Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 409: Taken

Warlock Ch 409. Taken

"You are not a servant," Victoria said, brushing her long coat back as she entered from the hall, her heels clicking softly against the tile. "But we are your allies. And judging from how you're leaking tension all over the floor, I'm guessing you found more than garbage and memories."

Damian opened his mouth again—and then Evelyn appeared on the stairs above, arms crossed, barefoot, and in one of his black shirts again. Her eyes narrowed the moment she looked at his face.

"...And based on your expression," she said, "it's not good."

Damian exhaled, long and hard. The kind that said he really wanted to argue but also knew they were right.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Five minutes."

He turned and walked back into the main living room. Cassius followed without comment. Victoria and Evelyn flanked him like silent specters.

Once inside, Damian sat on the armrest of the couch, hands steepled, his voice low but sharp.

"Cedric and Alric were taken. Not escorted. Taken."

Evelyn's eyes widened slightly.

"Are you sure?" Cassius asked.

"I traced the mana trails. Saw the spectral echoes. Blood smears. Struggle. Then a forced teleport—messy anchor, overridden sigil. And the fake seal? Forged. From House Marenvell."

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "A noble family."

"Minor. Fae nobility. Enough access to be dangerous, not enough status to get what they want legitimately. And," Damian added, "they're tied to artifact duplication and illusion magic. You can guess what they used." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Cassius sat down across from him. "And Cedric?"

"Holding something," Damian said. "A scroll. I couldn't read it. But whatever it was, he didn't want to leave it behind. Then he hesitated. And they grabbed him. He didn't resist after that."

Victoria crossed her arms. "So they needed him alive."

"Exactly," Damian said. "They didn't kill him. They didn't even restrain him in a brutal way. They took him for a purpose. And I'm betting that purpose is the Central Archive vault."

Evelyn stepped closer. "The one only fae royal blood can open."

"Right," Damian said. "And they couldn't get Selena."

"So they grabbed Cedric instead," Cassius muttered.

"Which means," Damian continued, voice now tight, "Selena might still be a target. And if she hears this before we're ready… she'll do something reckless."

Victoria raised a brow. "You're planning to tell her?"

Damian nodded. "Yeah. She deserves to know. But I want my shadow servants to confirm the location first. If she's going to move, it has to be with us, not alone."

Evelyn sat beside him, placing a hand gently on his arm. "You're doing the right thing."

"Doesn't feel like it," Damian muttered, staring at his palm like it didn't quite belong to him anymore. "I just left five corpses in an alley, nearly got spotted twice, and I've still got blood under my nails."

He flexed his fingers slowly, like the act of killing hadn't fully left his bones yet.

"I'm an SS-ranked Warlock now," he said after a moment, his voice low and rough. "A corrupted one."

That word hung in the room.

Corrupted.

Victoria's smile faltered. Evelyn looked at him quietly, her thumb still brushing over his forearm, grounding him.

Damian gave a hollow laugh—not cruel, not bitter. Just… empty. "It's funny. This is even worse than when I was Kaelan. I mean, Kaelan was reckless, sure. Arrogant. Too curious for his own good. But even he didn't get his SS rank from killing people like this. Not like a shadow in the street."

Cassius leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping against the armrest. "You earned it differently this time."

"Did I?" Damian asked, gaze distant. "I don't even know anymore. This city's broken. Everyone's twisting the rules, hiding behind their banners and families like they're not all knee-deep in this shit. I'm just the one cleaning it up."

"No," Evelyn said softly, squeezing his arm. "You're the one facing it."

Victoria stepped forward, her voice lighter but her eyes serious. "Kaelan might've broken things open. But Damian? Damian's still here. Still fighting. Even if the whole damn system wants to chew you up."

"Even if it already has," Damian muttered.

Cassius leaned forward again. "Then do the smart thing. Go shower. Eat something that wasn't baked last week. We'll set up new perimeter wards, prep combat gear, and wait for your shadows to check in."

Victoria tilted her head. "You look like death warmed over."

"Thanks," Damian said dryly.

"I meant it with love."

He smirked despite himself. "Yeah, yeah."

Evelyn gave his arm one last squeeze. "Go. We'll hold down the fort."

He finally stood with a quiet groan, cloak shifting around him. "Don't let Selena out of your sight."

Cassius stood too, his usual playfulness gone. "Already on it. I boosted the mansion wards with directional sensory runes—any high-tier teleport will light up the whole damn grid. And I've got six shadow servants shadowing her. One in her room, cloaked. One trailing her from above. The others are rotating in intervals. No one's getting through without us knowing."

"Unless it's from the inside," Damian muttered.

Cassius didn't argue that.

"But," he added, "even then, they'll have to go through me. And you know how fun I get when someone tries that."

Damian nodded once, a bit of tension finally bleeding out of his shoulders. "Good."

Victoria stretched, her coat flaring out behind her. "You've got ten minutes to be clean before we throw a bucket of enchanted rose water on you."

Damian groaned. "That would be an act of war."

Evelyn smiled. "Then hurry up."

And with that, Damian turned toward the stairs, the heavy air behind him filled with quiet resolve and just a little warmth. The storm wasn't over—but, he didn't feel like he was walking into it alone.

When he reached the bathroom, he peeled off his cloak, unbuckled the cloak and shirt, and tossed them in the laundry bin near the corner. His skin was sticky with dried blood and mana ash. Underneath the grime, his body was lean, scarred—and covered.