Chapter 3662: Crossing the Line (Part 1)

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 เม.ย. 2569 04:43

*** "What do you want to talk about?" Vastor asked. "As I was saying to your 'children' before we were interrupted by their pet, their mother must be pretty good in bed to convince you to adopt them and triple the shame you have brought on the Vastor Household, Father." Away from prying eyes, Zesor dropped all pretenses of courtesy. "Muddying the family tree by marrying a commoner was already bad, but playing family with the offspring of a common criminal is more than lust. It's crossing the line of dishonor." The insults washed over the Professor like spring rain on sturdy windows, yet he was worried about Filia and Frey. Much to his surprise, when he turned his gaze to them, he discovered they were neither angry nor offended. They were scared, but not for themselves. Filia and Frey looked at him in worry, afraid that Vastor's sons might be mean to him as well. "I'm sorry, children." He spoke to Filia and Frey, angering Zesor and Quifar even more. "These two are a monster of my creation, and I take full responsibility for them. I'm the one who deserves their grudge, not you. You don't have to listen to this." "We're not leaving you alone, Dad." Frey didn't let go of the mage robe. "You would just stand here and take the mean words of these bullies. You need someone to defend you." Quifar and Zesor had bullied many people in their lives, but that was the first time they were called out on it. Surprise and outrage tightened their throats so much that they found themselves incapable of retorting to the child's accusation. "Thanks, but I assure you I can deal with my sons. Are you sure you don't want to go back to Tezka?" Vastor asked, obtaining resolute nods in reply. "Deal." Quifar echoed with a cold voice. "There's no better word to define how you are treating us. How you've treated us all our lives. You deal with us, like one of your magical experiments or a problem you have to solve. "Do your latest lab rats know you never cared about your true children? That we never had a relationship with you because you preferred to chase after better mages than you than be a father worthy of such a title?" "Yes, they know." Vastor's reply left his sons in a stunned silence. "I told Filia and Frey everything. How I married your mother only as an obligation to my Household and had you two because it was my duty to ensure my bloodline wouldn't end with me." The bluntness of his words shocked Zesor and Quifar, who went pale. They stared at the children, noticing from the lack of emotion on their faces that Vastor had really been honest with them. "I also told Filia and Frey that I was a horrible father to you." The Professor continued. "That I should have given you the time and love you needed instead of treating you like another of my duties. "They know I've attended to the milestones of your lives and missed everything else. I told them because I wanted to know I have a poor track record as a parent and needed their help to learn." "Then you know they love you only for your money, don't you? Just like their mother." Zesor asked with spite. "Take that back!" Filia's outrage was so genuine and explosive that the two brothers found themselves stepping back from the much younger and smaller girl. "Dad saved Mom. He saved us! "Even if he had no money, I wouldn't let a spoiled brat like you talk to him like that!" "How dare you speak to us like that?" Zesor snarled but didn't dare step forward. His father would let him do and say as he pleased, but the moment Zesor had raised his voice to Filia, he had felt Vastor's gaze on him. A gaze full of mana. "Man, you two are so whiny." Frey chimed in, surprising everyone. "I don't understand why you don't like your father. Did he beat you when you were too noisy?" "No, but-" "Did he chase after other women while he was married to your mom?" "No!" Quifar replied in outrage. Despite the many rumors and the even more suitors after the Vastor Household's power, everyone knew that the old Professor's only mistress was magic, but for an Archmage, that was a given. Vastor had never been unfaithful to his first wife, which made her asking for the divorce a great stain on her family's reputation. She had given up on power, authority, and dominance over a flourishing region out of petty grudge. "Did he lock you in your rooms without food for hours if you broke a glass?" "Of course, not." Zesor was tired of those stupid questions. "What's your point, child?" "My point is that my blood-father did all those things." Frey's face twisted in disgust as he referred to Fallmug as his father. "You got toys, clothes, freedom, yet you are still whining. If you don't like my Dad, just leave him alone!" "It's easy to talk now that you are young and every scrap of his attention seems gold, you runt!" Quifar replied. "Wait until you reach twelve and he discovers you have no talent for magic. He'll throw you away like trash, like he did to us." "I never threw you away." Vastor replied. "I simply stopped giving you magic lessons, but I assume that it must have felt that way to you since that was the only occasion we spent a long time together. For that, I'm sorry. "I know my apologies don't amount to much after sixteen years of neglect, but my youngest son has a point." At those words, Frey puffed his chest out with pride. "After you left my home, you had fourteen years to live your life as you wanted. "You avoided me like a plague, and I respected your wish to be left alone. Why are you back after so long, spouting venom like angry teens when you are men in their thirties?" "We have come to tell you in person that we are contesting your will before you receive the court summon." Quifar replied. "It was a simple act of courtesy." "We won't let you squander the fortune of our bloodline just because you have a mid-life crisis." Zesor, the oldest of the two, took point. "Two common-born mutts without a drop of the Vastor blood in their veins must be cut out of the inheritance. "Even though we have no talent for magic, we are the ones who carry your bloodline and the Vastor Household's only hope to bear magically gifted children in the future. Since you are still our father, however, we are willing to spare you from the public humiliation that the inevitable ruling of the judges would bring. "Publicly declare us your only heirs and sign these documents." Zesor took several papers out of his dimensional amulet. "They'll keep Essagor in the hands of the true Vastors while granting your mistress and her children enough money to live in a luxury they don't deserve. "Beware, though, this offer stands only-" Vastor chortled, cutting Zesor short in surprise.

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