Prologue
It had started off as what Dreyfus had been intending: Congratulating Hauser and Gilthunder for defeating the barbarians and deflecting their concerns for the Holy War and putting more stress on the idea of the Seven Deadly Sins being the likely candidates for the threat they would have to face.
"Even if the Sins are the enemy, the Holy Knights outnumber them many times over." Hauser mused. "Plus, we got the New Gener..."
"You forget about their apprentices."
The two other knights turned to see Gilthunder as if he had sprouted another head.
"You've forgotten the Mortal Sins?" He reminded his uncle and friend. "They were former pages of the Sins…."
"You mean the ones who survived." Hauser remembered suddenly. The Sins, on top of their legendary cruelty, were also known for having the highest amount of deceased pages. "Wait, one of them was..."
"Indeed you are right..." Gilthunder sighed, cutting his childhood friend off before continuing. "While one stood out from the rest, they all went on to become a fearsome band in their own right. Single-handedly averting a swarm of dragons from attacking the kingdom, aiding the Paladins against a Forest God uprising, scaring the Fencers back to Franciosa…Honestly, if they had not vanished alongside their mentors after my father's murder, I have little doubt they would've held the current position the Roars of Dawn possess."
Dreyfus cursed himself for forgetting such important matters: If the Sins were to get in the way of his and Hendrickson's plans, then their apprentices would be sure to follow. Unlike the Roars, who answered to the king and the king alone, the Mortal Sins answered ONLY to their respective mentors. It was a miracle they had been so quiet in the 10 years since Zarathas' death.
"Thank you for the reminder, Gilthunder. Hauser, before you leave, please put out a bounty on the Mortal Sins, all alive…save for the Eagle Sin of Heresy. He's too dangerous to let live, like his master."
"But couldn't that chance a war with the kingdom of...?" The Wind using Holy Knight started.
"They have made no such attempt to even find him since he was first knighted, I doubt they'll care now." The Grandmaster retorted before turning to his nephew. "Gilthunder, stick to your current post and operations. I know you probably want a crack at the Eagle Sin, but the Seven Deadly Sins are a priority."
Gilthunder's usual clam, detached eyes furrowed and he cringed in anger, memories of a smirking, arrogant and yet powerful boy filling his mind.
"Understood."
The two lower ranking Knights then dismissed themselves, leaving Dreyfus to himself.
"This just got even more complicated..."
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