Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Inside the Lord’s study in Sis Castle.

The Lord of Sis paced slowly within the study, his gaze traveling from the war trophies on one wall to the document shelf on the opposite wall, before finally making his way behind the desk. He wiped a hand across the desktop, then sat down in the chair behind him.

He gazed at his second son, who had been standing silently ever since entering the room, and said with a smile, “You haven’t disappointed me!”

“Everything is for the continuation of the family.”

Pleguez offered no comment on this response. He rested one hand on the edge of the desk, tapping it lightly, and continued:

“What are your thoughts on this Martial Tournament?”

This time, Foss didn’t answer directly, but instead asked a question of his own: “Father, has that Salvation Cult Priest really occupied the ruins already?”

“Yes, I have pinpointed his location. He is in the ruins to the south. Once the Martial Tournament concludes, we will immediately organize our forces to attack the ruins.”

“Then what about this year’s Midsummer Battle?” Foss asked again.

“There won’t be one. There won’t be any more in the future, either.”

Pleguez leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to gaze up at the ceiling. He then slowly closed his eyes, as if explaining to his son:

“The Radiant Maxims have already been triggered. I imagine it won’t be long before members of the Church arrive to inspect and preach.”

At this point, Pleguez paused before suddenly changing the subject: “By the way, that proposal to build a Radiant Church in the east of town was excellent. You put a lot of thought into it.”

“Father, that actually wasn’t my idea. It was a suggestion proposed spontaneously by the residents in the east of town.”

Hearing this, Pleguez was momentarily stunned, but he quickly assumed an expression of relief and said in a calm tone: “Let them be. I can’t be bothered to manage these things anymore.”

Seeing Foss remain silent, Pleguez suddenly asked, as if remembering something: “Right, do you still experience bloodline boiling lately? Let me take a look for you.”

“Just a little bit.”

But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, Foss suddenly changed his tune: “No, Father, I’m much better now. Your injuries have just taken a turn for the better, please don’t let them deteriorate again because of me.”

“Saying that only makes me worry more. Come, it’s fine, let me take a look.”

Pleguez’s tone remained gentle, but Foss, who knew his father extremely well, could hear an unyielding will within those words. This couldn’t help but make him feel somewhat ashamed of his earlier hesitation.

So his father still cared for him this much!

Thus, Foss stepped forward, approaching Pleguez’s side to quietly wait for his father’s actions.

Afterward, Pleguez extended a hand and pressed it against Foss’s lower back, tracing it upward along his spine, sweeping over each vertebra. He finally retracted his hand, revealing a solemn expression:

“Your bloodline is boiling right now, why didn’t you tell me! Didn’t I tell you to inform me the moment there were any changes?”

“Father?” Foss was somewhat bewildered by his father’s remarkably solemn reaction.

“Do you think that hiding it from me is alleviating my pain? No, you’re wrong. Our bloodlines are connected. The longer you conceal it, the greater the harm to me in the future.”

At this point, Pleguez thought of his eldest son. However, since his eldest son was currently away, he asked his second son: “What about your older brother? Is he also experiencing bloodline boiling?”

“He hasn’t mentioned it to me, but I frequently see him undertaking bloodline development training, so he probably doesn’t have it like I do.”

“That’s good!”

Pleguez breathed a sigh of relief. His family’s bloodline was unique; he could only concentrate the bloodline’s defects upon himself, preventing his children from being tainted by even a little of it.

If possible, he was even willing to end his own life, thereby leaving behind a pure, untainted bloodline for his children. But he knew full well that doing so would yield only one outcome: the bloodline defects would erupt once more within his two children, and because they would lack him as a buffer to share the burden, the defects would become exceptionally severe.

For children who had barely experienced any bloodline defects since childhood, suffering such a circumstance would likely be more agonizing than death itself.

“Come with me!”

Pleguez rose from behind the desk and led his second son out of the study. After walking through an area, they arrived once more at the dark chamber where he had previously been recuperating.

“Come in,” Pleguez instructed again.

Foss hurriedly followed. Unlike other places, Wizard Legacies were utilized here, making it extremely dangerous. A single misstep could lead to unexpected disaster.

But to suppress the aberrations of their family’s bloodline, no amount of danger was too great.

Ordinarily, Foss rarely came here, only visiting when summoned by his father or to report important matters. But in truth, he was very willing to come here.

Because only here would he be unable to feel the sensation of his bloodline boiling.

In contrast, his older brother came even less frequently, from which it could be deduced that his older brother’s bloodline was even more stable.

“Stand over there!”

Pleguez pointed out a direction in the darkness. But Foss was an Intermediate Knight after all; relying on the faint glimmer of light seeping in from the doorway, he still managed to make out the direction his father was pointing.

He was no stranger to that direction. When he was little, as soon as he started crying, his father would bring him here. As he grew older, the number of visits decreased drastically.

Because after every ritual, his father would become exceptionally agonized, so he had gradually learned to endure.

Standing once again on the familiar ritual spot, the ritual engravings on the floor seemed to remain just as they were during his childhood. He didn’t know how much time had passed before Foss heard his father’s suppressed groans of agony, and he instantly realized:

The ritual was already over, and his father was currently suffering on his behalf. No, it wasn’t just the bloodline boiling he had felt moments ago, but all the suffering of his entire life, from childhood to adulthood.

“Father, are you alright? Father! How are you?”

“Rest assured, I’m fine. I’m used to it.”

Hearing his father’s comforting words, Foss’s heart was filled with guilt. But Pleguez didn’t mind this at all. While comforting his son, he issued instructions:

“The territory needs more Senior Knights. We must be fast!”

“Yes. I will do my best to arrange it.”

“That is good.”

After recovering his strength, Pleguez once again put on that placid, unruffled expression. He led Foss out of the dark chamber and back to the study, where the two resumed their previous conversation.

“You must take the Martial Tournament seriously. Additionally, interact more with the apprentice instructors in your daily life; they excel at discovering talents that we normally struggle to find.”

“Provide every Senior Knight seed with ample resources, allowing them to grow rapidly without any limitations.”

“I won’t be able to hold on for much longer. You must ensure they grow as quickly as possible!”

“Yes, Father.”

Foss solemnly agreed, then asked: “The ruins to the south, that Salvation Cult Priest, how does Father plan to deal with him?”

“Do not worry, he won’t be able to escape. When the time comes, we’ll sever his head and offer it as Sis Territory’s gift to the Kingdom, letting the people of the Radiant Church take it back.”