“I WILL KILL THAT BASTARD! I WANT HIM DEAD!” Lord Joseph’s voice thundered with fury.
Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana were prepared for this explosive reaction. It didn’t surprise them. However, they couldn’t allow Lord Joseph to act recklessly, especially after witnessing what had befallen Silas.
“Lord Joseph, after witnessing what occurred once you lost consciousness, I strongly advise you to reconsider your desire for revenge. I’m offering you this counsel out of genuine concern,” Lord Ivan implored.
“I don’t care! He has no idea who he’s dared to strike. I’m not one to meekly accept such shameful humiliation! I will end him with my own hands! No one can stop me from killing that BASTARD!!”
Observing this, Lady Eliza shook her head at Lord Joseph. “Lord Joseph, I understand your deep embarrassment, but were I in your shoes, I would heed Lord Ivan’s words.”
“Exactly! Lord Ivan, you can’t fathom what Yuan did to Mr. Silas from the Magic Academy after you lost consciousness,” Lady Diana chimed in, her head nodding. The memory of Yuan severing Silas’s hands in the blink of an eye was still vivid.
In comparison to that, Lord Joseph’s predicament seemed less severe. Moreover, only a select few were aware of his unconsciousness at the hands of a young man. There was no need to amplify it to such an extent, as if the world had shattered.
“Silas? Hold on a moment. Did Silas and Rowena also pay a visit to the Monroe family? When?” Lord Joseph’s confusion was evident as he regarded Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana.
“They arrived at the Monroe family right after you lost consciousness due to Yuan. That’s why you’re unaware of what transpired afterward,” Lord Ivan explained somberly.
“Silas… what happened to him? You’re all speaking as if something grave befell him.” Lord Joseph’s concern was palpable.
Lady Eliza shook her head, her tone matter-of-fact. “Here’s the situation. One of Yuan’s wives happens to be a former student of the magic academy. And not just any student, but Miss Rowena’s most promising pupil, Lily, known as the Ice Princess. Silas wanted to forcefully bring her back to the academy to punish her for damaging her mana circuits.”
She continued without a hint of sympathy, “This greatly enraged Yuan. In the end, he severed Silas’s hands and reduced them to nothingness. Silas will be crippled for the rest of his life. In my opinion, merely knocking you out was already a great mercy compared to Silas’s fate.”
Lady Diana’s expression was serious as she chimed in, “Exactly. What’s even worse is that he didn’t hesitate for a moment, showing no concern for the consequences of his actions. It was as if it didn’t matter to him at all. If Rowena hadn’t intervened in time, Silas would be dead now.” ．𝗻𝐞𝘁
Lord Ivan’s gaze was stern as he addressed Lord Joseph, “I’ll reiterate, Lord Joseph. Seeking revenge against Yuan and his wives is not a path you should tread. If you still insist on it, then do so on your own, but don’t involve us or the kingdom in your personal vendetta.”
Lady Eliza nodded in agreement. “I concur with Lord Ivan. If you seek vengeance, Lord Joseph, do it on your own. Although, I must say, I doubt you’ll succeed.”
Lord Joseph was left momentarily speechless. Crippling Mr. Silas, a seasoned combat instructor from the magic academy, for life? How was such a feat even possible? It was clear that Yuan was more than he seemed, easily besting Silas and, on top of that, dooming him to a lifetime of disability.
‘Yuan, you wretched bastard… There’s more to you than meets the eye. You not only defeated Silas effortlessly, but you’ve also condemned him for the rest of his days.’ Lord Joseph seethed inwardly.
“It’s a relief he didn’t do something so extreme to me. I can’t even fathom living as a cripple,” Lord Joseph muttered to himself, his thoughts tinged with a mix of gratitude and lingering fear.
After pondering for a moment, he turned to Lord Ivan, Lady Diana, and Lady Eliza. “It seems I’ll have to let go of my plans for revenge. Who knows what he might do if I try to harm him again? I’d rather not spend my life as a cripple,” he sighed, the weight of his decision evident in his voice.
“That’s a wise choice, Lord Joseph. While we couldn’t recruit him to our kingdom, it’s best not to provoke him. It’s clear he’s much stronger than we had anticipated,” Lord Ivan advised.
“So our hopes of recruiting him into our ranks have been dashed, it seems,” Lady Diana lamented.
“We can’t force the issue, attempting to do so would only provoke them further. It’s best we abandon the idea,” Lord Ivan concluded with a sigh.
Later, Lady Eliza surveyed the group. “Let’s check on Silas to see if he’s regained consciousness. Though I must say, he’ll never be the same after this… What a tragic turn of events.”
Lord Joseph felt a surge of gratitude towards Yuan upon hearing Lady Eliza’s words. Yuan had not chosen to leave him severely wounded or crippled.
“Well, since we’re already here, it’s a good opportunity to visit Miss Rowena and Mr. Silas,” Lord Ivan agreed, making his way to the door. Lady Eliza, Lady Diana, and Lord Joseph followed, though Lord Joseph’s condition slowed their pace as they climbed to the second floor, where Silas and Rowena’s room was located.
Inside Silas’s bedroom, he lay unconscious on the bed, while Rowena sat nearby, keeping a vigilant watch. She couldn’t bear to leave him alone, knowing the tragic fate that had befallen him.
Rowena’s thoughts raced. ‘What will Silas do when he wakes up and realizes he’s lost his hands? Yuan’s cruelty was beyond measure… I wonder if Silas will ever be able to cast spells again, now that his hands are gone and won’t grow back.’ She sighed, her gaze fixed on Silas, his form so different now.
She knew that when Silas awoke, he would be forever changed. The despair he would feel at being rendered a cripple was something beyond words.
After what felt like an eternity, Silas stirred, awakening in a manner that seemed like he’d emerged from a nightmare.
“Ahhhhhhh!” His cry of pain pierced the air as he came to.
“Mr. Silas! It’s alright, you’re safe now…” Rowena rushed to his side, offering comfort and solace.
“Miss Rowena? What’s happening? Where am I?” Silas’s gaze darted around the room, his face a canvas of confusion, as though the events of the day were lost to him.
“We’re in your bedroom,” Rowena gently informed him.
“Is that so? Thank goodness, it must have been a dream—a terrible nightmare!” Silas breathed a sigh of relief, oblivious to the absence of his hands. His body was drenched in sweat, the ordeal having taken a toll on him. He remained laid out on the bed, blissfully unaware.
Yet, Lady Eliza was about to shatter the illusion, not out of malice but out of necessity. Rowena knew it was her duty to tell Silas the truth, to spare him from a greater shock later on.
In his bedroom, Silas sat on the bed, his face expressionless, as Rowena delivered the truth.
“Mr. Silas, I’m afraid that it wasn’t a dream, everything was real and you can check for yourself about your missing limbs. I’ve requested Madam Layla for help to bring you back after you fell unconscious from a blow to your head by Yuan.”
Silas attempted to move, but when he reached for the blanket, the shock of his missing arms hit him. He couldn’t feel them; they were gone. Although he had heard Rowena’s words, he had dismissed them as a joke. Now, reality settled in, his face twisted in despair.
“M-M-My Arms…! What happened to my arms?! Where did my arms go?!”
As despair coursed through him, Silas’s mind played out the events at the Monroe family estate in vivid detail. He recalled his rash confrontation with Yuan, and the brutal consequences that followed. Yuan not only severed his arms, but incinerated them to prevent any chance of reattachment with a healing potion.
“S-So I’ve become a cripple now, huh?”
Rowena, hearing the numbness in Silas’s voice, let out a long sigh, understanding the turmoil in his mind.
“Mr. Silas, calm down, take a deep breath. I understand how you feel right now. But look at the bright side. Though you can’t regrow your arms with a healing potion, there are options outside the kingdom that can regrow missing limbs. It might take some time, but it’s not impossible, right?” She tried to offer him a glimmer of hope.
Silas regarded Rowena for a moment, his thoughts churning. Then, a small smile tugged at his lips as he nodded.
“You’re right. There are medicines that can help me regrow my missing arms. Though they’re expensive and may cost an arm and a leg, it’s not a hopeless situation. I should give it a shot.”
“That’s the spirit, Mr. Silas. You shouldn’t give up so easily,” Rowena encouraged, offering a warm smile. Suddenly, her expression turned serious.
“Although, you now have a way to regrow your missing limbs, I advise you to stay as far away from Yuan and his wives. He’s not someone we can afford to offend. He… He’s on a totally different level, along with his wives, even though none of them use mana.”
“Huh? What do you mean they don’t use any mana? Are you joking with me, Miss Rowena?”
“It means they literally don’t use mana, and I also couldn’t detect a single drop of mana from him or his wives… I just wonder how did they become so ridiculously strong without using mana?” Rowena explained, shaking her head in disbelief.
“It’s still hard to believe that without having mana in their bodies, they’re so incredibly strong! It doesn’t even make any sense at all!”
“Indeed… It’s a mystery for me too,” Rowena admitted, her voice tinged with a mixture of fascination and perplexity.