No More Pain For This Villain.

Chapter 339  Nostwitz

The rain was pouring heavily. In a carriage pulled by a pair of unicorns sat both of Ren's parents.

Rose looked down at the Solstice as Chris kept his gaze straight, his expression tense.

"Why so serious?" asked a very uncanny man sitting in the driver's compartment. He wasn't reigning the unicorns or anything but still was in control of where the carriage was going.

Rose didn't bother looking as her gaze was fixed on the imperial academy. Her thoughts swirled around the moments she had spent with her son a few hours ago.

Chris, on the other hand, was fuming but kept his composure. If it were someone else, he'd have snapped their head into two, but the man in front of him was not someone he could disobey.

"Mates~ still, it's been a very long time since both saw you," the man paused and shuffled in his seat to look back at the couple, "Since y'all left the academy... or I should say that you ran away."

Ghost-pale complexion, one side of his face tattooed in a very tribal way in contrast to his three-piece suit, he seemed young at first glance. Dark hair and a very angular chin, his mouth was cut on both ends and stitched together, his eyes light greyish.

"The academy was closed, Elmo," Chris murmured under his breath.

Elmo, the man himself, looked at Chris in a very passive-aggressive way. "Was it though?"

Rose turned her gaze away as the Solstice was left behind in a few minutes and stared at Elmo. "And what if we did run away? Is your master going to harm us? Us?" Rose didn't stutter a single word, speaking in a very threatening manner.

Unlike what anyone had seen, here Rose was a very different person.

"Oh dear sister! You know Father loves all his children very much the same!" Elmo's face relaxed immediately, his voice still just as irritating though. "Marilyn is also brought there. Why'd she even try to hide though... was she that scared?"

Rose remained calm, but deep down she was scared—scared of what she was about to jump into after so many years of normalcy—after so many years of happiness.

There was a momentary silence in the carriage before Elmo chimed, "Was that kid your son? The one with long hair?"

THUD!

The whole carriage leaned to one side as it began shaking in the sky when Chris moved and grabbed Elmo by his throat, clutching it with full force.

Elmo's eyes bulged a bit as he struggled to breathe. "Oh, did that hit a nerve! I didn't mean to do that; it's just... he's like a nephew, no? I wanted to—"

Rose tapped on Chris's arm to make him stop, and Chris let go of Elmo, who gasped for air.

"Do not drag my son into this mess," Rose warned firmly.

Elmo, on the other hand, composed himself. "Well, he's not like you both, fortunately, so it's not like he's of any use anyway." As he settled back into his seat.

"He's not transcendent... well, not like we are either, hehe," Elmo chuckled as he increased the speed of the carriage.

The rain outside was intense, and so were the emotions of Rose and Chris.

As the carriage sped through the rain-soaked sky, the tension inside was palpable. Chris and Rose exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. They had to stay calm, for now.

Elmo, sensing the unease, smirked. "You know, it's quite fascinating. The lengths people will go to for a semblance of normalcy. But in the end, you can't escape what you are."

Rose's gaze hardened. "We didn't run away for normalcy. We left to protect our son from this madness."

Elmo's eyes gleamed with a malicious glint. "Ah, the noble act of parents. Protecting their offspring from the harsh realities of life. But you can't shield him forever. Eventually, he'll have to face his heritage. The boy looks harmless at sight; what were you teaching him?"

Chris's fists clenched again, but he kept his composure. "Our son will make his own path. He doesn't need to be dragged into your schemes."

Elmo shrugged nonchalantly. "We'll see. The world has a way of drawing people back to their roots, no matter how far they run."

The rest of the journey continued in strained silence, the only sound being the relentless pounding of the rain against the carriage. As they approached their destination, a sprawling estate shrouded in mist, Rose took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead.

The carriage came to a halt, and Elmo stepped out first, holding the door open for Rose and Chris. "Welcome home," he said with a mocking bow. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rose and Chris stepped out into the rain, their expressions resolute. They had faced many challenges together, but this one felt different. The stakes were higher, the dangers more insidious.

As they walked towards the entrance of the estate, Rose whispered to Chris, "We need to stay strong. For Ruu."

Chris nodded, his jaw set with determination. "We will. No matter what it takes."

Inside the grand hall, on a throne that stood imposing at the center, sat a very frail-looking man. Old and malnourished by sight, he was wrapped in a shawl.

Rose felt a bit of guilt seeing him like that.

"Ah, Rose, Chris," he said, his voice smooth and commanding. "It's been a long time."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Father."

Chris gave a stiff bow. "Lord Morbis."

"Oh dear, how much I have been waiting for both of you," the old man, Zeb Morbis, said. "Welcome home." He spoke in a warm tone, but beneath it, both knew there was something far more sinister hiding.

"Welcome back to Nostwitz."

Nostwitz was a special institute for outcast mages like Rose and Chris. Mages who were nothing but pawns in a bigger battle for the kingdoms, ones rated just under a transcendent in power. Mages who were slaves to the command of the king.