Chapter 169 - Talking it Out?

Mertin didn't flinch. He bowed his head slightly, showing respect, and eyed his older brother. "May I please have my key back? Or have you already taken that out of the vault? In which case, can you pass me what's rightfully mine?"

"I ask for a fight and you bow so politely? Is that your attempt to avoid facing me?" Jonon chuckled, stepping forward to lean on the desk. "You were always great at diffusing tricky situations… Too bad you're the one who caused the situation this time around…"

"Please, Jonon. I don't want to keep Melida and the kids waiting for long."

"I thought they would living the cozy life inside the Libarn Guild?" commented Jonon, looking for a reaction. "Or am I wrong?"

But Mertin simply stood there with his arm held out in wait. There was no flinch of his gaze or hesitation of his hand. He merely stood there with a patient stare and a straight face.

"Mertin, you know this can't be so easy for you. You've done more wrong than I'd expected. Even Big Bro couldn't get you out of this. The moment Dad finds out, whether I tell him or not, there may be no coming back."

Finally, a change of expression appeared on Mertin's face. A gentle smile overcame him as Mertin blinked to keep his eyes from watering. "I understand that."

"Of course you do, but why--"

"Please, Jonon. Just let me have it. I won't be coming back, nor will I expect any help or support from the family. But, please, let me have that as a parting gift to the younger brother running away from home."

"Mertin… Tell me why--"

"Please, Jonon."

Sensing the strange tension throughout the room, Jonon thought more about their conversation. He hastily reanalyzed their exchange with a new perspective only an older brother would have.

"Mertin, what have--"

"Don't ask," Mertin firmly declared, shaking his head. "All I ask is to give me it and allow me to leave. Dad will hear about it eventually anyway, so you can go ahead and tell him all about your discovery after I'm gone. But please, Jonon, let me have it."

"Hmm… Then let's do this," Jonon sighed. "For old time's sake, I'll bet on my victory."

Blinking and caught off guard, Mertin chuckled lightly out of reflex. "Jonon… You can't be--"

"Either you're walking out empty-handed or you match my bet, promising to tell me what's really going on," continued Jonon. "Do you accept?"

Taking a deep breath and brandishing a broken grin, Mertin nodded. "I'll match your bet… Then, shall we?"

"We shall."

Calmly and without another word, Jonon walked past Mertin and unlocked the lever sealing the door. Mertin deactivated the formations and closed the door after they exited the room. They walked side-by-side toward the property's entrance but through the shadows and back ways of the estate to best avoid being seen.

"I'll be back after drinking with my little brother. He's paying for once, so I can't refuse," Jonon waved off the guard at the entrance, leaving him startled but unable to question them.

Silence filled their lack of a conversation. Neither man did anything more than smile half-heartedly as they casually strolled through the residential district and neared the old market. Once there, they were well aware of their surroundings, keeping an eye on the shady figures lurking about in search of clientele, victims, or both. But none made a move on the brothers as they were recognizable thanks to their father's merciless reputation of old.

Passing the mostly-open streets, they eventually halted their feet. They looked up as Jonon raised an eyebrow. "This is your last chance to back down… I may not kill you, but I won't go easy on you either."

But Mertin calmly shook his head and opened the door of the large building consisting of five domes connected via hallways and rooms. It was the newest-looking building throughout the entirety of the old market, but it was also one of the most dimly lit from the outside. The course concrete offered the structure practical integrity over elegant appearance, and that same tone was set inside the building. Some mismatching furniture was strewn about and a giant wooden desk was lodged into one of the entryway's walls.

"Oh, it's been too long!" An older man looking to be in his late forties stood up from behind the wooden counter, showing-off his gnarly, yellow grin. "Run into another brotherly spat again? I had thought you'd become saints after stopped visiting long ago."

"We need a small chamber," Mertin replied with a regret-filled smile.

Noticing the strange air around the brothers, the older man asked, "What's gotten into you? Where's the brotherly passion and your drive to test each other? Hasn't Hurman--"

"Please don't mention Father right now," Jonon commented, leaving the man astonished and perplexed. "This guy will pay for the chamber but there's no need for a ref."

"Got it…" The man nodded slowly, trying to piece together what he could with the little information he could sense from the unusually closed-off brothers. "That'll be twenty gold for the chamber."

"Make it thirty for silencing the chamber," Mertin added, getting a slight nod from the man as he placed a pile of gold on the counter.

"Follow me…" The man passed the gold to his void ring and got out from behind the desk. He casually strolled through the halls, trying to not impose on the brothers, regardless of the strange mood they seemed to be in. Such was their business relationship, after all. 

They soon stopped in the middle of a hallway and the man took out a key covered in strange etchings. Unlocking the door, the man opened it wide and took out a crystal, also covered in etchings. The opaque crystal was swiped against a formation written beside the door, lighting up immediately.

"It's ready for you," stated the old man with a friendly nod. "Want me to wait here?"

Both brothers shook their heads as they entered the room, Jonon replying, "We'll make our way back to the front and ask for healing after we know what damage has been done."

"Then good luck. I look forward to hearing about the victor and loser." Finished, the man then shut the door, letting it lock itself for only those inside the room to open it or those with an enchanted key.