Feed, the prince of the winged race, quietly watched the other S-class hero standing across from him.
The young man reminded him of the night sky. Eyes like violet flames flickered beneath hair so dark that not a single glimmer of light could be seen in it. Feed felt as if those flames could transform into a demon and attack him at any moment.
That could not be the case, though. Feed quickly dispelled the illusion. After all, there was no man more strict about distinguishing between public and private matters than the Iron-Blooded Lord.
However, even excluding that point, the current situation was not good. If nothing else, it was clear that the Iron-Blooded Lord was feeling a bit of discomfort.
The fact that he showed up here in the first place... Feed thought. The situation was beyond his predictions, and those of the three A-class heroes standing here. That meant things could be more dangerous than expected.
As the eyes of the two S-class heroes met, Zach was the one who stepped forward and said, "Long time no see, Iron-Blooded Lord."
The Iron-Blooded Lord's gaze shifted to Zach as he asked, "Who are you?"
Zach's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he immediately let out a soft sigh and introduced himself. "I am Zach from Frostel. First, I think we need to clear up some misunderstandings."
"Yes, Zach from Frostel? What misunderstandings do you think I have?"
"This scene might look unfair. But I am willing to make a vow. We haven't violated any of the organization's laws. We are righteous in this matter."
"Righteous? One of my own bloodline ended up in such a state."
The word "bloodline" caused the atmosphere to become tense. The Iron-Blooded Lord's actions were driven by an intense sense of bloodline loyalty; all those who knew him were aware of that.
Feed was no different. He had expected the other party to refer to his son as Luan or the Golden Fairy, based on his personality. He had not expected the Iron-Blooded Lord to openly declare that the boy was a blood relation.
This might be more serious than I thought, Feed mused, organizing his thoughts.
The one who was the most shocked was actually Luan, who stared at his father with narrowed eyes. He seemed to be trying to discern the significance of the situation.
Of course, all eyes were on the Iron-Blooded Lord, and so no one noticed Luan's behavior. Instead, there was a growing sense of confusion.
From the very first moment he appeared, the Iron-Blooded Lord's expressionless face had shown displeasure. At first, the heroes had dismissed it as a misunderstanding, but that was not the case. Anxiety started rising inside them. Could it be that they had touched the sore spot of someone they should never have provoked?
Zach spoke quickly. "The sparring match was a Heroic Battle. It's natural to get hurt in the process. You know as well as I do that he wouldn't have lost his life. Besides, I heard that the Badnikers' sparring matches are far bloodier than this—"
Baaang!
Zach was blown away. His body flew as if it had been hit by some kind of massive battering ram and smashed through several buildings.
"Zach!"
"What is this?!"
The Iron-Blooded Lord was motionless, but it was clear who had attacked.
The strongest hero of the Hero Society had more abilities in his small body than anyone else. He was proficient in weapons such as swords, spears, axes, daggers, and chains; he could use bows, crossbows, and firearms; and he could even wield all kinds of magic.
On top of that, he had dozens of blessings that could each be considered a core power of any other hero. No one present could tell what method he had used to send an A-class hero flying with one blow.
"What are you doing, attacking a fellow hero?" Tatula glared at the Iron-Blooded Lord and shouted in protest. But the moment the latter's cold gaze fell on him, he trembled as if he had touched ice.
"I am familiar with the petty political battles within the organization. No matter what pathetic territorial disputes you have, it is none of my business. However, you have to pay the price if you meddle in someone else's family affairs," the Iron-Blooded Lord answered coldly.
"This is the Hero Society! We didn't put pressure on the Badniker boy. We just challenged the B-class hero, the Golden Fairy, following the proper procedure!"
"You trampled on him and left him in that state, even though the Golden Fairy is the future head of the Badniker family?"
Tatula was about to argue, but fell silent when he heard those words.
"The future family head?'
"Luan Badniker is the future family head?"
"Wasn't it Heero Badniker?"
There was a commotion in the surroundings.
Meanwhile, the Iron-Blooded Lord kept speaking in his icy tone. "Tatula McGard, you must understand what it means to be the rightful heir to a noble family. If the heir of a Great Family ends up like this, the status of hero is a secondary concern. You have left such wounds on the body of the next family head. What if there are lasting aftereffects?"
"But that's a different matter! We were only exercising our rights as heroes! We didn't know he was the heir. Isn't that a completely different matter?!" Tatula protested.
"Is that so?" The Iron-Blooded Lord nodded before saying, "Now that you mention it, that could be the case."
Silence fell. No one believed that the Iron-Blooded Lord was convinced. Tatula gulped nervously, his face pale.
"Your son's name is Fabian McGard, and he is the heir to the McGard family, yes?" the Iron-Blooded Lord asked.
"Huh?"
"He is nineteen years old. He is currently studying magic at the Owl Tower. Before that, he earned his apprentice hero status in the Hero Society. He has no grounds to refuse a Heroic Battle."
Tatula's face turned red. "What are you saying?"
"Don't you understand? I will leave your son in a worse state than this, then throw him in front of you. Then, I will return the exact same words you said to me." The Iron-Blooded Lord then whispered in a low voice, "Isn't that a completely different matter?"
"A-Ack!" Tatula's face turned bright red from anger, and he immediately rushed at the Iron-Blooded Lord.
However, he suffered the same fate as Zach.
Bang!
To be precise, it was not exactly the same. This time, instead of flying into the distance, he was crushed as if an invisible rock had fallen on him.
Tatula let out a cough. The fractured bones all across his body betrayed his condition. Even then, he did not faint and just glared at the Iron-Blooded Lord.
The Iron-Blooded Lord said slowly, "A reasonable cause can always be manufactured. Don't you think I know that? Tatula. You should've chosen your words more carefully after knowing who you were dealing with. I could wipe out the McGard family tomorrow if I wanted. I could also silence any complaints that occurred as a result. As I said, a reasonable cause can always be created."
"Ugh, ah..." Tatula groaned.
"Or would you prefer a slower end? In a city ruled by McGard, I will eat away at the reputation of your lowly, inferior family little by little, creating a situation where the starving slowly multiply and security is invisibly broken down. By the time you notice it, you will already be overrun by famine and pestilence. Then, the weary city dwellers will revolt and kill you with their own hands. Tatula McGard, I swear that none of this would be difficult for me."
The hostility in Tatula's eyes disappeared. As a parent, he had been roaring with rage at the threat to his child just a moment ago. Now, he lost his will to resist the instant he realized that the wildfire before him could burn everything.
He realized that this was an opponent he could not beat. No, this was someone he did not even dare to oppose.
The Iron-Blooded Lord looked down at the man whose entire body was shattered and asked, "What should I do, Tatula McGard?"
He knew the next words that would come out of this person's mouth. It was a sight he had seen dozens, hundreds, or maybe even more times than that. Countless enemies had once glared at him with anger, fear, hostility, or triumph. In the end, without exception, they had all bowed to him, faces down and hands raised.
"For... Forgive me." Tatula lost consciousness after uttering those words.
The Iron-Blooded Lord straightened his back again. Then, he calmly looked around and said, "Eggwin Garlic, Polam, Gilbert, Amelia Ast, Gusto O'Hara, Jenga, Pallod, Dale Hangston, and Feed Skystrider."
The heroes remained silent.
"You can think it is unfair or excessive. You can even think that everything I just said is a lie. What you really need to realize, however, is that all of this requires no effort from me," the Iron-Blooded Lord said simply.
A thick fog spread out from him in all directions. Those touched by the fog struggled to breathe, as if their throats were being gently squeezed.
"Is there anyone else more favored by the emperor than me? Is there anyone else more trusted by the headquarters chief of the Hero Society? Has anyone else received a holy title directly from the Pope? I have been of great help to them, but have never asked for compensation or anything in return. I don't think they would refuse one of my personal requests," the Iron-Blooded Lord continued. "The Hero Society is a meritocracy. To put it plainly, my achievements alone are much higher than all of yours combined."
No one dared to argue with him, despite the fact that an S-class hero was in the same group.
"You will regret what happened today, sooner or later. So, disappear now. Tonight will be the last peace you can enjoy," the Iron-Blooded Lord continued.
The heroes gritted their teeth. Their expressions and eyes were filled with resentment, fear and regret. Their steps faltered, but none of them dared to move.
This... Feed sighed softly. It was clear he had to step in to resolve the situation.
The Heavenly Wind Knight was about to open his mouth when Luan staggered to his feet, saying, "Stop, Family Head."
Feed was truly impressed at this moment. He had realized after exchanging several blows that the Golden Fairy's body had reached its limit and he wasn't in a state to stand up at all. This was proof that the latter had unusual physical strength and willpower.
The Iron-Blooded Lord's gaze shifted to Luan.
"Thank you for your help. Honestly, it was a dizzying situation," Luan said as he looked around. "I also agree with the opinion that these bastards did something dirty. On my very first day, any illusions I had about so-called heroes were shattered."
No one said a word as he continued, "Still, you don't have to pay back dirty actions with more dirty actions, right?"
"That is the way the Badniker family works. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," the Iron-Blooded Lord declared. "Those who planned and carried out this scheme, those who agreed with it, and those who knowingly acquiesced to it. They will all pay the price. Any heroes with children will feel the pain of losing them. Those who don't have children will know the pain of having their dantian destroyed."
The voice was calm, but everyone present flinched. They knew that the Iron-Blooded Lord never spoke empty threats.
"You're being overprotective," Luan said with a sigh. "It is true that I was persecuted, but they didn't cross the final line. There was no intent to kill me, and the sparring itself was fair. I also learned a lot from these fights."
He looked around and continued, "I'm not saying to just let it go. I'm not a pushover and I don't see any of these people in a good light. Still, this is going too far."
The Iron-Blooded Lord listened wordlessly.
"I mean... What I want to say is... Ugh..." Seemingly dizzy, Luan pressed a hand tightly to his head. Then he said in a slightly slurred voice, "Father... There is no need... to be iron-blooded with them..."
With this final plea, Luan fainted. His body fell forward and Sister Razbet hurriedly caught him.
The Iron-Blooded Lord paused slightly and stood there as if nailed in place, for some inexplicable reason.
The atmosphere suddenly changed. The dark and damp air currents that signified an approaching typhoon disappeared. Some of those who were suffocating started to gasp and breathe in air.
The Iron-Blooded Lord stood there silently before saying briefly, "Feed."
"Speak," Feed answered.
"Leave."
Feed nodded. "Thank you for your consideration."
"I will change my approach, but I have no intention of letting today's events go. I will find out the facts and report them to Taon. Recently, the political confrontations within the organization, including the Heroic Battle system, have gone too far. You all need to be prepared."
"I will keep that in mind."
The heroes cautiously left one by one, carrying or supporting their fallen comrades. Finally, the chaotic streets were filled with true silence.
In the midst of the scene, the Iron-Blooded Lord quietly made eye contact with the nun of the Seventy-Two Churches, who was holding his child.