Noah couldn't be bothered to deal with Thaddeus. He had a lot to do, even without considering his usual training.
Analyzing a battle with the Divine Deduction technique had always managed to give him some insights on how to improve his combat style, and he couldn't wait to return to his cave to study them. However, Thaddeus seemed set on making that matter public even if Noah was ignoring him.
"The Hive has attacked the territory of my family!" Thaddeus shouted. "I have reason to believe that you are behind the assaults in the Utra nation."
More Royals joined Thaddeus in his accusations. They even began to list a series of criminals that had joined the Hive and the behavior of that organization when it had yet to occupy the new continent rightfully.
It seemed that Thaddeus aimed to discredit the Hive in front of the Council and possibly obtain a more significant share of the rewards of the war. After all, the wealth hidden in the Empire could lead any organization to the apex of those Mortal Lands.
"I was alone when I attacked my family," Noah eventually said when he saw that those accusations were beginning to affect the Elders of the Council.
He didn't care if the Royals tarnished his name, but he didn't want to lose the possible reward of that war. The Empire had even revealed that it owned spells of the darkness element, so he wanted to be in the first line when the plunder began.
The Black Hole spell still hovered above him and kept on absorbing primary energy. Noah had decided to wait a bit before shutting it down since the situation had become quite troublesome.
"I've taken care of some personal matters that concerned my family," Noah continued. "I believe that my actions are in line with your laws. After all, the Elbas family has no power when it comes to the internal struggles of the noble families."
Thaddeus snorted at those words and continued to press on with his accusations. "How could you appear in the Utra nation without anyone noticing? Also, you've just admitted that you attacked your family. That makes you the first suspect of the other raids too!"
"I've used a secret passage known only to the Balvan family," Noah replied. "My grandfather never felt the need to close it since your family had done a great job in convincing him of my death. It's a pity that you only ever saw a weapon for your secret army in me. I might have joined you if that wasn't the case."
Some laughs resounded among the Elders of the Hive, and even the heroic cultivators of the Council couldn't help but shake their heads. Noah knew some secrets about the Royals, and nothing was preventing him from revealing them.
Just the matter concerning the creation of a secret army with various criminals would be enough to kindle the rebellious spirit of the noble families that had joined the Royals after the dimensional portal ruined the Utra nation. That wouldn't be enough to create a rebellion due to the oaths in place, but it could cause some issues in the centuries to come.
The truth was that every powerful organization had secrets. That wasn't an issue during regular times when they operated in their domains. Yet, it could lead to problems now that they were in the middle of a war.
Also, the relationship between the Council and the Royals had worsened since the assassinations in the new continent. The Hive was even the weakest force among them, so the Council would benefit more by siding with it and force the Elbas family to lower its share of the gains.
"What secret passage!" Thaddeus couldn't contain his voice when he heard Noah's lies. "And, even if it existed, you were a whoreson! Your family would have never revealed its location to you."
Noah's eyes became cold at those words, and he controlled the Black Hole spell to move next to him. Thaddeus suddenly noticed that the black sphere had grown since he last focused on it. Its power was nearing the peak of the gaseous stage in its current form.
"Are you saying that I wasn't worthy of knowing that secret?" Noah said as growls began to fuse with his human voice. "How can you decide who is worthy of knowledge and power? You have barely made any progress in the time that it took me to reach this level."
Cecil was among the rank 5 cultivator deployed by the Royals, and he observed the situation with a far calmer mind compared to his son.
He could understand what Noah was doing. Discrediting Thaddeus in front of all those experts would make his words worthless and any accusation vain. Also, his explanations made sense and were backed by his incredible achievements.
It was easier to believe that the Balvan family had accepted Noah at some point in his youth and revealed the existence of the secret passage. Whether that passage was real didn't matter since Noah could just claim that he had destroyed it after the attack.
After all, those words came from the monster that had reached the fifth rank in eighty years of life. Due to his achievements, everyone would believe that Noah had been able to sneak inside the Utra nation, destroy a noble family, and escape without anyone noticing him.
It would be different if the cultivators charged with those accusations were just ordinary geniuses. A pact with the organization behind them would be enough to settle the matter, especially since it involved cultivators in the fifth rank.
However, the cultivator in question was Noah Balvan, and, according to his version of the story, he didn't even break any law since the Royals couldn't affect the internal matters of the noble families.
Cecil closed his eyes for a moment, only to reopen them and place a hand over his son's shoulder. Thaddeus struggled to calm down, but his father whispered something in his hear, and he eventually gave up on the matter.
Since Noah escaped from the Utra nation, taking care of him had always been one of Thaddeus' goals, but that mostly was because he was aware of the Royal Inheritance. Now that the Elbas family had claimed it, Noah's secrets had lost a lot of value.
Also, those secrets had always been relevant only inside the Utra nation. He didn't have anything on the Royals that could endanger their safety. He could only spread bad rumors, which wouldn't force the Council to side with one of its allies.
"Indeed, you are an exceptional cultivator, Patriarch of the Balvan family," Thaddeus said as he performed a bow. "You have acted according to our laws."
When he turned to leave, Cecil whispered something to him again. "With the pool of enlightenment and the wealth gained in this war, the Elbas family will be unmatched. Patience, my son, don't let the drawbacks of the pool affect your judgment."