volume 2 - Chapter 138 (1/2)

Chapter 138 – Element

Graudin snapped his fingers with a loud snap, and servants appeared to clear the dishes in front of Brendel. After it was cleared, two servants came up bearing a box each and placed them in front of him. They bowed slightly and left the area.

The baron stood up and extended his hand to prompt Brendel to open the box.

Brendel was certain that the b.a.s.t.a.r.d in front of him was not giving him gifts. Even though he was a viscount, there was no need for Graduin to bootlick him. If the latter actually chose to do that, even the word shameless would not be enough to describe his character.

He hesitated for a while before nodding to Amandina, indicating for her to open up the box and she did. However, her actions immediately froze when it was slightly ajar.

From Brendel’s point of view, she was clenching her teeth so hard that she seemed to be trembling but it was to prevent herself from screaming in terror.

She stood vacantly in front of the box for a while as though there was some magic restraining her. Her throat s.h.i.+fted slightly as she swallowed and took a deep breath before she opened it fully.

A fork dropped onto the plate. Romaine’s hand stayed in mid-air as she stared at the contents in the box.

Brendel’s expression immediately changed as well.

That was because a human head was placed in it—

To be precise, it was the swordsman he saw earlier. The decapitated head’s eyes were shut tightly and the skin had turned white because blood had been completely drained from it.

Brendel did not utter a word.

Amandina glanced at him for a moment before her hands slowly reached for the next box. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt faint, but she was determined to act her role. Her trembling fingers touched the box’s wooden frame, stopped for a second then slowly lifted it up.

It was another head — The baronet’s daughter Fenna.

Blood drained from Amandina’s face.

“The taste of that woman’s blood is quite good,” Baron Graudin had a pleasant smile as he spoke: “But a gentleman wouldn’t steal someone’s else belongings. I have heard that the skull of a young girl used as a wine gla.s.s makes the wine even better. Lord Brendel, you ought to try it sometime. The other head is a complimentary gift—”

Before he finished his words, there was a light humming sound in the hall.

Everyone’s eyes went to the source of the noise and discovered Brendel’s sword drawing itself halfway out from its sheath. It was vibrating so fast that it caused the hum they heard earlier, and it looked like it was about to fly out.

The youth had both of his hands planted onto the table with tightly pursed lips.

Everyone felt a cold air emitting from him as though there was a palpable killing intent about him.

The n.o.bles near Brendel dropped their utensils and even fell out of their seats as they watched in horror. That murderous aura intensified and the knights around Graudin drew out their weapon to protect him, while the latter continued to look on as he enjoyed Brendel’s fury.

But that smile immediately went stiff.

That was because that cold air manifested into white frost and covered the table, starting from Brendel’s hands. Silver knives and folks twisted into horrific shapes, while the porcelain plates and bowls cracked into pieces, then shattering once more to turn into white powder. That faint mist of cold air suddenly traveled rapidly across the table as though a raging beast was trying to stampede across to strike Graudin.

The two knights who were directly in front of Graudin grunted as they felt their swords’ blades break into pieces, before they suddenly screamed and covered their eyes; blood was oozing down between their fingers.

But the injuries from the knights did not register the people’s minds. It was because the only words that came into their minds were —

Unsealed Element.

Brendel felt his thoughts plunge into an endless darkness that seemed to freeze everything. The commotion he caused in the streets had caused Graudin’s retaliation and killed the innocent man he thought he had saved.

Utter disgust rose from within Brendel’s heart as he stared at Graudin with piercing eyes. The latter was worse than any of the n.o.bles he had met so far. The baron was truly made of utter filth. His fake smile seemed to twist into some strange abstract art that looked like it came from h.e.l.l.

A sobering rage was born from his heart, wanting every bit of this filth to be gone from this world, and this emotion swept every other useless thought in his mind. Time seemed to stop and his eyes perceived everything with absolute clarity.

His rage, the fear of the n.o.bles around him, Amandina’s discomfort from being so near his unraveling rage, and Graudin’s surprised eyes.

It was as though he was watching everything somewhere from above.

[I can’t believe I reached that so early….. That barrier that prevents me from using my Element.]

He felt his strength increasing by leaps and bounds, and together with the experience gained from the battle against his grandfather, he found himself pounding on the wall in front of him.

When he did so, he felt his mind describing the Element power in front of him with words. Frozen. Stability. However, that barrier knocked him back mercilessly:

You wish to break this barrier? You are not qualified yet!

The illusion disappeared and the world of darkness fragmented and scattered everywhere. Time resumed, and he was brought back to reality.

Brendel then heard the shattering noises. Everything was breaking in front of him. The temperature of the hall dropped over several tens of degrees and the walls were cover in a thick layer of frost.

Brendel’s next reaction was to place his hand on his sword, and this action alone forced Graudin and the twenty-odd knights behind him to take a big step back, while the furniture behind them exploded into countless splinters.

“Protect me!” Graudin screamed.

The knights beside him received a great amount of pressure as though an invisible wall was pus.h.i.+ng them back, but they forced themselves forward and pulled out their swords against Brendel.

What awaited them was a seemingly ordinary swing across the table—