"Well, we came here to meet you." The investigator put his cup of tea down as he spoke, saying words that were obvious, just like Alaric had predicted.
Meanwhile, Clayton showed no sign of pleasantness. He set the cup down on the table as well and said,
"We'll have a questioning about how you surpassed the challenge of the nameless god. Make sure you tell the truth. Otherwise… you'll face the consequences."
His voice lowered, heavy with threat—or perhaps meant to throw Alaric off balance. Of course, Alaric wasn't shaken by some cheap trick from the Professor.
"Come on, Clayton. Just a few questions, then we'll leave. This is just a formality."
"Right? The slave of the Carrol Family."
He hoped Alaric would show fear or hesitation at his words. But instead, Alaric just shrugged, as if the threat had no effect, fully revealing his true confidence.
"Of course, I'll tell the truth. Just ask me."
The investigator clicked his tongue, realizing his attempt to rattle Alaric had failed—but he didn't give up.
"You're so calm. Seems like you have a supporter, thinking your status has changed because you did something impossible."
"And…?"
Alaric let out a deep breath and lifted a hand. His voice remained polite, but a subtle discomfort lingered beneath his words regarding the investigator's actions.
"Sir, I think you should stop this uncontrolled behavior. It doesn't work on me. Let's just ask me and complete this formality."
He added,
"If you're asking me: Do I fear your threatening speech? I'll say: not at all."
"I know my value. And of course, I know my limits too. Legendary Clan? Of course I'm not afraid of them. Why should I be scared if I didn't do anything wrong?"
"I know why you're threatening me. You're just trying to scare me… then make me spill everything for you. But don't worry. Like I said: I'll tell you the truth."
Clayton slammed his hand on the table, shouting in anger,
"You little rat! How could a slave like you dare speak so disrespectfully?"
However, the investigator raised a hand to stop the professor and let out a sigh. At this point, he knew his plan had completely failed. If he pushed any further, he would only prove himself foolish. And of course, he wasn't a fool.
"You seem wiser and more knowledgeable than common slaves. I used to imagine they were people who knew nothing about the world. Perhaps the Carrol Family taught their slaves the wrong way."
"Teaching them the knowledge of humanity is a mistake."
Alaric just curled his lips at the investigator's provocation. Knowledge of humanity didn't belong to a single person or organization—it belonged to everyone. However, through that short discussion, he had come to fully understand what kind of scum the investigator really was.
The investigator was the kind of person who belonged on the list of people he hated the most.
However, provoking the members of the legendary clans wasn't ideal. He didn't want his thoughtless actions to give the investigator any reason to do something against him.
So, he simply ignored it, hoping everything would turn out fine.
Then the investigator shrugged, giving up on provoking Alaric and began asking questions.
Half hours passed away.
They wrapped up the questioning without any conflict. Alaric had basically followed exactly what the vice principal had advised.
No gaps in his speech for those bastards to grab onto.
Still, part of his smooth ride came from the fact that the investigator seemed done asking too.
***
"Damn it! Fucking slave! How the hell could he refuse an invite from a legendary clan?" Clayton burst out, pure frustration on his face as he kicked the trash bin on the path, stressed for no damn reason.
The investigator—Jordan—just raised a brow, half‑amused. They quickly got into their personal car and drove off.
Inside the car, Jordan lit a cigarette and blew out a long stream of smoke. His chest sank, feeling the waves of smoke fill his lungs as he exhaled, then he spoke to Clayton, who was still sitting beside him in a sour mood.
"Find a way to kill him quietly before he graduates."
Clayton froze, unsure if he'd heard that right. But after a beat, he nodded anyway—though the worry didn't leave his face.
"Sir… why wait until he graduates? There's gotta be some reason, right?"
Jordan shrugged and glanced at the park through the car glass .
"He's smart… but smart alone doesn't mean much in this world. Think of it as a test. If he actually survive after graduation, our clan can't afford to miss someone like that."
Well, Jordan could gauge that through his questioning of Alaric . He knew he wouldn't get any useful information about the Challenge of Gods.
He was certain there was something important he didn't know—not just the ridiculous tales Alaric had told—because he understood just how powerful and clever Curry and Morris were.
If he wanted that knowledge, there was only one way: open Alaric 's head… which meant killing him. Killing someone like that would be such a waste. So, it made more sense to keep him close and manage him.
The exam would show whether he deserved to stand by their side.
"But… he's rejected our invite before. If he joins another clan, what then? They might protect that slave," Clayton said.
Jordan chuckled.
"No big deal. No clan can go against the Rhodes Clan—except Leonard and Alvarez."
"Still… Alvarez themselves are pure overbearing nobles. They'd never accept someone with an inferior profile… and Leonard? Hmm, they're worth noting, but the slave won't join them."
"Just like how he refused our invite. He was still thinking that surpassed the challenge of God, which would mean reaching the power of a legendary clan, but that's wrong… He'll keep showing his arrogance until he realizes the true face of the world."
Clayton said.
"So, in that case… if he refuses us again?" Clayton asked.
Jordan scoffed, sniffing once like the answer was obvious.
"Then we force him. And if he still won't bend?" Jordan's voice dropped, cold but blunt. "We kill him. An uncontrollable monster's got no place staying alive."