Journey to Become the Zenith

The Valier Family’s Desperate Bargain

Cedric’s gaze slowly shifted toward Simon.

His expression became complicated.

’What kind of monster have you provoked?’

For the first time, Cedric looked at his son without seeing the spoiled heir of the Valier family.

He saw only a frightened young man crying helplessly on the ground.

Simon was even trembling so badly that he could barely keep himself upright.

Cedric’s lips tightened.

Disappointment settled heavily in his chest.

If Simon hadn’t been his only son, Cedric sometimes wondered whether he would have abandoned him long ago.

He had protected Simon too much.

Perhaps that had been his greatest mistake.

Victor’s voice pulled him back.

”So are more of you going to come?”

There was no patience left in Victor’s tone.

Cedric felt the pressure on him lighten slightly.

It wasn’t enough for him to stand, but it was enough for him to breathe properly and answer.

”Why are you asking?”

Victor tilted his head.

His expression became almost incredulous.

”Because every time I’m about to rip off your son’s dickia someone comes to disrupt me. If more of you are coming, I want to know so that I can wait until all of you are here, before doing anything. Once every one of you arrives, I’ll proceed to gouge out your son’s eyes, cut off his tongue, and then rip off his dickia, once that’s done I’ll heal him, so that he could suffer until the end of his days. So are any more of you coming?”

Cedric stared at Victor.

For a moment, he wondered whether he had misheard him.

This man was insane.

There was no other explanation.

The sheer calmness with which Victor described Simon’s punishment was more frightening than rage would have been.

Cedric’s fingers dug into the ground.

”If you do that, you will forever become the enemy of the Valiers.”

Victor’s expression barely changed.

”Then I’ll just kill your entire family,” Victor answered so nonchalantly that Cedric was unsure if he heard right.

Cedric’s face stiffened.

The surrounding crowd went silent.

”Did you say, that you’ll kill my entire family?”

”Are you deaf? Yes, that’s what I said. Oh, do you think I can’t do it?”

Victor’s golden eyes sharpened.

For one brief moment, he released the full extent of his current mana.

BOOM!

The atmosphere exploded.

The pressure that emerged from Victor was completely different from what had been released before.

The ground beneath him cracked.

Dust lifted into the air.

The nearby trees bent violently, their leaves scattering across the street.

The people watching from the sidelines stumbled backward in panic.

Cedric’s eyes widened.

For an instant, his entire field of vision seemed to disappear beneath an overwhelming force.

He couldn’t see its true form.

He couldn’t understand its depth.

He only knew that something unimaginably powerful had passed over him.

Then Victor withdrew it.

Everything became still again.

It had lasted only a moment.

But that moment was enough.

Cedric slowly turned his head.

The advanced-level mage beside him was trembling uncontrollably.

His face had lost every trace of color.

Then—

”Urgh!”

The mage bent forward and vomited.

His hands shook against the ground.

Tears gathered in his eyes.

He looked completely broken.

Cedric’s heart sank.

He finally understood.

That wasn’t a threat.

Victor genuinely possessed the power to destroy them.

”Still think I can’t kill your entire family?”

Cedric gnashed his teeth.

”If you kill my family, the family of an Earl, you will become the enemy of the kingdom.”

Victor stared at him for a moment.

Then he gave a faint, almost amused smile.

”So you don’t know, I’m already an enemy of the kingdom of Reschbauch.”

Cedric froze.

He didn’t understand what Victor meant.

But he understood something far more important.

Threatening this man wouldn’t work.

Cedric lowered his gaze.

Pride fought against reason inside him.

But there was only one choice left.

”What can I do for you to spare my family?”

Victor raised an eyebrow.

”Wow, how quick you are to change your tune. I admire you for that... Alright, I won’t kill your entire family since you didn’t really do anything yet. But you must hand me your son willingly so that I can give him his punishment.”

Cedric’s brow furrowed.

His eyes slowly moved toward Simon.

Simon immediately began crying harder.

”Father, save me!”

Cedric closed his eyes for a brief moment.

”There must be another way. I can give you anything else you want aside from that.”

Victor scratched his head.

An awkward smile appeared on his face.

”I think there is a misunderstanding here. I’m not negotiating with you, I’m giving you a chance. Either you give me your son with your consent and I’ll spare your family from annihilation, or you don’t give me your son and I take him by force and kill your whole family.”

The words were spoken so casually that the entire street seemed to grow colder.

Cedric’s teeth clenched.

He hated this.

He hated being forced into such a position.

But his family’s survival was more important than his pride.

”You won’t kill him right?”

”No, I already said what I’ll do to him.”

Cedric remained silent for several seconds.

His fist slowly tightened.

”Very well then, take my son.”

”Father! NOOO! Don’t do this father! Save me please!”

Simon screamed until his voice became hoarse.

But Cedric didn’t even bother to look at him.

His heart felt heavy.

Yet he had already made his choice.

Simon was his only son.

But he was also a Valier.

And Cedric was the patriarch.

He could not sacrifice the entire family because of one foolish decision.

Victor stepped forward.

Simon immediately recoiled.

His face was filled with terror.

Victor raised his hand, preparing to carry out the punishment he had announced.

But before he could do anything—

A voice suddenly came from nearby.

”What’s going on here?”

Victor froze.

His hand stopped in midair.

His eyelid twitched.

For several seconds, he simply stood there.

Then his expression darkened.

”For fucks sake!” Victor shouted full of anger and irritation.