Thomas Morten seemed to get angrier every second I wasn’t clear enough. But I didn’t back down.

“Think carefully. There’s only one way they could gain from all this.”

He had to figure it out himself. For him to believe what I was saying, he had to put all the pieces together himself, untangling the knot in the story on his own, rather than hearing everything from me.

That way, he wouldn’t be as suspicious of me as he normally would be. That way, the true story I was trying to tell, laced with lies, would seem more realistic.

And, with that…

“…?”

Thomas Morten paused for a moment.

His eyes widened gradually, and he finally began to understand.

“N- no… it can’t be… no way…”

He was finally beginning to realize.

Years ago, the disappearance of his youngest son…

The only connection to the families that had risen to prominence at that very moment…

Now, the disappearance of his daughter…

The only person who could gain something from this…

All that was needed was one last nail in the coffin. So, I took a small piece of paper out of my jacket and threw it at him.

Thomas Morten, however devastated he appeared, caught the piece of paper. Then, with trembling hands, he opened it and looked at its contents.

The content of the piece of paper was simple.

It contained information and evidence about the recent frequent communication between the alliance and his eldest son, Phon Morten, forged by me and Alex.

Thomas Morten squeezed the piece of paper so hard in his palms that he tore it to pieces. After killing Parker Planar, his faded emotions, which had fallen into a void, exploded again. He clenched his teeth, his blue eyes flashing fiercely once more.

The very air around him seemed to ripple, thickening as if it would crush everything beneath his feet with every step.

He was so blind, so broken, that the idea that the piece of paper might be fake never even crossed his mind.

He threw the cigarette he was holding to the ground before it was finished, turned his back, and without saying a word, began to move forward, along with all the mana gathered around him.

As for me, I stretched as I watched him walk away, craning my neck to the right and left.

Then, sighing softly, I slowly began to follow him.

The night was not yet over.

There was one more person whose life needed to be taken.

*******

While Morten’s men were cleaning up the area, we headed for the Morten estate with just one driver.

The whole city was in chaos. The roads were blocked, and everyone was trying to figure out what was going on.

Thomas Morten’s head was going to hurt for a while, as he would have to explain the events. And Black Blood might not have liked that at all. Without declaring war, stirring things up to this extent was the kind of situation even they wouldn’t want.

Still, none of this mattered to Thomas. Sitting right next to him in the back seat, I could see this clearly. Coldly, the only thing he did amid the heavy traffic was watch outside and think.

“Franz.”

Hm?

“Yes, sir.”

“The more I think about it, the more I realize. Every bad thing that’s happened to us over the years, every single one, will be useful to my son when he takes my place. No, they won’t just be useful. More like… he’s planning to control the whole city, to take on everyone.”

Oh?

Did his mind clear a bit when he got stuck in traffic and had a chance to think?

“Maybe that’s how it-“

“Should I kill him? What do you think?”

I was taken aback by the sudden question.

Yes, my goal is ultimately for Phon Morten to die. He’s not someone who should be imprisoned. He’s someone who deserves to die, who should die.

However… I thought I’d have to put in a little effort for that. I would first show Thomas all the dirty deeds he had done, then confirm that he was a wiera and have him carry out the execution with his own hands.

That was my plan to use the Morten Family as an ally against Saligia.

But… maybe I don’t need to go to all that trouble for this?

“I want to ask the same question first. What do you think, sir?”

Thomas Morten narrowed his eyes.

“I want him punished. To think that I raised such a sneaky bastard as my son, that the person smiling beside me is actually someone like that… it makes me want to beat him to death. Who, I mean, what kind of creature would inflict such pain on their own family just for power? My mind… can’t comprehend it.”

“But…?”

Thomas paused. He took a deep breath, his expression softening slightly.

“But… I can’t help wondering if the mistake is mine. Not realizing I had such a creature beside me, not being able to set him on the right path… isn’t that my fault as his father?”

…

Wow.

This man… is much softer, gentler than I thought.

Guiding his emotions will be easier than I thought.

“Instead of exhausting your mind with such thoughts… let’s go see him first and listen to him, shall we? Maybe, I don’t think but maybe… he had a reason? Like he was being threatened by someone?”

No need to fill his mind with sinister thoughts right away.

It’s better to wait.

To keep him thinking, to let him blame himself.

“You’re right… I guess. It’s best to hear him first.”

To make him realize he lost his son to Saligia in the first place, to instill in him the thought that he failed to protect him. To directly confront him with the fact that the monster raised beside him is as much Saligia’s doing as it is his own blindness and negligence.

“Heh, I’ve fallen so low that I’m taking advice from someone my son’s age… But thank you anyway, Franz.”

And thus, to direct all his anger toward Saligia.

“You’re welcome, sir. I just said what was on my mind.”

*******

Leaving the car and going straight to the mansion would have been faster. But neither Thomas did that nor did I suggest it. It gave him the opportunity to think, which was exactly what I wanted him to do.

Therefore, we spent almost half an hour in the car before reaching Morten’s mansion.

Half an hour during which no one spoke.

Thomas thought throughout this whole process. He kept thinking. He didn’t let his mind stop working for even a second.

Even as we got out of the car and walked past people waiting for him to explain what had happened, he was still thinking.

And like that, we finally arrived at the door of a room.

Thomas opened the door without waiting. He practically barged inside.

It was a large bedroom. It was like a combination of two separate rooms, the right side designed more as an office and the left side carefully arranged for sleeping.

And right in the middle of this room stood a figure busy talking to two employees of the Morten Family. With our entrance, their gaze turned to us.

He was about my height and age. He had completely inherited his father’s purple hair. In fact, he looked exactly like his father when he was young. The only difference between them was their eyes. Most likely, he had inherited his mother’s dark red eyes.

“Oh, Father. I was just about to look for you.”

Phon Morten had a slightly… troubled look on his face. It was obvious that he wasn’t entirely pleased with recent events.

He turned his eyes to his employees, who stood before him as if reporting to him.

“Leave the room. I need to talk to my father.”

The employees bowed their heads respectfully and left the room. However, Phon Morten did not immediately turn to his father. Instead, his eyes were on me, standing right behind him.

“What are you waiting for? I told you to leave.”

It was very clear that he had no idea who Franz Martin Inferesse was.

“No, Phon. He’s staying here.”

Phon scowled at his father’s words. His eyes lingered on me for a moment, as if sizing me up, but then he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Whatever, just close the door then.”

Even though he could see the cane in my hand, did this madman still think I was an employee of the Morten Family?

…

Hmm, I’ll play along for now.

I nodded obediently, then closed the door to the room and turned my eyes to the pair, keeping my distance.

Phon kept his eyes on me for a moment longer. But then he turned to his father.

“Dad… I heard you finally found Marynette. I can understand why you’re acting so angry, but… you could have been a little more patient! We could have handled this more quietly. There was no need to draw so much attention to ourselves!”

He was serious, very serious. The concern in his voice and his scolding of his father were palpable.

So much so that a single thought crossed my mind.

Wow.

He’s acting pretty well. There’s no crack in his expression or his words. If I didn’t know the truth, I might actually think he was worried about his family’s situation.

“Phon.”

Thomas Morten’s cold voice echoed in the room with such authority that Phon paused, as if suddenly forgetting everything he was about to say.

“What…?”

It was as if… he was just now realizing how his father looked at him. Or perhaps he had thought it was related to recent events and hadn’t paid much attention.

But now…

He understood.

His father’s coldness, his seriousness.

It was directed at him.

“Father? Is something wrong?”

…

Still pushing it, huh?

Such devotion… admirable, actually.

“I’ll give you… one last chance. Get down on your knees, confess everything you’ve done. Ask for my forgiveness. Maybe then… Then I might show you a little mercy, for the sake of all those years we spent together as father and son.”

But Phon… didn’t do it.

“What are you saying, father?”

On the contrary, he seemed confused.

But then, suddenly, as if he had realized something, he paused for a moment.

“Ah, did they tell you… strange things? Did they put the idea in your head that I was behind everything?”

His lips twitched, his shoulders slumped. He looked at the man in front of him as if he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“And you… Did you believe them, instead of listening to me? Really?”

His eyes flickered, his focus shifting for a moment. As if suddenly remembering there was someone else in the room besides themselves, his face turned toward me.

“You… I don’t remember seeing you around here. You’re one of those who deceived my father… aren’t you? That’s why he didn’t want you to leave.”

I didn’t answer, keeping my expression steady.

But then, something occurred to me.

When I shrugged my shoulders indifferently, the expression on Phon’s face suddenly turned ugly. He took a step toward me, but a shadow suddenly fell between us, forcing him to stop.

“Father, let me loosen this bastard’s tongue. What you’re doing right now is exactly what he wants: to drive a wedge between us. You’re playing right into his hands!”

His predictions were spot on, and surprisingly, everything he said was true.

The only problem was that he was no different from me, a bastard.

“Sir, if you’ll allow me…”

Suddenly, with the words that came out of my mouth, a deep silence fell over the room. Neither Thomas nor his son Phon uttered a sound.

After that…

“Do what you’re going to do. Just know that I’m watching.”

“What are you saying, Father?! Are you actually trusting him more than me, your own fucking son?!”

He seemed like someone whose whole world had been shattered, unable to believe that the things happening in front of him were actually reality and not a dream.

The more I watched, the more I was impressed.

This guy… he was really good at acting.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep