I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 47

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (48)

On the bed in an old-fashioned room.

Hans was asleep.

Knock!

Knock knock!

There was a loud knock on the door. Hans woke up in the middle of the night and frowned for a moment.

“… Ahem! Who is it?”

He shouted toward the door.

“The master is calling for you! It seems to be urgent, so you should go quickly!”

A familiar voice rang out.

Knight Rodern.

After being tortured by Lawrence and escaping from prison,

He was the right-hand man of Cheiman, who had called Hans. He had been Hans’s bodyguard for some time now.

“Yes! I’ll go right away!”

Hans shouted energetically and immediately reached for the washbasin at his feet. After quickly washing his face with hot water,

he stepped outside.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Hans arrived at the count’s office and quietly knocked on the door.

“My lord. It is Hans.”

“Come in.”

Hans opened the door.

Cheiman greeted him with a broad smile.

“Haha! Sorry for calling you so early in the morning. I heard some very good news and wanted to tell you right away.”

“What kind of news is it that has made the count’s face light up like that? I’m really curious.”

“Hehe. Don’t be surprised when you hear it. The Romenton baron has collapsed.”

“…Really?”

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“Yes. I just heard the news myself today.”

Hans, who had been pretending to be surprised, narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“I have one question. Unlike the Count of Karagas, doesn’t the Count of Romenton have a much stronger knight force?”

“That’s right. They have three four-star knights. I heard they also have quite a few three-star knights.”

Hans nodded quietly.

‘The count doesn’t know that Murren achieved five stars.’

Murren, the commander of the baron’s knights.

Hans had only recently learned that he had achieved 5 stars.

If Lawrence hadn’t told him, he probably would never have known.

It was only about a month ago that his rank had risen, and Zifron had kept it a secret.

It wasn’t surprising that Cheiman didn’t know about it either.

“It’s a good thing.”

Four stars and five stars.

It was only a difference of one number, but it had a very different meaning. Five stars was one of the most recognized ranks anywhere.

In the current situation, where the Grand Duke’s power had to be kept hidden as much as possible, it was much more advantageous for the baron to know about it.

“But if he destroyed the Romenton family, doesn’t that mean that the Grand Duke is growing at an extraordinary rate?”

“Hmm. If the Grand Duke destroyed the Romenton family ‘by himself,’ I would think so too. But according to the report I received, it seems to be a little different.”

“How so?”

“There is the Barony of Karagas, isn’t there? I heard that he took all the knights, including the knight commander, with him.”

“Ah…”

“The knights of the House of Romenton are said to be superior, but the Grand Duke also has his own tricks up his sleeve.”

“That’s right. He defeated the official knights of the Barony of Karagas.”

“So I think the Baron of Romenton was defeated. Of course, as you said, we must be wary of the Grand Duke’s growth.”

However, contrary to his words, Cheiman’s face was relaxed, as if he didn’t think it was a big deal. He was certain that the Grand Duke was not a threat yet.

“The information disruption worked,”

Hans murmured in admiration.

According to Lawrence, the Grand Duke single-handedly wiped out a group of knights, including a five-star knight.

He wondered what trick he had used to successfully confuse even the cunning Count.

Anyway, he was curious.

Now was the time to receive his reward. Hans looked at the count with sparkling eyes.

Seeing this, Cheyman laughed heartily.

“Haha! You don’t have to look at me like that. I won’t forget your contribution. You were right. To attack the duke’s faction! Hahaha! I feel so refreshed!”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Just words alone would not be enough of a reward. I said I would make good use of you, didn’t I? From now on, you will be in charge of gathering all information related to the Grand Duke.”

“Really?”

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Hans’s face lit up.

Compared to his previous mission, which was simply to conduct reconnaissance like a bat, the position he was now being given was quite important.

“Yes. From now on, you will be the head of reconnaissance for the Count’s family. You can report directly to me.”

“Thank you! I will do my best to keep the Grand Duke in the dark!”

“Yes. I trust your intelligence. For now, try to find out the Grand Duke’s next destination.”

Cheiman gave his orders.

The Grand Duke was grinding his teeth at Irdan, but he might pretend to be crazy and attack his own faction.

You have to check even a stone bridge carefully before crossing it to avoid accidents.

Hans nodded at those words.

“I’m already curious to see what kind of expression that Irdan will have at today’s meeting.”

“Probably a look like he’s eaten shit?”

“Hahaha! That’s exactly what I was thinking!”

Cheymen smiled slyly.

* *

After talking with Hans.

The count who sent him out laid out crystal balls on his desk.

‘That Irdan must be in a hurry.’

How desperate must he be to discuss a response remotely through crystal balls at this point, when the date of the Council of Elders is still far away?

Each family had their own crystal balls, so it was not difficult to have a conversation as if they were all in one place as long as the timing was right. Soon, eight crystal balls lit up.

Seeing Irdan’s face appear in the crystal ball, Cheyman smiled and said,

“Let’s proceed with the 33rd Council of Elders. I’m sure you’ve all heard the news that the Romenton family has fallen.”

―…

Everyone nodded. Cheyman’s gaze turned to Irdan.

“Count Irdan. How do you plan to handle this? The one who suffered this time was the Romenton family, one of your factions, wasn’t it?”

It had been about two months since the Count of Karagas had fallen.

During that time, this was the question he had heard most often.

Now it was time to repay him for the humiliation.

At those words, Irdan’s face contorted as if he had eaten shit.

It was exactly as Hans had said.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

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

“Ugh!”

The sound of grinding teeth could be heard clearly even beyond the crystal ball.

It was the same question that Irdan had asked him.

“Surely you don’t think I would say that to you and then easily abandon the members of your faction. The baron is not that kind of man.”

“What? Are you trying to talk back to me just because I’m not here in front of you?

“Ah, why are you so angry? Calm down, Count. I’m just asking you the same question you asked me before.”

Irda frowned deeply.

Bastard!

He made a vicious expression, as if he were saying those words to his face.

Cheiman found this situation extremely enjoyable.

“The Baron of Romenton was such a loyal man… Seeing how coldly my master has abandoned him, I wonder if he will be able to rest in peace in the afterlife…”

―Don’t speak recklessly! Who said I abandoned him?

“Heh heh. Then perhaps you will give the Grand Duke a stern warning?”

―…

“I must have a definite answer here. Don’t you all agree?”

One by one, the nobles nodded in agreement to Cheiman’s question.

Even those who belonged to Irdan’s faction were no exception.

This was because the recent attack had greatly increased their fear.

Even if families like Cheiman and Irdan, who enjoyed great power, were safe, they could be destroyed in an instant.

With two barons defeated, they needed a leader they could trust and rely on.

With everyone’s tacit agreement, Irdan’s expression crumpled.

Seeing even those belonging to his own faction react that way, he realized that it was not the time to back out lightly.

“Damn it!”

He had been caught at the worst possible moment.

In the end, he had no choice but to nod his head.

“All right. I will send a letter to the Grand Duke myself. I will tell him not to act rashly. However, I think it is still too early to confront him directly. Don’t you agree?”

“Hmm.”

Cheiman pondered.

Should he push further or stop here?

He soon made his decision.

“This is enough.”

The Grand Duke had already shown his hostility toward Irdan’s faction.

What if his warning letter arrived at this moment?

It was highly likely that he would fly into a rage rather than remain calm.

Then, the direction of the next attack would be clear.

“He will definitely attack Irdan’s faction.”

Even if two members of the faction were eliminated, would it be possible to end it with just a warning?

In Cheiman’s opinion, that was absolutely not the case.

At that point, there would be no choice but to draw their swords.

“Hehe… Let them clash like madmen.”

The best outcome would be for both sides to die, but even if only one of them died, it would not be a bad result.

By then, Irdan’s faction would shrink, and his own faction would become even stronger.

The role of the Grand Prince was sufficient.

“Irdan will take care of it.”

Whether it be assassination or poisoning.

If the feud deepened, he would do whatever it took to get rid of the Grand Prince.

“Things are getting more and more interesting.”

He would just enjoy watching the show in front of him and drink wine.

“The first agenda item has been resolved, and now we have the second agenda item. Balanced Development Support Funds.”

Everyone knew how sweet that was, as they had already divided it up once before.

Once again, all the nobles’ eyes lit up and they rushed forward like a flock of birds.

* *

It had been four days since the cultists had been wiped out. In the meantime, the Romenton viscounty had been neatly cleaned up.

The work was being taken care of by Elena and Prexian, who had recently started working in administration.

Thanks to that, he was able to focus on his training with ease. He was in the middle of training, sweating profusely, when…

Silvia approached Ethan, accompanied by several knights.

“Grand Duke. A letter has arrived.”

“Is it from Greston?”

“No.”

“Then where is it from?”

“From the Amelton family.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

The Amelton family.

It was the family that ruled the faction and was considered the head of the faction.

He immediately received the letter.

He unfolded it and slowly read it.

It was full of flowery words, but the gist of it was very simple.

It was telling him not to interfere with his faction anymore.

It was a kind of warning.

“Hm.”

Ethan smiled as if he found it interesting.

Silvia’s eyes lit up at his mischievous smile.

She had spent quite a long time with the Grand Duke. She had a good understanding of how he acted.

“Are you planning to strike at Cheyman’s faction this time?”

“Once or twice? They must be hoping that Irdan and I will clash by now, so I have to crush their hopes.”

“That’s a brilliant move. They probably didn’t even prepare for this, so it won’t be difficult to take over their family. Have you decided on your next target, the De Kun viscount?”

De Kun viscount.

He was one of the two viscounts belonging to Cheiman’s faction.

It was also the place where the bald mercenary said the “Dragon Clan Scriptures” were being distributed.

“That’s the plan. Investigate the Deukun Viscount. Start with the distribution of the book and see if there are any connections to the person who showed you the symbol last time.”

“Here’s the investigation report.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Silvia handed him a document as if she had prepared it in advance.

She was truly a capable strategist.