Raven, You're So Despicable!

The air in the Secret Chamber was so heavy it seemed almost frozen solid.

Laxus glanced at the hand resting on her chest, then shifted her gaze to Raven's face. Her pretty features turned icy. "What are you doing?"

At that moment, the instincts Raven had developed from surviving on the streets made him extraordinarily calm. Looking into Laxus's eyes, he spoke with righteous conviction:

"Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation!"

His gaze was utterly sincere, his voice remarkably steady. He looked exactly like a knight saving lives and healing the wounded.

Laxus had almost believed Raven—if his hand had stopped moving right then.

A philosopher had once said that as long as you spent ten thousand hours doing something, you would become an expert at it.

If that saying was true, then Raven was undoubtedly an expert at dealing with women.

And one mark of an expert was turning an originally complicated skill into bodily instinct.

Just like now. Raven clearly had no such intentions, yet his hand had already begun moving with practiced familiarity.

So when he saw Laxus's gaze fall upon his hand once more, the expression on his face became particularly awkward.

"Um... this is also part of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. If I stop now, you'll pass out immediately!"

"How dare you defile a priest of the God of Light? Your crime is unforgivable!" Laxus raised her hand and began chanting. "Great Lord of Light, please allow me to call upon Your gift and punish the enemy before me—"

A brilliant glow like the first light of dawn bloomed from her hand. It was Punishment Spell, the second-tier divine spell of a Divine Spellcaster!

Just as she was about to finish the final syllables, Laxus's voice abruptly cut off, and her arm drooped limply like a noodle.

She... had passed out again.

"What the hell is this?"

Raven stared at the hand he had already pulled away, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Was I really performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation just now?"

That was definitely impossible.

Judging from Laxus's abnormally pale face, she had likely fainted from excessive blood loss.

Laxus was a Second-tier Divine Spellcaster, and her physical condition far surpassed that of ordinary people. She wouldn't die anytime soon.

It was better that she had fainted. If she saw Donald's corpse, it would only cause another huge problem.

Without wasting a second, Raven immediately began rearranging the scene.

He dressed Donald in his formal attire, including his gloves, wig, and socks. Then he moved a chair into the corner, placed the corpse on it, drew out a rapier, and slashed Donald's chest and abdomen into a bloody mess.

The lighting was dim. Unless someone came close for a look, no one would notice anything unusual about Donald.

Then he helped Laxus up and placed her in another chair, even carefully smoothing the wrinkles in her clothes.

Once everything was done and he had gone over the plan in his mind once more, Raven used the only key to open the door to the Secret Chamber.

Half an hour later, Raven returned with two men.

Raven walked at the front. The man behind him was broad and sturdy, clad in heavy Plate Armor, with a studded round shield on his back and a broad Hand-and-a-Half Sword at his waist. Thick brown beard spilled from the gaps between his helmet and breastplate.

His eyes were even more striking. His left eye was as wide as a brass bell—one might even call it a tiger's eye—exuding the bearing a warrior ought to possess. But his right eye was far less satisfactory, as though the Creator had suddenly lost patience while molding him from clay and carelessly gouged it with a carving knife, leaving behind a hole scarcely larger than a peanut.

Other people had uneven eyes. He had one "big, tiny-tiny-tiny-tiny eye."

This man was Eric Davinson, Chief Guard of Eagle Fortress and a First-tier Heavy Armored Warrior. He had been the one who led men to Monen City to bring Raven back.

The man walking at the rear looked to be in his sixties. He had silver-white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and eyes that held the wisdom accumulated through time. A gold-rimmed monocle covered his right eye, making him somewhat resemble Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. He was Old Gordon, the Butler of Eagle Fortress.

"Raven, what exactly happened to Lord Baron?" Eric asked. "We're here already. Can you tell us now?!"

Raven ignored him, took out the key, and silently opened the door. "Please come in, gentlemen."

"Hmph." Eric snorted and strode inside, deliberately—or perhaps not so deliberately—bumping Raven as he passed.

Old Gordon, by comparison, was far more polite. He gave Raven a slight nod of greeting before entering.

"What happened?!!!" Eric's voice was nearly a roar. He drew his sword and pointed it at Raven. "Lord of Light above, Raven, what did you do to Lord Baron?!"

Boom.

The door to the Secret Chamber slowly closed. Raven strolled inside. "It wasn't what I did to him. It was what you did to him."

Eric froze. "Y-you, what do you mean by that?!"

Raven walked around Eric and stopped beside Laxus. "Eric, Chief Guard of Eagle Fortress, failed to be knighted despite serving at Eagle Fortress for fifteen years because of his strange appearance, and so he became resentful."

"Therefore, taking advantage of Uncle Donald's trust, you launched a surprise attack and murdered him!"

"You want to frame me?!" Eric pointed his sword at Raven's throat.

The Secret Chamber wasn't large. Though Heavy Armored Warriors weren't known for speed, Eric was confident he could subdue Raven within five seconds!

But Raven's weapon moved faster than his sword.

Raven aimed a Hand Crossbow at Laxus's temple and held the rapier across his own throat. "Your crimes were discovered by Priest Laxus and me. Enraged and humiliated, you decided to go all the way and kill us both too!"

The sword in Eric's hand suddenly felt heavier than ever. He looked at Raven's incomparably steady hands as cold sweat ran down his forehead and even dampened his beard.

The baron had been stabbed to death, which was already a failure of duty on his part as Chief Guard. If the priest and the baron's first heir also died here, he would become the prime suspect.

The wrath of both the church and the Empire would descend upon a mere first-tier warrior like him, and his family would inevitably be implicated!

"Scum!" Eric said, trembling. "I have no reason to assassinate Lord Baron!"

Raven said calmly, "No, you do. You reached an agreement with Denise Griffith, Uncle Donald's second wife. You would assassinate Donald and allow his stepson Weston to inherit the Nobility Title, and in return, you would be knighted."

The words sent a chill through Eric's heart. Raven's accusation was simply too plausible, too perfectly suited to the sort of conspiracy people were always willing to believe. Once this rumor spread, he couldn't even think of a way to clear his name!

Eric waved his Hand-and-a-Half Sword. "...I didn't do it, and I never would! I'll go to the Noble Council right now and expose your scheme to frame me!"

The next instant, a flash of scarlet appeared before him, making his steps abruptly freeze.

Raven had actually pushed the rapier's edge forward and cut open the skin of his own neck!

The sight of blood instantly sobered Eric. He no longer dared make a move, because at that moment he knew Raven truly had the courage to kill himself. "Madman! You're a complete madman!"

"What do you want!?"

A faint smile appeared on Raven's face. "At last, we've come to this."

His gaze left Eric and settled on Old Gordon, who had remained silent the entire time. "Mr. Gordon, could I trouble you with something?"

Gordon bowed. "At your command, my lord."

"Then please immediately draft a document in Mr. Eric's voice," Raven said. "Its contents shall state that Mr. Eric admits that, out of greed for a knighthood, he accepted Denise Griffith's terms and personally assassinated Baron Donald Ota Griffith."

"I didn't—"

"As for you, Mr. Eric," Raven said, "if my judgment is correct, you're a native-born Nord, aren't you?"

Eric asked irritably, "What are you trying to do now?"

Raven stared into his eyes. "Swear upon your ancestors that you will pledge loyalty to me, then sign the document."

"As long as you remain loyal to me, the contents of that document will never be exposed."

Eric licked his dry lips. "But I still have another choice."

"That's right. Kill me here, then flee at once," Raven said calmly. "You're a Nord warrior trained by the Empire's regular military. I believe you have what it takes to cross Eagle Mountain and escape into the Bloody Highlands."

"But can your eleven-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter really endure such a long journey? Can they truly adapt to the cruel environment of the Bloody Highlands?"

Eric's mouth twitched as veins bulged and throbbed on his forehead.

"Despicable! Shameless! Scum! Madman! Devil!"

Gordon walked around Eric and approached Raven, presenting a document with both hands. "My lord, please review it."

Raven read through it once and nodded. "Then please have Mr. Eric sign it."

Looking at the words on the document, Eric's mouth kept twitching. He didn't want to submit, but he couldn't abandon his children. In the end, he could only remove his gauntlet, pick up the quill, and sign his name.

When the pen tip left the document, it was as though Eric's soul had been pulled from his body as well.

With a thud, he dropped to one knee, drew his blade across his palm, and smeared his face with blood. "With the Nord Ancestors as witness, I, Eric Davinson, pledge loyalty to Raven Griffith. I swear unwavering devotion and shall never leave his side!"

"Very good." Raven put away the rapier and Hand Crossbow, then placed a hand over his chest. "I, Raven Griffith, accept your loyalty. From this day onward, as long as your loyalty remains unchanged, I will ensure that you receive the honor, reputation, and wealth you deserve!"

Eric rose to his feet without saying a word.

Raven didn't care about his attitude. He walked to Donald's corpse. "Since you have already pledged loyalty to me, there are some things you ought to know."

As he spoke, he gave Donald's corpse a gentle push, and it fell to the floor with a thud.

"You—" Eric was about to fly into a rage, but he stopped immediately.

Because he had seen Donald's nearly translucent skin—skin that should never appear on a human being!

Raven walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "I did kill Donald. Now you've seen the reason why."

Eric's eyes were full of confusion as he looked at Raven. "This... but why..."

Since Donald was connected to an Evil God, his decision to pledge loyalty to Raven carried much less psychological burden.

He had originally been a retainer of the Griffith Family. Pledging loyalty to the heir was only natural!

But he couldn't understand it. Since that was the case, Raven's reason for killing Donald was entirely justified. Why had he still gone this far? Why had he insisted on risking his own life to blackmail him?

Raven said, "I know you have many questions, but now isn't the time for explanations. I need you to find a stretcher and carry our beloved Priest Laxus to a guest room."

Eric felt as though his brain wasn't quite up to the task, but Nord men had one good trait—if they couldn't figure something out, they simply didn't dwell on it. They just honestly carried out orders.

At least for now, his family wouldn't face any threats.

After helping Raven carry Laxus to a guest room, Raven left on his own. Eric still couldn't restrain his curiosity.

He grabbed Gordon by the shoulder and asked, "Old Gordon, what exactly is going on? Why did Raven do all this?!"

"Lord Raven," Gordon calmly corrected him. "Now that Lord Donald has passed away, Lord Raven is the first heir. You must address him as you would address a baron."

"All right, Raven—Lord Raven." Eric sounded uncomfortable. "Can you tell me now?"

Gordon asked, "First, let me ask you something. If you were an unrelated bystander and saw Lord Donald's corpse, what would your reaction be?"

"Well..." Eric thought for a moment. "I would report it to the Holy See, but..."

"That is enough." Gordon adjusted his spectacles. "You know the Holy See's stance toward secret cults and Evil Gods. If this were reported, the Griffith Family's Nobility Title could very well be stripped away."

"Lord Raven is sufficiently cautious. He didn't know how you would react, so he had to force you to swear loyalty first, ensuring that you wouldn't reveal this secret."

Eric suddenly understood. "So that's how it is... But why did he reveal the truth to me in the end?"

"Because Lord Raven is sufficiently intelligent and wise," Gordon said. "When you swore your oath, you had merely been coerced. Keeping someone filled with resentment at your side is no different from keeping a ticking bomb."

"Therefore, he needed you to know the truth in order to remove the resentment in your heart."

Eric tried hard to digest all that, scratching his head as he said, "Lord Raven really is... crafty!"

"It is wisdom." Gordon smiled. "After generations of decline, I have a feeling that under this lord's leadership, the Griffith Family will head toward a brand-new era of glory!"

Just then, Raven's voice rang out. "Mr. Gordon, please come over. There are some things I need your help with."

He had heard the conversation between the two men, and it also deepened his understanding of them.

Gordon truly deserved to be the Butler who had served the Griffith Family for nearly forty years. He was shrewd and wise, spoke without leaving any openings, and knew exactly what should and should not be said.

The explanation he gave directed Eric's thoughts toward the Holy See, while making him overlook the most crucial point: with Donald dead, Eric was the only Transcendent left at Eagle Fortress.

Although Raven was the first heir, he wasn't the only heir. Donald's stepson, Weston, possessed inheritance rights as well.

Whichever side Eric supported would be more likely to gain an advantage in the coming struggle for the Nobility Title.

That was why Raven had been willing to risk his own life just to keep Eric under his control.

Of course, Raven had another choice: secretly dispose of Donald's corpse, give up the inheritance, and return to Monen City to scrape out a living.

But why should he?

In this world, the gap between nobles and commoners was so vast that they were practically two different species!

The former could enjoy wealth, glory, power, and women, possessing and enjoying every benefit the world had to offer.

The latter were the "benefits" themselves.

Raven didn't want to return to Monen City and live like a rat in the gutter again. Therefore, he was determined to claim this barony!

"Lord Raven." Old Gordon bowed respectfully. "Your loyal servant awaits your command."

"Come with me," Raven said. "I need to understand what kind of person Denise Griffith truly is."

After all, she would be the greatest obstacle he faced in inheriting the barony.