Chapter 3713: Hidden Trap (Part 2) After a few minutes of furious ranting, Orpal regained his cool. "Let’s recap. No Demons, no living legacy, no super armor. Only two golems, a crazy blade, and an alleged Davross armor." He said, and Erion nodded for him to continue. "Then how in the nine hells did Leech defeat fourteen Awakened and kill thirteen of them?" "That’s the secret part." Erion shrugged. "The patriarch only said, and I quote, ’Verhen fought like his namesake implies. Like a Demon. He bravely protected the baby boy with brawn and brains until Valeron the Second helped him’." "That’s it?" Orpal was mad with rage. "A wholesome story of father and son fighting together?" "More or less." The Jormungandr replied. "Also, the patriarch said that Araghat, the Jormungandr Verhen killed, deserved his fate. He also added that there is no shame in Araghat’s defeat, only in his cowardice for attacking a helpless baby in numbers and failing nonetheless. "The patriarch said that whoever pursues revenge for Araghat will be disowned and exiled from the clan. He declared that shedding more Jormungandr blood for an empty cause would only bring more shame upon us." "Do you plan on listening to him?" Losing Erion would have made Orpal’s day even worse than it already was. "Of course not." The Jormungandr scoffed. "I’m betting all my chips on you, my liege. Who cares about the Jormungandr bloodline when I’m going to establish my own as a Divine Beast?" "Good." Orpal nodded. "Until I become a true Upyr-Jormungandr, however, I’d like to keep a low profile." Erion said. "I’m the only link with Garlen’s Council, and if my allegiance to you is exposed, we won’t get any more inside news about Verhen, my liege." "So be it." Orpal replied. "Now leave me alone." ’Once again, Leech ruined everything!’ He inwardly screamed. ’The ambush, my borrowed knife, and even the trap I had laid for this moment have all failed. Back to the drawing board.’ *** Verhen Mansion, the next morning. News of Lith’s victory reached the amulets of anyone who had a single acquaintance in the Awakened Council. The news of Valeron the Second’s existence had also reached the public, but had been dismissed like one of the rants of the Incontinent King. Thanks to the Royals, the nobles had carefully avoided fanning the flames of Orpal’s plan and ignored the revelation. With the Royal Court denying the allegations and even Lith’s political opponents dismissing Orpal’s words as lies, no one believed him. "I’ve always said Poopie is full of shit. Let’s keep him from sharing it with us, since he can’t control his bowels." That was the common reaction to the rumors. The more Orpal insisted on claiming it was true, the more he caused a resurgence of mockery at his own expense. A few hours had passed since the ambush, and the video Thrud had released about the Incontinent King was on everyone’s Tablet again. Lith found no joy in it. Despite the tender moment with Raldarak, his situation with Valeron hadn’t improved one bit. The baby boy avoided looking at him and even refused to interact with Elysia. Valeron treated Solus as Kamila with the same cold indifference, no matter how much they smiled at him or how much Raaz and Elina tried to soften him up. "Lith, I have a question." Solus asked while browsing the few reports about the ambush that the patriarchs of the various bloodlines had shared and the Awakened community’s reaction to their words. "Shoot." Lith ate his breakfast with the same enthusiasm with which he would have removed his own appendicitis without anesthesia. "Why did you let that guy, Cailm the Orthrus, go?" She said. "The Council already had the second wave of Awakened to interrogate. Cailm’s usefulness was over. You could have... imprisoned him. "You left a witness of your fight, and now the Council and all the clan patriarchs know about a few of your techniques." "I did it to protect you, Solus." Lith raised his eyes from the food and looked at her. "Ever since the Golden Griffon went down, the rumors that I’m bonded to a cursed object spread by Hystar are going around in the Awakened community. "Nobody paid it attention aside from the cursed objects, thinking it was just a last-ditch attempt to drag me down. Meln has zero credibility as well, so no matter how much he shouts it from the rooftops, nobody believes him. "If I were to kill fourteen Awakened and leave no living witness, however, those words would gain a lot more weight. The Royals, the Awakened, and even regular people would ask themselves how I could possibly win against those odds. "My victory would have soon become a defeat after Meln turned my strength and secrecy against me. The worst part would have been that even if I told everyone the truth, no one would have believed me. "Meln’s words would have haunted the Council and the Royals until they demanded to examine me again or stopped trusting me. I wouldn’t bear living for long under such scrutiny, nor you having to hide like a thief, Solus. "I knew Meln had just tried to destroy Valeron’s life and that you would be next, so I defused Meln’s threat before he could trigger it. By leaving Cailm alive, I gave the Council all the answers it needed and, most importantly, they don’t come from me. "Feela and the others don’t have to worry about one of my tricks or hidden bloodline abilities. They can trust the results of their interrogation and, in turn, trust me for it. As for my secrets, I didn’t reveal much. "Think about it. Ragnarök being made of Davross is hardly a novelty, and so is the fact that I’m a cunning and ruthless fighter. My Golems are no mystery either, and I used no amazing spell that any other Awakened can’t use. "The Life Maelstrom wasn’t mine, and using it to overpower the enemy quickly is standard procedure. The only ’shocking’ revelation was my Voidwalker armor being comprised of an Adamant-Davross alloy, but so what? "That’s not something a living legacy can do. Not when using the Harmonizers on my mines or having received Davross ingots in exchange for Ripha’s services or my own is a much simpler explanation. "I have no obligation to expose my hypothetical clients, who are bound to keep their hypothetical newfound Blade Weapons a secret until they need them to survive. Grandma using Creation Magic to upgrade my equipment is public knowledge. "I offered a tidbit of information, and in turn, I proved Meln and Hystar to be unreliable liars. Even if Meln and his allies tell the truth about us in the future, no one will believe them. It was a fair exchange, if you ask me." "Wow." Raaz said in amazement, taking the words out of everyone’s mind. "I’m proud of you, son. Despite your... argument with Valeron and the mental strain from such a ferocious fight, you had the presence of mind to move five steps ahead of Meln." ’Dad is right.’ Solus shoved food in her mouth to keep her head low and hide her blush. ’Even with a battered body and a broken heart, Lith worried about me. He put my safety above his feelings and protected me. He protected our bond.’