I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 31

 #I returned home to find my family ruined (32)

Dungeon.

It was a special space created in nature where monsters gathered due to the abundance of mana.

Monsters that settled in the dungeon contained mana stones inside their bodies.

Even the lowest-grade mana stones were quite valuable, so dungeons were considered one of the most valuable treasure troves.

This was why news of a dungeon’s discovery spread like wildfire.

Ethan had heard rumors about a few dungeons.

One of the dungeons discovered in the Caragas Barony, “The Abandoned Metal Snake Mine,” was also a place he had heard about through rumors.

“It became famous because a unique metal was discovered there, rather than mana stones.”

A metal with a blackish glow.

It was a metal that was considered to be of a higher grade than mithril, but it was weaker in terms of strength. However, it had extremely high attribute affinity.

Mages named this metal, which was first discovered in the Western Continent, “nephrion.”

It was an item that sold for a fairly high price and generated various rumors.

As far as I recall, the amount that was released in the past was quite substantial, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to obtain enough metal to make a sword.

“I’m not sure if the dungeon has been activated or not.”

It didn’t matter.

If the dungeon hadn’t been created, they could just mine the metal, and if it had been created, they could just kill the monsters and mine the metal.

Silvia nodded at Ethan’s words.

“Two months should be enough. The Branch 9 will remain silent.”

So far, the Grand Duke had shown only one move.

That was destroying the Caragas Barony.

If they had suffered great damage from this, the Branch 9 would have taken active measures, but they had not suffered any damage.

Having expanded their size to the limit, they were now divided into factions and fighting among themselves.

It was highly likely that they were secretly rejoicing at the fact that they had one less mouth to feed.

Therefore, their response would be limited to keeping a watchful eye on him.

“Two months.”

It wasn’t a bad idea to use this time to strengthen his position before moving on to the next stage. That was why Silvia nodded readily.

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“Yes. And from now on, always have the knight commander and three knights escort you.”

Until now, he had always been by her side, so he didn’t worry much about Silvia’s safety.

But now it was different.

If something happened while he was away, he could lose a useful strategist.

“I’m fine…”

“Just do as I say. It’s for your own safety.”

“…Thank you.”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Ethan picked up his identity card.

It was an item that could prove he was a descendant of the duke’s family, given only to direct descendants.

Ethan rode out of the inner castle with a horse.

* *

The inner castle of the duke’s domain.

Nine nobles entered the huge conference room located inside.

Not the ten collateral branches.

They were the heads of the nine branches that had become nine. Normally, it would have been a long time before they would have gathered in one place.

The most important thing for them was to develop their own domains, not to handle the affairs of the duke’s domain.

It had already been fifteen years since the Council of Elders was formed.

During that time, they had become most adept at handling matters at a reasonable level.

That was why the Council of Elders had become less frequent. However, this time, they had no choice but to act swiftly.

They had received the shocking news that one of their colleagues had been beheaded at the city gate.

Cheiman looked around the meeting room and nodded.

“Nine. Everyone is here. Let’s proceed with the 32nd Council of Elders. The first item on the agenda is the same as what you have all heard through rumors.”

Someone immediately raised their hand.

It was Count Irdan, Cheiman’s rival.

“Count Cheyman. How do you intend to handle this matter? The one who suffered this time was Baron Helmut, who belonged to your faction.”

Having finished his words, Irdan smiled triumphantly.

The Grand Duke.

His first target was the House of Karagas.

Why did he choose to attack them first?

It was obvious.

“He must have noticed his scheming.”

Helmut.

The insults he had hurled at the duke’s sons were beyond belief.

First, he had gradually reduced the monthly subsidy sent to the hunting lodge over the past ten years.

Last month, the amount he planned to give was not even in gold.

“It was silver.”

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Giving silver as living expenses to the duke’s sons?

This isn’t charity for beggars.

It was no wonder the grand duke was furious.

Was that all?

It was Helmut who sent spies to the hunting lodge to monitor the fourth prince, Myers, and find out his whereabouts all year round in an attempt to turn him into a drunkard.

The Grand Duke had every reason to kill that man.

Before he fell, the Grand Duke was renowned for his outstanding leadership and wise judgment despite his young age.

“So he must have already figured out who was behind Helmut.”

Who could it be?

It was his rival, Cheiman, right in front of him.

It was obvious that the Grand Prince’s next blow would fall on his faction. So he couldn’t help but feel at ease.

Cheiman and the Grand Duke.

All he had to do was pick up the scraps left behind when the two clashed. Cheiman sighed at Irdan’s words.

“……Hoo. I know what you mean. I haven’t been able to sleep at night since I heard the news that the viscount’s domain had been destroyed.”

“Of course you must take revenge, don’t you?”

Chayman looked at Irdan’s snake-like eyes.

It was obvious what the author wanted. He wanted his faction and the Grand Duke to clash head-on. He had no intention of falling for the boy’s scheme.

“A scheme to sow discord.”

When Hans escaped from the dungeon, he heard an interesting story from him.

“You said you succeeded in deceiving the Grand Duke.”

“When I was captured, the Grand Duke asked me directly where I was. So I told him it was the Pernes family’s residence. The Grand Duke wondered why I had gone there.”

“And then?”

“I said that Helmut’s faction was on Irdan’s side. I told him that I went to Lord Cheiman, who belonged to another faction, because I was afraid that the Grand Duke would attack Irdan, and he nodded.”

“Did the Grand Duke fall for it?”

“Yes. The factions didn’t form until long after he fell. It seemed like the Grand Duke didn’t know who the leaders of each faction were or who belonged to which faction. That’s information only those in the know have.”

“……So what happened?”

“He immediately started asking for the names of the nobles belonging to Irdan’s faction. So I told him all of them. When the name of the Romenton Baron came up, I even muttered to myself that it was good that he was close to them… I think his next destination will be there.”

It was definite information.

The faction that the Grand Prince was grinding his teeth against was Irdan’s.

There was no reason for him to shed blood anymore.

Chayman replied casually.

“Revenge. To be honest, I do want revenge. But I can’t help but think about the practical issues.”

“Practical issues? With a comrade dead, how can that be important?”

“It matters. Of course it matters. If the Grand Duke dies, who will take on that heavy responsibility?”

“……”

“Do you think Delphreon and the Seven Houses of the Kingdom will just stand by and do nothing? They will obviously rush to tear us apart for failing to protect a member of their family.”

Irda laughed scornfully.

Of course, the king and the Seven Houses were not on their side. So, it was highly likely that they would act that way if the murder occurred.

However, it was not impossible to survive.

“If we bow our heads and sacrifice some of the duke’s territories to them.”

The remaining collateral branches would be able to enjoy even greater prosperity than before.

If one faction clashed with the Grand Duke, it would be too easy to frame them for the murder.

All they had to do was link the two together by claiming they had a grudge against each other.

That was why he was trying so hard to pit Cheiman’s faction against the Grand Duke.

“Then you mean you won’t seek revenge? Even though a member of your faction has died?”

“Speak clearly! It’s not that we won’t, it’s that we can’t!”

At this point, the nobles of the two factions began to try to calm their leaders down.

It was common for the atmosphere to become heated at the Council of Elders.

Irda, pretending to be defeated, looked at Cheyman and said,

“Baron Helmut was truly a loyal man… Seeing how coldly my master has abandoned him, I can’t help but worry that he won’t be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife.”

“What! Are you saying whatever comes into your head just because you’ve been given a chance to speak?”

“Anything you say! I’m just stating the facts!”

‘Damn bastard!’

Chayman gritted his teeth.

He mentioned to the members of his faction where the Grand Duke’s next blow would fall, in order to ease their anxiety.

However, if the image of him casually abandoning his own faction continued to accumulate, his power would inevitably begin to waver.

Once suspicion arose, it was like a stigma that could not be easily erased.

“Damn you. You’ll have to eat shit before you come to your senses!”

The moment the Grand Duke moved.

That would be the beginning of Irdan’s downfall. The nobles began to try to stop the two men once again.

The heated atmosphere finally began to subside.

The meeting continued, but they remained at an impasse regarding how to respond.

Irda and Cheiman.

This was because they believed that the Grand Duke’s next target would be a noble belonging to the opposing faction.

Therefore, there was no way they would take any proactive measures. In the end, they came to a vague conclusion.

They decided to respond differently depending on how the Grand Duke moved.

It was a meaningless result.

“Bastard.”

“You bat-like bastard.”

The two barons cursed each other.

Neither of them gave a thought to the fact that they were acting exactly like their opponents.

“Phew. That’s the end of the first agenda item. Now, let’s move on to the second. With the collapse of the Baron of Karagas, a portion of the balanced development subsidy has been left over.”

At those words, all the nobles’ eyes lit up. The amount the barony had been receiving was 2% of the duke’s taxes.

Even if they could get just 0.1% of the duke’s taxes, it would give their estates a huge boost.

The nobles’ eyes lit up.

“Isn’t the House of Caragas no longer eligible for the subsidy?”

“That’s right! What kind of subsidy is that for a family that has become the puppet of the Grand Duke?”

Unlike earlier, all the nobles from both factions began to actively participate in the discussion.

* *

Two days passed as they rode westward. They arrived at a mountain located at the edge of the barony.

“Mount Mitron.”

He recalled his memories from his previous life.

Adventurers had discovered an abandoned mine in this area and found the location where the dungeon had been created.

“First, I must find the abandoned mine.”

He did not know the exact location of the abandoned mine.

However, one thing was certain.

“In any case, there is an abandoned mine somewhere in this mountain.”

That was enough.

There was a small village near Mount Mitron.

“I need to find a guide.”

He rode his horse toward the village.

The village vigilantes looked down at Ethan from atop a wooden fence about two meters high.

His horse was well-bred and sturdy, and his clothes looked expensive.

He was most likely a nobleman or the son of a wealthy merchant.

“Who are you?”

Ethan immediately presented his identity card. Upon seeing it, the vigilantes began to murmur.

It was because of the pattern engraved on the card.

A golden pattern.

In the kingdom, only the king and the descendants of the Ardan Duke’s family were allowed to use golden patterns.

It was one of the things that the people had been taught since childhood.

What if that golden pattern was the most famous pattern in the kingdom, the flame pattern!

“It’s the Ardan Duke’s family!”

It was the visit of a descendant of the great hero family, hailed as the most prestigious family in the kingdom.

The wooden gate swung open.

The moment Ethan entered the village.

All the villagers knelt on the ground, showing the utmost respect they could muster.