Chapter 58:
Chapter 57 — The sins of The Father & Vintage Revenge
S. T. A. W
The pressure in the throne room was absolute. The two Royal Knights were pinned to the marble, their ribs groaning and their lungs screaming for an oxygen supply that Jay’s mana had effectively cordoned off. Jay didn't rush. He walked toward them with a rhythmic, heavy stride and crouched, his face a terrifying void of absent cruelty.
Zakry continued the post-mortem, his voice echoing in the hollow hall. 「And bro, the crazy thing? They tried to pry the inventory pouches you made for the girls right out of their hands. That’s what led to Clara getting smacked. They were literally robbing toddlers.」「I take it this happened while you and Draco were busy with the construction effect?」 Jay asked, his voice deceptively smooth.Zakry nodded solemnly. 「Yes. I put that on my life.」「I see.」 Jay let out a slow, weary sigh.
The crushing pressure vanished. The knights gasped, sucking in air with desperate, ragged heaves. For a fleeting, delusional second, they thought their status as "Royal Knights" had earned them a pass.
They were wrong.
As they scrambled to stand, a wet, heavy *thud* echoed twice. Both their left and right arms—sheathed in ornate steel plating—fell to the floor in a spray of hot crimson. Jay hadn't moved a muscle; he had simply used his mana like a microscopic wire, severing the limbs at the shoulder with surgical apathy.
The knights’ screams tore through the throne room as they collapsed back into the gore. Jay stood up, looking down at the twitching meat.
「I don’t know which one of you hurt my daughters, and I don’t care which hand you used,」 Jay said, his tone chillingly final. 「But considering you're still breathing? That's mercy.」
Jay turned his back on them. With a flick of his intent, the four severed arms on the ground erupted in white-hot flame, incinerating into ash in seconds.
「Alright, Zak. Who’s the architect? Give me the name and I’ll restore one arm to each of these idiots.」「It was Finance Minister Smurken!」 the first knight shrieked, his face pale from shock. 「Smurken Von Florence! He promised us a cut!」Jay looked at Zakry. 「This true, brother?」「Yes,」 Zakry answered, his eyes hard.
The two knights didn't get their arms back. Instead, they caught fire—a slow, agonizing roast designed to serve as a living billboard for anyone even thinking about touching Jay’s kids.
Jay turned his gaze to the crowd of nobles, finally settling on a man trembling so hard his teeth were chattering. 「No one on this planet lays a hand on my princesses and lives. Finance Minister Smurken... I told you last time not to mess with my family. It seems you have a hearing problem.」
Smurken collapsed, his bladder failing as Jay approached. But before Jay reached him, the Duke simply vanished into thin air.
In the corner of the room, Xander looked at Randall, his brow slick with sweat. 「You don’t think Jay disappearing means...」「No, it can't,」 Randall muttered. 「But just to be sure...」
Randall pulled out his communicator and dialed Lisa. The holographic screen flickered to life, showing Lisa lounging in bed, looking flushed and satisfied.
「Oh, Father. This is a pleasant surprise,」 Lisa said with a purr.Randall cleared his throat, avoiding his daughter's gaze. 「Um... this is awkward to ask, but... did you and Jay... finish your business?」Lisa blushed, a predatory smile spreading across her lips. 「Let me guess. Smurken did something to piss Jay off, and Jay disappeared without killing him, right?」
Randall nodded in grim confirmation.
「I see.」 Lisa’s tone turned sharp and cruel. 「Father, remind me—Smurken brags constantly about his wife and daughter being the most beautiful women in the South, doesn't he? Well, since I’m going to be a mother soon, the wives and I decided: Jay is allowed to lay other women, provided he doesn't bring home any bastards while we're pregnant. He can go blow off some steam.」
The hologram cut out. The silence in the throne room was deafening. Smurken looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Jay hadn't killed him because death was too fast. Instead, Jay was headed for Smurken’s estate—a week’s journey by horse, but a heartbeat away for Jay.
◽The Florence Estate◽
Jay appeared at the front door as if he’d been invited. He didn't break it down; he knocked. The butler, sensing an aura that commanded absolute obedience, led him straight to the tea room.
There sat Emma, the legendary beauty of the South. She was alone, a bottle of wine open before her.
「Lady Emma. Mind if I join you?」 Jay asked, pulling out a chair.Emma blinked, surprised. 「Duke Lancer? I... I didn't expect you.」「It’s okay. I’m a fan of the spontaneous.」 Jay chuckled.
The butler brought a second glass. Emma poured, watching Jay as he swirled the liquid, savoring the bouquet before taking a slow, cultured sip.
「I didn't think an adventurer would be so... refined,」 Emma noted, her eyes lingering on Jay’s metallic arm.「'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,'」 Jay said with a smirk. 「I try not to be ignorant of my surroundings.」「Profound,」 Emma sighed, drinking her entire glass in one go.「Wow,」 Jay noted. 「Never seen a high-born lady drink like a sailor before.」Emma chuckled bitterly, pouring another. 「So, Duke Lancer. Why are you really here? Spill the tea.」
「Short version? Your husband tried to rob my daughters using Royal Knights. My youngest, Clara, got hit in the process.」 Jay’s voice was calm, but the underlying threat made the wine in the glass ripple.Emma gasped, her irritation with her husband boiling over. 「The adorable puppy? THAT Clara? That idiot! He did that knowing you just fought a Dragon King to save his ungrateful hide? I am truly sorry, Duke. Thank you for your service to the kingdom, even if my husband is a fool.」
Emma looked at Jay—not with fear, but with a heavy, suggestive hunger. Smurken was a coward and a thief; Jay was a god who had just conquered the sky.
「Lady Emma,」 Jay said, his grin widening. 「The look you're giving me could be interpreted the wrong way.」Emma giggled, leaning in. 「We’ll just blame it on the wine, won't we?」
◽The Azure Capital◽
Smurken was on his knees at Zakry’s feet, begging for a teleportation spell. Then, Alia strode into the room, her presence silencing the murmurs.
「What is this?」 Alia asked.「Jay went to Smurken’s estate,」 Zakry explained. 「The Minister wants me to send him home.」「No,」 Alia said, her voice like cracking ice. 「These are the consequences of hurting my granddaughter. You stay here and watch.」Smurken let out a desperate, pathetic sneer. 「Tch! Those demi-human trash aren't even real humans! You're just playing pretend with mutts!」
The room went tomb-quiet as Alberto entered behind his wife. He didn't say a word, but the sheer, suffocating bloodlust radiating from him brought every noble in the room to their knees. It was the aura of the man who had built Loscraf on a foundation of corpses.
Alia locked arms with her husband, looking down at Smurken. 「I shall remind you, Smurken: Jay may be our son from another universe, but Loscraf blood runs in his veins. And these 'mutts' you speak of? They are my blood now.」Her eyes flashed with a lethal light. 「You wouldn't want my husband to remind you what happens to people who harm the Royal Family, would you?」
The message was clear: The Royal Family was done playing nice. Smurken’s world was ending, and no one was coming to save him.
Zakry continued the post-mortem, his voice echoing in the hollow hall. 「And bro, the crazy thing? They tried to pry the inventory pouches you made for the girls right out of their hands. That’s what led to Clara getting smacked. They were literally robbing toddlers.」「I take it this happened while you and Draco were busy with the construction effect?」 Jay asked, his voice deceptively smooth.Zakry nodded solemnly. 「Yes. I put that on my life.」「I see.」 Jay let out a slow, weary sigh.
The crushing pressure vanished. The knights gasped, sucking in air with desperate, ragged heaves. For a fleeting, delusional second, they thought their status as "Royal Knights" had earned them a pass.
They were wrong.
As they scrambled to stand, a wet, heavy *thud* echoed twice. Both their left and right arms—sheathed in ornate steel plating—fell to the floor in a spray of hot crimson. Jay hadn't moved a muscle; he had simply used his mana like a microscopic wire, severing the limbs at the shoulder with surgical apathy.
The knights’ screams tore through the throne room as they collapsed back into the gore. Jay stood up, looking down at the twitching meat.
「I don’t know which one of you hurt my daughters, and I don’t care which hand you used,」 Jay said, his tone chillingly final. 「But considering you're still breathing? That's mercy.」
Jay turned his back on them. With a flick of his intent, the four severed arms on the ground erupted in white-hot flame, incinerating into ash in seconds.
「Alright, Zak. Who’s the architect? Give me the name and I’ll restore one arm to each of these idiots.」「It was Finance Minister Smurken!」 the first knight shrieked, his face pale from shock. 「Smurken Von Florence! He promised us a cut!」Jay looked at Zakry. 「This true, brother?」「Yes,」 Zakry answered, his eyes hard.
The two knights didn't get their arms back. Instead, they caught fire—a slow, agonizing roast designed to serve as a living billboard for anyone even thinking about touching Jay’s kids.
Jay turned his gaze to the crowd of nobles, finally settling on a man trembling so hard his teeth were chattering. 「No one on this planet lays a hand on my princesses and lives. Finance Minister Smurken... I told you last time not to mess with my family. It seems you have a hearing problem.」
Smurken collapsed, his bladder failing as Jay approached. But before Jay reached him, the Duke simply vanished into thin air.
In the corner of the room, Xander looked at Randall, his brow slick with sweat. 「You don’t think Jay disappearing means...」「No, it can't,」 Randall muttered. 「But just to be sure...」
Randall pulled out his communicator and dialed Lisa. The holographic screen flickered to life, showing Lisa lounging in bed, looking flushed and satisfied.
「Oh, Father. This is a pleasant surprise,」 Lisa said with a purr.Randall cleared his throat, avoiding his daughter's gaze. 「Um... this is awkward to ask, but... did you and Jay... finish your business?」Lisa blushed, a predatory smile spreading across her lips. 「Let me guess. Smurken did something to piss Jay off, and Jay disappeared without killing him, right?」
Randall nodded in grim confirmation.
「I see.」 Lisa’s tone turned sharp and cruel. 「Father, remind me—Smurken brags constantly about his wife and daughter being the most beautiful women in the South, doesn't he? Well, since I’m going to be a mother soon, the wives and I decided: Jay is allowed to lay other women, provided he doesn't bring home any bastards while we're pregnant. He can go blow off some steam.」
The hologram cut out. The silence in the throne room was deafening. Smurken looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Jay hadn't killed him because death was too fast. Instead, Jay was headed for Smurken’s estate—a week’s journey by horse, but a heartbeat away for Jay.
◽The Florence Estate◽
Jay appeared at the front door as if he’d been invited. He didn't break it down; he knocked. The butler, sensing an aura that commanded absolute obedience, led him straight to the tea room.
There sat Emma, the legendary beauty of the South. She was alone, a bottle of wine open before her.
「Lady Emma. Mind if I join you?」 Jay asked, pulling out a chair.Emma blinked, surprised. 「Duke Lancer? I... I didn't expect you.」「It’s okay. I’m a fan of the spontaneous.」 Jay chuckled.
The butler brought a second glass. Emma poured, watching Jay as he swirled the liquid, savoring the bouquet before taking a slow, cultured sip.
「I didn't think an adventurer would be so... refined,」 Emma noted, her eyes lingering on Jay’s metallic arm.「'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,'」 Jay said with a smirk. 「I try not to be ignorant of my surroundings.」「Profound,」 Emma sighed, drinking her entire glass in one go.「Wow,」 Jay noted. 「Never seen a high-born lady drink like a sailor before.」Emma chuckled bitterly, pouring another. 「So, Duke Lancer. Why are you really here? Spill the tea.」
「Short version? Your husband tried to rob my daughters using Royal Knights. My youngest, Clara, got hit in the process.」 Jay’s voice was calm, but the underlying threat made the wine in the glass ripple.Emma gasped, her irritation with her husband boiling over. 「The adorable puppy? THAT Clara? That idiot! He did that knowing you just fought a Dragon King to save his ungrateful hide? I am truly sorry, Duke. Thank you for your service to the kingdom, even if my husband is a fool.」
Emma looked at Jay—not with fear, but with a heavy, suggestive hunger. Smurken was a coward and a thief; Jay was a god who had just conquered the sky.
「Lady Emma,」 Jay said, his grin widening. 「The look you're giving me could be interpreted the wrong way.」Emma giggled, leaning in. 「We’ll just blame it on the wine, won't we?」
◽The Azure Capital◽
Smurken was on his knees at Zakry’s feet, begging for a teleportation spell. Then, Alia strode into the room, her presence silencing the murmurs.
「What is this?」 Alia asked.「Jay went to Smurken’s estate,」 Zakry explained. 「The Minister wants me to send him home.」「No,」 Alia said, her voice like cracking ice. 「These are the consequences of hurting my granddaughter. You stay here and watch.」Smurken let out a desperate, pathetic sneer. 「Tch! Those demi-human trash aren't even real humans! You're just playing pretend with mutts!」
The room went tomb-quiet as Alberto entered behind his wife. He didn't say a word, but the sheer, suffocating bloodlust radiating from him brought every noble in the room to their knees. It was the aura of the man who had built Loscraf on a foundation of corpses.
Alia locked arms with her husband, looking down at Smurken. 「I shall remind you, Smurken: Jay may be our son from another universe, but Loscraf blood runs in his veins. And these 'mutts' you speak of? They are my blood now.」Her eyes flashed with a lethal light. 「You wouldn't want my husband to remind you what happens to people who harm the Royal Family, would you?」
The message was clear: The Royal Family was done playing nice. Smurken’s world was ending, and no one was coming to save him.
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