Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 443: We Meet Again

Within a few minutes, Asher, William, and Finch arrived at their destination. The head butler pushed the door open as he spoke clearly, his tone formal and composed, "The Tenth Sun, Young Lord Whale, and Young Lord Canestane have arrived." No one halted their steps as they walked inside, their pace unbroken.

Asher’s eyes darted around the room the moment he entered, instinctively taking in every detail and every presence within. Six new figures stood inside. Of them, four were immediately familiar, the Rivelle Barony family. Baron Rivelle himself stood at the center, dignified and composed, with his wife, Lady Eleanor, beside him. A step behind them were their children, Caldor and Annabelle. Asher recognized them instantly; his very first mission had taken place within their territory, and the memory had not faded.

The remaining two guests, however, were strangers to him. That was, until a familiar voice echoed beside him.

"Father, Mother, what are you doing here?" William spoke, surprise clear in his voice as his gaze fell upon the final pair.

’So they are William’s parents,’ Asher thought silently. Just moments ago, the topic of meeting William’s family had been brought up, and yet fate, or coincidence, had already placed them before him.

"What are you doing here, Father, Mother?" William asked again as he stepped forward.

Baron Canestane merely smiled, his expression calm and measured as he replied, "I came to check up on the Baron. Nothing more, nothing unusual."

William clearly did not believe him. His dark eyes shifted toward the Rivelle Barony family, who were also present, a flicker of curiosity and suspicion passing through his gaze as he wondered what they, too, were doing here.

Eventually, William shook his head, choosing not to push further. He turned to his mother and greeted her with a small smile. "It’s been a while, son" she spoke warmly as she patted his shoulder, her expression gentle and affectionate.

"Actually," Baron Whale interjected with a light chuckle, "they were here to check up on me. They all heard about the assassination attempt, and since Finch is on the same team as the Tenth Sun, they rushed over."

"Its an honor to finally meet you personally, Tenth Sun," William’s mother, Isabelle, said as she stepped forward, her gaze settling on Asher. "And thank you for taking care of my son."

"Your son is strong enough on his own," Asher replied calmly, a small smile appearing on his lips. His tone carried neither flattery nor false modesty, only honesty.

The next moment, Baron Rivelle and Baron Canestane approached him, each introducing themselves properly as they exchanged courteous greetings. Their voices were polite, refined, and laden with the practiced elegance of nobles accustomed to such interactions.

’All these noble greetings are turning into a headache,’ Asher thought with a silent sigh.

Although Baron Whale had stated that the Rivelle and Canestane families had rushed here out of concern for Finch, Asher knew that was hardly the sole reason for their presence. Beneath the polite smiles and formal words, something else stirred.

The three families were building connections.

The Whale and Canestane families had been friends for years, familiar with one another through long-standing ties. Their children were also close, and both families shared a connection with the Tenth Sun himself. The Rivelle family, however, possessed none of these advantages. Though they maintained amicable relationships with other baronial houses, they were not particularly close with any single one. Moreover, they had no child within the Star Academy, let alone one affiliated with the Tenth Sun’s team.

’Nobles and their political movements,’ Asher sighed internally. ’The Rivelle and Canestane families must have rushed here using whatever family flying beast they possess. Enduron horses couldn’t have covered such a vast distance in such a short time.’

His internal monologue was interrupted when Caldor and Annabelle approached him with calm, measured steps. "We meet again, Tenth Sun," Caldor spoke, his tone gentle and composed as he offered a respectful smile.

"It’s been a while, Young Master Caldor, Young Lady Annabelle," Asher replied, returning the smile.

With that, the Barons and Ladies naturally gathered to one side of the room, engaging in quiet discussion, while the Young Masters and Young Ladies stood apart, each group engrossed in their own conversations.

"It’s good to see that the Tenth Sun is in safe health and condition," Annabelle said, a polite smile forming on her lips.

Asher shook his head lightly as he replied, "Although the assassins were high in number, they were too weak to make a difference. It wasn’t much of an assassination attempt."

Though his words might have sounded arrogant to others, they were nothing more than the plain truth. He had slaughtered the assassins without even drawing his rapier. The only one who had posed any real threat, who had pushed him to the edge, was the assassin known as Blue.

Caldor smiled faintly as he responded, "That might be easy for you to say, Tenth Sun, but not all of us possess the Wargrave bloodline, nor are we as strong as you." His words were honest, free of jealousy or envy.

Finch had survived for two reasons. First, his talent was beginning to bloom, and second, whenever certain death approached, his Good Luck ability activated and saved him. During that single battle, Finch had lost count of how many times he had been pulled back from the brink.

As for William, with his ability to copy Asher’s elements, he had dominated his own battlefield. He had always been a genius from the very beginning. The assassins had simply been too weak to corner him the way they had cornered Finch.

Wanting to shift the conversation, Asher spoke again. "It seems your training is going well. You’ve even made a breakthrough to the next sub-Life Rank." His voice carried quiet certainty.

Though Caldor was concealing his Life Rank, Asher could tell. The subtle change in body mass, the refined muscle tone, it was unmistakable. To him, it could only be described as the result of a breakthrough.

Caldor paused, clearly surprised that Asher had noticed. After a moment, he nodded. "After witnessing you in action a few days ago, I realized a few things."

"Brother, you didn’t tell me you had a breakthrough," Annabelle spoke from the side, her brows knitting slightly.

Caldor shook his head. "I only made the breakthrough yesterday. Not even Father knows yet, so it isn’t exactly a secret. I simply didn’t have the time to inform anyone."

"Whatever," Annabelle replied dismissively, clearly uninterested in hearing his explanation.

Soon after, the door opened once more, and several butlers entered carrying trays filled with glasses of various wines and alcoholic beverages. They moved gracefully through the room, and everyone selected a drink of their choosing.

They sipped quietly as the discussions continued to flow naturally.

"I would like to ask something of you, Tenth Sun," Caldor said calmly, holding his glass with practiced elegance. His noble demeanor and etiquette were flawless.

Asher studied him for a moment, wondering what this young man, whom he had only met for the second time, could possibly want from him.

"What is it?" Asher finally asked. He would not hesitate to decline if the request inconvenienced him in the slightest way. He had no intention of burdening himself simply to please another.

"I would like to spar with you, Tenth Sun," Caldor said, his tone respectful and calm.