Koiren patted Kayne's cheek that's turning red from his emotions and started his story once again.
"First, I may be a Venalis by name but I wasn't. My mother is a courtesan and I was born out of wedlock. Though my father adopted me as a child, his real family regards me with loathe. That's why I started living on my own and that's when I met Sir Lucian."
"We're talking about your family, why are you adding Lucian's name here."
"Are you the one making decisions here? Do you know my story? Oh my, pretty boy. It seems like you have become more talkative than when I last saw you."
Kayne pushed the comment aside and turned his gaze to the wall on his left side. "Continue," he requested.
"Haaah! Tsk. Lucian made me approach you and enrolled me at Yothopyia"
"Uncle what?" Kayne blurted.
"Are you turning deaf now?"
"I mean—"
"It is your uncle who told me to take you to that underground auction. And for the record, the investment you made with your money earlier is also on the hands of your uncle. I prepared the documents for that one. Satisfied? Now, let me continue why I am running after the Duane routes."
Although Kayne had more to ask about the reasons behind his uncle's action, he kept his mouth shut to let Koiren continue his own story.
"My time in Yothopyia made me famous. The Venalis family who also heard the news sent me a letter to manage a business but like what I said, I am already under Sir Lucian's wing. I was already serving him for several years before he instructed me to spy on you. That's why I can't immediately take jobs relating to other businesses. Nevertheless, I went back to our house, had a discussion with my father and got physically abused by my brother again. Sir Lucian who saw me all beaten up when I returned, gave me a chance to exact my revenge on that filthy family."
"And that's the Duane route?"
"Yes," Koiren confirmed. "He gave me the information about the Venalis Family's illegal trades. And when I secretly went into one of their sites, I learned that they are using this pretty face of mine to lure in customers."
"So you're now going to take revenge because they capitalized on your face?"
"My, of course. But that's beside the point. You don't like to hear a very detailed story about my life, do you? Anyway, there's a lot of reason for me to turn the Venalis household into dust."
Kayne could not find the right words to agree or disagree with Koiren. It is his life and he has no rights to step in on it.
"Then what's your plan? If you're under Uncle's tutelage there is always a secret plan or something like that."
Koiren laughed out loud and then smirked. He put his hands on his waist and tried to act cool.
"I'll eat their whole house. Their name and riches. And their lives."
"Okay."
"Hey, I am talking about big things right now, what's with that 'okay'? Can you please act like you're a little bit interested?"
"Pass. You keep whining since earlier but you still haven't given me any information about Duane."
"Why would you need me to spill all the information here? If we work together we can share information all the time. As you can see, I already obtained permission from Lucian to involve you in my great plans."
The last sentence irritated Kayne. Why does it feel like he's being moved by puppeteers named Lucian and Koiren.
"Kayne?"
"I understand. However, tell me now what will happen next."
His irritation grows each minute. From deep within him, he sensed that someone was laughing over him.
"First, let's intercept the next shipment. Obtain evidence and appeal to the legal court against the Venalis Family. Once my father and brother are under their jurisdiction, I will naturally sit on Venalis throne. My mother? Ha! Her ego only stems from the fact that father is protecti—Kayne!"
Kayne cancelled his magic and Koiren fell on the floor with a thud.
"Can't you do some warning?," Koiren whined as he brushed off the dust on his pants. He bent his back and stretched his torso sideways. "What would you do if you damaged me?"
"Can't be bothered by that."
"You, what?! Don't you have a conscience?"
"Yes."
Frankly speaking, he does have this conscience but it seems to not work on Koiren.
His mission is to 'investigate' the Duane route. He can now leave here and go back to the Den if he wants to but Koiren's ambition to annihilate the route sounds thrilling to his ears.
If he cut Duane down to its roots, would his grandfather and father praise him?
Kayne delved on that thought seeing that Venalis is just a small portion of the organization. Cutting its limbs would only make the organization temporarily paralyzed.
"Your idea... Let's do that."
He left the warehouse to Koiren to finish the report and headed straight to the mansion. He also asked Peony to prepare a transmission magic addressed to his grandfather. He should make a report on his mission first before acting on his own.
Kayne recounts all the initial and collected information he has about Duane transactions on the transmission device that lets the user record videos. He also included the story he heard from Koiren and clarified the position of the Venalis Family. He summed it up by theorizing that a bigger organization is involved on the route hence, the Venalis Family won't involve themselves directly on the end dealings, selling Duane.
"With this, I finish my report. I expect your positive response on my request to 'deal' with the syndicate on my own this time."
He meant it. And that will not end on Venalis house alone. Aside from digging into the roots of Duane, he also needs an alibi to travel freely on the continent to search for Rigel.
Kayne remembered that the student mentioned a mist that evaporated Rigel and the soldiers accompanying him. However, he should confirm it once more.
"Maybe I should go back to Yothopyia Institute and talk to the headmaster."
He only thought about the Headmaster and the Institute but oddly, Nathaira's face came along with her ear-piercing 'son~'.
"No, I'll think more about it. Maybe I should just talk with my grandfather."
His grandmother is also off the list. Honestly, how can most women behave like that?