*Chapter 84: The Proud and Unyielding Graz!

Deventer charged towards Goethe at high speed. When he was less than a meter away, he suddenly jumped up, his knee thrusting out like a spear. In the Grand Duke Graz's advisor's mind, he could already picture the scene of Goethe's head being smashed by a knee strike, followed by him being beaten to death with punches.

Then...

Deventer, in mid-air, was kicked in the face by Goethe.

The fierce and triumphant expression on Deventer's face instantly froze, then twisted and collapsed under the force.

Bang!

Deventer flew back even faster than before.

His entire body slammed into the closed door, as if glued to it.

Before Deventer could slide down, Goethe delivered a fierce knee strike to the same spot on his face that had just been kicked.

Bang!

Blood splattered, flesh and blood blurred.

The immense force even caused the entire door to collapse.

And this wasn't the end!

Goethe took the opportunity to straddle Deventer, his fists raining down like a storm.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

A few seconds later, Deventer's head was completely deformed.

By the time Goethe stopped, the Grand Duke Graz's advisor had already breathed his last.

Casually shaking off the blood from his hands, Goethe turned around and picked up the other person's coat.

The next moment, Goethe found what he was looking for.

A palm-sized crow statue with a tiny crack.

[Ominous Cawing: In the twentieth year after the mysterious disappearance, Essex, the leader of the 'Raven's Voice', exhausted all his efforts to create it. Essex hoped to rely on it to change the situation of the dwindling number of gifted individuals being cornered, but he still couldn't reverse the decline, and eventually, the entire 'Raven's Voice' fell into ruin.]

[Effects: 1. Raven Spirit; 2. Flock of Crows; 3. Blood Sacrifice]

[Raven Spirit: You can summon an invisible Raven Spirit to serve you. The Raven Spirit can share its vision with you, and you can also briefly control the Raven Spirit, but not for more than 10 minutes (Heart 0.1)]

[Flock of Crows: The summoned Raven Spirit can control the surrounding crow populations to serve you, but it cannot create them out of thin air, and the number should not exceed 100 (Heart 0.1)]

[Blood Sacrifice: Every three years, you need to find a living heart to give to the Raven Spirit to ensure its vitality]

(Note 1: The Raven Spirit and Flock of Crows will change with your 'Heart')

(Note 2: When you exceed the capacity of your 'Heart', you will become 'talkative')

(Note 3: The Blood Sacrifice is not limited to humans, it can also be animals, but intelligent and vibrant hearts can repair the 'Ominous Cawing' itself)

(Note 4: Mysterious items can be taken out of the 'Secret Realm')

...

Goethe read the text line by line, and only after finishing 'Note 4' did he breathe a sigh of relief.

If it couldn't be taken away, the value of the [Ominous Cawing] would be greatly reduced.

Without hesitation, Goethe summoned the [Raven Spirit], and then used [Blood Sacrifice] on Deventer's corpse.

Towards ordinary people, Goethe's moral bottom line prevented him from doing such things.

But towards enemies?

Goethe would use any means necessary.

Not to mention just a 'Blood Sacrifice', if necessary, he could do even more extreme things.

Moreover, nothing was more suitable for 'intelligence and vitality' than the heart of a supernatural being like Deventer.

An invisible raven appeared on Goethe's shoulder, then swooped down onto the corpse on the ground.

The next moment, a bloody hole appeared in Deventer's chest.

The blood-stained Raven Spirit was no longer invisible but appeared in the eyes of Andy Nan, Lanster, and Ge Gen.

The three of them were clearly startled by the crimson raven.

They almost involuntarily raised their guns and aimed.

Only after seeing that the crimson raven was solely focused on feeding and not attacking did the three of them relax.

Then, their expressions varied.

Andy Nan had the curiosity of a young man.

Lanster and Ge Gen had complex expressions.

It was a mixture of gratitude and shock, leaving them at a loss.

Gratitude for the life-saving grace they had just witnessed.

Shock, also at the unknown they had just witnessed.

And at a loss?

The two of them didn't quite know how to interact with Goethe anymore.

After all, not long ago, they had still believed Goethe to be a dangerous criminal.

Now?

That feeling hadn't disappeared.

Instead, it had intensified.

The brutally beaten Deventer was the best evidence.

The two of them believed that Deventer was definitely not the first person this man had killed, nor would he be the last.

However, the two didn't say much.

Because Deventer deserved it!

"Mr. Mapur, what should we do next?"

Andy Nan was very curious, but he didn't ask about the sudden appearance of the 'crimson raven'.

The young man was smart.

And smart people knew that some things could be asked, while others were best left unasked.

Or even unknown.

"Of course, we take back what's rightfully mine."

Goethe pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"What's rightfully yours?"

The three of them were taken aback, including Andy Nan, all a bit puzzled.

...

Grand Duke Graz was a bit restless.

Ever since his advisor started plotting against that Mapur, he had always felt it was a mistake, and the previous attack further proved this point.

However, he couldn't order the other party to stop.

They were just cooperating.

Neither could command the other.

Moreover, he wouldn't mind taking the opportunity to get rid of an illegitimate child. Even though the illegitimate child couldn't inherit the title, even a tiny division of property was enough to displease him. However, what this Gratz the Elder didn't expect was that besides the child's mother, there was another person who possessed "power" beside the illegitimate child.

Not only did the surefire attack fail, but his advisor was also injured, forcing him to recuperate and re-strategize. This time, Gratz the Elder directly suggested giving up. Furthermore, he wanted to make it clear that they could use a bit of property in exchange for peaceful coexistence with the illegitimate child. However, his advisor didn't heed his advice, instead telling him that this was a war and peaceful coexistence was impossible. This made Gratz the Elder increasingly uneasy.

As the heir to the Grand Duke, Gratz the Elder knew very well what war was. Therefore, he didn't want to experience "war" because it truly meant a fight to the death!

"Hasn't Advisor Devant returned yet?" Gratz the Elder glanced at the clock, which had already passed midnight, and asked the butler.

"No, your Excellency."

"Should I send someone to the Royal Bird Academy?" The butler asked for instructions.

"No need!" Gratz the Elder shook his head. The Grand Duke's eldest son knew very well that when facing someone who possessed "power," unless they had an absolute advantage in numbers, even his most elite assassins would be sent to their deaths. He had already lost six assassins due to the unexpected turn of events, and each assassin was difficult and costly to train. Gratz the Elder absolutely didn't want to lose any more.

Therefore, he could only wait patiently, hoping that Devant would return victorious as he always had. However, this expectation was destined to be dashed. Gratz the Elder didn't wait for Devant's return. Instead, he waited for his younger brother, Gratz the Younger, to visit.

Immediately, the Grand Duke's eldest son frowned. Gratz the Elder didn't like his younger brother; no one would like someone who would divide their property, even if he had already inherited the majority. Gratz the Younger also disliked his elder brother because, in his view, if it weren't for Gratz the Elder, he would be the one inheriting the title.

Therefore, their relationship had always been bad, even bordering on hostile. They only maintained a superficial peace in front of their father and in public. In private? They were already like fire and water. If it weren't for their father, they would have already been at each other's throats.

So, under normal circumstances, Gratz the Younger would never visit him. Unless... Gratz the Elder's heart tightened as he thought of something. A bad premonition began to surface.

Then, when the butler brought Gratz the Younger in, Gratz the Elder's bad premonition was confirmed. Gratz the Younger, with a bruised and swollen face, handed the bundle in his hand to Gratz the Elder and then bent over to vomit. For this second son of the Grand Duke, the first sixteen years of his entire life combined weren't as thrilling as tonight.

First, he was held hostage by his father's crazy illegitimate son. Then, even though he told them everything, he was still beaten. Next, just after waking up from unconsciousness, he witnessed that terrifying guy with "dragon's might" chop off Devant's head. Finally, he was even handed the head to "deliver the message."

Along the way, Gratz the Younger was terrified by this bloody head, so much so that he had to cover it with his coat and then make a bundle out of the coat. If it weren't for the words he had to convey, Gratz the Younger wouldn't want to stay a moment longer. He just wanted to return to his residence now.

No! Not return to his residence! But leave Hesetins! Go to the seaside, to the manor with beaches and sunshine! Go there to seek some comfort from the ladies! He wouldn't return to Hesetins until he forgot all about these bloody things!

Gratz the Younger, secretly swearing in his heart, said directly, "Mr. Maple asked me to tell you that all of Devant's belongings should be delivered to 11 Kimmel Street before dawn - that's what he deserves."

"Also..."

"Big Brother said, you better not have anything to do with Mother's death!"

After finishing, Gratz the Younger turned and left.

Looking at Gratz the Younger's back, Gratz the Elder, shocked by his advisor's head, was stunned. Big Brother? Mother?

It took a full three seconds for Gratz the Elder to realize who Gratz the Younger was referring to. It was that illegitimate child and his mother!

"Cowardly, timid guy!"

"You've never even called me Big Brother!"

"You're a disgrace to the family!"

"I'll show you the honor of the Gratz family, I'll let you know why I'm Father's true heir!" Gratz the Elder shouted angrily.

An hour later -

Gratz the Elder's butler knocked on the door of 11 Kimmel Street with two carriages. Facing Maria who opened the door, he said with a smile, "Hello, Mr. Maple left something behind, and my master asked me to deliver it! Also, here's the deed to 11 Kimmel Street. Mr. Maple left in such a hurry before that he forgot to take it!"

(End of Chapter)