The Greatest Sinner

Kilia thought for a while but eventually shook her head and said, "I don't think that's possible. Not even six months is enough time for us to be sure."

Evan frowned. He didn't want to wait a whole year and do some boring, rank-and-file assignment. It wasn't something he wanted to do at all.

"I understand, but maybe there is some option? Couldn't you ask Rave about it right now?" Evan said calmly.

He figured that one of the strongest members of the Demonic Tree had the power to make Evan a full member in a lot faster than one year. Of course, Rave had no reason to trust Evan. He still had to prove that he was on board with them.

Kilia frowned but agreed to comply with Evan's request anyway. She didn't think Rave would go for that.

"Okay, I'm going to find out now, but you have almost no chance."

Kilia's Spatial ring glowed, and a small case appeared in her hands. She poured mana into it, and a few seconds later, Rave answered her. She relayed Evan's words exactly and then heard Rave's response.

Kilia moved the case to the spatial ring and said, "Rave told me to tell you that for someone who hasn't even joined the Demonic Tree yet, you're too cocky and daring."

Kilia sighed and continued, "But, he'll give you a chance to gain our trust much faster than one year."

Evan smiled. He wasn't sure that Rave would agree to make such concessions. It would save him an enormous amount of time. Moreover, if Rave personally vouched for him, the other members of the Demonic Tree would certainly not have any distrust of him. That would pretty well solidify his status in the organization, which was a pretty good start.

"What do I need to do?" Evan asked. He realized that if he was given an opportunity like this, he would have to do something outstanding. He would have to prove in a short period of time that he was on their side.

Kilia's spatial ring lit up, and a detailed map of the northern and western parts of The Kingdom of Fallen Hopes appeared in her hands.

She pointed to one point to the northwest and said, "Here, near the ravine, is a temporary camp of a light organization called - Emerald Hand.  There are about 100 mages there, a third of whom are in the - Two-Pointed Star stage."

Kilia sighed and continued, "In two weeks, this is where you have to meet the five members of the Demonic Tree. Rave said he'll make all the arrangements, and you'll be accepted as one of them. You all have to destroy this little camp together. If you want to gain our trust, you must kill at least 25 members of the Emerald Hand and be recognized by every member of this small group. Is that clear?" Kilia said seriously.

Because of Rave's orders, she had to fill Evan in on the details of such an operation. This mission was not the most secret and important thing the Demonic Tree was doing, but their men would die if Evan turned out to be a traitor.

"I got it. I'll be at the designated location in two weeks." Evan quickly replied.

Kilia nodded and headed for the exit. She boarded her riding beast and took off into the air. Flying into the abandoned castle, she used the case again and contacted Rave.

"Are you sure it was worth putting our people in danger?" Kilia asked cautiously.

She respected Rave for his strength and the decisions he made, but this time she felt that Rave had behaved recklessly.

"Just wait, and you'll see. I have to tell you that I didn't give you the same information as you did to Evan. If he's so unwilling to wait, he'll have to surprise us." Said Rave and closed the case.

Kilia didn't understand what was going on and what exactly Rave wasn't telling her.

"Eh, okay, that's none of my business. Mr. Rave has never been wrong yet. Otherwise, he would have been dead a long time ago."

...

"Hmm, I've got two weeks, and I'll be involved in another large-scale battle." Mumbled Evan looking at the map on the table.

Evan could go to one of the Demonic Tree bases and join that organization. He had plenty of time. He could also try to learn some second level spell, but Evan had already decided what he would do.

He went to Darkfil, rented a riding beast, and flew northwest. Evan wasn't going to wait and act in concert with anyone else. He didn't need the acceptance of others to show his strength and purpose.

Evan was going alone to deal with the Emerald Hand's temporary camp.

...

Darkfil was quite far from Emerald Hand's temporary camp. It would take Evan about ten hours to get there.

Evan wasn't worried that he might fail or that members of the Emerald Hand would kill him. He had heard of the organization, and in his opinion, compared to the Tears of Light, the Emerald Hand were mediocre.

They had capable mages, unusual spells, and so on. But, every organization that had some sort of power in The Kingdom of Fallen Hopes had a similar set.

Emerald Hand members wore green robes with the image of a white palm. They were known that almost every one of their members was skilled in close combat, regardless of Class. Even Summoners could pose a great threat in close combat under certain conditions.

That meant that a single attack on a large group of Emerald Hand was definitely not a good idea. But, Evan wasn't going to back down. He had a plan to defeat more than a hundred mages single-handedly.

<Kilia said that only a third of them are at the stage - Two-Pointed Star, that's very good. Even I couldn't, under the circumstances, kill a hundred mages at that stage. In a way, I was even lucky>.

Evan thought as he flew toward his destination. In the distance, he could see a ravine not far from where there was a camp with a few houses.

"Eh, I act too careless sometimes. I might just wait, but that's nonsense. I'll have to sacrifice quite a few years of my life now, though.." Mumbled Evan.