Chapter 112 The Clan Will Collapse...
In one corner of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], the Kirke family's mansion.
In the head of the household's office.
"Stewart, is this report true?"
"Yes, its credibility is high. I've been cautious of Miss Eva's eyes and limited our contact, but to be sure, I've also directly confirmed it with Garon."
The current head of the Kirke family, Isaac Kirke, asked, and the elderly steward, Stewart, replied.
Isaac's expression turned stern as he read through the report in his hand.
The problem at hand was the clan his daughter, Eva, was involved with――≪Wooden Sword Way≫.
Its members consisted of former members of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ and all the members who participated in the subjugation of the unique individual Nord. Currently, in Necronia, it was a clan composed of genuine top-tier explorers.
Naturally, its military strength was something the [Four Great Families of the Seals] should be wary of, and Isaac and his family had been monitoring the clan's activities since its formation.
Even the [Four Great Families of the Seals], who possessed the ownership of the [God's Remains Labyrinth], couldn't easily take away the exploration permits from the explorers without a legitimate reason.
That was because the [God's Remains Labyrinth] was different from other labyrinths, being a 'labyrinth that humans couldn't control'.
The management rights were held by the sealed [Evil God], and humans couldn't intentionally adjust the production quantity of labyrinth resources.
It meant that if left alone, monsters would continue to spawn, and naturally, a stampede would occur over time. In the [God's Remains Labyrinth], which was protected by the [Seal Temple]'s barrier, monsters wouldn't emerge on the surface unless there was a human reason, but the problem was a bit more complicated.
First, if the labyrinth is left unattended for a long period, monsters above the "Great Outbreak" level will start overflowing within the labyrinth. Monsters that have lost their habitat may start moving between floors on their own, or, following their basic instinct for self-preservation, they may start killing each other――cases like this have been confirmed in other labyrinths.
The overpopulation of monsters within the labyrinth can easily lead to the emergence of Unique Individuals due to these "floor movements" and "monster infighting."
If this situation continues to develop in the [God's Remains Labyrinth], the inside of the labyrinth will become a hell that humans can never enter again.
In that case, it will be inevitable to continue abandoning it, and the increase and strengthening of monsters will progress without limit, eventually reaching the limits of the seal. Even the [Seal Temple], a divine seal artifact from the age of the gods, does not have a guarantee that it can seal the monsters forever.
Therefore.
It is necessary to maintain the labyrinth by having many explorers constantly explore and thin out the monsters, which are the labyrinth's resources.
That's why even the [Four Great Families of the Seals] cannot easily decide to revoke exploration permits.
The guild and the [Council] may think that the problem is the decrease in offerings due to the outflow of explorers, but in reality, the problem is not the money.
Of course, if there is a valid reason, there is no problem with revoking a permit. However, if it is done for a reason that cannot be made public, it will damage the trust of all explorers.
If many explorers active in Necronia flow out to other cities, that alone will be a huge problem.
Therefore, even if it is clear that their purpose is to "conquer the labyrinth," the [Four Great Families of the Seals] cannot ignore the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫. The fact that they are all high-ranking explorers in prominent positions and have a great deal of influence is also working against the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
However.
If they really start making progress towards conquering the labyrinth, they'll take a big risk and revoke their exploration permit, no matter what.
To be specific, if they get information that they've reached around the 48th floor, they'll immediately revoke their permit without hesitation. And if it determines that it's too dangerous before that, they might also revoke their permit at that point.
That's why they're not really worried that the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ will actually conquer the labyrinth. We've already made up our minds, so it's impossible for them to reach the deepest floor.
On the other hand, since it's still a risk, they're keeping an eye on the clan...
"So, you confirmed not just this incident, but also the clan's activities with Garon?"
"Yes. I had to hear it from the clan members themselves, since there were many things I couldn't understand..."
"And this is the report?"
"Yes. It seems our investigation results were correct, so I'm relieved."
"I'm getting rather a headache..."
Isaac said, rubbing his forehead.
The activities of the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ that they investigated were mainly 2 things.
"Wooden sword crafting" and "securing wood on the Grassland Floor".
No matter how he thinks about it, these aren't things that explorers would do, and it's obvious that they're lying about their activities. At first, Isaac and the others thought that they were just putting on a bad act to hide their true purpose.
However, about a month after the clan was established...
Unfortunately, it seems that the members of the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ clan really were only doing "wooden sword crafting" and "wood securing".
No matter how much Isaac and the others investigated, they couldn't find any evidence of them doing anything else.
And now, after hearing directly from Garon, a member of the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ clan, it's been proven that these activities are true.
It seems that they really have only been doing "wooden sword crafting" and "wood securing" for the past month.
"What kind of clan is this... what's the point of doing something like this?"
Isaac muttered to himself, holding his head, and Stewart replied with a nonchalant attitude.
"According to Garon's report, it seems to be a part of their training to improve their combat ability."
"This training is a total joke!!"
It's obvious that this is a lie.
Making wooden swords to get stronger? It's ridiculous. Even a kid could see through this. Who would believe something like that?
That's why Isaac and the others were convinced that this activity was just a cover-up, and they tried to uncover the truth. But so far, they haven't found anything.
Garon's investigation results can't be taken at face value.
"Do you think Garon is lying?"
Stewart asked, and Isaac thought for a moment before answering cautiously.
"...I don't want to think about it, but we should also consider the possibility that Garon has joined Eva's side."
Garon's family, the Gasterk household, has been serving the Kirke family for a long time. Their loyalty is strong, and there's no need to worry about them betraying the Kirke family. However, it's a different story when it comes to Garon's personal allegiance.
If he acknowledges Eva as the next head of the family and trust her abilities, he might even consider cooperating with her now, thinking about the future after the change in leadership.
"But if that's the case... we can't take this report at face value either."
"Right... it matches our own investigation, but there's also the possibility that this information is just a deception to mislead us."
This incident...
Just a few days ago, news came in that the entire ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ clan had entered the labyrinth, divided into 2 groups.
They had entered the 36th floor, and it was thought that their goal was to update the floor record for the clan members who hadn't cleared the 40th floor yet. However, when the second group's members reached the 40th floor, something happened.
Probably... ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ is also aware of this, but Isaac has had some of his skilled scout Jobs infiltrate the clan.
Those people had been monitoring the clan's movements from afar, even within the labyrinth... but when the second group reached the 40th floor, something astonishing happened.
To put it simply, it was an attempted assassination of the Clan Master.
The reason it was an "attempt" was that the Clan Master had single-handedly defeated over 40 clan members.
That alone was hard to understand, but what made it even more incomprehensible was that, according to the reports from his subordinates, it seemed that the clan members had genuinely been trying to kill the Clan Master.
They had worked together seamlessly, using the magic of Io Suleiman to launch a surprise attack with the ≪Extreme Sword≫ from a distance, and then surrounded him, unleashing a barrage of attacks for several minutes.
The sheer force of the attack was enough to create a massive crater in the ground, a sight that would have been impressive even against the likes of Ignitor the Imperial Flame Dragon.
The relentless assault had conveyed a clear intent to kill, leaving no doubt in the minds of those who witnessed it, and his subordinates had asserted that it was no act.
Isaac considered the possibility that Garon was behind Eva's actions, and thought it over once more.
"Well, even if this is part of a deception plan, it's unclear what the goal is... and more importantly, since the subordinates actually witnessed it, the fact that they tried to kill the Clan Master is... probably true, isn't it?"
That was likely an unshakeable fact.
Using a massive attack that created a crater, and even employing a surprise attack, as part of a deception plan against the Four Great Families of the Seals, targeting their own Clan Master... it was just too much.
No matter how you looked at it, the intent to kill was too strong. It was unreasonable to think that it was just an act.
Which meant that the possibility of the 40th floor incident being a deception plan aimed at them was low.
The assassination attempt on the Clan Master was likely the result of the clan members' own intentions.
"If it's like that, I wonder why the clan members tried to assassinate Lord Extreme Sword."
"Ah. As for the reason, we can't just take Garon's report at face value. We need to investigate again."
The reason for the attempted assassination was also in Garon's report.
It said that some members were driven by dissatisfaction and stress with the clan's activities, and were swayed by certain members' intentions, leading to a sudden attack.
But whether that's true or not, they're not sure yet...
"It seems like there's something they don't want to come to light, since ≪Extreme Sword≫ doesn't seem to be taking the matter to the authorities... Either way, this incident is a huge blow to the clan."
"That's right. After all, it was an attempted assassination. Even if no one died, it's clear that a huge rift has formed within the clan."
"Hmm... If that's the case, it's likely that the clan will collapse without us having to do anything..."
"I think that's a strong possibility."
The attempted assassination of the Clan Master is a huge deal, even if it was unsuccessful.
The fact that the attack took place on the 40th floor, and that all the clan members, including Aaron, are keeping quiet about it, means that it hasn't become public knowledge yet. But it's easy to imagine that the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ will fall apart soon.
"Do you think Eva and the others will continue their activities after the clan collapses?"
"Well... That's a tough one. Even if the young lady doesn't give up, I think their progress through the labyrinth will be greatly delayed."
"Hmm... Whether they form a new clan without ≪Extreme Sword≫ or with her as the center... Either way, I don't think it'll go smoothly."
If they form a new clan without her, they might have enough members, but just having numbers isn't enough to run an organization smoothly.
Especially for an explorer clan, the leader needs to have a certain kind of charisma.
Io Suleiman, the sage, was a genius, but unlike the time of ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, he didn't have the support of the [Four Great Families of the Seals], so it was uncertain if he could really do it.
"Well, even if we leave it alone, it'll collapse on its own anyway. As for ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, let's just keep a minimal watch on them for now..."
"That's right. We don't have any spare manpower to deal with them right now, after all."
And so, Isaac and the others decided to quietly wait for ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ to naturally collapse.
And then――as if to prove their prediction of collapse was correct――several attempts to assassinate the Clan Master would occur in ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ from then on.
...About once a month, roughly.
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