It was night. While Ronan was fast asleep, Crowne left the house alone. He went to the eastern side of Stromhall city.
He only carried a sword at his waist.
"Do you need my help?" whispered Jörmungandr from inside the Dimensional Prison Ring.
Crowne shook his head. "No. I will face this alone."
"Are you sure? They are definitely trying to trap you."
"I know."
Jörmungandr fell silent, not saying another word. Crowne kept walking until he finally saw several soldiers standing guard in front of a restaurant.
He knew the one who sent the letter was inside. As expected, when he arrived, one of the soldiers immediately gave him a signal to enter.
"Lord Sorbet is on the second floor," said one of the soldiers.
Without speaking, Crowne went in. He was escorted inside and directly led to the upper floor. On the lower floor, several people were still eating.
They were not ordinary restaurant guests. Crowne knew that because he was a descendant of the Valden family. His father often did such things.
"This way, please!" said the servant as he opened the door of a room.
Crowne stepped inside. As he entered, he looked around. Several elite guards stood in the corners of the room.
The room was quiet and spacious. It was luxurious, decorated with rare and expensive ornaments. A place inaccessible to commoners. Only nobles and wealthy merchants could enter this VVIP chamber.
In the middle stood the grandest and most exquisite table, crafted from wood of the Moon Forest. That forest was the most dangerous in the world, filled with mana energy.
Because of that, the wood from there was of exceptional quality. It would not decay for hundreds of years. With proper care, even after a thousand years, Moon Forest wood would not rot.
The tablecloth was woven from genuine silk, the glasses made from the finest material, and the spoons and forks crafted from silver—luxuries impossible for commoners to possess.
At that luxurious table sat four people, two of whom Crowne knew very well. He felt so disgusted with them that he almost wanted to vomit just from looking.
He stopped near the table, his gaze icy cold.
"Why did you call me here?" Crowne asked in a flat tone.
"Sit down! You are my son. There is nothing wrong with inviting my own child to dinner," replied Sorbet.
He motioned for Crowne to take a seat. Without further words, Crowne sat down. He glanced around—four pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Two of them stared with condescending eyes, as if he was unworthy of the seat he now occupied. Another remained silent, his gaze devoid of emotion.
"Eat!" Sorbet urged.
"Don't waste time with pleasantries! I didn't come here to talk. We are no longer family," Crowne muttered.
The moment he said that, one of them suddenly stood up, drawing his sword. "You… how dare you, Brother!" shouted Alan.
Sorbet raised his right hand, signaling Alan to sit. Alan obeyed and sat back down, following his father's command.
"Don't say such things. No matter what, inside you flows my blood. That can never be erased," said Sorbet.
He cut a piece of meat with his knife, skewered it with a fork, and placed it into his mouth.
After swallowing, Sorbet continued, "I want to ask you one thing."
Suddenly Sorbet's expression changed. His eyes sharpened, and the knife in his hand bent slightly.
Crowne lowered his hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, ready for anything unwanted.
"Answer truthfully! Are you working with the people who burned down the Valden residence?"
A powerful aura burst out from Sorbet's body. The floor and walls of the room shook. Several dishes spilled over.
No one cared about the mess. Three pairs of eyes locked onto Crowne, waiting for his answer.
"And what if I am? And what if I am not?" Crowne replied with another question.
Sorbet smiled. "Then you will die here if you are involved."
BRAAAASSH!
A sweep of energy pushed everything in the room away. The chair Crowne sat on was shoved twenty centimeters back.
Seeing this, Crowne only smirked. He stood, brushing off his clothes stained by spilled soup.
"I don't know why this matter is so important to you. If you want to kill me, then do it! We are no longer father and son, so why hesitate?"
Crowne glared sharply at Sorbet. He drew his sword and pointed it at him.
"Come at me!" he challenged.
Alan, enraged by his brother's insolence toward their father, stood once more and unsheathed his sword.
At the same time, the elite guards in the room immediately drew their weapons as well, ready to strike at Crowne.
"Lower your weapons! This is my matter," Sorbet commanded firmly.
Crowne laughed. "Hahaha, you are truly amusing. Are you a coward now? Back when I still lived in the Valden household, you once told me you would kill me because I was useless. So why hesitate now, huh?"
Sorbet clenched his fist, yet sat back down again. His expression calmed. He let out a long sigh.
"I have a task for you."
Crowne snorted. "Do you think I will follow your orders?"
"That's up to you. But I am certain you will accept it, because it concerns your mother."
Crowne's heartbeat doubled when he heard that. The last time he saw his mother, he was three years old.
Back then, his mother was on a trip to the capital. On her way home to Whitelord, her carriage was suddenly attacked.
The carriage was destroyed, the escorts were slain, and his mother disappeared.
"Speak!"
"I found information that someone saw a woman bearing a striking resemblance to your mother in Moonlight City. I cannot go there myself because of my duties as a duke. But you, now a free adventurer, should be able to go to Moonlight City. I want you to search for clues about this information," Sorbet explained.
Crowne gripped his sword's hilt tighter. His eyes pierced sharply, filled with both doubt and fury.
"Do not dare toy with me using Mother's name! Do you think I will believe you?" he hissed coldly.
Sorbet remained calm, even smiling faintly. "I know you don't trust me, but I am certain you will go regardless."
Crowne fell silent. He wanted to deny those words, yet deep inside, the same thought echoed. He wanted to go to Moonlight City. His mother was the only person in the Valden family he cherished, a woman of beauty and kindness.
"The details!" demanded Crowne.
Sorbet smiled. "Very well."