Chapter 1041: A traitor’s resolve


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    Uncle Benjamin bowed deeply. He needed to show his respects to the woman in front of him, since she had absolute control over the ckguards.


    The woman''s main job was being the third divisionmander. But there were three of such divisions in total. The first division dealt with thaids. It was thergest of the three, and most of its members, including themander, were now on the Mur continent.


    The second division dealt with criminals. It was a sort of international police, at least it was at the beginning.


    Currently, they were spread out across the Mannard continent, and a lot of them were searching for Erik.


    However, they were currently working with the third division, the most powerful of them all, but also the one with fewer members.


    This division, led by Third Divisionmander Monica Vsquez, dealt with internal affairs. That meant the division killed traitors, made spies, observed their members, searched for promising candidates, but most importantly, was searching for lost technology.


    Since Erik was thought to have such technology, the two divisions were coordinating to capture him, since he fit both bills for the two divisions to act


    This year, Commander Vsquez had an important job. The ckguards organization had three leaders, one for each division. Every year, they took turns being in charge of the organization. This year, it was Vsquez''s turn to make the final decisions for the entire


    group.


    That was why she currently was the Head Justicar.


    "Thank you, Third Division Commander. I won''t let you down. With your permission, I''d like to leave for Hin immediately."


    The woman nodded. "Permission granted. Assemble whatever resources and personnel you need. This mission is now your top priority. Do whatever it takes to capture Erik Romano and bring him in. Alive, if possible, but do not hesitate to use lethal force if necessary. It''s better to bring back a dead Erik Romano than toe back empty-handed."


    "Understood, Commander," Uncle Benjamin said, notpletely calm after what the woman had said. "I''ll prepare to leave at once."


    As he turned to go, the woman stopped him. "Levium," she said, her tone colder than before. "Do not fail this time. Erik Romano isn''t the boy you once knew. He''s be something... more. Don''t let your past cloud your judgment."


    Uncle Benjamin paused at the door, his hand on the handle. "I understand, Commander. Rest assured, I''ll do what needs to be done. For the good of our cause."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With a final bow, Uncle Benjamin left the room. His shoulders felt heavy. Until now, he tried to avoid Erik as much as possible. Of course, he was still forced from time to time to take the helm of some operations, like the one in Etrium.


    Even though Uncle Benjamin had an ulterior motive for taking care of Erik as a child, he still grew fond of him. He was supposed to find Erik''s father, but he went beyond his duty by taking him out for meals and buying him gifts. This wasn''t part of his job, but it helped create a real connection between them.


    The rtionship the man had with Lucius was also a genuine one. The two grew up together. It was just that; he ended up within the ckguards, while Lucius worked for Frant''s government.


    When he got told he had to spy on Lucius, his heart sank, but there was no way he wouldn''t fulfill his duty, and despite the two having taken contrasting paths, he still loved the man, and for this reason, his son.


    With a heavy heart, Uncle Benjamin strode towards themand center.


    "Erik..." He paused. "Your put yourself into a colossal mess."


    Uncle Benjamin felt conflicted. He remembered how unhappy Erik used to be, so he wasn''t too upset about Erik''s current situation. Erik had be powerful and made a name for himself. Still, Erik was now on the opposite side. He was considered an enemy.


    If Erik knew what Uncle Benjamin really thought, he would be furious. Uncle Benjamin was the main reason for all of Erik''s problems, even more than the ckguards as a group. Most importantly, he was responsible for his father''s death.


    Uncle Benjamin caused all of Erik''s troubles and betrayed him. Yet he still dared to think he cared about Erik? It was simply outrageous.


    As Uncle Benjamin walked, old memories came back to him. He thought about Erik as a young boy, innocent and full of promise.


    He remembered how proud his friend Lucius was watching his son grow up. But then he remembered the day everything changed.


    It was when they found out Erik''s brain crystal power was defective. That night, Lucius got very drunk to cope with the situation, because he knew how hard his son''s life would be.


    He remembered when Lucius told him he was leaving for a mission. At that time, no one knew Benjamin was a ckguard. He belonged to the third division, after all, and they were secretive even among the organization''s members.


    That day set in motion a chain of events that had led to this moment.


    Uncle Benjamin clenched his fists, pushing the memories aside. Now wasn''t the time for sentimentalism.


    Erik had chosen his path, and it was a path that threatened everything the ckguards stood for. Personal feelings had no ce in this mission.


    He entered themand center, calling for attention. "Prepare a strategy focused team," he said.


    "We''re heading to Hin. Top priority mission, target: Erik Romano. I want our fastest ship ready within the hour, fill them with the best of the best, and ask for reinforcement from all the countries in secret, of course. This mission has the highest priority. We will be directly under the third divisionmander, the head Justicar. This should let you understand how serious it is. The mission is ssified. Do not talk about it with others, even the other divisionmanders."


    "Sir, yes, sir!"


    As the room burst into activity around him, Uncle Benjamin silently apologized to the memory of his friend for what he might have to do to Erik.


    With a deep breath, he pushed all doubts aside and focused on the task at hand. Erik Romano might have escaped from them so far, but that was about to change.