I Am Not The Duke's Evil Son-Chapter 79: Calming the Situation

Arthur stared at Thalia and Willard, who were bound, with a grim expression. He then turned and looked at the two other youths sprawled foolishly on the ground. Finally, he threw a brief glance at the cell where Arvan was held.

His brow furrowed, and his heart boiled with anger and, at the same time, discontent. Just as he was about to say something, the bound recruit interrupted him excitedly.

"My lord, thank the heavens you’re here. Look what this beast—" the recruit suddenly paused and quickly changed his words at the last moment. "Lady Thalia attacked us and the guards, my lord. Please do something about it."

Though he tried to remain calm, Willard was glaring at Thalia, wishing for a rational explanation for what had happened. But his anger only lasted a few moments. As soon as his eyes fell on her massive chest and the fluff barely concealed by her torn clothes, his cheeks turned red, and he remembered the moment he collided with her.

As for Thalia, her expressions were shifting strangely, as if she was in pain and struggling just to remain still and silent.

Arthur listened to everything coldly and sighed inwardly with exhaustion: ’Let’s get this over with quickly.’ He steadied himself and mustered his willpower he was barely able to stand. Losing so much blood had weakened and exhausted him. Without delay or hesitation, he struck Willard hard on the head, causing him to immediately lose consciousness.

"I have no time for this nonsense." Then, with a gaze full of killing intent, he turned to Thalia. "What are you doing? I know the full moon worsens your mood, but you’ve gone too far."

Thalia bit her lip hard "My lord, don’t exaggerate. I restrained myself so I wouldn’t kill any of your little rats. They were the ones who entered my territory."

Her eyes were red and showed clear hostility, even though she didn’t mean it.

But Arthur didn’t care. He considered her rude words an insult and scolded her: "Shut up before you make things worse. You’re lucky I won’t do anything to you now, but prepare to receive proper punishment in the morning."

As the one who ruled over her by ancestral right, Arthur’s words carried great weight. His reprimand clearly twisted her expressions, yet she still screamed angrily: "And what can you do, you weakling? You think these vines will make me submit? I was just giving you some respect as my lord."

She bared her sharp fangs and began moving wildly, unleashing all her power, which had increased greatly beyond normal. The thorny roots began to tear one by one, and within seconds, she had freed herself from half her restraints.

Arthur didn’t panic or rather, he showed no reaction. He kept staring at her with a mysterious gaze full of deep anger. After a brief silence, he sighed: "Can’t things ever be easier?"

Then, calmly, he moved his hand. Instantly, hundreds of roots sprang out and wrapped around Thalia, forming a massive cocoon that rendered her completely immobile. Even if she could move, it would take hours to break free from all the roots surrounding her.

Slip!

Forcing himself to use the magical artifact at full power, Arthur’s foot slipped, and he nearly fell. His consciousness blurred for a moment, but he quickly regained balance. Slowly, he shook his head and calmed his disturbed mind. He felt a dampness above his lips—blood had flowed from his nose.

He raised his hand, wiped the blood from his face, and exhaled with exhaustion. "I’ve reached my limit. I can’t use the magical artifact again in this state."

With hazy eyes, he looked up at the massive cocoon of roots. "Let’s hope this keeps you busy until morning. I have no energy left for more surprises."

Quietly, with the last of his strength, he removed the roots binding Willard, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him across the floor as if he were hauling a sack of grain. He then did the same for Carlos. As for Aveline, he treated her more gently, carrying her over his shoulder. After walking through the castle’s corridors for several minutes, he reached the first floor. As soon as he found an empty cell, he tossed them inside and locked them in.

Despite his extreme fatigue and nearly shut eyes, he forced himself to stay awake a few more minutes. He dragged out the unconscious soldiers, found some guards, and ordered them to take the wounded to Faelor. He also instructed them to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the dungeons until further notice.

Finally, he returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed like a corpse. He didn’t move or even yawn he just fell asleep.

...

The next morning, the castle was abuzz with activity. Everyone was talking about the howl many had heard during the night, wondering about its source. At the same time, rumors spread about a powerful beast lurking in the castle’s dungeons. Some claimed it was a giant rat from the forest that came through underground tunnels, while others said it was a monster the lord was keeping locked up below.

But no one knew its true nature. Even the soldiers who faced it were struck down before they could get a clear look at it.

As for Arthur, he slept for a very long time without realizing it. He didn’t wake up until half the next day had passed. Even though his body had replenished the lost blood, he still felt extremely sluggish and didn’t want to move from his spot. He stayed in bed for another hour.

Then, he forced himself to get up. He stretched a little and shook off all signs of laziness. He quickly made his bed normally, the maids would do that, but he didn’t plan to let anyone into his room for a while, at least until he finished what he was doing.

After changing his clothes, he quickly approached the glass bowl. As expected, he found the blood inside had turned pitch black. As soon as he lifted the lid, a horrible stench filled the room. He frowned with clear displeasure, calmly emptied the blood into a designated bucket, then, with a pained expression, reopened his wrist and poured another liter of blood onto the wooden mana core. He added more Glassheart flower petals.

"Losing large amounts of blood daily isn’t good. It’ll affect my training a lot. But despite the pain and fatigue, if my procedure succeeds, it’ll all be worth it. Still, I need to prepare more ingredients and craft more glass lab tools."

After organizing his thoughts, he headed to the dining hall and ate a protein-rich meal, then went to the castle dungeons to resolve the previous night’s issue.

After navigating the maze-like corridors, he reached the place where Thalia had been restrained. Fortunately, the massive cocoon was intact, and he sighed in relief. "Good."

He quietly moved his hand, causing the roots to part and reshape the ground. Within seconds, Thalia, still bound, was revealed. Thankfully, her body had returned to normal, and her fierce aura had vanished. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Her eyes were closed, and she was clearly asleep. Arthur didn’t free her completely. He quietly approached and gently slapped her.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. Her expression changed, and she smiled strangely, her face blushing with intense embarrassment. In a heavy voice tinged with regret, she said, "My lord, I truly apologize for what I did. I didn’t mean it. It was the moon it made me into someone else."

But Arthur didn’t care about her words and scolded her angrily: "Stop spouting nonsense. I know the howling worsens females’ moods, but what you did crossed every line. I hope you have a logical explanation."

Her smile froze, and her face filled with shame. At the same time, her embarrassment deepened. She looked at the ground hesitantly.

Arthur furrowed his brows, a little surprised by her reaction. She had a strong and straightforward personality he didn’t expect to see her like this. But his anger didn’t fade. He spoke loudly: "Speak. What’s your explanation?"

"Actually, my lord... the full moon coincided with my... monthly cycle." She said each word very slowly, her embarrassment increasing, unable to look him in the eye. She disliked discussing personal matters with anyone, especially her lord, whom she held in high regard.

"I see." Arthur nodded, a little surprised. He didn’t expect such an answer. In fact, his anger faded, and he sighed with mild disappointment. ’And here I thought it was something else... anyway, I’ll have to keep this in mind so it doesn’t happen again. Wait?’ He suddenly realized something and wondered, ’Where’s Thorne? Why didn’t he come to restrain his sister during her frenzy?’

The moment he thought of that, he felt intense worry. He freed Thalia from her bindings, which surprised her. He quickly asked, "Where is your brother?"

"My brother?" Thalia felt confused, but then she suddenly remembered she hadn’t seen him at all something that had never happened before. He usually came early to restrain and calm her. "Right... where is my brother? He always restrains me during the full moon. Could it be...?" Worry began to creep in, and in panic, she pleaded with Arthur: "My lord, please punish me later, but let me search for my brother now. He might be in trouble, or something bad may have happened to him."

"No. You’ll stay here."

Arthur’s stern reply made her even more anxious. She opened her mouth to beg further, but he calmly raised his hand to soothe her: "Don’t worry. I’ll search for him myself. My senses may not be as sharp as yours, but I have my own methods."

"My lord, thank you for your kindness." Though her worry didn’t fade, she didn’t want to push further, considering what she had done.

"Guard the place well. Don’t let anyone enter as usual. I’ll send you food and water you’ll need it."

Without staying any longer, he checked Arvan’s cell and confirmed he was still imprisoned. Then he went up to the castle’s first floor and quickly summoned Novarian and the members of the scouting and surveillance unit.