CHAPTER 832: THE ONE BEHIND HIM

Aldrian, after receiving the message from his avatar, looked at Munez with a smile. The avatar also sent its memories to Aldrian, showing what it had seen from Ignar’s memories.

While the avatar was sending its memories to Aldrian, Munez tried to think about how he could get out of this situation. He tried to understand why Aldrian the Great was here in the first place. Was it because Aldrian the Great had come to punish him for what he did in the past?

Was his guess correct, that Aldrian the Great might already know about his involvement?

But something felt strange about Aldrian the Great’s sudden appearance here. Even if Aldrian the Great knew everything, how did he know that he was in this place, in the deep core region of Poison Valley, the most dangerous forbidden zone of this world?

Munez’s gaze then shifted to his little brother and the man who had become his guardian beside him.

Suddenly, he understood something. Despite his dire situation, his mind worked quickly as he connected the dots of past events on his own.

’Var’s disappearance, Ilona’s report, Aldrian the Great’s attention to the Barevisk family, the strangeness of Ferix’s condition, Ferix who seems different, his unknown guardian... I see, so that’s how it is,’ he thought.

He finally understood that all of it was connected, and he couldn’t help but glance at Aldrian the Great, his little brother, and his guardian, who was Aldrian’s avatar.

Now he knew that he had already been doomed from the start, ever since he sent Var’s group to infiltrate the Barisan Continent. From that moment on, he had unknowingly been played by Aldrian the Great. Even the Valroy family might not have known about it.

"You... you’ve been working with Aldrian the Great since earlier, haven’t you? Ilona, you, Aldrian the Great... I suppose that guardian of yours is also someone Aldrian the Great sent," Munez said as he looked toward his little brother.

"You are good, brother. You actually managed to fool me. I have to commend you for that. But don’t think that just because you caught me, you can take the patriarch’s seat so easily. You will face opposition from the populace and the elders. Even if you gain support from many, you still won’t be able to sit as patriarch. There will be chaos and resistance from my faction."

Sir Ferix, who heard those words, knew that they were true. Yet he couldn’t help but smile as he looked at Munez.

"Well, that might be the case if this were a normal situation, but you still do not understand what kind of situation you are in," he said.Munez wanted to frown but could not. His gaze then turned to Aldrian, who had suddenly gone silent. Aldrian only looked at him with a smile, and Munez knew this man was what made his little brother so confident. He did not deny it. With Aldrian the Great’s reputation, it would be a game changer for Ferix.

Clap, clap.

"All right, gentlemen, it’s time to continue what we left earlier," Aldrian said to Munez and Godard as he clapped his hands.

"I know you must be thinking hard about the current situation, but first I have to tell you about the dead men you sent to Sir Ferix’s mansion. I have to say, your plan to send them to the manor was quite amusing."

"Let’s see, trying to kidnap Madam Elysia, planting false evidence in Sir Ferix’s manor, framing Sir Ferix for possessing devil’s artifacts. Truly interesting." Aldrian said as he leaned closer.

He could see Munez’s eyes trembling. What Aldrian said came from the memories his avatar had just shown him. Munez must be thrown into chaos now that his plan was known.

"Now let’s continue. How do you have connections to the devils, enough to know some of their secrets? Even for you to have visited this place," Aldrian asked.

"You better tell the truth, Munez, while I am still giving you leniency. If I were not being patient, I would already be torturing you for repeatedly trying to screw my empire and for even sending a group of assassins to kill me."

"Or are you hesitating because you worry about the Valroy family? ck, ck, ck, believe me, that would be the least of your concerns if I decided to torture you for fun. I like to make my enemies suffer," Aldrian said with a chilling smile that made Munez’s and Godard’s hearts tremble.

Munez’s trembling lips finally opened after hesitating for a moment.

"It’s because of the young master of the Valroy family, young master Randolf," he said at last.

"Explain," Aldrian said calmly.

"I know this place, and the reason I know the devils’ secrets is because of the young master of the Valroy family. Before I explain further, I have to go back to the time when I was still competing for the patriarch position against Ferix."

"Young master Randolf approached me and said he would help me take the patriarch’s seat as long as I remained loyal to him and became his hand, doing the things that kept the Valroy family’s hands clean," Munez answered.

"One of the young master’s orders was to keep some of the devils’ remains that we had already killed. But first, I need to make one thing clear, I did not know much about the devils or have any connection to them before I built a relationship with young master Randolf. Everything I know now came from the information he provided through his own means."

"This place was once one of the devils’ main hidden bases, though it has long since been cleansed of them. We of the Barevisk family attacked this place with young master Randolf’s help. I didn’t even know there were devils here, but young master Randolf knew it as if he had seen it himself."

Sir Ferix narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. To think that the Valroy family was involved in this matter.

"I never asked about his source of information or anything regarding his abilities. What I do know is that young master Randolf’s capability is the real deal, and everything he said always turned out to be true and helpful to me. Every one of his plans was precise and successful."

"Thanks to him, the devils’ presence in this world was suppressed to the point that they no longer dared to appear openly. Many of their former territories were seized, and countless devils were killed. Each time that happened, the Barevisk family was tasked with cleaning the scene, and I was ordered by young master Randolf to keep some of the devils’ belongings. That devil stone is one of them."

"Anyway, the point is that I learned about the devils and kept their belongings because young master Randolf ordered me to do so. As for why he needed me to store those things, I don’t know. I only did what he commanded, according to our agreement."

Hearing the answer, Aldrian nodded. Munez was not lying, and Aldrian was not surprised that Randolf knew so many details about the devils or that he had the capability to track and kill them easily. With his system assisting him, he possessed many strange and unknown abilities that could aid him in various tasks.

He then looked at Godard.

"Who is this man to you? Is he one of your subordinates, or does he hold some kind of status?" he asked.

"He is one of my men, a master of poison laws from outside the family. He also knows about the devils because he was part of my cleaning team," Munez answered.

"I see," Aldrian nodded. Then, without warning, he swung his hand to the side, toward Godard’s neck. At first, nothing seemed to happen, and the others wondered what Aldrian had done. But once he released the spatial lock, Godard’s body collapsed lifelessly. His head was instantly severed from his body as blood flowed on the platform.

Munez’s eyes trembled as he saw Aldrian kill one of his trusted men without the slightest hesitation. He thought that Aldrian the Great must have considered Godard useless and ended his life without a second thought.

A second later, Godard’s body vanished. It reappeared above the poisonous river where the group had previously encountered the water beast. The blood immediately drew the creature from below. A giant mouth burst from the surface, swallowing both Godard’s body and head in one sweep before diving back into the depths, leaving nothing behind.

Munez did not understand where Godard’s body had gone, but his attention quickly returned to Aldrian.

"So, I suppose the story of the Celestial Angel Flower is a lie then?" Aldrian asked as he turned his gaze back to Munez.

"No, the story of the Celestial Angel Flower is real. That miraculous herb truly exists in this region," Munez answered without hesitation.

Aldrian raised an eyebrow.

"So, where is the Celestial Angel Flower?" he asked.