Artur listened carefully to Anna's explanation. He didn't miss a word, a sentence, or a paragraph. Nothing slipped by him, and he remembered everything. However, the more he listened, the more disappointed he became.
This wasn't what he wanted to hear...
This wasn't what he wanted to know...
But from her explanation, Artur understood that the Anna before him was not the Anna he knew. She was no longer the stubborn sister who always dreamed of becoming a mage.
The Anna before him was the wife to a powerful prince who would eventually become the king of all arion species. The silver-haired woman with a face so similar to his sister's was a future queen.
Her dreams were no longer about becoming a powerful mage. Her aspirations had shifted to becoming a consort, recognized by her people as the wise queen. She was no longer the sister Artur knew, nor the one who always occupied his thoughts.
Before him stood a strong mage. A dignified prince's consort. A wife who loved her husband.
Cila's face seemed to replace Anna's in his mind.
Mother and daughter shared the same attitude. They would sacrifice anything for their family.
But Artur still had to question this, because if he didn't, only hatred would fill his heart. His love for Anna was so immense that when everything didn't align with his expectations, hatred threatened to engulf him.
"Why... Why... Why didn't you come back?" Artur's voice trembled as he asked.
Rini grasped Artur's hand and squeezed it. Artur didn't realize that his hand was clenched tightly and felt icy cold.
Anna didn't answer right away. Calmly, she looked into Artur's eyes. After sipping her tea and placing the cup back on the table, she turned her gaze towards the door.
"Gupita, please call the others to come here," she said.
Her voice sounded gentle, yet it carried a firm tone of command. She appeared graceful and authoritative. Anyone who saw her would acknowledge that they were witnessing a magnificent queen.
But this was what clenched Artur's fist even harder. His body shook as he struggled to contain the hatred flooding his heart. The Anna he knew would never be able to act gracefully and authoritatively like this. She only knew how to use her muscles to force her way.
"Very well, Madam!" Gupita's voice echoed from outside the door, followed by the fading sound of her footsteps.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you answering my question?" Artur asked, his teeth clenching.
Once again, Anna merely looked at Artur, her gaze feeling vacant yet carrying a hint of pity.
"Artur, you're a fortunate child. You shouldn't have become a mage by now. You should have remained a regular adventurer who risks his life for just a few pieces of gold. Do you know, Artur, that for those born into commoner families like ours, there's no hope of becoming a mage?" Anna asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why don't you just ask your friend or the wife beside you?" Anna said with a slight smile playing on her lips.
Artur turned to Rini and Robert. Both wore the same expression, their foreheads furrowed, their faces serious. Artur couldn't fathom why they both looked so somber.
"Robert, Rini, what does this mean?" Artur inquired.
Rini lowered her gaze as Artur looked at her. The answer to his question came from Robert, "Artur, what Madam Anna said is true."
"Huh? What do you mean? Why can't an adventurer become a mage?"
"Artur, perhaps an adventurer can become a mage, but after becoming a mage, their life might turn out to be far worse than death."
Robert then began to explain to Artur the true face of the Guild. The face known to all upper-class nobles but hidden from the general public. For reasons, of course, that were highly advantageous to them.
Robert began to narrate, not just about adventurers and the Guild, but from the very beginning of the era after the end of the first mana species war.
He explained the changes that had occurred in the military academy. Only noble children were allowed entry. Despite many commoners enlisting and aspiring to be heroes like Stent Gaht, they would never pass the selection.
He then continued with the formation of the Alchemist Association. The true reasons behind the establishment of the Alchemist Association. How the association monopolized the distribution of Mana Potions, how they eliminated all unregistered alchemists, and several other incidents unknown to the general public.
"You've probably heard about the inception of the Guild, formerly known as the Mana Field Miners under the control of the House of Valya. Initially, their purpose was to gather Mana Organs and Rare Plants. However, after the Mana Field Miners moved to the Wuhan Clan and changed their name to the Guild, their true goals changed as well," Robert explained.
Robert then explained to Artur how the Guild trapped adventurers in insurmountable debts. He detailed how they coerced adventurers to work for free in order to pay off their debts.
He then delved into what happened to those adventurers who eventually achieved their dream of becoming a mage. However, all of it ended up being a life far worse than death.
In order to repay their debts, many adventurers ended up becoming targets for shooting practice, trials of new potions, or tools to fulfill sadistic desires. Not only that, for those who managed to clear their debts, further suffering awaited them.
Within a day or two, while they were hunting in the Mana Field, sleeping, or enjoying their freedom, some individuals would approach them. After that, their existence in the world would seemingly vanish without a trace.
Not only that, their families would disappear as well. People who knew them and harbored suspicions about what was truly happening kept their mouths shut tight, not wanting to get involved in matters that were beyond their capacity to handle.
Artur was taken aback, his mouth agape, finding it hard to believe what he had just heard. In his eyes, adventurers were free spirits, not bound by anything. They were dreamers and brave souls who fought mutated animals and monsters to become mages.
However, Robert couldn't be lying to him. Not when he spoke so seriously, his face etched with a mixture of seriousness and frustration. Yet, if all this was true, then what he had known about adventurers had been a lie.
"Then why?! Why is everyone just silent? Why is Stent Gaht, the hero of humanity, silent? Why is the House of Valya staying silent?" Artur shouted loudly, shaking Robert's body forcefully.
But his friend's mouth seemed to be tightly sealed, incapable of answering Artur's question. Thus, the answer came from Anna, who had been watching with a smile on her face all this time.
"That's because they all gain immense benefits from the Guild. Where do you think the abundant Mana Potions provided for free in the military academy come from?"
"Wha-" Artur's voice caught in his throat.
He remembered how every student in the military academy would receive a Mana Potion each month. They got it for free, just needing to wait for the time to pass and then drink the Mana Potion.
As a mage himself, Artur understood that to build a strong Constellation foundation, a single Mana Potion wasn't enough. He himself had to drink five Mana Potions before daring to change the Mana Flow into a Constellation.
"Not only that! The reason why my father couldn't do anything is because behind the Guild, there's the Wuhan Clan. He can't disrupt the Guild because it's the same as challenging the Wuhan Clan to a war," Robert defended his father.
Anna just smiled, sipping her tea, "But you can't deny that you've also enjoyed what the Guild does, can you?"
"We..." Robert stopped and closed his mouth. Saying more than this would make him a hypocrite, concealing their wrongdoings with beautiful words.
Artur stared at the conversation between Anna and Robert with wide eyes. Then he turned to his wife, who had been silent the entire time.
"Rini, do you also know about this?"
"I-I-I-I only know the surface. I don't know if the Djarum family also benefits from the Guild's gains, but I've heard rumors about it," Rini answered hesitantly, her voice trembling and her face downcast.
"All the nobles enjoy a piece of the Guild's profits. Some of them enjoy free Potions. Some of them enjoy its financial benefits. Some of them acquire cheap slaves from the Guild. And some of them simply turn a blind eye for a peaceful night's sleep.
"Every success and happiness they have, regardless of who they are, is built upon the corpses of countless commoners buried beneath their feet. The innocent souls who suffered due to the greed of these nobles are beyond count."
Anna's voice resonated through the room, freezing everyone in place. They were unable to speak, as Anna's aura overflowed. Her vengeance was palpable in her voice, even though she said it calmly.
*Knock! *Knock! *Knock!
"Madam Anna, they have arrived!" came the sound of knocking, followed by Gupita's voice from behind the door.
Anna stood up, "Artur, you asked why I didn't come home, right? I will tell you the reason why. Gupita, everyone, come in!"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶