Fire Mage

Chapter 710: Explanation

Charles also checked all other Elders in two seconds but noticed no abnormalities found among them.

'But an interesting imposter is lurking around.'

At that moment, Patriarch Diego looked at Charles with a calculating gaze. "Charles... Are you the one who brought the Elder Ring? How did you acquire it? And what business brings you to my estate?"

Charles quietly shifted his gaze towards the Patriarch and bowed his head before asking.

"I have some questions I must ask all the Elders and the Patriarch of the Nightwind Family. Can I?"

A strange silence appeared in the hall.

"And what questions those are?"

Charles didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Do you remember Harry Nightwind from the Nightwind Family, Patriarch?"

"Harry Nightwind from one of the Branch families? Ah, that genius who falls victim to the Raven family's schemes? Isn't that the case you take on personally, Elder Luna?" The Patriarch's inquisitive gaze swept across the gathering until it settled on the young woman elegantly positioned at his right side.

With a cascade of wavy blue hair framing her face, her deep blue eyes held a certain enigmatic allure. The features of her round face reflected a youthfulness that contradicted her actual age, seemingly frozen in her mid-twenties.

Clad in a flowing green robe draped gracefully over her form, she exuded an air of quiet sophistication. The circular glasses perched on her nose lent an intellectual charm, hinting at the depths of wisdom behind those youthful eyes. In her delicate hand, she cradled a book, a symbol of the knowledge she possessed.

However, appearances were deceiving, for beneath the facade of youthfulness, she concealed the wisdom of 240 years. A prodigious mind, she had earned the accolade of being considered a genius of the century. Despite her remarkable individuality, external forces intervened in her life. Faced with political pressures and persistent persuasion from her parents, she was compelled to enter a matrimonial alliance with the Patriarch's first son, integrating into the main family. The complex interplay of fate and familial obligations marked a chapter in her life that belied the simplicity of her outward appearance.

"Yes, Lord Diego." Luna nodded her head and answered while adjusting her glasses.

"But even after interrogating the head of the Raven Family for two decades, I have yet to find the real cause of Harry's death." At that moment, she suddenly gazed at the young man standing before them and raised her thick eyebrows.

"Your name is Charles, right? Wait. Harry's son, whom that vixen Eve took away, also has the same name." Her eyes went wide-eyed as if a sudden realization stuck on her face.

"Y-You are that child?" She couldn't hide her shock at all.

'Strange... From how they are reacting, the Nightwind family doesn't seem to have known our whereabouts and is still interrogating Oswald Raven. Are they faking it? Or did the Truelords' family conceal all the information from the Patriarch himself?'

At the same time, the other Elders and even the Patriarch were startled by this information and showed different expressions like shock, confusion, and anger.

'I understand the shock and confusion, but why does Elder Luna show anger? Moreover, there is no hostility at all.'

Although no one showed hostility, Charles didn't trust anyone in that chamber.

At the same time, he also didn't like being interrogated and asked the following question.

"And does anyone know what happened to Martin Nightwind?"

"Martin Nightwind..." Elder Luna seemed to have recalled something and soon frowned.

"Charles.... It's you!" Elder Luna instantly stood up, released her wisdom power, and tried to put force on him.

But all of a sudden, another mysterious power appeared in the hall and blocked the power from getting near Charles.

Only then did everyone in the hall shift their attention to Runeth and gauge his strength.

'Rank-5 Powerhouse! How couldn't I see through his strength before?' Even the Patriarch of the Nightwind family looked startled and became more curious.

"Please refrain yourself from interfering, Your Excellency. Although I don't know what kind of relationship you have with the son of a traitor and also a killer of his bloodline, we need to take him into custody and interrogate him." Patriarch said in a grim tone and slowly stood up while showing dominance.

"Hohoho, forgive this poor man for not knowing his place and lack of manners. My name is Runeth, and I am Charles Nightwind's only teacher. Although it's rude to interfere in your business again, I can't stand by when my student is forced and imprisoned, right? Moreover, do you think my student killed Martin Nightwind without any reason? Instead of imprisoning him, why not look for the cause of his action? I want to make a suggestion." Runeth said while taking a step forward.

Patriarch looked down at the brown-haired man with a frown and felt a strange sense of uneasiness.

"Go on." He said after a short delay and quietly sat down.

"Yes, Lord Diego. Instead of acting abruptly, why not just hear his reason and then decide? After all, my student and his mom ran away from the Nightwind family a few decades ago and lived in hiding all those years. So, why did he come out of hiding and start killing a member of the Nightwind Family?" Runeth's question made the Elders, and Patriarch fell into silence. It was easy to guess what Runeth was trying to imply.

"You are right." Patriarch nodded and soon shifted his attention towards Charles before waving his head.

"Go on and tell us the reason."

Charles gave a polite bow at the Patriarch and spoke further.

"On June 5th, Year 6396, me and my mother were kidnapped by some people under the leadership of a man named James and went through physical torture. When I managed to defeat him after great struggle and even saved my mother, I found out that he was a lackey of Martin Nightwind." Charles started narrating the following incidents about how he ended up joining the Withering Shadows and also told them about the land problem in which Eddie Nightwind used to live.

"And soon after, my mother was killed brutally by Martin Nightwind and his friends. Thanks to their relentless pressure, I was forced to flee the city and hide under my teacher's shadow." Charles said as he pointed his finger at Runeth and then added.

"And when my grandfather Oswald found out the whereabouts of my mother's killers and invited me for the hunt, I wholeheartedly agreed and killed everyone with their help. Now, tell me, what wrong did I do?" Charles asked while sharpening his gaze at Elder Luna.

"Although what you did is justifiable, you should've returned to the house and asked for our help instead of taking things into your own hands." Patriarch gazed at the young man for a while and asked.

"Then, the reason you came here is to find out why Martin killed your mother, right?"

"I'm also here to prove my mother's innocence and came here to find out the real culprit. As far as I know, the one who killed my father isn't my mom but someone else." Charles stated boldly, causing the hall to go into abrupt silence again.

"Although what you said is quite reasonable, I still can't determine whether you are speaking the truth or false." Patriarch Diego turned his gaze towards Elder Luna and ordered further.

"With the information Charles gave you right now, dispatch a new team and investigate more thoroughly on Martin Nightwind and his family members. Also, send a letter to Undergrove and ask them to gather all information about Charles and the incidents in Riverdale."

"Then, what should we do with them? Should we let them stay in the guest house, Lord Diego?" One of the elders with a big moustache and bald head asked.

"Let Lord Runeth stay in the Guest house, Michael." Patriarch quietly looked at Charles and then added.

"And lock up Charles in the underground prison until all investigations are done. But you shouldn't interrogate him or anything, Luna."

"Yes, My Lord."

"I also agree with this suggestion." Runeth voluntarily agreed, causing a strange silence again.

Despite the weight of the situation, Charles maintained a composed demeanor, acknowledging the decisions made regarding his temporary confinement. Elder Luna followed the Patriarch's commands with a stoic expression.

Patriarch Diego addressed Runeth with a measured gaze, "Your accommodation is arranged, Mister. You'll be taken to the guest house shortly. As for Charles, he will be confined while we conduct a thorough investigation. Rest assured, justice will prevail."

With a nod, Runeth silently accepted the arrangements, understanding the delicacy of the situation. The Patriarch signaled for guards to escort them to their respective destinations.

As Charles was led toward the underground prison, he couldn't help but contemplate the complex web of Nightwind Family politics. The revelation of his identity rattled the elders, and he couldn't ignore the strange vibes emanating from Ekemir, the Chaos Maker, among them.

'Thanks to their awesome acting, I confirmed that they have a hand in my mother's death.' 𝙛𝙧𝓮𝓮𝙬𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝓮𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝙢

What made him sure that the Patriarch was lying and doing a stunt was that he never mentioned where they were hiding all the time!

'But he ordered Elder Luna to get information from the Undergrove family about me and the incidents in Riverdale. If I hadn't deliberately laid out bait, they would have completely convinced me.' He was deeply impressed by their acting.

'And my other concern is that guy named Ekemir. And from the looks of it, even the Patriarch seems to think of him as one of the Nightwind Family members. His deceiving abilities and mind-manipulative skills are troublesome indeed. Should I start enslaving Elder Luna and get all the information from her? Well, I'm not in a rush anyway. So, I think it's better to take things slowly.' Moreover, Charles considered comprehending the 'Causality Manipulation' skill to its fullest in his free time.

...