Arun''s threat echoed in Vikram''s mind with the might of a thunderbolt. He knew his arrogant son well enough to understand that he would never joke or bluff with his noble''s privileges on the line.


    In addition, Arun was his only son. Despite his high position and authority in the Agnivana kingdom, he stayed faithful to his wife. Even after they learned she couldn''t bear any other children, he never cheated on her.


    Vikram shook his head in annoyance, thinking bitterly that his situation was wrong. Typically, it was the father who disowned a child after a grave mistake, not the other way around. Yet, here he stood, being threatened by his son to renounce his rights when he didn''t want him to.


    As he thought to this point, his frustration grew more pronounced after each passing second. He looked through the mana barrier and straight into his son''s eyes, "And what will you do after leaving? Sleep in the streets?" He said in a cold tone, clearly displeased by Arun''s words.


    Confronted by the intense gaze of his father, Arun gulped nervously. Cold sweat matted his forehead, and his legs uncontrobly shook at the sight of Vikram''s green eyes releasing wisps of blue mana. It was the first time he was subjected to such pressure by his father, and he felt as small as an ant.


    "He''ll live with me in my family!" Asha''s voice resounded powerfully. She understood that he had to check Julius'' intentions after the failed ambush, even if the probability that he was an enemy was low. However, she was unhappy with Vikram''s brutal way of handling things.


    Vikram''s brows furrowed, his displeasure etching lines across his face like deepening rifts in the earth. He clenched his jaw, suppressing the urge to reprimand her then and there.


    Yet, time was a preciousmodity he couldn''t afford to squander on their petty disagreements. He chose to swallow his irritation, like bitter medicine, and turned his attention away from Asha.


    Instead, his gaze settled on Julius, who was nkly looking at the ceiling, unaware that Adam wasfortably lying above him, already nning his revenge with a sinister grin.


    "Be ready. I''ll go all out and be done with this farce." As his words escaped his mouth, the space surrounding Julius started to shake.


    Then, Julius'' perception of the world turned orange. No matter where his eyesnded, he saw a zing inferno burn vigorously and slowly devouring the room.


    As the room''s temperature increased to be even hotter than the hamam he visited, he felt as if the space around him started to weigh a ton. If he had been familiar with the concept of gravity, he would have felt as though it had doubled.


    "Now, talk! Are you rted to the ambushes Arun and Asha suffered? What are you trying to achieve by staying around him?" Vikram''s voice reverberated so powerfully that the crackling sound of fire filling Julius'' earspletely disappeared.


    Simultaneously, Adam, who had been lying rxedly, suddenly fell to the ground next to Julius. He quickly swung his arm, imbuing his right hand with a solid and razor-sharp surge of mana to cut through the pressure again.


    However, as he brought his arm down, Vikram instantly shifted his gaze from Julius to him seemingly feeling something in that location.


    ''Shit, I''ll have to endure it.'' Adam seethed with anger at being forced down. If Julius refused to kneel because of his aversion to being at the mercy of others, Adam, on the other hand, refused because of his incredible pride.


    ''This man better not stay around, or I''ll torment him until my anger is quelled.'' He thought through gritted teeth, swearing to make the man bow in front of him in the future.


    Despite his anger, he refused to let it dictate his actions. Halting any attempts to free himself, he strained to open his mouth. "Answer... QUICK," he demanded, the words emerging with difficulty.


    Although unaffected by the temperature, the relentless pressure exerted a gradual toll on his soul.


    Upon hearing his big brother''s weak voice, Julius answered Vikram''s questions in a panic.


    "I Know nothing about the ambush. Arun proposed to me to stay with him. I refused at first, but he insisted!" Then, he took a short pose to inhale a mouthful of burning air before continuing with an honest but determined gaze. "In the end, I epted because we are friends."


    Vikram nodded, satisfied by Julius'' answer. This interrogation method wasmonly used on lower tiered mages and proved effective most of the time.


    As he retrieved his mana and freed Julius from the pressure, he said with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, boy. I had to be a hundred per cent sure that you weren''t involved with that traitor, Marco."


    However, he didn''t mention that his primary focus was to unravel Julius'' rtionship with his son. After all, the odds of such a young and foreign kid being associated with Marco were low.


    Fortunately, despite being subjected to the heat and pressure of his mana, the boy added that they were friends with such an honest look, proving that the sentiment was genuine.


    Having now a favorable opinion of Julius, Vikram said with a light-hearted tone, "I''m now curious about you and your teacher. He must be a remarkable mage if he managed to teach you mana control to this extent." He helped Julius up at the same time and dusted his clothes with a short but powerful burst of mana.


    Still a little dazed, Julius noticed that the raging inferno was gone. However, contrary to his expectations, nothing seemed to be burned in the room, and there was no smell of burned wood.


    However, before he could totally recover from what just happened, Arun, Asha and Louise quickly dashed to stand between him and Vikram.


    "Humph, Let''s leave this old man in his big house, all alone." Arun''s voice was filled with anger and disapproval directed at his father but also hints of shame and sadness at what his friend had to go through.


    As everyone nodded and Arun walked to support the still-dazed Julius, Vikram suddenly said with a yful smile, showing the wooden briefcase he had been carrying since the beginning. "What a shame. I worked so hard with my friend to create this masterpiece. Yet, it will end up without an owner. Pitty, pitty."


    Simultaneously, Adam, still sprawled on the ground, thought hatefully, his eyes glowing ominously. ''I solemnly dere you as my enemy. What you did to me today, I''ll do it to you withpounded interests added!"