"There isn't a point in acting hard to get, is there?" Samuel's arrogant voice echoed across the coffee shop.

"Although I do admit a part of me enjoys pursuing you… By now you must be close to running out of money, right? Would you really be so selfish as to let your father perish all because you don't want to submit your body and soul to your rightful owner?"

The man's eyes were about to wander across the shop in search of Scarlett. Until a fist came flying straight at his face.

Boom!

Taken by surprise, Samuel was swept off his feet and sent flying out of the store.

"The fuck? That hurt." Samuel complained, spitting a mouthful of blood and rising to his feet.

Preparing to engage in combat, he froze a second later, bearing witness to the man that had caught him off guard.

'Isn't this Michael? Scarlett's brother? What is he doing here? I was informed that he went to the front line… A young and inexperienced fool like him should have died a long time ago.' Samuel thought as his eyes darkened.

"What is the meaning of this?" The man bellowed, his voice drowned out by the rain. "You dare attack me? You are courting death! Perhaps the war has damaged your mind beyond repair if you think you can handle the fallout my family will unleash on your little sto—"

Before he could finish, Michael's voice interrupted him like a cold blade.

"As per the Emperor's ultimate reign over humanity and all that is to exist under his rule, Clause 352 states that any attempt to forcibly enter a property gives the undeniable right for the owner of said property to attack, eliminate, and torture the violator with no right for any third party to get involved."

Essentially, Michael was in the right to attack Samuel, and the man had no suitable cause to involve his family. However, now that Samuel was out of the store, Michael was no longer justified in attacking once more.

Noticing the man's expression, Michael slowly crept closer, continuing to speak.

"As per the Emperor's ultimate reign over humanity and all that is to exist under his rule, Clause 1 states that any individual, family, clan, or faction that in any shape or form is proven to have gone against the Emperor and his subjects would be forcefully exterminated regardless of their connections and attribution to the human race."

His eyes turned crimson as he activated the Warlock technique.

"So tell me, were you about to go against the current laws that keep us all together and try to bring your family into the mess you have so foolishly created?"

"..."

Wordlessly, Samuel stared at Michael in a daze.

"Weren't you sent to war?" The man asked, tilting his head to the side. "When did you find the time to get acquainted with the political world to such an extent that I am left speechless by your knowledge of the current order?"

Michael's gaze didn't falter. Thanks to the experiences of his prior life, he knew very well the type of person Samuel was and how the man's family operated.

While Michael could have attempted to take Samuel's life right now and here, he stopped himself, since that would both endanger the ones close to him and rob him of the satisfaction of deploying his plan against Samuel's bloodline.

"I am not going to repeat myself." Michael proclaimed. "Leave now, or prepare to lose your life."

Samuel chuckled nervously. "Now that I look closer at you, you are a Late Master. When did you achieve such a feat? For a second you made me think that you could really take my life."

A second later, the man added. "You do know that your realm isn't the only important thing, right? I doubt you have more treasures than me, considering our backgrounds."

Getting into a battle stance, Michael answered emotionlessly. "Would you like to find out?"

Raising his hands in defeat, Samuel smiled. "Goodness no! Please forgive my barbaric behavior… It's just that I can hardly contain myself when we talk about your sister. She is simply that stunning."

'Deranged fuck, she isn't even an adult yet he speaks like this.' Michael took a deep breath, not giving in to the clear provocation. After all, he felt dozens of gazes locked onto his figure. All belonging to Grandmasters.

Fighting here and now would put him at a disadvantage and endanger his loved ones. That meant Michael had to play the political game. Thankfully, he was pretty well versed in it.

"Why would an heir of the Wang family take interest in my sister that has no exquisite background to speak of?" Michael asked a rhetorical question. A second later he responded to himself.

"Oh, that's right! Last I heard you were at the bottom of your siblings' hierarchy. It's not surprising that you would go for simple city folks, as you have proven too incompetent to handle the members of your own blood."

A flicker of bewilderment and anger flashed across Samuel's face, his palms clenching into fists.

"From whom did you hear that?" The man asked, clearly taken by surprise. After all such information was kept strictly in the Wang family, it was strange that an outsider, like Michael, knew about it.

"Who knows?" Michael shrugged, not elaborating that he knew this from his prior life. "I just take care to listen to what people are saying… Though it appears that you must conduct an investigation into your own troops."

From a single glance, it was clear that Samuel wasn't happy with how things had turned out. Being forced to admit defeat, he turned his back and left the area, his guards following suit.

'Your end will not be swift. Your whole bloodline will pay dearly for your crimes.' Michael vowed as he went back to the coffee shop.

"Are you fine?" He asked with a warm smile. "I reckoned that a few weeks at the very least would pass before Samuel could afford to bother you again."

"B—Brother?! Did they do anything to you?" Scarlett instantly approached Michael, shock evident across her face. Despite knowing that her brother was strong, she didn't expect him to move so fast!

Even more bizarre, he had struck Samuel square in the face and gotten off unscathed! Which was extraordinary, considering that many had been executed for simply daring to speak against the man.

"Of course." Michael answered calmly. "As long as you know how to bend the current law to your will, you can get away with many things."

While Michael despised the current Emperor with all his heart, it would be for the best if he took advantage of the currently existing loopholes in the laws.

"What was that about?" Ava muttered, not knowing who Samuel was.

"If you are going to live with us, it's better to tell you straight up." Isabella sighed, gesturing for Ava to take a seat.

While they spoke of the issue at hand, Michael made sure that there were no lingering threats in the area. After fixing the blown-out door, he went to check up on his old room.

'I wonder what I will find there?' He mused as he entered.

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