Unlike me, Alver possessed significant power as an eight-star mage. It was clear that his abilities surpassed mine, and he had shown restraint during our battle. Even though he could have easily defeated me from the start, he hadn't unleashed his full power.
This realization made it evident that this battle was a losing cause for me. No matter what strategy I employed, I could have lost my life if Alver had decided to go all out.
I stepped back, clutching the dagger tightly in my hand, as a knock echoed through the room. Alver's sudden change in demeanor indicated that he believed it was the hotel staff at the door.
"Relax, it must be the hotel staff... you wait here, I'll talk to them," Alver said, dismissing my concerns with a wave of his hand.
"I warn you-" I tried to interject, but Alver paid no heed.
"I won't report you... we're going to have a good chat, aren't we?" He turned away from me, positioning himself to peek through the side of the door, ensuring that his wound remained hidden.
A feminine voice spoke from the other side of the door, interrupting our conversation. "Um... I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but we heard a lot of noise from your room. Is everything alright? I would like to check if-"
"Oh, don't worry. Everything is alright! Better than ever," Alver responded, laughing it off as if it was nothing. I couldn't help but wonder how the stab wound had such little effect on him.
"But, sir, I must check. It's the protocol-" the female employee's voice trailed off, replaced by the sound of coins being tossed.
"This should suffice for you to leave me alone, right?" Alver's voice carried a confident tone as the sound of coins landing met my ears.
"Y-y-yes!" The employee's voice almost shouted, and Alver promptly slammed the door shut.
I observed Alver's interaction with the hotel staff through a crack in the door, my grip on the dagger relaxing slightly. It seemed that he had managed to convince them that everything was under control, effectively bribing them to leave us alone.
As the sound of footsteps faded, Alver turned back towards me, his expression a mix of relief and weariness. "They're gone now," he said, his voice slightly strained. "We have some time to talk."
I nodded, understanding that our battle had come to a temporary pause. The intensity of our confrontation had subsided,
"Sit down," I gestured towards a nearby chair, indicating that we should take a moment to collect ourselves and engage in a civilized conversation.
Alver hesitated for a moment, then complied, lowering himself gingerly into the seat. His expression shifted to one of confusion as he spoke, "Wait... But isn't this my room? Haa, whatever." He let out a sigh.
I took a seat opposite him, leaning forward slightly as I studied his features. Despite the tense situation, Alver appeared surprisingly relaxed, adding to the air of mystery surrounding him.
"Start talking," I urged, my voice calm but firm. "Why do you have my name on that list, along with... other people?" I asked, trying to maintain my composure.
"Why don't you answer me first? How did you manage to enter the room without alerting the mana sensors I had placed?" Alver countered, his eyes fixed on me with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
I glanced around the room, taking in the disheveled appearance and the signs of our intense battle. It was clear that our encounter had left its mark.
As I contemplated his question, I realized that I hadn't been aware of the presence of mana sensors when I entered the room. However, I had employed a simple technique that could fool such sensors.
Mana signatures are complex and elusive, even for someone like me who has studied them extensively. It is akin to a person leaving their unique mark on mana, and these sensors are designed to detect discrepancies in the atmospheric mana when compared to the person who set them up. However, they have a major flaw - they cannot detect a significant surge of raw mana in the atmosphere. And that's precisely what I did. I concentrated a large amount of raw mana into the room, effectively fooling the sensors.
"It seems your mana sensors have a blind spot," I said calmly. "That's how I managed to enter the room undetected. But let's return to my question. Why is my name on that list, Alver?"
"Blind spot... that's impossible! They are... fuck it," Alver facepalmed, frustration evident on his face. "Now, back to the list... I wasn't following you," he answered, his tone tinged with exasperation.
"Hey, listen up, bitch..." I leaned forward, ready to confront him.
"Shut up! Listen to me!" Alver interrupted, stopping me from speaking. He took a moment to compose himself before continuing, "I did not purposely follow you." His words only served to deepen the confusion.
"Continue," I urged, eager to unravel the mystery.
"As you've guessed, I am the guild master of Demacia Guild now. The list contains the names of members from Sephra," Alver explained, his voice calm and measured.
"Lies upon lies. I saw some names that weren't even from Sephra, and not all of them were guild members. Tell me, what are you really up to?" I questioned, suspicion creeping into my voice.
Alver let out a weary sigh, his exhaustion evident. "Why don't we start from the beginning, then?" he suggested. "My name is Alver... I am what you could call someone with a lot of money. I purchased the Demacia Guild three months ago, and I am currently working on a project that requires the assistance of numerous adventurers and significant land acquisitions," he revealed, albeit vaguely.
"What project?" I pressed, eager for more information.
"We aren't that good of friends yet to be sharing these kinds of things, are we?" Alver mused, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. What did he mean by "not yet"?
"Regardless, for this project, I am traveling through all three kingdoms, and Clay, whom you must know, provided me with a list of potential candidates who could be of use to me in the future, based on his connections," Alver explained further. To my surprise, he conjured a small portal beside him, but instead of something dramatic, he simply retrieved a bandage from it.
"- and that list had my name on it? But that doesn't mean you have..." I began, but once again, Alver cut me off before I could finish my sentence.
"Yeah, I know. But when Clay handed me the pile of candidate sheets from everywhere, he pulled out your sheet with much more care," Alver said, his eyes focused as he started wrapping the bandage around his abdomen on his own.
"Clay specifically told me to be careful about you, Ren Hilton," Alver continued, pointing his gaze directly at me. "He mentioned that you are a quite smart person and could be of use to us." With the bandage secure, he finished his explanation.
"Why me?" I repeated, still puzzled by my involvement in Alver's plans.
"Kyle... remember him? Clay's been keeping tabs on you since then," Alver reminded me, jogging my memory of something I had long forgotten.
My mind flashed back to that incident with Kyle and his goons. When I entered the guild the next day, I could sense that Old man Clay knew about my role in their demise. However, instead of exposing me, he remained silent, offering me a knowing smile from behind the reception counter. It was as if he had let me off the hook that time, knowing that he could use me for his own purposes.
"So, you are trying to acquire land to open up branches of the Demacia Guild in all three kingdoms, while simultaneously recruiting adventurers?" I summarized, hoping to confirm the extent of Alver's plans.
"How did you know?!" Alver exclaimed, clearly surprised by my accurate deduction.
"It's not that hard to comprehend," I replied nonchalantly, masking the fact that it was mostly a guess.
Alver looked at me with a newfound interest, his gaze lingering on my face. His intensity made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
"What?" I asked, unable to ignore his piercing gaze.
"Nothing, I just thought... how right Gramps was," Alver chuckled, his tone filled with amusement. "Anyways, when I saw you here, of all places, I couldn't help but be curious. I wanted to get closer to you and have a chat, but now look where we are," he mused, a hint of irony in his voice.
"So you weren't trying to harm me?" I asked, seeking clarification.
"Hell no! All I wanted was to have a chat with you, to get to know the kind of person you are. But you weren't exactly talkative, so I gave up and returned to my hotel room. And when I entered, bam! There you were, looking through my stuff like a thief! I still kept my cool and asked if you were done snooping, but then you started attacking me," Alver explained, his irritation evident in his tone. It's surprising to see how expressive he can be, or maybe I'm just not used to expressive individuals.
I leaned back in my chair, feeling a sense of embarrassment wash over me. I realized that I had become overly paranoid and forgot that other people have their own lives too. It was unfair of me to assume the worst of Alver without proper evidence.
"Wait a minute!" I interrupted my moment of embarrassment as I looked at him. "When I first met you, I didn't sense any trace of mana in you. But now... it's like you're bursting with it. How?"
"Oh, that's because... well, I'll answer if you promise me something," Alver said, pausing as he made a demand.
"What kind of promise?" I asked, already having a feeling of what he was going to ask.
"Help me with my project," Alver replied straightforwardly.
"Nope," I responded without hesitation.
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