Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill

“Do you need help to deal with this guy?” Regalina asked with a faint smile, her fan lightly tapping against her palm as her eyes glanced toward the trapped mage.

“I have my means,” Ethan replied calmly.

Their gazes met for a brief moment, and then both sides turned away without another word. Regalina and her guards disappeared into the distance, while Ethan and Rathlos moved in the opposite direction, creating some space from the earlier scene.

After gaining enough distance, Ethan stopped and gestured lightly.

“Drop him.”

Rathlos nodded and released the sealed mage from the suspended space. The glowing prison faded, and the middle-aged man fell to the ground heavily, still bound by residual restraints of light and space.

Ethan and Rathlos looked at each other for a brief second.

Then both of them looked down at the man.

A faint, almost sinister smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

The mage felt a chill run down his spine.

Umm…

Umm…

He struggled weakly like a fish out of water, his body trembling while his eyes darted between the two of them. He could not understand what they were planning, but the feeling in his chest told him it was nothing good.

Ethan slowly raised his hand.

A strange mark appeared in his palm.

The Soul Stamp.

“Such an exquisite slave… how can I let it go to waste… kekekekeke,” Ethan said in a low voice.

In that moment, to the middle-aged mage, Ethan looked far more terrifying than himself.

“No… wait—” the man tried to speak, but his voice came out broken.

“Go.”

Swoosh!

The Soul Stamp shot forward instantly and struck his forehead.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the mark melted like liquid light and sank into his skin.

The mage’s body stiffened and his eyes widened.

Inside his mind, a burning sensation spread rapidly. It felt as if something had pierced through layers of his consciousness and reached deep into his soul. A glowing symbol formed at the very core of his being, branding itself firmly.

He tried to resist but his soul trembled.

But the force was overwhelming.

The mark locked in place.

His struggles stopped abruptly.

His body went limp as he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

After a few moments, his fingers twitched.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

But something had changed.

The madness, fear, and defiance were gone.

Replaced by submission.

He pushed himself up weakly, then lowered his head and knelt down.

“My Lord,” he said respectfully.

Ethan looked down at him calmly, his expression unreadable.

“Good… now tell me.”

He stepped slightly closer, his gaze turning sharper.

“Who sent you, bastard…”

…….

Inside a quiet chamber deep within the Ambrose estate, the atmosphere felt heavy and tense. The room was dimly lit, and the air carried a suffocating pressure that made even the attendants outside stand still without daring to move or speak.

Pentos stood in the center of the hall with his head lowered, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He did not dare to raise his gaze.

In front of him, the elders of the Ambrose family sat with a dark expression.

One of the guy’s sharp eyes was filled with anger, and the veins on his temple twitched slightly as he tried to control himself.

“Who said you rig the auction?” the elder’s voice echoed coldly across the room.

Pentos remained silent.

“Are you an idiot?” the elder continued, his tone rising.

The words struck hard, and the silence that followed felt even heavier.

“I…” Pentos tried to speak, but the elder did not allow him.

“Do you even understand what you have done?” he snapped while slamming his hand against the armrest.

“The auction house is not some street stall that you can play tricks with.”

His gaze turned colder, and his voice carried clear disappointment.

“You put a dummy inside the auction and started raising prices like a madman. Do you think no one would notice?”

Pentos’ jaw tightened.

“I only wanted to suppress him…” he said in a low voice.

“Suppress him?” the elder repeated, almost laughing in disbelief.

“You call this suppression?”

“You made a public spectacle out of it.”

He leaned forward slightly, and his eyes pierced into Pentos like blades.

“Do you know what business is built on?”

“Respect.”

“Trust.”

“And reputation.”

Each word was spoken slowly and heavily, like a hammer striking metal.

“If word gets out that the Ambrose family rigs auctions, then what do you think will happen?”

Pentos did not answer.

The elder continued without pause.

“Merchants will stop dealing with us.”

“Nobles will start doubting us.”

“And the Merchant Association itself might turn against us.”

His voice lowered slightly, but the anger inside it remained.

“We don’t just lose money we will lose our credibility.And once that is gone, it doesn’t come back easily.”

Pentos lowered his head even more, his fingers digging into his palms.

The elder took a slow breath and leaned back, trying to calm himself.

“You acted without thinking,” he said in a quieter tone.

“You let your personal grudge interfere with the family’s interests.”

“…I underestimated him,” Pentos admitted after a pause.

“Yes,” the elder replied immediately.

“You did.”

“And not just his strength.”

“You underestimated the consequences of your own actions.”

The room fell silent again.The tension lingered in the air like a thick fog.

After a moment, the elder spoke once more.

“Clean this up.”

His tone was calm now, but it carried authority.

“There should be no traces nor any rumors.”

“I don’t want a single whisper of this leaving this estate.”

Pentos nodded slowly.

“You don’t need to worry now,” he said.

“I have already sent Maverick after him.”

The elder’s gaze widened instantly.

“You did what?”

“For real?”

“Yes,” Pentos nodded with a faint smile.

The elder’s expression turned skeptical. His brows furrowed slightly as he leaned back again, thinking carefully.

“Is Marick enough?” he asked while glancing toward the others in the room.

One of the elders nearby spoke after a brief pause.

“Technically, he should be. After all, he is at Mythic rank, and Marquise Ethan is just at Legendary rank.”

The room grew quiet again.The elder tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest as he thought.

“Hm…” he muttered.

Then he looked back at Pentos.

“Then go quickly and see if there is any news of his death.”

His voice was calm, but there was still a hint of doubt hidden beneath it.

Pentos nodded once again.

“Yes.”

But deep inside, even he could not completely shake off the uneasiness that had begun to form.