The Young Master in the Shadows

Chapter 399: In whatever way possible!

In the center of the main island at the center of the Von Weise Archipelago, in a huge domed building known as the Family's Hall, all the familiar’s awakened heirs stood in silence while wearing black robes and holding candles in their hands. Some were confused, some cried, some wept while others smiled secretly, like Titus who had been let out of prison an hour ago and since there he had been hearing some very good news.

According to rumors it has been 5 hours since the patriarch's wife, Lady Ann, AKA ‘The bitch in control’, went into an SSS dungeon that suddenly appeared in the mines after some traitors tried to assassinate the patriarch.

The accident happened when she saved her husband’s life by pushing him away at the last moment before the trap mechanism activated. Telling him to go and get help!

By the time he returned, it was too late…

‘Unfortunately’, she was not the only lost one as many of the family heirs were lost with her, that’s why this gathering was a must, to clarify the family’s plans.

“Today, we lost a great leader!” Marcos declared for the 35th time to the shocked audience as tears fell from his eyes. “A great mother, and an even greater wife…” he paused, thinking for a moment that those two should be reversed…Doesn’t matter, they were both lies anyway. “Now… We should carry her will… And one day, we will save her from that treacherous dungeon!”

“Although we know they are still alive… And hoping that they manage to beat this dungeon, we cannot stand still…” The patriarch said, heroically wiping his tears with his sleeve. Those tears were not fake, but true tears of joy.

One hour earlier he sent a ‘rescue team’ to check on the mines, and Ann and the heirs were truly no longer there, just an assortment of abandoned clothes and storage rings… Bruno was missing too, so he guessed that Ann must have noticed him when he used the teleportation-canceling talisman to cancel the effect of the escape talisman she kept hidden in her sleeve. She must have used her witch bound on him, not allowing him to put on that cursed ring… It was regrettable but a necessary sacrifice.

“We have many things to do…. First of all, because Supreme Elder Alfred was lost too, I will give Elder Jonathan all the rights Alfred has… You will be taking care of our hall of inquisition until Alfred returns, so take care!” Marcos said, to an old man with sneaky eyes. The latter nodded and bowed respectfully as the other remaining supreme elders who were sitting on stage eyed him and then Marcos with suspicious glares. Expert for elder Logan, the head of the internal affairs hall. He nodded in approval.

“Now, to the second state of affairs… As many of you know, the great tournament is close. We were planning to choose our participants from the elite heirs as it was customary, but now that they are missing, we need some other candidates… So, after negotiating with the elders, we decided to hold a tournament, those top 10 in it will get the status of elite heir immediately, and get the chance to participate in the grand tournament!” he said, making many of the heirs squeeze their fists. This was their chance! At last!

They had no idea that the winning team had already been arranged in advance…

…

Roy followed Iris and quickly arrived at the ‘Gym’ that was a part of Theodore’s new mansion complex.

To Roy’s surprise, it was not one building as he expected, but an entire complex, consisting of different training halls and stadiums, he could spot a basketball court, a swimming and a tennis court among others. Not counting the golf course outside of course… Just how much money did his cheap father have? Damn it!

Couldn’t he have helped him with some cash to cure his step-sister?

Feeling a little salty, he followed Iris and a trail of people, arriving at the martial arts hall, where the Fighting was supposed to happen.

And, Yes! they were not alone, apparently, about 50 heirs or so heard what was happening here and came running. Most were interested in martial arts and were already at the Gym, while others happened to overhear what happened earlier in the courtyard, and came just to watch the fun. They will regret it…

“Go ahead…” Iris told Roy as they entered through the large 10 feet tall door of the large martial arts hall. It had the words ‘FIGHTING!’ written above it in some fierce calligraphy.

He nodded and began to look around as he headed to the arena where his half-brothers were gathering.

This place was huge!

Other than the main Arena, this hall, not only featured three training arenas but also a few different training areas full of specialized equipment, like a wide zone for lances and an archery field to the side. He could even spot the entrances to a few private training rooms and an infirmary.

He knew that his father and the family put great importance on martial arts, but this was beyond his expectations.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. Bang…

He heard a small squeak from behind then the sound of a bang.

Looking back, he noticed that Iris had closed the hall’s large steel doors and was in the process of locking them with large chains.

“Ahh….” A shiver ran through his back. Something big was about to happen here… This may all have been planned!

“Ehm…” someone suddenly said from the Arena. It was that butler they called George who stood with his hands behind his back. “Young lady Lara here, decided to challenge young master Pan to a friendly fight, So according to the family rules, both of them will fight here until one of them surrenders or gets hurt… Although fists have no eyes, I advise both of you to try and not hurt the other badly!” he said as Lara who had changed into a cute pink jumpsuit stepped up into the arena and began doing some warm-up seriously. She looked super cute. From the other side, Pan just stepped up, he didn’t even care to change his clothes, he just wanted to end this farce quickly, he didn’t expect all those people to gather to watch him beat the shit out of a little girl.

“Are they really going to fight?” one young woman said. “This family keeps getting stranger…”

“Juju… watch your tongue… You barely managed to avoid marrying that Pervert Liam, don’t make Father angry with you again…” one of her half-sisters said.

“I know, I know…” Juju sighed. “But why does this family focus so much on martial arts… In the old days, it was understandable with all the wars and shit going on… But nowadays we live in a peaceful society…” she shrugged. As a kid, she too practiced martial arts for a few years as her father demanded that, and paid for it. But once she became old enough and realized she had a choice, like others, she stopped.

“The world is much deeper than you think…” The one who spoke was Iris who stood right behind Juju.

“Ahh… Sister Iris…” Juju quickly bowed, she met Iris before in her father’s mansion a few months ago. Iris was newly promoted to an inner family heir at that point and Theodore was looking to reward her with some properties. This made her very jealous, the difference in treatment between legitimate and illegitimate heirs was too big.

Still, it was Iris who helped her in the end to cancel her arranged marriage, convincing their father that if Juju was really reluctant, the marriage might fail. And telling him to give Juju a chance to run some business…

“No need to bow… It is nice to see you again,” Iris said. “How is the business in that Tattoo shop you opened?”

“Ah… passable…” Juju said in embarrassment. The truth was, it was almost bankrupt. Her father was right, she was not a good businesswoman material.

“Don’t worry, if you do well in the next few weeks, you won't have to worry about these little things anymore.” Iris, who totally understood what Juju meant, said.

Truth be told, she always felt a little sorry for those unlucky sisters and brothers. It was the same for her! If she hadn’t been recognized and helped by Victor back then, she would have been dead right now, so she always tried to help others, trying to be as noble and benevolent as Victor!

“Ah… I will try my best…” Juju said. So they were truly going to give them a chance to be legitimate! It was her chance to shine at last!

“You better do…” Iris said, bowing politely to the other half brothers and sisters then heading toward the stage where she stood to the side.

The fight was about to start!

“Brother! According to the family rules, I challenge you!” Lara, who finished her warmups, stood in attention then bowed slightly and performed a martial art salute, extending her cupped hands to Pan.

“Whatever…” Pan, who was feeling awkward, bowed slightly and then prepared his fists. He was going to end this farce fast!

Lara also quickly changed into a fighting position.

“START!” George said as he took a step back.

Something flashed…

Then Pan flew backward. Hitting the far side wall of the hall. In his place, Lara who had just used her little fist to hit his stomach was standing in a striking position, preparing for the counterattack that never came.

The fight ended.

It was an awkward silence.

“Lady Lara wins!” George said in a solemn voice. “Zero points…”

“What the f*ck!” someone exclaimed then all the brothers and sisters began to look between Lara and Pan who slowly slid down into the ground, totally unconscious.

“Holy shit…”

“Is she some kind of monster?”

“What did they feed her?”

“...” Roy squinted his eyes, feeling a little smug, but looking at Lara who was dusting her jumpsuit then at Iris who was whispering something in her ear and making her nod, he realized what was going on.

“Should I have hit him softer?” Lara asked, relaxing a bit.

“No, Lady Lara, you did just right! Men, take him to the infirmary,” George said. “Next!” he ordered, making Lara quickly bow in Pan’s direction then return to her position where El brought her some wet napkins to wipe her hand.

“What?” someone asked. “Are there any other contests?” he asked, looking around.

Everyone began to look around, but no one went up,

“All of you here will be having a match with Lady Lara… This is the first test!” George declared casually. Too Casually! Confirming Roy’s guess.

“A test?” Juju asked, looking at Iris who nodded.

“Yes… Did you think that joining the family as legitimate heirs is easy? Look at the entrance cards you were given when you arrived here… Those are your scoring badges, each one of them has a little number Zero in its corner… that’s how many points you have!” George explained.

“What?” Everyone asked as they took out the badges that had their names and gave them a closer look. True, there was a number above their name… They thought those numbers were just decorations, and they had no idea that those badges were electronic devices in the first place. What kind of advanced tech was this?

“For the next three weeks, we decided to give you a series of tests that will allow you to earn score points each,” George said. “Those tests will be completely random and totally unexpected… Some will be easy and some will be hard, depending on your luck.”

“What’s happening here is one of them?” one smart-ass guy asked.

“Exactly, For you guys at the very least, you were lucky…” he paused, not sure about that, “Your test this time was designed by Lady Iris and Lady Lara. It is a martial arts challenge, you will get one point for every hit you land on lady Lara on stage…” he said. In fact, this test was not about hitting Lara, but two other goals. The first was to test their courage, honor, and determination. And Second was to get them hit badly enough hoping to get them to awaken a regeneration skill after their ceremony. This new fact was found in the Ancestral journal Victor got.

“Ahh…But we are not…” one began to complain, while others tried to slip away, getting to notice the chained door.

“The moment you entered this hall your fate was sealed… You were considered a part of this test!” George cut them off.

“What about the ones outside?” another asked, trying to grab the chain, it was real. The door was locked.

“You better worry about yourself first, the others outside exploring this mansion will get their chances later…” he said, with a smile that was definitely not a smile. “These tests will be supervised and randomly decided on by your legitimate half brothers and sisters, so you better not anger them!” he added, making everyone look at Iris, calmly waving at them.

“Damn…Bitch…” Roy finally cursed inwardly, Iris made him come here on purpose… Still, she did tell him that there would be a test… a test? Was the test just hitting the little girl? No… He quickly figured something out.

“Can’t we not participate?” one fearful girl asked.

“You can… But you will lose all the family benefits… Including the monthly salary and the medical insurance we provide…”

“Ahh…. But I am afraid to get hit…” one girl said, making Lara frown looking at her. Why were her new brothers and sisters so cowardly? Sure they would be hit, but the family can quickly heal them, and they will grow stronger!

She looked at her maids for answers, but they could only shrug, deciding not to inform her how scary she was earlier.

“There is a way out…” George suddenly said, watching the dismayed heirs. “You can choose to withdraw from this one test… But you will lose 10 points by doing so, and if by the end of all of these tests, you got less than zero points, you will also be kicked out from the family and will lose all benefits regardless. The family does not raise cowards!” George said.

“Will the other tests be like this?” a boy who had thick glasses asked, hesitatingly.

“I don’t know, the tests’ contents will be decided by their issuers, the legitimate heirs,” he said. “The test they choose for you might be easier or harder, it will depend on your luck!”

“Ahh… But…”

“Enough questions…” Iris suddenly said. “You will know everything later tonight at dinner, in fact, what I told you was already posted on the announcement board near the entrance, and it was the real first test, but only 3 read it… everyone else failed,” she said, making everyone look at each other.

“Now… Let’s go, you, onto the stage!” Iris said, pointing to Roy.

Roy silently cursed again. He knew this was coming.

Taking a breath he decided to try his luck and slowly took off his shoes and walked into the stage barefoot. Although he was not a good fighter, he did learn martial arts, and he was a little confident in his stamina which was honed by a few years of working as a delivery driver, going up and down countless staircases.

Lara bowed.

He bowed back respectfully, mirroring her action. She seemed pleased, good, maybe she…

“Start…” George announced.

Roy could see it as the little girl reached his side in a flash. He wanted to dodge it, but his body didn’t move fast enough, he could only use his fists to receive Lara’s hit and then he flew into the air hitting the exact same spot Pan hit before him.

“Zero Points…” George began to announce as Roy slid down, blood pouring out of his mouth.

“Uncle George… Give him one point…” Lara said, “He managed to hit my fist back…” she said, raising her little fist and making Iris nod.

“Oh… Then, one point, it is!… Take him to the infirmary!” George nodded as Lara returned to her position.

“NEXT!”

That was the last thing Roy heard before he completely passed out… What a nice girl!

…

It was about midnight when Sini watched nervously as the old man returned from behind the large rock. The poor young man who was taken there was not with him and it didn’t take too much brain power to know what his fate was.

“The Poison lord this time…” the old man said absentmindedly, sitting beside the bonfire and tending it slightly as he looked right into the flame. “This doesn’t add up…” he kept saying. “Too many variables…”

The girls didn’t dare to make a voice. They just watched as he took off the cloak of his head, revealing his flowing silver hair and handsome face.

Yes he was old, but very handsome. More handsome than most of the men they saw in their lives and this included pretty male toy slaves and Elven princes.

His build was sturdy and through the tight garment, they could see the bulging muscles of his arms.

And on top of that, he was a human! What was a human doing so deep in elf territory?

UNIMPORTANT!

Can a human be this handsome? They had no idea, as they lived their entire life in Elven lands and the only full humans they met were slaves… This included their fathers.

This guy was also very powerful. They could tell from the way he easily subdued the slavers.

Could he be one of those legendary human hero legends?

The girls didn't know what to think as they observed the handsome face in front of them. The more they looked the more they got enchanted and hooked.

It was an hour later when the old man turned to face them. “Sini and Yoss, right?” he asked, making the two girls nod as they looked at each other. They never told him their names!

This meant he had an appraisal skill and more than 10 Authority points!

“Yes…” they both quickly answered.

“Where were they taking you?” he asked pointing to the tightly tied and chained still collapsed slavers.

“To a nearby town… There will be a market in the afternoon…”

“Nearby town? Where is this place exactly?” he asked.

“Ah… The Windless desert, Near the border of the Sun elves' territory… This is also near the boundary of the demon lands…” Sini said, some melancholy in her voice.

“Oh…” the old man frowned, taking a map from his ring, the one he got from the slavers. He made the girls help him point out their location. Although they couldn’t read, they were smart enough to pinpoint the location thanks to geographic features.

“I see now… This is far from human territory…” he said looking in one direction as if he was following an invisible thread.

“Yes…” Both the girls nodded.

“Oh… and how did the two of you end up as slaves with those guys?” he asked.

“We were slaves before they bought us… We are not useful in the war and our noble mistress didn’t need dead weight when she left the fief, so she sold us to them,” Sini replied in a sad voice. In this world, Authority and class decide everything.

“The war with the demons?”

“Yes!”

“Were you two born slaves?” he asked.

“No, We were sold by our respective parents when we were young…… They were refugees from the east, and they had no more money to feed us, we are just illegitimate half-blood daughters after all…” she said, biting her lip.

“The east?” he asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Yes, it was when the demon army advanced and the sun elves betrayed the Moon elves…” the other girl, Yoss, answered. Some resentment in her voice.

The old man seemed to have understood something, he nodded, deciding to change the subject.

“Oh…. Did you learn that tortoise shell binding method from your parents or your previous master?” he asked, pointing to the exotically tied slavers to the side. They were still knocked out.

“From our previous mistress…” Sini answered with a blush. This was the best way she knew to tie people.

“Not bad…” the old man nodded.

“Will they wake up soon?” Sini asked nervously.

“Ahh, I used a higher dose fearing the sedative would not work, but it seemed unnecessary… they should be fine by the morning…” he said then went silent pondering about a few things.

“Ah… Can I ask a question?” Sini who got her courage together suddenly asked.

“You already did…” the old man said dismissively. Seemingly he didn’t mind.

“What do you plan to do with us?” Sini asked, biting her lip.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked, raising one eyebrow and not giving an answer.

“Can we serve you…” Sini said, seemingly making up her mind.

“Oh… “ the old man raised one eyebrow. “Are you into old men?” he asked.

“Ahh…No…. Not that…” Sini blushed. “But… The two of us have been like sisters since we were young, and if you sold us, most likely we will end up in different places….” she said.

“Tell the truth…” he interrupted her coldly. He could tell she was lying.

“PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY…” Both Sini and Yoss knelt, as if intuitively. “We… We just don’t want to be sold. Nowadays there is only one job for half-breed slaves like us, either to serve the soldiers on the battlefields or as meat shields…Especially in this frontier place…” she said as she vibrated…shook with tears in her eyes.

“Oh…” the old man seemed interested. “You could have asked me nicely to find some good masters for you…”

“Ah… We want to serve someone powerful enough…” Sini said, determination in her eyes. She was telling the truth half of it. They also wanted a handsome master.

"You could have asked me for your freedom..." he said.

"Two half-breed girls on the frontiers can't afford freedom," she quickly answered.

"You don't even know my name... What if I am some evil man who wants to control this entire world?" he asked. He did have that dangerous air around him.

"You will be our master regardless..." Sini seemed determined.

“Then if you find someone stronger than me, you would leave?” he asked. “Someone younger… Handsomer?” he added raising one eyebrow.

“We already saw how cruel the world is!” Sini shook her head, her former mistress’s army of handsome men all died not being able to scratch one Demon general’s shield. And half-breeds like them would never get to have a happy ending. They could only do their best to survive!

And this old man was more handsome than all of them.

”Once you are our master, we will never betray until we die or let us go…” Sini finally said after some hesitation then as if reading each other's minds she and Yoss made a sign with their hands and then bowed down. This represented Elven honor, something similar to a one-sided contract or a promise that the world observed.

“...” the old man paused as if reading something in midair, then he looked at them. “How exactly can you serve me?” he asked with a mischievous smile.

Sini looked at Yoss, and then both of them stood up then unwrapped the old garments that covered their bodies and let them fall to the ground revealing their flawless bodies under the three moon's light.

The answer was clear, ‘In whatever way possible.’