The instant those words landed, the very atmosphere of the Hall changed.
Several elders frowned, a few of them looked at the three brothers. The brothers’ parents noticed those gazes, the father actually lowered his gaze and the mother turned away.
Even Gareth didn’t say anything this time.
In that short moment, the air in the Hall became much heavier than before.
And all of this happened because Kaine was right.
Whatever happened, the fact that three newly awakened Rank One Summoners were defeated by one Unranked man before any of them managed to properly use their power was still true.
And... that wasn’t something House Valcrest wanted spreading.
The three siblings could sense the air change, Teren’s face turned ugly.
"You attacked us cowardly—"
"Don’t."
Kaine interrupted him in an icy cold voice. Then, he stared right into his eyes.
"Call what I did excessive, call me violent, say I went too far, I will stand here and listen.
But do not call me a coward."
He spoke with a look so intense that Teren didn’t dare utter another word.
Kaine, on the other hand, looked at every single person present in the hall, then at the Family Head himself.
"Ask the kitchen workers who begged, ask them who cried for me to stop, ask them who ran because they could no longer face the situation they were in.
It wasn’t me."
He declared loudly, as if he wasn’t just talking to the siblings, but to everyone present here.
And he was.
Kaine didn’t particularly care about most insults.
People could call him cold, cruel, violent, arrogant, he wouldn’t care for even the slightest second.
But a coward?
That he couldn’t accept.
Cowards were weak.
And Kaine...
He did not like being called weak, not one bit because he knew better than anyone else what happened when people thought they could hurt you without any consequences.
The weaker you looked, the more comfortable they became and the more comfortable they became... the more they hurt you.
Kaine’s vision changed again, everything around him disappeared and he found himself in that dark room again, smelling that same cigarette, remembering that feeling when the burning cigarette was pressed into his skin.
No.
He wouldn’t live like that.
Not this time.
Reality returned, Kaine’s face turned even colder as he stared at the three siblings again.
"If you want to insult me, find something true.
I am not a coward."
The three siblings completely froze after that, unable to utter even a word. Even their mother was no different, in the end, their father had to step forward.
He stared at Kaine for a few long seconds, then, he turned towards the Family Head.
"My sons behaved immaturely, I won’t deny that."
He spoke in a stiff voice.
The three siblings lowered their heads and their father continued.
"They provoked him, they interfered with him and they behaved disgracefully."
He admitted to all that.
But...
"But provocation and attempted mutilation are not equivalent offences."
He spoke as he glanced at Kaine.
"My sons acted like immature fools, he responded as though they were trying to kill him."
The Family Head heard those words, then, he turned back to Kaine.
"Explain what happened before the confrontation."
Kaine nodded.
"Renn wasn’t available, so I went to the kitchen myself. The cook agreed to prepare the meals I needed."
Kaine then looked at the three brothers.
"They followed me."
"We were already—"
Teren tried to say something but the Family Head interrupted him.
"Let him speak."
Teren nodded and lowered his head even further.
Kaine continued.
"They ordered the cook to prepare their food first, I asked whether another cook was available, there wasn’t, so I decided to prepare the meals myself."
He took a small pause.
"I went to a preparation table and reached for the meat placed there, they said they wanted it and took it. I let go and tried to take marrow instead, they took that too. They did the same with fish.
There were enough fish to feed twenty people, I said I only needed a few and they could have all the rest, they refused and took all of it.
I asked the cook if there were more ingredients in storage, they announced that they would be taking those as well.
They were very hungry today."
He spoke without a change in his expression. Those words made several elders look at the brothers, the brothers lowered their heads.
"They insulted my Companions, said I could have what they threw away in the trash. I tried to leave, to try and find the materials I needed elsewhere, but then Marlon stopped me and asked me to beg for them."
"I-I was joking."
Marlon tried to defend himself.
Kaine didn’t react, he kept staring at the Family Head. The Family Head tilted his head towards a nearby elder, the elder opened the report in his hands.
"The statements given by the kitchen staff corroborate that portion."
He nodded.
Marlon’s father’s expression darkened.
The elder continued.
"They confirmed that Marlon, Kess and Teren deliberately claimed ingredients only after Kaine attempted to use them, they also confirmed the statements regarding discarded food and the trash."
Teren looked away.
His father clenched his fists in frustration, waiting for the Family Head to make the final decision.
Others were the same, they all waited for the Family Head to say something.
Hadrian remained silent for a while, then, he looked at all four of them.
"Anything else?"
The four shook their heads.
"Then judgment will be given."
The Family Head spoke as he leaned back in his chair. The instant that happened, the entire hall became quiet. Then, one of the elders spoke up.
"Kaine threatened the life of another Valcrest,
Expulsion should be considered."
Helena’s face changed when she heard those words, Gareth didn’t say anything. Not that their statements would change anything, since the two were personally involved, they weren’t given any authority over this matter.
"Expulsion? Two days after he awakened Unranked?"
That was when another elder frowned.
"He nearly blinded another family member."
The first elder looked at him and explained himself.
"And what happens when every family in the Zone hears that House Valcrest discarded its heir immediately after he awakened without an Aspect?"
That made the first elder go silent.
The second elder continued.
"He spent eighteen years being presented as the future of this family, then he fails to awaken and we throw him outside the gates? We will become a joke."
He spat as his face darkened.
Kaine listened quietly.
He noticed how their main concern wasn’t their family member’s well-being, it was the family’s appearance.
Of course, that didn’t surprise him. The very reason he mentioned how this would look outside was so these people would think in this particular direction.
"Yes, we cannot expel him."
Another Elder nodded, the rest nodded as well. The elder then glanced at Kaine.
"He can remain a Valcrest."
He announced.
And then,
"In name."
He added.
The hall went silent.
The Family Head considered those words and then nodded.
"Kaine Valcrest’s actions were excessive, he was provoked, but that does not justify the level of violence used. Beginning today, all remaining privileges provided to him by House Valcrest will be revoked."
Kaine kept staring at his grandfather while he continued.
"His personal servant will be withdrawn, his family allowance will be terminated, he will not receive any training resources or instructors, and no Valcrest resources will be provided to his Companions.
Anything he requires from this point onward needs to be purchased using his personal funds."
Kaine noted that.
So even the food wasn’t free now.
The Family Head then looked right at him and spoke further.
"You will retain your room and the basic utilities that come with it but you will earn them. Beginning tomorrow, you will report to the Material Processing Yard every morning for four hours and will sort, catalogue and prepare materials brought back by family expeditions."
"Understood."
Kaine nodded.
To him, the arrangements didn’t seem unreasonable.
"This is not enough."
Just then, someone spoke.
It was the father of the three brothers who stepped forward with a dark look on his face. The Family Head looked at him and he continued.
"One of my sons cannot see, one can barely walk, and the third had a knife pressed against his throat, and the one who did that only loses a servant, allowance and access to resources? He is an embarrassing Unranked! He shouldn’t have any of that in the first place!"
He raised his voice, then, he glared at Kaine and his face turned uglier.
"My sons carry the consequences of his violence on their bodies, it is only right that he does the same."
"What are you suggesting?"
The Family Head questioned and the father had the answer prepared.
"Two Hundred Disciplinary lashes."
That made Gareth look up, Helena immediately turned towards the Family Head.
"Two Hundred is too much. Even a Rank One Summoner would pass out from it."
One Elder shook his head.
Hadrian nodded at that.
"One Hundred disciplinary lashes."
He reduced the number, acting as if he was granting Kaine mercy.
Almost any ordinary human or an Unranked would pass out from pain after just fifty, let alone one hundred lashes.
Then,
"And the family will not provide healing afterwards."
Hadrian announced before he looked at Kaine.
"Do you understand?"
Kaine looked at his ’grandfather’ for a small moment, then,
"Yes."
He nodded without any change in his expression.
Hadrian looked at him for a moment, then, he turned towards the three siblings.
"Marlon, Kess and Teren."
"Y-Yes, Family Head."
Teren nodded, the other two turned towards the Family Head.
"Your conduct was disgraceful. You deliberately interfered with another member of House Valcrest, disrupted estate staff, attempted to use your newly gained status to force others into obeying you and most embarrassingly...
Three Rank One Summoners were defeated by a single Unranked before one of you could properly use your Aspect.
That failure reflects poorly on your training."
The three brothers lowered their gazes.
The Family Head stared at them.
"You will each receive a formal reprimand.
And beginning once your injuries allow it, you will attend mandatory combat discipline every day until Master Darran determines you have corrected this weakness."
Kaine waited for a few more seconds, then, he realised it.
That was it.
That was their punishment.
A ’formal’ reprimand and training, training that they would benefit from.
That was all.
The difference was almost amusing.
Kaine looked around the hall, no one seemed to be bothered by it, not even his parents and that didn’t surprise him.
Perhaps that was the strangest part.
He wasn’t angry either, the result was exactly what he should have expected.
Useful people were protected.
Useless people weren’t.
He knew that rule better than most.
Kaine’s eyes then fell on Teren, he grinned at him, trying to provoke him perhaps, Kaine ignored that.
"Judgment is concluded."
One of the elders sitting beside the Family Head announced, several people began standing. Kaine remained where he was.
Two disciplinary guards approached him from behind.
"Young Master, please come with us."
Kaine glanced at them for a moment, then he nodded and turned around.