Usually, Joshua wouldn't try to pick a fight with them and even give in to their demands, but today, they had gone too far.
They tried to protect a criminal that ruined his relationship with his youngest son.
He didn't hold back and struck them so hard that they flew out of the Whitemore mansion and landed on the doorsteps of their church that stood opposite the mansion.
Seeing that the ruler of the Ironspire Stronghold dared to bully even the mber of the church, the crowd that had gathered to protest and demand the release of Bartholow imdiately dispersed.
They were cowards.
They lacked the guts to sacrifice themselves for the sake of soone else.
"The mbers of the Church of Light are really cowardly, abandoning their comrades to wolves just because they felt threatened," Val scoffed. "But I expected this of them."
But then his expression turned serious. "The local church might kick up a fuss about this. They might even bring the bigwigs into the picture. Do you have a plan to deal with it?"
Joshua gave a reassuring smile, "I've already forwarded the evidence of Bartholow's cris to the Queen. The audacity of the Kingdom's foremost church and its officials has been a thorn in her side. She dislikes them both. This could be her chance to teach them a lesson. Surely, she wouldn't let it slip from her hands."
Val couldn't help but admire his father's shrewdness. Instead of waiting for their enemies to escalate the situation, Joshua had beaten them to the punch. He was really an old shrew. "Father, you're brilliant. You've pre-empted them instead of reacting to their moves. I must learn from you."
Naturally, Val didn't consider Joshua his father, but he still needed to make use of him so he couldn't let his true feelings out, and his emotional impairnt trait was being quite helpful in this situation.
Without it, maybe he would have already cursed Joshua for being a shaless and narcissistic bastard that's so fucked in the head that he can't see his mistakes.
"There'll be a wealth of wisdom waiting for you when you return from the Frontier," Joshua told Val.
Val grimaced inwardly at his words.
'Hell no! Once I leave this stronghold, I don't want anything to do with this crazy family.'
But externally, he maintained a pleasing facade, "Of course, Father. Your guidance is invaluable. I look forward to learning from you upon my return."
Seeing how good his child was behaving, Joshua beca more fond of Val. He totally overlooked the matter of him nearly killing his daughter so ti ago.
After a mont, Joshua, with a heavy sigh, asked, "Falling victims to Bartholow's sches, I wronged you. How can I make ands?"
Val responded, "I need a purification potion to remove the remnants of the poison from my bloodstream. It has been causing so issues. It almost hindered my bloodline upgrade to level 2. If left unchecked, it could pose bigger problems."
Obviously, Val was lying. He was yet to awaken his Whitemore Bloodline, but his high stats and the bloodline skill that doubled his speed could make a convincing performance of a level 2 warrior-type bloodline user.
Joshua's eyes widened, surprise evident on his face. It had only been days yet Val had already advanced to the second level of Bloodline User. His speed of advancent was really unrivaled!
"You've already advanced to the second level?"
"Yes, I have."
Joshua concluded this must be due to the Blood Purifying herbs Val had been taking.
"Alright, I will have the head butler purchase a purification potion from the auction house for you. You will have it within days, I promise." With a smile, he replied to Val.
Val nodded, "Thank you, Father. I appreciate it."
The night was still young.
Val decided to pay a visit to Bartholow.
Departing the manor, he strode northward. The private prison of the Whitemore family was stationed at the outer reaches of the northern estate privately owned by his father.
Night in the stronghold was tranquil, the landscape bathed in the luminescent and equally eerie glow of the moons. The stars above flickered gently as if keeping a silent vigil.
Val approached the private prison, and the gaze of the two burly guards stationed at its entrance swept over him.
They were clad in Whitemore family's uniforms, ard with halberds that glinted under the lights cast by the moons in the starry night sky.
"Evening, Master Val," one of them said, tipping his helt slightly in acknowledgent. The respect in his voice was clearly audible, a result of Joshua's explicit instructions.
Joshua had already alerted the guards here that Val would be giving the prison a visit and that they should treat him with respect.
Val nodded at them. "Open the gates, I have a visit to make."
"Right away, Master Val," the second guard replied. He stepped forward, key in hand, and unlocked the massive gates of the prison using the key.
There was no attempt to block Val or question his intentions. His entrance was as unhindered as walking into his own ho.
Once inside, he navigated the labyrinth of cells until he ca upon Bartholow's.
The man in question was huddled in the corner of the dimly lit cell.
But sensing Val's arrival, he made an effort to look at him silently.
"So you've co."
"Why did you do it?" Val asked, standing adjacent to the iron bars of the prison and casting a glance at Bartholow.
Bartholow averted his gaze, maintaining his silence, refusing to utter a single word.
"Keeping mum will do you no good," Val admonished.
"I am a priest of the Church of Light! You can't harm ," Bartholow retorted defiantly.
"No, you're just a sinner," Val retorted dismissively before turning to the nearby guard, "Bring the tools."
"I've heard and will obey."
At his command, the guard hurried away, quickly returning with a cart laden with a variety of instrunts – sharp, serrated, and cruel.
Placing the cart within Val's reach, he unlocked the door to Bartholow's cell and backed away respectfully, maintaining a safe distance from his young master and his soon-to-be victim.
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