“Tread… Tread…”
“Tread… Tread…”
Ruding approached with a face full of resentment.
Behind him, besides the Elven Kin who had briefly fought with Parkes and were now knocked out and bound, were more than thirty other controlled Elven Kin, along with twenty-three children, all expressionless as they raised their weapons, their murderous intent completely unhidden.
One wave hadn’t settled before another rose!
“Have my slaves bring over the silver coins. We accepted your faulty silver, and now all the explosive silver has been drowned… When the higher-ups ask, they’ll only blame me and the old man for mishandling things. The Clemence Family will be completely washed away because of you!”
Ruding’s voice grew more frenzied, nearly grinding his teeth to pieces, “You really played your cards well… Lin Nuo Clemence!”
No matter how furious he was, he had to admit.
This was true, flawless foresight.
Ruding had no other emotions left.
His eyes were filled with hatred, and when he saw Princess Amidina standing by Lin Nuo’s side, the jealousy in his gaze only intensified.
“See this hand of mine?” Ruding said.
“Even with the healing power of the angels, which is enough to cure my leg, this severed arm won’t fully recover in less than two years!”
“You know I won’t kill you. A loser like you doesn’t even deserve to die with me…”
“Clang!”
Ruding casually pulled a short sword from the waist of an Elven Kin beside him and threw it onto the ground and said, “Cut off both your hands yourself. Or else, I’ll make your fiancée understand what humiliation really is—in public!”
Princess Amidina raised the Frost Soul Bow, her gaze slightly stern as she tried to protect Lin Nuo, but Lin Nuo grabbed her arm first.
“Oh? Even at this stage, you still have a plan, Young Master Lin Nuo?”
“No. Letting her live is my whole plan…”
“What a touching drama,” Ruding sneered.
“Lin Nuo, if I remember correctly, you’ve only known that cold Water Saint Princess by your side for less than a week. You think she agreed to marry you— Is she using you and your family for protection, or does she actually have a shred of feeling for a useless bastard like you?”
“What’s the point, Young Master Lin Nuo?”
“That’s none of your business. After all, she’s my fiancée. Her coldness is only directed at you.”
Princess Amidina, frowning and about to speak, was stopped again by Lin Nuo.
Then he gave an answer so soft it seemed to sink into the heart, making Amidina’s ears twitch.
She froze for a moment, her eyes softening, a different kind of emotion flickering in her peach-blossom eyes.
“You…”
That response struck Ruding’s heart like a critical hit.
Lin Nuo’s calm expression and Amidina’s protection made Ruding’s face contorted with rage, his teeth grinding loudly.
“Also, Ruding Angekesai,” Lin Nuo looked up at him unflinchingly, speaking each word clearly, “if it weren’t for that night between your mother and me, you wouldn’t even be sitting there looking like a proper human being.”
“Damn you!”
“!!!”
Veins bulged on Ruding’s forehead as he took two steps forward and slammed a fierce punch into Lin Nuo’s stomach.
The existing bruises combined with this punch, making Lin Nuo bend over like a bow.
Ruding’s rage made the controlled Elven Kin block Princess Amidina, and as tensions rose between the two sides once more, he unleashed a second, third, and fourth punch in a frenzy… until his fifth punch was raised high.
Lin Nuo, who had seemed to have lost all resistance, suddenly moved sharply close to his side.
Then came the sound of a blade being drawn.
Covered early on with some protective magic and possessing exceptional reflexes, Ruding knew that an untrained swordsman wouldn’t be able to land a killing blow on him from this distance.
Moreover, he had long been wary of Lin Nuo’s cunning.
Upon hearing the blade scrape against its sheath, Ruding retreated several steps.
But the dagger at his waist—his close-quarters weapon—had already vanished.
Blood trickled from Lin Nuo’s mouth, yet his smile grew colder.
Despite having the weapon so close, he showed no intention of stabbing Ruding.
Instead, the dagger’s sharpest point pressed against his own throat.
“Cough… Old Deng, won’t you say something?”
“The weapon that almost killed Yulilian in one strike should only be wielded by someone of your caliber. If I die by this blade, my father and the entire Clemence Family will know whose personal weapon last drew my blood.”
Lin Nuo coughed twice before spitting more blood.
“You, wearing two hands full of Angekesai family crest rings, must care about your reputation. At over seventy years old, dedicating yourself to helping the Angekesai family revive, and here in Clemence Manor facing me, you’re forced to put away your sword—you should care even more about the future of the Angekesai Family.”
Boom!
He’d been outplayed again!
As if his final card had been revealed, Ruding’s eyes widened and his face twisted in near madness.
But his desperation didn’t affect Lin Nuo one bit.
“Now, listen carefully!”
Lin Nuo said, “If you don’t want to become the true culprit who killed the Clemence Family Heir in your lifetime, If you don’t want to be the spark that ignites a war between the First Duke and the Sixth Duke families, If you don’t want your Sixth Duke family, surrounded by the Clemence Family Saint Knights along the entire border of the Salidor Divine Empire, to be wiped out and forever nailed to the Angekesai Family Pillar of Shame as family traitors…”
“Then, let her leave.”
“Damn it! So this is your last trump card!”
Ruding deliberately provoked, trying to get him to close the distance and strike, yet this man—the one who should have been cornered—was still trying to turn the tables!
And Ruding, ranked at least in the top ten of the Angekesai family’s young generation, a promising magician and swordsman—
Had once again foolishly fallen into the trap of a useless bastard!
“Damn it! Today… today I’m going to kill you for sure!”
Ruding moved forward to snatch the dagger, but with a slight push from Lin Nuo’s arm, a shocking wound appeared on his throat!
“Vzzz—”
Parkes’ strength immediately blocked Ruding’s advance.
Even the controlled Elven Kin, whose eyes had shown concern and worry for Lin Nuo and Princess Amidina’s safety but were helpless, now flashed with shock and fear.
The same scene unfolding again!
Looking at this man’s back, Amidina had never imagined anyone could be provoked yet remain so brave and decisive in front of her.