With the sun covered by clouds, preventing its golden rays from illuminating the mountain, Jasper, after finishing reading the letter, called three of his most loyal knights. Three men in black armor trimmed with red entered the tent and knelt.
"Did you call us, young master?" said Iker with the utmost respect, without looking up.
"Yes, I need you to do something for me. You're the ones I trust the most." Jasper walked calmly between them before adding, his expression twisted with hatred. "Take care of my dear younger brother. Here is the information on his whereabouts."
Iker looked up, took the document Jasper handed him, and read it, surprised by the accuracy of the information. His admiration for the fourth young master only grew.
"Young master, are you sure that the three of us are enough? Young master Kael is an S-rank talent. Plus, he has both a dantian and a magic circle." Iker pointed out, feeling that Kael was not as simple as the other young masters and young ladies made him out to be.
"You don't have to worry. You're both at Rank 8, Intermediate Level, while my younger brother is only at Rank 9, Beginning Level."
Jasper was certain that Kael had no chance of survival. He was also collaborating with one of his brothers to eliminate him. The odds of Kael surviving were practically nil, knowing that his group consisted solely of a completely inexperienced individual.
Finally, I'll be rid of that miserable existence. And then I'll go after your mother... Jasper's eyes flashed viciously.
But that gleam hid more than just anger: resentment. Jasper clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles cracked.
For years, he had done everything right. He had trained, obeyed, and built up strength within the clan. Yet he was not recognized.
Instead, Kael only had to awaken a damn S-rank talent to get everyone's attention. He still remembers very clearly the 97 lotuses, lit up and shining splendidly.
What about me? He thought, feeling the familiar burning sensation in his chest. Don't I deserve something? Am I not more useful?
However, he also thought of another possibility that could ruin all his plans.
My younger brother is an S-rank talent... He's likely being secretly protected. That's a big problem for us, since killing Kael would be practically impossible.
His expression turned completely serious. Although he knew that the Medici Clan valued strength above all else, he would not let an S-rank talent die so easily. Furthermore, Kael possessed great intelligence, which made him the perfect future leader, capable of taking the clan to greater heights.
Jasper knew this, and for that very reason, he wanted to eliminate his younger brother before he developed sufficiently. He did not want to remain silent and swallow his anger, as had happened with his sister Lyra. Although she had abandoned the fight for succession, she was still favored by the clan simply because she had an S-rank talent.
That's how important talents are in this world. If you had a D-rank talent, you were despised and isolated by everyone, but if you had a B- or S-rank talent, you were applauded and praised by the masses.
I just hope the assault goes well.
Jasper, with his legs crossed and a cold expression, stared at the snow falling gently to the ground.
...
Snow piled up on the branches of the trees, bending the thinner ones slightly under its weight. Birds intertwined their songs in the air, a symphony that broke the silence. Suddenly, a flock took flight. Their shadows were cast on the snow before disappearing into the sky.
In the distance, a heart-wrenching howl pierced the forest. It was a wolf, its voice tearing through the air. Others answered it. Among the trees, something else was moving: a crackling of branches, a barely audible snort.
Iker was running through the forest at high speed, dodging wild animals lurking in the shadows. He was accompanied by Dante and Brian. His feet moved nimbly as he crossed the snow-covered bushes, leaving footprints that were quickly erased by the fresh snow.
"Iker, are you sure you want to go through with this mission?" Dante asked, white vapor escaping from his mouth as they ran.
Iker remained silent for eight seconds before responding:
"We have sworn allegiance to the fourth young master, not to the Medici Clan. Therefore, we must carry out his orders to the letter. Even if it leads to our death."
Dante and Brian fell silent. They knew that Iker's words were true; they had been saved from the streets of the city by the fourth young master, Jasper. He gave them shelter and food at the most miserable time of their lives.
They continued running without saying a word as they crossed the forest.
After half an hour, they left the forest and arrived at a snow-covered meadow, where they saw some wild animals that posed no danger. The three looked around for any potential danger. They weren't stupid enough to risk their lives because of a simple oversight.
"So this is where they sent the seventh young master," Brian commented after looking around and finding nothing.
Just then, they heard a rustling in the bushes behind them, and three shadows emerged and stood in front of Iker, Dante, and Brian. Quickly, they took up defensive positions against the newcomers.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" asked Iker as his body was enveloped in an aura and his eyes flashed dangerously.
"Are you the ones sent by the fourth young master?" A deep voice echoed among them as a man in black and red armor walked toward the group.
His appearance was quite intimidating: a simple but rugged face, large eyebrows, black eyes, a scar in the middle of his face, and a tall figure.
When they saw him, they quickly recognized him. It was Hans, a Rank 8, Highest level, the faithful follower of the first young master.
Iker stepped forward and gestured to his companions to lower their weapons. "So you were sent for the same reason."
Hans simply nodded. He rested his large spear on his shoulder and, looking around, said indifferently, "So, the first one to find the seventh young master and kill him gets the body. How does that sound?"
"That's fine with me. As long as the seventh young master dies, I don't care how it's done."
Iker turned around, looked at his companions, and gestured.
The group, sent by the first and fourth young masters, set out to find the entrance to the dungeon first.
They didn't take long to find the dungeon and entered it. Since the traps had already been activated, they didn't have to worry about that. Shortly after, they arrived at the great hall, where they were met with a shocking sight.
"Really? Two people were able to kill so many beasts?"
Dante put his hand to his chest, as if he needed to make sure he was still breathing. The stench of blood, still warm on some of the beasts, clouded his senses. No... it wasn't possible that two people could have done this.
So many corpses were piled up on the ground, and even the Baron-class Beast was dead.
Those present couldn't believe what they were seeing. If you told them that this was done by two people, they would laugh in your face. But seeing this, they could only think about how terrifying an S-rank talent was.
After recovering from the shock, they continued deeper into the dungeon until they reached the last room, where the boss beast was also dead, and the stone of origin, which was the core of the dungeon, was gone too!
"Impossible!" one of them exclaimed in shock.
Iker quickly turned around and ran out of the dungeon.
I have to report this to the young master!
But as he left the dungeon, Iker couldn't help feeling that it was already too late.