Chapter 168: A Weapon That You Can Use
Because until today, every single snobby noble who ever watched him do this blood oath just called him a barbaric idiot. It had even got him thinking that maybe he should stop it and he was actually considering it.
Draven genuinely did not think that Adrian would actually follow his footsteps but now that he did, Draven’s doubts about his own actions disappeared.
His wives standing right behind him just shook their heads in disappointment.
But Adrian and Draven just clicked right then and there. They locked eyes and came to the exact same silent conclusion.
’This is so much fun.’ they both thought. ’This really pumps the blood.’
It was just pure adrenaline. A wild rush that only these two actually understood.
Aria just stood there beside Adrian. She stared at her dad and genuinely thought he was a massive moron. But she still couldn’t help but smile at the whole stupid display anyway.
But then she shifted her gaze over to Draven. The man who basically peer pressured Adrian into slicing his hand open even without using words.
Aria felt a sudden, sharp spike of annoyance. She genuinely felt like this barbaric brute was dragging Adrian down a very bad, violent path. She wanted to walk right over there and punch the Marquis straight between his legs.
But she had to hold back. Because she was currently stuck playing the role of a sweet, innocent little kid.
’Acting like a child every single day...’ Aria thought miserably. ’My brain is literally turning into a stupid kid’s brain.’
She blew out a frustrated puff of air. She shook her head hard to snap out of the mentality.
Draven dropped his bleeding hand a few seconds later. He gestured for Adrian to follow him inside the giant stone walled mansion.
Adrian turned to his people. He ordered his soldiers to go mingle with Draven’s northern veterans and get a solid grip on the situation. He told them to ask the local soldiers exactly how to tackle these specific monster invasions. Building camaraderie was important and the most basic way of doing it, was to just talk to people.
Then Adrian walked right into the mansion.
The interior was actually much smaller than Duke Silas’s lavish estate. But it was still vastly bigger than Adrian’s own manor back in Oresfall.
And even though the building was huge, the inside was incredibly bleak. It was not heavily decorated at all. It felt more like a brutal military fortress with zero artistic flair. It was basically just plain, cold stone walls everywhere he looked.
Adrian followed the Marquis into his private study.
Adrian sat on a wooden chair once he got into the study. He dungeon link and pulled out a thick leather book.
He placed the training manual at the center of the desk.
"Well, exactly like I promised." Adrian said. "Here is the manual that teaches you how to merge your mana veins and mana heart to your physical body and heart... which enables you to use your internal mana to directly power your physical body."
Draven just stared at the cover. He stayed quiet for a long moment.
Then he reached out and pressed his palm flat against the leather binding.
"You were actually serious about handing this over."
"Of course." Adrian nodded and leaned forward.
"But listen to me. I got a terrible feeling about the stuff you mentioned back at the party." Adrian said. "I spent the last month thinking about those monster waves. And none of the answers look good at all."
Draven frowned.
"If it is actually a human who is controlling all of this from the shadows without stepping onto the battlefield," Adrian explained. "Then this person is decently smart and incredibly dangerous. And if it is an actual boss monster that is orchestrating everything from deep inside the dungeon... then this monster is probably terrifyingly strong."
Adrian tapped the desk.
"Both of those situations are terrible." Adrian said. "If it is a human, there is a very high chance they might just run away the second they find out we are invading the forest in full force. We cannot really catch them unless we find a way to stealthily infiltrate the area."
"And if it is a monster," Adrian continued. "It is going to be even harder. Finding it will be straightforward, but killing it will be an absolute nightmare."
Draven nodded grimly. "Yeah, that is the brutal truth. But you should have a plan, right?"
Adrian nodded slowly.
"Well, I do." Adrian admitted. "But I will need you to trust me on this. Because I am going to have to move out alone with my own army."
Draven’s eyes narrowed in confusion.
"There is something that I am simply not ready to show anyone yet." Adrian said seriously. "Not even you. Because if the wrong people see it, it might cause a massive political problem for me, you, and everyone related to our alliance."
"It is incredibly dangerous." Adrian warned. "And since my personal army has signed a binding Soul Contract, I can trust them to keep their mouths shut. I cannot risk your soldiers seeing our methods."
Draven looked at him in silence for a few seconds, and then began laughing loudly.
"Ahahahahaaaa don’t sweat it." Draven waved his hand dismissively. "You are already stepping onto the battlefield to help me take care of a bloody nightmare that has been a literal pain for my family for generations. I am just incredibly glad that you are actually going this far to lend your blade to me."
"Thank you for being so understanding, Lord Draven." Adrian said as he nodded.
Draven then grinned and opened a drawer before taking out a small ring from it. He placed it on the table and pushed it towards Adrian.
"A lot of people know about your curse." he said, "Usually people hide it but your father went around telling everyone about it."
"I’d say that he was pretty smart about it since heirs of high nobles are a prime targets for assassinations and they also get dragged into politics. By telling people that his son is useless, he got everyone to ignore you." Draven chuckled as he gestured towards the ring, "I found something that you can use as a weapon. It’s not something that is made for war but it is a great weapon."
