Ch. 35 Prying Open Pandora's Box

The more Arthur detailed the events at the Academy, the more Ethan's face contorted. By the time his story was finished, the room's temperature went down by several degrees.

"Burst Nova, huh?"

"Yes, it's the Wilson family's signature move. It sounds simple in theory, but…"

Ethan shook his head.

"If you tell me that third rate technique is something special, I'll get angry."

"Not everyone can compress that much energy…"

"When I meet that prick..." Ethan interrupted. "I'll shove a Burst Nova so far up his rectum it'll light up his eye sockets."

Despite the ridiculous comment, the youth's tone was dead serious. His eyes were cold, his smile nonexistent, and his mana was pitch black.

Arthur was slightly taken aback.

'Just who the hell am I dealing with?' He thought to himself. 'Maybe if grandfather tried to compress mana, but…' If Ethan could actually back up his claim, then Arthur's assessment of him needed to change immediately.

"Anyway… that's 25 gold well spent." said the murderous mage half lost in thought. "Now, for the good part." He crossed his fingers and waited expectantly.

However, Arthur was starting to have doubts about this venture. Trading gold for information was normally an excellent business. Arthur's father would have happily betrayed any noble in Last Heaven if it filled his pockets. However, there was a golden rule to be remembered when making such deals: the information you reveal must not come back to bite you.

"About that…" Arthur chose his next words carefully. "I can help you better if I know what your plans are. Before we continue, would you mind telling me?"

Since his friend kept betraying his expectations, Arthur decided to leave his assumptions aside. However, Ethan's goals were rather simple. With a shrug, he answered plainly.

"I thought it was obvious: revenge, payback, murder. I will make the Wilsons' existence a living hell, and when they're down for the count, I'll smash their brains into the dirt."

"Wasn't Ana the one that was supposed to take revenge? If she doesn't face her fears, the memory might turn into trauma."

"Of course." answered Ethan as if insulted. "I won't touch a single hair on poor Charles' head until Ana is finished with him. Heck, until the tournament, I won't even touch his buddies. But… everything else is fair game, no?"

Ethan never killed for revenge anyway. Bastards needed to be alive to receive their punishments. It was one of the reasons he didn't immediately kill George. Unlike his minions, he was worth punishing.

"One last question." said Arthur after much thought. "What will happen to my family when you, one of our supposed servants, take action against another noble household?"

Ethan expected this question. Regardless of how good the Hunt family had been to him and Ana, starting a war for their sake was going a bit far.

"If my actions get exposed, then by all means, you can throw me and Ana into the dirt. Say it's the work of peasants gone insane, call the city guards on us, do what you will. However, before you go after Ana or her mother, I expect you will go after me. Consider it a last courtesy for a former friend."

If it had been a few days ago, Ethan would have sworn on his life that nobody could possibly expose him. But without him realizing it, the events in the forest had humbled the mage greatly. For this operation, he was determined to not take any chances.

"Good." nodded Arthur before grabbing the 2 piles of gold. With his hands full, he slowly walked to the large chest in the room and opened it with his foot. The chest was already filled with coins, expensive looking items, and cultivation pills. As soon as the 50 gold dropped on top, the teen had made up his mind.

"You said I should 'call the city guards'..." Without going back to the bed, Arthur started talking while pacing around the room. "If you want to take revenge, you need to stop thinking like a commoner."

"Huh?" If it were someone else or any other time, Ethan would have sent him flying.

"Excuse my rudeness, but to make this worth your time, I need to be blunt." explained Arthur. "So… let me guess:

You probably think this city is an organized system ruled by the nobility with the King on top.

You think there are clear rules governing this city.

And finally, you think there are people protecting and enforcing these rules, such as the city guards. Am I correct?"

"If you're talking about nobles bending the rules and abusing their power, I've seen plenty of it already."

"Yet, you're still calling them nobles…" Arthur let these words sink in before finally getting to the point. "Tell me Ethan, do you think this city was established by a King? By some great Dynasty and the valiant nobles that served under him?"

By now, Arthur's face showed a mix of emotions, from contempt to anger, to sadness, and back. To Ethan, he looked slightly insane.

"If you want to destroy your enemies, you need to understand how they think. If you want to know how they think, you need to know their past."

Arthur sat back on the bed and took a deep breath. With a fake smile, he continued.

So, Dear Brother Ethan… let me tell you a story."