Henry bit his lip in agitation as he watched the Duke walk closer to him. He could tell that the Duke was not in a happy mood.

Moreover, the Duke was speaking too much. The last time Henry saw the Duke act like this was when he went mad with rage in a war. The enemy had not survived to be able to tell what happened.

"My dear Henry, I thought you were smart enough not to come between me and what I wanted to achieve. But are you foolish enough to bite the hand that fed you?"

The duke asked in an annoyed voice. He sounded angrier by the second, but Henry had no idea what the Duke meant by these words.

"I…Duke, did something happen? I am not sure what you mean by all this, but if it is something important, then I-"

"First, you committed a crime, and now you are pretending to be innocent and trying to tell me that you did nothing? This is not going to work for me. I am afraid that I will have you pay the price."

The Duke spoke harshly, and Henry knew this was his end. He was going to die today, and he had no choice but to accept his failure and death.

'At least the kids are out today. That is a relief. I was not sure how those kids would take my death. But this way, they won't be traumatized to see their 'father figure' killing their big brother.'

Henry sighed in relief, but he still felt bitter in his heart. He felt as if he had eaten a bitter lemon, and all the mistakes he had made until now flashed through his mind.

"I will give you one last chance - tell me where you hid my kid, and I will let you live. If you fail to answer me, it will be the end for you and the pathetic organization you are trying to nurture."

The Duke seemed angry, but his words made Henry look up in a flash.

"I. Duke, believe me when I say I have no idea what is happening. I promise I did not-"

Henry tried to apologize, but he saw the magic headed for him. He closed his eyes, knowing that this would be the end for him, but his body decided that he did not want to die today.

He managed to dodge that first attack, but instead of looking relieved, Henry looked even worse. He was paler than before, and his eyes looked bloodshot.

"D-Duke, I did not mean to"

Henry tried to apologize to the Duke for what had happened. He knew that dodging that attack was not what the Duke intended. He did not intend to do that either, but he had tried to dodge that attack anyway.

The Duke looked angry, and whatever mercy he had for Henry evaporated.

"Fine! I see how it is. If you want me to give you a difficult death, then that is what I will give you. You do not need to look so shocked or angry about it. You brought this upon yourself after all."

The Duke promised, but his attack was stopped once more.

This time, instead of Henry dodging the attack, a divine light caused him to halt. He looked behind, only to see Cardinal Bishop walking into the office with a smile.

"Oh my! Was the Duke in the middle of something? I am afraid but the gods asked me to interfere in this fight and make sure the Duke does not damn his soul any further. And you, young man, should run away as soon as possible."

Cardinal Bishop was one of the temple's most powerful and respected figures.

Unlike most fools who believed themselves capable of heading the temple, the Cardinal had actual power and influence to back up his claim of power.

He was one person the Duke could not kill, no matter how much he tried to. So, he had to be subdued and gather his wits for now.

"Cardinal Bishop, may I know why you decided to pay me a visit today?"

The Duke asked, lamenting his bad luck as he tried to keep calm. But he could feel his insides boiling at the fact that he had to let that traitor of his go.

Of course, the Cardinal noticed this, but he refused to say anything. Instead, he decided to take a seat and invite the Duke to sit.

"Decisions made with a hasty mind are often clouded with deception. Why don't you sit before me and tell me what makes you this desperate? Maybe talking about it would help you understand what happened?"

The Cardinal asked teasingly as he pointed to the chair before him. The Duke did not want to sit down but felt he had no choice. He took that seat and looked across the table at the Cardinal.

"Priestess Cana, can you bring us some tea and snacks? I am sure you can find them in this establishment. Ah, but if you want to, then take your time finding those things. I have a feeling that the talk between me and the Duke will be a long one."

Cardinal Bishop spoke in a low and happy voice, but neither his words nor his eyes reflected this.

The Duke took the offered seat, but he did not lose his tenseness or stop looking anxious about what he was going through.

He simply sat down on the sofa and looked at the Cardinal blankly before he sighed and put his hands in front of him.

"So, Duke, would you mind telling me what made you lose your mind like this? You said something about your son, but as far as the temple knows, you are neither married nor have a mistress. Where did this mysterious son of yours come to be? We are very curious to know."

The Cardinal spoke in a low voice, but his interest was apparent. The Duke won't be able to run away from this conversation now.