Journey to Become the Zenith

The Truth Behind the Elmhart Family

Victor crossed his arms.

”Your uncle came here to protect that idiot.”

He pointed toward Simon with his chin.

”He and everyone else decided to interrupt me one after another.”

Evelyne looked toward Simon.

Simon immediately lowered his head.

He had already been terrified of Victor.

Now he had discovered that Victor was Evelyne’s master.

That realization only made things worse.

Evelyne’s gaze became colder.

She did not need to ask many questions.

She could already tell that Simon had done something foolish.

Victor had never been someone who lost his temper without reason.

If he was this irritated, then the Valier heir had almost certainly crossed a line.

Kite noticed Evelyne’s expression and felt his heart sink.

His niece was not going to blindly defend him.

More importantly, she clearly trusted Victor.

Kite slowly lowered his gaze.

He finally understood that the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.

The average-looking young man standing before him was not some random outsider.

He was Evelyne’s Master.

And whatever had caused the conflict, Kite had already placed himself directly against someone who possessed strength far beyond his understanding.

Kite stared at Victor for several moments.

Then he looked toward Evelyne.

His niece had found a master whose strength was beyond anything he had imagined.

And Kite knew one thing with absolute certainty.

He was not going to get out of this situation unscathed.

When Kite completed his explanation of how Evelyne had come to regard Victor as her Master, Victor looked at his disciple for a long moment.

Victor was still irritated.

The anger that had been building inside him had not disappeared simply because Evelyne had arrived. If anything, the repeated interruptions had made the entire situation more troublesome than it needed to be.

Still, Evelyne was his disciple.

She had come because she had sensed his sudden increase in mana output and believed he was fighting someone powerful. That much was understandable.

Victor exhaled slowly through his nose before finally deciding to explain what had happened.

He told Evelyne everything.

He explained how Simon Valier had provoked him.

He explained how Simon’s bodyguards had attacked him, how they had been defeated, and how Simon had continued to provoke the situation instead of apologizing.

He then explained how Kite had arrived with his men, how they had attempted to interfere, and how Cedric Valier had subsequently appeared with an even larger group.

Victor did not exaggerate anything.

He simply described the events as they had happened, his voice remaining calm despite the irritation still visible in his golden eyes.

Evelyne listened without interrupting.

Her expression gradually became colder.

When Victor reached the point where Kite had attempted to protect Simon, her purple eyes shifted toward her uncle.

Kite immediately felt uncomfortable beneath her gaze.

He knew his niece well enough to understand that she was not merely listening.

She was judging the situation.

Victor continued until he reached the final part.

He explained that Cedric had eventually agreed to hand Simon over willingly after Victor made it clear that refusing would have consequences for the entire Valier family.

The street remained unnaturally quiet while he spoke.

Even the surrounding spectators had stopped whispering.

Nobody wanted to risk drawing Victor’s attention.

When Victor finally finished his explanation, Evelyne remained silent for several seconds.

Then she lowered her eyes.

Her long black-green hair slipped over her shoulder as she slowly walked forward.

Without saying another word, Evelyne dropped to her knees.

Kite’s eyes widened.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

He clearly hadn’t expected Evelyne to react like this.

Before anyone could say another word, Evelyne slowly lowered herself to the ground.

She placed both hands against the cold stone.

Then she bowed her head.

Her forehead touched the ground with a dull sound.

”Forgive me, Master.”

Her voice was quiet, but there was no uncertainty in it.

”I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I was just worried.”

She took a small breath.

”When your mana output suddenly rose, I thought you were fighting someone powerful. I was afraid something might have happened to you, so I came here because I wanted to help.”

Her fingers pressed lightly against the stone.

”But that doesn’t excuse what I did.”

There was no attempt to justify herself.

No clever explanation.

No trace of resistance.

”I was wrong, Master. I understand that.”

Her voice became even softer.

”No matter what my reason was, I still interrupted you.”

She remained bowed before him.

”I will accept whatever punishment you decide to give me.”

The people surrounding them fell silent.

Several exchanged stunned looks.

They knew Evelyne.

Everyone who had spent enough time around her knew that she was not someone who easily lowered her head to another person.

Evelyne Elmhar came from one of the most influential families in the region.

Her family name alone carried considerable weight.

Her own strength was even more impressive.

She had never needed to rely on anyone else to establish her position.

Yet now...

She was kneeling before Victor.

Her forehead was still against the ground.

And there wasn’t even the slightest hint of arrogance in her posture.

She didn’t care that people were watching.

She didn’t seem embarrassed.

She didn’t appear worried about how this scene might affect her reputation.

None of that mattered to her.

As far as Evelyne was concerned, she had made a mistake.

She had interrupted her Master.

That was enough.

Victor looked down at her in silence.

The irritation that had been lingering in his eyes slowly faded.

He had expected an explanation.

Perhaps even an argument.

Evelyne could have easily defended herself.

She could have said that she acted because she was worried about him.

She could have reminded him that her intentions had been good.

Instead, she had admitted her mistake immediately.

She hadn’t tried to hide behind her intentions.

That was something Victor respected.

He knew how easy it was for people to make excuses when they were confronted with their own mistakes.

Very few were willing to simply admit, I was wrong.

Evelyne had done exactly that.

Victor folded his arms across his chest.

His gaze remained on her for another moment.

Then he looked away.

His expression had softened considerably.

”Get up.”

Evelyne’s body stiffened slightly.

She slowly raised her head.

”Master?”

”I said, get up.”

”Yes, Master.”

Evelyne immediately pushed herself to her feet.

She didn’t dare complain.

She didn’t even try to guess what Victor was thinking.

She simply stood there with her hands at her sides.

Victor gave her one last glance before shifting his attention elsewhere.

His eyes landed on Kite.

The atmosphere changed almost instantly.

Kite felt it.

His shoulders tensed.

Victor’s gaze wasn’t angry.

That somehow made it worse.

There was a calmness in his eyes that made Kite instinctively straighten his back.

Victor tilted his head slightly.

”How about your uncle and his men?”

Kite’s expression changed.

Victor’s voice remained calm.

”Aren’t you going to defend them?”