Technically, he already did.
Cain stared at Rivik with a blank expression, but in his mind the words flowed like quiet venom.
The story about the Crimson Blood King and the Demon Emperor… all fake. All lies. All made-up excuses from this old man. I'm sure of it. Too many loopholes and only fools won't get them. Hah!
He clicked his tongue in his thoughts.
Imagine… this old man, Rivik, claims he met the Crimson Blood King, a monarch who could crush armies with a gesture. And what is Rivik? A baron. The lowest of the high nobles. Why would a king consult a baron? Why would a king even look at a baron? Is the world upside down? Only fools, like this woman in front of me who isn't using her head, would be fooled by it.
Ivira felt as though she had been struck by those insults. But Cain's mind kept moving. So she didn't react and continued to listen.
Baron. Then Viscount. Then Earl. Then Marquis. Then Duke. Then Prince. And then King. That's the chain. Yet this old man claims a King asked for his opinion? Nonsense. And this girl believed him? Laughable.
Ivira's eyes shook.
She felt insulted.
But although she didn't want to admit it, he's right.
It was an error.
She had never questioned it.
Once she had heard that story, she already believed it.
She believed it because her father said so.
But now, listening to Cain's thoughts echo so clearly, she realized the absurdity of it all.
Why would a King seek advice from a Baron?
Her heart began to race.
"Father… why…?" she whispered softly, almost too soft to hear, but Rivik was too busy seething in his coffin.
Cain ignored the old man's voice. His mind continued its path.
This Is simple. Very simple. I'm sure this could only be the work of the Demon Emperor. The current Demon Emperor is a Chimera Demon Ant Lord. A monster with magic talent that surpasses most Demon Kings. And his enemy… the Lycannis Family. A rising powerhouse that would soon overthrow them in the future.
Cain's eyes narrowed.
Using Rivik as a puppet would be the first move. A controlled Baron is disposable. A controlled Baron is perfect. The Demon Emperor could cause trouble by using the Moonshade Family. Then, once conflict erupts, the Lycannis Family retaliates. The Crimson Blood King—who has a treaty with the Demon Emperor—would be forced to intervene because the Moonshade Family is in his territory.
Cain's thoughts deepened.
He kills the Lycannis Family for "breaking the balance," while the Demon Emperor pretends to be innocent. The Moonshade Family gets crushed under all of it before it happens. A pawn. Not even a main pawn. A pawn of a pawn.
Ivira's face paled.
Her breath quickened.
She clutched her chest as if a hand squeezed her heart.
They were pawns?
Lowest pawns?
Expendable?
"Is this… real…?" she whispered. "Father… why…"
But Rivik wasn't listening.
He was still going.
He kept cursing Cain in a nonstop rant—long, furious, loud, and without any breath in between.
"You useless brat! You dare talk back to me earlier?! You think being my daughter's husband means anything? You are a disgrace! You have no talent! No bloodline! No strength! You're nothing but a parasite! A leech sucking away my daughter's kindness! I don't know why she even bothers to look at you! You should be grateful we even let you live inside our estate! You ungrateful bastard!"
Cain blinked.
Rivik continued.
"You think you can run away when danger comes?! You think you deserve to stand beside her?! Your entire cultivation is laughable! Even if pigs break through, it means more than you! If it weren't for my daughter's soft heart, I would've kicked you out the moment she married you! You're a stain on our family name! A stain! You don't deserve to breathe the same air!"
Cain internally sighed.
He didn't even bother reacting outwardly.
Inside his head, he sneered deeply.
Old weakling freak… you're already dying. Why are you still spitting nonsense? The Demon Emperor already planted a parasite in your skull. It's sucking your blood mana. That's why your body is failing. That's why your strength is dropping. And the only way to purge it was to hunt someone with insane vitality. That's common knowledge. I can't believe these people don't know that. All they needed was a human with a ridiculous physique. Kill him in one blow. Do not let him drink his blood but instead splash it to the kind and let it be absorbed by the pores and that's it. The parasite dies instantly. But would I tell any of you that? Why should I? I don't owe the Moonshade Family anything.
His thoughts grew darker.
Even if they acted selfless toward their household blood members… they still ignored me. They still pushed me aside. They still tossed me away. And I almost died many times because of this family. Even before and after this family perished into nothingness. I don't owe them anything… Anymore.
Ivira felt like her chest cracked.
Her father… infected?
Controlled?
Dying because of a parasite created by the Demon Emperor?
She didn't know whether to believe it.
She didn't know if it was the truth or Cain's bitterness.
She didn't know which part was madness and which part was warning.
She didn't know.
She needed more proof that all his thoughts have reality to it.
She needed more proof!
Her hands trembled.
"Cain…" she whispered softly, but her voice got swallowed by Rivik's endless rant.
"You useless, talentless brat! You dare meet my gaze?! If you weren't married to my daughter, I would've cut your head off when you entered the courtyard! The only reason you're alive is because my daughter has pity in her heart! Don't think too highly of yourself! You're a bug! You're a waste of space! A man who can't even lift a sword properly should not talk big in front of me!"
Cain slowly lifted his head and spoke softly.
"I'm sorry… Master Rivik… for being useless."
Rivik snorted loudly.
"At least you know! Good! Stay that way!"
Ivira felt something twist painfully inside her chest.
Because Cain didn't sound hurt.
He didn't sound sad.
He didn't sound offended.
He sounded bored.
Bored and cold.
She swallowed hard.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was coming.
Then she heard Cain's thoughts again.
I'm sure now that Ivira broke through to the eighth-stage blood realm, the old man is planning to give her a medallion. The medallion that names her the next master of the Moonshade Family. And he won't bother dropping a blood to it. After all, if he did, he'd be found out.
Ivira's breath hitched.
Father would…?
Was that true?
Would he really—
Before she could think further, Rivik's loud voice stopped suddenly.
He was silent for the first time.
He took a long breath inside the coffin, then spoke in a calmer, heavier tone.
"…Daughter."
Ivira froze.
Rivik continued, voice trembling, not from weakness but from the gravity of what he carried.
"There's something I need to tell you."
Cain's eyes narrowed.
His heartbeat slowed.
His breath grew still.
Ivira took a step forward.
"Father… what is it?"
Inside the coffin, something shifted.
Rivik reached under the layers of cloth and spiritual bandages. His hand shook. His fingers clutched a small object. A metallic sound echoed.
And then—
A medallion slid out from the coffin.
Ivira's eyes widened to their limit.
Her breath vanished.
"That… that's…"
Her voice cracked.
"That's…!"