Chapter 506: 506

"There is more?"

"Yes. Now we are going to enter cor—"

"COUGH! COUGH!"

The sharp cough cut through his words.

Kael turned his head.

Ruth was leaning against the door frame with his arms folded. His face was calm as he watched the scene in silence.

Kael’s brows drew together.

’Why does he look so different?’ he wondered.

Emilia pressed both hands to her chest and let Ruth straighten slightly. "Emilia. He might be tired. You should give him rest."

Kael’s eyes widened. He even rubbed his ears.

"Did I hear correctly?" he asked, turning to Emilia, who looked just as shocked.

Ruth’s voice hardened. "Stop your insolent acting and go."

Emilia hesitated, then nodded slowly. She gave Kael one last worried look before leaving.

Kael watched her go, still confused.

He really thought Ruth wanted him to rest.

...

The next moment, he found himself in a dark room.

Thankfully he wasn’t kidnapped, just dragged here.

"...Are you kidding me now?" Kael cursed under his breath as he looked at the two gloomy, very punchable faces in front of him.

The room was dim. Only a small lamp burned on the table, throwing long shadows on the walls.

Kael ignored Ruth and looked at the old man.

"Hey, can I punch you?"

The old man frowned. "Are you insane or what?"

"Please let me. Not that it would hurt."

"Fuck off!"

Kael clicked his tongue. "Know what..."

He waved a hand. "It’s you all who should fuck off."

"Who drags a person in the middle of night?"

His hair was still messy from sleep. His clothes were wrinkled. He had clearly been pulled straight out of bed.

"Yes. It was midnight sharp," he muttered.

Kael had just gone to sleep when a shadow stirred.

He gestured vaguely behind him. "Before I could react, the shadow grabbed me and threw me here. Yeah, also because I let it, or else at my current state I might damage the person."

He crossed his arms. "So what is now?"

Ruth did not answer. He turned his head toward Ramos.

Ramos stood quietly, but there was something different in his face. A rare solemn look rested there.

"You know about the assassin event, right?" Ramos asked.

"Uhh..." Kael nodded. "Yes."

"Me, Ruth, and you are on the team."

Kael’s brows pulled together.

"I thought it would only be you and me from Veydrin, but even Father..."

His voice lowered. "If something goes wrong, the entire bloodline of Veydrin might be buried there."

Ramos exhaled slowly. "He did not need to go there. It should have been Pleard. But I requested to make a move."

Kael looked at him carefully.

"I understand you have some motive," he said. "So now can you drop those acts of secrecy and cough out things?"

Ramos stayed silent for a moment. Then he spoke.

"Since you are grown up enough, I think I can tell you a bit."

"You might already know that my old appearance is a disguise."

"Umm." Kael nodded. "Go on."

Ramos’ eyes turned distant, as if he was looking at a different time.

"The reason dates back to a few decades ago," he said slowly.

"Me and Edward were two of the topmost seedlings of the Empire, so we were nurtured well."

He gave a faint smile.

"As for how I met him. After running away from home, I worked as a mercenary. During those days, I fell in love with a violent lady with great charisma."

His expression softened.

"We formed a team and worked together, and slowly we fell in love."

Kael did not interrupt. He just watched.

"And she was none other than a princess of the Royal Empire."

Ramos’ fingers tightened slightly.

"During that time, the war with Nightstar was quite rampant, and Heizen was in a perilous state."

"Nightstar even captured half of Heizen. Due to our father’s incompetence, the north fell, the eastern region was taken over, and the southeast was also bypassed."

His jaw tightened.

"To fill the numbers, the Emperor invited mercenaries."

Ramos lifted his chin.

"I took charge of the north."

His eyes sharpened.

"And it was during that time when I got the title of Wolf of the North or Wolf Of Veydrin."

Ramos spoke slowly, and his voice had lost its usual firmness.

He described the war, and it was nothing less than horrific.

Unlike the current time, where Nightstar had weakened and Heizen stood at the peak of power with four SSS-rank Dukes, the situation back then was far worse.

Heizen had been rotten from the inside. There were too many flaws, too many corrupt nobles, and too many selfish people. The Empire looked strong from outside, but inside it was crumbling.

In such a precarious situation, it was the young generation that stepped forward.

Edward proved his worth. He rose quickly and became the Crown Prince. He took the leading role in battles and politics. He stood at the front while others hesitated.

Ramos’ eyes dimmed a little as he remembered.

"After years of struggle, we finally won," he said quietly. "And he assumed the Crown."

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.

"After that, a deadly massacre was carried out."

Kael’s grip on the armrest tightened.

"All the people who had ill intent toward society were purged," Ramos continued. "The entire Heizen was washed in blood."

The room felt colder.

Ramos let out a long breath. "After that, it was supposed to be a happy life for us. Alas..."

He stopped there, and a grim look crossed his face.

Kael leaned back slightly but did not relax. His eyes stayed on Ramos.

"What happened after?" he asked.

Ramos looked at him and answered.

"Edward and I were both at the crossroads of the Demi-God stage. So we decided to advance at the same time."

His voice turned lower.

"We secluded ourselves in the underground cellar of the Enlightenment Zone. We hoped to find a way to reach the Demi-God realm."

He paused, and his gaze drifted away, as if he was standing in that dark cellar again, surrounded by silence and pressure.

The air between them grew heavy, filled with things that had not yet been said.