Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Queen of the Psychics (2)
Psychic Luminous was composed of the Kepler family, which was akin to sacred bones, at its center, along with seven minor families and several bloodlines that had fallen from nobility to commoner status.
However, despite being multiple surnames, the bonds that had held them tightly together for hundreds of years under the great cause of creating an ideal world for psychics far exceeded the solidarity of any distinguished family.
Well, it was impossible that there hadn't been marriage talks between the families during that long period, so they were also quite close in terms of blood relations.
Maria was a miraculous mutation that had appeared through the long-continued unions in the small society created by these psychics.
Although she was a being designated as queen and actually held power in her grasp, to Maria, they were not simply monarchs and subjects, but brothers and sisters, grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles, aunts, and relatives who could never be called strangers.
"The Bellatrix bastards' rampage has gone too far! They're tearing apart and rebuilding all the areas we managed according to their own tastes!"
"I have no idea what Duke Delphione was thinking when he brought those people in!"
"Isn't it because they're fellow great nobles? What exactly are we lacking that we need such bastards...!"
As if to prove the Psychic Luminous's recent atmosphere, the meeting was chaotic.
"But we've been too haphazard until now. It's true that efficiency has increased dramatically since they started interfering with the system..."
"Hey! Are you then siding with those magician bastards?"
"That's not what I meant, is it?"
"But if magicians intervene in management like this, we can't predict how our influence will change. Delphione wouldn't care much who takes the initiative as long as they can exert their influence."
"We need to drive those bastards out first!"
The meeting was heading toward an increasingly heated state.
Whenever emotions seemed to escalate too much, Matheus Kepler would step forward to mediate, but even he wasn't taking a particularly active attitude.
"Bringing in magicians in the first place was wrong! Even without such bastards, we alone are enough to crush those demon trash!"
"That's right! Even if it's the Demon King, if it's Lady Maria, it's certainly possible!"
"Let's confront Duke Delphione! Tell them we don't need to depend on them!"
Maria sighed as she watched the meeting.
Originally, she too had the duty to mediate the meeting or resolve conflicts together with Matheus.
However, due to yesterday's discussion with Rudian, she maintained silence throughout this meeting without saying a single word.
"......"
Several people noticed her silence and glanced at her, but Maria's attitude remained unchanged.
The meeting, now without brakes, gradually began to intensify to the point where shouting and curses were exchanged.
'Father....'
Maria noticed that her father, Matheus Kepler, was looking in her direction.
Maria saw that sadness was contained in Matheus's eyes.
'Inheriting the throne....'
The radical plan that Rudian had voiced still lingered in Maria's mind without disappearing.
However, Rudian had concluded definitively that if they didn't go that far, Psychic Luminous would inevitably split.
'It should be about time now....'
Just as they were beginning to get sick of the meeting.
CLATTER!
"Well, this is exactly as I expected."
The meeting room door, where heated arguments had been exchanged, opened wide with a rough noise.
Two men and one woman appeared from that door.
All eyes in the hall began to pour onto the three intruders who had suddenly burst in.
"...Viscount Rudian Belstad!"
Several people who recognized Rudian's appearance jumped up from their seats.
"What kind of rudeness is this?"
"Even knowing where this place is, you do such a thing! No matter how much we're allies, this crosses the line!"
Naturally, since this meeting room was in the middle of a mansion operated by the Kepler family's trading company, Rudian's actions were clearly unauthorized intrusion.
However, Rudian, who stood at the front, casually responded to those words.
"What are you talking about? I came because I was invited."
"Invited? What do you mean?"
"I mean the invitation from that person over there."
Rudian's finger pointed in one direction.
Following that, everyone's gaze turned.
"Family head...?"
"......"
At the end of the finger and gazes was the figure of Matheus Kepler.
Rudian continued with a bright smile.
"I heard the internal situation was noisy over this matter, and indeed it's a mess as I expected."
"What?"
"Do you think words solve everything!"
"No matter how much you hold meetings, it's natural that no conclusion comes out. So I consulted with the family head and brought a mediator to resolve the situation."
"A mediator...?"
The atmosphere that had been on the verge of explosion due to Rudian's blunt words subsided with the single word ‘mediator.’
In that situation, a boy dressed in typical magician attire who had been behind Rudian stepped forward.
"Hello? I'm Gray Bellatrix, grandfathers."
Several people frowned at Gray's attire, which blatantly appealed 'I'm a magician.'
However, their expressions changed completely at Gray's subsequent self-introduction.
"Bellatrix?"
"Gray Bellatrix! The young family head of Bellatrix!"
Although he was just a fifteen-year-old child, there was no way they wouldn't know the genius of the magic world who received Sonya's full favor.
"Well, the family head sent me because some trivial problem arose."
"......"
An uneasiness about 'what is this kid trying to say?' dominated the hall for a moment.
Gray began to smirk, mimicking Rudian's smile.
"Ah, it's a bit awkward to say this from our first meeting..."
Gray looked around at the elders of Psychic Luminous sitting at the round table and dropped a massive bomb.
"Acting like a ragtag bunch like this... How do you expect to negotiate with us?"
Everyone's actions stopped at Gray's single remark.
***
'What the hell did this little bastard just say?'
This was the common thought that crossed the minds of the Psychic Luminous elders present.
"Ah, well, I don't mind if you dream of surpassing the magic world with such a hole-in-the-wall force... But is it really okay for such a small force to be so disorganized without even unifying opinions?"
"You, you bastard!"
At Gray's excessive provocation, the elders began standing up and bursting into angry shouts without exception.
RUMBLE!
Since each one was a key figure of Psychic Luminous, their anger directly became materialized psychic power that began shaking the space.
"How dare a mere child speak so carelessly!"
"Family head! What were you thinking bringing such a thunderbolt brat!"
"I'll fix his manners!"
One hot-tempered elder lightly activated telekinesis and attacked Gray.
Then several who had barely been holding onto their sanity shouted in surprise.
"W-wait!"
"Doras! What are you doing!"
If Gray got hurt here, it would immediately lead to an all-out war with Bellatrix!
Even if they wouldn't lose, the moment war broke out, all the foundation they had painstakingly built would completely disappear!
"...Hmph."
Even though a materialized telekinetic sphere was flying toward him, Gray's expression remained unchanged.
No, rather, he was picking his ear with his pinky finger, looking completely at ease.
THUD!
Fortunately, the elder named Doras's attack didn't harm Gray.
It wasn't that Gray defended with a shield, but rather Rudian had suddenly appeared in front of Gray and neutralized the opponent's attack with the same telekinesis.
"Power neutralization!"
"How can this be! How did that guy already...?"
They knew that Rudian had acquired psychic powers using the Green World.
However, the psychic power acquired that way was only weak power at level 1 by their standards, making it absolutely impossible to block an elder's attack like that.
"Now, now, please calm down, elders."
Rudian calmed the shocked elders while also warning Gray.
"Gray, you were too harsh with your words too."
"Uh... Well, I got it."
Although Gray's expression showed a slight hint of absurdity, Rudian cheerfully ignored it.
The atmosphere had heated up momentarily, but the situation was somehow resolved.
The elders swallowed their anger and glared at Gray and Rudian who were seated.
Under such gazes, Gray opened his mouth.
"I heard that the magicians dispatched from our family have been organizing integrated organizations and performing various activities recently, and there are many complaints about that."
As soon as the words came out, complaints burst forth from various places.
"That alone wouldn't be a problem. The real problem is that magicians are performing acts of overstepping authority, such as trying to control us in areas we conquered through force."
"Moreover, how do you explain Bellatrix's capital gradually flowing into this side?"
Even at the elders' fierce criticism, Gray's expression didn't change.
"They are magicians, but they're talented individuals with rich experience in territory and trading company management. We didn't deploy combatants but administrators, and since underground organizations naturally need to be managed with force accompanying them, it's essential for administrators to move psychics who are organization members, isn't it?"
Rather, he fluently used his tongue to defeat them.
"Capital was invested because naturally that much money is needed to rebuild the system. Do you really think the Kepler family, which is merely a medium-sized trading company, could handle that much money?"
Naturally, Psychic Luminous couldn't match Bellatrix in terms of financial power.
"Ugh...! But no matter what, proceeding with work unilaterally without notice is against etiquette!"
"Ah, I acknowledge that. From now on, we'll make sure to notify in advance thoroughly."
"Grr! That's not the problem!"
The elders' voices were getting louder and louder.
What they wanted was naturally for Bellatrix to withdraw from their affairs, but the problem was that those who thought this way belonged to the cautious faction within Psychic Luminous.
Some elders belonging to the hardline faction were blatantly showing killing intent toward Gray.
"Ow, my skin is all tingling."
Facing the hardline elders' intimidation head-on, Gray whistled and showed a challenging smile.
He had only shown frisky behavior for a while, but Gray originally had this kind of smooth-talking and strong-willed personality.
"It seems those people over there have many complaints?"
"Ahem...!"
"It's not simply solved by us withdrawing, but you seem like people who don't like the profession of magician itself..."
Gray looked at Matheus Kepler, who was at the center of the meeting, and spoke.
"Would you like to hear one proposal from me?"
"What proposal?"
Matheus, who had been quietly keeping his mouth shut until now, opened it.
"Honestly, I'm not fond of this kind of back-and-forth pushing and pulling either, and I don't think you'll be satisfied just because we make small concessions."
"You've grasped the point well. So what are you suggesting?"
"Do people in our line of work really solve things with words?"
Actually, they do solve things with words.
There are academies that exist openly for that purpose.
However, what both sides wanted wasn't this.
"Let's just have a clean fight."
At those words, the atmosphere in the room rapidly froze.
"Are you suggesting war?"
At Matheus's stiffly hardened words, Gray waved his hand and laughed.
"Hey, why are you being so extreme? It's just a matter of choosing representatives to fight, isn't it?"
"...Representatives?"
BANG!
Gray struck the table and stood up from his seat.
"Naturally, I alone will be this side's representative. I don't care who comes out from among you, so I'll accept challenges."
"Are you serious?"
"I'll accept challenges from up to three people total. If we lose, we'll withdraw while leaving all the money our family has invested so far intact. But if we win... You'll have to swear never to covet the magicians' supremacy again."
"......!"
Everyone present stared at Gray with bewildered eyes.