Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

"What did you just say?" Azarion spoke as he looked at the projection again, his eyes slightly widened. Behind him, Veyron stood trembling, sweat running down his face while still holding Karval’s half-dead body by his side.

Veyron swallowed hard before speaking under the invisible pressure that had started filling the whole chamber. "Th-That’s Atlas Crosswood, Your Majesty...the one I suspected to be Atlas Mariorett..."

Azarion didn’t erupt in anger nor did he turn to look at Karval’s condition. His eyes remained fixed on the projection as the same scene replayed again, showing Atlas releasing that strange Null pressure. Veyron also looked at the projection once more and for the first time since entering the chamber, his eyes widened in horror as his body shuddered. "H-How does he have that Unknown Energy?"

Only then did Azarion shift his gaze slightly and speak, his eyes narrowing. "That is exactly what I am asking you. Only you possessed that scroll Relic carrying that Energy...so how does he have it? And you are saying this is the same person we sent into the Eternal-class Ruin?"

Hearing that question, Veyron slowly released his grip on Karval’s body, letting it fall onto the floor beside him. His right hand trembled uncontrollably as he hurriedly answered, "Y-Yes, Your Majesty...that scroll was under my control for the experiments b-but I only used it on Project X...a-and only provided small samples to the researchers working under me. S-So...I also don’t understand how that man possesses that Unknown Energy."

As Veyron finished speaking, Azarion finally turned toward him while the projection behind him continued replaying the same scene again and again as if it had been set to loop. Seeing the cold expression on the King’s face, Veyron hurriedly continued before Azarion could speak again.

"A-As I said before, Your Majesty...I suspected this man to be Atlas Mariorett. I don’t know how he survived the boss of an Eternal-class Ruin...b-but at that time it was only an assumption. Now...it seems that assumption was correct."

Azarion’s pupils slowly turned faintly golden again as he stared directly at Veyron. "That still doesn’t explain why he possesses that Unknown Energy...are you unable to understand what I am asking?" His voice remained calm, yet it echoed heavily throughout the entire chamber.

Veyron could barely keep himself composed. Questions, assumptions and conclusions kept colliding inside his mind one after another, making it difficult to think clearly. More than anything...he was afraid. He knew exactly what happened whenever the King’s patience ran out, and the last thing he wanted was to make Azarion even more dissatisfied than he already was.

Veyron’s mind raced as he desperately searched for any explanation that could get him out of this situation. Countless questions flashed through his head one after another until one thought suddenly stood out.

’How could anyone possess that Unknown Energy without the scroll...?’

The moment that question crossed his mind, everything seemed to connect. His eyes widened slightly as he immediately looked at Azarion and spoke, "Y-Your Majesty, I have an assumption...no, I have a conclusion that is most likely the reason that man possesses that Unknown Energy."

Azarion narrowed his eyes, the faint golden glow still visible within his pupils as he calmly replied, "Speak, what conclusion is it that you have reached?"

Veyron took a deep breath before explaining, "As I mentioned before, I suspect this man to be the same person who somehow survived and escaped from the Eternal-class Ruin...then changed his surname to hide his identity. The scroll also came from that same Ruin, so the most reasonable conclusion is that the reason he possesses that Unknown Energy is also connected to something he obtained inside that Ruin."

As he continued speaking, the trembling in Veyron’s voice slowly faded and became more composed. Azarion remained silent with the same calm expression while listening.

"That ’something’ could be another Relic similar to the scroll the Revenants obtained from that Ruin. After all...there is nothing saying an Eternal-class Ruin can only contain one or two Relics. It could hold several of them. That is the most logical conclusion I can reach, Your Majesty."

Azarion remained silent for a long moment as he considered the explanation. His eyes slowly narrowed into slits before he finally spoke again.

"I see...so this commoner may have obtained another Relic similar to that scroll...but that still leaves one question." His gaze remained fixed on Veyron. "How did he survive in the first place? He had to stay alive to even obtain such a Relic...and that should not be possible inside an Eternal-class Ruin, the boss attacks the moment the first person enters."

Veyron listened without interrupting. After thinking for a few seconds, he answered carefully.

"I agree, Your Majesty...but we also have no way of knowing what truly happened inside that Ruin. Eternal-class Ruins have always been exceptions. As you know Their floors shift on their own at regular intervals, and even after all these years no one has fully understood how they function. If they can already do something that unusual...then it isn’t impossible that something even more exceptional happened inside."

He continued, "No one has ever been able to map their complete structure or even determine the exact number of floors. We still don’t know how many secrets those Ruins are hiding."

Azarion fell silent again as he thought over the explanation. After a while, he finally spoke.

"That explanation covers part of it...but I no longer care about explanations." His eyes settled on Veyron once more. "What I want to know is...why is he still alive? You prepared everything to have him killed...didn’t you?"

The very next moment, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Veyron.

"Khugg...! Cough!"

His knees buckled instantly as blood spilled from his mouth. He couldn’t resist it in the slightest. Azarion had released only a tiny fraction of his Spirit...an amount even the lowest-ranked Explorer could normally control, yet that tiny amount alone was enough to completely suppress an SS-rank.

How Azarion was able to achieve something like that was another matter entirely and could be explained later.

For now, Azarion looked down at Veyron and spoke once more.

"So...tell me. How is the suspect you prepared to kill still alive?"

Veyron gritted his teeth as he struggled against the crushing pressure. Even in that condition, he had no intention of dying here.

"Y-Your Majesty...please hear me out!"

Azarion watched him for another moment before withdrawing the pressure. The suffocating force disappeared almost instantly as he calmly spoke a single word.

"Speak."

Veyron began explaining everything from the beginning, starting from the moment he sent the two assassins from Martial Cleaver to eliminate Atlas, all the way to the point where he had no choice but to send their captain himself...Karval. The moment Karval’s name came up, Azarion shifted his gaze toward the half-dead body lying on the floor. Blood was still flowing out continuously, and even from where he stood he could clearly see several internal organs exposed through the torn flesh.

Before Veyron could continue any further, Azarion casually waved his hand. A small marble appeared above Karval’s body out of thin air. The next moment he snapped his fingers, and the marble cracked apart like glass. As it shattered, a thick unknown liquid poured directly onto Karval’s body. The moment it touched him, the wounds immediately began regenerating at a visible speed. Flesh, muscles and organs slowly started restoring themselves, the regeneration even faster than Atlas’s Regenerative Hide.

As Karval’s body continued healing, Azarion calmly spoke.

"Continue..."

Veyron nodded and resumed his explanation without stopping. After finishing everything that had happened, he finally reached the end and spoke the last piece of information.

"Karval had to use the Teleportation Relic to escape from an SS-rank. Before he lost consciousness...he briefly mentioned something about the Rosaria Household, Your Majesty."

The moment Azarion heard those words, his eyes widened slightly. Then...a grin slowly spread across his face before he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!"

His laughter echoed throughout the chamber before it slowly settled, though the grin never disappeared.

"So...it’s Dravenson! Hahaha! I had almost forgotten about him if not for this incident. A whole decade has passed and now...I finally have the chance to kill him. Hahaha! All of my goals will be accomplished at once."

Hearing that name, Veyron felt a chill crawl down his spine. He remembered Azarion mentioning Dravenson once nearly a decade ago, and he also remembered the hatred hidden behind that single name. Even after all these years, that hatred clearly hadn’t faded in the slightest.

Veyron remained silent as he watched the King laugh to himself. At the same time, Azarion was already connecting every piece of information together inside his mind.

After a while, the laughter gradually disappeared. His expression returned to its usual calmness as he spoke in a cold voice.

"Karval wouldn’t end up near the Rosaria Household...or even close to it unless Atlas Mariorett and the Household led by Dravenson are connected."

A faint grin appeared on his face once again.

"Hehe...that makes things much easier for me. I was already planning to eradicate the entire Angelic Continent...now that decision has only become more certain."

His eyes shifted toward Veyron.

"I want Project X completed as soon as possible and Also...prepare the Army we discussed before...Hahaha! This is going to be quite a sight."

Veyron immediately lowered his head and answered without hesitation.

"Yes, your Majesty, I will complete Project X as soon as possible...and prepare the Army as instructed."

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