Chapter 28: Compromising

“Dissolute!” An enraged, womanly voice shouted from an unknown place in the room.

A burst of killing intent assaulted Zax as he stood idly in front of the Marzel’s matriarch, followed by the emergence of black silhouette, flinging toward him.

“Fall back, Marita!” Matriarch Linda commanded in a subtle voice that contained an overwhelming spirit to her old age.

The black silhouette froze several meters from Zax, not even earning a jaded look despite the intention to attack him. Unable to contradict the command it was given, the black silhouette flashed and settled beside the Knole settee of matriarch Linda, revealing the appearance of a black skin young woman in her early thirties, impressively in the Advanced phase of the first Core Master level and also possessing hints of dark attribute to her aura.

Martia, the black skin young woman, stared at Zax with malice reflecting from her eyes. For the way he spoke to her Mor, matriarch Linda, even though she was tad apprehensive due to her inability to sense him in the room until he came out from the shadows, she did not mind a difference in strength if it meant cutting his disgusting tongue.

“Here, my fingers are tired, you continue”. Matriarch Linda raised her hands, passing the needles and fabric to Martia and gesturing her to sit down.

Martia, as if she was a child suddenly, yield and devotedly took to the task.

As he watched from the side Zax noted in regard. ‘What a crafty old lady. In the instance she made contact with this woman while giving her the knitting needles, she actually used soul energy to calm and manipulate her behavior nearly the same way senior Ariel deceived me. She must be an expert of the soul, and a dangerous one at that!’

Matriarch Linda put a wrinkled hand on Marita’s knee as she sat by her side. “You must keep working on the ambiance you exude in all situations, Marita; otherwise you might as well exercise in the light”.

As she directed her Tal, matriarch Linda sounded like an amiable grandma, having a pleasant conversation with her granddaughter, while the truth was that she had no need to be strict since every one of her words she curved to her Tal’s soul with her soul sense.

Zax said nothing as he waited for matriarch Linda to finish dealing with her Tal. This show of patience, despite the reason of his arrival, was not attributed to his decision to start mellow this time. No, it was something else that he picked on from the behavior and body language of matriarch Linda, which was also subtly apparent on her Tal, and made him curious.

“Are you, perhaps, an expert in assassination?” Zax asked when matriarch Linda returned her attention to him from the Knole settee.

Zax’s experience with experts of assassination was very meager. Usually he will not be able to tell if his opponent practiced assassination arts, but with matriarch Lida ... there was something vague about her that gave him an impression of familiarity.

“Child”, as she responded, a piercing chilliness once more emanated from matriarch Linda’s voice. “Or rather Mr. Intruder, you have keen eyes”.

Hearing her comment, Zax’s vigilance rose. ‘So it’s like that ... this old lady is most likely related to Linor ... her Mor maybe? Her senior? Coincidentally both of their names start with “Lin”’.

Zax was finally able to put a finger on it. His opponent from the Martial competition and the old woman in front of him felt similar like an old and newer version of the same thing. Moreover, from what he perceived of matriarch Linda, this seemed not be the common case of “old is bad, new is good”. On the contrary, although Linor cannot be considered the orthodox assassin, her proficiency in the movement technique she cultivated is top notch, and yet, from the trivial movements of matriarch Linda while still on the Knole settee, Zax assessed the old lady on a higher level.

Regardless of being a lot stronger than in the battle against Linor and Zechariah, Zax was not stupid enough to underestimate the more exalted matriarch Linda, especially if recalling that previous time he almost died from the mist detonation of a Core Master he could kill in one punch!

“Do you have a name, child?” Matriarch Linda asked with a subtle lack of interest in her tone, having an idea in her mind.

“Zax”. Zax was not worried about matriarch Linda’s retaliation at the aftermath of him getting what he wants. The old lady appeared to have something at stake other than her family...

“Zax Zel...” Matriarch Linda whispered and her deduction did not surprised Zax.

Matters of the family in the world behind the walls of her home, since her husband died, no longer interested matriarch Linda. She let her two sons deal with them and in fact, if it was not for the annual report her sons insisted on informing her about, she might have stopped seeing them completely, or in this particular case, know Zax.

“Tell me, what sort of trouble my family gave you, mighty younger generation?”

“I don’t want to sound petty, but...” Zax knew it would seem like he is overreacting if matriarch Linda will know his reason of arrival, which is why he displayed an equally threatening disposition. “A descended of yours, named ‘Razil’, has berated and cursed someone dear to me in an open forum. When it comes to this person I tend to be very protective”. Zax’s murderess intent swelled. “Looking down on me is negligible, mistreating her however...”

The name “Razil” rang a bell to matriarch Linda. She met the boy maybe twice but remembered him only because her second son mentioned him as a potential rising talent of the family.

“You want me to give you the head of a good seed?” Matriarch Linda asked as if she discussed about the details of another job in her younger years.

“Give? No”. Zax shook his head. “I’m not here to ask you for anything. This is but a courtesy visit so things won’t escalate regardless of my actions”.

“Quite overbearing...” Matriarch Linda frowned for the first time since meeting Zax, not minding speaking her thoughts outloud. “What do you intend to do?”