STM 51

“Matriarch.”

Solongo first checked the matriarch’s complexion.

Are you all right?

Since her body was so weak that even the smallest shock could make her faint, she was worried about her.

Ever since she met that comrade recently, her will to live had grown stronger, and for the first time in a while, she looked lively again. Solongo couldn’t have been prouder.

“Matriarch, should I call the healers…”

“No. I can still hold on.”

Doctor Kim’s face was pale as a corpse, but she endured and clenched her teeth. And violent emotions were swirling in her wide-open eyes.

Ah, I don’t know happened to Lord Lu, but this will not pass quietly.

Even so, Solongo cautiously gave her opinion.

“If we make too much noise looking for Lord Lu, we might draw the traitor’s attention. No matter how much Lord Lu has changed, he’s still the brother Lady Lantuya cast out of her sight.”

“No matter how much she cast him out, no one would ignore a brother who barely escaped death from a monster.”

Doctor Kim clenched her fist and gave a command.

“Go and check what happened immediately. See it with your own eyes.”‎

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“So they finally caught Adeye Lu?”

Zav smiled for the first time in a long while as soon as he heard the report after arriving at the Club of the 13th Month.

To think it would take this long to catch Adeye Lu, who could be found anywhere there were men.

Could this mean they might finally find out where Baron Owik went?

He had already given orders to extract results by any means necessary, even through torture if needed. Of course, his sister Adeye Lantuya was involved, but she was famous for treating her only brother worse than a stranger.

She’d probably think that scoundrel ran away somewhere with a man.

He didn’t care about Lu’s safety at all, but since Lu still carried the Adeye name, he planned to handle things quickly.

He would just show his face at the club and then go hear Lu’s testimony.

Thinking of his schedule, Zav quickened his steps, but an unexpected name stopped him in his tracks.

“And right now, Grand Duke Kun is at the club.”

Who? The most detestable name in the world made Zav’s eyes turn cold immediately.

“Tairok?”

“Yes. He’s been at the club since this afternoon.”

“Has that bastard lost his mind? Does he have any idea where he is… Is he inside the club right now?”

The subordinate hesitated for a moment before answering carefully.

“The first floor, the Gold Room.”

“The Gold Room? That arrogant bastard.”

And what was the Gold Room? Even on open-invitation days, it was a space reserved strictly for members, no non-member could enter no matter what.

And yet that man, who wasn’t even a member, went in there? Ah, wait, if he’s not a member, then he can be dragged out?

At that thought, Zav couldn’t control the smile that blossomed on his face.

Since the moment they were born, Tairok had been his rival, tormenting him all his life. Just hearing that name was enough to make him want to crush the man no matter what.

The problem was that Tairok had never once been completely defeated. Even though Zav now stood in a superior position, he never felt as if he had truly won.

That venomous snake.

After losing the power of the divine beast, he should’ve been useless, but then he became a Swordmaster out of nowhere. Even after Zav buried his family in debt, Tairok fought monsters and regained his lost estate. No matter how much Zav tried to trample him, Tairok kept overcoming every hardship with ease.

But finally, today, the chance to trample him properly had come!

If he dragged him out like a criminal in front of all the members, would that smug smile still remain on his face?

As Zav’s thoughts raced, he quickly turned toward the club.

“Lord Zav, but Grand Duke Kun..”

Bang!

The door slammed violently. Whatever his subordinate said next disappeared behind it.

Zav didn’t care and hurried into the club.

The faster his pace got, the more his long tied blue hair swung like a horse’s tail, mirroring his mood.

But that feeling didn’t last more than five minutes. Inside the Gold Room, people were gathered in a circle around one man.

At the center, of course, was Kun Tairok. His golden eyes, which drew every gaze, looked bored, but the people nearby seemed desperate to speak with him even one word more.

What’s so great about that bastard from a ruined family whose divine beast has already disappeared?!

Zav barely managed to control his face from distorting. The same nobles who had always acted haughty toward him were now looking at Tairok like they were bewitched.

Someone once said that when Tairok appears, people looked at him like flowers yearning for sunlight.

Even now, one of the members must’ve made a joke, because a small smile spread on Tairok’s face.

For a moment, everyone seemed to fall into him as if pulled by gravity. Even Zav, for an instant, found himself staring, captivated by that smile.

However he slipped out faster than anyone and his eyes filled with malice.

“Tairok.”

When Zav arrived, everyone stood and bowed, but Tairok didn’t budge. He only looked up at him with those golden eyes.

That arrogant bastard. Fine, act even more arrogant. It’ll make him look even better when I drag him out.

“Long time no see. What’s going on here?”

“None of your business.”

At Tairok’s reply, those who knew Zav’s temperament exchanged glances. Zav laughed loudly on purpose.

“Right, you don’t need to know. You’ll be leaving this place soon anyway. Or rather, you’ll be thrown out.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he signaled to the back. Armored guards poured forward and one of the members, Altan, stepped up.

“Grand Duke of Borhumi, what on earth…”

They’d been friends from the academy and had a long history, but Zav cut her off coldly.

“What? Even on an invitation day you let a non-member into the Gold Room? Are you all insane? Why aren’t you dragging out someone who isn’t a member?”

The guards took a step at his command and Altan frowned.

“Grand Duke Borhumi, I think you’re mistaken. None of us invited Grand Duke Kun. There’s no need to…”

“Altan, stop.”

Tairok stopped her and smirked.

“Let’s see how far Zav will go.”

The usual Zav would have noticed Tairok’s sneer and felt something wrong, but this time he missed it.

This was his turf and the people watching inside the Gold Room were his people. He couldn’t back down in front of his inferiors.

“What? You think I can’t throw you out? Ah, now that you’re a Swordmaster, guards are beneath you?”

Tairok’s eyes scanned the guards and then landed on Zav.

“You’re the pathetic one.”

The bored tone made Zav’s jaw clench. And those damned eyes. The golden eyes, full of indifference, were still beautiful enough to steal people’s gazes.

Just because he was born with the Kun family’s emblematic eyes, many still believed he had the right to the throne.

Even though their divine beast’s power had vanished. Not only that, he had no right, yet he sat arrogantly in the center of this room.

Zav was usually called cunning as a snake, but facing Tairok he became unhinged like he had a loose screw. He couldn’t hold back and raised his hand.

“Kun Tairok, you became a Swordmaster, and your judgement vanished like your divine beast’s power?”

At his sneer, everyone watched Tairok closely. No one in Tubain didn’t know the Kun family had nearly fallen after the divine beast’s disappearance. But Tairok showed no reaction, and that made Zav even more angry.

“Ah, of course you don’t know how impressive it is to have a divine beast’s power. Do you want me to show you?”

He said it like a joke and Tairok casually replied.

“Impressive?”

He looked at Zav and sneered. That tiny reaction made a vein stand out in Zav’s neck.

“What, is that it?”

Without hesitation, he raised his hand and began to gather power. Droplets formed on his palm and soon coalesced into a small sphere.

Bang bang!

Those watching were shocked and pushed their chairs back to stand up. Altan, who’d been close in the academy, rushed forwar to stop him first.

“Grand Duke Borhumi, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean what I’m doing? Do I have to explain that to you? There’s stupid and then there’s this.”

“Who’s asking because they don’t know about a divine beast’s power? We’re asking why you’re using force here!”

“Shut up! How dare you raise your voice in front of me!”

“You’re the one who should shut up.”

Tairok’s cold voice interrupted Zav. His voice was low, not loud, but the present people heard it with clarity.