Chapter 141: Revenge Against Brother Rast (Two-in-One)
“Revenge… opportunity?”
“Leader Cisel, are you saying…?”
Listening to the words of the elderly man at the long table, Grey instinctively raised her head.
Those green eyes, which remained calm and indifferent even when facing the source of the plague and the wave of Iron Crosses, now seemed to ripple like a still water surface disturbed by falling stones…
“Are you saying that Brother Rast… there is finally movement from the Gravekeeper side?”
However, in response to the girl’s urgent question, Cisel did not provide a direct answer.
The elderly man, with his gray beard, merely lowered his gaze and took out a scroll written on parchment from the long table, slowly browsing through it.
This was a document retained within the Guardian of the Shore Organization, meticulously recording Grey’s journey from passing the newcomer assessment, truly joining the organization, to executing her first mission… up until today.
“With three years’ time, from a quiet newcomer who just entered the Guardian of the Shore Organization, you have gradually arrived at your current position…”
“I have been watching your progress over these three years.”
“Even with the Flame Seed of the Guardians, your advancements cannot be simply described with just that seed.”
As he flipped through the document in his hands, a hint of imperceptible relief flashed in Cisel’s aged eyes.
“It seems that my and Sharona’s judgment back then was not wrong.”
“You are indeed someone we can entrust with the future of the Guardians.”
Upon hearing the name “Sharona,” Grey’s eyes involuntarily trembled.
Sharona, the Vice Captain of the “Lost Paradise” plan… Sister Shadow’s real name.
To this day, the Lost Paradise plan is an event from three years ago… The details of that operation have been kept confidential within the Guardian of the Shore Organization, so for the majority of Guardians, it was merely seen as yet another mission that resulted in sacrifices, without understanding the true story behind it.
However—
For someone like Grey, who experienced the Lost Paradise plan firsthand… even though three years have passed, that memory remains vivid.
She is acutely aware of the entire plan, of all the truths.
And there’s the betrayal that directly led to Sister Shadow’s sacrifice—
That unforgettable betrayal.
“Brother Rast…”
Grey’s voice was no longer calm; her long-silent heart seemed struck by a heavy blow, vibrating with tremors.
“Calm down, Grey.”
“I know you have been waiting and hoping for this opportunity for a long time.”
“But in your current mental state, even if you really stand before him, there will be no possibility other than defeat.”
The old man’s voice came again.
Not loud, but as if it had a penetrating power, clearly engraved in Grey’s ears.
So, slowly.
Grey took a deep breath, forcing her boiling heart, reignited by the news of Brother Rast, to settle down once more.
Seeing this, Cisel finally paused his browsing of the document.
He took out another scroll made of parchment from the drawer of the long table.
The wax seal on the scroll bore the faint golden emblem of the Guardian of the Shore.
“Initially, a hundred years ago, Rast in Deep Blue Harbor… with his mortal body, nearly single-handedly eliminated an entire city’s Iron Crosses.”
“He delayed that initial Iron Cross Plague and the Evil God’s descent for several months.”
“And now… you have done something similar in the northern border.”
“So—I think, at this moment, you may have the qualification to seek him out.”
He gently pushed the sealed scroll across the long table.
Clatter—
The scroll slid across the table and then accurately stopped in front of Grey, who carefully picked it up.
“What you guessed is not wrong.”
“Noah and the Gravekeeper side have been silent for three whole years… and they are indeed about to take action.”
“And correspondingly, Rast will be sure to react as soon as that happens.”
“So—”
His voice paused slightly: “If you want to thoroughly wake Rast up…”
“This impending upheaval is your best, and also last opportunity.”
“If—”
“If you believe you have caught up to his pace.”
…
Looking at the wax seal embossed with the emblem of the Guardian of the Shore on the scroll, Grey’s green eyes sparkled.
This represents the highest level of secrecy within the Guardians—
At the same time, it is also a key.
A key to the depths of Paradise, to the location of Brother Rast, giving her the chance to once again stand before him.
“I understand, Leader Cisel.”
Grey bowed once more and quietly retreated with the rolled-up document.
The top floor of the Watchtower returned to silence once again, leaving Cisel alone.
Watching Grey gradually disappear down the steps, the elderly man collected the documents on the long table before turning around.
He gazed out the window at the square below the Watchtower, where people clad in Guardian standard trench coats rushed about.
And, beyond the crowd, behind the Watchtower… a coastline that seemed to blend into the skyline.
Gradually, the elderly man’s demeanor began to change.
No longer the gentle and calm elder he was with Grey…
His gaze towards the coastline grew younger, his long brows raised, revealing a hawk-like expression of dominance—
As if an elderly lion sensing its imminent d*ath took one last look over its territory, causing all creatures to flee in trepidation, whether wolves or young lions foolishly trying to challenge the throne.
“That little girl… is still too green, too naive, and too weak.”
“Perhaps give Grey another five years, she will truly ascend to the legendary seat—just as my mentor entrusted me with the position of Leader of the Guardians only after I had reached legend, ensuring a smooth transition between two generations of Guardians.”
“But—”
“At this moment, we no longer have another five years.”
Cisel’s voice was faint, almost intimate, yet also introspective.
Even the most grassroots members of the Guardian Organization can feel the imminent storm brewing.
Let alone himself.
The elderly man gently extended his hand towards the coastline outside the window.
In the next moment, a faint flame began to slowly emerge in his palm.
Compared to the flame Cisel had shown to Grey three years ago atop the mountain in Paradise City, this flame was so illusory, flickering erratically… as if it would extinguish entirely at any moment.
This was an obvious fact—
The Flame Seed of the Guardians had already been given to another.
At this moment, what remained deep within this elderly man’s soul was merely the ashes left from carrying that flame for centuries.
It was a fleeting light, like an illusion, capable of dissipating like bubbles at any moment.
Yet, at this moment.
This elderly man continued to stoke that flickering flame with his own soul as fuel.
At the cost of burning his soul and spirit, he kept that wavering illusory flame from extinguishing completely.
“Sharona, you once said—”
“A soldier’s mission is to pave the way for heroes with their life.”
“You regarded yourself as a soldier, saw me as the destined hero to light the long night… and used your lifetime to interpret the meaning and duty of the word ‘soldier.'”
Cisel’s gaze turned distant.
“Then, at this moment—”
“It is my duty as an aging former hero that I must fulfill, isn’t it?”
“Before I am completely senile, unable to walk, and d*e on my sickbed…”
“To clear away all obstacles in front of my still-young and immature successor.”
“And also…”
The elderly man’s murmured words paused slightly.
“As you wished, to resolve the misunderstandings between those two.”
“To ensure they do not meet the same fate as us.”
…
Grey was unsure what feelings she held as she left the Watchtower, unsealed the wax-sealed document bag, and browsed through its contents.
But when she regained her senses, she found herself on the busy city street.
Just like when Grey had just passed the newcomer assessment of the Guardians, declined her companions’ celebratory dinner, and walked alone on the street.
Only now.
On that same street, the familiar boy’s figure who had always made her feel at ease was no longer there.
“Little Grey…”
“Little Grey…”
A familiar voice pulled Grey from her deep memories back to reality.
She turned her head to see a girl with a ponytail looking at her with worry: “Little Grey, what happened to you?”
“Ever since you came out of the Watchtower, you’ve been standing on the street holding this confidential document, looking lost.”
“Do you want me to take you to the hospital? I happen to know a doctor from the Bounty Sequence, her abilities are great for healing mental trauma.”
“I’m sorry, Yannis, I’m really fine.”
Seeing her familiar close friend, an apologetic smile appeared on Grey’s face.
She recalled how she had ignored Yannis in the square before: “And I’m really sorry for that… I was a bit too anxious.”
“No, Little Grey, you don’t need to apologize.”
Yannis shook her head, her orange ponytail swaying in the air: “I understand.”
“Everyone says that you have been chosen as the successor by Leader Cisel, the next leader of the Guardians.”
“You stand higher, and the burdens and considerations you have to take on are also greater; I can understand all of that.”
“After all, neither of us are the same newcomers who just entered the Guardian Organization… Many of my companions say you are one of the strongest among the Guardians under Leader Cisel.”
“With your abilities, succeeding Leader Cisel and becoming our next leader, no one would raise any objections.”
The strongest under Leader Cisel?
So that’s how the other Guardians view me?
Listening to Yannis’s words, Grey’s mind involuntarily fell into a daze.
Her transformation began three years ago after returning to the Watchtower from Paradise City.
As the next leader chosen by Cisel, who has taken on the legacy of the Guardians… the challenges she faced are no longer as relatively easy, even somewhat comfortable as when she was an ordinary reserve member.
That was a rigorously organized program overseen by Leader Cisel, involving the upper echelons of the entire Guardian Organization—a hellish training regime.
To develop her long sequence, Grey had to carry out high-danger missions continuously, relying neither on any teammates’ assistance nor leaving herself any escape routes…
Wandering alone in the harshest regions, facing the most dangerous enemies, each mission was like dancing on the edge of a kn*fe, placing herself in life-and-d*ath situations.
Only in this way could Grey fully develop the power known as “Fate” deep within her soul, exhausting her potential in a short period.
To be honest, when she first learned about the hellish training she would face… Grey had entertained the thought of quitting, of returning the Flame Seed she had received back to Leader Cisel, or simply stepping away from the Guardians altogether.
This was training that the past version of her, a girl who roamed the continent solely considering her own interests, a pure egoist, would never have accepted.
Yet, even Grey herself could hardly believe it, she ultimately persevered.
Because she wanted power.
If she had possessed power earlier, then during that rainy night on the cliff, when facing Brother Rast, she would not have felt so powerless, left with only a wailing cry of impotent rage.
She loathed that version of herself, watching treasured people and things slip away from her fingertips while she could only kneel in the rain and weep helplessly.
Unable to salvage anything, unable to do anything.
“Little Grey—”
“Is it because… there is news from Captain Rast?”
Yannis’s voice was hesitant, but she ultimately still asked.
As a member of the team executing the Lost Paradise plan, Yannis had also personally experienced the entire process of that plan, naturally aware of the truth behind that betrayal.
She knew very well Captain Rast’s position in Grey’s heart, as well as the inexplicable feelings Grey harbored.
“Yes.”
Grey nodded, resealing the confidential document in her hands.
The brief hint of confusion in her eyes soon vanished without a trace.
In these three years, Grey had continuously forced herself to avoid focusing on Paradise, to avoid news of Brother Rast.
Because she knew she was too weak back then, unworthy of standing before that person.
But—
At this moment.
Perhaps she had finally caught up to that once unattainable shadow.
And the only thing left for her to do was one thing.
“Find Brother Rast and seek revenge.”
“To deny his philosophy, to tell him to his face that the stance he has held all along—seeking power by any means necessary—is wrong.”
“And then, bring him back among the Guardians.”
(End of Chapter)
