VIP Chapter 533: “I killed him”
The funeral was scheduled for three p.m.
The location for the funeral was the lawn of the Hysterm Family home.
A coffin, covered in a layer of frozen magic, lay quietly there.
Three rows of black metal shadows, each carrying an umbrella, were prepared for the guests.
The gentle drizzle continued without stopping.
It wasn’t heavy, so light that the sound of raindrops on the umbrellas was inaudible. It was only when one lowered their umbrella and gazed at the sky that they could feel a slight chill on their face.
Will held a black umbrella—dressed so conventionally for a funeral meant to prove his legitimacy was indeed a very fitting choice.
“Thank you for waiting—it’s quite unexpected that so many of his ‘friends’ would come to the funeral for someone like him.”
He was not accompanied by anyone; the three girls stood outside the funeral grounds.
His clean leather shoes stepped onto the slightly muddy grass, the edges accumulating a bit of soil and grass clippings due to the rain.
The funeral venue was completely full.
Moreover, since Will had deliberately not arranged enough chairs, many people stood beside the chairs, holding their umbrellas.
Finally, Will walked up to the small podium.
It was very simply constructed, and behind it lay Carver’s transparent coffin. One could see the final BOSS, whom Will had painstakingly defeated, now tidied up by the undertaker’s hands, lying there as if he could open his eyes at any moment.
Will cast a glance at it with only a hint of regret.
He didn’t even feign “sadness.”
Because he understood better than anyone present—
Though Carver, lying behind him, was probably experiencing “death” for the first time, he definitely wouldn’t believe it would “end here.” Perhaps in the next New World, he would “greet” Will when he was still an infant.
However…
Having survived in the “current world,” he still had to face the problems laid out before him due to Carver’s death.
“Welcome, everyone, to the funeral of my dear and respected father. Three days ago, during a banquet, Mr. Carver Hysterm met with misfortune and fell into eternal slumber.”
Will formally began the eulogy.
He took out a piece of paper torn from a notebook, covered in dense writing.
Just as he had thought.
This part of the ceremony only required him alone.
After all, lying behind him, though their “consciousness” had never viewed each other as father and son, they were, in the eyes of others and by “blood,” a true father and son.
At a moment like this, anyone standing by his side would make the occasion seem less like “Carver’s funeral.”
“Undoubtedly, my father, the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild, the head of the Hysterm Family, was a truly great man.”
Though these words might sound nauseating, Will had written this eulogy word for word.
“Perhaps everyone here knows this better than I do. He personally transformed dungeon exploration into something we could not even imagine, and earned an immense fortune from it.”
As he read, he observed the expressions of everyone in the audience.
“For the Adventurers, he ensured their survival and improved dungeon clearing efficiency. Undoubtedly, he saved many lives under his leadership.”
The Hysterm Family’s network was indeed complex.
The largest faction consisted of Adventurers, many of whom were likely “enforcers” personally hired by Carver.
These individuals didn’t really care who sat at the head of the Adventurer’s Guild.
They only cared about who could pay them enough money, or rather, who could manage the dungeons from which they plundered wealth.
“For other nobles, he was indeed a unique existence. He elevated the Adventurer faction to prominence, established connections with the Royal Family, and altered the power dynamics of Entak.”
However, the other faction consisted of other nobles.
It was widely known that although the Hysterms held the title of nobility, they were essentially treated as merchants.
From the time Treya specifically “watched over” the dungeon factions, they had held a grudge against the Hysterm Family.
They were the ones most likely to challenge Will’s “legitimacy.”
“He truly lived a magnificent life, dedicating himself to the great cause of adventurers, whether viewed as a friend or a partner, everyone would agree.”
Three-fifteen p.m.
Up to this point, the funeral’s atmosphere was still very much like a “funeral.”
Everyone wore expressions of sorrow, and some even hid their faces and wept.
However, Will likely knew that very few people down there were genuinely shedding tears.
“But…”
Will sighed deeply and continued to the most crucial part of the eulogy.
As a eulogy, besides the part of “mourning” that everyone could acknowledge, there had to be a little bit of the writer’s own personal thoughts.
He folded the paper in his hand, closed it, and put it into his pocket, symbolizing that what he was about to say had nothing to do with the pre-written eulogy—
“To me… he was the most detestable father.”
“He never truly cared about me, and barely even came home. After I started school, he abandoned the old house where I had lived for so many years without my consent.”
“Oh, and most disgustingly, the way he hated me is now laid out before you all.”
“He never intended to give me the position of Family Head, so he never provided me with any resources from the Adventurer’s Guild, nor did he intend to introduce me to any of you.”
As he said this, he glanced at his “brother” and “sister.”
The age gap between Will and them wasn’t very large, perhaps around five years.
The most difficult people to deal with at this entire funeral were precisely them.
Just as Will had said—
Whoever inherited the position of the Hysterm Family Head, it shouldn’t have been him.
“Therefore, to him who now slumbers in the coffin behind me, I offer my blessing: I hope he fares as splendidly in hell as he did here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Will had anticipated what would happen.
His gaze was already fixed on a certain person—
Adam Hysterm.
“Since you say that, you must understand clearly. How ‘suspicious’ your claim to the Family Head position is? Of course, what’s even more suspicious is Father’s ‘death’.”
Strictly speaking, perhaps Will should have called him “Big Brother”?
At least before Carver’s death, he was the one most likely to inherit the “Family Head” title.
Although Will, having seen all of Carver’s memories, knew very well that Carver probably never intended to choose a successor. His life had never reached a point where a Family Head needed to be appointed.
Someone always had to light the fuse for the bombs planted, and it was most fitting for the eldest son of the Hysterm Family to be that person.
Everyone present was waiting for this “bomb” to explode towards Will.
Some wanted to gain more profit from it.
Some wanted to achieve higher status from it.
And some wanted to seize the Hysterm Family from it.
Once this bomb detonated, Will would become the target of everyone at the funeral.
“You suddenly ‘returned alive’ from that banquet, bringing news of his death and… that horribly disfigured corpse, holding his glasses and claiming the Family Head position is now yours…”
Will felt that this eldest brother had indeed been meticulously groomed by Carver.
In a few sentences, he had brought all the conflict and Will’s “crimes” out into the open.
As if fearing others wouldn’t understand.
“Oh, right, it does seem there are quite a few suspicious points about me—or rather, the fact that I am alive while he lies there is the biggest suspicion? When he held a funeral for me, wasn’t he a bit more meticulous than I am this time?”
“You—!”
Seeing Will speak in such a taunting tone, Adam even stood up, facing the continuing rain, eager to charge at him.
“Alright, then I admit it.”
Will spread his hands.
At this point, the three points he had listed were utterly useless.
“I killed him… that’s what you all want to hear, isn’t it?”
—Since that’s the case, why not turn this bomb back onto everyone present?
