Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"Wage his offense on anyone he suspected?" Lucius said. "I don't think he was exactly clear-headed enough if this happened right away after the assassination attempt."

"Yes, there were a lot of people who were threatened, hurt and even killed. One… one can only presume how much they were truly involved in the assassination, the Count could hardly be stopped through any normal means." The Black Rose Knight said quietly.

"However, it is something that anyone with much grief would probably go through. I am sure that the Count has thought back on the acts that he had caused that time and would have been more rational if given the chance."

Lucius knew that the knights were trying to downplay a little of how much actual chaos that the young Count Gabriel actually caused to make the man look good in front of his son.

However, Lucius didn't actually care if some innocent people died during Count Gabriel's personal crusade for his mother.

Even the most 'good' people had their own dark secrets.

Lucius found no reason to be guilty about any people dying. If they stood in the way of his goals, then that was enough reason to get rid of them.

If anything, it made Lucius actually respect Count Gabriel even further because his hands were not that clean.

"I take it that anyone who tried to make him see reason would find themselves testing his blade and patience?"

"Exactly. The nobles had to use their influence in another way, put on pressure that didn't directly involved meeting the young Count personally but could have stopped him from going around in his sworn mission for revenge."

"I see. I suppose in their eyes, they were trying to punish a rabid dog in a sense." Lucius said. "Make my father see reason and act more properly or else they'd take away everything the Inanis Family has strove for."

The Black Rose Knights gawked for a moment, not expecting such a reaction from the Count's own son.

On the other hand Lucius found himself discovering a side of Count Gabriel that he hadn't expected.

Based on current times, the Count prioritized his family a lot but he also took care of the people in Inanis city.

He was willing to ensure that they did not suffer during the period when Viscount Drew withdrew from Etara.

However, gaining a lot of enmity in his youth meant the Inanis city suffered severely… and yet the young Count was steadfast and didn't lose sight of his goal.

While respectable, it could also be interpreted as blind rage… if not for the fact that the Count found himself back on top again.

And Lucius thought that the many really did.

Despite his past, the Count now had the favor of the king and even received the presence of the six Black Rose Knights as a result.

"Pardon us, young lord?" one of the knights looked at him unsurely.

Lucius raised a brow and merely shrugged.

"I'm still in shock that the Inanis Family continues to exist today based on my father's actions which earned him that many enemies. Other than that, when did he finally learn the truth about my grandmother's assassination?"

The Black Rose Knights were surprised at his question, but to Lucius it made a lot of sense.

Based on the Count's character, he would have never settled down if the people behind the assassination still roamed free.

"It was during the time when he found that Gisir Kingdom made a conspiracy to sow discord in the Grantz Kingdom. Among their attempts to ruin Grantz Kingdom from the inside, the assassination of the Count's mother was one of those acts."

"There were actually four noble houses that were involved in it and to think of even touching them was something next to impossible, but your father was unwilling to stand down and went after them."

"He then faced the private armies of those four noble houses all by himself."

"All by himself, you say?"

Lucius brows furrowed together and somehow, the real Asher Inanis putting himself in danger during the Gisir war made sense, but even Count Gabriel was even more rash.

Luckily for Count Gabriel, he had that epic rank gift on his side, while Asher was less fortunate.

But that wasn't the only thing that allowed him to do so. Count Gabriel must have been truly gifted with the sword and with a rage so deep to have fought against that many men without tiring.

Lucius could only imagine how long it actually took for Count Gabriel to cleave through that many soldiers without stopping or resting.

"Yes, his gift and skills allowed him to go through nearly two thousands men and when he vanquished them, he went after the nobles involved in the conspiracy and took away their heads. It was a bloody massacre to say the least."

"A violent one too."

"Shhh, that's not appropriate to say. But ah, it was during that day that the young Count Gabriel was able to earn the unofficial title..."

"They called him... Rancor!"

"I would have never expected that it was none other than my own father who turned out to be this person." Lucius nodded, suitably impressed.

Such violent acts were grand, even to someone in the Great Barrom Clan. Although it was unlikely that anyone in the Great Barrom clan would have been moved to act for losing a parent, the acts of violence were substantial.

"What happened then after that? He may have discovered the conspiracy, but that doesn't exactly fix the enmity that he had gained from the other nobles." Lucius asked.

"Ah yes, while he may have found some peace after being able to avenge the assassination of his mother, it truly was not enough to salvage the relations that he broke with a lot of nobility. Some people wanted him gone, while others saw his capacity for destruction. But the Count was able to think of a way to neutralize the enmities that he had."