Three days later, even after completing the entire interrogation process and stepping out of the confinent room doors, Daros still could not believe that Nemus had let him off so easily.
The deal Nemus proposed was not particularly complex. It essentially ant Nemus would not pursue the matter deeply. Daros could even use the rainy weather as an excuse, claiming he had misread the situation, to defend himself and secure a not-guilty verdict.
The corresponding condition for all this was equally simple: afterward, the Dartnerly family needed to hand over the items related to the experints from back then.
This included the remains of Nels's parents, as well as the relevant research records and other related materials.
Years ago, Nels had reported them, which led to the Dartnerly family's research being halted and the related items being confiscated.
However, judging by the fact that the Dartnerlys managed to hold out in Sky Spring City for several years before retreating to Tail Fin Town, the family had likely withheld so items in secret.
Those were precisely what Nemus wanted.
To be honest, this data was already outdated.
Furthermore, these research records could be backed up at any ti.
While they held so value, it was not particularly high—certainly not comparable to the release of an Iron Rank Holy Knight like Daros.
Therefore, for a mont, Daros had no idea what Nemus was actually scheming.
However, to Daros's surprise, the family had not sent anyone to pick him up.
No matter his loyalty to the family, resentnt inevitably welled up in Daros's heart at this mont.
In his view, while he certainly bore so fault for the failure of this sche, the family could not shirk responsibility for their negligence either.
They shouldn't have been so negligent that not a single person ca to receive him upon his release, leaving him with no choice but to hail a Church carriage just to get back.
Yet, during the ride back, the coachman kept giving him incredibly strange looks.
Before Daros could think too deeply about it, he caught sight of the estate. No matter how much the surrounding workers and servants tried to repair it, the manor still looked rather dilapidated.
Slightly startled, Daros quickly hurried into the estate. There, he saw the lawn practically torn to pieces. Beneath the temporary repair scaffolding, the main house was missing almost half its roof, and the interior decor was utterly destroyed.
Only then did soone finally notice him.
"Lord Daros, how did you get out?" a servant exclaid in surprise, seemingly completely unaware of the news of his release from confinent.
Unable to care about anything else at this mont, Daros urgently demanded to know what had happened.
Only then did he learn that on the very night he was imprisoned, Nemus had paid a visit to the Dartnerly family estate.
Daros hastily ventured deeper into the estate to et the patriarch, Dartnerly.
Upon entering the side hall temporarily serving as the main house, he found that most of the family mbers were present.
The patriarch, Dartnerly, reclined in a chair, his body covered in the traces of recent dical treatnt.
His overall complexion was quite poor, clearly indicating he had just recently suffered severe injuries.
Seeing Daros return, Dartnerly did not look particularly surprised; instead, his expression turned exceptionally grim.
Ignoring Daros, Dartnerly gripped a cane in his hand, twisting it continuously. In a sudden instant, he violently crushed the steel head of the cane, unleashing his long-suppressed fury.
"Trash! You are all useless trash!"
The furious roar made all the surrounding family mbers lower their heads even further.
Raising his hand, Dartnerly stared at the tal shards embedded in his flesh from violently shattering the cane. Unbidden, the mory of that blood-red sword strike flashed through his mind.
Beneath the blazing anger was a desperate attempt to conceal his fear.
A terror that had haunted him for three days since that night.
His thoughts raced, seemingly dragging him back to that evening. Nemus had arrived at the estate accompanied by a few Holy Knights and Priests, almost all of whom were at the Iron Rank.
He initially thought Nemus intended to use Daros as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
Just as he was pondering whether to forcibly protect Daros, Nemus viciously threw a pair of white gloves right into his face.
Dartnerly was completely stunned in that instant, failing to process what had just happened for a long mont before the sheer humiliation ignited his fury.
Among nobles, throwing white gloves at soone signified challenging them to a duel with honor on the line.
The accompanying Holy Knights and Priests were the witnesses to this duel.
Dartnerly could have chosen to refuse, but when such an event occurred between equals, the refusing party would subsequently lose all their honor and even drag down their family's reputation.
Of course, Dartnerly also realized this was an excellent opportunity.
Duels were fought to the death, with no guarantees for survival.
If he could defeat Nemus, he could then use his status as the victor to strip him of his Great Knight title.
Consequently, Dartnerly drew his sword.
He was the noble patriarch of the Dartnerly family, and he had even received tutelage from Golden Rank experts since childhood.
Nels was nothing more than an experintal subject. The teachings he received from the Dartnerly family growing up were deliberately flawed and incomplete.
He himself was at the Iron Rank, with an attribute value reaching ninety-two. He also possessed the noble Holy Path trait of the Dartnerly family, along with other powerful characteristics, and had mastered nurous family secret techniques.
No matter how talented Nels was or how many resources he had acquired over the past six months, he could have raised his attribute value to fifty-sothing at most. Dartnerly held an absolute nurical advantage over him.
As a noble patriarch, he wielded the family's secret treasures, and all his weapons and equipnt were top-tier masterpieces.
This battle was a guaranteed victory.
Only at this point did Dartnerly finally take a serious look at Nemus.
Ever since Nemus arrived in Tail Fin Town, it seed this was the first ti Dartnerly had observed him up close, scrutinizing this forr junior of the family.
Currently, Nemus wore a black-and-white robe over his tall fra, strapped tightly in several places.
Perhaps due to awakening a portion of his Saint's Essence, his originally brownish-black hair now held a hint of gold under the lamplight.
Several thin black cords woven into decorations hung from various parts of his attire, and a book was tucked securely at his right waist.
On his left hung an unsheathed longsword.
Standing with his feet slightly apart in an angled offensive stance, he exuded an intensely oppressive aura.
Dartnerly had to admit that the other party possessed an exceptionally excellent physique—a testant to the superiority of the Dartnerly family bloodline.
These thoughts flashed through his mind as Dartnerly reached out to accept the Holy Path Sword, handed to him with both hands by a nearby squire.
Although it was rely a replica of the sword used by the family's founding Saint, it was still the primary weapon wielded by the family's Golden Rank experts, engraved with a complete passage of Holy Script.
"Make your move, Nels! Let , as the patriarch, teach you exactly what it ans to be a Dartnerly and what family honor truly is!"
After Dartnerly shouted these words, he saw the corners of Nemus's mouth curl up slightly, as if foreseeing sothing highly amusing.
Then, Nemus slowly drew the longsword at his waist. He did not rush to attack, nor did he attempt a sneak strike.
He rely held it upright, pointed the blade at Dartnerly, and swung!
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