Chapter 302 Off The Course (2)
Charles looked at the hotel in front of him in interest and wondered, "How can a High Grade Barrier be used in this kind of place?"
Raneil Barony was a rural area considering where it was located at. It was close to the Outer Region, which was a vast land uninhabited by humans.
Surely, such a place shouldn't have a very great human source—they were far from the capital, and the education system was not as good—so seeing a Mana Barrier of that caliber really surprised him.
Since he was sure no ordinary Mage could do that, the one who cast the Barrier must be, at least, someone at his level, which made him curious why such an individual spend their time here.
Looking up to look at the direction where he sensed someone looking at him, Charles saw a pair of familiar eyes looking at him through the window.
"There you are, Ione," he said casually. "I was worried you might have betrayed me, but you are just here chilling. I am glad, but I am also disappointed since I have expected you to uphold work ethic."
Charles was smiling throughout the time, however he conveyed anything but good intentions. His eyes were as cold as a deep abyss as he looked into Ione's eyes, as if he was saying she would have a painful death.
"Have you gotten our target?" Charles asked curiously. "No, before that, did you erect this Barrier?"
Ione just kept staring at him silently, and that made Charles slowly develop a frown on his face. Making a displeased face this time, he ordered Ione to get down and meet him.
"You insolent disciple, come down and greet your Master!"
Again, Ione didn't say anything, but she did step away from the window, indicating she would come down to meet him. Still frowning however, Charles wasn't in the least bit amused.
He had come to the Raneil Barony as he wanted to make sure if Ione was fine. She had, after all, gone for a quite long time; although he believed she was capable enough to protect herself, he had been worried something might have really happened.
Chester was quite quirky, so he had thought Chester might have somehow gotten Ione. He couldn't afford to lose Ione, his currently most precious asset, so he had immediately come to Raneil Barony.
He had left the matters in Southevile to his remaining disciple for the sake of making sure Ione was fine, so he was greatly pissed when he found her chilling in the hotel as if nothing happened.
"You look... Fine, Ione." Charles looked at Ione up and down as soon as she got out of the hotel. "Something is slightly different from you, but I guess it is trivial enough to be ignored."
"What is different from me?" Ione asked neutrally.
"Your mood—it's not as heavy as it used to." Charles frowned lightly. "Have you finally released your frustration? Did you do it with Chester?"
"What are you talking about?" Ione scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "I thought you were not a pervert."
"I am not," Charles vehemently denied. "I am just a little sad that I couldn't help my beautiful disciple to release her sexual frustration. Of course, I won't deny this desire to help is tainted with my lust over you."
Ione clicked her tongue at Charles' words. This wasn't her first time of hearing them come out of his mouth, and she still couldn't tell whether he was serious or joking; his expression was too bland to indicate anything.
"That is just your misunderstanding." Ione waved her hand in denial. "I will never give my virginity away to some stranger I don't even adore."
Charles immediately nodded his head in understanding. Ione was that type of person; she had even rejected to perform the Secret Art he had created to increase the amount of her Magic Circle through sexual intercourse.
She really held her principle to her heart even though she had many things waiting for her if she let go of that principle.
Unlike his other disciples who, despite being male, still had chosen to have a sexual intercourse with him to obtain their extra Magic Circles, Ione wasn't interested in it in the slightest. This was what made her special.
Other than that was also the fact she had obtained the right to be not marked with his Slave Mark. Unlike his other disciples, whom he had branded with a Slave Mark so he could control them completely, Ione didn't have it.
She was his only disciple who had joined him willingly, and the only disciple he couldn't control. She was his only disciple, whom he couldn't prevent from betraying him.
He had still given her the right to not be marketed nonetheless, because he was sure, despite being a loose cannon, her interest was still aligned with his.
He also knew who she really was, and how much hatred she held towards the Empire, so it greatly diminished the risk of her betraying him. With how she had been behaving for the past minute however, he started to doubt her.
"Did you cast this Magic Barrier?"
"No."
"Who did then?"
"The owner of this hotel."
"Who he might be?"
Instead of answering, Ione stepped aside, and let Charles see the person behind her. She was, after all, 2 centimeters taller than Charles, so he wouldn't be able to see who was behind her if she didn't do that.
"Oh... You are..."
Upon seeing the person who had been obstructed by Ione's body, Charles frowned lightly as he found the face of the person familiar. The person was an extremely attractive brown haired young man, who had a quite overbearing demeanor.
Sitting in the impressive earthen throne, which he had built himself, the young man, who was none other than Basil stared at Charles silently. His left fist was supporting his left cheek, making it apparent that he was bored.
"It's the Hero of Woster, isn't it?" Charles smiled. "I have heard that you left Woster County to go to BA-32 in advance—it's a surprise meeting you here ... Basil Pacifer."
Charles emphasized the 'Pacifer,' and it made Ione slightly tremble in worry. She, after all, was sure the only thing Charles knew about her was her name—he was clueless of her identity as a Pacifer.
Charles noticed Ione's slight tremble, and it made him grin sadistically ... At least, until he saw Basil's unperturbed expression.
"Do you perhaps have any business here, Charles?" Basil asked calmly.
"I do—I want to bring back my disciple, and pick up my soon-to-be disciple."
"Hmph! Your obsession towards your disciples is just as the same as ever." Basil smirked as he leaned his body to the back. "Here is a little information: no matter how many you have, none of them will call you brother."
"You should shut your hole, Pacifer." Charles' eyes turned murderous.
Being stared with such intensity by Charles made Basil chuckle in amusement. He didn't expect Charles to get riled up that quick.
'I guess it's because I said it sooner than it should,' Basil mused. 'It has only been ten years since that day after all—the wound hasn't been closed yet.'
The day Basil was referring to was the day where Charles murdered his entire family, obliterating the entire Blois family in a night. It was the day when Charles lost his little sister—his first and most unforgettable disciple.
Standing up from his throne, Basil opened his mouth. "Born as a genius—your parents had high hopes on you. You didn't disappoint them, but your sister unfortunately did."
"You don't know what you are talking about, Pacifer."
"Shut it, Blois! I know what I am talking about." Basil waved his hand with a frown. "Let me finish recounting my story ... Born as a normal human, unlike you, your sister wasn't as loved."
Basil made a sardonic smile. "Thinking that simply having Magic Circles would make your parents lover her, you tried finding a way to make her posses Magic Circles. Learning Dark Magic, you found a way to."
"This motherfucker really has ways with words, doesn't he?" Charles said as he clenched his fist tightly.
"Shush! Here is the interesting part, Blois!" Basil exclaimed. "You found a Secret Art that allows one to have an extra Magic Circle by simply having a sexual intercourse with someone who has more Magic Circles than oneself."
Sneering disdainfully, Basil continued, "Guess what? You wooed your sister to perform the Secret Art with the hope of having a Magic Circle—you did it, sisterfucker!"
"Pacifer!" Charles summoned his Grimoire, and flipped it open. "Stop, and you shall live—keep going, and taste death!"
"Intoxicated with the feeling of gaining power through a quick method, your sister kept begging you to perform the Secret Art in every chance she got. You refused, but your love of your sister was so strong, you couldn't bring yourself to keep refusing her."
At this point, Charles was so enraged, he was casting the most destructive Spell he had in his Grimoire. A sickening pressure overwhelmed the air—it even made Ione to retreat behind Basil.
"My Lord, I suggest you to not rile Charles up any further. When he is mad, he—"
"The stronger she became—the more suspicious your parents became everyday. She became your most precious disciple, however it ended the moment your father found out the truth."
Uncaring to Ione's warning, Basil kept recounting about Charles' past calmly. He even had a small smirk that indicated how elated he was with the situation; in spite of the overwhelming, sickening aura pressing down on him.
"Ashamed of the illicit relationship his children had with each other, your father decided to erase one of them ... He, however, surprised you by choosing you—he wanted to end your life, the genius of Blois family!"
Chuckling in amusement, Basil lamented loudly, "Ah, this is unfair. Why shall I, a genius should be killed for what my genital has led me to do? Why doesn't father just kill this useless meat of a sister ... Oh, wait? Why don't I just kill them all?"
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!"
Charles' Spell was ready as soon as Basil finished acting out the exaggerated part of Charles' decision to kill his family. Charles needed only a blink of an eye to obliterate Basil, but Basil still kept his calm in spite of that.
In fact, he even walked closer towards Charles, as if he was welcoming his death. Ione shouted in bewilderment at Basil, but he paid no heed to her suggestion to go back.
Just as Charles was about to launch his Spell—just as Ione thought Basil would be a goner, Charles was suddenly knocked out cold.
At that, Basil's smirk got wider.