Chapter 90: To turn the tables

Fiorella turned very pale, her eyes opened and closed in disbelief.

With horror, she turned to look at the painting of Duke Jacob, but instead of seeing the pride and joy of the family she could only see a nightmare scene.

From the shadows on the right side of the Duke's face, a slight reflective shine appeared from where his eye was.

She took a step back in horror but the glint had barely flickered before it was gone. But the mere illusion created by the horror did not leave her mind.

"No no no!" Crying helplessly, tears fell from the eyes of the woman who could only lie on the sofa inconsolable.

Andre showed no reaction. The man seemed to fade away, suddenly aging 50 years to an old man who could no longer lift his head.

"Even in this we are humiliated... Sigh..." Sighing, exhausted in mind and spirit, Andre looked up.

"From how you spoke, it seems that you weren't the one who discovered this information; it was given to you.

"How sure are you of the veracity of this information, Madam Flora? Is the source reliable?"

"I am sure the information is true and reliable." Flora nodded confidently, barely containing the chill that ran through her body.

She still clearly remembered how the Princess had almost prayed to 'Him'.

At her words, Andre nodded and turned his head slightly, "I assume that source would be your partner here. Otherwise I don't see what other reason he has for being here."

Having been 'discovered' did not alarm Adryan at all, he just smiled knowingly without saying anything.

"It's not like I've been hiding it." Flora rolled her eyes. 'Princess, it may not seem like it, but I have no doubt that he knows more about 'Him' than all of us put together."

The head of the Zoroast Family's eyes opened a little and he took a closer look at Adryan.

"Oh, really?"

Smiling innocently, Adryan said tactlessly;

"The trap of that raven is for your grandpa."

For an instant, Andre's expression broke and he looked at the man in disbelief.

"Grandpa?" Flora paused for a moment and looked at her partner.

This was the first time the man had mentioned anything like that.

Fiorella just looked at this somewhat confused, still recovering from the previous revelation.

Smiling apologetically at his worm, Adryan laughed softly, "Sorry but I realized when you told me that the Zoroast and Jacob families had only produced demigods..."

She did not know that the grandfather inside the dear poet of the Fool was alive.

Looking sideways at a somewhat frozen Andre, the smile on his face became somewhat more macabre, "Someone wasn't honest with you~"

"Mr. Andre, what is this madman talking about?" Fiorella grunted a little, putting her hat back on.

"Do you tell them or should I?" Adding more pressure, Adryan placed his hand on his waist and looked amused.

Faced with the assault, Andre did not immediately respond to the questions but focused his attention on the man.

"How do you know that?"

"That's for me to know and for you to question~" With a wink he sang.

Without giving the demigod time to make an excuse, Adryan spoke extremely quickly, pointing at him with one hand, like an accusing child.

"The Worm of Time Pallez Zoroast is still alive."

Coming from an Angel family that controls the Marauder path and whose Ancestor was an Archangel, both women knew exactly what the man was talking about.

"The Zoroast still have an angel..." Flora whispered and looked at Andre in amazement.

She thought that all the angels of the pathway were dead, of course, except for 'He', the reason why 'They' were dead.

But it turns out there was still one left, not just an 'Angel', but an Archangel!

She remembered reading about Pallez Zoroast, who was a nobleman at the time when the family was still at the top. But after the fall of the Tudor Empire, no one had heard from 'him'.

Fiorella looked deathly at the man, not trying to hide how much this answer bothered her.

Andre looked at the dark-haired man without emotion. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and sighed soundlessly.

"Mr. Pallez's condition is a secret passed from head family to head family. His condition cannot be better described as deplorable, so we have jealously guarded the secret."

With the worm out of the bag, it was no longer worth hiding.

Andre looked at Flora's partner with genuine curiosity. "How you found out, I have no idea, and I doubt you'll give me an answer, right?"

"Mhm," Adryan mumbled affirmatively.

Another sigh escaped his lips and Andre could only shake his head.

"I thought as much."

For a moment, no one said anything. The dark-haired guy frowned a little at that.

"Well? What happens now?"

Andre looked at a still-stunned Fiorella. Seeing that she said nothing, he closed his eyes and took the lead.

"Sigh. Nothing will happen. We will let the members not affiliated with the families continue to search for the treasure while the blood members will slowly withdraw.

"The reason will not be stated since the change may be noticed. When in doubt, we simply say we cannot allocate more resources to chasing a children's story."

"..." Adryan silently looked at the man for several moments.

Turning, he looked at the black-haired woman, "Are you okay with this?"

"And what do you want me to say?" Fiorella muttered with hatred, almost spitting, "With that guy waiting there it would be marching to our death, there's nothing I can do about it."

Adryan then looked at his partner, who only nodded in agreement.

"Are you seriously asking?' Flora explained calmly, her lips raised in mischievous knowledge.

Adryan smiled at his partner with satisfaction.

Then he turned and, pursing his lips, looked at the remaining demigods somewhat incredulously.

"Is that all? Really?"

Of all the scenarios he thought might happen, this was one of the most likely, but he still found it hard to believe.

"Oh, and what do you suggest we do, O genius?" Fiorella spat, 'We don't have the resources or the artifacts to deal with that!"

She raised a hand and pointed accusingly at Andre, 'And the only angel we have is in such horrible shape that we can't do anything but abandon everything in there!"

Adryan gritted his teeth in complete disgust. He didn't even try to hide his disgust, letting his face show his enormous disappointment.

"You truly are pathetic."

Fiorella was about to say something else but Andre's raised hand stopped her.

The head of the Zoroast was looking at him without blinking. His gaze showed no aggression or annoyance, just a slight spark of interest.

"I don't understand why you care so much what we do, Mr. We have no real relationship with you, so I don't understand your reaction."

"Is there something we don't know? Is there anything you want to add? We don't even know your name."

The dark-haired man snorted ungraciously, "Call me Johnny if you want to give me a name. But the fact that you give up so easily disgusts me."

"If you have a better idea, we're all ears!" Fiorella growled and looked at the man with great venom.

"In fact, yes, I do have a better idea, but it requires the participation of this guy's grandfather," Adryan replied boredly, pointing to an expressionless Andre.

"I'm sure you're going to tell him about this, so why not take the opportunity to ask for his cooperation to help? Because if you don't decide to help us..."

Smiling, he placed a hand on Flora's shoulder, who smiled knowingly.

"We'll take it for ourselves." She ended up looking down at them.

"…What did you say?" Fiorella spat out under her breath—a look of death in her eyes.

"Our numbers continue to fall. Unlike 10 years ago, our family has been considerably reduced - whether they died or left this world doesn't matter.

"Faced with the complete collapse of the family, I'd rather risk my life again and take what is rightfully ours from his clutches," Flora replied gravely, her gray eyes shining with determination.

"I refuse to let 'Him' use my family as a laughing stock any longer. I will repay 'Him' a thousandfold for all the pain and humiliation 'He' has caused us.

"If I must do it without your help, so be it. But I refuse to let this continue."

This was her truth as well as her lie.

If she were the same person she was 10 years ago, she too would have abandoned the idea of recovering the treasure and supported Andre and Fiorella's idea.

No, even the her of a year ago would have shared that same idea...

Only after these months together with her partner did she realize her weakness and the true meaning of 'Apocalypse'.

The Moonless Night showed her the bitter truth.

Demigods and Angels were utterly outdone. Even the Gods themselves were incapable of saving the situation...

If she wanted to have a chance of surviving that cataclysm, the lowest level she should aspire to was an Angel. Only then would she survive.

But she couldn't deny that the opportunity to finally have at least one victory against 'Him' was both highly motivating and terrifying.

Fiorella looked at her cousin in a daze, really looking at her, as if she were seeing her for the first time.

"These years have changed you..."

"And from what I see, they haven't changed you," Flora replied calmly, without changing her expression.

An eyebrow twitched.

'That's my girl!' Proudly, Adryan smiled a little bigger and squeezed his partner's shoulder in support.

"I'll send a message to the Old Man. He's been more talkative lately, maybe there's a chance for him to participate. I should have a real answer for you at the next meeting." Andre took up the subject with a sigh.

"Until then, the subject of the Jacob Family treasure does not leave this room."

"That's fine with me," Flora nodded before smiling slightly, "don't take too long to give an answer, okay? Maybe by the time He says yes, that treasure will already be in my hands~"

Her words caught Zoroast off guard and he looked at her somewhat dazed.

"You're a bad influence," Fiorella growled at the younger man.

It was clear who had given such rude teachings to her once respectful and elegant cousin.

"I'm proud." Adryan shrugged his shoulders, completely disinterested, and removed his hand from his partner's shoulder.

Tap tap tap...

"Maybe even if the Elder refuses it's not impossible to recover the treasure..." Andre muttered absent-mindedly.

Fiorella suddenly turned her head towards him, alarmed, "Please don't tell me you're considering it. They can't be trusted!"

"Look who's talking." Without trying to contain it, Adryan raised an eyebrow at the woman who ignored him.

"It's just an option to consider. If we don't put all our cards on the table, we'd underestimate that man too much."

"But it's still risky! Centuries of silence to suddenly establish contact? They're up to something, I know it!"

Flora looked at them confused, "You could fill me in a little. Who are you talking about, Mr. Andre?"

Before the man could say anything, Fiorella raised her hand and stopped him.

"Recently, one of the branches of the Tamara Family has been trying to contact us."

"The Tamara? They still exist? I thought they had all been dealt with by the churches." Flora was visibly disturbed by this but managed to control herself.

"We confirm that they are indeed still around. The Family has been hiding in even darker corners than us." Andre calmly interjected.

"Recent events have caused them to stick their heads out and want to join the coming conflict... But that is what makes us hesitate to respond to their message.

"The path of the Arbiter dominates this specific line. So it is much more reliable than the other branch, but that doesn't mean they are much better..."

Pausing for a moment, the head of the Zoroast looked at them seriously.

"How much do you know about the Scarlet Monarch?"

"Oh?" Controlling his body with all he had, Adryan showed the maximum reaction with the curious tilt of his head.

"I've heard the same thing as everyone else." Flora nodded calmly and collectedly.

Nodding without delving deeper into the subject, Andre continued;

"The branch of the Tamara Family that contacted us believes that it is the return of the Blood Emperor.

"They believe that He has not fallen but has been hiding all these years to regain strength. And only recently has He recovered enough to start acting."

"They say they have been trying to get a response through prayer but so far they have gotten nothing." Fiorella came in with a sigh and then said.

"Whether they are right and it is the reborn Blood Emperor does not affect us at all.

"If it is the Blood Emperor, once He regains His strength and ascends again we will clearly support Him. As descendants of one of the families that supported the Tudor Empire, the possibility of Him welcoming us back is considerable.

"But it doesn't matter if it's not the Blood Emperor, either, a Mad God returning is extremely dangerous so we'd rather it was someone else."

"We're leaning towards the second option." Andre said, "It's very likely that a descendant of the Tudor Family, quite possibly an Angel, came across a treasure left behind by the God and made huge profits from it."

"The Tamara family will have thought this too, but they don't care. Whether it's the original Blood Emperor or a descendant of His or some other hidden existence, all they care about is establishing contact and showing their support."

"Although, it is also likely that they simply want to support the next Red Priest. With the internal situation of their family, it would not be surprising if this branch died out in the next few years." Andre finished before laughing mockingly.

"Two of the five families that once supported the Blood Emperor in the past are trying to come together to support a new candidate...

"For rivers that once parted to converge again for just one possibility, destiny is certainly a wonderful thing. Completely unpredictable, dominated by chaos and the impossible."

Not wanting to go further into the subject, Adryan gently steered the conversation back to the previous topic.

"Their support may help recover the treasure but will it be enough?"

This time it was Flora who nodded, "It's possible. According to the families' documents, the Tamara family participated in the downfall of an Angel of the Church of Evernight Goddess.

"Perhaps they still possess the characteristics and turned it into a corresponding artifact."

"I hope so," Adryan nodded before sighing, "but this will only be possible if Grandpa agrees to participate, so it could be complicated."

"I'll do my best to sound convincing." Andre shook his head gently.

"But in preparation if he refuses, I'll organize a meeting with the Tamara. I'll be in touch with you through the coins."

He then looked deeply at Adryan, as if he could see his deepest secrets.

"I have no idea what kind of support you have or what kind of person you are. But that Madam Flora is willing to trust you shows much about you."

"She wouldn't trust her own shadow." Fiorella added an amusing fact before snorting ungracefully, "But it seems that even the toughest of walls is corroded over time."

"Hopefully the same can be said for you," Adryan hit back half-heartedly, the woman's eyebrows twitched as he ignored her.

Perhaps his worm and this shop witch were related in some way. Both were quite easy to provoke.

Andre looked around absentmindedly, "The 10 minutes are almost up. We must go back."

Then he turned his attention to Adryan and said, "Mr. Jhonny, I hope we can really talk in the future."

Understanding that the man meant he would show him his true appearance, the dark-haired man rolled his eyes in mock amusement but said nothing.

Yeah, fat chance.

With nothing more to discuss, they all left the room and returned to the meeting hall.