Fredrinn Firecrown: The Weakest Villain

"Please stand up, Sir Alfred." Fredrinn helped the old man. He wasn't used to his sudden change in attitude.

"Thank you for giving me another chance at life, my lord. This old man will forever be in your debt."

"There's no need to thank me, Sir Alfred. To be honest, I also had selfish reasons for saving you." Fredrinn felt a little guilty when he saw the old man's emotional expression.

"Whatever the reason is, I'm still grateful, my lord."

Fredrinn didn't expect to see this side of Alfred. He also had a vulnerable side, just like everybody else.

He ended up listening to the old man's story.

It turned out that he shared a deep friendship with Fredrinn's great-grandfather. The two were comrades in arms and treated each other like brothers. When Fredrinn's grandfather died due to an untreated injury, Alfred was devastated. He stayed in the Firecrown Household's estate to fulfill a promise he made to his late comrade.

"Your great-grandfather was a powerful expert at the 3rd Phase of the Void Tempering realm. He mastered the six movements of the ultimate technique of the Firecrown Household, the Seven Scorching Sword Style. His greatest regret was that he failed to comprehend the final movement of the technique."

"You know about the Seven Scorching Sword Style?" Fredrinn was stunned.

"Of course! I was also the one who concealed it here using an ancient array formation. Supposedly, only those with high fire affinity and overwhelming luck should have discovered the technique. At first, I thought that it was only a coincidence that you found it, but when you revealed your power, I realized that it was destiny…" Alfred muttered with a smile.

"So you knew all along, but why did you hide the Seven Scorching Sword Style?"

Alfred's face suddenly turned serious. "It was to protect the Firecrown Household from the people responsible for your great grandfather's death."

Hearing this, Fredrinn frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The reason why your great-grandfather died was because he was afflicted with a type of curse that slowly ate away his life. It was an incurable curse that no alchemists in the kingdom could heal. Even the doctors and medical practitioners of the surrounding kingdoms were helpless.

As for the person who planted the curse, it was the ancestor of the Evergreen Supreme Household!" Alfred's voice was filled with hatred when he mentioned the Evergreen Household.

Fredrinn turned silent. The Evergreen Household was famous for their righteousness and meritorious service to the kingdom so he found it hard to believe that they were the main reason for his great grandfather's death.

"I know what you're thinking, my lord. The Evergreen Household is known for its utilitarianism, but don't be fooled by those sanctimonious bastards. Behind their kindness hides the vilest and most dangerous people in the kingdom! What you see on the surface is what they want people to see. Their true nature is even more cruel than you think!"

"The Firecrow Household only survived until now because we fooled the Evergreen Household into believing that the Seven Scorching Sword Style is long gone."

After a few minutes of silence, Fredrinn spoke. "What's so special about the Seven Scorching Sword Style? Isn't it just a transcendent-rank sword technique?"

"That's right. However, the Seven Scorching Sword Style is only a part of a truly powerful technique! When I investigated this together with your great grandfather, we found out that the Evergreen Household possessed the other half that would create this ultimate technique… Once the two techniques are pieced together, they will form an apex-rank sword technique!"

This time, Fredrinn could no longer remain calm. As a former player, he knew how powerful apex-rank techniques were. Once you comprehend a battle technique at that level, you can surmount levels and even kill someone who is one major realm stronger than you!

"Have you told anyone about this?" Fredrinn asked.

Alfred shook his head. "Even your father and grandfather are not aware of this. They are still too weak to know the truth."

Fredrinn nodded. The Firecrown Household might look glorious in Red Sun City, but to the entire Star Wind Kingdom, it was just another big household. It wasn't even at the level of supreme households. "Keep this a secret for now, Sir Alfred. When the time is right, I will tell them the truth."

"I understand, my lord."

"For now, please stay here in the library and continue with your job as the librarian. I will find you a replacement after I inform my father about your recovery."

"Yes, my lord."

Fredrinn chatted some more with Alfred. He spent the entire morning learning more about his great-grandfather and also the history of when the Firecrown Household was still a supreme household.

He only left the library when it was past lunchtime.

The information he learned added more burden to his mind.

'Should I postpone my plans on visiting the king?' If they suddenly asked for a dukedom promotion, the Evergreen Household might feel that something was amiss.

'No! I just need to hide the fact that I have learned the Seven Scorching Sword Style. I should also tell my father not to use it in public.' Fredrinn was determined to continue his plans. Although it was risky, he had to push through since the Evergreen Household wasn't their only enemy.

***

Soon, the agreed time to depart to the capital finally came. It was a long journey and they had to pass through a few dangerous areas so they gathered a portion of their elites to join the entourage.

Fredrinn kissed Avariel's head and said. "Mother, please take care of my daughter while I'm gone."

"Don't worry about her. You two must be careful." Margaret smiled gently. Knowing that a Void Tempering powerhouse was part of their entourage, she wasn't worried about their safety.

Fredrinn told her about Argus to keep her from worrying.

"My lord, please come back safely." Olivia and the others were reluctant to part with him even though it was only temporary.

Fredrinn smiled. "I won't be gone for long. You guys must train hard while I'm away. If I see no progress by the time I return, I will punish you." He joked.

After exchanging words of farewell, they soon left the estate.