“What happened?” Dave Ashland asked, looking at the panting Jacob and the two elders who had accompanied him to the Alderford family. Their faces were as pale as sheets of paper.
At the moment, forming words seemed to be a struggle for them. After all, they had just escaped the maw of a very dangerous Leviathan.
“My Lord, we did as you asked,” one of the elders managed to say, summoning his will. “We went to the Alderford family so the young master could propose marriage to the young Miss of the Alderford family. However, what we didn’t know was that the young Miss has already found a suitor.”
“What?!” Dave slammed the armrest of his chair, shattering it completely. “They dare” he shouted.
“Calm down, my Lord. There is more,” the elder, sensing where his master’s fury was heading, tried to interject. However, as expected, the enraged Dave kicked him, sending him flying.
Alive? No one could say for sure.
“Father, calm down. If you make any drastic moves, you might bring about the downfall of the Ashland family,” Jacob said, stepping forward.
“What do you mean, Jacob?” Daisy Ashland asked.
At that moment, she had been trying to contact their spy in the Alderford mansion, but there was no response. This only deepened her suspicion, and the sudden return of Jacob and the two elders heightened her unease.
They had run all the way from the Alderford mansion to their estate, not even bothering to take the carriage.
In fact, the soldiers, seeing their master fleeing, had also run after him, forgetting the carriage altogether.
“The Alderford family is now under the protection of the Sword Saintess Selene,” Jacob suddenly announced.
“WHAT?!”
“Yes. As Elder Simon was saying before Father sent him to his death, when we arrived at the Alderford family, Lilian already had a suitor. And this suitor is the same alchemist who cured her, who is also the disciple of the Sword Saintess Selene.
I’m alive now because he allowed me to live, and it was thanks to the saintess that I got to keep my life. The Alderford family is now protected, Father, and there is no way we can compete with them,” Jacob managed to say before standing up and beginning to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Dave Ashland asked.
“Where does it look like I’m going, Father? I’m done being your pawn in whatever stupid plot you’ve dragged yourself into. From today onwards, I’m no longer a part of this family. Now, either kill me now or let me go.
Good luck, because you’re going to need it. Trust me.”
Under the shocked gaze of Dave and Daisy Ashland, Jacob walked away, leaving the Ashland family behind. He departed without a destination in mind, his steps resolute and unwavering.
Back inside the mansion, Daisy turned to her husband, her expression a mix of shock and fear, underscored by a deep frown.
“What should we do?” Dave asked, his voice laced with desperation as he sought a way forward, knowing his plot had been thwarted by forces far beyond his control.
“We do nothing. We act as if nothing has happened because, as far as anyone knows, nothing indeed has happened,” Daisy replied coldly.
Her gaze shifted to the last remaining elder, who immediately stiffened. Her piercing look was enough to make him stand and attempt to flee. But before he could take more than a step, a swift attack struck his back, sending him to the afterlife.
“What about that mysterious lady?” Dave asked cautiously.
“Since we don’t know what happened here, we can only wait for her to come to us. So far, she is the only connection we still have. And since we can’t eliminate her directly, we will have to borrow the power of the Alderford family to do it.”
“You mean…” Dave raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Daisy confirmed. “We will let the saintess do the work for us. I only hope they accomplish it without asking too many questions. If they do, that would truly spell the downfall of this family,” she said before turning away.
As she began to walk out, Daisy added in a sharp tone, “And you might want to send someone to take care of that useless son of yours. He’s another loose end.”
Dave could only nod, watching his wife leave. At this moment, Daisy was the one truly running the family, and he had no choice but to act like a puppet on strings.
***
Two hours ago, after Kent left the hall, he was greeted by the sight of a rather majestic carriage that seemed to be sitting there, waiting just for him.
He smiled to himself and made his way to find Uncle Drew, who was more than happy to accept such a humble yet high-quality gift. Kent’s generosity was evident as he handed over the impressive carriage.
“Thank you, young master,” Uncle Drew said gratefully before climbing into the driver’s seat and beginning the journey to the Old Mines, located north of the city. The trip would take approximately an hour and a half.
Since the Ashland family had been kind enough to gift him a carriage, Kent decided not to be too polite about accepting it.
During the ride, Kent decided to focus on upgrading one of his abilities using the skill upgrade points he had earned. He directed his thoughts toward the tower.
<Tower, how do I use the skill upgrade points?> Kent asked.
[There are two types of upgrades,] the Tower replied.
[The first is the Grade Upgrade. This allows you to upgrade a skill or technique from a lower grade to a higher grade. The second is the Ranking Upgrade. This boosts the effects of a skill, enhancing your mastery and giving it an additional edge.]
<I see. So how much can I do with 300 points?> Kent inquired.
While he didn’t feel a pressing need to upgrade the [Teleport] skill, given that his speed alone was formidable, he was curious about its potential after enhancements.
[Grade Upgrade: Mortal > Epic > Rare > Earth > Heaven > Legendary…]
[Points needed: 100 > 1,000 > 5,000 > 10,000 > 15,000…]
[Rank Upgrade: F > E > D > C > B > A > S > SS > SSS > SSS+ > SSE…]
[Points needed: 10 > 50 > 100 > 150 > 200 > 300 > 1000 > 5,000 > 10,000 > 100,000…]
<So, from F ranking to E is 10 points, right?> Kent asked, wanting to confirm the tower’s mechanics.
[Yes.]
<Good. Then upgrade the rank of the Teleport skill from Rank A to S,> Kent instructed, deciding quickly how to spend his 300 points.
With only 300 points available, Kent made the choice purely as an experiment to understand how the upgrade system worked and whether it was worth investing in for future skills.
At present, the Teleport skill was an Earth-grade skill with an A rank, allowing him to teleport within a ten-meter range as long as he had the stamina to sustain it.
The Tower wasted no time in executing the command.
[Command received. Upgrading skill… Teleport skill successfully upgraded from Rank A to S. Effect enhancement and mastery boost complete.]
[Updated Teleport skill: Earth-Grade, Rank S. Teleportation range increased to 20 meters. Energy efficiency was enhanced by 25%. Skill cooldown reduced, allowing for quicker successive uses with less energy use.]
“Twenty meters, not bad at all. I guess I’ll waste the points I’ll be earning on it.” Kent lay back in the carriage and closed his eyes. An hour and 25 minutes later, they arrived at their destination.
It was now time to kill some bandits.