of him was actually a High Elf, someone with the family lineage of the High Nobles class. 

"Oh… So are you implying that my uncle is a fool who sent me on a useless errand without gathering valid information?" asked the noble high elf to the middle-aged manager. 

"No! I didn't mean it like that. Please, be at ease, my lord. Your money and all the assets are safe with us." said the manager in an obedient tone. 

"I'll be the judge of that. Let me take a tour of your safe house and see if our information is wrong or not." said the fat elf in an overbearing tone. 

"But my lord… that's against our policy. Only the acting president of your association can be allowed to do so." he responded in a calm voice. 

"Is that so? Then do you want me to report to my uncle that there's indeed something wrong and that's why you wouldn't let me inspect the safe house? 

Tread carefully, Mr. Manager. This could be the last time our organizations speaking with each other." said the high elf with an offended expression. 

The deputy manager had a constricted expression for two reasons. 

One, he couldn't afford to defy or offend the high elf who seemed to be in his 30s because of their social standing. Just a single word from the latter could get him out of the job since the organization he presented was one of the top 2 clients of their bank. 

Two… he couldn't recheck the story this person told because of the familial ties he had with the President of the organization this high elf represented. 

After thinking for a while, the former could only give up and nodded in agreement. 

30 MINUTES LATER

The deputy manager brought the noble high elf to an underground facility that was 8 floors below their main building. 

As they walked inside and followed 3 to 4 methods of certifying the manager's identity and passed through a group of guards, magic cannons directed at the entrances and the protection barriers… both of them finally arrived at a 1 kilometer wide and securely compartmentalized floor. 

Here, there were thousands of safes as well as a few hundred fully armored guards holding high-grade weapons, varying from different jobs and ranks. 

Most of these safes held a lot of private and incriminating belongings of powerful people who wanted no one to find them. 

The tour continued for quite some time and finally, they reached a place where the bank minted their own money. 

This was a part where the money that had to be released in the market would be made and then get registered before they spread it in the economy. 

Unlike how things worked on earth, the verified banks in the Zivot Empire had the rights to create their money for day-to-day transactions. But the condition was that it was done under the supervision of the imperial clans and the Ministry of Economics who also worked for the imperial clan itself. 

"Alright, I've seen enough. 

I conclude that our money and assets are in safe hands. My uncle would be pleased and so will the other officials of the Mercenary Association." spoke the high elf as he walked with heavy steps. 

[Pleased my buttocks! Who the hell are you to judge our capabilities, you heap of meat?!] cursed the manager in his mind. 

This was a total waste of time for him while he should be doing more important work instead of acting as a guide for a spoiled noble. 

But he kept his misgivings in his mind and put a smile on his face as he escorted this man back to the entrance. 

However, without him or any person working in the minting section realizing… something, or someone… walked out of a void crack at one of the dark corners. 

While the duo of elves was heading back to the entrance of this guarded facility, the fat elf also revealed a light smirk as they ascended to the ground levels using a crystalline glassed magic lift. 

As for the figure who appeared out of the void crack, he had a tall stature and was completely covered in a black cloak and was masked toe to toe to the point one couldn't even tell his species. 

Soon, a dozen more individuals appeared out of his shadow and all of them were well cloaked just like the former. 

"Master… are we going to steal all this money? Wouldn't that greatly affect innocent people of this city who have accounts here?" asked Ronin telepathically. 

"That was never my intention, Ronin. 

It's called stealing when you take away something that belongs to someone else. 

But it is not stealing…" replied Kahn with a smirk as he revealed his real intentions of infiltrating here. 

"If you print your own money."