The Evolution of the Weakest Ghoul

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Worries

Bama entered the room and found a round table surrounded by several middle-aged men.

At the head of the table sat the Duke.

He appeared to be a man in his forties, with neatly trimmed facial hair and short black hair. At the moment, however, his eyes were filled with frustration and worry.

Across from him sat the other men—the Elders of the Duke’s family.

Every one of them was a King Realm expert.

They were currently arguing over what to do, with different groups forming as some supported certain decisions while others strongly opposed them.

The moment the door opened, the tense atmosphere was briefly interrupted.

The Elders stopped arguing and turned toward the entrance.

Who dared to enter?

This wasn’t an ordinary room.

It was a specialized chamber reserved for the Duke and the Elders, where they discussed the future of the Duke’s family and matters of great importance.

Every decision made within this room could potentially affect the entire family.

Interrupting a meeting here was strictly forbidden.

The punishment could range from at least a year of imprisonment in less severe cases to complete expulsion from the family in extreme situations.

So who had actually dared to enter?

”Bama?”

The Elders were stunned when they recognized the person standing at the entrance.

At the same time, the frustration on the Duke’s face seemed to disappear.

He immediately straightened in his seat.

His son was here.

”Bama... Welcome.”

The Duke smiled warmly.

The tense atmosphere in the room immediately eased slightly.

But Bama didn’t approach his father.

He didn’t greet him.

He simply stood where he was, clenched his fists, and stared directly at the Duke.

”Is it true?”

The smile on the Duke’s face slowly faded.

”Is it true that a God’s temple is going to be built on the Duke’s territory... and that the Royal Family supports it?”

Bama’s voice was low.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became several times heavier.

The Elders swallowed nervously while the Duke’s smile disappeared completely.

---

Outside...

Seeing the reckless actions of the Young Master, Selak hurriedly followed him inside.

The members of the Duke’s family standing outside were left staring in disbelief.

What?

The Duke’s son had just broken one of the family’s strictest rules.

And his personal bodyguard couldn’t even stop him?

Meanwhile, Ronan and Yen had been left outside.

They stood among dozens of members of the Duke’s family, all of whom occasionally glanced in their direction.

Ronan felt increasingly uncomfortable.

He was now inside the Duke’s Mansion—a powerhouse not only within the Destal Kingdom but throughout the surrounding regions.

Yet he only knew Bama and Selak.

And now both of them were inside that room.

He didn’t know any of the other members of the Duke’s family.

Which meant they didn’t know him either.

Ronan had also noticed several people casting curious glances at him.

That made him increasingly uneasy.

He had no idea when someone might discover his secrets or flaws.

At this point, Bama was essentially his mouthpiece.

He couldn’t afford to lose him.

Ronan gritted his teeth before rushing toward the room.

Yen followed immediately.

Unlike Ronan, however, she seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Seeing the Duke’s Mansion in such a state of turmoil was a massive source of happiness for her.

Perhaps...

The Duke’s family wasn’t as indestructible as she had once believed.

Ronan entered just in time to hear Bama asking his question.

He quietly closed the door behind him before walking toward Bama.

If the Elders had been shocked when Bama entered, they were even more stunned when Ronan and Yen followed.

But this time, their surprise was quickly replaced by confusion.

They stared at Bama.

How did he know?

He had been staying in a small city near the border of the Destal Kingdom.

There was no way the news could have traveled that quickly.

”Son... where did you hear this?”

The Duke forced a smile.

”Father...”

Bama took a breath.

”I can sense the entire atmosphere of the mansion.”

His eyes narrowed.

”And you’re not happy.”

”So... is it true?”

The Duke sighed heavily.

The Elders also lowered their gazes slightly.

”It is true.”

The Duke’s voice was calm.

Bama’s fists tightened.

”Those bastards...”

His expression darkened.

”I knew it. I’ve always noticed the way they look at us. Haven’t we served the Royal Family from the beginning until now?”

”Why do they want to weaken us?”

”What the hell are the Royal Family trying to—”

”Bama.”

The Duke’s voice suddenly became sharp.

The entire room fell silent.

He could see that his son was worked up.

If Bama continued, there was a very real possibility that he would openly curse the Royal Family.

And that would be an offense against the Crown—a crime that would do nothing but make their already dangerous situation even worse.

”It is being handled,” the Duke said calmly. ”You don’t need to worry about it.”

”But, Father—”

Bama wanted to argue.

After all, if the matter was truly being ”handled,” then why were the Elders still arguing?

Why did his father look so frustrated?

The Duke clearly didn’t have everything under control.

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense.

Meanwhile, Ronan was completely freaking out.

No... wait.

System, what the actual hell is this?

Are you malfunctioning?

He stared at the information before him.

Stats

Host: ???

????

Host: ???

????

Again.

Host: ???

????

Ronan’s expression stiffened.

That was the same result no matter whom he scanned.

The Elders.

The Duke.

Everyone in the room.

???

For the first time since obtaining the System, Ronan couldn’t see someone’s information at all.

And that realization sent a chill down his spine.

Ronan really wanted to know, but it was only after stepping into this room that he realized he had made a very big mistake.

This room was filled with King Realm experts.

And there was even a Supreme Realm expert—the Duke himself.

Ronan had been afraid of being exposed by a Sovereign Realm expert, yet he had gone ahead and walked straight into a den filled with King Realm experts.

How stupid could someone be?

Ronan was seriously screwed now.

Or, more accurately, he was about to be.

[Sorry, Host. The System cannot display their stats. They can sense when this is attempted, which would draw their attention to you. Unless the Host becomes strong enough that their senses can no longer detect the System’s interference, scanning them safely is impossible. Alternatively, the Host can choose to take the risk, but doing so will expose your undead aura.]

Hearing the System’s explanation, Ronan felt as though he had been choked.

Wait...

This was actually for his protection?

Oh.

Now he understood.

But something else caught his attention.

The System had specifically mentioned that his undead aura would be detected if he forced it to reveal their stats.

Does that mean...

He hadn’t been exposed?

”System, is my undead aura still hidden?” Ronan asked.

[Unless the Host is blind, you would have already been killed otherwise. So, yes.]

[As long as the Host does not use his Realm or an Abyssal Trait within their presence, he is safe.]

Hearing the System’s explanation, Ronan finally felt like he could breathe again.

A faint smile broke across his face.

This was good.

Very good.

At least part of his worries had been reduced.

He just had to be careful.

”Enough, Bama. Tell me about your journey.”

The Duke’s deep voice suddenly brought Ronan back to reality.

”Especially the assassination. I want to know everything about it.”

The Duke’s voice carried a subtle weight as he emphasized the final sentence.

Bama sighed.

His gaze instinctively shifted toward Yen.

The Duke noticed the movement.

His attention immediately settled on her.

Yen’s body froze.

Literally.

Cold sweat began forming across her forehead as her eyes darted around nervously.

What did it mean to have the attention of a Supreme Realm expert focused directly on you?

Worse...

What did it mean when you knew that the very same expert’s son was the person you had attempted to assassinate?

Only now did Yen truly realize something.

She might actually die today.