Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives

Warlock Ch 327. Desperate Bloodlust

Cedric's expression darkened. "You're sure?"

Damian scoffed. "100%."

Aria's lips parted slightly, a flicker of something sharp in her gaze. "The waiting rooms are supposed to be secured. The food and drink should never be tampered with."

Damian let out a dry laugh. "Well, someone had other plans." He tilted his head, watching their reactions carefully. "I figured it was part of the test, y'know? Like an extra layer of survival. But if that wasn't supposed to happen, then that means someone was deliberately messing with the contestants outside the combat zones."

Aria exchanged a look with Cedric, something unspoken passing between them.

Damian tapped his fingers against the table. "I guess that means someone wanted Selena dead and made sure of it."

A heavy, unspoken weight settled in the room. Cedric inhaled slowly. "That… is not something we can ignore."

Aria's voice was quieter now, but no less intense. "How often did this happen?"

Damian tilted his head slightly, thinking. "Not every time. I'd say it was random, maybe every other waiting room, maybe more. But it was consistent enough that it wasn't an accident." His fingers curled slightly. "At first, I thought it was targeting all the contestants, just making things harder. But now?" He exhaled. "It makes sense if someone had a specific target."

Aria's voice was even colder. "That is a direct attack on fae royalty."

Damian leaned back, stretching his arms. "Yep. Which means whoever planned this wasn't just after an S-rank bloodbath. They had other pieces in play."

Aria nodded slightly, but her expression remained unreadable. "And the third segment?"

Damian let out a short breath. "That part was really messed up."

The scribes didn't pause, the sound of quills scratching against parchment filling the heavy silence.

Damian continued. "When I finished my fight in segment three, I should've been teleported to the last waiting room immediately." He paused. "But there was a delay."

Cedric frowned. "A delay?"

"Yeah." Damian's voice was sharp now, serious. "I don't know how long it was, but for a moment, nothing happened. The fight ended, and Selena and I were just standing there, waiting for the teleportation to activate." His fingers drummed against the table. "Then, we got another ambush."

Aria's expression sharpened. "By who?"

Damian shrugged. "Some desperate bastards. The remaining contestants. Don't know their name, didn't stick around long enough to ask. But here's the thing—if we had been teleported on time? They wouldn't have even gotten close. That delay gave them the opening to almost kill us both before we were transferred out."

The memory was still fresh. The remaining contestants—those who had survived the brutal earlier segments—had turned on them immediately.

It hadn't been a strategy.

It had been pure, desperate bloodlust.

A fight that should never have happened.

Cedric was watching him closely now. "And you're telling me you survived that without using anything abnormal?"

Damian grinned tiredly. "Define abnormal."

Cedric didn't react, but Aria's gaze didn't leave him, as if she were peeling apart his words, searching for something unsaid.

Damian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look. I didn't cheat. I didn't break any rules. I fought my way through, same as everyone else." He gestured vaguely. "But let's not pretend the exam was normal in the first place."

Aria's voice was sharp. "It wasn't."

Cedric pinched the bridge of his nose. "This means two things. First, there was outside interference in the exam itself. And second—" His eyes burned as they turned to Aria. "I bet Senator Ralvek knew."

Damian pressed his lips together, glancing at Aria. 'Here we go…'

He knew that was probably true. Hell, he'd put money on it. But saying it out loud? That was a whole different issue.

Because they had no proof.

None.

Just logic, suspicion, and the fact that Ralvek had conveniently vanished before this entire shitstorm hit its peak. But suspicion wasn't enough to take down someone like him.

And Aria…

Damian wasn't sure she'd accept an accusation like that so easily. Not when it involved the senators' good name.

And yeah. He was right.

Aria didn't hesitate. "It's too early to assume Senator Ralvek was involved." Her voice was cold, firm. "You have no evidence."

Cedric exhaled sharply. "He left before this even started—"

"That does not make him guilty." Aria's eyes met Cedric's without a single flicker of doubt. "If you accuse him now, without proof, all you'll do is give him more leverage."

Damian hated that she had a point.

He couldn't say anything.

And neither could the battle mage.

Even a damn SSS-rank like Cassius couldn't just throw around accusations at a senator without consequences. That was how they disappeared. That was how accidents happened. The only ones who could speak this freely—without it immediately becoming a crime—were fellow senators and the royalty.

And even then, it wasn't that simple.

Because getting rid of Senator Ralvek?

Yeah. That wasn't going to be easy.

Cedric's jaw clenched. He knew this. But that didn't mean he had to like it. "So what, we just wait? Let him walk around untouched while we clean up his mess?"

Aria's voice was steady. "You have to gather more proof."

Cedric's eyes darkened. "And what if he's already destroying it?"

Damian finally spoke. "Then we need to move fast."

Cedric's gaze flickered to him, unreadable. "You're suggesting a direct approach?"

Damian shrugged. "I mean, yeah. I'm not a politician. I don't give a damn about 'procedure' or 'diplomacy' or whatever bullshit you guys have to deal with. But I do know that if we don't start pulling at the right threads now, we'll be too late."

Cedric looked between them, then exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I hate when you are actually right."

Damian smirked. "Thanks. It's terrifying, isn't it?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, exhaling as if he was regretting every choice that led him to this moment. Before he could snap back, Aria's voice cut through the air, sharp and unforgiving.