Chapter 59 59 Tentative

Putting the two and two together, Frederick easily deduced the reason for this failure that was practically a slap on his face. His schemes had been rendered completely useless by the opposing faction he had always considered to be beneath him. It was not only a challenge to his power but also the showcase of the new strength of the Luther family which rang the warning bells of danger inside his head.

The new black mage was a complete unknown for the Sosis family and Frederick couldn't have anticipated how strong he was based on speculation and the rumors that had spread in the city.

This lack of information had destroyed one of the pawns he had carefully nurtured so Frederick wasn't in a good mood. Clenching his fists, Frederick tried to control all the anger that was threatening to burst out.

"This is getting out of hand. I need to find out about this dark mage before I suffer further losses at his hands." Fredrick thought as he worked upon his further plan of action.

At first Fredrick thought of mobilizing more spies to get more information but then rejected that thought. Even the experienced assassin like the dark mage had died without knowing the cause; the spies that Frederick sent were bound to suffer an even worse fate.

As such the only course of action left for the head of the Sosis family was to go and see for himself the qualification and the abilities of this dark mage of the Luther family.

As he finalized the plan in his head, he bellowed loudly and called for a servant who was permanently stationed at the end of the hallway from his room.

The servant who was a trusted man of the family head, rushed in the direction of his room upon hearing the shout of his master. He adjusted his clothes and dusted them slightly with his gloved hands as he knocked at the door three times politely.

"GET IN HERE!" bellowed Fredrick as he stared at the door through which the servant entered his room a moment later.

Picking up a blank page, Frederick sat at the couch at one end of the room. He dipped the feathered pen in the ink and began writing something on the piece of parchment that was gilded at the edges and was intricately decorated with golden dust.

"…Due to certain rumors spreading around the city, reputation of the Sosis family is constantly being tarnished. We are sincerely disappointed at the silence of the Luther family regarding this incident.

In this regard we intend to visit the Luther family in order to discuss the way forward considering the relationship between the two families. We hope that the relationship between the two families would continue to remain the same…but that will depend on the sincerity of your family.

Expect us at your family mansion the day before the darkest night. We would also like to make acquaintance with the guests staying at your family. We owe him thanks for saving the life of our future daughter-in-law after all…"

When Frederick was finished with the letter, he put it inside an equally gilded envelope that practically screamed of how well off the Sosis family was. He heated the wax over a candle and dipped some of it over the top of the envelope in order to seal it completely.

Picking up a seal that was shaped like the king piece of chess, he pressed it on top of the molten wax. This was the personal seal of the head of the Sosis family and was an affirmation of the identity of the sender of the letter.

The servant received the letter with both hands and waited for the head of the family to speak.

"Deliver it to that crippled head of the Luther family immediately." ordered Frederick in a tone that was as grave as a judge passing his decree regarding the life or death of an individual.

The servant bowed his head in a respectful manner as he receded out of the room without turning his back towards the head of the Sosis family. It seemed that either the Sosis family servants were quite well trained or this particular servant knew how to keep his master happy.

It wasn't long before the messenger of the Sosis family reached the gates of the Luther family. The guards stopped the courier from entering the mansion.

"I demand an audience with the head of the Luther family on behalf of Frederick Sosis, the head of the Sosis family." The courier arrogantly demanded to meet Bruce despite his low standing. He seemed to be the type who liked to use the power of his boss to feel important.

"Wait here; I will inform the head about this." One of the guards cowered when the courier informed him of the letter from the head of the Sosis family.

Even the guard at the entrance knew that the current condition of the Luther family was quite deplorable as they needed to depend on the Sosis family for their survival. Therefore, he couldn't just dismiss the courier.

The courier kept standing at the entrance to the mansion with an impatient expression as if he was losing gold every second that he wasted without seeing Bruce.

"There's a courier waiting outside demanding to see you and he claims that he has a letter for you from the head of the Sosis family. He is currently standing at the door. I am here to receive the family head's instructions."

Bruce, who had been seated on his wheelchair as he was engrossed in a book, looked up and stared at the guard with serenity.

Zach had already discussed the infiltration attempt made by the Sosis family the previous day with Bruce and had warned him of the probable retaliation of the Sosis family.

Bruce had also been prepared since he knew how vengeful the Sosis family head could be when he suffered a loss even once.

Bruce looked towards Zach as if to confirm the next step that they had already agreed on.

Zach nodded in approval as if asking Bruce to go ahead with the plan.

"Tell him it is up to him to leave the letter or his life. Whatever suits him is fine with our family. Tell him that this is not the Sosis family where even dogs like him can run wild whenever they want." Bruce replied with a powerful gaze. The guard understood that this was an order and not just some threat. The family head was asking him to take care of the messenger should he refuse to comply with these instructions.

The guard puffed up his chest with pride and saluted with all his might. In all the time he had served the new family head after the death of the previous one, this was the moment that he would remember for the rest of his life. Because this was the first time that the family head had decided to fight head on against the Sosis family that had been pressing down on them for so long.

All the frustration that the guards had been hiding inside them could finally find an outlet now that the head had taken on the Sosis family.

As soon as the guard left, Bruce turned towards Zach and his forehead creased in worry. He couldn't help but think that they had been hasty in their attempt to thwart the dominion of the Sosis family over them.

"I wonder if it was the right decision." Bruce asked Zach as he pondered upon his earlier instructions to the guard.

"Don't worry; you had to take this step sooner or later. It is better this way since it was bound to happen sooner or later. Had we delayed it any longer, you would have lost the initiative and that would have come back to bite you in the ass in the near future." replied Zach with a cunning smirk adorning his face.

Bruce didn't say anything else as he waited for the guard to bring him the letter sent by the head of the Sosis family to him.

Outside the mansion, the courier was shouting insults at the guards as he acted like an arrogant noble addressing the peasants who had dared to block his path.

Seeing the guard who had went inside to seek the approval of the family head return, the courier began to shout even louder as if the guards deserved death for stopping him at the gate of the mansion. He tried to saunter his way into the mansion but the sound of swords being drawn brought him back to the world of the living.