**Chapter 6:The weight of hidden vipers**
The heavy boots of the two guards echoed down the damp, vaulted corridors of Valerian Keep.
They marched a half-step ahead, their shoulders rigid, occasionally darting uneasy glances over their shoulders. For seven long years, the "fatty young master" had shuffled behind them with slouched shoulders and tear-stained cheeks.
Not today.
As Lucien stepped onto the threshold, Ada’s translucent interface expanded across his field of vision, outlining the massive magical signatures pulsing on the other side of the heavy oak doors.
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•[Truth-Eye Analysis: Pre-Scan Complete]•
•High Mana Density Detected:Duke Alexius Valerian (Rank SSS — Grand Swordmaster / Oppressive Pressure)
•High Mana Density Detected:Lady Isolde Valerian (Rank SS — Grand Mage)
•Hostile Mana Signature Detected:Victor Valerian (Rank A+— Swordsman)
•Key Target Identified:Aether-Cleansing Marrow signature detected within the subterranean vault resonance.
───────────────────────────
The iron-reinforced doors groaned open, revealing the Great Hall.
Daylight poured through high stained-glass windows, casting sharp crimson and azure light across the long, polished table. At the far end sat Duke Alexius Valerian, his tall frame clad in dark silver plate armor, his grey eyes cold enough to freeze water.
Beside him stood Lucien’s eldest brother, Victor—the golden boy of the family. Dressed in tailored silver armor, Victor looked down at Lucien with a familiar blend of disgust and arrogant pity.
Then Lucien’s gaze shifted to the woman beside the Duke.
Lady Isolde Valerian.
The name struck a cold, bitter chord deep within Lucien's chest—a residual ember of emotion lingering from the original soul. She was his biological mother, revered by many as the most beautiful woman in the realm, with hair as striking silver as moon , deep blue eyes, and magic radiating from her like a quiet storm. She was the second strongest person in this room.
Yet in the memories fusing inside Lucien's mind, her face was never filled with warmth or maternal care. It was a mask of cold detachment. While she lavished affection, high-grade mana pills, and praise on his talented siblings, she had treated Lucien like an embarrassing stain on her lineage.
When he was beaten bloody at Luminara Academy, she hadn't sent a healer—she had merely sent a servant telling him not to disgrace the family name further.
His second eldest sister wasn't present today—she was currently clearing a dungeon for her academic growth, always maintaining a quiet indifference toward him. It didn't matter. None of it mattered anymore.
For a fleeting second, Lucien caught something flickering deep within Isolde's eyes—a fracture in her composure, a shadow of raw emotion. But in the next moment, she suddenly averted her gaze.
‘Emotions? What a joke,’ Lucien thought. The original Lucien had spent his entire life begging to see a single drop of warmth in those eyes. Now, it meant nothing to him.
In the past, the original young master would have lowered his head, trembling as he stammered out excuses for his failure at the academy, weeping for another chance.
Instead, Lucien walked down the center aisle with his chin held high and his gaze leveled squarely at the Duke. His steps were even, rhythmic, and firm.
He stopped exactly five paces from the table—standard protocol for a noble addressing the head of the house—and offered a crisp, minimal bow. Courteous, but utterly devoid of submission.
“Father,” Lucien said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet hall. “You summoned me.”
“You show no shame, boy,” Duke Valerian’s voice boomed, echoing off the ancient stone walls. “You were beaten into the dirt by a commoner at the Academy. You brought disgrace to the Valerian name, wasted our resources, and now you stand before this family as if you have accomplished something worthy.”
“A commoner who happens to carry an S-Rank Mana Affinity, Father”, Lucien replied smoothly, his tone conversational. “Though I admit, losing was my failure. I offer no excuses for my lack of strength.”
Victor stepped forward, a faint, mocking smile touching his lips. “Father, why waste words? He has proven time and again that his mana circuit is broken beyond repair. A D-rank failure who resorts to groveling is a blight on our name. Stripping him of the family crest and sending him to the Western border posts as a vanguard scout is the only logical choice.”
“Enough!” Duke Valerian voice cut in, his jaw set. “You will go to the border to fight monsters and demons. You will receive no support from me, or you will be cast out of this family entirely!”
At those words, Lady Isolde’s face visibly crumbled, a deep crack appearing in her icy facade.
Lucien was about to answer when a soft, crystalline chime rang directly in his mind.
‘Lucien,’Ada’s voice resonated, sharp and clear. ‘Faint dark-attribute compound energy is leaking from your brother. It directly matches the magical signature recorded during your awakening ceremony seven years ago.’
Lucien's breath hitched. ‘My brother did this?’
‘Ada,’he queried mentally, matching his stride to a calm, measured rhythm as his 15-meter Spatial Sense mapped out every shadow, structural beam, and nervous twitch of the guards behind him. ‘Elaborate on that mana seal. What exactly broke my circuit?’
[Truth-Eye Analysis: Mana Circuit Pathology]
[Condition: Residual Abyssal Suppression Catalyst (Dark-Attribute Compound)]
[Details:A rare, slow-acting dark poison administered continuously between ages 6 and 10. Corrodes mana pathways and converts active magic output into stagnant body fat and physical lethargy.]
Lucien's eyes narrowed as the system interface flashed a glowing schematic of his internal channels, highlighted by vile, thread-like black veins wrapping around his mana core.
A dark-attribute compound.
In the Valerian Duchy, dark-attribute artifacts and potions were strictly forbidden—punishable by immediate execution under Imperial law. A child could not simply stumble upon such a poison. It required vast wealth, power, and high-level connections. ‘How did Victor obtain it? Did it involve that organization?’
Lucien knew he needed to buy time to grow stronger, but first, he had to shatter the trap laid before him.
"Father," Lucien spoke, his voice cutting through the heavy tension in the room. "Before you make your final decision... I would like to know why the same dark mana that crippled and sealed my circuits seven years ago is currently flowing from my eldest brother."
The temperature in the Great Hall plummeted instantly.
Every eye locked onto Lucien. The air grew suffocatingly heavy as the pressure of two above Rank-SS powerhouses shifted in an instant.
Victor’s eyes narrowed into slits, his posture stiffening. "What did you say, trash?"
"Are you certain of this, Lucien?" Duke Valerian asked, his gaze pinning Lucien to the spot with immense, physical force.
Lucien did not waver. He looked straight into his father's grey eyes without flinching.
"I am certain, Father."
Silence stretched across the stone chamber, long and suffocating. Finally, the Duke let out a low, dangerous sigh. He turned his head slowly toward his eldest son, his voice dropping into a deadly whisper that resonated through the ancient pillars.
"Victor... reach into your inside pocket and take out what is in there. Right now."
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Author: hello guys well my first time writing novel, so I don't know grammar mistake happen or not. I'm confused right now for conversation I used “” this but in computer typing "" Typed like this.
I'm using“” this right now, if this wrong tell me in comments later