"It's your discretion, Mr Arya. You don't need my permission to participate in the Ancient Trials." Keith said after Samrath finished speaking and asked if it would be okay for him to participate in the Trials. "Also, these are open Trials, so even if people consider you an outsider, you can still participate in them to settle your disputes."
"Thank you, Dr. Keith." Samrath sighed in relief and smiled.
"No worries." He waved his hand and then continued peeling a pomegranate with great care and precision, patiently filling up the bowl with the arils.
There was just something about it that everyone present there could not help but glance at his hands over and over again. And once the bowl was filled up, he shared the contents with all of them to eat with him.
Samrath's eyes widened a little when he tasted the fruit, surprised at how sweet and delicious it was. He had never tasted a pomegranate so delicious before.
"Where are these pomegranates from?" He curiously asked.
"Homegrown." Keith smiled and answered. "We grow them at our Estate in Sameran."
"I see." Samrath nodded his head and continued eating until there was nothing left in his bowl.
"Is she worth it?"
The sudden question made Samrath freeze, and he frowned a little before nodding his head.
"I love her."
"And does she love you just as much as you love her?"
They had a similar discussion the last time too, but now, some time had passed, and several things had happened.
Ozell had continuously refused all his efforts to ask for a meeting. They returned all the gifts he sent them. Even when he approached them as a representative of the Arya Family, they showed him no respect.
And during this ordeal, he had not once heard from Sunaina.
However, Samrath nodded his head without any hesitation.
"I know she loves me, and she loves me more than I can ever love her." He honestly said, and one of his Shadow Guards could not help but sigh at his words.
They truly wished that he had not fallen so hard in love with this girl, but it was what it was, and Samrath's mind now only revolved around her and his promise to avenge his late lover, Samantha.
However, Keith knew that both Samrath and Sunaina were powerless in this matter. They were born to be with each other.
"Dr. Keith. There is something I need your help with." The Child of Destiny looked at him with serious eyes.
"Yes?" He curiously raised his brow and smiled in his heart as he knew what was coming.
"Would it be possible for you to have the events of a certain night investigated?"
"Which date?" He frowned.
"The night Samantha was killed. November 10th."
"What are you looking for?"
"I don't know. But I have a hunch that Rovic were not the only ones responsible for her death." He revealed his thoughts.
Keith kept looking at the Child of Destiny in his eyes and finally nodded his head.
"I will have the incident investigated. But I am not going to make any promises on the results." He said and watched Samrath gratefully bow to him.
"Thank you, Dr. Keith."
"You might have to return some favours if the day ever comes, Mr. Arya. No need to feel too grateful."
The subtle reminder that nothing was ever free did not affect his gratefulness in the least, and Samrath sincerely smiled at him.
"I hope I can prove to be of some use to you someday."
After the guests took their leave, Keith picked up another pomegranate and started peeling it. There was a very light smile on his lips as he could sense the presence of the Shadow Guards and Samrath, who were slowly getting father and father away from his mansion.
A Tracing Potion that he bought from the System and mixed with his Aura was going to stay in the five Shadow Guards' systems for, at least, three weeks, and he would be able to swiftly take care of all of them when the time comes.
As for Samrath, even though he had consumed it as well, it was not going to work on him because he possessed the Fragment of the Book of Life in his body. The Divine Treasure was going to help him solve it in just a matter of several minutes. Then again, it was never meant for him, so it did not matter.
Minutes later, Keith stood up and walked inside the Mansion, heading straight to his study.
He was not surprised that Samrath had a hunch that someone else was involved in Samantha's killing. And he was sure that a part of Child of Destiny was even doubting him, but since his rationale said otherwise, he was never going to believe it.
It was only after hundreds or thousands of years into your life that you would learn to listen to your instincts over everything else. And Samrath was only a young man of twenty years. A mere mortal at that.
And of course, he was not going to give any results from the 'investigation'.
Keith sat in his chair and looked into the details of the Ozell territory. It was about time he dealt with Sunaina Ozell. She needed to die right after the Head of Ozell and his chosen batch would leave for the Ancient Trials. Only then would the blame fall on the Ozell and Samrath would make an enemy out of them.
And he had to kill the girl himself since he needed to extract the Special Physique that she possessed.
He was in the middle of thinking when an explosion sounded out, and he sighed before he stood up and walked towards the room that Minami and Kiara shared.
Despite himself, he could not help but smile when he watched the distraught expressions of the two girls. Everything inside the room had been ruined, and Kiara had spent a lot of time decorating it.
"Told you to not play with magic." He reminded them, only for Kiara to pout and Minami to lower her head.
"We were just trying to see what happens if we combine multiple Elements..."
"Seriously?"
"I couldn't resist." Kiara stuck her tongue out. "It was just a speck, did not think it would be so..."
"Your Mana is more potent." He looked at the two of them and reminded them. "You are not Ashaya. I don't want to see you doing these tests outside the training room when you are at home. Understood?"
"Yes." Minami obediently nodded to him, and Kiara too seemed to have learned her lesson.
However, he could trace some mischief in their eyes, and he could guess that their little experiment had only fuelled their curiosity some more.
"Clean the room." He ordered and then turned around to look at Kashish, who had arrived there a minute ago and had listened to their exchange.
As soon as their eyes met, she shied away, a hint of blush blossoming on her face.
"I want to talk to you." She told him, and he smiled at her.
"Yes?"
"I want to know about my Special Physique." She did not mind that Kiara and Minami were listening and got straight to the point.
"Well, you can learn about it after I help you awaken it."
He heard Kiara giggle behind his back, and Minami too stifled the giggle that was about to escape her tummy.
"I want to know now... before..." Kashish became flustered at his words and blushed furiously.
Her shyness was not so much because of his words but because of the playful wink and grin that Kiara sent her way.
"Come on, Brother. Tell her." Kiara finally took some mercy on her dear friend and decided to help her out.
"You are just as curious, which is why you are helping her." Keith saw through her intentions, making her pout again.
"Kashish doesn't mind us knowing about it."
"How do you know that when you don't even know what Physique she has?" He smiled in his heart. "What if it is some really weird Physique that she would be embarrassed about?"
This time, all three of them, Keith, Kiara, and Minami, could not help but laugh as they caught Kashish fidgeting and worriedly looking at him.
It was so unlike her usual calm and collected demeanour that they absolutely enjoyed her show of anxiety.
"Does she have one similar to the Mushroom Physique we read about in a story?" Kiara decided to tease her friend even more, reminding her about a story where a man possessed a Physique that resulted in him growing mushrooms on his skin.
Kashish seemed ready to bolt away as soon as he answers, but to her relief, he shook his head.
"No. Her grows roses on her body."
And the absolute look of horror that dawned on her face had Kiara guffawing at her her reaction.
When Keith saw tears brimming in Kashish's eyes, he was tempted to tease her some more and make her cry, after all, she looked absolutely beautiful with those teary eyes. But he decided against it and planned on making her cry some other day in some privacy.
"I was messing with you." He said and watched some colour return to her face. "Well, do you know the Types or Special Physiques?"
"Inate, Profound, Superior, Mystic, Heavenly, Immortal, and Divine." She answered.
"Those are the general classes, yes." He nodded. "Yours falls into the Immortal Rank." He revealed, surprising her and piquing Kiara and Minami's interest. "It has several names, one of which is The Blood Miracle."
