Chapter 364: Get Out
"The younger generation of the Merlin Family is really getting more and more..." Joseph muttered without even looking up. But as he spoke, the door was pushed open again, and a young, familiar face appeared before Joseph's eyes...
And then...
The whole room suddenly fell silent.
Joseph looked as if he'd been struck dumb, his mouth hanging wide open, his eyes full of shock and terror. Maybe it was because he was so frightened—at this moment, Joseph looked just like a duck with its neck squeezed, desperately opening his mouth, yet only managing to produce meaningless sounds from his throat...
"Go on, Joseph, getting more and more what?" Ross Merlin entered the room with an ugly expression, staring at Joseph. Though he was smiling, there wasn't the slightest hint of warmth in his eyes.
"Getting more and more..." Joseph swallowed hard, looking at Ross Merlin with fear. He managed to say "getting more and more," but couldn't finish the sentence...
"Say it!"
"Getting more and more..." Joseph was so scared he was about to cry. What else could he say? The person standing before him was Ross Merlin, one of the three prodigies of the Merlin Family's younger generation and a strong contender for the future patriarch. Back at the Red Fortress, he'd fought thousands of raging orcs single-handedly, killed more people than Joseph had ever met—no matter how much courage he could muster, he'd never dare offend someone like Ross...
Seeing Ross Merlin's grim expression, Joseph wished he could slap himself—why did he have to run his mouth about the younger generation of the Merlin Family? Now look, one of the most outstanding prodigies, Ross Merlin, was here. What was he supposed to do? Was he really supposed to repeat what he'd just said?
Don't kid yourself...
Joseph was only fifty this year—he had no intention of dying anytime soon...
"Ross... Young Master Ross, of course I wasn't talking about you! I was just... I was just referring to Matthew Merlin—yes, that's it, Matthew Merlin!" Under the pressure from Ross Merlin, Joseph had a sudden inspiration: "That Matthew Merlin is far too unruly, he doesn't respect the Elder Council at all—yes, that's it, Young Master Ross, when I said 'the younger generation of the Merlin Family,' I meant people like Matthew Merlin, not you, absolutely not. Please don't misunderstand..."
As Joseph spoke, he carefully watched Ross Merlin's expression. In Joseph's mind, his words were perfectly crafted—shifting the blame and flattering Ross Merlin at the same time. As for whether this would leave a bad impression of Matthew Merlin in Ross's mind, Joseph couldn't care less...
He could barely protect himself right now, let alone worry about some newcomer who'd just joined the Merlin Family...
Besides...
If it weren't for Matthew Merlin, how would he have ended up offending Ross Merlin? Shifting the blame onto him was practically doing him a favor...
"Young Master Ross, you really can't blame me. Just look at Matthew Merlin and his lot—they're all like this. All day long, they only ask what the family can give them, never what they can do for the family. Ah, people really can't be compared. When you were in your twenties, Young Master Ross, you were already winning the Red Fortress for the family on the Raging Flame Plane. But look at Matthew Merlin and his crowd—it's like night and day..." Joseph was getting more and more worked up, spitting complaints and shaking his head in feigned distress...
Maybe he was shaking his head too hard...
So much so that Joseph didn't notice, as he got more and more animated, Ross Merlin's expression was growing darker and darker...
"If you ask me, parasites like Matthew Merlin should just be kicked out of the family..."
"That's enough!"
"Huh?" Joseph had been getting more and more enthusiastic, ready to really lay into that reckless Matthew Merlin, when Ross Merlin's angry shout cut him off. Joseph was left standing there, completely at a loss, looking at Ross with a mix of anxiety and confusion...
At that moment, Joseph was so scared he looked almost stunned...
What happened? What happened...?
What did I say wrong...?
He was clearly only talking about Matthew Merlin, so why was Young Master Ross so upset? Where had he gone wrong with Ross Merlin...?
"Do you even know what you're saying?" Ross Merlin's finger was almost poking Joseph in the nose...
In the Merlin Family, Joseph had always been a nobody—no talent, no backing. He muddled through for years before finally landing a position with the Elder Council, handling tea, errands, and odd jobs. Then, suddenly, the fat man started acting important, using his role in the Elder Council to throw his weight around, always invoking the Council to intimidate others...
Of course, no matter how much Joseph tried to act tough, he'd never dare do it to Ross Merlin's face. So usually, Ross turned a blind eye to Joseph's antics.
But this time, Ross Merlin really hadn't expected...
...that the fat fool could be so blind.
Unbelievable—he'd actually tried to throw his weight around with Marfa the Cousin.
Just thinking about the possible consequences made Ross Merlin break out in a cold sweat. If Marfa the Cousin weren't standing right there, Ross would've loved to grab the fat man's neck and ask, 'What the hell are you trying to do?'
Is Marfa the Cousin someone you can mess with?
If you want to get yourself killed, fine—but don't drag the Merlin Family down with you, okay?
The old geezers on the Elder Council are already furious, and who the hell are you, Joseph, to spout off like this?
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"Ross... Young Master Ross, I was just... I was just..." Seeing Ross Merlin's face growing uglier by the second, Joseph's legs went weak. Standing there, he didn't even know what to say anymore.
"Get out!" Ross Merlin took a deep breath, barely restraining the urge to kill the fat man with a fireball.
"Yes, yes, yes—I'll leave right away..."
"Wait..." At that moment, Leon suddenly spoke up and stopped Joseph.
"Huh?" Joseph froze, glancing at Leon, then at Ross Merlin, completely unsure who he should listen to.
"What do you mean, 'huh'?" Ross Merlin saw Joseph's blank look, and the veins on his forehead started throbbing again. "Marfa the Cousin told you to wait—can't you understand that?"
"Yes, yes..." Joseph wiped the cold sweat from his brow, but when he looked at Leon again, his gaze was no longer so condescending...
Joseph had managed to land a position with the Elder Council, not just by throwing his weight around—he had at least a bit of sense. The situation was clear: Ross Merlin was furious, and after telling him to 'get out,' even a slow step might earn him a fireball to the face. But Matthew Merlin could tell him to wait, and as soon as he did, Ross Merlin stopped Joseph in his tracks...
If he couldn't see what was happening by now, he really had wasted all those years.
Only now did Joseph realize what mistake he'd made...
Apparently, Matthew Merlin wasn't just some newcomer to the Merlin Family, with no talent or backing. Just look at what's happening—Matthew Merlin's supporter was most likely Ross Merlin himself...
Thinking of this, Joseph couldn't help but secretly regret not asking around first. If he'd known Matthew Merlin had Ross Merlin behind him, he wouldn't have run his mouth. Now, after just a few words, he'd managed to offend Ross Merlin—and life in the Merlin Family probably wouldn't be so easy from now on...
"Young Master Marfa, do you... do you have any instructions?" The more Joseph thought about it, the more frightened he became, and his attitude toward Leon did a complete one-eighty.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to ask—which elder gave the order for me to attend the Elder Council inquiry?" Leon smiled, sounding casual.
"It was Elder Lurgan..."
"Oh?" Leon paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered—Elder Lurgan was the unlucky guy who'd been stomped on the head by William Merlin the first time Leon entered the Merlin Family Manor, Jason Merlin's grandfather.
Apparently, he was the head of the Laurel Merlin branch, one of the three major branches of the Merlin Family.
He held a lot of sway in the Elder Council—his influence was second only to Patriarch Hoffland.
"Alright, I understand..." Leon nodded and stopped looking at Joseph, quickly falling into deep thought.
"Why are you still standing there? Get out!" As soon as Ross Merlin saw Leon like that, he realized Marfa the Cousin was deep in thought and quickly kicked Joseph, driving the annoying fat man out...
"Let's go, Cousin Ross. Let's see what the Elder Council wants, and just how badly Elder Lurgan wants the Gilded Rose..."
"Alright."
The two of them left together, Leon in front and Ross Merlin behind...
After about ten minutes on foot, they arrived at the Merlin Family Council Hall—the most sacred place in the Merlin Family, only used for Elder Council meetings. Even on ordinary days, security was tight, but when the Elder Council convened, hundreds of guards surrounded the hall so tightly that not even a fly could get in...
"Are you blind? This is the Merlin Family Council Hall, where the Elder Council meets! Get lost!" As soon as Leon reached the entrance, several guards stopped him.