Resolution

The final result was, of course, an unhappy parting. The conflict between the two sides was simply irreconcilable. Tebir even threatened Osvid and the others with withdrawing from the Masked Mage Guild, hoping the masked mages would help suppress the riots. But the moment he said it, murderous intent appeared in both Osvid's and Mataeus's eyes, while Chalanona lost her leisurely air and looked seriously at Tebir.

Tikam, who stood with Tebir, stared at him in stunned disbelief. If the Masked Mage Guild were a place one could join and leave whenever they pleased, the organization would never have lasted until now.

Every mage who joined the Masked Mage Guild had to sign an extremely stringent magical contract. The contracts signed by legendary mages were even harsher. Once violated, they would not kill a legendary mage, but would leave them severely injured. Furthermore, because the contract was witnessed by the Weave, the legendary mage's spellcasting ability would also be greatly weakened.

Of course, while the price was steep for legendary mages, it was not impossible to recover from. But they could forget about recovering within a few decades. That was the limit of what such a contract could achieve. As for why they did not sign River Styx contracts, the reason was simple: River Styx contracts were too dangerous. No legendary mage was willing to gamble with their own soul, so a Weave contract was already the limit.

But that alone would not have mattered. The deadly part was that the legendary mages' contracts included a clause: once someone betrayed the guild, the remaining legendary mages were obligated to punish the traitor! Otherwise, they too would suffer the contract's backlash.

That was why everyone became so serious when Tebir spoke of leaving the Masked Mage Guild!

As for what constituted