Chapter 24 - Wesley's Meeting (2)

Wesley remained silent for a moment as he waited for a reply. After almost two breaths, a voice came from the place where the person was. The voice clearly belonged to a man because it was low and manly, but it was almost whisper-like and had the effect of making people extremely uncomfortable.

"This Manor originally belonged to my family. I only wanted to investigate what happened to the previous owners."

As soon as Wesley heard "this Manor used to belong to my family," he felt like he understood the situation, but he wouldn’t dare lower his guard because this person was not normal. Not only had he managed to enter Wesley's basement from the outside, but he also seemed unfazed by being surrounded by Wesley's Dark Domain. This showed that the man was extremely powerful. Wesley spoke again while his sword hovered in front of him, pointing at the man, and his dagger was still in his hand.

"And what is the name of this family of yours?"

"The Black Family. This is our ancestral Manor. Mind telling me how you came to own it?"

Wesley thought for a moment, then, ignoring the man's question, asked another.

"Can you prove that you are from the Black Family?"

The man was quiet for a moment, then his low, soft, whisper-like voice emerged again.

"I can't prove it since I never needed to before. How do you suggest I do it?"

Wesley thought for a moment. He knew it wasn’t easy to prove one's family ties—insignias and emblems were commonly used, but they were easy to forge or steal. After a moment's silence, Wesley spoke again.

"How many children does the head of the Black Family have?"

This question was Wesley's way of probing the honesty of the man's words. He made it sound like the Black Family’s head was still alive on purpose; if the man spoke in the past tense, it would indicate that he knew the Black Family was no more, making it improbable that he would launch an investigation three years later. If the man also mentioned little Sala, he would have known about Sala’s birth, which occurred around the same time as the Black Family's massacre—again making it odd that he would start his investigation three years later, or even need an investigation at all.

"My brother has four children: Little Lane, Stein, Wannel, and Lavar."

Hearing the man's answer, Wesley felt certain that he was indeed from the Black Family. Wesley immediately reached out to catch his sword that was floating in the air and canceled his Dark Domain. As soon as he did this, the extreme darkness in the basement receded. The basement was still unlit, so Wesley pointed towards the exit and spoke.

"Let's go. We'll speak in the study."

The man simply walked towards the exit in an unhurried manner. Wesley was certain this man was a Black, but he still wouldn’t lower his guard too much. He kept his sword and dagger in hand while observing the dark-robed figure of the man heading towards the exit. Wesley wanted to test the man further and see if he could find the study, as this should have been his home.

The man walked out of the basement and headed towards the study without hesitation. The moment they emerged from the dark basement into the lit hallways of the Manor, Wesley noticed that the man wore a completely dark uniform with a hoodie. His shoulders were broad, and his six-foot frame seemed to be filled with muscles that bulged without making him appear burly. He also had multiple daggers hanging from his hips.

Wesley was surprised at the man's attire. To be able to enter the basement from the outside meant that the man was likely a mage, but based on his attire and physique, one would almost certainly think he was a swordsman.

Wesley and the man reached the study. The man immediately walked in, and Wesley followed soon after. After walking in, Wesley shut the door and walked towards one of the seats to the side and sat, while the man simply stood opposite Wesley.

The man looked at Wesley very closely, his eyes showing an odd light. When he experienced Wesley's Dark Domain, he felt as if he had run into an expert, which was why he had been polite and composed. But now that he saw Wesley's youthful face, he couldn’t help but have some complicated emotions creep into his heart.

Wesley, seeing the look on the man's face, decided to break the silence.

"My name is Wesley, I am the current master of the Black Manor. Mind telling me who you are?"

The man seemed to have been awoken from his stupor and spoke with his regular whisper-like voice.

"My name is Neal Black. I am the younger brother of the head of the Black Family. Now, mind telling me how you managed to own this Manor? My brother never would have sold our ancestral home."

Neal's voice, although still low and whisper-like, showed his anxiety. Wesley felt regretful that he had to tell him what happened, but he couldn’t lie or misguide him.

"The Black Family was massacred three years ago. I bought the Manor from the city."

Neal’s face paled, and his eyes turned glossy as if he was about to cry. He pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke, his voice clearly showing his shaken state.

"I see... It seems I was too late."

Wesley was startled by Neal's words. Neal implied that he knew about the Black Family’s impending doom before it happened, making Lane's information faulty. Lane had said they had no idea they would be attacked.

"What do you mean? How were you able to know that the family was in danger?"

Neal looked at Wesley, his face still pale, and spoke again.

"My brother sent me a message some three or so years ago. He said that the four families were preparing to make their move... only... only I was too late."

Wesley was surprised by Neal's words. The four families were the rulers of Blackreach City, holding tremendous power and influence for a millennium. Furthermore, he had believed that the Shorn Family were responsible for the attack on the Black Family.

"What do you mean, the four families? It was the Shorn Family that killed the Black Family."

Neal was still clearly shaken, but he was slowly regaining his composure. As soon as Wesley mentioned the Shorn Family, his eyes shone with a murderous luster, and he spoke.

"Shorn? Those trash serve the four families. I will make sure they don’t have a single root left in this world."

Wesley was deep in thought. If the Shorn Family served the four families, then by killing them off, he would have caused the four families to be on their guard. His only chance was if they didn’t associate the death of the Shorn Family with the Black Family matter or with him. Wesley suddenly thought of something and immediately looked at Neal, who was almost fuming, exuding a thick bloodlust.

"Neal, calm yourself. The Shorn Family is already dead. Also, Lane, Stein, and the others are alive and well. It’s best if you don’t make any rash actions that might put them in danger."

Hearing Wesley’s words, Neal’s eyes shone brightly, and the glossiness in his eyes turned to tears as he felt great joy in the bottom of his heart.

"Is it true? Are they truly alive?"

"Yes, they are. I had to change their last name to Gray because I feared they might be suspected when I killed the Shorn Family. It seems that was the correct decision."

Wesley felt extremely relieved that he had made contingency plans before killing the Shorn Family. Otherwise, who knows if he would be lying dead in some ditch by now? He knew that the four families could easily kill him without fearing retaliation from the Kingdom of Ject because, if his father invaded Blackreach County, he would have to fight the other three kingdoms, and to risk another War of Four for Wesley, whom they viewed as useless, would be unwise.

Neal spoke up again, excitement still present in his voice, as if he had forgotten all about the death of the other family members.

"Where are they? Can you take me to them? Please?"

"Haha, it’s past midnight; they are definitely sleeping. Go to the master bedroom upstairs; they should all be sleeping there."

Neal didn’t even wait for Wesley to finish his words before he darted towards the study door.