Chapter 70: A Long Story

After he finished speaking, all eyes in the room returned to me, and the ambient energy of the people left all other places in the room and gathered around me. The pressure of 130 warriors was enough to crush bones even if it was just ambient, but I still withstood it.

Although Alios was supposedly on my side, he still needed to act sternly in front of the others and not show any bias. And even if he was biased towards me, it was only in his decisions; he would never help me directly.

For instance, he could have informed me of this question beforehand so I could prepare an answer, but he didn't. He doesn't want me to become the family heir for personal reasons, but because he believes I'm better than Darian.

He doesn't want to benefit directly from the family throne but wants the one he deems suitable to hold it. Or maybe he just wants to adhere to traditions. I really don't know.

Compared to him, Lionel is much simpler for me, as he has a personal material reason behind his help, making him easier to manipulate at least.

I heard Killian swallow behind me. The atmosphere around us was definitely frightening, but for some reason, I didn't feel any pressure at all. I smiled, showing all the confidence I had, and spoke.

"For two months in the Mountain of Fog, I barely survived fighting many beasts, some of which were legendary. Despite the danger of the place, I gained things that were worth the risk and more."

"Are you saying you survived there for two months?" Alexander asked me, and I tried to look into his eyes, but the pressure stopped me.

"Two and a half months," I corrected him before continuing. "Afterward, due to some circumstances that were not in my favor, I got involved in the puppets Society incident for more than four months." I smiled as I looked at everyone's expressions and heard their gasps.

In the week and a half since my arrival in the city, the puppets Society incident was all people talked about, and it was confirmed by the government and the three major human families.

And although the West is very far from the East, some survivors from that place still belonged to the West, specifically this city. When people saw some individuals walking through the cities with mechanical arms, they fully believed what happened.

The legend of that white-haired person, some called him the Liberator, the Savior, the Revolutionary... But unfortunately, he only appeared once in the West and then disappeared without a trace.

Jin is hiding well at the moment...

"Considering you lack that mechanical arm, how do you intend to prove you went there?" Some other council members began asking their questions.

The one who asked the last question was Milena StarHold, an Enchantress of Mysteries of rank S+, the second most powerful in the family after Alexander.

Milena was biased towards Darian just as Alios was biased towards me. Her reason was that she believed Darian deserved the throne more than I did, while Alios thought the opposite.

Darian StarHold: the most talented of his generation, smart, mentally strong, with an unbreakable will, lucky, and persuasive. All these reasons made her choose Darian over me, making it possible to sway her to neutrality or even to my side, unlike the others.

I glanced at Killian and signaled to him with my eyes. I didn't bring him with me just because he was a good assistant, but for an additional reason.

Killian removed his brown leather glove and placed it on the table, then pulled back the sleeve of his shirt and raised his arm.

In front of everyone, he displayed his mechanical arm for the first time, changing everyone's expressions. I smiled as I looked at Loana. She managed to maintain her expression, but her eyes were in turmoil as she examined Killian's arm.

"Of course..." I continued without giving her a chance to object. "I brought another piece of evidence." I took out a golden fruit the size of a grape from my inventory.

This was the only sacred fruit I had left, and I kept it with me intentionally for this situation.

"This explains a lot," Milena said and then continued to ask questions.

"I see you've changed a lot, and your rise in ranks couldn't have happened in a normal way. Explain it to me." She rested her head on her hand and looked at me with some interest.

I frowned slightly internally. To ask me such a thing in front of more than a hundred people... she was still biased towards Darian...

Alios glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and so did Lionel. Milena sighed when she noticed their hostile looks and frowned slightly, then moved one of her fingers in a circular motion in the air.

A large gray circle surrounded me and the council members while everyone else remained outside, but for some reason, Loana was still within its bounds.

My heart was somewhat reassured when I noticed the barrier, even though Loana was still present, it was still better than everyone hearing my story. Even if she would spread the story later, this still relieved me more.

"This barrier stops all sounds from entering or exiting. It also blocks the view of those outside. You can speak freely," Milena said.

"I know." Then I continued, "The reason for my rapid rise in ranks is..." Before I finished speaking, I threw the sacred fruit into my mouth in front of all the council members.

Everyone's expressions changed, including Loana's. I understand the reason, honestly. They think I deliberately subjected myself to the fruit's addiction, something no sane person would ever do.

Before that image settled in their minds, I explained immediately. "I am immune to all kinds of addictions and poisons." My words were partially true but not entirely.

Because of the Seal of Sloth on my forehead, any kind of mental influence is useless unless my enemy is much higher ranked than me. And as for addictions and poisons, the seal can neutralize and isolate them from my body easily.

"This all comes down to my inheritance skill."