"Hmm?"
It was so fast and faint that both Seraphine and Cedric didn't notice anything unusual. Only Malcolm suddenly sensed a high-level power in Lucien and the presence of pure fire energy.
'What is that?'
Lucien retracted the Phoenix fire so quickly that Malcolm couldn't recognize its true origin. But he knew that whatever it was, it held significant power.
"Why are you still persuading him now? Didn't I say there's no need to jump into this muddy water?"
Cedric couldn't help but scold Lucien.
"We'll just reduce our sphere of influence, like Father said. You don't have to—"
"Okay, let him have what he wants."
Cedric was just about to conclude the discussion when Malcolm suddenly dropped another bomb.
"Father, what do you mea—"
"Okay, no need to nag now. Listen to me first."
Malcolm had already sensed Lucien's potential. Still, the assassination attempt was also a real threat, so he compromised with a middle-ground solution.
