( Turin, The capital of the Saint Maximus Clan )
To say that Sam Saint Maximus was irritated by the young Marcus Aurelius's visit would be an understatement.
The Saint Maximus Clan was a clan of primarily sweepers and service workers, yet they were ranked 7th amongst all clans and were considered a powerhouse.
This was because Sam Saint Maximus was a tier 6 god and his bloodline ability allowed him to gather information from all corners of the universe, making him the most complicated opponent having an unparalleled ability to gather information.
Unlike the Kingsman clan, the Saint Maximus were not afraid of Marcus Aurelius or his influence, as while the young prince had some privileges for being the first born son of Regus Aurelius, he was not the only son, nor declared the crown prince.
As his current standing stood, he did not have the qualifications to push orders around on the Saint Maximus clan, however, he could still request an audience with the patriarch Sam Saint Maximus himself and Sam was obliged to entertain.
" Greetings God Sam Saint Maximus, please accept my humble gifts " Marcus said as he bowed every so slightly and signalled his servants to bring in a few expensive gifts.
The gifts while being only moderately expensive were well thought out.
Sam was known to enjoy drinking tea and playing chess, hence Marcus had brought him Darjeeling Tea leaves and a chess set made from Rhinestone, showing his deep research before coming to this meeting.
Sam examined the gifts and grunted, in his experience the better the gifts the bigger was the favour the other party wanted to ask, which meant that the brat was up to no good.
" What do you want, kid? " Sam asked, cutting straight to the chase.
Marcus frowned, he did not like the tone off the old man as he silently vowed to make the lives of the Saint Maximus clan miserable when he was named king of vampires in the future for this transgression.
However, controlling his temper he pulled out a crystal ball from his inventory and showed an image of Severus swinging his steel broom from before Sigfrieds death as he said " This is Severus Saint Maximus, a rebel who took part in the coup to dethrone Will Kingsman, a wanted fugitive that I'm looking to bring to justice.
With your extensive information network, I'm sure you can help me track the man.
He has recently killed one of my closest friends, and I'm looking to bring him and his crew to justice".
Sam did not spare a glance at the crystal ball as he said " I don't know where he is but if I hear anything I'll let you know.
If that's all then you can leave ".
Marcus was now visibly disturbed as he could not hide the frown on his face at all, as he clutched his fists and said " LOOK, old man, I'm trying my best to hold my temper.
I'm giving you respect, please try be civil with me "
Marcus really tried to reign in his anger but it still leaked through his voice a bit.
Sam chuckled to this provocation and let a little bit of his aura leak as his pressure made Marcus instantly fall flat on his knees and kneel as he began sweating profusely.
" I'm a 'god', boy, and you are not the only son of Regus Aurelius.
As things stand, I'm more valuable to the throne than you are. So don't mess with me, as not only can I get away with killing you, I can kill you while I'm asleep.
So it's not that you are giving me respect, it's more like my stature demands you to respect me.
It's not an option, it's a compulsion ". Sam said as he increased the pressure just a bit more and made Marcus lie belly flat on the floor.
By the time Sam relieved the pressure, Marcus had lost about 200 ml of water from his body as he was drenched in water from head to toe.
" Yo- you how da-? " ? Marcus wanted to say how dare you? However, reminded of his position he was forced to swallow back his words as he drank an stamina potion to recover some of the stamina that he had just lost.
Once he regained his wits, Marcus internally cursed Sam with all his heart and decided to destroy the Saint Maximus clan completely when he got the chance.
But for now he said " I did some background check on Severus.
The last mission he was deployed to was to look over a guy called ' Ravan ' and ' Asiva Nightblade Paratus ' who he is the god-father to at the University For Nourishment Of Young Talents.
While we have data on Asiva, the Ravan character is mysterious and his data shows that he always has a mask on to protect his real Identity.
In Severus's attack on my friend, there was a masked man who was also involved and we suspect it could be this ' Ravan ' guy.
Anything you can tell us about him? ".
Sam studied Marcus's expression for a moment as he contemplated if this was a genuine question or an interrogation.
Max was a primordial vampire, an existence that was going to challenge the vampire king one day. The child of the prophecy of old, and by creating him the Saint Maximus clan was a criminal in this universe for the existing vampire order.
If Marcus knew about Max's secret it would be problematic, but from his expression it did not seem like he knew much.
" Ravan is an entity that had Shakuni Won Knight as his guardian.
A young vampire, we suspect he might be Shakuni's student " Sam replied after thinking a lot as the name Shakuni Won Knight sent goosebumps down Marcus's spine.
" Shakuni Won Knight? The madman who killed Thor? The undefeated warrior who rocked the universe to its core?
The guy who my father said was a generational fighter possibly even stronger than him? " Marcus asked in complete shock and horror.
If there was one name the upper echelons of both dark and light faction talked about at every social gathering these days, it was shakuni won knight. The enigma who defeated Thor and to kill whom Lucifer had to resort to trickery.
By revealing this small bit of information, Sam had thrown Marcus off Max's real secret, which meant that at least for now he was safe.
However, now that Marcus had his sights set on him, it was only a matter of time before the two inevitably clashed.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter 2/2 for hitting the Tree target, good job guys! ///