CHAPTER 16: TWO CHOICES

James broke the silence as he looked in Duke Garrick’s direction and chuckled. "Well... now what?"

"You!" Duke Garrick gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his forehead. "Do you even understand the consequences of what you’ve just done!?"

James spat on the ground with disdain. "Consequences? Tell me, did you ever think about that when your family mocked and humiliated the Steelhearts after my grandfather’s death?"

Before the Duke could respond, James continued as he looked at him calmly and tapped his foot on the ground in rhythm. "You have two choices now—continue this and see how it ends or take a step back and apologize."

"What did you just say, James!" A young man in his early 20s bellowed.

"Why is there a stray dog barking while the adults are talking?" James scratched his ear.

"Enough." Duke Garrick raised his hand, signaling the young man to stop.

Then, he closed his eyes and calmed himself down before looking at James with a calm expression. "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

"I don’t want anything." James waved his hand casually. "I’m just upholding the Steelhearts’ name. No cat or dog should think they can smear it however they please."

Sigh!

"If that’s really what you want, then the Wolfsblade family will take a step back." Duke Garrick finally said, his tone heavy as he waved his hand.

The crowd was shocked that the Wolfsblade would take a step back this easily. However, with the strength shown by the masked man, it would naturally be the best move to step back unless they wanted to accompany the old man in the afterlife.

"Good choice." James said with a faint smile. "But... where’s the apology?"

Duke Garrick frowned deeply for a moment, then took a step forward and cupped his fists as he bowed slightly. "I, Duke Garrick Wolfsblade, apologize for our family’s past actions toward the Steelhearts."

James raised an eyebrow, clearly never expecting that Duke Garrick would swallow his pride and do it.

"Well then, I’ll accept your apology." James nodded and turned his attention to the young man who had shouted at him earlier. "However, I still remember the pain from when you kicked me in the stomach at the banquet."

The young man unconsciously took a step back, looking at him with a fearful expression. "W-what do you want?"

"I just want to kick you back now that I’ve got the chance." James chuckled and motioned with two fingers for him to come closer. "Come here, Darion. Don’t worry, as long as you don’t resist, we’ll be even after one kick."

Darion hesitated and looked at his father, asking for help.

Duke Garrick waved his hand with a stern expression. "It’s fine. If they dare to harm you further, I swear upon my name there will be blood today, regardless of the consequences."

Darion nodded and walked toward James slowly.

"Are you ready?" James smiled viciously as he looked at Darion in front of him.

"Hmmmph! Just get it over with!" Darion snorted unhappily.

James nodded and glanced at Nyxrael. "If he resists, kill him."

Darion knitted his eyebrows before closing his eyes and placing his hands behind his back.

James moved his right foot, stretching it for a bit before swinging it as hard as he could.

Thwack!

"AARRRGHHH!!" Darion screamed loudly, his hands were on his crotch as he rolled on the ground in agony.

"..."

The onlookers were stunned as they watched how James kicked Darion’s balls mercilessly. Most of them even started putting their hands on their crotches since they somehow could feel the anguish simply by seeing Darion rolling on the ground.

"James, you fucking asshole." Darion roared in anger. "Why the hell did you kick me there!?"

"What? I said I wanted to kick you, I never said where." James shrugged.

"..."

The crowd was speechless because of James’s shamelessness.

"Alright, I think we’re done here." James waved his hand lazily. "Let’s go home."

Just as James was about to get inside the carriage, Duke Garrick spoke with a cold expression. "I hope you can bear the consequences later on."

James stopped and tilted his head, looking at Duke Garrick for a moment before replying with a faint smile. "Worry about yourself first before worrying about others."

The crowd started to disperse now that things have settled. But one thing they won’t forget after this incident. It was to never provoke the Steelhearts.

"Your subordinate’s strength... it’s truly unfathomable." Gareth broke the silence inside the carriage.

"I told you." James replied with a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt, but aren’t you worried about the consequences of killing the Wolfsblade’s strongest man? He was the one holding the border against the Veylmar Kingdom. If they attack now, your household might be dragged into a disaster." Eldric said carefully.

James leaned back in his seat, completely relaxed. "You don’t need to worry about that. The king has probably already sent reinforcements by now. As for the consequences... my father likely anticipated all of this long before it happened."

The truth was, James hadn’t ordered the attack out of recklessness. He had weighed his options carefully.

If they’d fought while still at a disadvantage, he was certain they would’ve lost quickly. The old man was at the Peak of the Epic Knight rank, and Duke Garrick himself was no pushover. If both of them fought seriously, even Nyxrael and Gareth together would’ve fallen within minutes.

That’s why James had chosen to end it swiftly by having Nyxrael use his ultimate skill.

(Soulreaver’s Eclipse) wasn’t something that could be used often. It consumed the souls Nyxrael had gathered from his past battles, making it a one-time strike of devastating power.

But with that one move, the scales had shifted completely.

James’s faint smile returned as he stared out the carriage window. ’In the end, sometimes a little chaos is exactly what’s needed to restore balance.’