The throne room was a bit of a shock to Lucas let alone the boy, Revy, and his sister, Aurelle. It was even more grandiose than Lucas had been expecting.

However, after barely appreciating the size of the hall, their eyes were all drawn to the throne, or rather, the man on it.

At first, they'd thought he was a statue from how still he stood and how chiseled his face was but there was something about him that made him impossible to ignore. It was a subtle pressure that let them know he couldn't be trifled with.

Batain gestured for the others to follow him before began walking forward, dropping both of his captives besides him. He knelt, lowering his head. "Father."

Though Revy didn't seem to think much of it, Lucas' eyebrow raised just a tiny bit. Aurelle's expression remained blank.

The count's facial muscles shifted and flexed to produce a smile before he gave a short nod to Batain. Then, he turned his head to set his eyes on Lucas.

Lucas couldn't read the look that Batain gave him when he looked over but it was somewhat obvious what he was expected to do. He also knelt, lowering his head. "Count."

Regis smiled once more. "Grandfather" was all he said, looking down at Lucas. Regis' voice also gave off pressure, his casual tone not lightening the gravity in his voice even a little bit. It took a few seconds before Lucas got the gist.

"Grandfather." Lucas echoed the words.

He nodded once more before looking towards Revy.

The boy had been fidgeting ever since they walked to the point just before the stairs leading to the throne. Immediately, he knelt and lowered his head. "Regis."

Regis' expression went from a smile to a death stare. It, like his voice, was casual but its intensity was formidable.

"Count Cazenarch."

Revy started fidgeting, feeling the Count's cold eyes on him but it was obvious now. "Count Cazenarch", he repeated.

He turned his head to Aurelle just as she knelt down to him, lowering her head. He narrowed his eyes, seeing that she didn't say a word, initially.

"Oh uh she doesn't talk... Count Cazenarch."

Regis slowly turned his head to Revy, hearing him interject. Silence reigned in the room for a dozen seconds before he nodded.

"Understood. You may all rise. Now, Batain tell me what happened. Why is your arm broken and who are the people you have brought here?"

Batain nodded. "The trip to Heussel went smoothly. However, once there, the unconscious woman you see to my left used unknown magic to make me lower my guard. I was, then, ambushed and that is how I broke my arm. I managed to break free of the trap they had set for me and defeat all the ambushers. I saw the conspirators meeting in a plaza and killed them all except the woman on my left who was only severely injured. I met the boy, the second from your left, and asked him for directions. He led me to the woman on the right who healed the woman on my left but she also sought to use some sort of magic on me so I neutralized her. The girl is the boy's sister. The boy right next to me is your grandson Lucas." Batain's voice maintained a neutral tone throughout the whole monologue.

"Succinct and smooth as it should be. You'll give me all the details later but for now, I have a few questions.

"Was Lucas trapped as well?" Regis continued.

"No."

"Then, what did he do?"

"He killed an ambusher before being knocked unconscious."

"How did he kill the ambusher? Why was he only knocked unconscious and not killed? How strong were your ambushers?"

The back and forth went on, a sort of melody as the two casual voices responded to each other. It almost entranced the others until Regis moved his eyes over to Lucas.

"Batain is reporting the information he knows to the best of his ability but ultimately, he was not there. Lucas, what did you do?" Each of the words in the final question were emphasized and combined with a pressure that should've nearly crushed him.

But he felt almost nothing. It was like watching a car come at you at top speed only for it to just bump you a few feet.

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Looking up at the Count, Lucas kept an unperturbed expression. It felt.. right. He couldn't really describe it. He didn't question how it was possible. It wasn't just him feeling happy his grandfather's intimidation didn't work on him. It was more.

"When Batain had gotten trapped, I met two enemies. I managed to stop and then beat one of them. Then I fell unconscious and I don't remember what happened after that."

A slight hint of annoyance entered Regis' face. "Describe to me your fight."

"I looked at one of them and he stopped moving. Then I stabbed him in the stomach with my weapon and used its magic to burn him."

"You looked at him." It was a request for reconfirmation but with Regis' aura, it became a statement.

Lucas almost scratched the back of his head but didn't want to appear too informal. Even if he wanted to share how he managed to do it and even if he knew how the ability worked, he didn't have the vocabulary to explain what happened. He'd looked at the guy and the guy had stopped moving. That was ultimately what had happened.

Regis gazed down at him. "Some sort of spell, I presume. Demonstrate on me."

Lucas hesitated but ultimately complied. Now that Regis had figured out what he meant, there was no point trying to hide it. The only problem would be actually doing the spell and that wasn't really an issue. If he couldn't do it, then he couldn't do it. He couldn't get punished for it.

So he focused on Regis, sending mana to his eyes. He didn't really remember how it worked but since mana was the foundation of everything, this was his best shot.

Immediately, he felt it. It was like there was a solid pressure flowing from his optic nerves into his eyes, outwards at Regis. He could tell Regis felt it too. It filled him with no small amount of satisfaction that not only had he gotten it on his first try but it had restrained even the Count.

However, just as soon as it had appeared, it vanished as Lucas faltered, the energy he'd barely managed to recover disappearing. He simply couldn't maintain the ability. His eyes began pulsating with pain but he quickly opened them wide to dispel the sensation.

After taking a small breather, he looked back up to see a wide grin on Regis' face.

"Remarkable. I'd like a full explanation of how you are able to do that. Later."

The Count, then, turned his gaze back over to Batain. "How many people were there that you killed?"

"Several dozen. I never counted."

"And these two, you only just met."

"Yes, the boy led me to a healer and then to the stables."

"And the girl."

"She is his sister."

"Correct." Regis nodded.

Lucas couldn't help but frown. Had that been some sort of test or had he truly just forgotten what Batain had said only a minute ago?

"Call a maid to take them to a guest room and feed them."

Revy had been going through a cycle of shock and anxiety the entire time, barely able to stop himself from fidgeting. There was just no way this kid that was clearly several years younger than him could kill a man and do.. whatever he just did. It was impossible.. yet Revy sensed complete calm from Lucas. It was like the whole bloodline was remarkably strong. Maybe Batain could mentor him or something.

Regis' voice cut through all of his illusions though and he turned around to see maids enter the room. He glanced at his sister but she seemed to just be watching and waiting for him. He sighed before getting up with a smile on his face. Seeing his response, Aurelle followed suit and the two were led out of the room.

A few seconds after they left, Regis focused on Batain. "Remove her gag."

Though it was a vague comment, it became clear what he meant and Batain removed Lisa's gag. Immediately, Lisa kissed the ground so hard her nose started bleeding.

It was evident that Regis was focusing his power on her, forcing her head down into the floor.

The man shook his head. "Knock her out. There is nothing to be obtained from her when she's suicidal to the point she'll bite off her own tongue if not controlled."

Batain only nodded before sending Lisa back to sleep.

"We'll examine her right here. No need going anywhere else." Regis nodded at Batain who undid his rope and metal ties before removing the woman's clothes. He then picked her up and walked up the stairs to the throne, dropping her in front of Regis.

"Liyonne." Regis kept a straight face before breaking out into a grin and chuckling.

"Of course it is. What a barbaric and utterly idiotic idea to brand your people. Well, this simplifies things." Regis kept laughing for a few seconds before the hilarity started to wear off.

Suddenly, his voice shifted. "Batain, you know why I sent you to Heussel. It was not so you could help me get a couple of rocks back. A cave-in was an utterly stupid coverup for their plan and they could barely hide it from my frontiersmen.

Batain nodded once more.

Regis showed a small smile. "You knew or at least, you figured it out soon enough. Your job was to find out what had truly gone wrong. I could've sent anyone but I sent you. You've done just that. Thank you, son."

An awkward silence filled the room before Regis moved on to Lucas. "I don't know for what reason Batain brought you on his trip but your abilities and intelligence show your potential. Good tutoring will send you far."

Lucas ignored Regis' words and stared at Batain. The man wasn't just irresponsible; he was dangerously negligent. What if Lucas had gotten killed? It had been one thing if the trip was just a casual way to show Lucas the world but it was obvious now that no matter what, it would end in bloodshed.

Sure, it was Lucas that proposed the idea but ultimately, he was ignorant of what he was truly getting into. Batain understood, at least to some degree what was going to happen. Even if he hadn't backed down then, Batain could've told his mother and she would've prevented him from going no matter what he did.

It truly was a terrible action.. but Lucas didn't really care. He didn't really know if he should be angry. Ultimately, the trip had done what he had wanted. It cleared his head, and gave him further purpose. On top of that, he'd awakened a new ability and gained some insight into his reincarnations.

Still, the small relationship he'd forged with Batain crumbled. He'd still spar with him but to trust him anymore would be asking too much of him.

Regis snapped, a crisp sound cutting through Lucas' inner thoughts.

"Tell me the full story. Do not leave out a single detail. After that, the two of you are dismissed."