I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 106

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (107)

Ethan’s mind raced. There was information he could gather from the situation.

First.

The Turian marquis misunderstood that there was something in his family that passed down experience.

Second.

The marquis was not strong enough to crush him with force.

Therefore, he couldn’t do anything foolish.

And the third thing was.

If he was greedy enough to come looking for him quietly by himself, then when it was confirmed that it actually existed.

“He’ll try to take it all for himself.”

He didn’t need to tell the other six about it first.

His past life and his present life.

Having experienced both lives, Ethan had accumulated countless experiences.

“I think I can make a plan.”

A plan to slowly destroy the seven, who appeared to be tightly bound together, from within.

The key to this matter was simple.

To make something that didn’t exist appear to exist.

How?

Soon, an idea flashed through Ethan’s mind.

“Hmm…”

A huge secret that could shake the entire seven families.

Just then, a good idea came to mind. He looked at the marquis and asked,

“A deal?”

“Yes, a deal. It won’t be a bad offer for the duke either.”

Resorting to force was the worst of all options. Even if he faced the duke in battle right now, it would take all day.

“I’ll bring in the power of my family.”

The other six families would not stand idly by.

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Quietly and secretly.

The best course of action was to finalize what they would give each other and prepare a springboard for their leap forward. Naturally, the starting point for creating that springboard was…

“I want to know what the secret is and everything related to it. Of course, I will pay the price.”

“The price? Do you think the Fractal Marquisate has anything to offer me?”

“…You must want something. If it’s material, I will provide it to the duke.”

“I don’t need that.”

“It will take a lot of money to rebuild the duke’s territory…”

“Money can be earned. Did you really think you could learn the secret with something so trivial?”

Turian’s mouth closed.

“…It’s difficult after all.”

If such a secret really existed, even he would not reveal it for money. What could the duke possibly want?

He was deep in thought when the duke spoke again.

“It’s not a secret I can’t tell you.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“If you’re curious, I can tell you.”

The marquis’s eyes sharpened.

Why?

Why did he say that?

While observing the duke’s domain, he had come to realize that the duke was not only a skilled knight, but also a clever man.

There must be a reason why such a man would say something like that.

Turian’s mind began to race faster than ever before.

“Is this psychological warfare?”

However.

With so little information, it was nearly impossible to discern the duke’s true intentions.

Just then.

“Are you curious?”

“…”

The marquis forced himself to answer.

At first.

He had proposed a deal and tried to take control of the situation.

He instinctively felt it.

He felt that the upper hand in this conversation was slowly shifting to the duke.

“If you’re not curious, then leave.”

“…Huh. Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

Was he really trying to tell him the secret, or was he just teasing him?

Nothing was certain.

His chest felt tight.

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Seeing this, Ethan smiled quietly and added one more sentence.

“You think too much.”

“…”

“Your judgment is poor for the head of a family.”

Ugh!

The head of the Fractal family.

It was a position where he had never once heard such harsh words in his entire life.

It was even more so coming from someone a generation younger than him.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Are you curious?”

A warning began to rise slowly in the office.

If he wasn’t curious, he should just leave.

He was completely caught up in it.

Sensing this, the marquis spoke.

“…Yes, I am curious. Just remember one thing. If this is just a game, I will not stand idly by.”

Mana stirred within the marquis’s body.

He seemed to be quite angry.

The duke smiled slightly and replied.

“I will tell you.”

“…

Is that true?

That was when

“It’s simple. It’s just a power passed down through the bloodline of the family.”

“…

The marquis’s eyes widened at the duke’s words.

He immediately asked,

“…Bloodline?”

“Yes. It’s a power that can only be used by the eldest son who has the purest bloodline of the duke’s family.”

“…I don’t understand. If that’s true, then why didn’t the previous eldest sons use that power?”

“Didn’t I say? It must be inherited through the purest bloodline. It’s not always the eldest son.”

“…

“And there were definitely ancestors who used this power.”

“Existed?”

“Do you know about the Sword Tower?”

Sword Tower.

It was a building shaped like a tower and one of the research groups formed by the Duke’s family.

“…Are you talking about that building belonging to the Duke’s family? The one that was destroyed by the collateral branches seven years ago…”

“Yes.”

The main role of the Sword Tower was simple.

It was to research other sword techniques.

It was one of the core research facilities where the strengths of other sword techniques were extracted and applied to the Duke’s sword techniques.

In the past, it was also a place of great renown.

However, when the collateral branches ascended to the throne, they took all the research results from the Sword Tower and destroyed the building.

“Of course, I know very well. Usually, those who were unable to produce black flames were not appointed as the head of the Sword Tower.”

“The sword techniques of our family have continued to evolve. This was especially true when the eldest sons became the head of the Sword Tower.”

“…”

Was that really the case?

To be honest, even Turian did not know that.

Whether it was the eldest son, second son, or third son.

The Sword Tower, where those who were unqualified to produce black flames were sent, had a great reputation, but it was one of the groups far removed from the core power of the duke’s family.

That was why it was a group that had not been given much attention in the past.

In fact, the Sword Tower was more like a place of exile.

Ethan smiled quietly at the viscount’s questioning gaze and said,

“One thing is certain. The ‘eldest son’ who was unfit was always sent to the Sword Tower. You can confirm this by checking the records.”

“Could it be… because that power could manifest itself? So they used it to develop swordsmanship?”

“There were probably many reasons. What is certain is that it was one of the considerations.”

The power to receive the memories and experiences of one’s ancestors.

This was an incredible power.

“The dukes of the Duke’s family were strong for generations.”

Turian thought of the dukes of the past. Usually, the eldest son would take on the role of duke.

“If the eldest son was unfit…”

It meant that he would be sent to the sword tower to develop the family’s swordsmanship.

“…Is that why the Duke’s swordsmanship developed to such an extent?”

If the family knew that the eldest son had such power, they would never let him go.

However.

He couldn’t fully believe those words right now.

It was overly optimistic to think that the duke would tell him only the truth.

“…Are there any records about your ancestors?”

He needed reliable evidence.

If there were records about his ancestors, there might be something written about whether the eldest sons were always sent to the Sword Tower.

At those words, Ethan reached for an old book in his office.

The book floated out of the bookshelf and landed in front of Turian.

The marquis immediately opened the book.

Slam.

With each page that turned,

Turian’s eyes sparkled.

“…It was true.”

Those who were unfit to wield the Black Flame. Sometimes it was the eldest son, and other times it was the second or third son.

The second and third sons were appointed as collateral branches and received territory or were allowed to wander freely.

“…The eldest son is different.”

From the first head of the family to the 17th head.

During that period, there were records that every single eldest son who was deemed unfit was appointed as the head of the Sword Tower.

Was this just a coincidence?

After hearing the duke’s words, he finally understood.

“It can’t be a coincidence.”

Could it be that the heads were appointed as heads of the Sword Tower in order to utilize their power for the development of swordsmanship?

Ethan quietly smiled when he saw Turian’s sparkling eyes.

“You’ve fallen for it.”

Of course, the heads did not have such power.

The reason why the heads who were deemed unfit in the past were appointed as heads of the Sword Tower was because it was one of the traditions of the Duke’s family.

It was right to give them an honorable position, even if they had no real power. The head of the sword tower was the perfect position for them.

It wasn’t difficult to make up a plausible story.

Judging from the viscount’s expression, he seemed to be more than half convinced by what he had said.

“Only a fool would believe everything he hears.”

It would not be unreasonable to say that it was foolish, even stupid, for the head of a family to believe everything he was told.

The Marquis Turian was not that foolish.

“It doesn’t matter if he believes more than half of it.”

There were no problems in carrying out the plan.

The first step had been taken.

“…I have one question. Why is the duke’s level so much higher than that of other heads of families and heads of branches in the past?”

“There are bound to be differences in the level of abilities that manifest themselves.”

“…Does that mean the duke’s power is the strongest?”

“That is my assessment.”

The marquis’s eyes lit up.

Even if he couldn’t believe those words completely, the duke’s words were certainly interesting.

And because of those words.

He felt a sense of surprise and a tremendous sense of crisis.

The power bestowed upon the duke’s bloodline.

If someone with such power manifested it most strongly.

“Even the Seven Houses might not be able to gain the upper hand in the future…”

How terrifying was the power of the dukes of the past!

The Marquis of Turian was one of those who remembered the past.

Amazing talent and skill.

If that were combined with the power of bloodline?

“…Even if the Three Princes were to inherit the Strong Dragon Technique…”

It was natural to wonder if they would be able to defeat the duke before their eyes in the future.

Not only would the duke remain in power for a very long time, but there was also talk that Ardan could restore the glory of the past.

“That is all I can tell you.”

The duke finished speaking and waved his hand. Despite the duke’s blatant order to leave, the marquis did not move a single step.

His eyes were shining even more brightly than before.

The power passed down through bloodlines.

If he could obtain that power from the Fractal Marquis, it would not be surprising if he became the most powerful family in the kingdom, rather than one of the seven.

“I must obtain that power.”

How?

The answer was simple.

“I have a proposal to make.”

“A proposal?”

“I want to form an alliance with the Duke.”

“Are you in your right mind?”

“I am perfectly sane. Even though the Duke is a man of great talent, it would be extremely difficult for him to take on the Six Houses alone.”

“That’s not something someone who brainwashed my brother should be saying.”

“It was Duke Agiles and Duke Leysian who led that effort. The three dukes effectively control the core of the Seven Houses. Our marquises have no choice but to follow their decisions.”

“So?”

“No one would trust an alliance made with mere words. Therefore, I will give you my daughter as proof.”

“……What?”

“I said I would give the duke my daughter.”

If there is no bloodline, we can simply create a new one.

This was the answer given by the Turian marquis.