Chapter 549: Visiting The Crimson Family Clan
"So, you are the insidious fiend who stole my innocent daughter!"
Elion’s brow twitched.
He honestly did not know how to respond to such an accusation.
You would be wondering how he got himself in this situation.
It was the morning of the following day, after spending the night in the ark; they had made a trip to the Crimson Family’s clan estate so that Tessa could let them know she was safe, seeing as she had suddenly disappeared with Elion after abandoning Kiki.
And then this had happened.
Everyone was currently seated on mats inside the main family dojo of the clan.
Tessa sat beside her father, tugging awkwardly at the sleeve of his upper robe with an embarrassed look on her face.
The muscular, heavily built older man had a thick beard and tears streaming down his cheeks as he glared at Elion as though the young man had committed the most heinous crime known to mankind.
"F-Father, stop! You are embarrassing me!" Tessa whispered, somehow trying to be quiet and loud at the same time.
It wasn’t the sudden overprotectiveness he was showing after being an overly strict father for as long as she knew; it was the tears.
Judging from the exhausted expressions on the surrounding clansmen’s faces, this particular behaviour from their patriarch was nothing unusual.
Kiki, the familiar young girl, was seated farther back among them, and the guilt written across her face made it painfully obvious that she had been the one to tell the man about Elion and his likely relationship with Tessa.
The man ignored Tessa’s pleas and rose powerfully to his feet, pointing a trembling finger towards Elion.
"You will not have her so easily! If you want my daughter, you will have to defeat me in battle first!"
A beautiful red-haired woman, who could only be Tessa’s mother, stood near the entrance to the dojo, laughing her ass off at the entire spectacle.
"Hahaha! Oh, give it a rest, you old fool!" she managed between bouts of laughter. "You are going to scare the poor boy away before we even get the chance to get to know him."
The patriarch snapped his head towards her.
"Woman! This is no laughing matter! Our precious daughter disappeared for days, only to return with some handsome little bastard claiming her heart!"
"Who said he claimed my heart!?" Tessa protested, her face turning bright red.
Her mother’s laughter immediately grew louder.
"Oh? So he only claimed everything else?"
"M-Mother!"
Tessa looked as though she wanted the floor beneath her to open up and swallow her whole.
Elion quietly turned his gaze away.
This was not his fight.
Mira, Aria, Isla, Zenith, and Zenovia were seated nearby, all of them watching the scene with varying levels of amusement. Zenith seemed especially entertained, while Mira had already covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter.
The patriarch pointed towards Elion again.
"You! Stand up!"
Elion sighed before slowly rising to his feet.
"I feel like I should clarify that your daughter came with me willingly."
"That makes it worse!"
"How?"
"Because that means you seduced her!"
Elion stared at him.
Was there any answer he could give that would actually improve this situation?
Tessa buried her face in her hands.
"Father, please stop talking..."
Her mother finally pushed herself away from the doorway and walked farther into the dojo, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Husband, perhaps you should at least ask what happened before challenging him to a duel."
"I already know what happened!"
"You know what Kiki told you."
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted towards the young girl seated farther back.
Kiki stiffened.
"I-I only told the truth!"
Tessa slowly turned towards her.
"Kiki."
The younger girl shrank into herself.
"You abandoned me!"
"You said you’d be fine going home without me!"
"Well, what did you expect me to say after you disappeared with a man!?"
"I told you I was leaving!"
"You said you would be back soon!"
"I was!"
"But you were gone for days!"
Tessa opened her mouth before closing it again. That part was admittedly difficult to defend.
Her father folded his arms triumphantly.
"You see! Even poor Kiki was traumatised by your disappearance."
"I was not traumatised," Kiki muttered.
"You cried, did you not?"
"Because I thought I was going to get blamed!"
Several clansmen lowered their heads, clearly trying not to laugh.
The patriarch ignored them and turned his attention back towards Elion.
"Regardless! If you intend to court my daughter, you must prove yourself worthy."
Elion raised a brow.
"And defeating you proves that?"
"Yes, of course. Now get up on your feet and fight me if you consider yourself a man!"
Elion sighed.
There was clearly no way out of this one without indulging the man.
"Fine, then."
He rose to his feet.
Tessa’s father was quite powerful, being a Peak Grand Mage and all, and he was probably on another level compared to most people at the same stage.
Elion was also finding it much easier to judge someone’s strength with his eyes now.
The tinted, misty presence surrounding each person’s body that hinted at their affinity possessed both a certain density and an overall size, provided he focused closely enough.
Regardless, the centre of the dojo was swiftly cleared by a group of ten clansmen, and before long, only Elion and Tessa’s father remained within the open space.
The older man stood sideways with his knees bent, one foot positioned ahead of the other. One fist was held forward, his knuckles flexed in an intimidating manner, while the other remained closer to his chest.
Elion walked towards the wall at the opposite end of the dojo and picked up a straight wooden sword before returning to his position.
This would be the first time Elion fought one-on-one against a Grand Mage.
Tessa’s father, whose name he had yet to learn, was clearly a fire mage, judging by the flaming red aura radiating from his body.
The sharp glare he directed at Elion while waiting for Tessa’s mother, who had been tasked with overseeing the battle, to give the signal was rather unsettling. The killing intent wafting from him was equally savage.
If Elion did not know any better, he would have thought the man genuinely intended to kill him.