novelraw Chapter 232: The Rebirth of the Nobles
Chapter 232: The Rebirth of the Nobles
Deep within the sanctuary, there was a windowless secret chamber. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were constructed from massive granite blocks, with molten lead poured between the rock layers.
This was the highest-level restricted area used by the royal court to seal away dangerous containment objects—items excavated from the pharaoh's tomb, bearing powerful curses or unstable spiritual properties.
The air here was cold and thin, and the sense of time seemed to be sealed out by the thick layers of lead.
At this moment, Ethan stood alone in the center of this chamber.
His body was still somewhat stiff from the aftereffects of the neurotoxin, but his steps were steady.
Through a half-meter-thick observation window made of specially treated leaded crystal, he gazed quietly at the Spiritually Inert Lead box inside, bound by heavy chains of runes and gleaming with a cold, silvery-white luster.
Inside that lead box was the source of sin that had entangled his family for generations and ruined his own life—the Tear of Apophis.
It was also the prison for the final wisp of remnant soul belonging to Ethan's once-best friend, Ayden.
This was not the first time Ethan had faced it.
Over the past few years, he had experienced this scene repeatedly in his nightmares, each time accompanied by bone-chilling cold and inescapable guilt.He had feared the chaotic power it contained, and he had also coveted the eternal nothingness it promised.
But today, as Ethan stood here once more, his azure eyes held only a rare tranquility.
This was a final farewell, years overdue.
"Ayden, it's been a long time," Ethan's voice was soft.
He spoke as if catching up with an old friend he hadn't seen in years, a gentle smile even touching his face.
"I know you can hear me. Even though your consciousness was long ago consumed by that great serpent's void, I have always believed that your pride as a member of the Pendragon family must still linger in some corner of this diamond."
He pulled over a stone stool and sat down before the observation window, preparing for a long conversation.
"I must admit, all these years, I've been terrified of seeing you. I feared seeing those eyes of yours, filled with resentment over my betrayal. I feared hearing you question why, at the most critical moment, I chose to escape alone."
His voice carried a note of self-mockery.
"I found countless excuses for myself. I said it was to preserve the Redgrave family bloodline. I said it was to bring the truth of this cursed diamond back to the Association. I said everything I did was ultimately to avenge you."
"But those were all lies."
Ethan shook his head, his eyes reflecting the lead box's image and also the most cowardly corners deep within his own soul.
"The truth is, I was scared."
"When I saw you being consumed by that chaotic force, when I saw your face twisting grotesquely, I was scared out of my wits."
"I, the so-called 'brightest new star of the Empire where the sun never sets,' this Redgrave who inherited the glory of ancient nobility, had only one thought in my mind at that moment."
"And that was... to run."
"To run as far away as possible. To flee that damned temple, to flee that damned diamond, and to flee... you, who died a miserable death because of my cowardice."
He spoke slowly, each word mercilessly cutting open his own long-festering wounds, exposing the ugliest, most timid parts to the air.
It was a cruel act of self-confession, but also a necessary redemption.
"Later, I succeeded. I escaped back. I became the sole survivor of that operation, the hero who 'endured humiliation to fulfill a greater mission' in others' mouths."
"I inherited the family title and wealth, spending my days lingering in London's clubs and balls. I numbed my nerves with alcohol, perfume, and the flattery of countless women, trying to forget the best friend I had abandoned in the depths of the desert."
"But the more I tried to forget, the more clearly you appeared in my dreams."
"You said nothing, just watched me quietly with those hollow eyes. I knew that was the curse you left upon my soul."
Ethan's gaze fell upon his own hands, which had once only held wine glasses and riding crops.
"This curse gnawed at my will day after day. It made me arrogant, paranoid, and conceited. I no longer trusted anyone. I saw all my companions as tools to be sacrificed at any time."
"Because in my view, only by doing so could I prove that my initial escape was justified. Only by constantly proving I was stronger than everyone else could I continue to live under this false sunlight, wearing the hero's title with a clear conscience."
"Until... I met them."
A warm light flickered in Ethan's eyes.
He thought of that Eastern youth who always wore a calm expression but could always create miracles in the most unbelievable ways.
"They... are different from us, Ayden."
"They don't have the illustrious family backgrounds we have, nor the innate talents we were born with. They're like a bunch of misfits from all corners of the world."
"But it was precisely this group of misfits who taught me something I hadn't learned in all those years."
Ethan stood up. He walked forward and gently placed his palm against the leaded crystal, wanting to convey his current warmth to that wisp of remnant soul within the lead box.
"And that is trust."
"When I was paralyzed by the toxin, lying on the ground with no dignity like a piece of cargo, I thought I would be abandoned by them as a 'necessary cost,' just like you."
"But they didn't."
"I finally understand now, Ayden." Ethan's voice choked, a tear sliding from the corner of his eye.
"The reason I abandoned you back then wasn't because I feared death."
"It was because, deep in my bones, I never believed in the weight of the word 'comrade.'"
"What I lost to wasn't that great serpent, but my own incurable arrogance, stemming from the depths of my noble bloodline."
The moment this confession from the depths of his soul left Ethan's lips.
He felt that "Inner Demon" that had always haunted him, that "ghost of Ayden" that always stared at him with hollow eyes in the midnight dreams.
Dissipate like smoke.
A rare sense of lightness and peace washed over his entire being.
He felt as if he had shrugged off a heavy mountain he had carried for years, his whole body becoming weightless.
The shackles on his soul shattered at that moment.
He withdrew his hand, took one last deep look at the lead box, then resolutely turned and walked out of the secret chamber.
When Ethan re-entered the medical room, he saw Julian standing by William's bedside with a worried expression, his brow deeply furrowed, clearly still at a loss regarding the veteran's bizarre internal injuries.
Ethan didn't say much. He gently patted Julian's shoulder.
Julian turned back in surprise.
"Julian," Ethan's voice was calm and firm, "William's injuries, and Lin's brand... these problems that require wisdom and miracles to solve, perhaps I can't be of much help."
"But..."
He paused before continuing.
"From now on, the team's logistics and supplies, equipment maintenance and upgrades, liaison and negotiations with the London Headquarters, and providing reliable financial support for all our future actions—I'll take care of it all."
"You just need to focus on the fight. Leave the rest to me."
These words left Julian stunned.
He looked incredulously at the noble youth before him, who seemed reborn, momentarily even wondering if he was hallucinating.
Before Julian could react, Ethan had already turned and walked toward the telegraph room outside the medical room, specifically used for external communications.
The first thing he needed to do was activate the secret intelligence network hidden beneath the Surface World—a network the Redgrave family had not lightly used for centuries.
He walked to the Hermes Ether Communication Array and, with practiced ease, used a complex encryption frequency known only to core family members to connect to a secret line deep within the Redgrave Manor in London's Mayfair district.
Soon, a aged yet respectful voice came from the other end of the line.
"...Young Master? Is that you?"
It was the voice of Alfred, the old butler of the Redgrave family.
"It's me, Alfred. Listen, I need you to do a few things immediately."
"First, use all the family's secret seats at Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses to search globally, sparing no expense, for any holy relics related to the ancient Egyptian myths of 'Osiris,' 'life,' and 'rebirth' that may contain spiritual properties. All intelligence must be compiled and sent to me within twenty-four hours."
"Second, contact Mr. Arthur Conan. Tell him the Redgrave family will fully fund all research and development projects at his Fourth Equipment Laboratory for the next three years. I have only one request: have him design, as quickly as possible, a new set of defensive armaments capable of countering 'fluid' attacks for us."
"Third," Ethan took a deep breath and issued the final, most important order, "In my name, submit an 'Asset Donation' agreement to the I.A.R.C. Geneva Executive Council."
"The Redgrave family will donate to the Association two percent of our family's shares in the Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa."
"To... secure the Association's support and possible promises for us."
Dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
Two percent of the shares in the Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa—this was no simple sum of money.
Old Butler Alfred was clearly shocked by his young master's series of instructions, which bordered on insane extravagance.
But in the end, he replied in a voice tinged with relief, pride, and a slight tremor:
"As you command, my lord."
Hanging up the communication, Ethan walked to the window. Gazing at the golden-red Egyptian sunset about to sink below the horizon outside, he let out a long, deep sigh of relief.
From this day forward, Ethan Redgrave, the former playboy, the arrogant hunter.
Had proactively, in his capacity as a "family heir."
Truly shouldered the responsibility belonging to him for the future of the team he was now a part of.