Imperial Throne

Chapter 134: Worry

Akar had listened to the entire conversation between Raven and Ion.

Several times he had wanted to speak, but in the end, he remembered his father’s command and remained silent until the conversation concluded.

Ion had gathered sufficient intelligence from Raven and knew that it would be difficult to obtain more information in the short term. So, he did not continue speaking with Raven but instead ordered someone to keep watch over him, then walked aside with Akar.

“What do you think?”

“Big brother’s son—we have to find him!” Akar finally couldn’t hold back and spoke. “It’s been nearly twelve years since big brother died. Counting the time, that child must be at least twelve years old by now.”

Ion nodded slightly. “Yes, a twelve-year-old child, but his childhood passed without the company of any of his family. I don’t even know if he knows that his father is dead—or perhaps... he and his mother believe Arsen abandoned them.”

Akar opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the right words, holding back with frustration.

But from beginning to end, neither father nor son mentioned torturing Raven for information.

Because they knew—it was meaningless.

Back in the days of the mercenary group, Ion and Raven had been known for their expertise in tracking and intelligence gathering respectively. But only their family, who knew the true origin of their father, understood that Raven’s real strength lay in interrogation. In those days, their small squad had always operated with Gallen managing duties, Ion in charge of reconnaissance and tracking, and Raven handling intelligence and interrogation.

For this reason, Raven was also very familiar with counter-interrogation.

Just as Ion was a ruthless man, Raven was no less. Ion never believed that Raven had truly fought his way out and escaped—he must have abandoned his wife and daughter to flee. Thus, if Ion did try using special methods, Raven would undoubtedly die with the secret, perhaps even mocking Ion with his dying breath, declaring that he’d never be reunited with his grandson.

Against such a person, brute force was meaningless.

That was why Ion chose a roundabout approach—to trick the first clue out of him.

“Go find Yam immediately,” Ion said in a low voice. “I’ll try to see if I can buy the Heartrock Tiger’s heart. Without seeing that item, Raven definitely won’t reveal Arsen’s son’s whereabouts.”

“I got it.” Akar responded in a muffled voice, clearly resentful. “But are we really just going to let him go afterward?”

“Even if we give him the item, he won’t survive.” Ion shook his head. “Don’t forget how you and Yam got your Flame Demon Hounds. Without that Demonic Sword, he could never have reached Tier 3. That’s also why no Flame Hound bloodline users can ever ascend to Tier 3—the Bourbon Family had already set the trap long ago.”

Akar nodded. “Then I’ll go find Yam.”

“Be careful,” Ion reminded him. “Since Raven dared to reveal the site of the ruins, that area is certainly not safe. Just verify the location of the ruins—when it comes to exploring and researching it, we’ll have plenty of time in the future.”

“Alright.”

“And one more thing,” Ion sighed. “You heard it too—The Kasein Family may have already found the Bourbon Family’s secret vault. Tell that to Yam as well so he can truly feel at ease. …Some matters were never ours to choose, so dragging it out any longer is pointless. If the Bourbon Family’s secret vault is involved, Marquis Visen will never give it up.”

“I understand.” Akar fell silent for a moment before nodding.

Because the road Akar had to take to reach the White Mountain Territory was the same as the route escorting Raven back to Gem City, he naturally accompanied the escort all the way. Only at the fork in the road did he part ways with Ion and the others.

Watching Akar’s departing figure, Raven felt something wasn’t right.

“That’s not the road back to Ruby Village.”

Raven had thought Akar was personally escorting him back to Gem City, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Yam is in the White Mountain Territory. I asked him to inform Yam about you first, then go to Ruby Village afterward. Since he’s escorting you back anyway, what harm is there in taking a few more days to deliver the message to Yam?” Ion glanced at Raven and said naturally, “Do you really think the Soderbell Family is like you, willing to abandon even family for the sake of profit?”

“Soderbell Family?” Raven suddenly burst out laughing, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. “Ion, you really think Akar and Yam, just because they’ve gained bloodline power, can form a bloodline family? It’s fine to fool others, but don’t start believing it yourselves. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you’ll die in the future. The world of Bloodline Users isn’t as simple as you think.”

Ion said nothing in return.

But he still personally escorted Raven into the dungeon. “I’ll wait here for news from Akar. As long as you haven’t lied to me, our deal still stands.”

...

A few days later, Akar arrived at the White Mountain Territory and met with Yam.

Though Yam was surprised by Akar’s arrival, he quickly realized that something must have changed and immediately brought Akar into the study.

“What happened?”

“Big brother has a son!” Akar did not pause. After hastily taking a sip of water, he immediately spoke. “He should be at least twelve years old this year.”

“What!?” Yam’s face showed a look of shock. “Our family still has a nephew wandering out there?”

“Yeah.” Akar nodded. “According to Raven, big brother was killed by the Forest Witches. He probably recognized that Demonic Sword, though it’s unclear why the sword wasn’t taken in the end. But this would also explain why there were several Forest Witches in the White Mountain Territory. They were likely hidden in the Red Eagle Territory for many years, searching for that Demonic Sword.”

Then, Akar recounted everything he had heard from Raven.

Yam’s face gradually turned solemn.

By now, he too realized that with some of the information Raven had revealed, they could finally begin connecting many dots.

Back when Raven and their big brother Arsen were carrying out a commission together, they accidentally discovered the ancestral land that the Bourbon Family had preserved for over a hundred years. From within, they uncovered the Demonic Sword that had been hidden for a century. Afterward, Raven, Arsen, and the others divided up all the items they excavated from the ruins. According to the mercenary group's usual rules, the two most critical items—namely, the Bloodline Potions—naturally went to Raven and Arsen. In addition, Arsen took possession of that Rusty Sword.

Given what they knew about the members of the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group, no one would have been interested in that Demonic Sword, especially with its heavily rusted and broken appearance at the time.

Though they didn’t know exactly what was going through Arsen’s mind, in the end, the Demonic Sword somehow ended up in their big brother’s hands.

Afterward, Raven had tried to marry off his daughter to Arsen. It was the most suitable way to bind their interests together. Since Arsen and Raven’s daughter had already had relations, their union should have been the natural outcome.

However, Yam was somewhat skeptical of this part.

He recalled that their big brother wasn’t the kind of person to fool around. If he truly had a relationship with Raven’s daughter, he wouldn’t have been involved with anyone else. It was also possible that Arsen had discovered around that time that he already had a child. That could have led him to refuse the marriage proposal with Raven’s daughter, which sparked conflict between them and ended their partnership on bad terms.

But that scene had been witnessed by others.

Later, Arsen was killed by the Forest Witches, but the Demonic Sword remained untouched. Yam suspected that their big brother had hidden the sword before he died. Since the Forest Witches couldn’t find it, when the body and belongings were returned, the sword was included. That would explain why the Forest Witches continued searching in the Red Eagle Territory for so many years. Their objective was clearly to locate the Demonic Sword.

What followed was the falling out between Barney and Raven. Barney betrayed the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group, which led to its complete demise.

That night, only three parties survived.

Barney, who betrayed the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group.

Raven, who abandoned his wife and daughter for his own sake.

And Ion’s family, who narrowly escaped with their lives.

But fate had clearly favored the Soderbell Family. After that night, they rose quickly, and eight years later, they not only avenged the betrayal but also captured Raven and discovered the location of the ancestral ruins of the Bourbon Family.

They also learned of Arsen’s son—their nephew.

“What did Father say?”

“Father said that regardless of whether the ruins are real or not, we must find a Heartrock Tiger’s heart to exchange for the precise whereabouts of big brother’s child,” Akar said. “In Father’s eyes, the intelligence and clues from the ruins are important, but big brother’s child is clearly more important.”

“I understand.” Yam nodded. “It’s not appropriate for people from Gem Territory to step in, so I’ll have Lily and Sherry handle it.”

“Alright.”

“Rest here for today. We’ll head out tomorrow.”

With that, Yam turned and left.

He went to find Lily.

Lily had just coaxed Cindy to sleep when she saw Yam enter. She immediately sensed something had happened. “What’s going on?”

“I need to leave with Akar for a while.” Yam embraced his wife first, then glanced at the sleeping Cindy. “My father has found some clues about my big brother’s son.”

“Your nephew?” Lily reacted quickly. “How old is he?”

“According to Akar, at least twelve years old.” Yam said in a deep voice. “My father hopes to bring him back. After all, the blood of the Soderbell Family flows through him too. But the other party made a condition, so I want you to send Sherry to Iceport and try to buy a Heartrock Tiger’s heart from the merchant guilds there. That kind of magical beast probably only exists near Lava Mountain. We won’t find one in the Red Eagle Territory.”

“I understand.” Lily hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

In truth, she wasn’t particularly eager to bring Yam’s nephew back.

After all, he was someone who had been lost to the family for over a decade and was no longer young. What kind of bond could still exist? If he had grown up in a slum or similar place, he might have developed a twisted personality. A person who had never received proper education suddenly being told he had noble relatives—Lily couldn’t even imagine how that scene would play out.

But she also understood.

The big brother that Yam and Akar spoke of had cared deeply for them, and the two of them revered him. So upon hearing that their big brother had a child still out there, given the Soderbell Family’s deep emphasis on familial ties, it was unthinkable that they wouldn’t bring the child back.

Lily could only hope that the child wouldn’t be too corrupted.