System's POV

Chapter 796  Why Did You Have To Poke A Hornet’s Nest?

Clark looked through the window of his hotel room and took in the sight of the night sky.

The moon was shining brightly, and from time to time, beautiful falling stars lit up the dark ether, making him sigh in his heart.

Each falling star represented the death of a Wanderer in Solterra, making star gazing a very painful experience for Wanderers, who knew what it signified.

Depressed by the sight as tragic as it is beautiful, he closed the window of his room and laid down on the bed, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand.

After being disowned by his Grandfather, although there was no fanfare nor was there a declaration relayed to the media outlets or the public as a whole, the entire Ashford Clan knew that, moving forward, Clark no longer belonged to the Ashford Clan.

His father, Claude, was still the Patriarch of the Clan, but his brothers and the other ambitious members of the family were all eyeing his seat, waiting for the chance to take his place.

The young man could still remember the time he was packing his things inside his room, when his father and mother came to see him one last time.

His mother, a strong-willed woman, had uncontrollably cried as she held him in her arms.

They were not allowed to support him in any way, whether subtle, discreet, or through any third parties.

Aaron Ashford threatened that if either of them did such a thing, not only would Claude lose his position as Patriarch, but they would also be kicked out of the Ashford Clan.

Truth be told, Clark’s mother, Natasha, who had the same hair color as Clark, was not afraid to get kicked out of the Ashford Clan with her son.

However, she understood that once they lost the protection of the Ashford Clan, their enemies, whom they had antagonized in the past, would no longer have any reasons to fear them.

This would only make their lives miserable.

At least, as long as Claude and Natasha remained in the Ashford Clan, the most their son would receive was humiliation and ridicule.

People would still have to think twice about harming him since Claude was still the Patriarch of the Ashford Clan.

There was a big possibility that he would go all out to erase them and their families, as well as their entire bloodline from the face of the world, as his final act as the Patriarch of one of the Monarch Clans in the world.

That mere possibility served as a protective charm that hung around Clark, giving him a layer of protection from those who wished him harm.

After their tearful goodbye, the young man stared long and hard at his father and gave him one last piece of advice.

“Father, no matter what happens, don’t antagonize the Leventis Family,” Clark said. “This is especially true for Zion Leventis. He is not someone that you can provoke without suffering the consequences. He…”

Clark winced before putting his hand over his forehead as he endured a stinging pain, warning him that there were things that he wasn’t supposed to say.

“Clark, what’s wrong?” Natasha, who saw her son grimace, thought that he was suffering emotionally from being kicked out of the Clan and was only showing it now.

“I-I’m fine, Mother,” Clark tried to reassure her mother, who was now clinging to him, afraid that he might collapse on the floor. “I’m really fine. Trust me.”

The young man then shifted his attention back to his Father, who looked just as worried as his wife, Natasha.

“Father, please remember what I told you,” Clark said softly, careful to not say anything out of line. “Avoid direct conflict with Zion. If the other members of the Ashford Clan wish to target him, let them do as they wish.

“But you yourself must not, in any circumstances, take the initiative to antagonize him. Please trust me, Father. For the sake of our family, don’t give Zion a reason to set his sights on you.”

Clark had seen things others didn’t.

Heard things that others won’t.

They were more than enough for him to admire, respect, and fear Zion, who hid his true strength under the cover of his rank as a Rookie and the restrictions on his body that were made public. “The things that you heard about him, those tales of him fighting a Majin Prince and defeating a Majin King, believe in them and treat them as the truth and nothing but the truth,” Clark stated. “Lastly, please, you and mother should take care. I’m already old enough to be independent. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Claude nodded before hugging his son and wife. He felt helpless inside, despite his position as the Patriarch of a Monarch Clan.

With his word, he could do many things.

But with one word from his father, his authority would be stripped away faster than he could blink.

“Son, you speak so highly of Zion,” Claude said after pulling back from his hug. “What makes you fear him so much?”

Claude already knew that his son planned to go to the Aldebaran Continent to stay by Zion’s side.

He still couldn’t understand why his son, who was very proud, was acting this scared and meek over a teenage boy who was a few years younger than him.

Clark looked at his father with a conflicted expression on his face.

However, after a minute, the young man merely raised his right hand and pointed upwards.

At first, Claude thought that his son was warning him that his Father might be listening to their conversation.

But that was currently impossible because before Claude went to meet his son with his wife, he had a private meeting with his father first. Aaron told him implicitly that Clark should no longer be in the territory of the Ashford Clan after he returned from his inspection of their city in Solterra.

This meant that Aaron was currently not in the Main Residence of the Ashford Clan.

Then, since this wasn’t about his father, he thought that there might be people spying on their conversation.

However, he ruled out this thought as well.

They were currently in the most secured location of the Ashford Clan, and only he, his wife, and Aaron had the clearance to enter this place.

After eliminating all of these other variables, Claude finally realized what his son was implying.

Since he was pointing upward, that meant that he wasn’t really referring to the ceiling, but the sky outside.

And the sky was often referred to as the Heavens.

Claude’s expression turned solemn because he knew that his son wasn’t someone who would joke about this matter.

He was no longer a kid who would play pranks just to get his attention.

“I think I know what you’re trying to say,” Claude said. “You might have some kind of restriction preventing you from telling us everything. However, rest assured, I will do as you say.

“Even if my Father, your Uncles, or cousins pick a fight with Zion, I will stay out of it. You have my word.”

Clark sighed in relief because he no longer had to worry about his father.

Zion had promised him one thing.

“A day will come when the one calling the shots in the Ashford Clan is no longer someone named Aaron Ashford,” Zion had told him back then. “So, until then, you better tell your father to survive the schemes of his family members, who want to kick him out of his position as Patriarch.”

If Clark listened to this statement before he came face to face with the Order of the Apocalypse, he might have just laughed at Zion and called him delusional.

But he knew enough to rejoice that he was no longer fighting against a Devil.

Both of them were now on the same side!

“Grandfather… just what did you do to offend Zion?” Clark muttered as he stared at the ceiling of his room. “Why did you have to poke a hornet’s nest?”

Clark didn’t know the answers to this question.

He was not aware that Thirteen’s grudge and hatred toward Aaron Ashford were already hundreds of years old. It was a grudge that had started even before Clark and Claude were even born.

A grudge that would come full circle and make Aaron regret his decision of stabbing the person who saved the world from a Calamity that brought everyone to their knees.