The large door opened loudly, producing a loud sound that drew the attention of everyone present.
Murmurs filled the great hall.
"Who dares to be so arrogant as to open the door when Father is present?" muttered the first young master angrily, clenching his fists.
"Someone has just sealed his fate. To show such insolence is to ask for a ticket straight to hell," added another in an icy voice, as his eyes flashed with dangerous intensity.
"Why does Father remain silent?" whispered a third, casting a nervous glance toward the towering figure at the front of the room.
Then they saw him. The patriarch, motionless, smiled lightly for the first time, and that was enough to make their blood run cold.
"So he didn't die..." Zephyr muttered in a calm tone.
These words echoed through the hall, and all turned their attention to the great door.
There, standing under the threshold, was a boy of fourteen. Short black hair. Eyes like the abyss. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask of gold coins bound together with red thread. On his back, a sword made of the same material, and at his waist, he carried a brown pouch.
And it was dragging something.
A corpse.
Kael Medici was back.
Alessia put her hand to her mouth. Tears welled up before she could hold them back. She took a step toward him... but stopped. She smelled blood.
Kael advanced unhurriedly, with an indifferent look.
"I'm back, mother," he said calmly, ignoring everyone present.
He knew what he was doing. It was a statement, not a greeting.
She ran up to him, scrutinizing him like a mother looking for broken bones. But the others looked at him with open indignation.
And he dared to greet his mother first, in front of the patriarch?
"Son, what happened to you these days, and why do you bring the corpse of a person?" Alessia asked in a trembling voice. To her nose came the strong smell of blood. Her son reeked of blood.
Before he could respond, the first young master, Soren, spoke with restrained fury:
"You are too arrogant! Brother. You haven't even paid your respects to your father, and you greet that woman first? You think you're untouchable, you bastard?"
However, Kael ignored him. That gesture of indifference only infuriated Soren, but he didn't give a damn about his first older brother. He fixed his gaze on his father, who had a small smile as he watched him.
Zephyr leaned his head on his hand and spoke in a firm voice, while his eyes glittered dangerously:
"What do you have to tell me?"
Kael knew he had broken one of the family rules by running away from the mansion, but that didn't affect him in the least. He had told himself that in this life he was going to live as he pleased, without being attached to any morals or rules.
"A knight named Damon tried to sell me to nobles of the Lion Kingdom," he answered briefly, without giving much explanation.
It was a lie, but since the dead do not speak, Kael could say any nonsense and no one could contradict him.
"And that corpse you're dragging is the knight Damon?"
Kael didn't answer right away, but threw the corpse as if it were trash.
"That's the corpse of one of the nobles who were infiltrating the territory."
"So the others escaped using space magic, right?" Zephyr shifted on his throne as if he had seen them escape from the mountain.
The matter of Kael's breaking the rule was no longer of importance, because a neighboring kingdom was being discussed.
"And the corpse of knight Damon, where is it?"
"Maybe it already became excrement of some animal," Kael answered calmly.
Zephyr was slightly surprised. According to the reports he had received about his last son, the latter was not able to hold his head high and sometimes even behaved like a pervert spying on the maidservants on the sly.
But the person in front of him was quite the opposite, which aroused his curiosity. Something the young masters and ladies present did not overlook.
"I see..." muttered Zephyr, pointing to the sword and mask with an inquisitive gesture. "And how do you explain these objects to me?"
"They belonged to a nobleman from the Lion Kingdom who infiltrated our territory," Kael answered naturally. With that simple explanation, he justified the origin of both items without raising suspicion.
Before returning to the mansion, Kael had attacked the hideout of the nobles of the Lion Kingdom. They were the key piece to give legitimacy to the objects of the Demon Wolf's inheritance.
As the nobleman had left the territory, it was not possible to investigate thoroughly. Besides, Damon's corpse had left him unrecognizable. But, knowing that in this world there were all kinds of Zu and unique magics capable of tracing the truth, he did not want to take any risks: he decided to throw the remains to some wild animals.
The rain that had been falling for the past two days had been the perfect icing: it would erase any trace that might give it away.
Zephyr smiled, and this time his smile widened. Now he was sure: all the rumors about his last son were false.
"You can stand beside your brothers," he said calmly, satisfied by Kael's response, though he knew that lies were hidden within his words. But without proof, there was little he could do.
Interesting. With this, breaking clan rules becomes less important. He thought.
Kael obeyed and stood next to his brothers, who watched him with discomfort. The strong smell of blood emanating from him was undeniable. His black Taoist robe, soaked and stained red, did not go unnoticed.
"You're very lucky you're still alive, you bastard," murmured Jenna, the sixth young lady, with a venomous tone.
Kael turned his gaze to his older sister: hair as red as fire, eyes of the same intense color, and a face of dazzling beauty framed by thin lips.
They were the unmistakable features of the Medici.
Seeing the distinctive Medici features, red hair and eyes, he simply averted his gaze back to the Clan Chief, his father, waiting for him to speak so he could go off and give himself a good cleaning.
Zephyr, seeing everyone at their posts, began to speak:
"I will now proceed to choose the Flagbearers who will explore the newly surfaced dungeons in the mountain."
He paused, surveying those present before continuing:
"However, since the Awakening Ceremony is near, exploration will take place after that event. For now, I will only designate the Flagbearers, who should form their groups."
The young masters tensed, except Kael. They all knew this was a test given by their father.
"The chosen ones are: Soren, Jenna, Lyra, Jasper...and Kael."