Devouring Dragon Heir-Chapter 52: Ch New Grandpa -1

"Ahem, sorry for the eruption, old man. Please continue," Klaus said, his voice now calm and measured.

The raw, explosive surge of anger had been swiftly suppressed by the Buddha Incarnate trait, leaving his face serene. However, a cold, hard glint remained in his eyes.

"For a hot-blooded young man, you calmed down exceptionally fast," William mocked, a knowing glint in his eye.

"For an old man, your laugh is too loud," Klaus jabbed back, his voice flat. He felt a mild irritation at William’s boisterous amusement.

"Anyway, so since the alien race is stronger than us, it justifies any made-up story they concocted for humanity," William continued, his tone turning serious.

"The families, the original heroes who rose during the invasion, initially united together to resist the alien invasions. They fought side by side, a desperate struggle for survival.

But soon, the dynamics of this long-drawn struggle started changing. The pressure, the temptations of power, the sheer scale of the conflict it began to corrupt them."

William leaned forward slightly, his expression grim. "My father, and his father before him, noticed a lot of betrayal cropping up among the humans themselves.

It wasn’t just the Watchers we had to contend with. New demon sects began cropping up, gaining influence, even when the demon race hadn’t even directly touched Earth’s surface in reality.

These sects seemed to appear out of nowhere, spreading chaos."

"More chaos, more mutated dungeons appearing erratically, and even more Watcher invasion attempts.

It was a period of immense turmoil, a time when humanity was truly on the brink of extinction, fighting on multiple fronts."

"The Guardian Academy, that prestigious institution you’re interested in, was started by my father’s closest friend, a powerful hero of that era.

And now, his son is the current Principal of the Guardian Academy. We are also good friends, sharing the same goals and ideals, fighting against the same hidden enemies.

But we lack strong people on our side, true allies who haven’t been corrupted or swayed by power."

William paused, allowing his words to sink in.

"We both are EX-ranked individuals, Klaus, among the highest echelon of power on this planet. But so are the other family patriarchs.

We all, together, are collectively called the Ten Paragons.

Although this topic is quite taboo among the public, a closely guarded secret, so they don’t even speak our names.

Our existence is largely hidden from the common populace, to prevent panic and maintain the illusion of a unified, benevolent leadership."

"You see, Klaus," William continued, his voice softening, becoming more direct.

"I don’t have any heirs. I never married, never had children. I want a capable heir to pass my legacy on, to continue my work.

I don’t know about that old man, the Principal of the Academy, but I am convinced of making you my adopted grandchild.

Your power, your unique abilities, and your potential are exactly what we need."

"The competitive edge of the Association, the one I lead when compared to other factions, is in its sheer scale and vast resources. We have immense amounts of data, intelligence networks, and logistical capabilities that no single guild can match.

We control the flow of information, the distribution of resources, and the official channels for hunters."

"Similarly, other Legacy Families have their secret trump cards, their hidden strengths.

They control various sectors, vast portions of trade, key aspects of governance, advanced technology that surpasses what the public knows, and even ancient artifacts or treasures that have been passed down through generations.

Each family holds a fragment of power."

"What does the Guardian Academy have?" Klaus asked, injecting a practical question into the historical narrative.

He wanted to understand its specific value proposition beyond just being a training ground.

The old man replied,

"The Guardian Academy possesses the cutting-edge VR technology the very system you just used for your assessment.

They are the pioneers in scientific research related to mana, monster biology, and dimensional physics.

They are also the primary source of human resources in terms of highly skilled teachers and promising students.

They are shaping the future generations of hunters, influencing their ideologies and training.

And almost all the teachers are immensely loyal to the academy making it a formidable force"

"Although many of the strongest students there are generally from the Legacy Families, they only help to make the reputation of the Academy great in front of the masses.

They are the public face, the shining examples. But their true intentions are to project their influence and bring people onto their side."

"In recent decades, the seven Legacy Families have significantly stopped their efforts in protecting the vanguard of Earth.

They have become complacent, focused on internal power struggles and wealth accumulation. Some are even secretly betraying the humans, colluding with alien races, with the Watchers themselves.

Although I don’t know the precise details of their treachery, we are certain of their betrayal through various means."

Klaus looked at the old man, his expression unreadable. He remained silent for a long moment, processing the immense weight of the information. Then, a low, cynical chuckle escaped his lips.

"So, you want to say that the other seven Legacy Families are betraying humanity?" Klaus asked, his voice flat, almost mocking.

"I am not sure. I suspect that," William replied, his gaze unwavering, meeting Klaus’s.

"Hehe," Klaus laughed, a chilling, bitter sound. He was remembering the names Karl, the cultist, had taken during his interrogation the names of specific individuals within the Association and certain Legacy Families that the Demon’s Apostle cult had dealings with.

The pieces were falling into place. Karl’s information, combined with William’s revelation, painted a grim picture of widespread corruption and betrayal at the highest levels of human society.

"What?" William asked, genuinely puzzled by the reason for Klaus’s laughter.

"Nothing, old man," Klaus replied, his laughter subsiding, though the cynical glint remained in his eyes.

"You have told me a lot of things about this world, and I am thankful for that. It’s given me a much clearer picture of the true power dynamics.

But, you still haven’t told me one thing, why should I join you? This isn’t my vengeance, after all."

"What is your age, young man?" William asked, abruptly changing the subject, his gaze intense.

"Huh? Twenty," Klaus replied, slightly taken aback by the sudden, seemingly irrelevant question.

"What is the year going on right now?" William pressed, his voice firm.

"5800," Klaus answered, a strange feeling beginning to stir within him.

"Why do you think your parents left you?" the old man asked, his voice softening, but his eyes were piercing, fixed on Klaus’s reaction.

It was a direct, personal question that struck at a deep, old wound.

On this question, Klaus’s expression soured. His expression faltered slightly, allowing a flicker of his old pain and disdain to surface.

"Must have been very poor to raise a child, so they threw me away," he said, his voice laced with the bitterness of a forgotten past, remembering his original parents from Earth, their constant fights, their neglect.

He had always rationalized their behavior with poverty, a simple, understandable reason.

He had always wished, after coming to this planet and finding himself an orphan in this new, dangerous world, that had the host’s original body not been an orphan, he could have felt the warmth of a family, a true connection.

He would not have been so utterly alone in this world, facing the ruthless struggle for survival daily, without a single soul to rely on or care for him.

This yearning for connection, though deeply buried, was a constant ache.

Suddenly, without any visible movement, a yellowed newspaper appeared in the hands of the old man.

It materialized from his storage ring.

William handed it over to Klaus.

The headline, stark and bold, read:

"BIGGEST INFLUX OF ORPHANS IN CAPITAL CITY, NUMBERS EXCEED 3000"

DATED - 25 FEB, YEAR -5780

Klaus’s eyes widened slightly as he read the date. Year 5780. He was born in the year 5780. The math was simple. He was born in the same year as this massive influx of orphans.

Then, without a word, William handed him another newspaper. The headline was even more chilling:

"REPORTS OF A LARGE AMOUNT OF HUMAN SACRIFICES BEING PERFORMED IN THE WESTERN FOREST."

DATED - 12 FEB, 5780

Klaus’s hands began to tremble, a subtle tremor that he could not entirely suppress.

He struggled to maintain his composure.

Human sacrifices.

In the same year he was born. A cold dread began to seep into his bones.

William passed him a third newspaper. Klaus took it, his fingers brushing against the brittle, old paper.

The headline was even more disturbing:

"GHOST VILLAGES APPEAR ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTRYSIDE, READ MORE TO KNOW THE REASON BEHIND THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES"

DATED - 2 FEB, 5780

Klaus’s expression became even worse, a mask of dawning horror and profound anger. T

The dates, the locations, the nature of the events—they were all converging.

The old man’s voice, devoid of its earlier warmth, became grim.

"These newspapers never got published to the public. Their publishers were killed or shut down by authorities. The information was suppressed. These events were covered up by the very Legacy Families I told you about, the ones colluding with alien races."

William’s gaze hardened, meeting Klaus’s eyes directly.

"Do you still think they left you because they were poor?" His voice was a direct challenge, forcing Klaus to confront a horrifying truth.

Klaus’s mind reeled. The pieces clicked into place with brutal clarity.

He wasn’t just an orphan.

He wasn’t just abandoned due to poverty.

He was a survivor of a massacre.

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