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Hearing Ferdinand's words, Du Cheng was confused, while secretly observing his father's expression. Duke Anges also appeared puzzled.
Ferdinand then said, "I would like to speak with Francis privately, if I may?"
"Of course, Father, please come with Francis to your bedroom," Duke Anges replied respectfully.
Du Cheng led Ferdinand to his small tower. Upon seeing Du Cheng’s living quarters, Ferdinand frowned. "Duke Anges, your son, the virtue of Saint John City, lives in a place like this? I’ve also heard that you don’t like Francis very much. That’s not right!"
"Yes, you’re right, Father. I’ll have him moved to another room," Duke Anges said, suddenly losing the imposing aura of the Deputy Commander of the Empire and speaking like a junior.
"Alright, everyone is waiting outside. Francis, please come in with me," Ferdinand said as he took Du Cheng’s arm and led him to the third floor of the tower. Upon seeing the small bedroom, Ferdinand seemed distracted as he asked, "Francis, how much do you remember about your past?"
Du Cheng was puzzled and didn’t understand, so he carefully replied, "Respected Father, as you know, I had some trouble with my memory. After a serious illness, I understood many things but also forgot many others. Now, my understanding of the past is almost completely blank."
"I see, I understand. Well, if you don’t mind, let me tell you about two things from your childhood."
Ferdinand sat on Du Cheng's mahogany chair, resting his hands on the desk, and slowly said, "When you were seven, you went out alone and got lost. You ended up near the New Bell River outside Saint John City, where you had a confrontation with some other children playing by the river. Oh, trust me, it was just a normal child’s quarrel, but those kids accidentally pushed you into the river. Can you guess what happened next? Please, sit down."
Du Cheng sat on his white velvet bed and laughed. "I guess I was lucky and didn’t drown."
"Yes, a fisherman downstream saved you. When you got home and couldn’t explain what happened, Duke Anges thought you were just playing around and got your clothes wet, so he punished you severely."
"As you know, my father doesn’t like me much," Du Cheng shrugged.
"Yes, I know. But I want to tell you something you don’t know—The next day, several children’s bodies were found by the New Bell River, and they had all been skinned!"
"That’s so cruel! They were just children!" Du Cheng exclaimed in shock, but then quickly realized that Ferdinand seemed to be implying something...
"Considering the way those children were killed—an ancient method known as 'skinning and hiding the clothes'—the Holy Church took over the case. But in the end, the investigation yielded no results, and those children’s deaths became one of the Church's biggest unsolved cases."
Ferdinand’s deep purple eyes were fixed on Du Cheng, as if searching for some reaction from him. But he was disappointed. Du Cheng really knew nothing, and his face only showed honest confusion.
"Now, the second thing. When you were twelve, a nobleman mocked you... I’m sorry, to explain this properly, I must use some insulting terms. The official mocked your hair, saying it didn’t match the red-haired Sigru, and called you a bastard. He secretly had people beat you. But the next day, he was also skinned alive! And, once again, this case was left unresolved, becoming another mystery!"
Ferdinand suddenly quickened his pace, growing more urgent. "On God’s Day, Fleece tried to murder you. The next day, he was skinned alive inside Saint John Cathedral, and his entire family of twenty-seven people was also skinned, almost at the same time!"
Was it because of him that Fleece died? Du Cheng stared at Ferdinand in shock.
"Today, because 'skinning and hiding the clothes' is such an ancient method of killing, I expanded my investigation to include ancient families. I reviewed the records of all the titled descendants of Gods of War in the Laning Kingdom over the past decade. Fascinating, right? I found a connection between these three incidents: all those who were skinned had tried to harm you. They all threatened you, and the next day, they were skinned!"
Ferdinand motioned for Du Cheng, who had stood up nervously, to sit down. He smiled and said, "If something like this happens once or twice, it could be a coincidence. But a third time—would it still be a coincidence?"
With that, Ferdinand calmly looked at Du Cheng.
All the information pointed to one thing: there was a very powerful God of War secretly protecting Du Cheng. Anyone who threatened Du Cheng would be skinned. Moreover, this God of War had the ability to quietly kill Fleece, even under the watch of hundreds of experts in Saint John Cathedral. This meant that this person had become powerful enough for the Holy Church to take notice.
The Holy Church does not allow any power to exist outside their control, and this had been a tradition for centuries. So, today, Ferdinand came personally to test Du Cheng's reaction, while also observing his living environment to look for clues about the mysterious God of War.
But Ferdinand was disappointed. All the intelligence and the facts he had seen in person pointed to one thing: Du Cheng truly knew nothing.
"Father, maybe this is just a coincidence?" Du Cheng argued, but deep down, he already believed the truth.
Damn it, how many important details had little Francis’s memory missed?!
The world of the Gods of War is a theocratic society. If someone killed in the cathedral for him, that would be a direct provocation to the Holy Church, which could lead to massive trouble for him!
"Heh, good child, don’t worry. I’m sure you don’t know who that mysterious guardian God of War is!" Ferdinand spread his hands. "After all, high-level Gods of War are quite eccentric. I’m an eccentric old man myself, so I understand their methods."
Du Cheng’s mind raced, and suddenly he had an idea. He smiled and said, "Respected Father, I am a descendant of a titled God of War and a loyal follower of the Holy Church. Therefore, my guardian God of War must also be a friend of the Church. Could you forgive both him and me for the mistake we’ve made?"
The young man was indeed interesting! Ferdinand smiled.
Indeed, there was a powerful God of War behind Du Cheng, but this God of War could very well be a friend of the Holy Church.
As for what kind of friendship they would have, that would depend on the mysterious God of War's strength. Therefore, Ferdinand had already sent messengers to the Holy See to bring in legal experts. These experts would be able to gauge just how powerful the mysterious God of War was by examining his "skinning" technique.
Before the investigation results came in, what Ferdinand needed to do was offer a "gift" to this God of War to ensure a good first impression for when they eventually met.
And that "gift" would naturally be delivered to Du Cheng.
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