Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: A Deceptive Plan
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Gayle was filled with regret.
—Just leave him be. I will meet him.
That had been the first order.
Upon hearing that Vega had come looking for him, he had intended to meet the man himself. But his underlings had protested.
—He’s just a fallen noble. Why should we give him any special treatment?
—I can’t stand a noble ordering our boys around.
—He’s already killed one of our own.
Gayle was the boss of the Allat back alleys. But his position was less about loyalty and more about the benefits he provided.
Born and raised in the back alleys, he had accumulated the most wealth and was never stingy about taking care of his subordinates.
In the end, Gayle had given in to their opinions.
“They’re all dead!”
A panicked subordinate had run up to him with the news.
The moment he heard the report, Gayle knew his premonition had been correct.
“Shit, I knew something felt off.”
Cursing, he racked his brain.
‘He’s not the type to come here just for revenge.’
The last time he’d met Vega, the man had shown no hesitation in killing, but he hadn’t seemed emotional enough to act without a purpose.
“Don’t make another move. I will meet him.”
Having made his decision, the memory of Vega’s eyes made his heart pound.
‘I can’t just run away.’
Forcing down his fear, he went to Vega.
They met in the alley in front of Gayle’s hideout.
He was about to offer a polite greeting when Vega’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat.
The powerful grip choked the air from his lungs, and he forgot to even try to fight back. A dull pain exploded at the back of his head.
He found himself dangling from Vega’s hand, his head slammed against the alley wall.
The area immediately grew noisy as armed men appeared. Gayle desperately shouted.
“Stop!”
Gayle had risen to his position because he was quick-witted.
“Is the job I gave you done?”
“We’re… we’re working on it.”
“What did I say would happen if you were late?”
“I’ll have it finished by tomorrow.”
He had no intention of killing his underlings.
‘I can just send them somewhere far away for a while.’
As long as they were out of sight, there wouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t like he’d ask to see the bodies.
*Thud.*
As Wang-sik released his grip, Gayle fell to the ground, landing hard on his rear.
“A friend from Hemian will be coming. When you meet him, come find me.”
“Y-Yes, I understand.”
He had questions, but he didn’t ask.
He figured this was the fastest way to end this unpleasant encounter.
Just as he intended, Wang-sik turned to leave without a second thought.
His underlings flinched as they met Wang-sik’s gaze, but at Gayle’s gesture, they quickly cleared a path.
Once Wang-sik was completely gone, his men belatedly rushed over to help him up.
‘He had the eyes of a reaper.’
The memory of Vega’s gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
Two men and a woman stood before Wang-sik.
They were Daley from the Hemian Temple and Gayle, the boss of the back alleys.
—This is the woman who seduced the family head.
Wang-sik looked at the woman named Arianne.
Her face and figure were alluring, but it was the smile in her eyes that truly captivated.
Her expressions were so varied that when she opened her eyes wide, she looked as innocent as a child, yet the way she sat and stood carried both grace and coquettishness.
‘I can see why Vega fell for her.’
If he had met her on the street, he never would have guessed she was a woman from the back alleys.
Arianne offered a slight smile to Vega, who was staring at her intently.
A hint of freshness colored her shy smile as she lowered her eyes.
She was a woman of truly diverse charms.
‘It was a good idea to bring Arianne.’
Until Vega had suddenly stopped going out, he had visited Arianne every day.
She was the woman they had planned for Vega to marry, and their scheme to take over his title had only been possible because of her.
“I’ll tell you what you need to do.”
Wang-sik’s tone remained cold as he tore his gaze away from Arianne.
At this, Arianne’s expression turned to one of surprise.
She had never felt such an atmosphere from him before.
Although she had been warned on the way here, she had secretly believed she could seduce him again.
She had been certain of it when he was staring at her, but the moment he looked away, a chilling wind blew.
“If you succeed, I will grant you everything you desire.”
Gayle, not quite understanding, asked for clarification. In contrast, Daley of Hemian, whose desires were clear, waited for the terms to be stated.
“I intend to adopt an heir. And I will officially pass on the title of Family Head.”
From Gayle’s perspective, the terms were astonishingly good.
‘Is it because of Arianne?’
It would make sense if Vega still wanted to marry Arianne.
“What is it that I must do?” Gayle asked, seizing the unexpected opportunity.
“Do to another what you did to me.”
“What?”
“I’m telling you to do what you do best.”
Seeing their confusion, Wang-sik revealed his true plan.
“The second son of the Magnon family. Create an insurmountable debt for him.”
When one falls, another is bound to rise.
The Magnon family was the one that had grown by feeding on the downfall of Lennox.
The territory, which had amounted to fifteen percent of Allat, had been transferred directly to the Magnons, and twenty percent of the business rights had also become theirs.
Now, they had become the most powerful family not just in Allat, but on the entire eastern coast.
“The second son of the Magnon family… you don’t mean Vice Admiral Leonard, do you?”
The man Wang-sik had named.
He was using the Magnon family’s power to serve as a Vice Admiral at the Allat Naval Base.
There were eight Vice Admirals under three Admirals, and he was one of them.
Among the Vice Admirals, he was the youngest, and his promotion to Admiral was considered a certainty as long as he didn’t cause any major trouble.
“Is that a problem?”
Gayle couldn’t answer right away.
Magnon Leonard was one of the biggest players in Allat.
As he hesitated, Daley, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“How large of a debt would be sufficient?”
“Enough to shake his position as the next family head will be sufficient.”
What Wang-sik wanted wasn’t money.
He was telling them to tarnish the man’s honor.
Hearing this, the expressions of both Gayle and Daley hardened.
This was a job that would undoubtedly have repercussions, even if they succeeded.
With the succession of the Magnon family still undecided, the three sons were engaged in fierce competition.
The reason the second son, Leonard, was serving at the notoriously difficult naval base was to build his reputation.
If such a man were to be pushed out of the succession race by a specific individual, there would surely be consequences.
“You were so eager to strip Lennox of all his money and honor, but you find Magnon to be a challenge?”
He wanted to say it was obvious, but the atmosphere didn’t allow for it.
‘The problem is the mark’s state of mind.’
Vega had been a scoundrel who had literally given up on everything, but Leonard was not.
He shared the typical aristocratic class consciousness and a cruel nature, but he didn’t cross the lines necessary to protect his honor and reputation.
Naturally, he was not an easy target like Vega.
“Even if we succeed, there will undoubtedly be repercussions,” Gayle said, finally voicing his concern.
“There will be no such thing.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Leonard will become the heir.”
It was common knowledge that the competition among the three Magnon sons for the succession was intense.
“You’re aware that the position of Mayor of Allat is temporary, aren’t you?”
This was the final authority the Ghost Butler had mentioned when discussing what remained of the Lennox family’s power.
“Don’t tell me…”
“I will officially hand it over.”
The major cities of the empire had a separate mayor in addition to the lord who managed the territory.
Excluding the capital, there were thirty cities with mayors, and their decisions took precedence over those of the lords governing the surrounding lands.
However, the Mayor of Allat had held the position for a full decade, but it was only a temporary appointment.
Officially, the mayorship of Allat was an authority bestowed upon the Lennox family.
But due to the influential nobles of Allat pointing out the Lennox family’s problems, the position had been taken away.
It had happened when the previous family head was still alive, and Vega had never even considered trying to reclaim it.
The authority had become nominal, and the current mayor’s family had grown so powerful that the chances of getting it back were almost zero.
“They might oppose me if I tried, but what about Leonard?”
Leonard’s family had already grown into the most powerful on the eastern coast. If Vega officially backed him, no one would be able to stop it.
“Once he secures the position of Mayor of Allat, his succession is guaranteed. Any other questions?”
“So, are we working to give you a favorable position in a negotiation?”
“That’s right. Through Leonard, I will gain far more than what I’m giving you. For that to happen, you’ll have to drag him down for me, and drag him down hard.”
Gayle and Daley nodded.
If Vega had ordered them to do this without offering anything in return, they would have been suspicious, but if it meant holding a leash on the next Lennox heir, that was a different story.
‘They say the fights between nobles are the dirtiest.’
Their interests aligned perfectly.
“I’ll do it.”
“You must keep your promise.”
“We’re accomplices now, aren’t we? Haven’t we shared each other’s weaknesses?”
This plan itself was a shared weakness.
“One month. Bring him before me within that time.”
One month was also the deadline for Daley.
He hadn’t dared to mention it, but the construction of the temple city was still underway.
He was staking everything on this plan.
The two men straightened up and bowed, seemingly finished with their business. But then Arianne, who had been quiet until now, stepped forward.
“If we proceed with this plan, I might end up in another man’s arms.”
“Is that something I need to be involved in?”
Her expression hardened at his cold reply. A suspicion bloomed in her mind.
‘This man is not Vega.’
There was no objective reason for it. But her intuition, her feelings, were certain of it.
“Since you put it that way, I’ll focus on the plan. In that spirit, could you return my things?”
It was a test of sorts.
The items she had left behind at the end.
She was certain the current Vega would have no way of knowing about them.
But Wang-sik, as if he had been waiting, rose from his seat, opened a drawer behind him, and took out a light blue scarf.
“What about the other thing? There should be one more.”
Wang-sik let out a sneer and walked over to another part of the room. He took a hat from the wardrobe.
It was a hat worn by male nobles at parties, with a black brim and a feather.
As Wang-sik held it out, Arianne was at a loss for words.
The scarf was obviously a woman’s, but this was a man’s hat.
The very one she had gifted him.
“Is there anything else?”
Having already been told about it by the Ghost Butler, Wang-sik had no trouble finding the items.
“Do you really have no feelings for me…?”
“I will keep my promise. Is there a problem?”
Arianne clenched her fists, her body trembling.
Now certain that he was Vega, she was overcome with a sense of betrayal.
“You seem to be mistaken about something. You intentionally approached me to steal my fortune and even tried to take my title. You should be grateful I’m letting you live.”
Arianne didn’t answer and took a step back.
‘I will have my revenge.’
The venom in her eyes seemed to speak those very words.
‘I’ll find a man powerful enough to crush you, seduce him, and I will make you fall.’
It was the only way she knew how. And right now, Leonard was the first person who came to mind.
“Failure means death. Keep that in mind.”
With those final words, the three of them departed.
After they were all gone, the Ghost Butler appeared, cleared the teacup, and replaced it with a warm one.
—I was not aware of such a plan.
The Ghost Butler seemed satisfied with the plan, offering no criticism. But Wang-sik’s words, as he lifted the teacup, were different.
“They won’t be taking anything with them.”
—What do you mean, sir?
“Because it was all a lie.”
Wang-sik calmly sipped his tea.