The Mysterious Black Magician

About a hundred people came into a halt in front of them.

(Tap tap tap tap tap…) Then a man walked in front of the others.

"Harou…" Ember mumbled.

Seeing the red hair man together with a group of people, a grin appeared on the man with long silver hair,

"I didn't expect to see you here, Ember," said the man which Ember called Harou.

"Do you know them?" They heard Crimson's question.

"Those two who have long silver hair are from the Lowe family of the Canine Sect," Cinder was the one who answered.

"I see…" Crimson replied. 'no wonder they had wolf ears too,' he thought..

Harou narrowed his eyes upon noticing the person together with Ember and his sister. He recognized the person. It was the same person who protected Miss Ella on the public square. 'Kuku, who would expect these people would team up together.'

On the other hand, Cinder fidgeted closer to Crimson while staring at Lyka. She saw this beautiful girl again that seemingly looked like a character in the VR game she played.

She looks cold and snobby though. It was her honest impression of Lyka.

Lyka was just a meh. Unbothered by Cinder's gazes. But she was staring at Crimson. She felt something about this person who was hiding under his hood. 

Lyka raised a brow at Cinder who moved closer to the person in front.

"Heh," Harou scoffed. Then he added, "I see, I did not expect you guys were together with this man," Harou said while beckoning in Crimson's direction.

"....."

Yman wondered why this newly arrived person seemingly knew him, but before he could open his mouth to ask, "Y-Young Master Harou Lowe Sir…" someone among the leftover participants called out.

Harou and the others glanced to where the call came from and saw a guy cupping his hands towards Harou.

"Tsk, him again…" Tiafel mumbled.

"What do you want?" Harou asked.

"Young master sir, did you perhaps come here to cross the bridge?" Mus directly went to the main point.

Harou knitted his brows. 

'Bridge?' He did not expect this. 'So there was a bridge needed to cross? I see…' He thought understandably.

"Yeah," He nodded then asked, "what of it?"

"Uh… er," said Mus while brushing his hands. Harou and the others furrowed while waiting for the continuation of his words. Wondering what this person is trying to tell. Then Mus continued saying, "...there is a problem with the bridge, sir."

Harou further frowned after hearing his words. "What, a problem? What do you mean?" Asked Harou as he glanced at the people in front of him. He noticed that Ember and the others were unbothered by it.

"Is it true, Ember?" He asked Ember.

"Don't ask me, dude!" Ember's annoyed reply.

Mus opened his mouth again. "Yes, a problem young sir, it collapsed a moment ago. For how it collapsed, most of us have no idea as we were resting at that time.

Only the young master of Lupine's family and this guy here named Crimson were the ones who know how it happened. Also, they refused to proceed when we tried to ask them. I didn't intend to point them as the ones responsible for the destroyed of the bridge since we have no evidence in the first place. However, being that they have no intention of proceeding, it only means one thing," explained Mus.

"Right, Mus is telling the truth. These people might be hiding something!" Some leftover people added, and the others also followed with their version of disagreement towards the group of Crimson.

Yman noticed a hidden smirk from Mus's mouth.

He knew that this guy was trying to plant doubt in others about them. But then again, a grin appeared in his mouth under the hood.

He could already guess what this guy wanted. 'Then let's play along,' Yman thought.

Cinder and the others glanced at Crimson and Ember, but they noticed that they didn't have a plan to say something.

They too had remained quiet. 

While the group of this guy named Harou was just approaching, Yman already knew that this guy named Mus would act the way he acted at the moment.

Crimson and Ember noticed the eyes of Harou on them. "Are you guys the one responsible for the destroyed bridge?" Asked Harou with a bitter face. They have traveled quite long. If they proceed to travel north, they were already out of gas when they reached the place. Most of them were already exhausted.

Harou's voice while asking them was trailed with intimidation. It was real that he wasn't happy at what happened to the bridge.

"No, we were not the one who destroyed it," He replied honestly. But it only caused a further frown to Harou's face.

Based on what his scout reported, 6 people wiped out more than a thousand enemies in this area. So Harou was a little wary of the guy in front of him. He wasn't even considering that it was because of Ember who did the work as he knew this guy's capability. Based on what he knew about him, it was an impossible feat for Ember. He wasn't sure about Ember's sister though. Seeing the other people around these three, Harou noticed that each of them had an average level.

Within their group, the only variable and very suspicious was the guy named Crimson which was in front of him.

Now that this guy was in the hand-reach distance away from him, he noticed that this guy wasn't that strong really. His magical energy was so weak! Not even a False Path Expert level.

If not only that he saw what he did on the public square, he already pounced him in the face while asking him what they did to the bridge.

It wasn't because he was afraid that he didn't do it yet, he was just cautious.

But.

"Young sir," Mus called out again.

Hearing him, Harou glanced and asked, "what?" With a slightly annoyed face.

"I think I know of the reason why these people destroyed the bridge… hehe," said Mus gesturing like a smart man.

Harou threw a look at Crimson and Ember. Ember's eyebrow twitched. He wanted to challenge this Harou. On their previous duels, he never won even for once, but he wasn't afraid to try again. —A man can only become stronger after so many defeats!— This is what he believes in.

"Speak!" Harou bid Mus for what he wanted to say.

A grin appeared in Mus's mouth. "You see young sir, it was only my baseless hunch—"

"Speak right away! I don't need some unnecessary talks!" Harou slightly raised his voice. He didn't like Mus' way of indirect speaking.

"...ahem, I mean young sir, this guy can summon some bird creatures that can be mounted by two-person each. Hehe!" 

"I see," Harou squinted his eyes towards Crimson. Looks like this person was a summoner type.

"Can he summon multiple at once?" He wanted to make sure.

"Yes sir! We saw it with our own eyes. Although this per—" Mus was not able to finish his words as he saw Harou's hand raised slightly.

It also clear that Harou wasn't in the mood for chitchat.

"....."

Yman remained quiet. At the moment, the other participants together with this guy named Harou were gripping their weapons. Everyone was seemingly readying themselves for a brawl.

"Is it true…?" Harou asked Crimson in a chilly and demanding voice. Now he was serious. If it was true, then those birds were the only saving grace for all of them. If this guy remained unperturbed. There was nothing they could do but to use force.

(Sigh.)

Based on his previous battle on Public Square, he believed that this person was a mage-type. A class of

a magician with tricky spells but weak physically. 

He was wary only by his summon that the scout reported. But with the number of False Path Experts at his back. He believed that this guy wouldn't stand a chance if he tried to fight back. His only choice was to give up and hand those birds to them. If not, there was only death that awaits him. Also, this Crimson man looked exhausted.

"Fufu," However, after a sigh, they heard him chuckling. Then, "what of it, huh?!" Ember chimed with his unconcern arrogance. 

Yman noticed the leftover participants raised their weapons. Oddly enough, they point their weapons to Crimson's group. Although some of them were having skeptical faces, they were puzzled about which side to favor.

"Ungrateful traitors!" Cinder and gnashed her teeth. 

Ember, Taflas, and Tiafel readied themselves. Aegor on the other hand looked everywhere. He didn't expect this development. He glanced at Crimson and noticed that he was as calm as ever.

Yman slightly frowned. They were surrounded. It was a bad situation.

He saw the guy named Mus, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Crimson! Let's kill them all!" Ember shouted.

"Hah!" He sighed again. "There's no point in fighting," he replied to Ember.

"Eh?!"

They never thought for Crimson to not retaliate. He was supposed to be battle-freaked. It was unexpected for them that he said that.

"Crimson? What do you mean," Cinder asked while darting her eyes to the front and beside her.

"Sorry, but we have no chance of winning against this many," he said then stepped in front.

"What?!" Ember, Cinder, and the others were surprised at him.

Harou with knitted brows stared at him.

Yman glanced at Mus and the other participants. He saw their wide grinning faces. Then he returned his eyes to Harou.

"You want my summon birds right?" He asked.

Harou finally broke into a smile, but he didn't lower his guard.

With a wave of his hand.

(Poof! Poof! Poof!)

Three birds appeared before them.

Cinder and Ember wanted to stop him but it was too late.

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