"Maximillian...? Wait, are you really the family head?!"
I shouted in disbelief. He looks too young to be one, not to mention that he doesn't give off the air of an important person.
His speed was something that isn't possible for a normal boy, though, so I can't help but accept that he really is the family head. I grabbed his extended hand and shook it.
"I'm Will. I was sent here by Yu Na to pass some things on to you."
After I finished speaking, I just noticed that I wasn't really paying any respect to him with my choice of words. Fortunately, he just passed it off with a laugh.
"Hahaha! Yeah, you can just call me Max. I'll personally allow it. Come, take a seat. You too, Miss Luo."
When I was just about to ask him, "Where are we supposed to sit?" a pair of sofas with a coffee table appeared in the middle of the room. It wasn't there earlier, though. Magic? Illusion?
When I looked over the beautiful horned secretary, I noticed a residue of space energy around her finger. This sofa set was probably retrieved by her in an instant from a storage ring or subspace of some sort.
When Max sat down behind the table once more, I and Ying Yue were sitting on the sofa opposite each other. Ember and Fang stood in attention behind me, while the Wan sisters did the same behind Ying Yue.
"So, first, can I receive the things that the Duchess asked for you to deliver?"
"Oh, it's here."
I said this as I passed the whole storage ring to Fang. Fang then passed it to the female secretary before it reached Max's hands.
"Hmmm... Oh, okay. Looks like the contents don't have any problems."
After inspecting its contents, he passed it back to his secretary as he faced me once more.
"So, what do you want as a reward?"
"Reward? The ring is supposed to be mine after the delivery. That's apparently my reward."
I replied with a blank face.
"No, that's a reward from the Duchess. I mean, what can I give you as a reward? Anything you wish?"
He clarified while returning the storage ring to me atop his open palms. I stood up and took it from him while thinking of what to ask for. It didn't take long for me to remember one of my main reasons for visiting this place.
"I... Do you have anything that can identify hidden bloodlines?"
After hearing my question, one of his eyebrows raised in doubt.
"Hidden bloodline? Well, it's not like we don't have one, but is that really what you wish?"
"Yes, please, if possible."
I nodded my head without hesitation.
Convinced by my determination, he quickly nodded his head.
"Alright. Then, keep standing there for a moment. Prima, please."
As Max signaled for his secretary, she pulled a staff out of nowhere. It looks like a mage's staff with a large gem floating at the tip.
"Then I'll begin."
The secretary, Prima, quickly announced this as she closed her eyes. The staff pointed forward as a complex flow of energy surrounded the whole room.
It looks like the view wasn't limited to me alone, as everyone else was gaping at the wondrous scene. When Prima opened her eyes once more, a burst of light emitted from within me as it manifested in the air in the form of complex patterns.
There were a total of thirteen patterns, or glyphs, arranged in a circle that appeared with varying transparency and sizes. The largest and most solid-looking one was at the top, while the faintest and smallest one was at the bottom.
After the glyphs appeared, the smile that was on Max's face immediately turned into a frown.
"Thirteen...? Now this is interesting..."
He muttered as if in deep thought. To the side, however, Ying Yue was staring at the glyphs with wide-open eyes.
"No way... You also have Luo blood?!"
She shouted as she pointed to the glyph at the three o'clock position. It was a medium-sized glyph depicting a white snake coiled around a staff. It was about half transparent.
Before she could further speak, Prima started explaining.
"... Of the thirteen glyphs, there are eight that still exist to this day. This includes the Seimei and the Luo bloodlines."
She announced it slowly. Then she pointed to the lower six glyphs.
"The remaining six are minor clans with no particular background, probably a result of taking in outside blood."
Then, as if in doubt, she pointed to the top five glyphs. Her eyes were flickering with worry as she stared at them.
"This is the first time I saw these five bloodlines. They don't exist anywhere in memory, neither in the past nor in the future. It's an anomaly."
She then turned to me and squinted her eyes, a silent, intimidating air enveloping her.
"Do you, perhaps, have an idea about what this means?"
"Prima, stop."
However, before she could further press me for answers, Max waved his arm to stop her. Unable to disobey her master, Prima bowed deeply as she took a step back.
"Sorry for that. This was supposed to be done as thanks, but my subordinate was rude to you again. Let me apologize."
"No, it's fine... But what are these?"
I genuinely do not have an idea. It seems that they are marks that represent my bloodline, but the top five with the largest and most solid appearance were completely unknown.
"It's the Blood Traces. Each bloodline, be it in the past, present, or future, is recorded by a particular omniscient being. The skill Prima used is a common one that references the bloodline of a person with the recorded data."
Max took a deep breath and stared at the five largest glyphs.
"But your major bloodlines seem to be unrecorded. You even have the Luo and Seimei bloodlines in equal parts, and the purity even rivals what the main families have right now. What are you, really?"
"I..."
As I was about to answer, I felt a chill run down my spine. I quickly ducked to dodge, only to see the blade of a saber pass where my neck was a second earlier.
"Enough talk. You need to die!"
Ying Yue shouted as she sent another swipe with her saber. I took two steps forward and tapped her wrist. The saber in her hands flew away almost at the same instant.
"Ying Yue, why are you attacking me?!"
I honestly had no idea. I know that she hates me, but is it to the point that she would try to kill me…?
"You possess the Luo bloodline but aren't recorded as a part of the family! Meaning, you are either the son of a deserter or a traitor! We, as a rule, are to eliminate such beings on sight!"
Wan Li and Wan Er, with reluctant expressions, were keeping Fang and Ember in check. It'll be hard to talk this out peacefully, it seems.
"Family Head of the Virgil, Maximillian, please do not interfere!"
She announced this as she charged again, even without a weapon. With that as a signal, Wan Li and Wan Er, together with Xiao Bing and Xiao Huo, launched their own attacks on Fang and Ember. In just an instant, chaos ensued.
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