Chapter 247 - 246: Sophistry
Behind Zelir, the other members of the team filed in one by one.
Every one of them fixed Vance with a cold gaze, like predators eyeing their prey.
"You... What are you all doing here?"
Vance’s voice trembled.
’These guys... Weren’t they all supposed to have been sacrificed?’
’How are they still alive?!’
"Well, well. Great men have short memories, don’t they, Vance? Weren’t you the one who sent us to clear out Rose Castle?"
Zelir stepped onto the carpet, walking forward at an unhurried pace.
"Not only have we successfully completed the mission, but we’ve even returned early to share the good news... As our employer, is this your idea of hospitality?"
As Zelir took those few steps forward, Vance involuntarily leaned back.
His back was pressed against the chair, with nowhere left to retreat.
It was a subconscious movement that even Vance himself failed to notice.
His gaze swept over each of them in turn.
It was clear from their appearances that they had been through a major battle. Their Leather Armor was cracked, their clothes were stained with blood, and they all looked to be in terrible shape.
’So they must have actually reached the Underground Tomb.’
’But...’
’Why are they still alive?!’
’Didn’t that person in the black robes solemnly swear to me that no one who entered that Underground Tomb could possibly survive?’
’What the hell is going on?!’
"Yes... I was the one who hired you."
Vance had been a noble for many years, after all. After the initial shock, he immediately forced himself to calm down and said,
"But even with a commission between us, that doesn’t give you the right to barge in here like bandits! Get out now, and I might be merciful enough to forgive you!"
However, Zelir completely ignored Vance’s words.
He walked over to the servant who had run in to report the news and said nonchalantly,
"You, get out. Close the door on your way out. I need to have a proper chat with your Patriarch."
Hearing Zelir, the servant scrambled out on his hands and feet as if he had just been granted a royal pardon.
You couldn’t blame him for acting that way.
Just moments before, he had watched with his own eyes as a guard who tried to stop Zelir was sent flying with a single kick, completely powerless to fight back.
"Zelir! What do you think you’re doing?!"
Watching the servant about to leave, Vance grew even more panicked. "Stop! Who said you could leave?!"
But the servant paid him no mind.
Suddenly, Zelir casually added another sentence.
"You stay."
Sangmik, who had been inching away and trying to slip out unnoticed, froze on the spot.
He looked toward Zelir and saw the cold amusement in the man’s eyes.
"If I’m not mistaken, you had a hand in this too, didn’t you?"
"I..."
Sangmik faltered. He opened his mouth, his first instinct to deny everything.
But his intuition told him that the men before him were no fools. If he lied, his fate would likely be even worse.
Then again, he didn’t have the courage to directly admit, ’Yes, I helped my master send you to your deaths’.
So Sangmik just stood there, frozen, craning his neck, daring neither to nod nor shake his head.
Under Vance’s terrified gaze, the carved double doors slowly swung shut.
"CLICK."
Sealed shut.
Now, the only people left in the main hall were the five members of Zelir’s team, along with Vance and his servant.
"This is quite a breakfast."
Gray walked to the table, and upon seeing the feast spread before him, didn’t hesitate to help himself.
He didn’t bother with a knife or fork, simply grabbing some ham and eggs with his hands and stuffing them into his mouth. He then tossed a piece of buttered bread to Zelir.
Marcus, Valles, and Maki also began to enjoy Vance’s breakfast.
After a full night of fierce battles and hard travel, they were all ravenous.
While they ate, Vance remained silent.
This wasn’t the silence of resignation, however. He was frantically trying to come up with what to say next.
’What do I do? What do I do?’
’What’s the best way to handle this?’
At the same time, Vance’s gaze swept over the layout of the room again and again.
Finally, his eyes settled discreetly on the ornate side door to the pantry beside him.
’If I can just get through that door... I can take the secret passage straight to the study!’
’Excuses... no excuse is as reliable as escaping!’
"You seem to have been thinking long and hard."
Zelir swallowed his last bite of bread. "So, have you come up with an excuse yet?"
’Now!’
The moment Zelir finished speaking, Vance suddenly sprang into action.
Driven by his will to survive, he exploded with a speed far beyond his norm!
Vance kicked the corner of the table, using the force to propel himself and his chair backward. He then spun around, preparing to dash for the side door.
But things did not go as he had planned.
The instant Vance moved, a strange sound came from below.
A dozen vines instantly burst through the hardwood floor!
They shot forward like pythons, coiling around Vance’s calves and climbing up his body, binding him completely.
"No! Let me go!"
Vance only had time to let out a wretched scream before he was violently yanked back and slammed down into his high-backed chair.
The vines slowly receded, and Gray immediately followed up with a punch.
"THWACK!"
The uppercut snapped Vance’s head to the side, sending two teeth flying out to clatter on the floor.
"Hmph... I hate nobles like you who treat life so cheaply," Gray said with contempt.
"You used to be a noble yourself," Valles reminded him.
"I know. That’s why I have to draw a clear line," Gray said, rolling his wrist.
"COUGH, COUGH..."
Vance coughed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth onto his exquisite bow tie.
The intense pain left him dazed, but it was overshadowed by the rage of his humiliation.
Ever since he was born, no one had ever dared to treat him this way.
Never!
Vance raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and glared viciously at Gray.
"You bastard!"
Years of being in a position of authority made him roar out a threat by sheer habit.
"How dare you hit me?! I am a member of the Hereditary Nobility, invested by the King himself! I will see you sent to the gallows! I’ll have you hanged...!"
He had barely finished speaking when another fist landed.
"BAM!!!"
This time, Gray’s punch was even stronger, sending more teeth flying from Vance’s mouth.
"Sorry, what was that you were going to do to me?"
Gray cupped a hand to his ear. "I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat it for me?"
This time, Vance’s lips trembled, and he finally dared not utter another threat.
For the first time in his life, the power and status he had always relied upon were useless.
In the past, even if he were unarmed, Adventurers would kneel if he commanded it.
But now...
It had no effect on these people. They genuinely wanted to kill him.
"Alright, alright. Leave him a few teeth to talk with."
Zelir reached out and gently poked Vance’s swollen cheek.
Vance hissed in pain at the touch.
"Don’t even think about running. You can’t get away, and it will only make you look more pathetic."
"Answer my questions honestly and explain everything clearly. You might just make it out of this alive."
Vance lowered his head, his body merely twitching a couple of times.
"To be honest with you, we ran into a lot of interesting things in the Underground Tomb at Rose Castle this time. Very, very interesting."
Zelir gestured with his hand.
"Have you ever seen a Bone Centaur? One made entirely of white bone? It was enormous, so tall its head could almost touch your ceiling. It wielded a Long Halberd and was practically unbeatable."
"And its regenerative abilities were the strongest I’ve ever seen among any Demon."
"There was also a group of more than a dozen Skeleton People, their bones harder than iron. You couldn’t even cut through them with a sword..."
Zelir swiped his hand over his Storage Pouch, and a jet-black skull appeared on the dining table.
"See? This is it. For all you know, this could be the skull of one of your ancestors."
Vance glanced at the skull and shivered violently.
"Oh, and I almost forgot. In the Wenmier Clan’s Underground Tomb, there was also a massive Array inscribed on the floor."
"The moment you step inside, you’re hit with a Spirit assault. You’re also trapped, unable to escape until the battle with that Bone Centaur is finished..."
"These Demons, this evil Array ritual... they’re undoubtedly connected to a Cult."
Zelir placed a hand on the back of the chair, slowly leaning in to stare at the side of Vance’s face.
"Vance, Rose Castle is your fief, your ancestral home... so don’t tell me you know nothing about any of this."
"I..."
Vance’s Adam’s apple bobbed. After a long moment, he squeezed out three words: "I don’t know..."
"Is that so? You don’t know?"
Zelir seemed to have anticipated this response. He lifted his gaze to Sangmik, who stood off to the side.
"And what about you? Do you know?"
"When you were briefing us on the mission, you specifically emphasized that we had to enter the Underground Tomb. So... you must have known what was in there, right?"
"I... I don’t know either..."
Sangmik the steward replied, his face tight.
"I only stressed that it needed to be cleared because the Underground Tomb is the most important place for the Wenmier Clan."
"Yes! That’s exactly right! Otherwise, why would I have issued a commission for you to clear out Rose Castle?"
Vance shouted, as if he had found an opening.
"Rose Castle has been abandoned for so long, who knows what kinds of strange things have made their way inside? Clearing them out is your duty as Adventurers!"
"It just so happens that some unexpectedly strong enemies appeared during the commission. I didn’t want that to happen either! What Cult? What Array? I know nothing about any of it!"
"If you had simply returned and explained the situation to me, I certainly would have provided additional compensation!"
By the end of his speech, Vance seemed to have regained a bit of his noble dignity, and he rebuked them sharply,
"Instead of doing this—barging into my home with a skull to torture a confession out of me! This is kidnapping! This is a grave crime that violates the laws of the Kingdom!"
"Is that so?"
Zelir sneered. "If that’s really the case, then can you explain this?"
As he spoke, Zelir pulled out the various tattered commission requests he had collected in the Underground Tomb.
"Come on, take a good look. This one’s from Cyan Wood Town, this one from Waterfall Town, and this one from Valley Town..."
The commissions were arranged in order by Level, from lowest to highest, and by posting date, from oldest to most recent.
And the issuer of every single commission request was Vance Wenmir.