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nAnyway, she slapped me as soon as we had breakfast.

n“Are you leaving soon?” Luna asked, with it being just us as we sat in the isolated corner of the mansion as if hiding from something.

nWe weren’t necessarily hiding from something, but it was comfortable, as we wouldn’t even wake up somebody by shouting from all the way here.

n“Yep… It’s about to begin. And his weakness… I already know his weakness,”

n“And what might that be?”

n“The Bonebloom family are highly resistant to all types of poison as they are trained from a young age. But, this is to cover up the fact that they have a blood condition where mana leaks from their mana veins into their actual veins,”

n“Then… how are they not dead? If oxygen mixes with mana without the reinforcement of a skill, it’ll implode into various mana explosions,”

n“They have medicine which helps to separate the oxygen in their blood from their mana. Think of it as placing a magic ring around their heart which places some sort of barrier between the other red blood cells,”

n“So, you’re going to take away this medicine?”

n“Well, first, how many of the Bonebloom kids did you kill?”

n“Around three… nowhere near our objective of slaughtering all ten of them… tch….”

nLuna looked up at me after clicking her tongue and just sighed and sat there, carrying her forehead with both palms.

n“Then I’ll need to be more careful. I’m not taking away their medicine, but I’m going to poison them,”

n“That’s… but you just said-“

n“It’s not real poison, though. Think of it as me infusing more mana into them, thus increasing the mana in their bloodstream. This would then cause an overload of mana in the bloodstream which will cause them to swell… and if what Orme said is correct, then the barrier around each red blood cell should die off,”

n“I see… but do you really think you’ll be able to poison the head?”

n“With the amount of trust he has in me, I’m sure there is a chance he will take a drink from me… but Orme told me about the pledge of allegiance to their crest. I will do that and swallow the pledge,”

nThe pledge to a family is what most families do for somebody outside of their actual bloodline, and it is to make sure they don’t betray them.

nPretty standard stuff, and you could call this pledge a type of poison that will only activate upon me betraying the family.

n“You crazy bastard… how are you going to swallow the pledge and then kill the family head right after. The pledge will just end up killing you right after,”

n“I’m not some kind of specially trained assassin, but I can order my body to stop. Like, I can literally tell my body to stop doing its autonomous functions with one of my skills,”

n“Then… you’ll just die. Your heart will stop beating,”

nI just smiled as Luna stared at me, drenched in sweat.

n…

n“Welcome, we have been expecting you. Please follow me as I will take you to the head’s office,” A butler said as he opened the door for me, allowing me to step into the massive mansion.

nIt was just as expansive and large as I remembered, and the hallways almost looked a bit similar to the ones in the Wony household.

nWere they potentially all made by one person? That is a possibility…

nAs I had a few useless thoughts, the walk passed by very quickly, and after only a few minutes, I arrived in front of the dark office.

nA strange pressure came from inside, and when the doors slowly opened, a gust of winds grazed my skin as sharp blades blew past me.

nI swallowed my nerves and stepped into the office dimly lit by a few candles.

n“Greetings. It is good to see you again, sir,” I said as I took a knee and bowed my head towards the large man sitting at the desk.

nHis buff and intimidating appearance was something I would never forget as long as I lived.

n“Would you like me to get you something to drink?” I asked, knowing full well that this would make him suspicious.

nBut, this would only further accentuate the fake fact that I was loyal to him once I swallowed the pledge.

n“Just give me a glass of water,” The man said, his gruff voice practically scratching the inside of my ears and shaking the bookshelves lining the walls.

nThere was a single window behind him, but it had been curtained shut, allowing not even a single bit of sunlight to enter.

nAs I began to pour some already prepared water at a desk near the corner of the room, I slipped in the poison, which was a white to almost translucent powder.

nHe also began to ask me a few questions about Orme.

n“Were you aware people were trailing you? I immediately had them disposed of as soon as you entered the mansion… how lucky you are that I discovered them,” The man said, and I just lightly smiled as I brought the glass of water over to the neat wooden desk.

nI planted them behind me in order to make it look like I was truly unaware and still the weak boy that he recognized me as before.

nThough, the trailers weren’t aware that they were going to be killed… poor things. I almost feel bad for them.

n“Thank you,” The head said as he moved the glass of water to the corner of the desk without even taking a sip of it.

n“Also, have you discovered the reason why my son took off to the Wony household? The same household trying to kill us? Does he have a deal with them, or is he planning something?”

n“He’s plotting against you,”

nThe tension within the room rose as the man began to shake with uncontrollable anger.

n“And… how is he doing that?”

nI could barely contain my smile as my lips cracked open, and my teeth practically molded a string of lies.

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