Chapter 124: A Visit from the Siblings

Daria asked, tilting her head. "What do you mean by ’only the Bull’? Did something else happen?"

Silence fell over the room for a moment, with looks of suspicion in Darian and Daria’s eyes.

Malrik felt that something was wrong.

There was something about the twins’ behavior that didn’t make sense. It seemed as though they hadn’t witnessed the rest of the trial, or at least didn’t know what happened after.

But even if they hadn’t seen what happened, they should have known the identity of the Black Reaper.

Malrik had appeared in the guise of the Black Reaper early in the trial, when he infiltrated the forest and killed Gravios, then detonated the Morveth corpses there.

Yet, they hadn’t asked him about it even once.

Why?

Malrik didn’t have enough information yet and needed to find out more...

"I don’t know," Malrik maintained his calm expression, waving a hand dismissively. "I just heard some weird rumors floating around the estate about Blackthorn. I thought you guys might have seen what happened there."

He wasn’t really curious; he was trying to figure out how much his siblings knew without drawing their attention.

"Oh, we don’t know. The moment you collapsed after killing that Bull, the Duke officially declared your trial a success," Darian explained. "Your trial was almost the fastest among all of us, yet you proved your worth by defeating a Morveth an entire rank above you. You completely exceeded our expectations, youngest."

Darian then laughed and shook his head. "But where did you get all that physical strength? Weren’t you a mage, you bastard?"

"It’s no big deal, brother. Just a skill that boosts my attributes for a short time."

"Just a skill?" Daria took a step closer, releasing a fraction of her aura, and stared at him with a mocking look.

Daria continued to approach. "You’re a mage, yet you went toe-to-toe with a Fallen Morveth. Are you showing off now? Or do you want me to crush your skull?"

Malrik’s smile froze for a moment, and he instinctively took another step back.

"W-what? No, no... I was just telling the truth."

He quickly raised his hands in front of him, cautiously backing away from her.

"Calm down, Daria. There’s no need for violence, we’re siblings, right?"

On the outside, Malrik looked panicked as he carefully backed away. But on the inside, he was completely relieved.

Excellent... It seems they know absolutely nothing about the rest of what happened.

I was right. It really seems the elders of the family have a hand in all these recent events...

BOOOM!

The heavy wooden door wasn’t just opened; it was ripped from its hinges and violently blasted inward with enough force to shake the stone walls around it.

Malrik jolted in place, staring at the destroyed door.

Does no one in this family know how to knock on a door?

Or is knocking considered a bad habit here?

A young woman stood at the entrance. Her crimson silk hair cascaded down to her waist, while the light reflected in her emerald eyes. She possessed delicate, symmetrical features, a straight nose, and soft lips, while her face carried a calmness that made it difficult to read what lay beneath.

"Mal!"

Before Malrik’s brain could even send a signal to his legs to move, she crossed the room in an absolute blur. She crashed into him, tightening her grip with a terrifying force that almost choked the breath out of him.

"Vel..." Malrik gasped out, his face turning slightly blue. "Ribs... breaking..."

Velrosa ignored him completely. She pulled back slightly to look at him, her emerald eyes scanning his face with frantic, motherly worry.

"The healers said you were fine, but I don’t trust a single word those old fools say," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Let me see."

"See wha—Wait, Vel, no—"

Before Malrik could step back, Velrosa grabbed the hem of his shirt. With a single, terrifyingly strong motion, she lifted it and pulled it completely over his head.

"Hey!" Malrik yelped, stumbling backward as he struggled to free his arms from the tangled fabric like a trapped cat.

Darian and Daria burst out laughing, abandoning their brother to his fate.

Velrosa tossed the shirt onto the bed and approached him, inspecting his bare torso with sharp eyes. Her gaze roamed over his chest, his ribs, and his back.

There wasn’t a single scratch on him. The Duchy’s high-tier healers had done their job perfectly; his skin was entirely flawless.

Velrosa let out a soft sigh of relief. She gently traced her finger over his ribs where the Bull had hit him. "Not even a trace of a scar. Good."

She looked up at him, her sweet, affectionate smile returning.

"If there was even a single mark on you, I would have gone there myself and broken those healers’ ribs."

Darian chuckled lightly. "No need to worry, sister. I’m sure the healers did their absolute best to avoid that exact fate."

Malrik hurriedly grabbed his shirt and put it back on, his face slightly flushed. "I’m fine, Vel. Trust me."

She affectionately patted his cheek before turning her bright eyes toward the twins. "What were you three talking about anyway?"

Daria wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "Just some nonsense. I was about to tell him about the Black Reaper who appeared in our territory recently."

The moment the words left Daria’s mouth, the atmosphere in the room collapsed.

Velrosa’s angelic smile didn’t twitch an inch. But the temperature suddenly plummeted. The calm, comfortable air turned as heavy as lead. Darian instantly stopped leaning against the bedpost, his posture stiffening.

Malrik felt a chill run through his body.

Damn it, did the Black Reaper offend her?

"Ah. I see..." Velrosa said. Her voice was incredibly soft. Almost sweet.

"Just another arrogant dog for the Black Empress," Darian scoffed, though his voice was noticeably tighter than before. "Strutting around wearing a silver mask, using our territory to announce his allegiance to them. They really have become bold these days."

Velrosa turned back to Malrik. She reached out and gently adjusted his collar, her touch incredibly delicate.

She said cheerfully,

"He’s just an annoying pest looking for attention. And that organization in particular never misses a chance to announce their presence and exploit any event to their advantage."

Her smile vanished quickly, and a blood-red aura erupted from her body, pressing down on the room until Malrik’s breath hitched for a moment.

"But I will absolutely never forgive anyone who tries to steal the spotlight from my little brother during his Banner Bearer trial."

Malrik felt his breathing constrict under the pressure of the red aura filling the room. He quickly raised his hand, trying to calm her down.

"Wait... wait, hold on a second, sister."

He tried to keep his voice calm, even as his body struggled against the pressure.

"Maybe we judged him too quickly. The Black Reaper didn’t hurt me, right? Perhaps he had his reasons... and maybe we misunderstood his intentions."

The aura around her grew denser.

Malrik swallowed hard, gritting his teeth before continuing.

"I mean... maybe he’s originally a good person, but his crazy family forced him to do some ridiculous things. And then another girl showed up and offered him a wager that no sane person could refuse... you know."

"So... maybe he didn’t have a real choice. In the end, he was just a poor guy who found himself cornered from all sides."

Velrosa tilted her head slightly. Her emerald eyes were completely devoid of life, and she looked as though she hadn’t heard a single word he just said.

In contrast, Darian and Daria exchanged a look tinged with suspicion, before quietly looking back at him.

"I don’t care about any of that. If that lunatic sets foot on our land again, I will rip his spine out through his neck."

She smiled warmly at Malrik.

"I think his silver mask would make a lovely flower pot for my balcony. Don’t you agree, Mal?"

Malrik stopped breathing.

He stared at his sister’s bright face, feeling a freezing chill run down his spine.

Malrik had always enjoyed watching his sister deal with her enemies, and every time, he silently thanked God he wasn’t one of them.

But now, for the first time, he imagined what it would be like if she met him in his Black Reaper identity.

If she met me while I was the Black Reaper... my silver mask probably wouldn’t be the only thing ending up on her balcony.

"Yeah," Malrik managed to say with difficulty, giving a stiff nod. "Lovely."

"Well then, what do you say, Mal?" she asked with a bright smile. "Since your health is completely back to normal, why don’t we spar a little? I haven’t trained with my baby brother in a long time!"

She tilted her head, her emerald eyes shining with genuine excitement. "After watching you fight that Fallen-rank Bull, I’m certain your physical strength isn’t as bad as we thought. Honestly, seeing you move made me look forward to the day you reach the Ascended rank so you can fight me with everything you’ve got!"

Her tone was incredibly light and playful. Malrik, however, felt as if his soul was desperately trying to leave his body.

"Brilliant idea!" Darian yelled, immediately pushing himself off the bedpost with a wide grin.

"Absolutely." Daria nodded, bouncing to her feet with energy. "Let’s go to the training grounds right now. Oh, and don’t forget to bring that purple-haired maid of yours too! I want to see her in a real fight."

Malrik’s eyes widened.

Now?

His mind instantly went into a state of emergency, desperately searching for a way out.

Spar with Velrosa? Absolutely not. No, thank you. Even with his newly enhanced abilities, he had zero desire to find out how many of his bones would remain in his body after five minutes of "warm-up" with her.

Malrik slowly took a step back. Then, with the grace of a truly terrible stage actor, he suddenly grabbed his lower back and let out a loud, pathetic groan.

"Ah..." He hunched over, his face twisting into a mask of exaggerated pain.

Darian and Daria stopped and stared at him deadpan.

"Actually," Malrik groaned, rubbing his lower back as if he had just been in a carriage accident. "I think I’m still terribly ill. Those healers... completely incompetent. They definitely missed something."

He bent forward a little more, letting out another groan. "Ah... my spine... what agony..."

Velrosa’s expression changed instantly, and her playful tone vanished.

"Mal?" She rushed over to him, knitting her brows as she looked at his back. "Does it still hurt? Why didn’t you tell me your injury wasn’t fully healed?"

"I will summon the healers immediately."

Once again, Malrik backed away slowly and carefully toward his bed. He gently placed his hand on his hip, letting out a soft, theatrical sigh.

"It’s fine, sister," Malrik said as he slowly retreated toward his bed. "Honestly, I think spending a little more time in bed—without anyone bothering me, or suggesting completely ridiculous training matches—will make a huge difference in my recovery."

He slowly sat down on the edge of the mattress, groaning in pain. "Ah... my back hurts."

Darian let out a loud snort, covering his mouth to suppress another wave of laughter, while Daria rolled her mismatched eyes at her brother’s shameless acting.

"Ahem."

A deep, polite throat-clearing suddenly echoed by the ruined doorway, instantly cutting through the noise in the room.

Everyone turned.

Standing amidst the splintered wood and broken metal hinges was an elderly man. His hair was pure white and neatly combed, and his face bore the marks of years of strict discipline.

He wore an elegant, luxurious uniform that resembled a butler’s attire but was far more refined, yet it looked entirely strange on his figure. Despite his advanced age, the uniform was tight across his broad, heavily muscled body, which looked as though it could easily crush a boulder to dust.

Cedric.

"I apologize for the interruption, Young Masters, My Ladies," Cedric said. "But His Grace the Duke requests an audience with the Seventh Young Master." Cedric paused for a brief moment, with a decisive tone that left no room for argument.

"Immediately."

*****

Author’s Note

This Chapter is over 2,000 words, so we’ll be sticking to just one Chapter today.

I apologize for the lack of Chapter updates recently. I’m currently going through a difficult period and have been feeling a bit unmotivated, so I hope you’ll understand. Thank you for your patience and continued support.