Chapter 53 – A Negligent Father

“You want to talk after breaking into my home and assaulting me like some thug? Was bullying my son not enough for you so you came to bully me too?”

Asterios sighed. “Trust me, if there was another way to do this, I’d have definitely chosen that instead. But, considering your words, any more formal means of communication would have been rendered futile. It seems that you truly know nothing about me.”

“I know you and your family very well, you rascal!” The Marquess retorted. “You have been harassing my son for a long time! But, you finally made a mistake and—”

“Then how exactly did I harass him? You must be pretty familiar with the methods I used, no?” Asterios interrupted the man again and raised one of his eyebrows.

Wilhelm stopped for a moment. Roz had never described any action taken against him. All he had said in the past was always about him having troubles with dealing with the other boy in the academy. He never told him any details, avoiding the topic. That was until the exam incident.

“Don’t think you can weasel your way out of this with carefully picked words. The moment I ask any witnesses, or even my son, your lies will be exposed in an instant.”

“Oh, I’ll gladly help you with that,” Asterios replied with a grin, confusing the man slightly. “I’ve already sent one of your maids to bring Roz here. What’s better than asking the victim themselves?”

The Marquess was unsure about the situation. The boy in front of him seemed too calm about the whole thing. He couldn’t exclude the possibility that this was just how the boy’s demeanor was, but he was showing a lot of confidence in front of him. 

Even if he managed to weirdly affect his Griffon, he still seemed too confident in his strength when in front of a much more experienced Summoner. The boy should have been just a student until not that long ago and certainly couldn’t be stronger than him. He would hear anything about such a person one way or another.

Now that he thought about it, his son wasn’t a weakling either. Roz was quite high in the academy’s rankings when it came to both theory and practice and even managed to contract three beasts at his young age. If someone was to bully him without him being able to fight back, the person would have to be a much more powerful one, but how come they stayed unrecognized?

Many weird and mysterious things surrounded the peculiar youth in front of him. Since Roz was going to arrive here anyway, Wilhelm decided to learn more about the young man and his uncommon companions. Especially those two piqued his curiosity.

Just in case that it was all an elaborate plan to lower his defenses, he mentally ordered all of his familiars to be ready to take action at any point. If they acted together, barely anyone would have a chance to even react. And it would end up as six versus two. 

“Well then. I suppose we have to wait for him then. In the meantime, why don’t you introduce yourselves properly and speak about the reason behind this… visit. Who are you exactly?”

“You don’t even know the name of your son’s bully? What kind of father are you? But, that clears up even more things, and potentially, may let you avoid a fair deal of inconveniences,” Asterios replied.

He then walked closer to the desk, grabbed one of the chairs in front of it, and sat down. Selene stood behind him and Miria laid down by his feet, still in her panther form. The Marquess also seated himself in his much fancier armchair, albeit, he was showing a bit of nervousness in his body language.

“Alright, let’s keep it short. I’m Asterios, and as you should be aware due to me attending the academy in the past, I’m a Summoner too. The other two are Miria and Selene, my familiars.”

“What?” Wilhelm furrowed his brows. “It’s impossible to contract humanoid races. Are you telling me they both aren't?”

Asterios shrugged. “Beats me. I’ll have to investigate it one day. There are still many mysteries behind Summoning Magic. In any way,” he took off the glove from his right hand and drew the sigil to make his Summoner’s Brand show up, “this should leave no doubts, right?”

The man looked at the shining symbol and then noticed the same appearing on the forehead of both the woman in exotic clothes and the lying panther. Yes, it didn’t leave any doubts. That was a Summoner’s Brand for sure.

“Now, as to why I am here, it’s simple. You either withdraw the false accusations you’ve placed on my mother or the Richtenstein’s lineage ends today.”

“You!”

Wilhelm stood up and slammed the desk, but the piercing gaze of Asterios stopped him before he could say anything more. He saw those eyes many times. Those were the eyes of someone determined to kill. 

They definitely didn’t belong to your usual young man or even a student of the academy. He felt like Ast’s words weren’t just an empty threat and then he realized that the boy in front of him was actually a full-grown man. A man who had definitely killed in the past. And who was not afraid of doing it again. Knowing well that such resolve couldn't have come from anywhere, he tried his best to calm himself and sat down again.

“Are you aware of what you are even saying? There’s no way you can pull something like that off without being found out. Even if we assumed you have the power to fight and kill everyone here, you would end up being pursued to the ends of this world by all our allies.”

Asterios chuckled. “Did you forget the reason why many criminals try their best to become Summoners even though they have completely no talent in it? I can just throw all your corpses into another realm. Who will find them then? Interdimensional Law Enforcement Unit? Psshhht, if something like that even exists.”

Wilhelm started sweating a little. What he said was true. That way of getting rid of evidence was one of the most efficient and effective ones. It hindered almost all known methods of investigation and criminal research. There was no trace of the person left in their original world. But, it still didn’t cover all of the tracks.

“Are you stupid? Besides the maid you have mentioned, there definitely were people who had seen your face.”

“Yeah, I had a short clash with your sentries and also passed by your gardener.”

“Right? So—”

“But you are the only one who saw my real face. And also my real appearance. You know, black hair, blue eyes,” Asterios interrupted him and snapped his fingers to summon Eru’s illusion for a moment to remind the man of his fake identity he came into the room with, before disabling it again.

“Your familiars did not change though. And they are quite eye-catching, you know?” the Marquess pressed further.

“Even you assumed they were my combat slaves until I told you they are not. I can just make them say that their real master ordered them to stay with me while expecting retaliation from your circles. After your schemes see the light of the day, I’ll have even more backing on my side and I wonder about your allies. In the end, I’m not the one in the wrong. I can easily come up with a myriad of stories fitting the situation. Not that I haven't already.”

Wilhelm was perturbed. The more he talked with Asterios, the more he was not sure about anything. One thing was clear though. The young man clearly implied that he was wrong or mistaken in some way.

“What’s this about false accusations then?” he asked.

“So, you really don’t know?” Asterios tilted his head and the man nodded. “Then, that can mean only one thing. And I’m actually glad it does. It looks like being scum isn’t a hereditary thing in your family. If you are not lying to me.”

“I don’t think I follow…”

Asterios waved his hand. “We’ll have Roz explain that too. When he finally gets his ass over here. How long does he plan on making me wait?”

Selene twirled the spiritual flame she was still holding in one of her palms.

“He seemed to be indecisive at the beginning, but I’m certain he is currently heading this way. Also, my Lord, it looks like the maid has listened to your advice,” she informed him.

“Great. You have some good employees, Marquess Richtenstein. Treasure them. Ah, and don’t blame the guys by the gate, they did what they could to stop me. In any case, I guess I should stop keeping you in the dark then. I don’t know what you have been told, but you have certainly heard about the Weakest Summoner, no?”

Wilhelm nodded. It was hard not to. A person who shouldn’t even be kept as a student due to their inability, but was saved by their theoretical knowledge. He was sure that pretty much everyone in the town has heard at least one or two rumors about them.

“Well, pleased to make your acquaintance. Yours and only.” Asterios made a satirical bow. “Now. I bet you are wondering what the hell I am talking about while having these two, powerful ladies by my side. It’s only thanks to you and your idiot son that I was able to meet them. If I have not been kicked out, I would have most likely stayed a spiritual cripple for who knows how long.”

“What? Why would I do anything to you?” the confused Marquess asked.

“Did you already forget that I am your son’s bully?” Asterios raised his eyebrow.

Wilhelm rubbed his mouth and thought for a moment. It was impossible for the Weakest Summoner to be his son’s bully. How? Was Asterios lying to confuse him even more? It didn’t add up. There was no need for him to do so if he was planning on trying to assassinate his whole family anyway.

Asterios clapped his hands once, bringing Wilhelm from his thoughts.

“Did you do anything after the duel or not?”

The Marquess decided to answer truthfully. He was starting to get curious as to where it would lead him.

“Yes, I did. After you assaulted my son’s wolf and broke the academy’s rules, he came to me to seek justice. I reached out to the people from the Council I knew and asked them to take action.”

Asterios nodded. “I figured out that was the case. Even if many of the geezers disliked me, they didn’t have enough votes to get through. Your influence must have tipped the scale. It was bound to happen, so I’m not really blaming you for that one, but… justice? Really? Are you even aware who your son really is?”

“What do you mean? He might be a little too prideful and rash at times, but he is not a bad person.”

“Yeah, certainly. It’s not like bullying, trampling on others, pressuring girls with his status into who knows what, cheating on written exams and all the other things that could take way too much time to list are bad. Honestly, at times like these, I’m glad I didn’t have a father. Do you even interact with him or anyone in his close proximity? What do maids think about him, huh?”

“They never said a bad word about him, so why would I—”

Asterios raised his hand to stop the man. “Have you ever ordered them to speak what they really think or you just took for granted whatever they said? I would be unimaginably surprised to learn that he is such an angel to everyone else besides all the students at the academy.”

Asterios sighed. He was getting tired of this farce. It was now completely obvious to him that the Marquess was kept in the dark by Roz and only used as a tool. He didn’t care about their father-son relationship, but he needed the man to learn his lesson to actually care a little about his surroundings.

But as he was going to lay out everything in front of this negligent father, rushed footsteps reached the ears of everyone present in the room. A few seconds later, someone showed up on the doorstep of the still open entrance. It was obviously Roz. He wore a similar outfit to his father.

The moment Ast’s eyes landed on the blond-haired boy, something flared inside him and the scorching sensation filled his whole body again after being tamed down before he came here. Instantaneously, a wave of powerful killing intent was released into the air, accompanied by impressive spiritual pressure. The intense stare of Asterios rendered Roz immobile.

“W-who the fuck are you?!” he asked, not recognizing Asterios with his white hair, red eyes, and fierce gaze.

Asterios stood up and slowly walked towards him. The wooden floor creaked with each step he took. Roz still couldn’t move his body, which was paralyzed from fear. He felt like fainting from the pressure assaulting his senses. Asterios finally arrived in front of him and grabbed the boy by the throat.

“It’s only been like two weeks. TWO WEEKS! Did you already forget me? I thought we had something going,” Asterios said in a cold, murderous tone.

Roz’s eyes widened as he finally realized Ast’s identity. But, before he could say anything, a fist came to contact with his stomach and his eyes bulged out from the impact.

“Nguh?!”

The Marquess stood up again. “What are you—”

A tip of a blade suddenly appeared at his throat. Looking to the side, he noticed that the panther had turned into a girl again, and she was holding a shortsword by his neck.

“Don’t interrupt. Just watch.”

After punching Roz once, Asterios threw him with all his strength towards the Marquess and the boy crashed into the front of the massive desk, only pushing it a few centimeters to the back.

Asterios looked at his hand while clenching it into a fist a few times. Before they entered the room, he prepared a technique that borrowed some of Miria’s physical strength to him. The result was more than he expected. It barely felt like throwing a wet towel when he tossed the body of the seventeen-year-old boy. He had to admit, it was a nice feeling.

As Roz was squirming on the floor, Asterios approached him again, grabbed the boy by the collar, and sent him flying to the side, making him crash against a huge bookcase this time. Before Roz fell down again, he pinned him to the wall by the neck, breaking the shelves and cabinets even more.

“You couldn’t have just gone and fucked off, could you? You had to go after my mother? And specifically when I was not around? Don’t you have enough targets at the academy to harass without looking for more outside? Well, not like it matters to me. Now, let’s clear some things up while you still can speak.”

Asterios threw Roz into the middle of the room where he landed on his stomach. He then stepped on his hand, evoking a cry of pain from the boy. Roz wanted to roll away, but he couldn’t. Something was holding him down. That something was Selene’s spiritual arts. She handcuffed the blond-haired Human to the floor, applying condensed mana over all his joints.

“Will you be a good boy and explain everything to your daddy properly or do I have to help you?” Asterios asked and raised his foot a little.

“Fuck off, bitch! You won’t get away with this! Father! What are you waiting for! Just kill this bastard! He is tra—GYAAAAAAHHHHH!”

He didn’t get to finish as an unexpected feeling assaulted his hand. Something pierced it from above. Roz tilted his head to look forwards and noticed a bluish, semi-transparent pole sticking out of the floor where his palm was punctured.

Marquess Wilhelm took a step forward, but Miria did not move her blade and it slightly sank into the skin of his throat, leaving a shallow cut on it. She released a low growl at the man. He stopped and looked at his son anxiously. If he summoned all of his familiars at once, he could have a chance to repel the assailant, but there was also the risk of Roz getting hurt or even killed before anything was done by them.

“Although I don’t agree with his decision, Master will not kill the kid,” Miria spoke to him, keeping up her cold expression.

Meanwhile, Asterios stepped on Roz’s hand again. Since it was punctured now, it evoked even more pain and screaming from the restrained person.

“I’ve laid down the Alcove of Serenity sigil in this room. If you are counting on someone hearing you and coming to the rescue, forget that. Besides, no one is in this part of the mansion except us right now. Are we talking or not?”

“Fuck you! Ghhhhnnnnn!”

“Good. I was afraid you would turn out to be a little bitch, but you actually can hold on a little. Let’s see how long you can last then,” Asterios said indifferently and pushed his hand into one of his pouches.

After a moment of rummaging through it, he pulled out a vial with dark-green liquid. The girls instantly recognized it as the one they got from the jumping trial. It was the poison. Asterios had it appraised by a professional alchemist and then decided to keep it just in case. He didn’t know it would come to be useful this soon.

He uncorked the cylinder and poured the contents into Roz's mouth, forcing his jaw open with a single hand.

“What are you trying to—HHHNNNGGGGG?!”

“Hm. It works faster than I thought. Well then, if you still want to use that thing down there in the future, you better make up your mind quickly.”

“GAAAHHHHH! WHAT IS THIS!? NNNNGGGGGGH?!”

“It’s called Venation Purveyor. The poison attacks the reproductive system directly, causing intense, searing pain in all its parts. If not cured in ten minutes, it will render the person useless in that aspect. And also, the organs will turn so sensitive that even a faint breeze will cause excruciating pain again. Dungeons are really ruthless.”

Roz started struggling even more, but this time, it wasn’t an attempt to break free but just his body’s reaction to all the unbearable torture. It was getting worse with each passing second. He already wanted to instantly agree to everything Asterios said or asked, but the pain was so strong he couldn’t unclench his teeth.

Asterios crouched in front of his face and looked the boy straight into his eyes. While he definitely felt good with his revenge, he was also glad that he was not enjoying this particular feeling in the slightest. Even if that weird surge was urging him to continue, he personally didn’t find any satisfaction from such acts. He was afraid that this something would consume his rationality and even his own self, but so far, he was able to fight against it to some extent.

He realized he spaced out for a moment and refocused on Roz. The boy’s eyes were slightly bloodshot from the pain and he could see the despair in them, coming from the knowledge that he was not able to even beg Asterios to stop. 

It was enough. Asterios brought out another vial, with yellowish liquid this time, and poured the contents into Roz’s mouth after forcefully unclenching his teeth. He then nodded at Selene so she could get rid of the spear and grabbed the boy by the nape of his neck, seating him on the chair in front of the desk, watching out to not destroy it by accident as he was not used to this much strength.

Roz stopped screaming and thrashing almost immediately after receiving the antidote, but it took him a few more minutes before he could utter a comprehensible word. Asterios waited patiently. He wanted to make sure that Roz would spill out everything, not only to his father but also to him. He had to know what was going on with his mother’s charges if it wasn’t the Marquess’s doing.