Published at 13th of February 2026 7:17 am

Chapter 1497 Cause and Effect

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Krummor and the two Wardens were astounded

Their eyes widened in sheer disbelief, their bodies trembling from the shock of learning that not just one but two might Mana Core Magi of the Brotherhood had perished.

"H-how… how can that be?" The dwarf couldn't help but blurt out.

Shaw Jidu sighed, shaking his head. "We are not aware of the full details, but it seems that they have been murdered by a mysterious third party."

"My Lord," Krummor began, his voice filled with horror. "May I... kn-know of the identities of the ones who died?"

"Nyle Damon, leader of the Shadow Blades, and Velor Vornis, leader of the Wildwatchers."

The dwarf shuddered once again.

Two leaders of the traitorous five had been killed the same day Kenny had delivered to them evidence about their treachery.

What were the chances?

The two Wardens standing behind Krummor couldn't help but look at one another, their eyes trembling in astonishment.

"Wh-when were they killed?" Krummor asked to confirm his suspicions.

"Last night," Shaw Jidu replied succinctly.

He wouldn't have disclosed such information to a bunch of Mana Vortex Magi if it wasn't necessary. The three Wardens standing before him were among the leadership of the Preservationists. So it was only right to disclose this information to them.

Besides, there was another thing he wanted to inform them about.

However, before Shaw Jidu could reveal the good news to them, he felt something odd. The expressions of the Warden's were strangely… weird.

"What's the matter with you lot?" He couldn't help but ask.

Even Carleton Yates noticed the oddity in their expressions and body language.

Krummor didn't answer immediately.

All this while, he and the other Wardens held a flicker of suspicion towards the two Councilors. After all, they had arrived right when Krummor and the rest had secured Kenny's intel.

Naturally, they assumed that the two matters were correlated.

But now, after learning that the leaders of two of the five traitorous factions had been murdered just last night, Krummor and the two Wardens couldn't help but feel that there was definitely more than met the eye.

Kenny securing the evidence… Damon and Vaelor being murdered… could these two be correlated?

More importantly, who was this mysterious party that had killed the two Councilors?

Krummor turned to the two Wardens behind him and nodded. Then he turned back around and asked respectfully, "My Lord, may I ask a question instead?"

Shaw Jidu intently studied the dward, then at the two humans behind him. A moment later, he gestured. "Go ahead."

"Do you know the identity of the group that murdered?" Krummor asked. He paused for a moment, then added, "Also, do you know the reason why they were killed?"

Carlton Yates's eyes narrowed, his gray pupils flashing with a peculiar light. He understood that there was something Krummor—no, the Preservationists were hiding. He turned to Shaw Jidu and nodded.

Shaw Jidu also thought the same. And so, he frankly replied:

"The identities of the killers are still unknown. As for why they were killed… it appears to be tied to an intelligence leak."

Intelligence leak.

Two simple words. But they caused the three Wardens of the Preservationists to be shocked down to their very cores.

The murder of Nyle Damon and Vaelor Vorris. The sudden appearance of a mysterious group that killed them. And lastly, Kenny finding evidence that pointed to the five factions' treachery.

Three separate events connected by an escalating chain of cause and effect.

"If there is something you wish to tell us, then now is the time."

Shaw Jidu's words snapped Krummor and the two Wardens out of their stunned stupor. The dwarf turned to the Councilors, a drop of cold sweat trickling down the side of his forehead.

He noticed that the two old men now wore slightly grim faces. He understood that they must have already realized that he — and the Preservationists — had an important piece of the puzzle.

Krummor and the other Wardens weren't initially planning on divulging Kenny's information to the two Councilors. Well, not until they were completely certain that they were on the same side.

Now, they were more or less confident that the Preservationists, the Seekers, and the Reformers were indeed on the same side of the battle.

Krummor suddenly recalled something Kenny had said in his letter to Lebu.

"Revenge will arrive slowly… like twilight."

Like twilight, the dwarf thought to himself.

He clenched his fists and inhaled deeply. He solemnly looked at the Councilors as he exhaled a heavy breath.

And then… he disclosed everything.

This was a leap of faith that the Preservationists had no choice but to take. They had to place trust in their comrades — the Seekers and the Reformers — if they truly wished to right the wrongs committed by the traitorous five.

To avoid sullying the name of Aldo Wagner any further, and to restore honor to the Brotherhood he had established, they had to unite.

After about thirty minutes, Krummor and the two had finally finished explaining everything.

Needless to say, Shaw Jidu and Carlton Yates were greatly taken aback.

Shaw Jidu leaned back in his seat and murmured, "Kenny… he would have made an excellent fit among the Reformers."

Even Carlton Yates couldn't help but voice his approval. "A true Magus of the Brotherhood."

With this new information, the two Councilors understood a lot more than they were told at the council meeting earlier.

Carlton Yates leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "This boy, Kenny… I wonder if he had managed to make contact with this mysterious group after uncovering the leak."

Shaw Jidu glanced at his old friend and said, "Perhaps the boy was in league with the mysterious group?"

"Also, a possibility." Yates nodded. He leaned back and sighed, "But I guess, we'll never know."

He glanced at Krummor with narrowed eyes and asked, "Tell me… did you ever find Kenny's body?"

"We…" the dwarf gulped, his eyes flashing with shame. "We never searched for it. We assumed he would be killed the moment he was apprehended."

He suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but blurt out, "My Lord, do you think the boy still lives?!"

"Unlikely." Yates shook his head. "Without his Soulmark Lantern, we'll never truly be certain."

In an organization as big as the Brotherhood, Acolytes rarely had their Soulmark Lanterns monitored. There were simply too many of them for complete oversight. Usually, only the Agents and above had their lanterns imprinted.

"Regardless," Shaw Jidu said, smoothly changing the subject.

"Kenny did a spectacular job bringing this evidence to light. We can move forward far more proactively now. Three of our Mana Core Magi against three from the traitorous factions, and that's before accounting for the fact that the other side appears to have a strange divide between them."

Krummor was stunned. "My Lord? What do you mean… three of our Mana Core Magi?"

"Ah, yes." Shaw Jidu's lips curled into a smile. "This is the other reason why I summoned you. I suppose I should have started with this piece of news."

What he said next caused the Krummor and the others to be thunderstruck.

Shaw Jidu glanced at the three Wardens, then said in a slightly eager voice:

"Berger Glynhorn is returning from exile."

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