Chapter 921

BACK IN KITEN TOWN!

Inside Cedric’s mansion, Max sat motionless beside Charlotte, who remained sound asleep.

He occupied a nearby chair with his gaze locked on the ceiling above.

Rage bubbled inside him incessantly the more he recalled the brutal state of his father’s body.

’I can’t even imagine the agony he must have endured before he perished.’

Max’s eyes blazed with pure fury while his teeth remained clenched tightly together.

’... I promise, I will make you pay dearly, Bale. I will end you with my own bare hands. Mark my words.’

A sudden shift!

Max turned around to see his sister twisting and turning in her sleep, her expression contorted as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

Rushing forward, he sat on the edge of the bed where her head lay.

Slowly and gently, he began stroking her crown, offering a soothing touch.

The moment she felt his presence, the girl settled back into a deeper slumber, causing Max to exhale a soft breath of relief.

’I wouldn’t want her to wake up right now. It took a monumental effort to comfort her as she cried herself to sleep. I don’t want to experience that again; it breaks my heart to see her weep.’

Max tightened his jaw for a moment as a solitary tear slid down his cheek.

’... Orphans now. Sigh... Mom left us a year ago due to an illness she chose to hide from us. And now, Dad was murdered today. I’m the only pillar left for Charlotte.’

That was when his eyes twinkled, recalling Grey’s earlier advice.

’He’s right. I shouldn’t do anything reckless, otherwise, Charlotte would lose her last remaining support in this world...’ He paused for a moment as another thought surfaced.

’.... Well, perhaps not the last. There’s still that guy,’ he mused inwardly, his gaze drifting to Charlotte’s head resting near his lap.

’I think they are officially an item now, right? Even though she hasn’t revealed anything to me yet.’

Smiling briefly, his train of thought was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, causing a frown to flash across his features.

"Yes? Who is there?" He raised his voice just enough to be heard outside while ensuring Charlotte wasn’t disturbed by the noise.

The doorknob twisted, and finally, the door creaked open softly to reveal a figure standing at the entrance with a bowed, respectful expression.

"Yes?"

"There is urgent, shocking information that I thought you would want to hear, my lord."

Max frowned at the formal title, then waved his hand dismissively.

"I don’t want to hear about any political issues or drama."

The man shook his head quickly. "It is not about that."

Max studied him for a second or two before rubbing his temples in a state of mental fatigue. "Alright. Come in." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The messenger quickly closed the door behind him and hurried over.

Standing before Max, he opened his mouth to speak until the mage lifted a hand, stopping him.

Tapping toward his ear, Max signaled for the man to approach closely.

Leaning in, the subordinate whispered the report.

Each syllable, each word, and every sentence caused Max’s eyes to widen beyond their limits as a sense of dread filled his heart.

"Wait, what?! Bale is dead and his entire town is in ruins?! HOW?!" Max unknowingly shouted in a state of pure, undiluted shock.

His voice was so loud that Charlotte’s eyelids fluttered open, followed by a groan as she looked around the room in a sleepy daze.

Looking up at Max, she stared at his shocked expression.

"Wh-What happened?" Her voice was hoarse, cracked from screaming and crying for hours.

Hearing the question, Max slowly turned his head in her direction, his face pale—like someone who had seen a ghost.

"It’s—it’s—it’s... information just reached me that Bale is dead."

Charlotte’s eyes widened in pure shock as she sat upright, spinning around to face Max and the informant.

For political reasons, every town lord had several people stationed in different territories who acted as spies and reported back.

With the sheer number of citizens each town, kingdom, and city held, it was impossible to censor everyone; spies were an inevitable reality.

Max wasn’t foolish enough to believe that infiltrators weren’t already in their town.

Lord Cedric, before his death, had maintained spies in various locations, including Bale’s domain.

It was one of these scouts who had just arrived to deliver the report.

When the massacre began, the man had been lucky enough to escape with his life, which was evident from his scorched clothing and a face coated in dust—the look of someone who had crawled through the wreckage in a panic.

His hair was completely disheveled.

Turning toward the spy, Charlotte asked: "By what? Who destroyed the entire town and Bale?!"

The man shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea. He—he—he wore a mask. The figure was so powerful that not a single soul stood a chance.

Civilians, mages, guards—everyone was being taken down like flies. Wind swords were flying, lightning strikes rained from the skies, and sometimes fire consumed them all, including structu—"

"Wait a moment." Max’s eyes widened as he interrupted the report.

Slowly, he stood up from the bed to face the informant. "Did you just say the figure was a mage?"

The man nodded frantically.

"Yes. Wind swords, lightning strikes from the sky, fireballs, and some strange powers too. He was taking everyone down with minimal effort. He is a multi-elementalist. A powerful one—"

Max froze, his eyes lighting up with a sudden, staggering realization.

"A—a—a multi-elementalist?" Charlotte stuttered in confusion.

"But aside from the Emperor, no one else in this entire Kingdom is a..."

"GREY!" Max shouted in pure shock, staring at the informant.

Charlotte paused, her breath catching.

"G—g—grey?"

Max nodded, facepalming as the pieces clicked into place.

"Of course. That fool would do this. Grey killed Bale!"

"I told you; karma would catch up to Bale in no time."

A cold voice whispered through the room.

Everyone turned toward the source.

In the middle of the room, Grey materialized out of the shadows as if he had always been standing there, his presence chilling the air.