Everything started to make sense to Cassius as he listened to Ashok’s words. The questions that had always lingered in the back of his mind, the ones he had never dared to fully confront, suddenly became clear—too clear.
Why did the Miss hide her identity every time? Why did the Duke never take her out in public? Why did she desire freedom more than anything else?
’It all makes sense if she was a Witch.’ The thought burned through Cassius’s mind like a fiery brand. His chest tightened, his breath coming in shallow, jagged bursts. Betrayal. That was the only word that could describe what he felt now.
The reason Cassius felt betrayed wasn’t because the Miss had hidden the fact that she was a witch. No. It was the opposite.
The betrayal stemmed from the realization that everyone around him—those he trusted the most—knew the truth and kept it hidden from him.
’Did everyone think I would reveal her identity? Am I not even trusted this much?’ The thoughts lingered in Cassius’s mind like a dark cloud, but he quickly pushed them away, forcing them out of his head. He couldn’t afford to fall into that pit of self-doubt.
Instead, he turned his focus back to the matter at hand—the pressing concern of the Young Miss’s condition.
Cassius addressed Ashok, no longer caring about the slap. "What does her being a witch have to do with the condition of the Young Miss?" His tone was sharp, demanding an answer, not allowing any distraction.
The Duke’s gaze lingered on Cassius’s back, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. Despite everything—the hatred, the suspicion, the years of serving under him—Cassius had never wavered. He had stood by the Duke’s side, even after learning the truth about his wife, even after discovering what they had all hidden.
’Darling! You were right; his loyalty has no bounds,’ the Duke thought, looking at Ashok. Now was not the time to get emotional, but to get answers.
"How do you know about my wife’s past?" asked Duke.
Ashok’s expression remained unchanged, his casual shrug betraying none of the tension in the room. "Why ask something when you know I won’t tell you?" he said with an air of nonchalance as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. His voice was calm, almost mocking, as if he found the Duke’s question a waste of time.
The Duke’s clenched fist tightened, the muscles in his hand straining with the force of his anger.
"Did your wife ever mention her rank among the witches?" Ashok inquired, his tone sharp.
"Why should I answer—"
"Your daughter’s life is on the line. You better start showing respect to me because if I turn away from you now, nobody in the entire world can help you when your opponents are witches," Ashok replied coldly. "The reason Karzan gave for your daughter’s illness was wrong, but in some places, he was half-right."
"W-What do you mean?" the Duke’s voice shook upon hearing Karzan was half-right.
"Answer my question first," Ashok said, his voice laced with an almost smug confidence.
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For the first time in their entire lives, the Head Butler and Cassius saw the Duke losing an argument. Even the greatest merchants tread carefully around the Duke, fearing to anger him. Negotiations with him always sounded like pleading, and this was true not just for merchants. The Duke spoke to the Imperial Family as if they were equals in rank, but now he was being dominated in a conversation by a mere kid.
Bad times had changed everything, forcing even the Duke to bow to a child.
"So, what was the rank of your wife?" Ashok asked.
"She never spoke much about her past, only mentioned she was strong," the Duke replied, his voice strained.
"Hahaha! Every witch is strong. The Sword Saint standing here is strong. You are strong. That old man behind you is strong. So, what’s the difference between strong?" Ashok retorted, his tone sharp and mocking.
"What does my wife’s rank have to do with my daughter’s condition?" the Duke demanded, his voice rising in frustration. He didn’t want to care about what he perceived as pointless knowledge right now.
"One of the reasons your daughter fell ill is also your obliviousness. When you don’t know, you shut up and listen," Ashok said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. The Duke’s whole body shook at the sting of Ashok’s accusation.
"As we all know, under the Witch Queen, came the twelve Great Witches, and serving the Great Witches were their Disciples. But after the death of the Witch Queen, together with a few of the Great Witches and countless disciples, the remaining Witches went into hiding while the union of races continued to hunt after them. ," Ashok explained. Everyone listened in silence, not daring to respond, fearing a sarcastic reply.
’Why does this guy remind me of that madman?’ Cassius thought for a moment but quickly refocused on Ashok’s words.
"Now, my question is: if your wife was a Witch disciple, do you think the Witches would have time to care about her daughter when the union of races is hunting them?" Ashok asked, and the eyes of the three widened in realization.
"Y-You can’t mean my wife was a Great Witch," the Duke said, his voice trembling. In the empire, the Great Witches were called Apostles of Destruction, known for bringing death and chaos whenever they emerged from hiding.
It was also because of them that the Empire didn’t have much time to care about Hell Bringers and Cultists. After all, who would worry about a small poisonous snake when a world-eating serpent looms on the horizon?
"Not only was she a Great Witch. She was ranked third among the Twelve Great Witches—the Great Witch of Protection," declared Ashok, dropping a bombshell on the three.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"I must say, you have quite a taste, marrying a woman over 150 years old," commented Ashok, but then a thought crossed his mind: ’Isn’t Morrathis over a millennium old? What does that say about my taste in women?’
The Duke was about to retort when Ashok interrupted, "Forget my previous comment. Moving on to your daughter—there is currently a witch living inside this mansion." He dropped another bombshell before the three could recover from the previous one.
The three were struggling to comprehend that the one who threw tantrums and roamed around the mansion like a child was one of the strongest Apostles of Destruction, said to have the blood of millions on their hands and now there is a witch in the mansion.
"I have to say, your daughter is quite in demand. Not only the Cultists but also the witches are after her," Ashok added with a smile.
"What do the witches want from my daughter?" asked the Duke, his voice laden with worry.
"The power of Witches is their overwhelmingly strong Soul Trait which has the power to even break the natural laws of the world, which we call supernatural. It is well known that only about ten supernaturals are born every ten years, and nine of them die young while the remaining ones cannot fully develop their abilities and are left hidden in the corners of the world. That’s why the Witch Queen was such a threat—she created an army of supernaturals and then not to forget her deeds." Explained Ashok.
The three remained silent, absorbing the gravity of the explanation.
"Good! You are learning. Moving on, it is a taboo among witches to get married because their overwhelming soul power cannot be handled by a child, leading to stillbirths," Ashok continued, his tone authoritative.
"But your daughter is alive because your wife possessed the power of protection. If she had been any other witch, your daughter wouldn’t have even been born," Ashok said, his words carrying the weight of undeniable truth.
As everybody listened the Head Butler had one question ’Where did is this kid? How does he have knowledge that is not even mentioned in the Tower? When they were the ones who experimented on the dead body of a Great Witch?’
The Duke thanked his dead wife for their daughter.
"Your daughter is also incredibly lucky, just like you, Duke," praised Ashok for the first time, and the three looked at him with shining eyes.
’All three of them are lolicons,’ thought Ashok, clicking his tongue in mild annoyance.
"Your daughter was also born a supernatural and a very strong one. Her body couldn’t handle her power. So my second question is: how did she survive?" asked Ashok.
The Duke opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, not wanting to reveal his daughter’s strength.
"The answer to this question is also the reason why those Cultists came after your daughter," Ashok said. The Duke hesitated, contemplating whether it was wise to reveal his daughter’s greatest strength to an unknown boy.
The Duke’s silence brought a smirk to Ashok’s face. "I know what you are hiding," Ashok declared.
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