A Bizarre and Twisting Story

Soon, the news reached Ulada Magic Academy.

The members of Dorm 2023 immediately left the academy, skipping their classes to rush to Rhode Mansion to check on him.

Inside the royal palace.

Prell frowned as he listened to the report from his shadow guard.

"Jonathan was assassinated? He is a dual practitioner of magic and martial arts, and both have reached the sixth rank?"

"What a monster!"

"A seventeen-year-old sixth-rank mage and peak sixth-rank warrior—it is truly hard to believe. I fear this news will reach the ears of the Dark Church soon."

After his gaze flickered for a moment, Prell stood up immediately and ordered his carriage to visit Jonathan.

His potential was worth such a gesture.

Prell had golden hair, handsome features, and a burly physique, possessing the air of a wise and capable ruler.

He took an ordinary carriage and brought only three guards to the common district.

Though the escort was small, one guard was an early ninth-rank, and the other two were late eighth-rank.

Furthermore, Prell himself was a late ninth-rank warrior with vast battle qi, capable of holding off an entire army.

When he arrived at Rhode Mansion and saw Charles inside, he couldn't help but call out in surprise.

"Father!"

Charles was equally astonished, his demeanor becoming somewhat stiff and awkward.

"Your Majesty!"

Collette immediately moved to kneel on one knee to perform a noble salute, but Prell stopped him.

"We are not in the palace, and I am traveling incognito, so there is no need for such formalities."

Ford's body trembled slightly, seemingly intimidated by the aura Prell exuded, and he couldn't manage to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Jonathan bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty's presence in this humble abode truly brings light to our home."

"I heard you were injured, so I came to see you. Why are you all here as well?"

He looked toward Charles and the others.

"He is in the same dormitory as us. Did Your Majesty not know?"

Charles said, "Father is quite busy, so I didn't tell him in order to avoid disturbing him."

"I see. Thank you for taking care of Charles all these years."

"Your Majesty is too kind. It is Charles who takes care of us; we often freeload off his food and drink."

Prell was in a good mood and laughed heartily before continuing, "By the way, how are your injuries? Do you know who was behind this?"

"I will see that justice is served for you."

"I am fine, just a few minor wounds that will heal in a few days. Fortunately, I usually don't reveal that I am also a warrior, otherwise, they might have actually succeeded."

"Charles, Collette, Ford, you won't blame me for keeping that hidden, will you?"

Collette said, "What are you saying? We are brothers; how could we mind? The stronger you are, the happier we naturally are."

"You promised us that you would be the 'thigh' we could cling to in the future."

Everyone laughed, and the sense of restraint brought by the King's arrival was instantly washed away.

"However, the person who attacked me had extremely skilled techniques. They must be a professional assassin, though I don't know which organization they belong to."

"As for having enemies, I have always kept a low profile. My daily life consists of nothing but cultivation."

Charles and the others all stepped forward to testify.

"The only grievance we've had recently is with the Bred Family."

"Bred? Them again?"

Prell's expression darkened, and his tone revealed deep dissatisfaction with the Bred Family. "Can you tell me what kind of grudge you have with them?"

Charles slightly adapted the story and recounted it to those present.

"Although I dislike conflict, they wanted to kill my foster father and the woman who is about to become my stepmother. Even the most mild-tempered person would fight back, right?"

"After a fierce battle, that youth who claimed to be a direct descendant of the Bred Family died by my hand."

"I suspect the Breds discovered the truth, which is why they hired an assassin to take revenge on me."

Ford said, "They tried to kill people first, and they still have the nerve to seek revenge?!"

Jonathan sighed, "It is strange, though. Aunt Sanita said the first time she saw me that I looked like her older brother, and that youth from the Bred Family also seemed very surprised when he saw me. It's all very inexplicable."

Prell pondered for a moment and said, "I recall that over a decade ago, a tragedy occurred in the Bred Family. The eldest branch of the direct line was slaughtered overnight. After the old family head passed away, the position fell to Canina."

"Could it be that you are the legitimate heir of the Bred Family?"

Jonathan gave a wry smile. "Don't ask me; I don't know. My foster father never told me, and I have absolutely no memories from before I was two or three years old."

"The eldest branch of the Bred Family did indeed have a child born not long before, around two or three years old. Come to think of it, I once saw that child and praised him for his natural intelligence, saying he would surely achieve great things in the future."

"You do indeed bear a three-point resemblance to your father, though you look more like your mother. Back in the day, your mother was a famous beauty throughout the entire Black Phoenix City."

"Your Majesty, you aren't joking, are you? How could I possibly be from the Bred Family? If that were true, wouldn't that mean I killed my own cousin?"

Upon discovering that Jonathan was a member of the Bred Family, Prell had already decided to lean entirely in his favor, even going so far as to help him dispose of Canina and the others so that he could take full control of the Bred Family.

In this way, he felt that Jonathan would surely stand on his side and be at his disposal.

"It was no mistake. If I am not mistaken, the mastermind behind the Bred Family massacre back then was your second uncle, Canina. It was he who hired the assassins to slaughter your entire branch of the family!"

"It is just that I had no evidence at the time, so the matter was ultimately left unsettled."

Jonathan stood stunned for a long while before bowing deeply. "If I truly am of the Bred Family, and if Marquis Canina really did kill my entire family, I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for me and for my innocent, deceased parents!"

Prell patted Jonathan on the shoulder, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "Rest assured, once I have verified the facts, I will certainly punish Canina severely and see the Bred Family returned to its rightful line."

Charles and the others listened as if to a story; the tale was so convoluted and bizarre that it left them filled with emotion.

Who could have imagined that Jonathan would discover the origins of his own lineage?

In truth, all of this was within Jonathan's expectations. Once he exposed more of his talent, he would inevitably be held in higher regard.

He had been seventy percent certain that Prell would come to him.

Therefore, this story was told specifically for his benefit; as a king, it was impossible for him not to have known about the Bred Family massacre of the past.

"Jonathan, focus on recovering from your injuries for now. I shall take my leave."

"I respectfully see you off, Your Majesty."

Once Prell had departed, Charles and the others finally relaxed and began to speak freely.

Collette said, "Jonathan, your business is my business. I will also ask my father to look into it, and I will notify you immediately if I hear any news."

"Many thanks."

Before long, the others also took their leave so as not to disturb Jonathan's recovery.

Jonathan did indeed have wounds on his body, but they were self-inflicted. With the restorative properties of the Dao Fruit, not even a scar would remain after a few days.

Without a doubt, now that he was being targeted by Prell, Canina was finished. As for the fate of the Bred Family, it rested entirely on Jonathan's whim.

If he were to manage it, it would surely flourish and have a brilliant future.

However, he had no interest in that.

Dealing with Canina was, in a small part, to settle the original owner's grudge—perhaps it was useless, but it allowed him to have a clear conscience.

The greater part of it, however, was to obtain the accumulated resources of the Bred Family to support his future research.

His name was Jonathan Rhode, and that was the only name he would ever use!

The first meeting with Linley is coming up soon, so everyone, please look forward to it.