Chapter 146: 146. Traitor of Draconis

Adam stared at the mark on the map, his mind was still struggling to accept the certainty in his lord’s voice.

The confidence with which Rizwell had spoken felt odd, as if their fate was being controlled by something far beyond them.

He slowly lifted his gaze and looked at Rizwell. “But Lord,” Adam asked carefully, “how are you so certain? Did the scroll say this?”

Rizwell nodded with a solemn expression. The firelight reflected in his eyes, making them look tired and weary.

“It did,” Rizwell replied. “And it also said that there is a traitor among my men.”

“What?” Adam stiffened immediately, his body reacted before his mind could catch up.

His expression dulled, and sweat gathered at his temple. “But my lord, these men have sworn their loyalty to you. They live and breathe for House Draconia. I personally made sure of their loyalty.”

Rizwell nodded again, slowly. “The scroll said the traitor bears a deep black demonic scar on his back. I will check everyone here. If such a scar exists among us, then we will have no choice but to believe the message.”

Adam swallowed hard.

His thoughts were in chaos.

Just moments ago, despair had clouded Rizwell’s eyes, yet now a strange hope had returned to Rizwell’s eyes, eyes which had remained hollow ever since Alfred went missing.

That alone frightened Adam more than the idea of a traitor.

Without another word, Rizwell turned and walked toward the other side of the camp, where groups of soldiers were seated around fires.

Their expressions were tense, as conversations about Master Alfred’s disappearance filled the night air.

The moment Rizwell appeared, the soldiers straightened instinctively and stood to greet him.

But before they could do anything, a heavy pressure descended.

It was sudden and overwhelming, like an invisible weight crushing down on them.

Several soldiers coughed violently, clutching their chests as they struggled to breathe. Knees buckled, and panic flickered across faces at the unexpected action by their lord.

Jaden Draconis hurried forward, alarm written clearly on his face. “Father! What happened?”

Rizwell did not answer him. His gaze swept across the soldiers.

“Take off your armor and vests,” Rizwell commanded. “Stand with your backs facing me.”

The order stunned them, but none dared to question it.

Hands trembled as armor was unfastened and vests were pulled away. Fear spread quietly, but obedience was absolute.

Soon, a line formed naturally, soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, their bare backs facing Rizwell under the flickering firelight.

Rizwell stepped forward slowly, his eyes scanning each back carefully searching for any signs of the scar the scroll had mentioned.

He found nothing.

There were scars, old wounds, marks of battle and training, but none matched what he was searching for.

Confusion began to replace his fury.

His brows tightened in disbelief. Had the so-called Eternal Sovereign lied? If so, why? What could someone gain from deceiving him in such a manner?

“Father, are you alright?” Jaden’s voice reached him again.

Rizwell turned his head toward his elder son. For a brief moment, his expression softened. “Yes,” he said quietly. “Go back and tell the soldiers to relax.”

Jaden nodded and turned away, moving toward the men to calm them.

That was when Rizwell saw it.

A faint patch of blackened flesh peeked out from beneath Jaden’s collar, barely visible under the firelight. It was subtle and easy to miss.

But Rizwell’s sharp gaze caught sight.

His breath caught, and his eyes widened gradually in shock until they forgot how to blink.

His hand trembled as realization struck him like a blade.

His elder son.

His own blood.

For a moment, his body refused to move.

His thoughts screamed, but his limbs remained frozen. He took a sharp breath and turned slowly with an unbelievable expression.

His gaze met Adam’s gaze.

“Adam,” Rizwell Muffeled.

Tears spilled from his eyes without restraint.

Adam felt dread coil tightly in his chest. He had served Rizwell for decades, but he had never seen his lord like this.

“My son,” Rizwell said, his voice cracked.

“My elder son,” he cried while giving a single nod.

Adam understood what Rizwell wanted to say.

Adam’s jaw clenched, and his eyes hardened. He had served long enough to realise the implications of the revelation.

“For Draconia,” Adam said

Rizwell did not move. He stood rooted to the ground, and the weight of the bitter truth crushed him.

Adam turned and walked toward Jaden, who was speaking softly to the soldiers, trying to calm their fears.

“Master Jaden,” Adam called out.

Jaden turned, frowning slightly when he saw Adam’s expression. He noticed his father standing behind, facing away.

“I would like to check your back,” Adam said.

“What?” Jaden’s face twisted in outrage. “How dare..”

Before he could finish, Adam released his aura.

The pressure slammed Jaden into the ground, forcing him to his knees. The soldiers gasped, but none dared to intervene.

Adam turned to one of them. “Remove his armor and clothes.”

The soldier hesitated for a fraction of a second, but then, as he saw the lord unreactive, he simply obeyed.

Layer by layer, the armor was stripped away. Cloth followed.

What was revealed made the camp fall silent.

A deep, black, sinister scar ran across Jaden Draconia’s back. The flesh around it looked corrupted, as if something vile had rooted itself deep within.

“My lord,” Adam said flatly, his voice stripped of emotion. “He has the scar.”

Rizwell’s tears that had been held until now finally fell annd Adam confirmed the grim betrayal of his son.

He turned slowly and looked at Jaden’s trembling body.

“Why did you betray me?” Rizwell asked. His voice was filled with pain.

Jaden laughed bitterly.

“I guess there’s no point pretending now,” he said, his voice shaking.

“You didn’t give me the right to be the next lord because my blood was impure.”

Suddenly, his eyes burned with rage. “Your wife killed my mother.”

Rizwell flinched.

“Your second son was so ignorant of my suffering that he thought he could fix what that bitch mother had broken,” Jaden continued, tears spilling freely.

“My mother spent her last days dying from poison. Did you enter her room even once?”

His voice rose, cracking. “And now you ask why I betrayed you?”

He spat blood onto the ground.

“Ask yourself,” Jaden shouted. “Look in the mirror and ask yourself.”

“Do you even have the conscience to ask me why I betrayed you?” he screamed.

Rizwell raised his head slowly. “Jaden,” he said.

“Your mother was killed by demonic poisoning,” Rizwell said quietly. “The cults you aligned with killed her.”

Jaden froze.

“She was poisoned by them many years ago, even before you were born, my child,” Rizwell continued, tears streaming down his face despite the cold mask he tried to maintain.

“The cults wanted my heir to be weakened, it was their scheme all along.”

“I simply hid the fact from you because I didn’t want you to feel like a victim of circumstances, I did not want you to get a scar on your heart.”

“But I have realized this,I failed as a parent.”

“I am sorry. Your constitution was not pure enough for the draconian trial.”

At this point rizwell’s voice broke completely. “I am sorry that I did not look after your mother.”

Rizwell collapsed to his knees.

The sight shattered the camp.

The proud Duke of Draconia bent forward until his forehead touched the ground before his son.

“Please,” Rizwell said, his voice trembling. “Tell me the location of the cult you work for. I need their heads to exchange for my son, who still cares for his father.”

A chill ran through everyone watching. Many soldiers looked away, unable to bear the sight of their lord breaking down.

Jaden shook violently.

The world he believed in had collapsed.

The truth was not what the cult had told him.

And now, the father he thought was incapable of love or regret was kneeling before him while his tears moistened the ground.

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