"Oh, he's done for!" one man commented, making a prayer sign as they watched Lucas Silver approach the old, frail-looking man who was now standing like a sword.
"I knew it, these nobles would find the silliest of reasons to make a commoner's life miserable," another person whispered quietly.
"Well, it's his fault. Why didn't he bow like the others?" one person sneered in disdain. "He deserves anything that'll happen to him."
"Sigh, how will the little girl get to her parents now?"
"Stop talking as if he'll kill him. At most, he'll only teach him a lesson."
Hearing the hushed whispers of the crowd, even the other nobles who were about to enter the coliseum stopped and looked in the direction Lucas was heading.
Cedric, the head of the Ironcrest noble household, narrowed his eyes as he stared at the old man that seemed familiar. Just a few seconds later, he recognized him.
The other heads of the Velearuoie and Duskwood households had also recognized him.
"I wonder what Lucas will do," Serepahina, the leader of the Duskwood household, commented with a small, pleasant chuckle. "I heard Nathan's grandson killed Lucas' son... Do you think Lucas wants to take revenge?"
Alaric Velarius glanced at Lucas' tense back, those eyes that seemed to hold hundreds of years of experience gleamed strangely as he shook his head and responded to Serepahina's question, "I doubt he'd be that stupid."
"You think so?" Cedric chimed in, stroking his chubby cheeks. "Have you all forgotten how fearless and stupid Lucas could be at times? It wouldn't even come as a shock to me if he actually punched Nathan in the face."
A dark expression appeared on Lady Serepahina's face as she spoke in a very quiet tone. "Then the same thing that happened with the Han Lee family would repeat itself."
Though she said it quietly, all the heads of the noble households present were high-level Awakened and had extremely sharp ears. It was very difficult for them *not* to hear her.
And as they did, a shiver momentarily passed through their spines. That was a very dark memory they didn't wish to recall.
A moment later, Lord Alaric shook his head. "I still stand by my words. Well, let's see how this plays out."
Meanwhile, Nathan was tense, wondering why the head of the Silver family was heading his way with the towering blindfolded man walking beside him. Nathan didn't bend forward like he usually did. A series of cracking bones resonated throughout as Nathan stood tall at his full height of 6'4".
Because of the pin-drop silence that descended outside the coliseum, everyone heard the sound of bones snapping. Their gaze was at first fixed on Lucas, waiting for what he'd do next, but now it was fixed on Nathan, who was standing quite dominantly. Even though he still seemed like someone that could be easily blown away by the wind, he seemed slightly different.
However, no matter how hard they tried to wrap their heads around it, they couldn't seem to discern what was different about him.
Subconsciously, Nathan tightened his grasp on his granddaughter's hand. Nyx was a bit perplexed too when she saw how intense her grandfather's gaze was. It was as though those eyes could cut steel. She wanted to ask questions but chose not to.
From the look of things, she could guess her grandfather knew this man, but they seemed to have bad blood between them.
Although his expression was stoic, Nathan was also having an inner dilemma. He briefly glanced at Lucas, then shifted his attention to the blindfolded man beside him.
A strange, indescribable feeling washed over him as his gaze lingered on the man's handsome face.
'If anything happens, I should be more cautious of this person instead of Lucas.' Nathan's years of experience screamed at him. 'I can't sense even a tiny bit of aura from him... he seems no different from an ordinary human... but... why is he so unsettling?'
At that moment, the distance between Nathan and Lucas shortened considerably, and the two were only within arm's length. Both men's gazes clashed in mid-air, the tension rippling out to the onlookers.
Even the expressions of the three other leaders had changed slightly. At such close proximity, anything could happen.
Just then, Lucas spoke in a firm tone. "I didn't come here to fight." Sёarᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"I don't remember offending you in any way, Lord Lucas," Nathan replied in an equally firm voice. Not even a hint of fear could be spotted. Then he added, "The last time I checked, bowing down to the four noble households is a matter of choice."
"Tsk." Lucas waved a dismissive hand. "Don't play dumb with me, young man. You and I both know what your grandson did in Snowhelm... I'm only here to warn you to keep those you love safe."
Lucas paused, and Nathan's heart sped up as his thoughts raced. 'What did that little brat do this time, and what is he saying?'
Regardless of his thoughts, Nathan couldn't stand by and watch this man threaten his loved ones.
"Is this a threat?" Exiting his swirling mess of thoughts, Nathan uttered coldly, his eyes narrowed, a hint of flame dancing wildly in his eyes.
Lucas met his gaze unflinchingly. "No, it's just a friendly piece of advice from an old comrade." As he said this, he gently ruffled Nyx's hair, who became visibly annoyed. "Like I said before... protect the ones you love... the last thing you'd want is to wake up one day and discover they're gone."
"Y-you, you're really threatening me," Nathan gritted his teeth as he watched Lucas, who had now turned his back on him.
After Lucas left, the blindfolded man remained there for some time. He briefly glanced at Nathan, then shifted his attention to the little girl, who was staring at him with an indifferent expression. Zarek displayed an unsettling smile, then turned back without saying anything.
"What was that about?" Nyx asked when the unsettling man had left.
Nathan, his gaze still fixed on Lucas, shook his head. "It's nothing. Come on, let's get going. The event will soon start."