System Change

“So, you are the one who killed my son?” The middle-aged man asked as soon as Derek sat down.

Derek stared at the man, his eyes squinted. The strange thing was that the man was not giving off any dangerous vibes. Usually, especially with a question like that, there would be a chilliness or at least a subtle anger in the person’s voice, but Derek did not detect anything like that. The question was asked as if he was asking about the weather.

After some time pondering, Derek broke out in laughter. It was definitely not a suitable response to the question, but he just could not help himself.

This laughter caused the older man to frown, but he remained silent. He only continued to gaze at Derek.

Finally, Derek got a hold of himself and calmed down. “Sorry about that, I was just thinking that Bronson needs some kind of medal or even an Oscar with that kind of acting. I thought that he may have some suspicion, but he did a great job hiding it.” Derek shook his head.

The man let out a deep breath. “So, you are not disputing that you killed my son?”

“You seem pretty sure of yourself. I imagine if you did not have sufficient evidence, you would not have just come out and said it like that.” Derek did not confirm or deny the accusation, in fact, he really was intrigued with this man across the table from him. “By the way, how would you like me to address you. I’ve only heard people call you ‘Master Gracefall’ and ‘the master,’ but I am certainly not calling you master.”

The man stood and bowed slightly. “Excuse me for my rudeness. I am Walter Gracefall, head of House Gracefall.” Walter sat back down after introducing himself.

Derek nodded. “Now, I’m sure you have some questions for me, but I also have some for you as well.”

At that time, a light knock sounded from the door and a servant walked in pushing a cart full of food. “Pardon me, Master Gracefall.” The man said, then looked at Derek. “Sir.” He began arranging the dishes on the dining table before backing away. “If there is nothing else.” The man looked at Walter, and Walter nodded. The servant took that as his cue and quietly retreated back to the kitchen.

Derek took some time putting an arrangement of food onto his plate before he spoke again. “If you don’t mind me asking, how, or why, do you suspect that I killed your son?” He asked the question on his mind.

“The ghoul.” Walter answered straightforwardly. “I know my son and his team. There is absolutely no way they would be able to take out more than a couple of them, even if they are at a slightly lower level.”

“Hmm… What if the ghoul happened to just be the boss of the dungeon? It would not be too big of a stretch then, correct?” Derek asked.

The man nodded. “That is true, but bosses of dungeons are the last to break out during an overflow. If the dungeon would have gotten to that point, I suspect the casualties would have been massive.”

Derek nodded. “It was in extreme overflow, but still holding. It wouldn’t have lasted much longer.” He paused. “Is that the only reason for your suspicion?”

“It is the main one, but not the only. I know my son, and his character, well. Overall, there are just too many things that don’t add up.” Walter explained. “So… did you do it?” He asked for the third time.

“Yes.” Derek bluntly stated.

Walter looked down at his plate and sighed. “What did the boy do? How did he offend you?”

“Offend me? He could have offended me personally all he wanted and I most likely would not have killed him. I have much thicker skin than most. But…” Derek paused and looked into the man’s eyes. “He stepped over two lines.”

“Two lines?”

“Yes. The first was when he attacked and left a 13-year-old girl and her mother unconscious over some insignificant items I gave them. I’m not sure I would have killed him and his group if that was all, because I was able to heal them, but then… He dragged the village chief, my personal friend, to the center of the town to execute her for standing up for the child. If I had arrived even one minute later…” The purple in Derek’s eyes spread as he kept eye contact with Walter. “There would no longer be a House Gracefall in the city of Torith.”

Derek let the void go back dormant and released Walter’s gaze. He cut into a piece of meat and placed it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed. “This is quite delicious. Not as good as that restaurant’s food, but still very good.”

When he raised his head from the food, Derek was greeted with a surprise. Unlike the terror or surprise that usually came with his threats, Walter was only looking at him with a slight smile on his face. Oh? This guy must be much stronger than most. Derek knew it would be pointless to try Identify onthe man. If he already could not use the skill on Bronson, there would be no way that it would work on Walter.

“That is quite the threat.” The older gentleman said. “Though, I imagine you would have had a tougher time making my house disappear than you thought.”

Derek was liking this man more and more. And, he was liking the challenge even more so. “I don’t know.” He said, activating Void Shift directly after speaking. He moved to the paused Walter’s side, with his chin resting over the man’s shoulder, just within whisper distance. He released his skill and whispered in the man’s ear. “I think I would have managed.” He activated the skill again and moved back to his seat before releasing it.

The man had only seen his void aura and purple eyes as a party trick, but Derek could tell that this other display of power had truly gotten his point across. The man’s eyes had widened and beads of sweat were dripping down his forehead. His breathing had gotten rough and he swallowed with a loud gulping noise.

“Fortunately, none of that had to come to pass, and I’m able to have a delicious meal beside you.” Derek joyfully spoke as he brought another piece of meat to his lips.

Walter calmed down and chuckled. “It seems I was still underestimating you.”

“It happens.” Derek replied. “Though, I am still curious. Why do you seem like you are not upset or angry at the loss of your son?”

Walter sighed and shook his head. “It is not that I am not angry or upset, it is that I am not angry or upset at you, especially after the reason you gave for killing him. I am angry at myself. I let the boy off too lightly when he was growing, and his character got worse and worse. By the time I realised my fault, it was too late, there was no changing the boy. The best I could do was try to cover up for him and try to provide relief for those harmed by him, while hoping he would not offend someone he could not afford to. But, alas, he met you. His death was bound to come sooner rather than later.”

“I see.” Derek muttered, understanding a bit, but still not understanding why Walter would treat him so well.

The man, however, gave Derek a warm smile. “I know you killed him, but you still honored my family with the way you did.”

Derek frowned, confused. “What do you mean?” He asked.

Walter laughed. “Even if unintentional, the way you framed the situation has brought honor to Wallace’s death. Therefore, it has brought honor to my family. As you said before, the dungeon was in extreme overflow, and the forest was succumbing to disease. With the way you framed everything, Wallace and his team sacrificed their life while also saving the forest and villages around the area. Word of monster hordes attacking villages has spread through the city, so now, everyone will know that the reason this has stopped is because of my Wallace.” The man stood and bowed to Derek.

Derek was at a loss for words. Derek figured his frame job would allow the family to accept their losses easier, but he thought nothing of honor for the whole family, or of how much it might mean to them when he was doing it. “Uh… You are welcome, then.”

The man sat back down and nodded.

“So, what are your intentions with the dungeon?” Derek changed the subject.

“I have already instructed Bronson to spread the news to the Adventurer’s Guild. My family will not touch the dungeon. There is no way we have the current manpower to complete an elite dungeon like that. The other families will soon suffer great losses.”

Derek nodded. The man before him was quite smart. “Though, won’t those losses result in people questioning Wallace’s ability to clear the dungeon?”

“It will, but the only people that knew of his actual strength was me, Bronson, and Jenson, my other son. If any questions are posed, it is easy enough to say that he was actually like his brother, except with a different character. And, if we are asked why we are not diving into the dungeon ourselves, we can simply state that we are mourning the loss of a prominent family member.” Walter answered.

Derek sighed. “I guess you have truly thought of everything.”

Walter nodded. “I don’t know if I have thought of everything, but I do not believe that there is anyone in this city who could have thought of more than this old man. Also, I have sent word that the village you came from and everyone residing in it are under my personal protection.”

“Thank you for that.” Derek spoke sincerely. “That does mean a lot. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”

The man smiled. “Quite a lot, actually.”

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