Chapter 106: Chapter 106

When Alpha Silverfang heard Kazzah’s name and the accusation, his face turned white as snow.

He almost lost his senses, and his legs faltered momentarily.

The people around him even had to offer him a seat.

After issuing the order, Licarus whispered to the guard, “After they disperse, have someone escort my guests out.”

Lazar, already impatient after waiting for so long, barked aloud, “We all know that the Dracnakrid family is inside your office, Licarus. Why such secrecy with this matter?”

“National Security level situation, Lazar. Until the King arrives, the Dracnakrid family is under the protection of Eversnow, meaning all of us here. I’ll give you more details after speaking to Lady Steelheart.”

Licarus's tone was sharp and loud enough for all the family heads gathered to hear.

Sandra stood frozen, not knowing what about their plan could have leaked out.

She wanted to reach for her communication crystal but dared not do so in front of the City Lord.

Instead, she just followed the guards who came to lead her to the room Licarus had pointed her to.

Only after Sandra was placed in the other room did Licarus allow Sokram and his family to leave his office.

When Kamal saw Margiory and Sokram with a broken arm, he rushed to speak with them.

Before he could even approach, the guards stopped him.

“Lady Androny, please!” Kamal insisted.

“Later, Alpha Silverfang.” Margiory’s tone was sharper than what she intended, and even Alain, stepping out of the shadows, appeared by her side, sensing her tension.

Sokram and his family went straight back home after leaving the City Lord’s Palace.

Arriving there, Lucy, Amber, and Savannah were waiting for him alongside the rest of his teammates and Moira.

Sokram handed the ring with the cockatrices to Savannah, tasking her to deliver the commission to the Hall and the remaining cockatrices to Figos. He also asked her to tell Figos to separate fifty cockatrices, butchered and in pieces, to be delivered to Lady Liaranna.

“At a time , you’re still thinking of making money?” Astrid frowned, confused by her brother’s calm behavior.

“We have people to pay,” Sokram shrugged, reminding her.

Then, he called out, “Sayuri.”

Sayuri appeared, coming out of a shadowy corner, spooking a few of them, including Moira.

Sokram took out the three rings he had hidden and handed them to her.

“What are those for?” Sayuri cast him a curious glance.

“A gift. One that you will love me a lot more for giving it to you instead of showing it to the King.” Sokram flashed her a naughty grin, followed by a suggestive wink.

Once she checked the contents of the rings, though, her eyes widened.

“I’ll be right back…” Sayuri disappeared into the shadows in a rush, only to reappear a few moments later, hugging Sokram and pecking him on the cheeks and disappearing again right after.

A long, tired sigh escaped Sokram as he eased himself onto the sofa beside Moira.

Her eyes, filled with quiet concern, were already fixed on his heavily bandaged arm, her brow furrowed in concentration.

While she examined it, he turned to his teammates, “Alright, first, I’ll not apologize to you. Like it or not, I did what I had to do as your leader. I told you once, I’ll never risk your lives uselessly, especially if it’s something that shouldn’t involve you in the first place.”

He then turned to Lucy, Amber, and Savannah, “As for the three of you, I have an emotional and contractual duty to protect you. And I did exactly that.”

His teammates frowned, yet they didn’t argue; they knew they, too, had gone back on their words.

Then, Sokram turned to them with a smile, “Now, I’ll show you why I sent you away.”

Sokram asked Hannah for the crystal and started replaying it for them.

As Aaron’s and Adrian’s venomous words, thick with hate and crude racism, filled the air, a collective shudder rippled through the room.

Margiory turned to Sokram, a glint of worry in her eyes, “You don’t believe what they said about your brother and father, right, baby?”

“I don’t know, Nana. Why haven’t they shown up yet? It’s because of them that my uncles and cousins haven’t shown up yet either, right?”

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Sokram knew that his brother and father were exactly like Aaron said.

Although their racism was more veiled, they also believed that the way forward in the Path of Evolution also lay in human purity.

Such beliefs weren't exclusive to Sokram's world; instead, it was something recurrent in various parts of the galaxy ruled by humans.

Yet, hearing Sokram’s questions, Margiory could only feel ashamed of her son’s behavior.

And so did Hilda about the way Mikhail decided to ignore his draconic heritage.

Sokram's heart tightened at the sight of Margiory's inner conflict mirrored on her face.

Whenever Adulwulf’s name was spoken, her shoulders sagged slightly, her smile faltered, and a shadow, impossibly deep, clouded her eyes.

Her sadness felt like an open wound.

“Don’t worry, Nana. I know that the Androny family, although proud of the high-human bloodline, is not that close-minded. I also know that if there were a way to have more than one bloodline in your veins, you, my uncles, and cousins wouldn’t hesitate to accept such a gift.”

Margiory smiled sweetly at his attempt to comfort her, “If one day, after you become a Biomancer, you find a way to grant us such a gift, don’t hesitate to offer either.”

His teammates knew that becoming a Biomancer wasn’t easy; they were so rare that most who walked the Path of Evolution lived centuries without ever meeting one.

Hearing Margiory speak those words with so much certainty, they believed Sokram had the potential to reach such a height.

“Yes, though, before getting there, try not to break more bones .” Moira joked after finishing examining his arm.

“Can’t be healed with spells, right?” Sokram smirked, understanding the underlying meaning behind her joke.

“Yeah, it can’t. Your forearm bones are broken into more than three pieces. You already put the bones back together and immobilized your arm properly. There is no arterial damage either. You’re getting as good at healing magic as I am.”

Moira wasn’t joking this time; instead, she flashed him a proud grin.

“I had the best teachers.” Sokram returned the smile.

Moira didn’t let go of him, even after she finished examining his arm.

She held his arm over her lap, pulling him close and making him snuggle up to her.

Kan, seeing that, couldn’t help but feel jealous, ‘The two crystal flowers of the city… Damn, little brother, leave something for us too.’

Once they finished watching the recordings, their expression shifted from anger to resolve, even hunger for power.

Especially after seeing Sokram killing ten Tier 10 True Existences.

Kiana turned to Sokram, her ambition shining in her eyes, “You said that once our obligatory service is over, we will be even stronger than you. Can we truly achieve that?”

“Yes, the more diligent and eager you train and cultivate, the higher you will reach. And luckily for you, I’m very invested in making sure you all become the future powerhouses of our country.”

Hearing Sokram’s words, they all felt more encouraged to strive forward.

Their real disappointment was never with the means Sokram used to protect them.

What frustrated them was their inability to be warriors strong enough for Sokram to count on, even more in situations like these.

While Sokram, his teammates, and his family continued to rest and prepare for the stormy days ahead, the city was in uproar over the events happening.

Kazzah and Timothy were arrested inside the Steelhearts’ estate.

When Alpha Silverfang saw his grandson, the Palace guards had to subdue him. Googlᴇ search novel(ꜰ)ire.net

Yet, seeing his grandfather's distress, Kazzah maintained his unrepentant façade.

When Layca appeared, receiving him with a slap, though, his face crumbled, and the reality of his situation started to weigh on him.

Timothy wasn’t faring much better.

His unawakened parents had poured every last resource into him, desperate for him to forge a fate far superior to their own.

They watched in horror as the guard dragged him away, labeled him a criminal, a traitor of Norwinter.

His mother collapsed, and his father also had to be held by the guards.

As for Sandra, when Licarus asked her to identify her brothers’ and their guards’ bodies, initially, she donned the mantle of a victim, tears streaming, curses hurled, and demands for justice ringing hollow.

The truth was, their deaths meant little to her.

What ignited her fury was the absence of the spatial rings, the documents, letters, and slave contracts, every piece of evidence that could shatter her family's standing.

What she didn’t realize was how grim the whole picture already looked for them.

What angered her most was that she couldn’t understand why they went against her orders.

All they had to do was ignore Sokram.

And they still failed even that and paid for it with their lives.

When Licarus informed her that, because it was an incident between two noble families, the King would be coming to Eversnow to judge the matter properly.

Sandra was shocked, almost dropping her act.

She knew that the King wouldn’t come to a small military city on the outskirts of the country just for a minor squabble between noble families.

Now, it fell on her to inform her father of the situation, and the thought filled her with dread.

Licarus also informed her that she and her people were to stay under house arrest until further notice.

Recalling his words about the two kids hiding in her estate, she dropped her act completely, turning to him with a fierce gaze, “Is my family also under suspicion of treason?”

Licarus, though taken aback by her demeanor’s sudden shift, remained composed, “I’m not authorized to discuss this matter with you. The King’s orders were to give you back your brothers’ bodies and keep the situation under control until Our Lordship arrives.”

She wanted to push the issue, but Licarus’s face showed he was clearly holding back his hatred and disgust, trying to mask it with cordiality.

So, after storing her brothers’ and guards’ bodies away, she left, not before Licarus reinforced his orders, “You and your people, stay inside your estate until further notice. Anyone who defies this order will be arrested.”

Sandra stormed out without a backward glance and returned to her estate.

When Sandra's carriage rolled to a halt, a sharp intake of breath caught in her throat as she saw the grim line of guards surrounding her estate.

The sight caused a fresh wave of dread to wash over her, intensifying her worries.

Entering her office, the first thing she did was to take out a communication crystal and send a message directly to the royal city, as her father, the head of the Steelheart family, was also one of the King’s military advisors.

Meanwhile, Licarus was now attending a meeting with the strongest clans and founding families of the city, explaining the situation.

A collective gasp, then a stunned silence, fell over the gathered family heads as Licarus revealed the Steelhearts’ plans for the city.

Even the oldest and most jaded among them sat rigid, their faces pale, eyes wide with disbelief.

They all suspected they had nefarious plans. Still, none of them ever suspected them of treason.

Some even suspected that they wanted to replace Licarus as the City Lord to use the border with Dracony to their advantage.

Still, no matter how ambitious and corrupt the Steelhearts could be, they had always shown unwavering loyalty to Norwinter.

Licarus told them that their warriors should be ready in case the Patriarch of the Steelheart family appeared with the army before the King arrived; they might need to protect the city against their own army if necessary.

Once the crowd of family heads heard that, Kamal, still enraged and embarrassed for having his family name dragged into such a scandal, barked, attracting the attention of everyone present.

“Protect the city or the Dracnakrid’s boy?”