Chapter 325: Crumbling

"Good. Let's talk about the Griffith Family." Nella smiled.

Theo nodded and moved the chair in front of the bed, so they could have a nice chat.

Nella put the pillow on her lap and rested her hand on top of it while supporting her chin. "So, what do you want to know? To be honest, I can't really give you too much information regarding the Griffith Family since my father refused to talk about it most of the time.

"I only have some information about rules and stuff. The rest of my knowledge came from my own research. If you don't mind, we can separate which one is the verified one coming from my father and which one is my research."

"That's good enough." Theo nodded with a serious expression. "First, tell me everything you know about the Griffith Family."

"Sure." Nella adjusted her position before starting to talk. "Okay. First of all, the Griffith Family is a rising hidden family. I'm sure you often heard of some legendary families such as the Rothschild Family, no? We are similar to them.

"However, the Griffith Family's rise only came after the emergence of the teleportation circles. The ancestor of the family reached the peak and was known as Magic Saint. This Magic Saint was very peculiar because his fighting style was close to that of a melee fighter like what I showed you in the competition.

"As for their location… Even I don't know. There are a few branches, but no one knows the location of the main family. That's why on your 18th birthday, you are to make your life choice. If you go on the separate way, you won't get any more information regarding the Griffith Family.

"If you are back, you can get all the resources you need to increase your strength by leaps and bounds. Also, you will have a shot at becoming the family head because the one who holds that position is normally the strongest expert in the family. In other words, it depends on your strength.

"Either way, that's what my father told me." She let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, but I can't really talk much about them."

"It's fine." Theo nodded and asked, "So, what's about your research?"

"Hmm… This one is too long since I have many things to show you. We can do this later after talking about your family. Don't you want to know about them?"

"That certainly interests me more than the Griffith Family."

"To be honest, if my prediction is correct, your parents are still alive."

"!!!" Theo widened his eyes with his mouth open in shock. He rose from the chair and shouted, "What did you say?"

"That's just my speculation. I don't have any proof to show you they are alive. But when I mentioned your father's name to my father, he always dodged the topic as if he feared something." Nella thought for a moment. "Also, my father seemed to know your father very well, so I am assuming they were pretty close, but because of the difference of status, my father refused to give me his information.

"In other words, your father may be in the main family with a reputable status. And I don't think he is treated badly because of his strength. I have tried to look at many videos, hoping to find the trace of your father, but I only found one thing.

"It's an old video where he destroyed a small hill with a single fist." Nella's expression suddenly became cheeky as if she remembered something bad. "Well, I sneaked inside my father's room to find that record. After getting found out, I couldn't sit for a whole day since my father spanked me so many times."

"…" Theo widened his eyes as he came to a realization. "Doesn't that mean…"

"Exactly." Nella smiled. "Do you think such a person can die easily? Absolutely not. Hence, he must have his reasons for returning to the main family and faking that incident."

Theo's expression darkened.

"I am sorry." Nella quickly reached to him and hugged him. "I don't mean to say bad things about them. Even if you don't have anyone, I can be your only family."

Theo closed his eyes for a moment, wondering which one was actually fake and which one was the truth.

He couldn't help but remember what God of Mischief said to him as he muttered, replaying what he said. "What if this reality that I believe in is only a mere illusion? Doesn't this mean I have been living in an illusion…"

"That's right. You are living in a nightmare this whole time. Don't worry. Since I have found you, I can guarantee that everything will be better."

His body started shaking as his heart filled with sadness, anger, and confusion. He had trouble controlling his emotions after Sihan's information and Laust's change.

"…" Theo clenched his fists and asked with a hoarse tone. "What about my brother? No… Is he even my brother?"

Nella looked away. It was hard to answer his question.

"Answer me." Theo looked her in the eyes. His eyes wanted to know the truth, but his heart couldn't take it.

With a heavy heart, Nella opened her mouth. "According to my research, the Griffith Family is required to only have one child in their family. More is not allowed. When I asked my father about a little brother or sister, my father told me they were working for it and told me some random excuses or illnesses.

"That's where I know that the rule must be like this. In other words, your brother is not your blood-related brother and probably an adopted one or your bodyguard that is tasked to defend you when needed."

Theo reached out his pocket watch with his unstable hand as he stared at it, remembering what his brother said in his mind. 'Don't open this pocket watch unless I find myself in a situation with no way out. I will know what to do and where to go as soon as I open this. But… I can't use this to find my brother because he's not related.'

Everything didn't make sense to him, but he could somehow understand that Nella told him the truth. The family he cared so much about started to crumble in his mind.

He clutched his head while letting out rough breaths. His expression was sad, but no tears came out because of the pain of getting lied to by the people he held dear.

Nella pulled him into her embrace and hugged him tightly. She gently stroked his hair. "It's fine… It's fine… Everything is going to be alright."