“What do you mean you don’t know? Stop playing innocent! Do you think I’m blind?!” Baron Nathan almost flipped the table in rage.
“Quell your anger, my lord! Can you tell us what happened first” Vivian didn’t expect her husband to be this furious after reading a document.
Nathan snorted and threw the parchment paper in her direction. “Then you better take a look at what your son has done!”
Vivian grabbed the paper and nervously read the contents.
When she realized what it was, she gasped in shock.
“L-Liam, how could you?” Vivian’s voice shook with disbelief.
Theo took the paper from her hands and read it together with Hershey.
“This…”
The ashen-faced Liam immediately tried to explain himself. “T-That’s definitely a fabricated document! I would never do something like that! P-Please believe me!”
“Are you saying that I’m lying?” Alaric’s cold voice echoed within the guest hall, making everyone feel a chill in their heart.
A crooked smile hung on Liam’s face as he defended himself. “It’s pretty clear to me that you are doing this to confuse my family. I can’t believe you are actually this sinister, Alaric!”
He then turned his gaze towards the baron and uttered emotionally. “My lord, please investigate this matter deeply before accusing me of something I didn’t do! Please believe in your son!”
Nathan hesitated. He was pretty sure that the document was real, but what if it was fabricated?
The slight hesitation in his expression didn’t escape Alaric’s eyes.
He let out a disappointed sigh while shaking his head. “I knew something like this would happen…”
“I can’t stand these barefaced lies! I demand a trial by combat! If I lose, I will accept any punishment that comes, but if I win, Liam Paxley must die! May the benevolent god, Aru, bear witness to this sacred duel!” His voice resonated like thunder.
Baron Nathan and the others were stunned. They didn’t expect that he would actually demand a duel. They were also believers of Aru and they knew that a sacred duel was something that could never be rejected unless the challenger himself took back the challenge.
Baron Nathan was planning to give his son a punishment, but he could never bring himself to kill his own son.
“My lord! Why don’t we talk this through? I believe we can still discuss this.” Nathan muttered as he wiped off the sweat on his face.
Vivian was also scared. “Please take back your challenge, my lord! There is no need to hurt the alliance of our two households over something like this!”
Meanwhile, Liam was scared shitless.
Alaric’s eyes were akin to those of a predator’s, sharp and terrifying. It made his legs feel so soft that he almost fell off his chair.
Alaric glanced at the baron and his wife. “I’m sorry, but this is something that must be done. Your son hired a mercenary group to kill us! Do you know how many of my people were hurt because of his foolish stunts?!”
“If it wasn’t for the friendship between our families, I would have already sent an assassin to kill him!”
The people behind Alaric were proud to see him standing up for them. Even his number one hater, Charles, felt that he was cool though he didn’t want to admit it.
“Must you do this?” Baron Nathan sighed.
“I have already thought it through, my lord. The sacred duel must proceed!” Alaric remained firm in his decision.
Baron Nathan took a glance at Liam and facepalmed in disappointment.
“On behalf of my son, I accept your challenge to a sacred duel.” He sounded dispirited.
“N-No, father! How… could you accept the duel!” Liam was shaking in fear.
“M-Mom! Please say something!”
Vivian lowered her head and sobbed. She knew that there was nothing she could do at this point. Rejecting the sacred duel was sacrilegious to the teachings of Aru. If that happens, she would definitely lose the support of her collateral family and they would even face the ostracism of Aru’s believers.
“Then we will wait for a cleric from the church to officiate the sacred duel. During this period, I hope that Lord Nathan will keep an eye on Liam.” Alaric cupped his fists at the baron.
Baron Nathan nodded with a gloomy face. “House Paxley will never disobey the teachings of Aru. You can rest assured. We will send you a messenger once the cleric has arrived.”
“In that case, we will wait for your call. Please excuse me.” Alaric turned around and took a deep look at Liam before he walked away with his companions.
Liam’s panicked voice and the baron’s furious roar echoed from behind.
“What a foolish young man,” Charles muttered in a mocking tone while shaking his head.
“Indeed. He betrayed his family’s trust and now he has to face the punishment of Aru.” Alaric muttered with an expression that was full of hidden meanings.
Just as they stepped out of the main mansion, a servant suddenly came running towards them.
The man bowed to Alaric and said. “My lord, the baron wants to invite you to stay in the estate while we wait for the cleric.”
Hearing this, Alaric shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’m still furious about this incident so I have to decline the offer.”
He didn’t give the servant a chance to say another word as he commanded his men to leave. “Let’s go!”
“Yes, my lord!”
As soon as they left House Paxley’s estate, Alaric’s group searched for a place to stay in the city. Luckily for them, there were a lot of vacant inns nearby so it didn’t take them long to find suitable accommodation.
After taking care of the warriors’ accommodation, Alaric rented a separate room for Yvanna which was just next to his room.
I need to prepare for the duel. Should I distribute my stat points now?
Alaric thought to himself. He now had 35 stat points including the most recent he got after doing the exercises inside the cave.