Chapter 010: Midnight Gathering

Under the protection of Joshua and the Templar knights, Du Fan made his way toward the imperial capital step by step. Sitting on his horse, he held the Sacred Radiance Staff given by the crown prince, frowning slightly without saying a word.

Joshua rode beside him. Noticing his expression, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Lord Du Fan, what are you worried about?”

Du Fan gave a bitter smile and raised the Sacred Radiance Staff in his hand, saying calmly, “Though this thing is excellent and a rare divine artifact, I’m sure magicians around the world would fight over it…”

Joshua smiled gently and said, “If that’s the case, then what’s there for you to worry about?”

Du Fan remained silent. He glanced at the moon in the sky and then at the imperial capital just ahead, before sighing lightly and saying, “Lord Joshua, do you truly not know, or are you pretending not to know? The more valuable this thing is, the more troublesome it seems to me… You should know that this isn’t an ordinary wand—it’s the Sacred Radiance Staff! One of the legendary divine artifacts… Such a powerful artifact that could drive people mad, in the hands of someone like me—a mere nobody—surely it will bring even more trouble… There’s a saying in the distant Eastern Continent: ‘An innocent man bears responsibility for possessing a precious treasure.’ I wonder if Lord Joshua has heard this saying?”

Joshua pondered for a while before saying, “If that’s the case, Lord Du Fan, why didn’t you refuse it at the time?”

Du Fan gave another bitter smile but stayed silent, filled with frustration. Under those circumstances, if he had refused the crown prince’s gift, it would have meant he was already on Prince Fischer’s side. And alone, in such a situation, he could even represent an entire family…

But precisely because of this representativeness, he absolutely couldn’t act on his own. Which side to take should be decided by his father… So he accepted the crown prince’s gift. Even though he knew it would bring trouble, it was the only option. Only in this way would he have a choice in the future, after the old emperor passed away, no matter which side his family chose.

Of course, Du Fan couldn’t say any of this to Joshua—nor could he. He could only keep it to himself.

Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Joshua didn’t press him. He simply smiled and said, “If you’re worried, why not leave the Sacred Radiance Staff in the cathedral? My Holy Church may not have many other skills, but we certainly have the ability to protect a divine artifact.”

Du Fan shook his head and said, “No need. Although this is troublesome, it could also be an opportunity… I’m curious to see how many people Prince Heir wants to be aware of this matter.”
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Joshua didn’t insist and simply smiled, saying, “You’re also part of the Holy Church. If you find it troublesome one day, just bring it over. I think Lord Anthony won’t refuse to help.”
The two didn’t know what else to say. Anthony comforted them a bit more before sending Du Fan back to the ducal mansion.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the ducal mansion, Anthony took his leave. Du Fan stared at the Holy Radiance Staff in his hand for a while before slowly entering the mansion.
As soon as he stepped through the main door, Du Fan saw Old Mark standing there.
Du Fan smiled and said, “Grandpa Mark, what are you doing here?”
When Old Mark saw Du Fan enter, he wanted to smile, but his gaze fell on the Holy Radiance Staff in Du Fan’s hand, causing him to jump in surprise, as if stunned. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and said softly, “Third young master… did nothing happen to you when you went out with Prince Fischer today?”
Du Fan gave a bitter smile and said, “Well… how should I put it? I’ll tell you when I have the chance.”
Ever since seeing the Holy Radiance Staff in Du Fan’s hand, Old Mark seemed lost in thought, not even noticing Du Fan’s expression. Subconsciously, he said softly, “Third young master, the Duke is waiting for you in his study. He wants to see you… now!”
Du Fan was slightly surprised and said, “How does Father know I’m here…”
Before he could finish, Old Mark interrupted, “The Duke hasn’t slept all night, waiting for you to return.”
Du Fan was stunned but quickly nodded and said, “I understand… I’ll go right away.”
With that, he nodded slightly and headed toward the study.
It was midnight, so the ducal mansion was already quiet. The servants had gone to rest long ago. After walking a few steps inside, Du Fan couldn’t help but pat Chenchen’s head in his arms and say, “Chenchen, Father wants me to go, but I don’t know what he wants to talk about. How about you go back first?”
Chenchen poked his head out of Du Fan’s collar and said calmly, “No need… I’ve never met your father before. Let’s consider this a chance to meet, shall we? Or is there some secret you don’t want me to know, my little master?”

Du Fan patted Chenchen on the head and smiled bitterly. “What secrets do I still have that you don’t know? If you want to go, let’s go together… But my father here is extremely powerful. It’s best if you don’t let him see through you, otherwise things might get complicated later.” Chenchen just murmured “Mm” and said nothing more, pulling herself back into her clothes. Du Fan shook his head, casually stuffing the Sacred Radiance Staff into his storage ring before hurrying back toward the study. When he entered Duke Green’s study again, he saw that the room was still brightly lit. Duke Green seemed to have stayed up all night, but there was no sign of fatigue on his face, only bloodshot eyes. As Du Fan entered, he was slowly wiping a long sword with a silk cloth. With just one glance, Du Fan realized it was an extremely ordinary sword, with no trace of magical energy, though its blade was extremely sharp. Yet even such an ordinary sword seemed to exude violence and murderous intent in Duke Green’s hands. Upon seeing Du Fan enter, Duke Green nodded and gestured for him to sit, then slowly sheathed his sword and placed it on a stand beside him. After that, this battle-hardened duke glanced at his son and said calmly, “Your murderous aura is too strong tonight. If your mother calls for you later, go after taking a bath.” Du Fan was slightly stunned but still nodded in agreement. Only then did satisfaction show in Duke Green’s eyes. He walked over to a bookshelf, pushed aside a few books, and suddenly took out a bottle of amber-colored wine along with two crystal cups. After filling one cup, he handed it to Du Fan and said, “This is wine brewed by the people of our Green family’s fiefdom. Its taste isn’t great, but it carries the scent of home… I don’t know if you drink alcohol, but you might as well give it a try.” Du Fan took it, took a small sip, and found that although the wine was dry, it had a delicate fragrance that made him want to drink more. Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Duke Green seemed very pleased. He laughed heartily, sat down casually across from Du Fan, raised his cup, and said lightly, “Your mother hates it the most when I drink. So I always drink secretly in the study. Don’t go and tell her, okay…”

Du Fan was at a loss for words and nodded, saying, “That’s only natural.”
Duke Green smiled upon hearing Du Fan’s words, then drained his glass of wine in one gulp before glancing at Du Fan again and saying in a meaningful tone, “Du Fan, I heard Prince Fischer invited you to dinner last night?”
Du Fan nodded and replied, “Yes, Father.”
Duke Green smiled faintly and asked, “So, did you enjoy the meal?”
Du Fan was stunned and didn’t know how to respond.
Seemingly anticipating Du Fan’s reaction, Duke Green paused briefly before continuing, “Of course. It must not have been easy for you to have that dinner last night, right? Prince Fischer left the capital with only a few people, so the journey likely wasn’t smooth either.”
Du Fan gave a bitter smile and said, “Father is truly perceptive.”
Duke Green sighed and said, “I wish I really were that perceptive. Then I wouldn’t have let you go out of the city with Prince Fischer yesterday… I know everything about the two of you spending the night together, encountering an assassination attempt in the suburbs, and only the two of you surviving… My son, you were attacked alongside Prince Fischer yesterday. I stayed up all night, extremely worried. I even prepared to send people to rescue you… But in the end, I didn’t do anything. Do you want to know why?”
Du Fan nodded.
Duke Green seemed to give a bitter smile before saying, “If you had gone out of the city with others and been attacked, I would have mobilized the ten thousand troops I brought back to crush those who dared threaten my son into pulp… But since you went out with Prince Fischer, although I was worried, I knew nothing would happen to you… Prince Fischer is after you only to use you to win over our Green family. So even if it means suffering serious injuries himself, he will never let anything happen to you…”
Du Fan frowned and asked, “Why do you say that, Father?”