With the body of Judas disposed of, a new dilemma presented itself.
What to do with the Duke?
I couldn't exactly go about without a butler or a maid, it was unbecoming of nobility and for as much as I didn't care about this things, I needed to keep up appearances.
Well, somehow things would work out.
I left one doppelgänger to write down the singular reflection I had thought of, gave cash to another for my plans to come and made my way to the gates of the academy.
Usually, leaving during the weekdays was prohibited, however, since my weekends didn't exist anymore, I was granted a special permit to leave on Wednesdays and as if already knowing it, nobody tried to stop me.
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"Patriarch, 5 of the mirage researches had a seizure when they tried the revisited formation the shadow provided."
Duke Morvane was livid, not only the shadow had given false informations, but within all realms of possibilities, he was already dead. Crow would have never left lose ends.
"We fell for it. Like moths to a flame, we didn't even check the formations effects and simply trusted a shadow. How low has the House of Disorder fallen?"
None of the elders dared to speak.
It was true, they had been done in by a teenager, a genius of magic, but a teenager nonetheless.
Then a beep sounded in the room, and a mirror, yes the same mirror that teenager had enchanted, reflected the image of the youth making his way upstairs, without announcing himself, nor a care in the world.
Their wait wasn't long. The door opened without a knock and Crow stood there with a worried expression that didn't match his situation.
"Oh, I guess I'm late. Well, I'll take my leave then."
Those were his words and nothing was making sense anymore.
"What do you mean you're late?"
"Well, Duke Morvane-"
"Call me dad."
Crow was stunned, his brows raised, but he was quick to compose himself.
"Really? After everything that happened duke Morvane? I saved not one, not two, but three heirs of the main houses, including your son and I was punished for it. On which grounds should I still call you Dad?"
I didn't respond and just glared at him, this was non negotiable. Even the slightest conditioning could bear fruits in the long run.
"So be it, dad. I just wanted to inform you that the shadow you assigned to me, that foolish being, tried to use a mental control spell on me. Of course I have already enchanted a number of things and achieved a certain level of immunity. You're welcome for this free information by the way."
"Continue."
The sheer fact that he was already able to create charms to attain mental immunity was more than any of us could believe.
"Well, as you might have noticed with my love for mirrors, I created a charm that reflects a certain kind of spells back to their caster. That's when that idiot started blubbering about me loving you, which is ridiculous, you showering me with gifts and benefits, which is also ridiculous and then he started talking about the formation of [Foxfire]."
I decided to gloss over the disrespect for the moment, I was also actively searching for lies with magic, but everything he said was true.
He fucking created a charm to reflect magic? As a Walker?
"Well, the problem with the formation he probably reported in his madness were multiple, but mostly… it was a refraction formation that dispelled certain aspects of the spell and corrupted others, also [burn] and [freeze] could work together, but not in that way. That formation would only cause…"
"Seizures on the caster."
I concluded.
He knew everything, he was happy of how things had gone and yet, he had the courage to show up in my house and paint himself as the victim.
"Tell me dear son? Why shouldn't I just kill you here and now?"
He looked a little shocked by my statement, but quickly that shock morphed in amusement.
"Well, go ahead."
That was all he had to say. And it made me furious that he was right.
That fucking prophecy spelled only doom.
What Sun had divulged was only the last part of the full thing, but if he believed I couldn't even gather such important information, he was dead wrong. And of course others probably knew too.
While I was deeply in thought, Crow started giggling.
Like a mad man, in front of his possible death, he was laughing.
"I see how it is now, thanks Duke."
"I said call me dad."
"No."
What?
Nobody had ever disobeyed me in this house and this… this bastard dared?!
My mana flared rampant, overtaking every inch of the room we stood in.
Even the elders were having difficulties resisting it.
But Crow, Crow waved his hand and disappeared in a stream of mana.
That alone was enough to quell my fury and substitute it with shock.
"Was that a doppelgänger from the spell the shadow previously reported?"
Even the elders had mouths gaping with disbelief.
We didn't get anything from my adopted son. Nothing at all, he just came here, made fun of us and disappeared.
Just when rage was about to possess me again, the door opened once more and there he stood. Unperturbed, uncaring and defiantly happy.
"See? Why should I call you dad when that is your reaction, your grace? Also, you honestly think I don't know about mental conditioning? Please, don't put me on such a low level."
I needed to calm down. Talking with this boy while being victim of your emotions was a death sentence.
I circulated my mana with urgency through my brain and activate [Serenity] and [Iron Heart] at full throttle.
"So, son, why did you show up here? Just to laugh at our faces?"
"What's there to laugh about? Innocent people got hurt, I just hope they didn't die a meaningless death."
Truth, again. What is his game?
"Then what do you want?"
He exhaled, like he was talking to a kid about things that should be obvious.
"I just wanted to know if I could go on without a butler or a maid, I honestly don't care, my doppelgängers can easily be of much better help and even if I didn't develop that spell, I'm used to fend for myself."
Truth… that was his issue? Not the fact that he killed a man?
"Crow, my son, you just killed a man and that is your question? If you could stay without a butler?"
"I never said I killed him."
"Yes, yet you smell of blood, it's fairly feint, clearly you did a good job at cleaning it, but you can't fool someone at my level."
Tch.
He actually clicked his tongue.
"So what? This blood you smell could be your own delusion of making me responsible, it wouldn't be the first time you punish me unfairly."
"Fine, let's forget this issue."
"Ha! The guilty preaching virtue."
I had never been happier to have trained [Serenity] and [iron heart] so much before.
But this, all this was on me.
And I couldn't understand why. Crow was clearly smart, he knew the games of nobility, he even correctly explained the purpose of his own punishment, why couldn't he just play along and ask for compensation later in private?
"Duke Morvane, should I just leave? This is getting boring and I have business to attend to."
"Why?"
"Why I want to leave? I just told you, I have things to do, even with all my doppelgängers, if one of us is doing nothing it's just wasted time."
"No, why despite understanding the noble game don't you just play along? You could reek enormous benefits."
"That is your problem?"
"Yes, I can't understand. You are smart, you know what you're doing yet you choose to keep being hurt instead of forgetting it or using it for more opportunities."
"Duke Morvane, I thought you more than anyone else knew me the best, it seems I was mistaken."
"How so?"
"Your grace, no, Dionen. What was the ultimate aim of all my actions before you punished me unfairly?"
"To have fun?"
"Yes, I just wanted to have fun, but you ruined it for me. It's been so long since I pranked someone, I dream about it. Cakes flying on faces, peels of fruit on the floor to make people slip… you ruined it all."
I didn't answer, his pranks had never been dangerous, sure, they weren't on such level of banality, but they were fun.
"You ruined the only thing that had made my happy genuinely, without strings attached. I was even able to do good deeds and still playing pranks. Now all I can think of is how to destroy this palace and curse your entire bloodline."
No, there must be something I can do. I need to bring him back to us.
"What can I do? Crow, what can I do for you to change your mind?"