Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Chapter 8: Rift (3)
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Aren Cruise, Marius Protal.
Mateus von Gustin, Oliver von Pezeks, Wilhelm von Bittenfeld.
The two elders of the main house and the three branch house heads had gathered in Elder Aren’s room.
But even with all five assembled, the room remained silent.
How could they not know, when they weren’t fools?
Martin’s proposal was a stratagem meant to shatter their alliance.
Yet they couldn’t shake it off easily.
The bait was just too enticing.
Independent lordship with territory, or independence and ennoblement.
The former was the elders’ deepest wish, the latter the branch heads’.
With the chance to achieve it now right before them, it was only natural they felt desperate.
The elders were shaken the most.
The branch heads might be subtly looked down on, but they were still successor lords with their own territories. Few lords wielded greater power than them, and they were rarely disrespected openly.
The elders, by contrast, had only barely received their titles from the previous lord—and those titles lasted only for their lifetimes.
The intensity of their desperation was bound to differ.
“A new offer has come in, so our previous deal is meaningless now. So I’ll ask again. What can you offer us?”
Elder Aren broke the silence, his gaze sweeping over the branch heads in turn.
Elder Marius said nothing, but nodded slightly in agreement with Aren.
“This is absurd, Elder Aren. Even if you secure the core, do you really believe the young lord will hand over territory so easily? This is a ploy to drive a wedge between us!”
“And that’s not all. Searching for the core in that vast dungeon will lead to plenty of clashes—and heavy losses in manpower. I can’t fathom why you’d fall for such an obvious trick.”
Oliver and Wilhelm retorted with incredulous expressions.
But Elder Aren met their stares with an impassive face.
At the same time, he sensed it.
The unbridgeable gulf between them and their counterparts.
“Surely you all know the situation has changed drastically since we first agreed to cooperate?”
When the previous lord died and they held their first meeting, their conclusion had been simple.
First, strip Martin of his commoner status and expel him from the Adalbert family.
Then the branch heads would compete among themselves, with the losers going independent. They would also carve out part of the main house’s domain to make the elders lords.
That had been their pact.
But Martin awakening his unique ability had derailed things from the start, and now, after subjugating even Baldemar von Rustal, it was all for naught.
“Defying the young lord now means ruin. Just like Baldemar von Rustal. Knowing that, do you still want to become family heads?”
A twitch.
At the mention of Baldemar’s name from Elder Aren’s lips, Oliver and Wilhelm’s eyes sharpened.
But neither dared to rebut hastily.
Mateus, who had been listening silently, kept his eyes closed and evaded a response.
Elder Aren pressed on undeterred.
“Whether it’s us or you, we’re all clearly out of the young lord’s favor. But you, with so much already, can afford to play along for a bit and then pull out without much loss.”
“We’re different. All we have are our positions as main house elders and lifetime titles.”
“They’re empty shells. The moment the young lord becomes family head, they vanish. If you intend to keep making us take risks, shouldn’t you offer more?”
“I agree with Elder Aren. That’s only fair, isn’t it?”
“…….”
Oliver and Wilhelm couldn’t reply lightly.
Their positions were too disparate; they instinctively knew no words would sway the elders.
That was when it happened.
When Mateus finally spoke up.
“Elder Aren, don’t you have your own responsibilities to shoulder?”
“What do you mean by that, Mateus?”
“What caused this mess in the first place? You giving the young lord those 100 days. Just to show off your good side to everyone.”
“I did propose it first, true. But what does that matter? You all agreed eagerly. Even Vincent von Igrit.”
It’s our collective responsibility.
Elder Aren countered immediately, and Mateus nodded.
Vincent had supported it because he genuinely wanted to give Martin a chance.
The other heads and elders had agreed to mock Martin.
Mateus, meanwhile, had offered no opinion at the time. As a bystander, he had no ground to press the issue.
“The young lord used that opportunity as a springboard to seize his current power—and you played the biggest role. No matter how you spin it, your proposal was the one accepted. That’s why you’re holding back now, isn’t it, Elder Aren?”
“…….”
“But it seems the young lord has no place for you in his heart.”
Elder Aren’s eyes turned fierce.
“What are you implying?”
“If the young lord truly valued you, would Elder Oriana be at his side now? Of course not.”
“That’s…….”
“As you said earlier, we can step back here without much loss. No matter how much the young lord dislikes us, as long as we don’t pull something idiotic like Baldemar, he can’t touch us. But you and Elder Marius are different. Do you think the young lord will let slide how you even betrayed the previous lord’s dying wish?”
“Mateus von Gustin!”
Elder Aren was skilled at maintaining composure in any crisis.
This time, though, he couldn’t contain his rage and stomped the ground hard.
A sword was suddenly gripped in his right hand, slashing out like lightning.
He didn’t infuse it with mana or aura.
Even so, it was a strike deadly enough to kill.
A halt.
But Elder Aren stopped short of his final step.
Mateus’s sword was now at his throat.
Had he pressed on, it would have pierced his neck.
“Calmed down? If you’ve got more steam to blow off, I’ll give you a proper fight.”
Mateus replied in a leisurely tone.
Elder Aren silently sheathed his sword.
He’d drawn it in excessive excitement, but he knew full well.
The gap between his opponent and himself.
Mateus von Gustin was one of the rare 8th-circle powerhouses alongside Vincent.
“Playing into the young lord’s scheme is regrettable, but with trust shattered between us, cooperation is impossible. Let’s each handle the monster wave core on our own.”
With that, Mateus rose from his seat.
Oliver and Wilhelm followed him.
“……What will you do, Elder Aren?”
“We must focus on finding the core as well. We can worry about the rest later.”
“We’ve all had our share of late-life troubles.”
“The day we achieve our dreams is near. We’ll endure this much.”
“I agree. But we need to give those half-baked posers a good smackdown to settle things.”
“Let’s think about that too.”
Elder Aren and Elder Marius’s eyes gleamed.
For all their words, the two would inevitably become rivals.
They both knew it well.
Martin’s scheme had worked perfectly.
* * *
Elot Mountain, on the western outskirts of Vareahein City.
There, Martin stared at Christian Haberz standing before him.
The continent-renowned A-rank adventurer grinned brightly, a smile too boyish for his 34 years.
It felt like looking at a mischievous rascal.
“You sure about this? Even if you’re from the Adalbert family, the young lord won’t get any favors.”
“Just don’t come crying to me later for a rematch.”
“That’ll never happen.”
“We’ll see.”
“I’ve learned one thing living to 34: sometimes you know things without experiencing them.”
“Sometimes you mistake that and get smashed.”
Martin didn’t yield an inch.
Realizing banter was pointless, Christian summoned his mana.
Roar!
Blue flames bloomed like an aurora, dyeing the surroundings.
Martin drew mana from the cores in his abdomen and head, golden energy rising around him.
“Not drawing your sword?”
“That’s my line.”
“I’m strong enough without one. You, young lord, have focused solely on swordsmanship, haven’t you? For a fair match, we should keep it even.”
“I’ll decide whether to draw after gauging your skill.”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious. If you’re worth making me draw my sword.”
“……To think the young lord knows how to get under someone’s skin like this. I guarantee you’ll regret it. Facing me without your sword.”
“I hope so.”
Whoosh!
The moment Martin finished speaking, the widespread flames condensed into fist-sized orbs in an instant.
There were nearly a hundred of them.
Undeterred, Christian thrust out his left fist.
At his will, the fiery orbs streaked toward Martin, trailing long tails.
“Whew.”
Martin clenched his right fist tight.
Following the Lotaer body technique’s breathing method, mana gathered in his fist. He punched with all his might.
He didn’t forget to activate Distortion of All Things, warping space.
Boom!
Golden currents infused with the Igrit family’s unique ability, Spatial Repulsion, swirled like a vortex.
They blew away the fiery orbs in one go.
But Martin couldn’t rejoice.
‘Tch.’
The scattered embers flickered and turned into tiny dots.
And the power from each dot was hardly inferior to the original orbs.
Worse, their number had increased, surrounding Martin completely in fiery specks.
‘His mana control is incredible.’
With a sword, maybe—but barehanded, he couldn’t manipulate mana that finely.
Neither Lotaer body technique nor Distortion of All Things emphasized precision.
But that was it.
Hadn’t he learned passing Arelia’s trial?
The key was flow.
‘Smash them all at once.’
Steel ing his resolve, Martin thrust his left fist this time.
An even larger torrent surged out, still laced with Spatial Repulsion.
Boom boom boom boom!
The clash of golden currents and flames unleashed a massive shockwave, upheaving the earth.
Endless dust clouds darkened the sky.
A scene of devastation—but Martin and Christian stood unharmed.
“Wow. Combining a unique ability with body techniques is no joke. By the way, young lord, next time I see those guys who said you only excel at swordsmanship, I’ll smack them one. With skills like these, were their eyes just for show?”
“The Adalbert family is the continent’s premier swordsmanship house. Being unmatched in swordplay is just par for the course. To get proper respect, you have to excel in body techniques and everything else too.”
“That’s a prestigious house for you…… So, what now? Still not drawing your sword against me?”
Hum.
Instead of answering, Martin opened his subspace.
The noble sword Kaizen leaped out.
Only then did Christian nod in satisfaction.
Roar.
Blue flames then rose in a ring, warping space.
From the rift emerged the hilt of a greatsword, which Christian drew with force.
“Worthy of an A-rank adventurer. Affecting space with flames.”
“Eh, anyone at 7th circle can do this. Though a space-affinity young lord like you might never grasp it.”
“Probably not.”
From 7th circle on, one could influence space with their unique ability or martial art.
Of course, it paled against true space powers, so it meant little to Adalbert main or branch members.
“Shall we start?”
“Yes.”
Boom boom boom!
The moment the words ended, golden currents and blue flames engulfed the area.