I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 48

 #I returned home to find my family ruined (49)

He carefully scanned the documents Silvia had given him. He looked at the scale of distribution of the Dragon Clan Scriptures in the Dekun family and the sales route.

“The scale is smaller than I thought.”

“It seems that they entered the Deukun family recently. I heard that it has only been about three months since the distribution network was established.”

Ethan nodded.

Even if there was someone in charge of the family’s sales network, it was likely that they were insignificant.

“Well, I guess so.”

The senior priest we checked last time was quite high up in the hierarchy. Above him was the bishop, and above the bishop was the archbishop, who oversaw an entire kingdom.

There couldn’t be a senior priest like that in every territory.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The distribution of the Dragon Clan Scriptures.

This alone was an excellent excuse to get rid of Viscount Dekun.

Ethan looked at Silvia.

“Send word to Hans. Tell him to hint to Count Cheiman to lower the taxes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Silvia understood immediately. It was the same plan she had in mind.

“As expected of the Grand Duke.”

He was not only powerful, but also wise.

Having lived a life at the bottom of society, one of her greatest dreams was to rise to the top.

Ethan Ardan.

If she was with him, she could achieve her dream.

She murmured in admiration.

“I must work harder.”

As a strategist, she had to come up with a plan that was even more efficient than what her master had thought of.

With her resolve strengthened, she quietly left the office.

Soon, light began to flow from the communication devices placed in front of Sylvia and Hans.

* *

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After receiving the message.

Hans immediately sought out Count Cheiman.

“Count. Are you there?”

“Come in.”

Hans politely opened the door.

“Yes, what is it? Has the Grand Duke’s next target been decided?”

Cheiman’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked.

If that Grand Duke attacks Irdan’s faction one more time!

Now, the tide of victory was completely turning in their favor.

Hans shook his head at those words.

“I’m sorry. We haven’t been able to confirm the Grand Duke’s next destination yet. However…”

“…However?”

“I have something to report. Please take a look at this.”

Chey-man looked at the documents Hans handed him and tilted his head.

The documents explained the reasons why the Grand Duke attacked the two barons.

So?

Hans quickly continued, sensing Chey-man’s questioning gaze.

“The biggest justification the Grand Duke used to attack the two barons was the tax limit stated in the feudal contract.”

“Hmm. So?”

“How about we take this opportunity to completely eliminate the Grand Duke’s justification? We can lower all the tax rates collected by our faction at once. If we raise the welfare of the people in the domain as well…”

Cheyman laughed hollowly at those words. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that already.

“Head of Intelligence. Let’s think about this for a moment. Are we the only faction collecting high taxes?”

“No, that’s not true.”

“Right. Irdan’s faction is also maintaining the same high tax rate. The Grand Duke attacked his faction this time.”

“…Of course, I also think that the next target is likely to be a territory belonging to the opposing faction. However, the Grand Duke is not someone who can be easily read. We need to prepare ourselves accordingly…”

“Director of Intelligence.”

“Yes.”

“That’s an overreaction. There’s little chance that the Grand Duke will attack us first, yet you’re already lowering taxes out of fear. How will Irdan’s faction view us? Not only the opposing faction, but the Seven Families of the kingdom will laugh at us.”

Hans quietly bowed his head.

On the surface, he looked dejected, as if his boss had rejected his proposal. However, his inner thoughts were completely different.

“Heh heh. I knew it.”

That greedy guy would never lower the tax rate just like that.

Everything went as expected.

Cheiman spoke next.

“I’ll think about your proposal once more. However, I don’t think this is important information.”

“I’m sorry, Count. If you give me a little more time, I’ll do my best to find useful information.”

“Yes. But don’t push yourself too hard. I didn’t appoint you as the head of intelligence because I wanted outstanding results, but simply as a reward.”

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His words were warm, but his eyes were colder than anyone else’s.

It was as if he was saying that if he didn’t get useful information, he would fire him at any time.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Count.”

“Yes. You may go now.”

The conversation between the two men, whose words and thoughts were so different, ended.

* *

It was during training at the inner castle’s training ground. Silvia approached him and said,

“I received a message from Hans. He said the count rejected the proposal immediately.”

Ethan nodded as if it were obvious.

Those bastards are fighting among themselves to get a bigger piece of the balance development support fund or whatever it is.

And the leader of such people was lowering the tax rate for the entire domain in preparation for a low possibility?

It was ridiculous.

His prediction was spot on.

“How about two weeks from now, Viscount Dekun? If we attack right away, Hans may become suspicious.”

Ethan nodded.

It made perfect sense.

If Hans brought up the danger and then we launched an attack, it would look very suspicious.

The timing would be too coincidental.

“Two weeks isn’t bad.”

It was the perfect amount of time to reassure the count and dispel any suspicions about Hans.

Just as he nodded in agreement,

“Hmm. Boy. Are you the eldest son of the Ardan family?”

A voice came from behind him.

Ethan turned around with his sword in hand and struck without hesitation.

A massive burst of heat engulfed the training ground.

The training tools were completely engulfed in the rolling flames, and the soil was so dry that it crumbled to dust.

The only person safe in Ethan’s domain was Silvia.

“Who is it?”

Seeing the flames, she tilted her head in confusion.

The voice she had just heard was unmistakably that of an old woman.

As far as Silvia knew, there was no one else in the inner castle with such a voice. That must be why the Grand Duke had struck without hesitation.

What trick had they used to get through the inner castle and come all the way to the training ground?

“Was the security level a mess?”

She felt she should tell the knight commander about this.

Just as she was thinking about the security of the inner castle,

“Huh huh. Isn’t it hot?”

An old woman with a cane walked out of the swaying flames.

Her clothes were intact, as if she were completely unaffected by the heat.

There was no way an ordinary person could walk out of such intense heat looking so normal.

“Who are you?”

Ethan asked bluntly.

“Ilia.”

“…Ilia?”

It was a name he had heard before.

In fact, it wasn’t just a name he had heard before, but one of the most familiar names he knew.

“Ilya, the wizard of creation?”

In his previous life, she was one of the most famous magicians. She was especially renowned in the field of creation.

Even the herbal potion that Ethan had just given to Viscount Besos was one of the items that the magician in front of him had shared the recipe for.

The Wizard of Creation.

Ilya had another nickname besides that.

Grand Wizard.

A title given only to true magicians who had reached the 8th rank or higher. Ilya was one of those Grand Wizards.

“Wasn’t he a magician who didn’t get involved in worldly affairs?”

In her previous life, that was certainly the case.

Among magicians, there was a group that lived very quietly. This type of magician was commonly called a “reclusive magician.”

Ilia was one of those reclusive magicians. If the dragon tribe had not appeared, she would never have revealed herself to the world.

“She wouldn’t have faced death either.”

Repeated wars turned crafting magicians into battle magicians, and they broke through the barrier of the 9th rank, reaching the realm of superhumans.

In the end, she was a magician who was killed by the dragon tongue of Lucreon, the commander of the Language Worshipers, who pierced her heart.

“But I did tear that dragon’s heart out later.”

Anyway, when I heard the news of her death, I felt quite sad.

As a researcher specializing in creation, she was a mage who had contributed greatly to humanity.

Why is such a mage appearing before me now?

After a moment of thought, Ethan came up with one possible reason.

“Could it be because of the herbal potion?”

It was still just a guess.

Ethan glared at Ilia and growled,

“Stop trying to deceive me, wizard. I can see right through you.”

At those words, Ilia’s eyes lit up.

Her gaze was filled with conviction.

She wasn’t just testing him.

“You’re quite clever to figure that out. Huh huh…”

The old woman’s sinister smile slowly began to change.

Ugh!

Ugh!

Her entire skeleton was being reversed. What was revealed was the figure of a girl who looked to be about ten years old.

The blonde girl cleared her throat and said,

“Ahem. Ahem! Let me introduce myself again. I am Ilia.”

Silvia’s eyes widened at the sight she had never seen before. The old woman had suddenly turned into a young girl.

“…Is that your true form?”

“Yes. I am a young girl.”

“…”

The 8th-rank magician’s eyes were very sharp.

It was enough to see through Sylvia’s true form, which she had been hiding for years by dressing as a man.

Ethan asked Ilia.

“Magician. Why did you come looking for me?”

“I came to find the maker of the herbal potion. Don’t try to cover it up. I already know everything.”

A magician of the 8th rank should be able to gather information easily. Even if it is related to the Besos family. “Yes, it is me. Now it is time to hear what you want.”

It was at that moment.

Ilya asked with excitement, exhaling sharply.

“How did you make something exactly the same as the item I was researching? The materials are identical.”

Ilya was a magician who had lived for over a hundred years. However, in his long life, this was the first time he had ever experienced such a ridiculous thing.

At first, he thought someone had stolen his manufacturing secrets.

But

when he thought about it, it didn’t make any sense. How could someone steal a secret that only existed in his head?

And not even a magician, but a knight.

It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.

In order to investigate the unknown, Ilia came here himself.

Ethan chuckled at the sight.

How could he?

It’s possible because you saw the recipe I revealed in the future.

However, he couldn’t give that answer.

“You were researching the same item.”

“…Are you saying you were also researching that item?”

A person who had been unconscious for over ten years created such an item in less than three months after waking up?

It was an unbelievable story.

Ethan shook his head at Ilia’s words.

“I never said I researched it myself.”

“…Then?”

“Hm.”

Ethan looked at Ilia.

There was a reasonable answer he could give. If he answered as it came to mind, she would accept it and go back.

But

“It would be a shame to let this go.”

It was a chance encounter.

It would be a shame to just let it slip away.

She was one of the most renowned crafting magicians in her past life.

After much deliberation, a good idea popped into Ethan’s head.

“If I play this right.”

Maybe I could try to lure this magician. Ethan looked at Ilia and spoke.