Bea's face was wrecked with fear and anxiety upon seeing her family members being escorted.
Her husband, Clyde, nearly fainted from grief when he saw his wife's condition. As for their teenage son, Beck, he was hit with a pang of anger.
"Stop hurting my mother! What did she do to deserve this?!" Beck screamed in fury and rushed toward the whipper. His intention was clear in trying to stop the whipper.
Alas, Beck was quickly restrained by a nearby guard.
"Do mind your manners, kid. The adults are talking here." Spencer calmly said, his eyes trailing to Clyde.
"Mister Clyde, do discipline your son well. Otherwise, I don't know if he could see the sunlight anymore."
Upon hearing that, Clyde swallowed a mouthful of saliva nervously.
"Y-Yes, Sir Reed." He nodded and bowed his head in respect. Despite knowing the man in front of him was the one having his wife tortured, he dared not lash out.
Who doesn't know Spencer Reed's reputation in Elarion?
Elarion was the capital of Aldros Empire, a shining nexus that many wished to come and succeed in their career.
Numerous talented people emerged in Elarion, but those who were widely renowned were the pinnacle people.
Spencer Reed was one of those pinnacle people that many had to respect. Not only was Spencer an Eighth Circle Mage, but he had also achieved numerous merits in the magic society and research facilities.
However, there was another fearsome known fact about Spencer. He had a bottom line and that was the infamous cowardly 5th prince.
Anyone who dared to harbor insidious thoughts against the cowardly 5th prince was eliminated under his blade.
"Anyway, I don't wish to get my hands on too much blood. But your wife here carried a poison substance into the crown prince's palace." Spencer wiped his hands softly and said.
"I only want to know where she got the poison substance from. Unfortunately, your wife isn't very cooperative so I brought the two of you along. Maybe your appearance might cause her memories to jolt up."
Clyde instantly knew why he was summoned over here.
His emotion went haywire as he went on his knees and banged his head.
"Sir Reed, my wife is only trying to clear my debt. She's innocent in this matter. There's no way my wife would ever dare to harm the 5th prince." He pleaded loudly.
"It's the crown prince." Spencer suddenly corrected. "By now, the investiture for Leonard Lawson should have been completed. Hence, he's no longer the 5th prince, but the Crown Prince of Aldros."
Clyde's face turned ashen white.
Given that the information had yet to spread throughout Elarion, the rest of the regular citizens remained unaware of the event. Only those in the upper class or those with high authority in Elarion were informed and notified.
But now that Spencer had dropped the news on Clyde, he knew fully well about the consequences of this incident.
As for his wife, she definitely knew about the investiture but was forced to sign a confidential magic contract to prevent any leakage.
"It's all my fault…" Filled with guilt, Clyde knew why his wife ended up in such a situation.
Just a few days ago, his wife told him the debt was cleared and he asked her how it was done. She brushed it off and said it was her life-saving, but Clyde knew better.
He merely played ignorant because the debt was clear and he no longer had to worry about people bombarding his house.
"Please save the drama for next time," Spencer said. "All I want is the culprit behind this. I don't need all these guilt-ridden emotion ranges."
Knowing that the situation was grim, Clyde stepped toward and glanced at his injured wife. Blood dyed on her maid outfit, and he could vividly see some of her flesh being whipped off.
He trembled as he tried to extend his hand to touch her pale face.
Meanwhile, Bea's eyes were hazy. She wanted to smile, but the pain from the whipping had numb her ability to make any movement. Even talking hurt a lot.
"Dear, do you remember any characteristics of the person?" Clyde asked.
Bea closed her eyes, seemingly trying to recall the interaction. "They were dressed in black from top to bottom. They even have a mask to cover their face. But I can tell its physique should be that of a man. I really don't know anything else."
While Bea seriously tried to describe the person's appearance, Clyde was left speechless. Such a description was truly impossible for one to pinpoint anything.
However, Spencer had a premonition after hearing that kind of description.
'Dressed in black from top to bottom, avoiding any of their skin from showing. Could it be Umbra Vex?' Spencer wondered.
Umbra Vex was the evil organization hailed from the Dregalia Continent.
Each member of Umbra Vex hid themselves perfectly from other Continents and integrated into other places.
They could even be a normal cabbage seller on a stall or a beggar on the street. It was nearly impossible to detect them or guess how many people were in the organization.
Just at this moment, the door was knocked. Soon, a new guard entered and walked toward Spencer respectfully.
"What's the matter?" Spencer questioned with a somewhat annoyed tone.
The guard cupped his fist and relayed, "The Crown Prince has returned and asked for your presence."
Instantly, the cold expression on Spencer's face was dispelled upon learning about Leonard's return.
"I see…" He nodded. "Tell the Crown Prince that I'll be there as soon as possible. I just need to clean up this mess."
The guard simply bowed his head and retreated from the scene.
Shortly after, Spencer glanced at the family of three.
Beck was restrained by the guard, and Clyde was holding onto Bea. Seeing them being so lovely, Spencer turned soft-hearted.
"Since it's a good day for the Crown Prince, let them reunite together. We shouldn't be ungrateful and separate the family of three." He exhaled softly, turned around, and began leaving the basement.
"Let them share the same final breath. A fitting end for such a devoted family."