Hiro, Jacob, Noah, and Cara enter the Exalted guild base for the first time. As they entered the majestic building, they couldn’t stop admiring the interior of the room that looked like a royal palace. There were NPCs walking around in uniform and in charge as servants. They greeted Hiro and the others with the same words as they came.
“I wonder how much they earn,” Jacob muttered, his neck moving left and right. Hiro ignored him. He was actually curious about the Exalted members who might still hold a grudge against him because of their defeat a while ago. However, he couldn’t see any of them as if they weren’t there.
Ace took his guests to a not so big room to talk about something a little sensitive and secretive. The room previously used by him and the Exalted main party members, only this time they invited other people who weren’t even Exalted members.
“What are they going to do here?” Dimitri asked, still with a cold tone at Ace. The look in his eyes showed that he totally disagreed with Ace’s idea of ??bringing Hiro and his friends in.
“They helped us earlier, Dimitri. I think they are also curious about what really happened,” explained Ace in a calm tone. This was the first time Hiro felt that Ace was much more mature than before. He acted like a real older brother right now.
“Wasn’t that enough? What else do they need to know? Did you forget that they humiliated us in the last battle?” Dimitri whispered to Ace, but his voice was too loud for everyone to hear. Alaric and Niklaus seemed to be sighing in unison, as if they were both tired of Dimitri’s attitude. However, it was useless even if they protested about it. After all, Dimitri was Ace’s closest friend.
“It’s just a guild war. And they didn’t embarrass us, Dimitri. You’re exaggerating. We lost because we weren’t able to beat them with a war strategy that didn’t even work at all. Weren’t you also one of those who ignored the strategy I shared?” Ace replied, still in a calm tone. However, this time his words managed to offend Dimitri and irritate him even more.
Noah glanced at Hiro, and Hiro noticed it. He knew what Noah was thinking, more or less the same as him. They couldn’t stay too long in that place. Hiro even had other plans after this.
“So, why did you invite us here one more time?” Hiro asked, interrupting the ongoing conversation between Ace and Dimitri. His efforts managed to get Ace’s full attention, and unexpectedly, the man gave Hiro a subtle smile.
“NightFall, I’ve heard a lot about you from all over the media, especially from my lovely sister.” Ace straightened his back, his eyes shifting to Liberty as he spoke the second sentence. It made the girl look a little embarrassed. “I have no other words that I can say to you and your friends right now other than, thank you. You may not know anything, but your arrival this time really saved us,” he added with a firm nod.
Hiro just nodded in response. He didn’t get an answer to the question he asked earlier, so Hiro just waited. Ace walked up to him and stood in front of him, his eyes staring at Hiro for a few seconds before nodding again.
“Due to the problems I’ve been having with Exalted recently, I hope to get some help from another guild. And I believe that there is no other guild that is better and stronger than Everlasting. I want to make a request to you directly as the leader of Everlasting. Will you and your guild become our alliance?” Ace asked without hesitation.
Slam!
Dimitri suddenly threw a hard fist at the wooden door of the room until the HP of the object changed colour from green to red. He then looked at Ace with a look as if he was someone who had just been betrayed by his own friend.
“What is that request? Didn’t you talk about it with me or the others first? Do you think they will agree with your decision?!” Dimitri snapped at Ace, his index finger pointed at Ace’s face, which still didn’t change the expression on his face one bit.
“Dimitri, listen. You have been my best friend since I was in kindergarten. You know how much I worry about you, right? I know you are involved with the terrorists even though you don’t admit it, but I still protect you. Did you know that?” Ace’s reply made Dimitri clench his jaw. It looked as if he was thinking about an answer that wasn’t available in his head.
“I’m not involved with the terrorists! Since when did you accuse me of something stupid? Tch… I thought you were my best friend, but it turns out you don’t really think about my opinion at all.” Dimitri chuckled sarcastically and walked toward the only door in the room.
Hiro really didn’t know what drama he was watching. He really wanted to get out of there, or at least he wanted Dimitri to come out, so he could talk to Ace without being disturbed by the man’s shout. At the same time, Jacob whispered to him in a very low voice.
“It’s all up to you, Hiro. If you want to be with Liberty forever, this is a very good opportunity.” Jacob’s words made Hiro sigh. That was not what Hiro had in mind. It wasn’t that he wanted or didn’t want to accept the request from Liberty’s brother about the guild alliance right now. However, Everlasting guild was not only Hiro’s possession, but all the members. Although the final decision was in Hiro, for him, he couldn’t decide right now before discussing it with the others.
Slam!
Dimitri left the room with a loud bang on the door. No one tried to go after him. Alaric and Niklaus, who had been sitting at the table earlier, even had expressions of relief.
“I’m sorry, you must have been disturbed by him. But, Dimitri is like a brother to me and he is like that,” explained Ace calmly. He then looked back at Hiro and reminded him of his request.
“That is the reason I invited the four of you here. There’s no other meaning, and I’m really serious about the request I just mentioned. So, what do you think? Are you interested?”
Hiro looked back at Ace’s serious eyes. The man was really serious, asking for his help. However, without the slightest hesitation, Hiro shook his head. A response that shocked everyone in the room except Cara. She could read what other people couldn’t.