Chapter 145: Aches’s Choice 1

Aches did not speak for a moment.

"You can discuss it with your mother," Akar said slowly. "Compared to me and your second uncle's children, you are much more fortunate. From the moment they were born, they had no choice but to carry the heavy surname 'Soderbell'. But you still have a choice. This is the opportunity your father fought to give you."

"So, the enemies of the Soderbell Family... are they very powerful?"

"Trust me, child. I'm not telling you for your own good." Akar did not answer Aches's question.

"What you mean is, I am not yet a member of the Soderbell Family, so I have no right to know the answer," Aches shook his head. "I think you can see it clearly—if I consult with my mother, the result will only be that I bear everything that comes with this surname."

"That’s not necessarily the case."

"She’s my mother. I know her better than you do." Aches rolled his eyes. "She has a special admiration for my father... If not, she wouldn’t have raised me alone, nor would she have refused to marry anyone else. I once asked her why she was so insistent, but she said it was because my father once saved her when she was in danger. That was a moment she could never forget in her life. …But do you know what I think about that?"

"You can't understand it," Akar said slowly.

"Exactly," Aches nodded. "I can’t understand it. …But what I understand even less is what you did!"

Aches looked at the grave pit, his expression exceptionally complicated. "Is Yabos in there too?"

"Yeah, the slightly smaller headless corpse beside it." Akar glanced over and then pointed at one of the bodies. "Regretful that you couldn’t take revenge personally?"

"A bit," Aches nodded. "I was actually planning to wait a little longer, let my injuries heal, and then ambush him in a sack or something. …But I never planned to kill him."

"Heh." Akar let out a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You never thought of killing him, but his whole family was thinking about how to kill you and your mother," Akar shook his head. "I heard a lot from your little companions and those who had dealings with that family. From your perspective, maybe you just hated their dishonesty, but in reality, you were challenging the authority of Kalel Village’s Village Chief. You made their family a laughingstock in Kalel Village. If they didn’t kill you, they would forever be a joke."

"Only by killing you could they assert their authority, restore the influence of being Kalel Village’s Village Chief, and even set an example—scaring all outsiders in Kalel Village from ever daring to act rashly or question their rule."

Aches froze, his face filled with disbelief.

"Kid, remember this—if you’re not ready to make someone your true enemy, then don’t turn against them lightly," Akar said sternly. "Once you turn against someone, you must be ready for a fight to the death. And often, your enemies aren’t chosen by you. They might just dislike the look of you, or hate the people you associate with—then you become their enemy."

"When dealing with enemies, just remember one thing."

"What is it?" Aches asked.

"Never show mercy," Akar said calmly. "Only dead enemies are the best outcome."

Aches fell silent.

Although he had wandered and struggled during the three years of war, and had grown rapidly as a result, even seen different parts of the world—his perspective was still confined to a small village. His view wasn’t much broader than other children’s, let alone reaching the strategic level of political vision involving ‘the influence of a village administrator’.

"Come on, let’s go back." Akar patted Aches on the shoulder and gestured for him to follow. "Go back and discuss it with your mother properly. I’ll give you both some time to think it through—no need to rush. …After all, I killed the Village Chief’s family of Kalel Village. Even though they offended our Soderbell Family first, I still have to give Miss Monica an explanation, so I’ll stay here a bit longer and wait for her inquiry letter."

"Will the consequences be serious?"

"If it were an ordinary person, yes, the consequences would be quite serious," Akar nodded. "But we are a Bloodline User family, and your second uncle is considered a vassal of the Kasein Family, so most likely, we’ll just have to pay some compensation."

Akar was no longer politically naive.

From the moment he acted, he had already prepared for the follow-up.

The news of the Village Chief of Kalel Village mobilizing the militia could not be hidden. A simple investigation would reveal everything. Akar could fully claim that the other side had first offended the Soderbell Family and attempted to silence him.

As for those who knew Akar provoked things first—most of them were the Village Chief’s trusted subordinates, and nearly all had participated in attacking Aches. Akar’s refusal to accept monetary compensation, and his insistence on cutting off one hand and one foot from each of them, was not only to sever their future paths, but also to set the stage for another narrative: if those people accused him, he could claim they were taking revenge.

As long as Monica didn’t sentence him immediately when the time came, there would be much room to maneuver. Most likely, the matter would be resolved through noble law’s compensation protocols. And due to smuggling activities, neither White Mountain Territory nor Gem Territory was particularly short on money. So paying a fine wasn’t really a big issue.

This was also why Akar hadn’t fled immediately.

After all, their Soderbell Family was no longer the penniless wandering family it once was.

"Bloodline User family?" Aches suddenly asked, "Is that the kind of people who can become Knight Lords, who can sit around doing nothing in a village and still have people bring them money?"

"Yes." Akar nodded. "But not all knights receive a fief."

"Fief? What’s that?"

"That question—your second uncle asked it too back in the day." Akar recalled what Yam had said to him and their father back then, and couldn’t help but laugh aloud. "A fief is a territory. Only knights who are granted a fief can become the kind of Knight Lords you’re talking about—those who receive money without doing anything."

Aches nodded, half-understanding.

He didn’t fully grasp what a fief was, nor what a territory entailed, but if a fief meant being a Knight Lord who could throw his weight around in a village, then he understood.

"I now understand why you said 'Soderbell' is a heavy surname."

Akar, who had been smiling, suddenly fell silent.

After a moment, he sighed. "You might not understand what you’re thinking right now, but let me tell you—this surname is heavier than you can possibly imagine."

"So, I can also become a Bloodline User?"

"Not necessarily." Akar shook his head. "Even a union between two Bloodline Users doesn’t guarantee their offspring will be Bloodline Users."

Akar didn’t give a definite answer.

Because even he didn’t know how their father planned to arrange the third-generation children of the family. Currently, the Soderbell Family had three official third-generation members. Aside from Cindy, who had already resonated with the Demonic Sword and was almost certainly the next wielder of the Demonic Sword and the third-generation leader—Aches and Liam’s aptitude remained uncertain.

As for the remaining five uses of the Demonic Sword’s Purification, he and Yam would each get one to ensure there were formally two Third-Tier Bloodline Users in the family.

That meant the remaining three uses could only foster one more Third-Tier and one Second-Tier Bloodline User.

If both Liam and Aches turned out to lack the necessary Bloodline Aptitude, one of them would inevitably be unable to advance to the third tier. So, the final decision would rest with their father, Ion.

But Aches didn’t know any of this.

So he misunderstood Akar’s words: he knew his mother was not a Bloodline User, which meant there was a high probability that he wasn’t one either. This sparked a sudden feeling of unwillingness inside Aches. He even started to suspect that his mother had known all this long ago, and that was why she admired his father so deeply and insisted on bringing him back into the Soderbell Family.

Because if he wasn’t a Bloodline User, then he would forever remain a commoner. But if he returned to the Soderbell Family, even if he couldn’t become a Knight Lord himself, maybe his descendants might have the potential and aptitude?

"I’ve made up my mind!" Aches suddenly declared.

"What?"

"I’m willing to bear the surname 'Soderbell' and face all the enemies of the Soderbell Family," Aches said firmly. "Just like you said, 'Soderbell' blood flows through my veins, so I must follow the principle of 'Once the blade is drawn, never retreat.'"

Looking at Aches’s resolute expression and hearing those words, Akar’s expression turned quite complex.

If he hadn’t personally witnessed how their family had built the name 'Soderbell' with the help of the Demonic Sword, even he might have believed their family truly carried noble blood.

"Sigh." Akar sighed. "Save those words to fool your children in the future. …Just tell me honestly, what made you change your mind?"

"I don’t want my children to miss the chance of becoming knights if they have the aptitude to be Bloodline Users, just because I hesitated now," Aches said firmly. "I also want my mother to live in a better house, eat better food, and wear better clothes."

"Even if it means facing the wrath of a Count?"

"I remember you just gave me a gift called 'Conviction.'"

"Ha." Akar suddenly laughed. "Good. I believe you’ll make a fine Soderbell."

"So, our family’s enemy really is a Count?"

"You brat, do you even know what a Count is?"

"Nope." Aches shook his head. "But that’s okay. As long as I know he’s an enemy, that’s enough."

Akar shook his head. "Then I’ll give you a third gift."

"There’s more?" Aches blinked. "Uncle, can you give me something a bit more practical?"

"This third gift is… never let your enemy know that you are his enemy," Akar said seriously. "The only time he should find out—is when he’s about to die before your eyes."

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