Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Jeremy winced at Deon’s question. Before he could form an excuse, Deon continued to scold him.

“Same old, Jeremy. Always mucking things up without ever thinking. Is there any chance a brain, however small, actually exists inside that pathetic head of yours?”

Deon gave his critiques as if he were simply making the most obvious observations. At that moment, Cassis realized that Roxana’s explanation about the nonexistence of love between the Agrece family members was indeed no exaggeration. Deon’s gaze toward his half-brother was devoid of any warmth or compassion. Jeremy, who was still as antagonistic as ever, began yelling at Deon in turn.

“What are you running your mouth about now? Who the hell do you think caused this whole mess in the first place, huh?! This is all your fault! You’re the one who started it by ordering the guards to fetch Roxana’s toy, you meathead!”

Deon frowned for a moment, then almost immediately seemed lost in thought. He shot Jeremy an icy glance, then spoke in a hushed tone.

“It seems Mother has been having her fun.”

Without any further explanation, Deon turned his gaze toward Cassis, then zoned in on the red markings on his neck.

“So you’re Roxana’s new bitch?”

To anyone who heard him, it was more of a statement than a question. He smirked as he continued. “The Blue Heir acting like a dog in heat must be quite the show.”

Jeremy was grinding his teeth nearby as if he had just remembered something incredibly unpleasant. Cassis simply watched the brothers with his senses on high alert in case a chance to escape presented itself. Unfortunately, the magical cuffs continued to limit his movements and the man before him hardly seemed like a slouch.

“By the way, there were some scouts sniffing around our border like dogs.”

At Deon’s mention of the scouts, Cassis’ face froze.

“I believe they were a search party of Pedelian’s most loyal soldiers out looking for their lost young master. I’ll be honest with you—it took a bit longer than I expected to dispose of that feisty lot.”

A chill seemed to suddenly emanate from Cassis. The veins became visible on the back of his hand as he gripped the spear he was holding even more tightly.

“Did you just...” Cassis spoke without taking his eyes off Deon. “...say that you killed some of my men?”

That same chilly air now seemed sharp enough to cut anyone who made the unfortunate mistake of stepping inside the boundary now encircling Cassis. It even made Jeremy pause for a moment.

Then a small clicking sound signaled that the magical cuffs had automatically gone up to level three. Cassis’ arms and legs suddenly felt as though they were laden with lead weights. On top of that, a more excruciating pain akin to piercing needles traveled through his arteries to every nerve in his body. However, Cassis seemed incapable of feeling that pain.

Deon tilted his head sideways as he watched the Blue Heir, then broke out in a grin that was wholly inappropriate in such a grave setting.

“What? All I did was send them to meet their beloved master a little ahead of time. You’ll be able to see them again soon enough.”

The only response Cassis offered was a face devoid of all emotion. He then loosened his vice-like grip on his spear. But his golden eyes, which were still fixed on Deon, appeared to blaze even hotter. Within a split second of calming himself enough to loosen his cuffs, he lunged at the callous young man before him.

* * *

Clang!

Deon used his forearm to fend off the downward blow Cassis made with his spear.

After a few attacks, both young men seemed to have sized up the other’s strength.

Cassis next moved to strike Deon’s right side.

Skreee!

Had the demon monster not appeared at that very moment, Cassis was certain he would have been able to damage the Agrece’s torso.

With the monster’s venomous stinger rushing toward him, he had no choice but to swivel out of the way first.

But the monster continued its pursuit by striking out with its tail.

Cassis managed to jump back after bouncing off of its tail.

At the same time, Deon pinned the monster with his spear and splattered the ground with its blood.

Cassis took glanced at his shoulder to see that it was bleeding where Deon had struck him earlier in the fight.

Meanwhile, the young Agrece was basking in his successful take down of the monster.

Cassis settled his gaze once more on his enemy.

“My, what a nice scowl you have,” Deon remarked snidely.

Their fight had been brief, but Cassis knew

that Deon had gone easy on him.

Even for an Agrece, the young man seemed to recognize that there was no way it would be a fair fight due to the restrictive properties of the magical cuffs.

“Seems you know when to back off, unlike that other silly mutt Roxana allows to follow her around.”

That “other silly mutt” was an obvious jab at Jeremy, and the fire in Cassis’ eyes burned even hotter as he glared at Deon.

“You don’t appear intent on killing me... Why is that?”

A mere seconds earlier Cassis had been bracing himself to attack Deon again, but now he was calmly standing still to question him.

“Because I never intended to finish you off myself.”

Just as soon as he had calmed his mind, Cassis’ insides began to burn like coal as he cast a murderous glare at Deon Agrece.

“So that’s why you lured me in this direction?”

“Oh... I see you aren’t a complete imbecile. Did you notice my men waiting with traps over there? Well, I suppose they’re going to be sorely disappointed now.”

Deon’s admission aside, Cassis had sensed that he shouldn’t venture any further early on.

He had accepted that the smart play would be to go back and curse any sense of regret.

“Xa... Xana!”

Cassis was on the verge of making his way back when he heard a faint voice calling out for Roxana.

Both he and Deon reflexively turned in the direction of the voice.

It was only then that the mayhem still raging in the distance came into their lines of sight. Broken glass, abandoned weapons, and the bloody corpses of dead demon monsters and humans were strewn everywhere.

The few who could still fight were doing their best to fend off the beasts.

And just beyond them was the glass chamber dome

where a dead carantul lied draped over one of the shattered walls.

The carcass of a second one could be seen inside the chamber as well, and beside it was a row of metal cages

which appeared to contain a few people.

They were screaming in a wild, incoherent panic. Despite their dire circumstances, they’re general behavior came across as particularly odd.

Cassis focused his gaze on the woman wandering about alone amidst the chaos.

“Xanaaaa!”

She was looking around feverishly.

The resemblance was too uncanny for an observer to mistake her as anyone other than Roxana’s mother.

“That child... he isn’t dead, is he?”

“I heard that Xana got a new toy, so I wondered if I could take a look at it.”

“A... Achille!”

Her voice was the same one he had heard on the day he’d been taken from the dungeon.

Upon spotting Deon and Cassis, he woman became stock-still.

It was then that Cassis recalled the tea party had been said to have taken place in the glass chamber.

Is that why she’s searching for Roxana over there?

Skreee!

The last of the demon monsters came at Deon from behind.

Cassis decided it best to leave and let the young Agrece take care of it,

but he had misjudged his enemy. Instead of killing the demonic creature, Deon lured it in the direction

of where the woman was standing all alone.

“What’re y—?!”

Cassis began to holler, but fell silent in shock. Deon, in turn, quietly settled his gaze on the Blue Heir

with the same sort of expectancy Jeremy’s gaze seemed to possess earlier. It was a look that said, “I dare you.”

The only difference now was that Deon’s eyes held a far more sinister weight behind them.

The demon monster began to lumber towards the glass chamber where Roxana’s mother stood helplessly.

Skreee!

Deon didn’t show any signs of moving. It was as if he didn’t give a damn what happened to her.

In that brief moment, Cassis’ mind seemed to be racing a hundred times faster as he tried to decide what to do.

It was such an obvious trap that falling for would be purely idiotic.

But doing nothing would guarantee the woman’s death by the demon monster. However, it wasn’t as thought that should matter to him.

Still...

“You remind me of my late older brother.”

Cassis couldn’t explain why Roxana’s face had suddenly encroached on his thoughts.

“...I would treat my brother every day whenever he was injured.”

Everything she had told him during her visits seemed to be flooding his thoughts.

“I’ll make sure you leave this place alive.”

“...Thank you, really.”

“Cassis, hurry up and get better.”

Ultimately, Cassis grit his teeth and tried his best to catch up to the monster.

“Deon! What the hell are you trying to pull?!”

Jeremy had rushed over and was very literally barking down Deon’s neck.

He had also seen Deon maneuver the vicious beast towards Roxana’s mother. While the younger Agrece continued to scold his older half-brother, Cassis was closing in on the monster.

“I always knew you had a few screws loose, but have you actually lost it?! Or do you really want to kill Roxana’s mom?!”

Jeremy didn’t make the slightest effort to hide his disbelief as he shouted at Deon.

Instead of answering him, Deon began to make his way toward the monster as well.

“What a psycho...”

Just as with the tone of disbelief in his voice, Jeremy didn’t bother trying to hide how detestable he found his half-brother to be as he watched him walk away.