Balios came out of the castle, his breathing fast even when covering such a little distance, signifying his old age. His eyes darted towards his son, Aether.
Groaning in agonizing pain, Aether lay at the bottom of the broken door. His right cheek was swollen from the punch, a purple bruise covering his lips and cheek. Blood trailed down from his mouth, and at least three teeth were broken.
He gritted his teeth, seeing his son like that, his anger raged. "You—!" He stopped mid-sentence; unlike his son, he knew how to judge people with the help of his experience.
His eyes, just now raging with anger, glinted with calculations as he looked towards Dian. His otherworldly handsomeness, royal-like attire, and that cres—. His thoughts stopped.
His eyes darted behind Dian, his eyes shot wide as he recognized that face. "Jones...?" He uttered.
In response, the butler just nodded.
His heart raced, one look towards his bleeding son, another towards the man in front of him.
"Young Lord!" He screamed, running towards Dian. "Please forgive my son! I don't know what he did, but please don't dirty your hands; I will punish him myself!"
He spoke as he knelt in front of Dian. Well, he tried, but his belly didn't let him lay on the ground, so he kneeled. But his mind was elsewhere.
How did I not get any news about his arrival? He is here himself, meaning his poison is cured—that in itself is big news. There's no way I wouldn't get informed. He thought.
And he was right; he did get news delivered here. But he didn't read those letters or any other letter; he was that busy with his research.
Dian's eyes looked down at him. "Then what about you?" He asked. "Who will punish you?"
His voice was cold, sending shivers down his spine.
Maria looked towards them curiously. She couldn't comprehend who this "big brother" was, who could put Lord Balios in such a condition.
Most of the people around had the same reaction.
The butler noticed and cleared his throat. His voice covered more area than it normally should.
Heads turned, Dian paused too. Seeing that he had all the attention, he spoke. "The man standing in front of you all right now is none other than Dian Skyster, the sole heir of the Skyster family and the current Lord."
His voice was proud, happy, and dignified, reaching every single ear around.
Eyes glowed, hopes emerged, heads bowed, some knelt, and in a single beat, they spoke.
"Young Lord!"
Their voices together sent vibrations throughout the surroundings.
Dian's chest puffed out a little, his expression authoritative. "Rise," he spoke.
Balios's Plea and Dian's Revelation
Again, breaking the moment, Balios spoke. "W-what do you mean, Young Lord?" he stammered as he asked.
"Butler," Dian spoke.
Without another word, Jones went inside the castle. Silence followed.
After a moment, he came outside, his hands filled with papers. "Young Lord, here," he handed them to Dian.
Balios's eyes widened as he looked towards them—the selling receipts, he thought.
"Let's continue inside," Dian spoke as the crowd surrounding them increased. "Butler, get them both inside and these two too, but with care."
He spoke as he first signaled towards Balios and his son, then towards Maria and her mother.
Without getting any answers, he stepped towards the castle.
The moment he stepped inside, a chime rang in his mind and a blue screen appeared in front of him.
...
Mission Triggered
[Ding!]
[Mission triggered!]
[Mission - Rescue The Third Princess of Elves]
[Duration - 65 minutes]
[Rewards - Eye of Perception, 250 L.P]
[Penalty - In case the mission fails, the Host wouldn't get the chance to obtain Eye of Perception again. He would always be in danger.]
...
Dian was surprised but not shocked. He knew he would trigger something if there was something to trigger. But the content of the mission made his eyes cold.
Noticing every corner of the castellates, he simply made his way towards the study room.
All these castellates were made with the same floor plan; he knew every corner now and didn't need much time to navigate. But his mind wasn't still enough.
"Hey, what's with the penalty this time?" He asked in his mind as he read the mission's penalties.
"Host, penalty and rewards aren't generated by me. They are made by your current situations and future assumptions," the system explained.
"Wait, can you see the future?" Dian asked as he heard her.
"No, Host, I can't. Only assumptions are made, and they are in billions, if not millions," the system answered.
As they both talked, Dian was already in front of the study room's doors. With a slight push of his hands, he opened them.
And the usual: a table in front of him with a chair behind, two couches beside the table, and two chairs in front of the table.
A big glass window behind the table, but it wasn't like other manager's offices; it was quite simple, not extravagant, no expensive showcases.
"Now," Dian spoke, sitting on the couch.
"How am I supposed to find her?" he spoke.
"Host, that's the mission," the system spoke, her voice irritated.
Dian didn't argue with her; he knew she was just like that. Right now, an important mission was in front of him and literally floating in front.
The blue screen turned into a small square digital clock, and the time passed there.
Every second was important now.
Desperate to do something, he searched the room. After some time, nothing. There's nothing here, he thought.
Sitting back on the couch, his eyes fell on the paper Jones handed him. He picked them up.
Pages turned... And he stopped. His eyes going through the content from one of the papers.
A ritual? It described how a man could gain magical capabilities from his partner. The procedure, its gains, risks, and all about it. Above all, talent was required.
A female with Light element. Dian's mind raced. There's no one around here with a light element. Then... Dian stood from his seat and darted outside the room.
Information about all the castellates was provided by Jones to Dian. So, he knew if there was someone with a light element.
In the hallways, the butler made his way towards the study with Balios and Aether. He stopped as his eyes caught sight of Dian coming towards them hastily.
"Where is she?" He asked directly, no drama, no beating around the bush, his eyesmeeting Balios. His voice was cold, urgent.
Balios nearly gave out; he looked sideways as he heard Dian. A shiver went through his spine as he felt the pressure Dian exuded subconsciously.
.
.