YM778.TV Chapter 118: The patriarch
"T-The mission will end when we reach the clearing, in the fifth area," he said, trembling with fear and cold, as the temperature around the woman was already below zero.
"Two months should be necessary," she said, looking at the knight with disdain. "Tell the knights to move forward." She concluded while pulling her crystalline sword from the ground. "B-But General… they are exhausted…" The knight murmured, trembling with fear. The woman\'s gaze turned to him again, colder than ever.
"The strong survive, and the weak die," she said. Ice began to climb up the knight\'s legs, slowly trapping him. He screamed in pain as the unbearable cold took over his body.
"Please, General… no… I beg you…!" he pleaded, his voice trembling as the ice climbed up to his waist, his limbs becoming numb. "Aaaah! I was… I was wrong…!"
The general showed no mercy. With an impassive look, she raised her crystalline sword and, with a slow and deliberate movement, pierced the heart of the frozen knight. He let out one last cry of agony.
"Ahhh… no… please…!" His voice broke as the blood instantly froze around the blade. His eyes widened in pure terror before finally closing, his body falling lifelessly to the ice-covered ground.
The deadly silence of the forest was broken only by the sound of the icy wind as the general withdrew her sword and looked at the rest of the soldiers approaching. "Advance, we are heading to the border," she ordered coldly.
"Y-Yes Ma\'am!" They said, fully recovering from their exhaustion… after all… none of them wanted to die.
"I wonder how I will kill that old man…" She murmured as she walked behind the soldiers…
[Meanwhile…]
Strax\'s footsteps echoed through the spacious hall. He had just arrived at the main mansion, where his father awaited him for a "serious conversation." Many things crossed his mind, but the moment he stood before the massive dark wooden door and placed his hand on the handle, all his worries concentrated into a single question: what was the true reason for this conversation?
Moreover… The System made a small noise, revealing a golden tab.
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"The Box is Golden…" Strax murmured. "Make a good impression? After everything I\'ve done? It seems like a joke, System," Strax said while thinking more about the reward… "Damn." He said and took a deep breath… "Let\'s go." He said and forced the door open.
The door creaked slightly as it opened, revealing a luxurious hall with walls adorned with ancient paintings and chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. At the back of the room, sitting in a leather armchair, was his father, a man of formidable presence, whose eyes seemed to pierce Strax.
Strax took a deep breath and entered the hall, "I hope this shit ends quickly." He thought, feeling the tension increase with each step he took. When he finally stopped before his father, "Sit down." Albert said, and Strax felt the man\'s rough voice, which sounded much more serious than usual.
He did as he was told and sat before him. "The strongest and coldest man I\'ve ever met… it feels like a joke to be alone with him after so many years of being ignored and treated like family trash… what a really bad joke…" Strax thought as he saw his father\'s imposing stance before him.
"The White Tiger, a man-eater… One of, if not the strongest human ever seen…" Strax murmured to himself, but… "And yet, I\'m not feeling any fear… could it be because of that…" He thought…
"Dragon\'s Aura…" He thought, "Of course… it must be that…" He concluded his thoughts as he saw the man move calmly while rising from the armchair.
The man had become a being with a single blind obsession with becoming stronger, treating the clan as a vow and the family as nothing more than acquaintances; all that mattered was prosperity… So… "Why do you have that look…" Strax kept questioning himself.
Unfortunately, having an overly active and contemplative mind led to these moments of extreme anxiety, causing him to start imagining various scenarios.
For such a father, someone like Strax, who previously had no value, talent, or power, with no swordsmanship or mana… "I was as good as nothing…"
"Patriarch, it\'s good to see that you\'re well." Strax said, showing some respect. After all, for beings like his father, he unfortunately had to bow. He thought about standing silently and just listening, but he knew what needed to be done… after all… the mission had already told him.
"Why do you call me Patriarch, and not Father?" Albert questioned, looking directly into his eyes, from top to bottom, as if Strax were smaller.
"An official summons was made, and the Patriarch\'s own wife came to fetch me. I\'m sure I\'m not here because my father wants to see me," Strax replied firmly, as if speaking on equal terms with the cold man…
"My brothers were summoned previously, so it is only right now to address you as Patriarch and not as my father," Strax said, looking into his eyes.
"That\'s a good answer." Albert said, though it didn\'t really matter. He wanted to test whether Strax still knew the rules or if it was Xenovia behind his activities. The first time they met, Strax had challenged him by strictly following the family rules and attacking him with them.
"I summoned you for other reasons, but you may address me as you wish." Albert said and sat down again.
"I\'ll ask you the same question I asked your brothers." Albert said, tapping his finger on the armrest of the chair, making a noise. "What is your mistake in killing your brothers?" He questioned.
"So… you\'re here as a father who lost his children…" Strax thought… but he soon took a breath to respond.
"Revenge and Justice." He said, looking at Albert this time… on equal terms, using the Dragon\'s Aura to protect his spirit. "I was forced to suffer for many years, simply for having a small difficulty in cultivation.
And because I was standing out, they felt entitled to treat me like a nail to be hammered." Strax said, but he didn\'t stop, "If you\'re a member of the Vorah clan, you should repay what you\'ve received. But… We know very well that this wasn\'t a fair battle.
First, an attack by assassins, then kidnapping my wife, and finally plotting against me using a clan." Strax replied, his tone heating up as remembering Beatrice\'s kidnapping didn\'t make him happy.
"I\'ve been watching you for a while. Even when you were imprisoned in the mines, you didn\'t give up. Even with those idiots robbing your money and using you as a slave, you didn\'t give up. And even after all that, you still forgave that woman and took her for yourself." Albert said, continuing to think of more things to point out.
"Even the lost daughter of the Blaze family was involved, and I don\'t even need to mention a Storm, as you probably don\'t even know what that is." Albert said, drawing Strax\'s attention.
"What does Monica have to do with this…" He wondered as he saw his father pacing back and forth, as if he were… anxious?
"And this bodily reconstruction… A beastly physique? What is this power you have that causes so many problems at once?" Albert questioned, as if blaming Strax for something he didn\'t even know about.
Strax was surprised by the question… He thought his father would be colder, but it seemed like he had… broken?
I mean, this man was really starting to seem like a normal person… "I-I don\'t understand?" Strax said… "Blaze and Storm are Ducal houses, and considering you have two potential heirs in your hands… You are now the greatest target in all of Thalassia." Albert said, shattering Strax\'s face… like shards of glass.
"I will tell you why I called you here." Albert said, staring at him while crossing his arms… "I will go to the Capital." He said, continuing after a brief pause, "Currently, the General is about to break through to the next level; she will become the fourth person of the Emperor stage." Albert said, Strax had already heard about her, the General in charge of transforming the Kingdom into an Empire, who had a special physique…
"Soon, Thalassia will become an Empire." Albert said, and Strax felt a strange tension in the air.