Chapter 967: Indifference
Vincent's expression darkened when Izroth took his young lord's sword into his hand.
Just now, he let his guard down. He did not expect Izroth to behave so brazenly in front of Duke Sorkoza.
"Does this person lack common sense? Is he so eager to face death?" Vincent thought to himself with a visible frown.
So far, Izroth had led a group to eliminate a high-value asset of Tempest mages, taken their kingdom's princess captive, snuck past the Gates of Aegis, and offended the Windstorm family. Now, he was also acting in such a manner before Duke Sorkoza, someone who was known as an eccentric character when it came to the skounae.
Even if by some miracle he was able to escape today, Vincent believed that Izroth was already as good as dead after having offended so many powers.
As for Izroth, how could he be afraid of offending a few powers? The number of people who wanted him dead was a long list. So what if a couple more names got added to it?
Izroth never went out of his way to create enemies, but that did not mean he was afraid of dealing with those who dared block his path.
If this Duke Sorkoza wanted to interfere on behalf of Tempest, Aurelius, or whoever else for that matter, Izroth would not hesitate to do what was necessary. After all, they may be strong, but it was not as though he had no way of dealing with opponents like Duke Sorkoza.
"Duke Sorkoza, this person before you is a villain. The reason the young lord fought so hard despite knowing that we were on the border of the Duke's territory was to stop that villain who kidnapped a princess of our Tempest kingdom." Vincent explained.
Sorkoza looked over at Ranazera and replied, "So, it's the little sixth princess. I believe we've met before. Though you were quite young at the time, so I doubt you remember this old man."
"The Duke is too kind. Even as a child, how could I shake the Duke's extraordinary presence from my mind?" Ranazera responded graciously.
Seeing that the Duke and Ranazera were already somewhat acquainted, Vincent decided to take another step he may not have been so bold enough to do previously.
"Duke Sorkoza, I know that I am in no place to ask for a favor after your gracious judgment, but I would like to request the Duke's help in rescuing the sixth princess of our Tempest kingdom. That sword is also a precious treasure that belongs to the Windstorm family. I am sure the young lord and the Windstorm family will be forever grateful if you could help return it to its rightful owners." Vincent said respectfully.
Sorkoza glanced over at Vincent before his gaze landed on Izroth.
"Oh? This human..."
What surprised Sorkoza was that, to his surprise, Izroth was casually examining the sword in his hand and appeared unbothered by his gaze.
Typically, those under the influence of his gaze became overwhelmed and felt suffocated by his aura. But, the young human before him was the complete opposite as he maintained a calm composure.
Sorkoza also sensed a strange "scent" coming from Izroth. This scent was not related to one's sense of smell. It was the distinct mark of another power that encompassed someone.
"The internal matters of your Tempest kingdom do not concern me, let alone the retrieval of some trinket. While it is true that our kingdoms are currently in an alliance, I have neither the interest nor obligation to resolve your personal matters for you. If you wish to save your sixth princess and take back the sword in his possession, so be it. However, you are to do it away from the border of my territory." Sorkoza stated.
Vincent's eyes widened in shock at Sorkoza's response. Ranazera was a part of the Tempest royal family, and Aurelius was the young lord of the Windstorm family. There was not a short line of people who would be willing to do anything to put those two powers in their debt. He knew that the Duke's character was not normal, but given his position in Malentansium, even he should readily be willing to lend a hand.
Ranazera, on the other hand, released a small sigh as she inwardly shook her head. Vincent was too naive. Even as a child, Ranazera understood the Duke's temperament. Although he acknowledged her existence, Ranazera never got her hopes up for a single moment. That's because the Duke was someone who only cared for his own city and territory. As for what happened outside of it, he held virtually zero interest.
In fact, the only reason he set foot outside his territory years ago was for the sole purpose of purchasing Tempest magic cannons to increase the defenses of his city. Since such an important deal had to be done in person, naturally, the Duke had no choice but to pay a visit to Tempest.
CRUNCH!
Out of nowhere, the loud sound of metal being crushed and torn apart could be heard.
Duke Sorkoza had a somewhat inquisitive look on his face when he witnessed the events that unfolded before him. But, for everyone else who looked toward the source of the noise, their faces turned pale, and the sight almost caused them to cough up blood in anger.
"The young lord's sword...!" Vincent sucked in a breath of cold air as he could not believe his eyes.
"What is that thing...?" Ranazera muttered to herself as she had a somewhat disturbed expression.
Izroth's Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence transformed back to its original form as a long tongue made of black metal wrapped around Aurelius' sword.
The metal tongue drew in the sword as the maw of a beast formed with rows upon rows of sharp-bladed teeth at Izroth's torso as it chomped down on the sword.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Despite the high quality and durable materials of the sword, it was effortlessly ripped to pieces by the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence.
Upon seeing that sight, Izroth was secretly relieved that his armor had some self-control. Otherwise, if it were ever interested in his Sword of the Storm and followed through with its own desires, he would not know whether to laugh or cry.
As his living armor broke down the sword, Izroth received a stream of alerts from the system.
〈System Alert: The effect «Peerless Conduct» has been activated!〉
〈System Alert: The item «Sword of Twin Natures» has been destroyed!〉
〈System Alert: The effect «Overeater» has been activated!〉
A few moments after Izroth received the system alerts, the metal tongue retracted into the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence before it reverted its appearance back to that of the Attire of a Silent Night.
From its tranquil appearance, one would have never guessed that a terrifying thing lurked behind it.
After his armor consumed the Sword of Twin Natures, Izroth did not feel any immediate changes. However, he was not surprised, as something similar happened the first time he absorbed the Abyssal Dragon Lord's Scales.
'I'm not sure how long it will be until it takes effect, but, at the very least, it should not interfere with anything. Now... How should I deal with this?'
Izroth heard Duke Sorkoza speak about not interfering in Tempest internal affairs; however, he still had to travel through the Duke's territory in order to meet up with the 9th Division and the rest of the allied forces.
'Taking a detour will consume too much time. But starting a large-scale battle here will also be a bit troublesome. Should I just use Molding Earth until we reach the other side of his territory?'
Even though using Molding Earth to cross Duke Sorkoza's territory would set him behind for a few hours, in the end, it would be much faster than taking a long detour around the Duke's territory.
As Izroth weighed his options, there was something else that troubled him.
For some reason, ever since the moment he appeared, Izroth sensed that there was something unusual about Duke Sorkoza.
For one, he was a Vretis. Let alone being a Duke, it was fortunate that he was not the servant of another skounae.
From what Izroth understood about the skounae, they were bound by their bloodlines, which was a curse inflicted upon every skounae born in Malentansium by the Night King. They could not defy those who held a purer bloodline than them. This was a great secret of the skounae race that perhaps even those Night Lords were unaware of.
Vretis were beings who were considered to have an inferior bloodline compared to normal skounae. Due to this, they could never hope to rise within the ranks of nobility and were destined to be servants.
But, obviously, that was not the case for the Vretis before Izroth right now. The aura he exuded dwarfed that of the previous Vretis skounae Izroth met back in Vostracane. Even the Earls he came across during his time near the Land of Unity could not compare to Sorkoza.