Chapter 214: My Filial Son

As soon as Raiden walked inside the mansion, he found the mood had changed entirely.

The warm, golden atmosphere from outside completely vanished the moment he stepped past the threshold. Gone was the pleasant evening breeze and the soft glow of red lanterns.

In its place came something colder, heavier, something that settled directly onto his chest like an invisible weight pressing down on his lungs.

A heavy, oppressive feeling settled on his heart as he walked further inside, like something sinister was lurking beneath the very floorboards of this house.

It wasn’t the kind of feeling that came from ghost stories or old horror movies. This felt real, ancient, like the walls themselves had witnessed things they shouldn’t have and had been forced to keep quiet about for centuries.

Old Man Tobias, who was walking in front of the group, seemed completely unaffected by any of it.

He ignored the atmosphere entirely and kept walking at a brisk pace, leaving Raiden with barely any time to process the strange sensation before he had to hurry along to keep up.

"Hiss~" Rai Rai~, I can feel a lot of blood underneath our feet. Should I drain it?

Rose’s tiny voice rang out from around his neck, her tone far too casual for the horrifying discovery she had just made.

"No, my dear, leave it." Raiden patted Rose’s head gently, trying to keep his expression neutral even as her words sent a fresh wave of unease crawling up his spine.

If even Rose, who viewed most living things as walking snacks, could sense something wrong beneath this place, then there was definitely something seriously twisted buried under this mansion’s polished floors.

Raiden decided then and there that he did not want to know what it was, and he made a mental note to keep his Terra Beasts far away from wandering off on their own during their stay.

After walking a little further through a series of narrow corridors, they eventually found themselves escorted out of the main building entirely and led toward a smaller, separate courtyard set apart from the rest of the estate.

This place had four rooms lined along the edges and a modest open lawn in the middle, nothing particularly grand, but nothing terrible either. Raiden actually felt a small sense of relief looking at it.

It reminded him a little of his own farmhouse, simple and unassuming, and honestly, he had been half expecting something far worse given everything he’d heard about this family.

"What’s the meaning of this place?? Why are you putting us in such a shabby courtyard? Do you think my Grand Master title is just for show??"

Apparently, Old Man Tobias did not share the same sentiment. His voice boomed across the courtyard as he rounded on the two guards standing nervously near the entrance, his displeasure written clearly across every wrinkle on his face.

The guards, who suddenly felt an invisible, crushing pressure settle directly on top of their heads, began trembling almost instantly, sweat beading down their foreheads despite the cool evening air.

They lowered their heads further, refusing to meet the old man’s gaze.

"G-Grand Master, please spare us. We are just following orders given by the clan head."

Tobias let out a loud snort after hearing their terrified stammering, the pressure in the air easing slightly as some of his anger settled.

"It’s fine, but you can’t possibly make us stay in such a place. Come, Raiden, I have a house of my own here. We’ll live there instead. Sorry for showing you such an ugly side of my family."

Without waiting for a response, Old Man Tobias turned on his heel and began walking away from the courtyard entirely, clearly done with the conversation.

"Actually, sir... you can’t go back there..."

One of the guards spoke up hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he was hoping the old man simply wouldn’t hear him.

"Hmm?? What is that supposed to mean??"

The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop several degrees the moment those words left Tobias’s mouth, his tone carrying a coldness that made even Raiden take an involuntary step back.

The guard flinched violently but forced himself to continue speaking, likely realising that staying silent now would be far more dangerous than answering honestly.

"W-well, since you have been away for so long, the clan leader has already requisitioned your house and given it away to someone else in need. H-he said you are his father and won’t mind s-such small details..."

BANG!!!

An explosive burst of pressure rolled off Old Man Tobias’s body without warning, the sheer force of it causing both attendants to collapse onto their knees in terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as visible cracks began spiderwebbing across the stone tiles beneath his feet.

"Good, very good. What a filial son of mine."

His voice had dropped to something low and dangerous, each word laced with barely contained fury.

"You know what? Forget this competition entirely. I’ll just take care of him myself."

A murderous glint flashed across the old man’s eyes as he began striding forward with terrifying purpose, his steps carrying him straight toward the compound’s exit.

"Grandpa, stop!! Please... just stop for now..."

A small hand shot out and grabbed onto his sleeve, halting him mid-step.

Tobias turned around to find Aria standing there, her expression downcast, her fingers gripping his sleeve tightly as though she was afraid he might disappear the moment she let go.

Seeing the look on her face, all the murderous intent seemed to drain out of the old man at once, replaced instead by a deep, weary sigh that seemed to carry the weight of decades behind it.

"I will give you both fifteen minutes. You better find a good place for us to stay within those fifteen minutes, or your clan will have to elect a new leader after I murder the old one. What are you looking at my face for? GO!"

The two guards scrambled to their feet and bolted out of the courtyard as though they had just been granted a pardon from execution, disappearing down the corridor at a speed that would have impressed even Woolie.

"I am really sorry you had to see all that, Raiden. It looks like that bastard has already made plans to oppose us."

Tobias turned around, offering Raiden an apologetic smile, though the exhaustion behind his eyes was impossible to hide.

"It’s fine, old man. We already anticipated that we would have to face challenges and resistance when we first came here."

Raiden shrugged casually, doing his best to lighten the mood, even though internally he was still processing just how terrifying this whole family clearly was.

"To be honest, I am quite happy with this place. It doesn’t look bad at all, right, Woolie??"

"Woolie!!!" I declare this place to be under the domain of Emperor Woolie!!

Woolie puffed his chest out proudly, strutting around the small courtyard as if he had just conquered new territory, and the sheer absurdity of the declaration finally broke the tension, sending everyone into a fit of laughter that lifted the heavy mood clean off the atmosphere.

"Thank you for your consideration, but you came so far to help us. I can’t possibly let you stay in such a place. Just give it a little time. I don’t believe they are ready to fall out with me just yet."

It turned out that Tobias’s prediction was correct, because less than ten minutes later, they found themselves being led toward an entirely different courtyard, one that was noticeably larger and far more impressive than the last.

Looking at the thirty-plus rooms lining the perimeter, the immaculately maintained garden complete with a blooming cherry blossom tree, and a small koi pond glistening under the moonlight, Raiden felt like he was finally witnessing the true definition of luxury for the very first time in his life.

"Hmm, it’s not too good, but it’ll do for now."

Old Man Tobias muttered under his breath, scratching his chin as he surveyed the courtyard with a critical eye.

Raiden turned to stare at him with a completely dumbfounded expression.

’Not too good? This is not too good? What in the world is this old man smoking??’

He had grown up dreaming of owning a farmhouse with a working roof and no debt collectors knocking on his door every month. This courtyard alone probably cost more than his entire farm combined, and this old man was standing here calling it mediocre like it was some cheap motel room.

"Alright, it has been a long and tiring journey to get here. I want you guys to get some rest for now. We’ll converge back in the evening. By then, our second guest should also have arrived."

Maple took the lead this time, her voice carrying a calm authority as she addressed the group.

"Second guest??" Raiden asked, curiosity immediately piqued.

"Yes, our young miss will have two protectors. Or did you forget about that part already? One of them is you. As for who the second one is, I’ll keep it a secret for now, but I think you might actually know him."

A mischievous look flickered across Maple’s eyes as she spoke, clearly enjoying keeping Raiden in suspense.

"I might know him?? Who??"

Raiden scratched his head, thoroughly confused. He wracked his brain trying to think of anyone around his age who was strong enough to be considered worthy of protecting Aria during such an important competition, but nothing came to mind.

"Hehe, it’s a secret. But trust me, you will definitely know him. So just wait and find out later~"

Aria chimed in from the side with a light laugh, only deepening Raiden’s confusion further.

After racking his brain for a few more minutes without any success, Raiden eventually gave up trying to guess and decided to retire to his room for some well-deserved rest instead.

Whoever this mystery man was, he would find out soon enough.