By this time, a number of rumors and incidents had both plagued the world. While the Adventurer's Guild had shown the world a few times, they were not a no-name power.

Nobody expected the show of force. Twelve men and women with spotless white cloaks and blood-red masks. A crying and laughing face carved into the wood.

Originally, the masks were just deep brown. When an elder asked for the holder to trade their cursed product for money and a replacement.

The result was obvious. Nobody took them seriously. Soon, rumors of Adventurer's Guild kidnapping people started to spread. 

Little was paid to the rumor. Since, a bigger problem occurred. A mercenary troop had imploded. This spread fast and far.

The leader of this troop was a Grade A, said to be on the brink of breakthrough. This was not a small level troop. While it wasn’t rare for it to happen. That was during war and skirmishes.

This event became famous because of this very incident. Who might you ask wiped this troop out? The leader soul bound a cursed product and fed his troop to the cursed product.

At this time, one of the elders was negotiating with a small human kingdom. Negotiations were basically over.

Having expected to be threatened. All the elder did was ask for a favor. Request was simple enough.

Seeing the elder trying to save face, the king accepted his request. Personally taking him to the edge of the kingdom.

One couldn't forget. By this point, the Adventurer's Guild had shown it wasn’t to be belittled. However, their demand was too much.

Once the elder was taken to the last city, he turned to the king and asked him to come to the top of the wall. Being wry, he was escorted by a number of guards.

This powerful elder didn't do anything unsightly. Looking out, he couldn’t help by sigh, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Laughing out loud, "Yes, while it can't compare to the sights in the capital. It is indeed stunning."

Elder spoke again, his voice sounding cold. This caused the king to frown as he listened to the words, "For your great hospitality, we have the desire to put on a play."

"A play? Where might this be?" While cold, the words were sort of bewildering. Surely this elder wasn't going to do something unseemly.

"Where else if not here?" After saying this, he turned his head and brought his hand to his covered ear.

As if to signal them to listen. The first to hear something was likely the elder. Soon after, following his gaze, his most trusted guard turned in the same direction.

Out in the wilderness were a number of dots. Once within range, the king was able to see there were five of them.

As the first ran from the four others. The king was finally able to see the rumored mercenary troop leader. This was that man who recently had his picture and story spread.

Currently, he was the man in the lead. Running with an unsightly dark expression.

The elder soundlessly moved to the edge of the wall. Standing in front of the king, "Since we're putting on this play for you. We can't possibly allow for our precious audience to be injured."

The resulting conflict ended with a large section of the wall being destroyed. During this time, an elder and three others outright slaughtered the mercenary troop leader.

Watching the elder take the cursed product, he had a bit of a longing glance. In the end, he wasn't willing to go to war for it. Not when two elders were right in front of him.

Their display was off-putting. Which was likely the point. Even still, he wasn't going to change his mind.

As the elder joined the other to leave, he turned back to the king with some parting words, "Your long-time rival to the east also has a cursed product. You would do well to check on him."

Nonsense. What, did his rival take the deal so they would work together to suppress him? Going back, he did send scouts out.

Return news was far beyond anything he could imagine. While arrogant, next to his rival, he was humble. 

That bastard actually outright attacked the elder. It wasn’t like he didn't think to do so. However, he was a bit paranoid. 

That's why he always kept up to date on everything happening on the continent. Not outright, but he knew the Adventurer's Guild was a hard nut to crack.

That is why he didn't try to attack the elder. Why he held off his greed for a second cursed product. His rival?

He was no more. Their entire family was executed by three elders. Not all the elders were of equal power. They all wore masks and cloaks. 

Outside male and female voices, nobody knew who was who. Very few talked more than they had to. Almost never would an elder speak while another was in their company.

While they stood as equals, when there was more than one on a mission. It was common for them to have only one person would handle the talks.

That is why the elder that slew the mercenary troop leader greeted him silently from afar. This anonymously protected them while making a move against them disadvantageous.

While the sight of an elder, soundlessly slaughtering a Grade A without effort, was astonishing. He wasn’t killing a chicken, but a person that was fighting with their life on the line. This was vastly more difficult.

Even still, the red mask didn’t originate from them. But the rumor like fire that spread as three elders in spotlessly white cloaks, covering them from head to toe. Only their faces were left open, and that was covered by a mask. Somehow, this laughing and crying mask had been dyed in the blood of that royal family.

Rarely would an entire line from the old to young be slaughtered. This was only done as a last resort when the other party crossed a line. After the deed, the perpetrators didn’t scurry away. With spotless white robes and crimson red masks, walked down the main road.

Leaving through the north gate. As if taking a stroll. This was seen by a large portion of the populace, there was no way for it to be a lie.