Free Web NovelChapter 353: Worst Kind Of Family Reunion
Clara blinked repeatedly in confusion. Her puzzled gaze remained fixed on Hagrid for several long seconds as she struggled to process what she had just heard. It was only after studying his face more carefully that she noticed the resemblance. The shape of his eyes, the sharpness of his jaw bore an uncanny similarity to Hazel.
She instinctively flinched before lowering her eyes toward Faceless, searching for any sign of surprise or recognition. Instead, Faceless remained completely expressionless, his calm gaze lingering on the newcomer as though dissecting every minute detail about him.
"Did you know?" Clara asked quietly.
Faceless did not answer.
His brows drew together ever so slightly. It was not Hagrid’s identity that troubled him. There were two far more pressing concerns. The first was that he could not sense the man’s presence at all. From everything Damian had experienced since obtaining his powers, failing to perceive someone’s existence had never once been a good sign.
The second problem disturbed him even more. He could no longer sense anything beyond the walls of the parish. The countless devotees praying outside had vanished from his perception. The guards, the city, even the distant thoughts of Damian himself had disappeared completely.
It was as though the entire church had been severed from the world.
They had been isolated.
"I didn’t think another assassin would come so soon despite Pride’s interference," Faceless remarked calmly, his curiosity outweighing any visible concern. "More importantly, you’re the first person to catch Damian completely off guard with something neither of us understands."
Hagrid smiled politely, his posture remaining perfectly relaxed.
"Judging from that expression, I take it my sister never spoke about me."
He sounded genuinely surprised.
"I honestly believed I would be the very first person Hazel warned the new Prince of Lust about. After all..." His smile widened slightly. "I am the one who came closest to killing the previous one."
Faceless let out an amused chuckle before crossing one leg over the other and resting his chin against his palm.
"You see, my wives have developed an unfortunate habit of leaving out very important information until it becomes painfully relevant."
Hagrid laughed softly, even covering his lips with one hand as though he had just heard an elegant joke. If not for the crimson glow within his eyes and the oppressive stillness surrounding him, one could easily mistake him for a courteous gentleman visiting an old acquaintance.
"I sincerely apologize," Hagrid said with impeccable manners. "My sister has always been rather incompetent at everything except whoring herself off to a human."
The venom hidden beneath those polite words instantly froze the atmosphere. Faceless’ eyes turned ice cold. Behind the throne, Clara instinctively took another step backward.
Only now did the full reality of the situation settle upon her. Rachael had said Damian had survived countless assassination attempts. She had not thought much of it and now another one had already arrived and this time the assassin was Hazel’s own brother.
Her breathing unconsciously slowed as she shifted her attention between the two men. Faceless remained seated upon his throne, his posture completely relaxed, while Hagrid stood below the altar wearing a courteous smile. Neither of them had raised their voices.
Neither of them had moved.
Yet the hostility filling the room had become so dense that Clara felt it pressing against her skin.
Was this how demons truly behaved?
Smiling while threatening one another.
Laughing while planning each other’s deaths.
"I’ll rip your throat out for that," Faceless said with a small chuckle. "But for now, I’m more interested in understanding exactly who you are."
As he spoke, his eyes emitted a faint white radiance.
"Tell me, what exactly am I supposed to know about you?"
Hagrid showed no offense whatsoever. Instead, he nodded politely.
"Certainly."
His voice carried the same warm tone one would use while introducing themselves during a social gathering.
"I am the man who orchestrated the coup within Velmora.I nearly killed Lin Qui. I am known as the true demon fox and the rightful Patriarch of the Kitsune Clan."
He folded both hands behind his back and Faceless yawned openly. He even rubbed one eye with visible boredom.
"All I’m hearing are unfinished dreams."
His gaze lazily met Hagrid’s.
"’True. Nearly. You strike me as the kind of man who always comes within inches of achieving greatness only to watch it slip through his fingers."
Unexpectedly Hagrid laughed alongside Faceless.
Clara stared at both of them in complete bewilderment. They were tearing one another apart. Yet somehow they made it sound like two old friends exchanging harmless banter.
"Your Highness is absolutely correct," Hagrid admitted without hesitation. "I have spent my entire life standing one step away from every dream I’ve ever pursued."
His smile slowly faded.
"And that is precisely why I accepted this opportunity the very moment it presented itself."
"The opportunity to kill me?" Faceless asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hagrid slowly shook his head.
"No."
For the first time since entering the church he raised his eyes and looked directly into Faceless’.
"Your inheritance makes you an extraordinarily troublesome opponent. There exists no force in this universe capable of competing with it head on. My assignment was never to defeat you. My assignment..."
He slowly raised one finger.
"...is simply to take the young lady standing behind you somewhere else. That is where you will die."
Buzz!
Clara’s face instantly lost all color and Faceless’ smile disappeared. The warmth within his expression vanished so completely that even the surrounding air seemed to grow colder.
"What?"
His voice carried no emotion now. Only quiet menace.
Hagrid calmly reached into his jacket before pulling out a small leather notebook. He casually flipped through several pages while speaking.
"You see, while everyone else charged toward you blindly, I spent the past six months studying you."
Each page contained countless handwritten notes. Observations, timelines, and even relationships. He continued turning pages leisurely.
"I discovered rather quickly that you couldn’t care less if your parents or relatives died."
His eyes briefly left the notebook.
"So naturally, I investigated your friendships.They were shallow. That was when I finally understood why you had been chosen to inherit the Sin of Lust."
He closed the notebook halfway.
"You possessed no meaningful attachment to your previous life."
Silence followed and Clara unconsciously looked toward Faceless. His expression remained unreadable. Only the slight tightening around his eyes betrayed his thoughts.
"So?" Faceless asked calmly.
Hagrid nodded.
"But then I realized my conclusion was wrong. Everything changed after you obtained your inheritance. After you took your own life."
Buzz!
Clara’s pupils contracted violently. Her heart skipped a beat.
Damian committed suicide?
The revelation struck her harder than anything she had heard since entering the church. She stared at Faceless in disbelief.
He neither denied it nor confirmed it.
Hagrid continued speaking as though discussing the weather.
"That was when I discovered your little assistant.The only human you’ve actually loved."
His finger tapped a paragraph inside the notebook.
"I immediately recognized she would become the perfect bait. Unfortunately, by the time I made that discovery, she had already been taken into the Order of Moses. I tracked her all the way to the Vaticanonly to find out she had been deployed to the Middle East to assist with suppressing the Blood Dunes."
His eyes slowly lifted toward Clara.
"Still I located her. The very night I intended to act your true body arrived and I deemed it unwise to reveal myself and that’s how we got here."
Buzz!
Clara felt an icy chill crawl down her spine. She had been watched, followed and studied. All without noticing.
The thought alone left her trembling. Only now did she realize something horrifying. Had Damian not appeared in Lebanon that night she would most likely never have left it alive.
