Nightglass Covenant – The Highers Meeting
Within the Nightglass Covenant, Black ViSage received a sealed message.
It bore the mark of a Higher.
He opened it.
Mr. Black ViSage,
A meeting has been scheduled.
Tomorrow, 7:00 PM.
1st Office – Nightglass Covenant.
— Ashryn Mordelle
Black ViSage exhaled slowly.
Huh…
I hate these meetings.
Every year, the Highers of the Nightglass Covenant gathered.
They discussed the state of Official Adventurers, the government's movements, the condition of Unofficial Adventurers, forbidden matters, and political shifts.
Black ViSage was one of those Highers.
Yet no adventurer knew it.
Only the Highers themselves were aware of his position.
Physically, mentally, politically—the Highers stood at the peak of the world.
They lived in luxury if they wished.
But Black ViSage despised politics.
That was why he continued living as an adventurer.
Whenever the others asked him why, he gave the same answer:
"I have my own reasons."
In public records, the Nightglass Covenant listed ten Highers.
But the truth was different.
There were eleven.
Black ViSage had ordered his name to be hidden.
If he wanted, he could abandon adventuring and live like a king.
But he wouldn't.
Because adventuring was his life.
And because there was one reason he could never abandon it—
To find his father.
The Meeting Begins
The next evening, the meeting hall filled with masked figures.
The Highers concealed their identities with partial masks—
some covered their mouths, others their eyes.
Only one wore a full mask.
Black ViSage.
Sylas stood at the center.
"The meeting begins."
Rael spoke first.
"I heard a rumor. Some adventurers died in a temple known as The Tale of Sage Melidien Oradus. It's said the place hides forbidden technology."
Yxes nodded.
"I believe the rumor is true."
"Then we should investigate," Xesa said calmly.
Shunsuke Kouzen shook his head.
"No. It won't be easy. The temple is ancient and filled with traps."
Yxes waved it off.
"That's common knowledge."
For Highers, it was.
Shunsuke continued, his tone serious.
"I entered the temple once. I saw a sleeping Giant."
The room quieted.
"This Giant wasn't ordinary," Shunsuke said.
"He was a Freedom Giant."
Dante leaned forward.
"Then we should send Abyssal-class adventurers.
If they return, the temple isn't dangerous.
If they don't… we'll know."
Ashryn frowned.
"And if they find the forbidden technology?"
Dante smiled coldly.
"They know who we are. They won't dare question us."
Nexy chuckled.
"Why overthink it? Let's just go ourselves.
I want a simple adventure."
Several Highers agreed.
Then Ashryn turned toward the silent figure.
"What about you, Mr. Fenhert Greygrious…
—or should I say, Black ViSage?"
Black ViSage spoke calmly.
"I don't care what you decide. I won't join you. I have other plans."
Yxes smirked.
"You're always like this, Fenhert Greygrious."
"Stop calling me that," Black ViSage said flatly.
"Ooh, scary," Yxes teased. "Sorry."
Laughter spread through the room.
Sylas raised a hand.
"Black ViSage, you're always silent during meetings.
We only gather once a year."
"You all know I hate meetings," Black ViSage replied.
Ashryn sighed.
"You should quit adventuring."
Xesa added, "Enjoy your life, Mr. Black ViSage."
"Adventuring is my life," he said. "And I enjoy it."
Sylas shifted the topic.
"I heard an official Warden group killed some of our adventurers."
Yxes corrected him.
"They killed bandit-type adventurers.
And it wasn't just Wardens—Oracles were involved too."
"You always give half the information," Sylas muttered.
Nexy laughed.
"By the way, Black ViSage, I should add your name to the public notice as a Higher."
"You don't need to," Black ViSage replied.
Nexy replied, laughing, "Relax, I'm joking."
Black ViSage looked around.
"I've never seen you all speak so casually with anyone.
Yet here, you act like friends."
Yxes smiled.
"Because we are friends. Including you."
The others nodded.
"You don't see us that way?" Yxes asked.
Black ViSage remained silent.
Nexy chuckled.
"We know you do."
Finally, Black ViSage spoke.
"I consider you my friends.
But there's something I hate about all of you."
Xesa answered quietly.
"Slave marketing."
"We know," Yxes said.
Ashryn sighed.
"You should join politics and leave your boring adventures."
"My adventures aren't boring," Black ViSage said coldly.
"And don't interfere with my personal life."
Yxes laughed.
"Yesterday, I saw you helping a cleaner's brother.
How funny— a Higher helping someone like that."
Black ViSage's voice hardened.
"Help doesn't see status.
Help judges people.
If someone is good, you protect them.
If someone is bad, you choose.
Help them, and they may change.
Help them, and if they don't change and harm others—
then the fault is yours."
Silence filled the room.
"I believe," he finished, "that killing can sometimes be the best option."
No one spoke.
Sylas finally nodded.
"…You're right."
He changed the topic.
More discussions followed, until the meeting ended.
After the Meeting
Black ViSage walked out of the hall alone.
He sighed.
Hah…
I really hate these meetings.
Black ViSage walked through the street market alone.
The noise of merchants, the scent of spices, and the hum of life passed around him, but he paid little attention.
Then his gaze stopped.
Apples.
Fresh, red, neatly stacked.
…My favorite.
Without thinking too much, he bought a few.
No bargaining. No hesitation.
He simply paid and left.
When he returned home, the door creaked as it opened.
The room was silent.
Dust clung faintly to the floor—nothing unusual.
He didn't come home often. Sometimes days passed without him stepping inside.
Black ViSage looked around.
"…I should buy a chair," he muttered.
Sometimes the house was too dirty to sit on the floor.
Sometimes he was too tired to clean.
If he at least had a chair, he could rest—even when the house wasn't clean.
He placed the apples on the table and stood still for a moment.
Such a small thought.
Yet it felt strangely important.
Black ViSage sat in silence.
The apple rested in his hand, untouched.
His thoughts drifted—uninvited.
My father is alive.
That much, he was certain of.
But where was he?
And more importantly—
Why didn't he come to meet me… even once?
Black ViSage closed his fingers slightly.
If he hadn't chosen the path of an adventurer, his life would have become unbearably boring.
Predictable.
Empty.
He had always wanted to walk alone.
Not because it was heroic—but because it was honest.
He didn't believe in people.
Humans were greedy by nature.
They used one another for profit, survival, ambition—sometimes even for comfort.
Trust was a luxury he never learned to afford.
In the history of Nightglass Covenant, the system itself reflected that truth.
Group adventuring—created by Yxes.
Two-person adventuring—designed by Ashryn.
And lone adventuring—
That was his.
Black ViSage's idea.
Because not everyone belonged in a group.
Not everyone deserved a partner.
And so the Covenant offered three paths:
Form or join a team
Form or join a duo
Or, if no one accepted you—
Walk alone.
No protection.
No excuses.
No one to blame.
Black ViSage had chosen that path long ago.
And even now—
He did not regret it.