"Kahak! What… is… happening? Someone, please… do something… about this pressure…"
Very few of the people present in the backyard could withstand the full blast of Iliana and Basil's killing intent. Together, their killing intent suppressed the souls of the people there; especially, Basil's that had driven thirty people crazy.
Jaheim wasn't very pleased by the situation since out of the 30 people who had gotten crazy, 26 of them were Priests. Unlike the soldiers who had experienced a lot of stressful scenarios, after all, their mental fortitude wasn't that formidable.
Harrumphing in annoyance, Jaheim extended his hand and used his Miracle. A golden light immediately covered his palm and the pressure that overwhelmed the Priests disappeared soon after.
"Now, now. You are hurting the people of the Kingdom. You may have offended us, but there is no need to get another offence, isn't it?" Jaheim said with a smile.
"You talk as if you can punish me somehow," Basil retorted coldly. "I wonder where that confidence comes from."
"We can punish you whenever we want, Pacifer. Your sinful existence shall never receive mercy or be let roam the world freely."
"Hoh? Are you secretly implying that the Church can do anything they want in the Human Empire? I didn't know you have that kind of authority. I wonder just how far you have sunk your fangs into the Empire's internals."
"My, my… are you still thinking that you are innocent, Basil Pacifer?" Jaheim laughed disdainfully. "Killing six of your fellow students and cooperating with the infamous Charles Blois—those are some of the atrocities you have done two years ago."
"You seem to have the talent to be a comedian. That was very hilarious," Basil scoffed. "It is very bold of you to say such a baseless accusation."
At that, Jaheim just smiled as he looked at Basil. Instantly, Basil knew that the situation could never be salvaged; still, he remained calm.
"The proofs exist," someone said from behind Jaheim. "There is not much physical evidence, but the fact that the Mana trace has the characteristic that belongs to a Pacifer is true … We only know one Pacifer in this Kingdom and that is you… Basil."
Anthony walked past Jaheim and stared at Basil neutrally. No one could tell what he thought about the entire situation as his face was as straight as paper.
The Pacifer couple, however, could tell what he was feeling from the emotion he let flow through his Mana, causing them to scoff in amusement. The couple retracted their pressure in the next moment, allowing the people behind them to breathe normally.
"In the Age of Chaos, there was a clan that consisted of a dangerous and blood-thirsty bunch. This clan had a very great power that almost half of the human population of that time disappeared due to their atrocities."
In response to the story that Anthony had recounted, Basil and Iliana took out their weapons. The people became more alarmed; however, other than the Priests, Jaheim and Anthony, no one could move to prevent them from doing whatever they would do.
"Is that what you have heard from that hypocrite?" Basil asked calmly. "Very well. I will listen to the story until the end."
Basil swung Durendal and Caliburn once, causing them to hum as they cut the air. No one was cut, but all of them felt like they had been skinned just because Basil did that gesture.
"This clan hated men to their core. Its members bred for the sole purpose of continuing their lineage; they seduced the strongest men with their peerless beauty. Once they had the seed of the men, the men would naturally die due to their Curse."
"Thanks to the effort of the Church which, at that time, was nothing more than a small organization, the clan was successfully overthrown. Alas, not everyone was killed; those who survived swore vengeance upon the world."
"What they wanted to have had always been a female descendant. The moment they gave birth to a boy, they would kill the infant without any hesitation. That day, however, they realized, the strongest woman they had wouldn't be strong enough to face the entire world."
"Because of that, they decided to have a male descendant. After conducting a lot of inhumane experiments, a boy was born amongst them. Anything about the boy is perfect. Looks and talent—he has it all. He is the best descendant of the clan."
"On the one hand, this boy is the greatest gift to humanity—he might outshine Solomon, the Father of Magic. On the other hand, however, this boy inherits the boundless hatred his predecessors had. His existence is a great danger to the world."
After telling such a long story, for the first time, Anthony let his emotion be shown. He smiled wryly as he looked at Basil.
"The clan's name was Pacifer. It is recorded in the archive of the Church, which has been kept a secret from the public to prevent a commotion." Anthony paused for a few seconds and then continued, "Basil, you are the first male Pacifer that everyone dreads about."
The atmosphere turned thicker than it had been before at the revelation. Basil was still standing calmly. He didn't release his pressure but the people were having difficulty breathing. The information was that shocking.
"A very convincing twaddle indeed," Basil remarked with a sardonic smile. "Let me guess; those accusations of me doing crimes will be the reason why I became a criminal, won't they? How ungrateful! Just because of that twaddle, my merit for killing Charles is ignored."
"That is true, but we can't take a risk," Anthony muttered. "There is no other choice…"
Charles Blois was declared missing at the end of the First Outbreak. No one knew that Basil had killed him until the moment Anthony admitted it.
They were glad and impressed that Basil had killed Charles, but after hearing the "history" of the Pacifer Clan, they didn't know what to feel. Basil was hard to read; even though they looked up to him, none of them actually what kind of a person he was.
"Lord Anthony, you shan't forget that this monster before us killed six of his fellow students just because one of them was a Seminarian. His hatred toward us forced him to do such a vile and petty thing. You shan't give him mercy!"
"Another baseless accusation," Basil sneered. "Why did it take you two years to say that?"
"There is a process to everything. In your case, you did it so splendidly that there is nothing that points you as the culprit of the seemingly accidental event."
Another person came in. It was an elderly man who had a slightly feminine look, long white hair and a lanky but muscular build: Duke Archibald Rancuser.
"Your entrance is not a surprise to me, Archibald," Basil remarked.
"We have thrown away formality, I see. I am fine with that," Archibald nodded his head with a smile. Stopping right beside Anthony, he continued, "I once also thought the rumour was utter twaddle; but after spending some time with you, I can finally understand the concern."
"There is no need to act as if you had ever intended to understand me, Archibald. We always tried figuring out each other whenever we had tea, didn't we? You always failed miserably, though."
"This prick…" The crack in Archibald's smile was visible, indirectly confirming Basil's statement. "Surrender yourself immediately, Basil Pacifer! We promise not to kill you if you cooperate."
"Don't joke around," Basil sneered. "The Church killed parents like they were crazy dogs. The same people won't let go of me."
"You better listen, Basil. I will guarantee your life," Anthony assured.
"You shouldn't test our patience. We know you still have people you cherish here: your surrogate brother, Chester Cowdray and your surrogate grandfather Master Spellcaster Blake. Play around and—"
"Don't play with me, Archibald," Basil said coldly, making Archibald take a step back in fear. "You are playing with fire. One wrong step and you will be engulfed in it."
"W-What are you planning? What do you have up your sleeve, monster?!"
Basil just stared at the Duke coldly as said Duke's pupils constricted. He was overwhelming the Duke with his unbearable killing intent that even shook the soul of Goliath, the Master of the Obelisk of Bael.
"Rancuser—a family of traitors. They changed sides when it was convenient, biting the hand that fed them like the lowly curs they were. They even did as far as to sacrifice the member of their family that brought their family to the height they were at the time."
Basil often acted condescending, but never once was he spiteful. He was being spiteful currently and that shocked Iliana and the others.
"Truly a contemptible family," Basil sneered. "I will say this once. Not only Rancuser Family, but anyone that dares to stand in my way is also going to vanish. I have only one enemy, but if the world sides with my enemy, the world shall also be my enemy."
"Bind him!" Jaheim shouted in alarm.
Everything became slow. Basil was not the only person who saw it; everyone could. In this slowed-down world, only Basil could move normally. The people could see the activation of his Pacifer Seal and feel the change in his presence.
Jaheim couldn't be more afraid as he saw the golden Pacifer Seal on Basil's forehead; the very thing that his predecessor had told him to beware of was right before his eyes. The Fated Day had come and they had to win to survive.
"Stay!"
"Kuhak!"
"This power…!"
When the world moved at its normal speed, everyone lost their ability to move because of the word Basil uttered. They fell to the ground, leaving Jaheim standing straight alone.
"Rancuser Family died with Caesar. His body has turned to ash and so will Rancuser Family."
"S-Stop!" Archibald shouted.
Acting as if he didn't hear any of it, Basil snapped his finger. An overwhelming amount of Mana could be felt from the west—the direction where Rancuser Manor was located.
As Archibald widened his eyes in absolute horror, a huge explosion that even managed to shake the entire Randalvine occurred.
BOOM!
Rumble!
The sound temporarily deafened the people in Randalvine, meanwhile, the shake made everyone unable to stand. It was, of course, nothing compared to Rancuser Dukedom whose half of it had turned into a massive crater in the ground.
With his golden eyes, Basil gazed and with seriousness, Basil said, "You will be next."
No one stopped him as he walked past them. They could only dread the threat he had uttered; they couldn't even afford to be surprised by the fact that Iliana also had a Pacifer Seal in the middle of her forehead.