Chapter 365: Shred of Mercy from Me (1)

Ruvian had already known they were there. Morvayne had warned him the moment he moved closer to his father.

The five men Edric had brought with him were not particularly strong magus, but they were still more than enough to threaten his family, none of whom had the strength to defend themselves against trained magic users.

It was obvious now that they had planned to use force from the very beginning. They had simply been waiting for the right moment to drag the men out of hiding and put pressure on his father.

"What is this, Edric!?"

Dieren spoke firmly, trying to hold his ground, but there was no hiding the fear and panic in his voice.

His face had gone pale as his eyes swept across the men surrounding them. He stayed close to Ruvian, almost putting himself between his son and the others without even thinking about it.

Edric glanced at him with a faint, amused smile, clearly entertained that Dieren still needed the situation spelled out for him.

"This is what I meant when I told you there would be consequences, Dieren. You were given more than enough chances to settle this quietly, yet you kept rejecting every offer we put in front of you.

I came here tonight hoping you would finally understand what kind of position you’re in, but apparently, words still aren’t getting through that thick skull of yours.

So perhaps a small demonstration will help you realize that continuing to oppose the guild will only make things much more unpleasant for you and everyone around you."

Then, he let out a small, knowing smile.

"However, I am not an unreasonable man. Sign the guild agreement tonight, accept the terms we offered you, and I will tell them to stand down. This can still end quietly, Dieren. All you have to do is to agree to the terms."

Dieren frowned.

There was no way he wanted to sign that agreement. He knew exactly what it was — a leash meant to bind him to the guild and make it harder for him to ever break free. But at the same time, refusing them could put his family in danger. ℴℴ𝘮

Caught between anger and helplessness, Dieren slowly began to give in.

He was not strong enough to protect them from people like this. He was not a Magus, nor was he some powerful noble with enough influence to make men like Edric think twice.

He was just an ordinary man.

And his family was everything to him.

If keeping them safe meant swallowing his pride and lowering his head, then so be it. Even death would have been easier to accept than standing by and watching his wife or children get hurt because he had been too stubborn to bend.

Dieren lowered his eyes, the fight slowly draining from his expression until only resignation remained.

Then, he let out a tired sigh.

"...Fine. If I sign it, you leave my family alone, right?"

He looked back at Edric, who was already grinning with obvious satisfaction.

"No more coming to my house. No more threats. Whatever problem you have with me stays with me."

"Of course," Edric replied without hesitation. "As long as you keep your word and honor the agreement, there will be no reason for us to trouble your family again."

But before Dieren could say anything more, Ruvian lightly tapped him on the shoulder and walked past him.

’Ruvian?’

Dieren immediately grew uneasy.

He thought Ruvian was about to do something reckless — so he opened his mouth to stop him, but a strange pressure suddenly rolled off Ruvian’s body.

It was faint, almost restrained, yet heavy enough to make the words catch in Dieren’s throat before they could come out.

And Dieren was not the only one who felt it.

The five men Edric had brought with him sensed it at the same time. Their bodies stiffened, and the smug, relaxed looks on their faces slowly gave way to unease.

Even Edric felt it.

For just a moment, the smile on his face tightened.

However, he quickly shoved the feeling aside.

To him, this was nothing more than a cheap intimidation trick used by young magus who had only recently learned how to let their mana spill outward and pressure people.

Edric had seen that sort of thing before: young fools who learned one trick and suddenly thought they were dangerous.

The thought almost made him laugh.

’Insolent brat.’

Casually, Edric prepared to show the young man what the outside world of Magus was truly like, far removed from the sheltered walls of the academy.

He had dealt with arrogant young Magus before. Most of them only needed one harsh lesson before they finally understood that talent and status inside an academy meant very little once they stepped outside its walls.

Edric was about to give his men the order.

But somehow, his body refused to move.

’Huh?’

His fingers would not twitch. His legs would not respond. Even when he tried to force himself forward, it felt as though an invisible weight had wrapped around his entire body and nailed him firmly in place.

That was when Edric finally realized this was not some ordinary trick of releasing mana to pressure weaker people.

This was a spell.

A spell meant to lock people in place!

’How!??’

And he was not the only one caught by it.

The five men he had brought with him were frozen as well. Their bodies had gone stiff, their expressions twisting with confusion as they struggled uselessly against whatever force was holding them down.

Before Edric understood what was happening...

The young man was already walking toward him.

His expression had darkened completely.

A cold chill crawled down Edric’s spine.

Upon seeing Ruvian slowly approaching him, all traces of amusement vanished from his face. All he could feel now was dread, fear, and growing confusion.

How could someone this young carry such an oppressive presence? And how could a mere first-year academy scholar cast such a terrifying spell?

It was impossible!

Ruvian stopped only a short distance away from him.

His expression remained calm, but there was something cold in his eyes that made Edric’s chest tighten.

"You said there would be consequences if my father refused to sign the agreement, didn’t you?"

For a moment, no one answered — not that any of them could.

So Ruvian simply continued.

"Then you should understand that there are consequences for threatening my family too. And when it comes to my family—"

His eyes suddenly flared with a radiant blue-white glow as [Assimilation] activated. -(10,000PP)

"—Don’t expect a....

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[Chapter 365: Shred of Mercy from Me (1)]

Plot Points = 300,400