I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 21

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (21)

After knocking the baron unconscious.

I threw him into the dungeon with his two sons. The knight commander, Menhattan, was assigned to guard the three of them.

In addition, three other knights were assigned to guard the dungeon.

Inside the dungeon, Helmut and Dexter Ruin lay motionless, as if dead.

“I’ve taken care of these two.”

He hadn’t killed them immediately because he wanted them to die in the most miserable way possible.

They were too valuable to be killed easily.

Meanwhile, Menhattan approached Ethan.

“I have one question for you, Grand Duke.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you spare our lives back then?”

“Are you really that curious?”

“Yes, I am.”

Ethan looked at Menhattan.

Knights are bound to follow their lord.

That was why he felt nothing when the knights rushed forward at Helmut’s command. The lord they served was not him, but Helmut.

However…

“There’s no need to spare even those who sincerely wanted to kill me.”

The knights, swept up in the heat of the moment, had murder in their eyes.

Ethan was not a man with a heart so big that he would show mercy to such men.

On the other hand, Menhattan and the other knights were simply following orders to subdue their enemies.

They were knights who had positive feelings toward the duke’s family, which was falling into ruin.

Those feelings could have been pity, longing, or regret.

“Whatever those feelings were…”

In fact, it didn’t really matter.

He replied to Menhattan.

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“It seems like you remember the former duke’s mansion.”

“…”

That alone was enough to spare their lives.

Ever since Ethan opened his eyes, all he had seen were people acting as if they had completely forgotten the duke’s mansion.

“I’m going now, so keep a close eye on him.”

Manhattan stared blankly at Ethan’s back.

“Because he remembers the Duke of the past…”

It was a meaningful phrase.

Perhaps the Grand Duke had begun to move in order to regain his past glory.

“If that’s the case…”

The Grand Duke would never leave the 10 branches that brought down the Duke’s family alone.

Just like he did to the Karagas family, who was now half destroyed.

“Perhaps this is the beginning of a conflict…”

The Knight Commander quietly swallowed.

* *

It was when Ethan left the dungeon.

He saw a familiar face.

“Merchant?”

“Greetings, Grand Duke.”

It was Jayron, the owner of the Misas Trading Company.

“How did you get here?”

“I happened to be in Poert supplying goods. Then I heard the news about the Grand Duke, so I came straight to the inner castle.”

Grand Duke Ethan.

He was a very important figure in the House of Besos. Naturally, he had to pay special attention to him.

This was especially true after he persuaded his father, Viscount Bloten.

“I heard that he received an invitation from the viscount.”

He never imagined that he would defeat the viscount and his knights in one fell swoop.

It was impossible to predict his actions.

“Let’s go somewhere quiet first.”

“Yes.”

He came to a quiet place in the inner castle and asked with a sigh.

“What do you plan to do next?”

As someone who was in the same boat as him, this was something he had to know.

Depending on his vision, the behavior of the Viscount of Besos would also change.

“He has powerful military force.”

However, unless he was an eight-star knight called a master, it would be difficult to fight against the tenth branch of the family with military force alone.

Ethan smiled at Jayron’s question.

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“Well.”

“You are not the head of the family right now. If the Council of Elders intervenes, the situation will become very complicated.”

They used the law as an excuse to accuse him of treason and strip him of his title. However, it was not a proper procedure.

Even though it was temporary, the Council of Elders was currently acting as the head of the family.

For now, only the Council of Elders could terminate the feudal relationship and take away the baron’s castle.

“If the Council of Elders intervenes…”

In Jayron’s view, there were two options.

Either they could let the baron live and sweep this matter under the rug.

Or abandon the viscount and send another puppet to rule the viscount’s domain.

“The latter option is much more advantageous.”

With one less mouth to feed, the other nine families would get a bigger share of the pie.

“There’s no reason to keep the viscount’s family alive.”

If that happens, the Grand Duke, who worked so hard to destroy the baron’s family, will gain nothing.

The nine collateral branches will be the ones to reap the benefits flowing from this place.

“What’s more, now that we’ve started messing with the collateral branches, we’ll be at odds with them all.”

Was he simply relying on his military power, or had he calculated everything that would happen in the future?

He had to find out.

It was at that moment.

Ethan said one word.

“This place is mine now.”

“…What?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“I heard you, but… by here, do you mean the viscount’s territory?”

“Yes.”

That meant he intended to make the viscount’s territory his own private property.

“The Grand Duke has no authority to rule over the viscount’s territory. Besides, the Council of Elders will surely send someone to act as the viscount’s representative…”

The viscount’s representative.

There was no reason for the Council of Elders to give that title to the Grand Duke.

Ethan smiled quietly at Jayron’s question.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Do you have a house?”

“…Yes, I do.”

“A thief broke into your house. If that thief told you to leave your house, would you obediently leave?”

“…”.

A thief.

It was a word that gave a glimpse into the Grand Duke’s thoughts on his collateral relatives.

“But that was appointed by the late King Sigmund…”

“Should I follow the words of a human who opened the door wide to welcome thieves? I don’t think so.”

“……”

Jae-ron flinched.

“What a ridiculous place. If it weren’t for the duke, this country would have been treated as the weakest and suffered all kinds of invasions, yet it doesn’t even recognize the grace it has received and is stabbing us in the back. Tsk. It’s a complete mess.”

Jae-ron looked around nervously and sighed.

Perhaps because they had moved to a quieter place within the inner castle, no one else could hear them.

However, even considering that, it was still a dangerous thing to say.

“…Even if you have immunity, you could get into trouble for saying something like that.”

“Why would you want to record it with a memory correction device?”

“Of course not…”

Ethan chuckled.

It didn’t matter if anyone heard. He had never been the type to care about what others thought.

The kings of the Seven Kingdoms.

Even the emperor of the Zeno Empire didn’t dare give him orders. It would be more accurate to say that they clung to his coattails in the name of duty to humanity.

A monster who could take on a nation single-handedly.

All those who were called transcendents of the 10th rank were such beings.

And in his previous life, Ethan was the youngest person to achieve transcendence in the Western Continent.

“…Anyway, I was saying that it could be a problem if those words were recorded.”

“That’s easy to deal with. Just block the mana.”

Memory correction devices were ultimately just artifacts that operated with mana.

And in this world, there were few who could sense mana as delicately as Ethan.

“Anyway, the owner of the duchy is not those thieves. It is me.”

“What about your other brothers…?”

“Oh, the third or youngest? They’re not fit to rule the duchy. Maybe they’re good enough to work hard under someone else.”

He was truly an arrogant man.

However, it didn’t bother me. In just one month since he had awakened, he had begun to show tremendous power.

Considering that, he had every right to be arrogant.

“You came at a good time, merchant. I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I intend to use the inner castle here. I need to clean it up and dispose of some items, so I would like you to take care of it.”

“I understand. I still have some goods to trade in the city today, so I will take a look at the inner castle starting tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

After finishing his conversation with Jayron, Ethan began to move toward the baron’s office.

* *

On the way to the office.

No one interfered with his progress. It was because the people in the inner castle had witnessed his power when the knights rushed in a moment ago.

An unstoppable monster.

With all the knights swept away, the tattooed men couldn’t stop Ethan. Everyone avoided him, their eyes filled with fear.

Ethan arrived at the baron’s office in one go and grabbed the doorknob.

The moment he opened the door.

His eyes met those of a young man in the office.

“Who are you?”

“Greetings. I am Raymond, the eldest son of Baron Karagas.”

“So?”

“Do you need someone to sort out your family’s situation? I will help you.”

“Help me?”

“In return, guarantee my position.”

Raymond said with cold sweat pouring down his face. He was known to have defeated twenty knights who had rushed at him.

There was no point in trying to guess how strong he was.

With the forces remaining in the baron’s domain, it was impossible to fight the Grand Duke.

The knights had already lost their will to fight, and although there were many soldiers remaining, they were scattered throughout the baron’s domain, making it impossible to use them immediately.

Now, his life depended solely on the Grand Duke’s decision.

“My father and two brothers will not survive.”

He had already heard enough about the insults they had committed against the Grand Duke. Would a man with that kind of power think carefully before acting?

Raymon did not think so.

Soon, the three of them would have their heads cut off.

If the baron died, he would be the next in line for succession. Would the Grand Duke just let him live?

No, he wouldn’t.

It was as if his feet were on fire.

That was why he rushed to his office.

“I have to make a deal now.”

Just then,

Ethan smiled wryly and approached Raymon.

“Hey.”

“…What? Guh!”

Not only was his neck grabbed, but Raymond’s body was instantly lifted into the air.

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“Guh!”

Count Karagas.

The punishment for this place had already been decided long ago.

Guarantee his position?

There was no reason to promise that now.

First, the baron and his two sons would be killed without exception. The remaining associates would be reduced to poverty and forced to flee the inner city.

That was the only mercy Ethan could show.

Moreover, the decisive factor was…

“Do you think you’re in a position to make a deal right now?”

“Kuh! Spare my life…”

“If you want to live, you have to prove that you’re useful.”

“I’ll tell you… It’s information about the 7th family of the kingdom. It’ll definitely be useful! So please let me go!”

The 7th family of the kingdom.

That was quite an interesting topic.

“You should have done that sooner.”

Then you wouldn’t have ended up with your neck in my hands.

Only then did Ethan’s grip loosen.