YM778.TV Chapter 231: Why are they trying to frame me?
Mariel scrutinized Eli, observing his seemingly clueless yet smiling expression, a hint of curiosity playing in his eyes.
"Among the pilfered books, that specific manual is the only one missing...After thoroughly investigating the traitor, I discovered that he stole the manual with the intention to sell it....\'Mana Breathwork\' has a high demand in the black market, and there was also a \'Token\' inside that book, potentially increasing its value in the black market but.....it\'s not with Liam or Aspen or that traitor..." Mariel squinted her eyes, delving into Eli\'s every reaction.
"It seems someone interfered?" Eli guessed.
"..." Mariel turned serious, "Indeed, someone interfered when that traitor was being hunted by a Fiend".
"Oh?" Eli leaned back on the sofa, adjusting the pillow as his brother settled down after hearing a painful, old ass story.
Mariel observed Eli, who casually scanned the room without posing any questions.
Deciding to reveal more, she took something out of her storage ring.
\'Thud\'
At the faint thud, Eli\'s attention shifted to Mariel, who gestured for him to look at the table.
"Hmm?.....OHH" Eli whistled when he saw the severed head of someone he had never seen before.
The head had dull black hair, pale facial skin, dried lips, and sharp ears....an unmistakable sign of an elf.
"Who is it?" Eli asked with genuine curiosity.
"....The traitor" Mariel answered, her eyes fixed on Eli\'s every move.
"Traitor...ah" Eli observed deeply, "It seems like he met his end recently?"
"Yes, I ended his life just the other day."
Mariel added, "Because I found the manual where it was and who it has... a few days ago"
"...I see. Good luck, I guess" Eli said with a casual smile, \'So, he was elf...ah?\' Eli thought since the figure that handed over that manual and token wore a hoody.
Mariel felt a surge of irritation at his carefree attitude,
"When he was pursued by the Fiend on the outskirts of Dawn Kingdom, a certain person intervened and aided him. However, that assistance came at a cost; that person made a contract with the traitor and took the manual.
A contract compelling the traitor to erase his memories connected to that person....A clever plan to sidestep potential future complications.
Don\'t you think so?" Mariel asked, her fingers lightly tracing the contours of the severed head.
In an instant,
\'SSSHHHHH\'
A reddish-yellow flame erupted, consuming the head entirely without leaving a trace.
"Yes, a remarkably good plan, but you found out most the things, Mrs. Mariel" Eli remarked, his eyes lingering where the head once lay. His expression then shifted to a thoughtful frown, "But still, I don\'t comprehend why you doubt me?"
"Sigh, not willing to acknowledge it, I see" Mariel crossed her legs and leaned back with an authoritative air.
She declared,
"Your elder sister, my daughter, had already unravelled the truth, yet she concealed it from me for someone until a certain Fiend sought vengeance...
Mr. Asher Eli, continuing to hide now will lead you nowhere. All I desire is what rightfully belongs to me... Hand it over".
"....Revenge...ah?" Eli was momentarily distracted by a specific word, memories of a dying Fiend\'s last words echoing in his mind,
/ -Cough, Cough- M-My brother w-will kill you f-for m...../
"ELI!"
Shaken from his thoughts, Eli refocused on Mariel, who wore a stern frown. With a casual smile, he responded,
"...hmm, What if I said, I still don\'t know--" but interrupted by Mariel\'s stern voice,
"That ancient script was torn into 3 pieces, one heavily guarded by Nex, while the other was entrusted to my family, and the last piece.....vanished with time.
However,
Aspen was the one who stumbled upon the last piece\'s information.....only he and I knew its location.
\'Prison Dungeon\'
Recently, it was cleared by a soulless mortal, an unexpected holder of a Token from an unknown duke and a master of Mana Breathwork....too many coincidences" Mariel explained, frustration apparent on her face. \'If he persists in feigning ignorance, then I have no choice but to resort to force\'.
"..." Eli stared at Mariel, noting that her composure was nearing its limit.
Eli wasn\'t going to give it, as the saying goes, \'Finders, keepers\' so he wasn\'t wrong, right?
"Well, Yo--"
"Ting~Tong"
The doorbell interrupted Eli.
He stopped and waited for a second,
"Ting~Tong"
"Wait a minute" Eli said as he stood up and walked towards the entrance door.
"...." Mariel also followed him.
"Ting~Tong"
"coming" Eli responded when he noticed the urgency in the other party\'s ringing.
\'Thud\'
"Oh, what is it, Rock?" Eli raised his eyebrows when he saw an old man.
"Hey, brat, what the hell did you do?" Rock asked with a frustrated expression.
"..." Eli blinked for a second, \'Did he find out I am going to use Alysia?\'
"What are you--"
"HUH? Damn brat, y-you also seduced the revered Mariel from Phoenix House" Rock\'s face twisted when he saw Mariel walking behind Eli like a good wife.
"W-What?" Mariel was taken aback by Rock\'s words; her cheeks turned red, \'S-seduced???\'
Eli\'s lips twitched, "You damn Old ma--"
"Tsk, tsk, don\'t forget about my daughter, brat. She is also beautiful and will be a better wife than anyone" Rock said solemnly, boasting and interrupting again.
"..."
"D-Daughter?" Mariel was taken aback hearing new information.
"Yes, he\'s going to marry my daughter, Mrs. Mariel... Please take good care of--" pufff" Rock, who was spouting nonsense, suddenly silenced by Eli\'s swift kick.
"Y-You?" Rock, with teary eyes, looked at the supposed enemy of \'Man\' kind, even though he was a man.
"What are you here for?" Eli asked with a stern face.
Hearing those words, Rock suddenly flinched and returned to normal, "Come with me" he said as he put his hand on Eli before disappearing from Mariel\'s view.
"...." Mariel, with a red face, tried to follow them, sensing an urgency in Rock\'s words.
Eli and Rock arrived at the gates of Nex.
"Huh? Why are there so many soldiers here?" Eli asked, not minding the sudden teleportation, as he also sensed Rock\'s tense expression.
There were hundreds of soldiers stationed around the gates, both inside and outside.
"There" Rock pointed with a sense of urgency, his finger directing Eli\'s attention to the top of the gate.
"Hmm?" Eli\'s brow furrowed as he looked up.....only to discover a \'dark black\' object impaled on one of the gate\'s arrows.
"What is it?"
"....Human\'s head" Rock answered, his voice carrying the weight of a grim discovery.
"???" Eli raised his eyebrows, searching Rock\'s face for more information.
"That guy was....Guild Master" a sudden feminine voice interjected, revealing a piece of the puzzle.
Eli turned to Mariel, whose expression mirrored shock and disbelief.
"Guild Master?"
"From Theos Kingdom"
"I see..." Eli nodded, absorbing the gravity of the situation.
His gaze returned to the ominous object on the gate, and yet, "So, what am I here for?" Eli asked with a sceptical frown, his eyes shifting between Rock and Mariel.
Must he know these irrelevant things? Nah, he didn\'t care who the fuck died except his loved ones.
"The King of Theos Kingdom has issued a notice that \'Nex has to hand over the perpetrator, or Nex will face the consequences\'" another elderly voice clarified, introducing an impending threat.
Eli glanced back, "HeadMaster?"
"...." The old man appeared behind everyone, his eyes fixated on the charred head, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"...Asher Eli" HeadMaster suddenly turned serious.
"Yes"
"Here" the Headmaster handed over a Letter.
"Hmm?" Eli took the letter, his eyes scanning their content with a mix of scepticism and anticipation.
"Arrest Warrant for....me?"
"..." Mariel frowned, sharing in Eli\'s sense of disbelief.
"Hmm? So they are claiming I am responsible for his death?" Eli asked indifferently, his patience wearing thin. He didn\'t appreciate the things being spun against him.
"Yes" the Headmaster nodded with a heavy heart.
"Are you Fucking kidding me, Alden Evergreen?" Eli\'s tone turned sharp, revealing his frustration with the unfolding situation.
"???" Both Mariel and Rock were taken aback by Eli\'s bold and disrespectful words.
The headmaster was also taken aback for a second, however, he was old and wise so he understood Eli.
"Is this even evidence? Shouldn\'t I be asking for justice from that fu\'king\'?" Eli\'s anger seeped into his words.
"And what\'s with this \'Shadow Reapers guild\' being turned into ash?
This is the first time I\'ve heard those fucking fancy names! How am I the one who killed them all without any evidence? and they show the evidence involving me? " Eli\'s frustration found an outlet in a resounding shout.
Mariel frowned, not like Eli\'s confrontational approach in front of an elder known for wisdom and composure.
"Could you--" Before Mariel could interject, Eli handed over the documents with a visible air of annoyance. He then shifted his gaze to the charred head.
With a swift motion, he disappeared and hovered in front of the gate.
\'chkkk\'
Eli pulled the head out of the gate\'s arrow and returned back.
\'Thud\'
Holding the ominous object in his hand, Eli scrutinized the charred head, his expression mirroring a mix of irritation and disgust.
"..." The more he stared at the blackened head, the more his annoyance grew.
The three of them wore expressions of shock as if they couldn\'t believe their own eyes.
"What?" Eli asked, irritation lacing his tone.
"So, it\'s true. You are not affected" Rock muttered in disbelief.
"Who would have thought there would be a human not affected by Dark Mana?" Mariel observed sharply, her gaze fixed on Eli\'s hands holding the charred head.
Dark mana emanated from it, spreading on Eli\'s hand, only to dissolve soon after.
"Hmmm...sigh. Do you know why no one took the head down?" HeadMaster asked with vigilance as he stepped back, watching the dark mana spread everywhere.
"Why?" Eli asked, his impatience evident.
"Because what you are holding is able to corrupt even an emperor-rank cultivator" HeadMaster said gravely.
"hmm....So?" Eli\'s lips twitched. This was not the time to be astonished by everything; he was wrongly accused by some king he had never even seen or heard of.
Rock, sensing Eli\'s frustration might escalate, urgently asked him to refrain.
"Eli, don\'t do that. We need at least some evidence of who did this".
\'Why are they trying to frame me? This dark mana feels familiar but different, though\' Eli thought, taking a moment to nod his head in reluctant agreement.
After snapping out of their thoughts,
"What the heck is wrong with that idiotic king?" Mariel\'s frustration burst out as she read the contents of the letter.
Mariel turned to Eli, her eyes probing, "How are you supposed to be held responsible when this bastard sent assassins after you? Just because you were his last target, they doubted you would be the one who killed them all...What the...?"
"..." Eli simply locked eyes with Mariel.
.....Yes, How could he be blamed for the actions of the guild masters, especially when the said man had put a bounty on Eli?
Shouldn\'t Eli ask them? And even if the guild master had met his end, why must Eli carry the burden of blame?
"Shadow Reapers guild Master was the brother of the King of the Theos Kingdom" HeadMaster said with terror understanding who caused this commotion....but he wasn\'t sure to tell Eli since Lady Lilith had instructed him not to disclose anything about her.