Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Sorting the Hierarchy (2)
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Tremble, tremble.
Elder Aren shook violently as if he had gone mad.
Cold sweat had already drenched his entire body.
His opponent was speaking informally, unlike usual, but he didn't even have the leeway to point that out.
“How in the world did you get here...?”
He simply couldn't comprehend it.
This secret hideout was quite a distance from not only the Adalbert estate but also from Barhein City.
The other elders knew only of its existence, not its exact location—how had Martin found his way here?
Separate from that, a certain thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘This place would be perfect...’
He had spread mana in all directions, yet the only presence he detected was Martin's.
And this spot could be considered a perfect sealed chamber.
If he disposed of the man before him and destroyed the place itself, no one would ever know it was his doing.
With Martin dead, the Adalbert family would naturally fall into chaos, and if he, as an elder, stepped in to sort it out, becoming lord wouldn't be out of the question.
Squeeze.
Elder Aren clenched his fist tightly.
At that moment, what caught his eye was—
Heh.
The thick smile forming at the corner of Martin's mouth.
It was obvious at a glance that his opponent was utterly at ease.
Seeing this, one fact surfaced in Elder Aren's mind.
‘The Young Lord killed the Crimson Death God.’
Heinz Schwarzenbeck, of the same generation as himself.
His realm was 8th Circle, one step above his own.
Of course, due to the age difference, he fell short of a true 8th Circle, but it was still 8th Circle.
Yet such a powerhouse had fallen in a one-on-one fight to Martin.
Even if he went all out, did he really have a chance of winning?
The conclusion came swiftly, and Elder Aren finally released his fist.
He had lived a long life, but he had no desire to die.
“Too bad. I thought this was the perfect chance to test my new power.”
At Martin's words, Elder Aren's heart sank.
At the same time, he realized something.
The room had grown hot before he knew it.
He couldn't fathom what trickery the man had employed, but one thing was clear.
If he had attacked, he truly would have lost his life.
With a resigned expression, he asked,
“Sigh. Why does the Young Lord know of this place? Even the previous Family Head didn't.”
“Why do you think Father didn't know? He was aware even of the Rustal family's corruption.”
It was a lie.
He remembered because he had fought Elder Aren before his regression and the man had fled here once.
Of course, the opponent would never learn that fact.
“I hate you, Elder Aren. No, scratch that—I despise all the branch family heads except Sir Vincent, and you elders too. Here's a question. Why do you think I've let you all live until now, despite hating you?”
“......Because we haven't betrayed the Young Lord directly.”
“Exactly. But the situation has changed now, hasn't it?”
Elder Aren squeezed his eyes shut and fell silent.
Martin had heard everything.
Given the man's cunning nature, he had likely recorded it as well.
If that got out, he was finished.
“Whew. What is it you want, Young Lord?”
“Simple. Like Elder Oriana did, bow your head to me. And wag your tail like a dog.”
Twitch, twitch.
Elder Aren's eyes trembled violently.
He had lived a long time, but this was the first time he had been treated with such humiliation.
“Why get mad? Shouldn't you be grateful instead? I've not only saved your life but preserved your reputation too. Ah, do you want compensation perhaps?”
Martin spoke as if he had only just realized, despite knowing full well.
The sight was utterly repulsive.
“There are many territories in the North that have lost their lords right now. With the branch family heads who rebelled gone, new vacancies will open up. If you follow my orders obediently and rack up merits, nothing stops you from becoming a lord. I can fulfill your long-held wish.”
“Anyone can spout pretty words, Young Lord.”
“So? You don't believe me and plan to side with the Royce Marquisate? But is Nicholas von Royce someone trustworthy? I don't think so at all.”
“That is...... Whew.”
Elder Aren let out another sigh.
No one was unaware of how cunning Nicholas was.
After seizing the Adalbert family, he was the type to purge all his collaborators under the pretext of promoting his own people.
“You saw it with Elder Oriana. I have no intention of purging those who swear loyalty to me. I'll work them to the bone instead. But that's not so bad for you, is it? Bow your head to me, Elder Aren Cruise. Then I'll definitely grant you your wish.”
The humiliating treatment still ignited fierce anger.
Yet at the same time, Martin's offer tempted him.
It was the safest way to achieve his dream.
“Just swear loyalty, Young Lord?”
“Not quite. To become a lord, you need merits befitting one, right? Just carry out my orders perfectly. Then you can become a lord. Easy, isn't it?”
“What do I need to do?”
“Something simple. Namely......”
As Martin's words ended, Elder Aren's eyes widened.
It was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
But he had no right to argue.
“Understood, Young Lord.”
“I expect good results, Elder Aren. Despite everything, my expectations for you are high.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
Finally, Elder Aren bowed his head to Martin.
* * *
Hum.
As space split open, Martin stepped into his office.
Sien was already waiting there.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yeah. Elder Aren will follow my orders faithfully now.”
“You really trust him? That guy wouldn't seem out of place if he betrayed us.”
“Elder Marius, maybe. But Elder Aren is greedy. He won't be satisfied until he has everything he wants. Following me lets him keep his built-up reputation intact while fulfilling his dream. He has no other choice.”
“But if he does betray us? Our intel could leak.”
“We'll just account for that from now on.”
“You know that's incredibly difficult, right?”
“Not really.”
As Martin shrugged, Sien shot him a glare as if he were annoying.
The sight was so cute he nearly laughed, but he held it back.
He turned his head.
At the edge of his vision, documents were piled up like a mountain.
Kurt Steinhoff was buried under them, looking utterly disheveled.
Yet he read through each one without a care, writing and organizing repeatedly.
‘He's monstrous.’
The thought crossed his mind; Kurt was that focused on the work.
His presence even carried an intimidating aura.
Rustle.
Finally finishing up, Kurt rose from his seat.
He gathered the stack of documents in his arms and approached Martin directly.
Thud!
In an instant, Martin's desk was covered in papers.
“Please review the contents.”
“Hmm. Is this all I need to look over?”
“No. You need to review three times this amount.”
“......You've been at this since yesterday and already got through that much?”
“Not quite. Roughly half confirmed.”
Martin wore an appalled expression.
It had been a long time.
Since he last felt shock dealing with someone else.
He had been away from the family for about a month, so work had piled up accordingly.
Yet half of it in one day?
Was that even possible?
“It's not that impressive. The previous secretaries handled things well, so it went quickly.”
“You know realizing that makes it even more ridiculous?”
“This is nothing compared to what I did at the Reize Library.”
Kurt answered calmly.
Then Sien chimed in playfully with a grin.
“Now you get it? How others feel when you say stuff like that?”
“......Hate to admit it, but yeah, I do. I thought I was good with paperwork, but this guy's on another level.”
“There has to be a difference between him, Young Lord, and me. I just offer opinions, but you have to make the decisions.”
“Should I say thanks for recognizing that?”
Martin smiled wryly at Kurt's words.
But what could he do?
Desk work was important too, so he needed to tackle it with his all.
Just not yet.
There was still more to do.
“We'll handle this later...... Sien, could you step out for a bit? I have something to discuss privately.”
“Sure.”
At Martin's serious expression, Sien agreed readily and left the office.
Kurt then showed curiosity.
As far as he knew, Sien was the person Martin cherished most.
He wondered what he could possibly have to say to him alone.
“I have one question......”
“Please, go ahead.”
“There's a woman. She shows favor toward me even though we haven't really interacted much.”
“Hmm. Surely not a romance issue?”
“I can say this for sure: she's definitely not attracted to me romantically.”
“Then in what sense is she favorable?”
“Like helping me even while defying her family head's will?”
“If not affection...... She must want something. Something she aims to achieve through you, Young Lord?”
“Something she wants to achieve, huh.”
Martin thought of Adel Bittenfeld.
Before his regression, they had never properly spoken.
Even after she saved him.
It had to be that way.
At the time, he could only focus on Oliver von Bittenfeld, who was openly gunning for his position.
Moreover, after saving him, she had left the family entirely.
Any chance of meeting vanished.
In any case, he owed her clearly, and it had ultimately helped him defeat Oliver von Bittenfeld.
He had repaid that debt during this monster wave incident.
‘Hold on.’
He recalled something from the family records.
Adel Bittenfeld's mother had been a maid.
But Adel was fortunate.
Born with excellent talent and aptitude for unique abilities.
She honed it to surpass her younger brother, born to the principal wife, and became the successor.
However, she differed entirely from her father in temperament and thinking, leading to constant conflicts.
‘What if Oliver von Bittenfeld, dissatisfied with his daughter, tried to replace her as successor?’
In fact, Oliver had stripped her of the position the moment she lost her left arm.
After that, she only left for battles on the family head's orders, otherwise confined to a secret family hideout.
So Adel couldn't possibly like her father.
For such a woman to become head of House Bittenfeld?
‘She needs my recognition.’
It was just a hypothesis, so he couldn't be certain yet.
“Kurt.”
“Yes.”
“Investigate House Bittenfeld's succession structure.”
“As you command, Young Lord.”
Kurt bowed his head in response.
Watching him, Martin fell into thought.
‘Oliver von Bittenfeld will definitely betray us. If my hypothesis is right, we could crush him far easier than expected...... The key is Adel Bittenfeld's capabilities.’
Was she simply leaning on him?
Or had she prepared to become head and now sought a trump card?
He would decide how to treat her based on that.
But then—
Bzzz.
The communication crystal orb on one corner of the desk vibrated.
‘Who could it be?’
Since returning to the family, he had contacted everyone he needed to, including the First Princess.
He had no clue who might be reaching out to him now.
Flash!
As Martin infused mana into the orb, a bright light bloomed.
It soon shifted into a human form, and Martin couldn't help but chuckle.
He had never imagined the very subject of their talk would contact him.
-Hello, Young Lord?-
It was none other than Adel Bittenfeld.
“Long time no see, Adel Bittenfeld. Thanks for reaching out— I was just about to send a message myself.”
Martin replied with a bright smile as well.