“House Ashbourne rules over the entire northern wastelands.”
“B… But isn’t that House a mere barony that wasn’t even known by the barons of the wastelands a year ago?”
Jon gasped.
“That was a year ago. The barons of the wastelands have ceased to exist. Perhaps you knew Lord Asher as a baron?”
Claude leaned forward.
Jon sighed. “I did. Is my old friend Kelvin the butler still alive?”
Claude blinked. “You mean the regent? Of course he still lives. He’s the last man His Lordship will allow to die.”
Chuckling Claude got to his feet. “Why don’t you stay? I’ll be heading for Nineveh, and I would love to introduce you to His Lordship.”
Jon breathed out heavily.
“It would be a pleasure.”
He didn’t know what Asher’s expression would be, but he yearned to see. Was it truly that young man?
Could it be that what his daughter said wasn’t a lie? Did they truly have Moonlit Starhorn cattle back then?
Could it be he had missed a great opportunity to grow and own his own merchant guild?
Lots of questions revolved around Jon’s head as he left with his daughter.
………
Meanwhile, in Nineveh, the said Lord Asher sat on the floor. He wore a white top and black pants but no boots.
With his legs crossed, he regulated his breathing and finally closed his eyes. He kept breathing slowly until he achieved a certain state of peace.
This peace was fragile, like a water droplet at the edge of a leaf. It could fall at any moment.
While in this meditative state, a stray thought about his ancestors flew by, causing him to be rejected from the calm, serene state.
The moment he was rejected, something flashed past his eyes, and he found himself at the top of a stone platform.
His feet were right at the edge. Looking back, he saw that the platform was about 30 meters high!
There were other round platforms built around it, but the spaces between the platforms were like chasms.
Even he, a sacred-ranked swordsman, would not survive the fall.
Hu~
He expelled a large amount of air from his lungs through his mouth. Lifting his head, he saw another platform, some meters higher than this one.
Some platforms were also lower than the one he stood on.
As he took two steps forward, flames rose up from the chasms, high into the sky, and went back down.
Only for him to take another two steps and the same thing happened. At first Asher thought it activated when he moved, but he later realized this was a man’s breathing!
A man’s breathing technique was controlling this much flame!
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Stunned, Asher bolted forward at his greatest speed. With a few taps of his feet on the walls of the higher platform, he flew into the air and landed on top of it.
Thud!
The moment his bare feet touched the yellowish hard ground, flames rose up behind him.
But this time Asher’s attention was on the man who sat cross-legged. His chest expanded when he took a deep breath.
When he did that, the flames would vanish into the chasms, but when he exhaled, they would shoot into the sky.
His gray hair and beard fluttered softly. His facial structure was sharp, much sharper than Asher’s, and his skin was filled with muscles.
He exposed his bare chest but wore black pants and leather boots.
As if sensing Asher, his eyes snapped open. A pair of bright golden eyes that carried so much authority that Asher found himself tilting toward the ground.
Realizing himself, he still didn’t object and fell on one knee.
“Lord Torah.”
Torah, pale-skinned like Asher, raised an eyebrow. “Asher Ashbourne, what brings you here?”
Asher lifted up his head.
“I… I thought you summoned me?”
“I did not. It could be that the flames called unto you, but you are not strong enough to be here.”
“Strong enough? My swordsmanship is approaching the level of a master.”
“Is that so?”
Torah rose to his feet, his tendons snapping as he did. This showed how hard his muscles were.
“I am not Ariel, nor am I Atticus. You do not wield two swords, so you are not an Ashbourne to me. You are not worthy.”
Asher frowned.
“The Ashbourne name isn’t limited to our talents.”
Torah snorted. “Such prideful speech. Good. Prove it. Laws only stand when the strong prove it. Wisdom in the mouth of a fool is despised.”
“I am trying to bring the Ashbournes back to where you belong! Stop criticizing me about my origin!”
Asher clenched his teeth hard. His face became slightly red as his emotions were spiraling out of control.
“Who said we wanted your help? As long as I am concerned, I do not need the help of a fake, a shell, or a man who isn’t truly convicted. Such a man is more worthless than a bastard.”
Asher’s face hardened to the limit.
“I see.”
Thud!
A mighty wolf, the size of Sirius in his full form, landed behind Torah, flames billowing out of its mouth.
“Stop masquerading, boy; you’re not an Ashbourne…!”
Asher looked at his hand and found Euodias. When Marshal, Torah’s pet beast, dashed toward him, he brandished his sword.
Boom!
He burst forward with his battle force billowing out of him. After running in a zigzag pattern, he closed the gap and swung Euodias upward.
Swish!
A dazzling crescent light left the sword, but Marshal dissolved it and then attacked with its claws.
All of a sudden, its eyes glowed white.
Knowing this was likely to be synergy, Asher turned to face Torah, but he saw the wolf’s tail coming from his side.
Alarmed, he leaped only for its claws to slam him out of the way.
Before Asher would land, it had clawed him over a dozen times!
“You do not seem to understand; synergy is not a one-sided ability. I can use Marshal’s elements, and he can use my battle skill. Before speed, all you have mastered is useless.”
Those words fell into Asher’s ears as he looked at his own blood on the hard ground.
His eyes glowed white!
This time around, a slender figure appeared behind him clad in her red armor.
“You went too hard on him.” Ariel spat coldly.
Torah tilted his head. He looked at Asher, whose wounds were healing up, and his eyes flickered.