I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 74

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (75)

Ethan explained the recent conflict with the church. As the story continued, the viscount’s face began to harden.

“The bishop has become a fool… Are you saying that those bishops kidnapped the count?”

“Yes.”

“I see. What should I do?”

“Please investigate William’s minions.”

“You mean the royal dwarves, right?”

“That’s right. There are probably quite a few of them connected to the cult.”

The marquis’ eyes lit up.

The cult that serves the dragon clan.

If only he could reduce their power by moving the kingdom.

“I can protect the Kingdom of Haidern.”

The sect’s power was already deeply rooted in other countries except his homeland. He had no intention of standing by and watching his homeland suffer the same fate.

“I understand. Don’t worry. I will thoroughly investigate my men.”

There was no other organization in the world as knowledgeable about the flow of goods as the merchant guild.

The Vessos family was one of the families that owned a large merchant guild. If the royal dwarves and the cult had made a deal,

there would be traces left behind.

The marquis was certain of that.

“Then I leave it to you.”

“I understand. I will contact you again before reporting to His Majesty after the investigation.”

“Yes.”

The light from the crystal faded.

As a capable man, Viscount Bloten would surely catch them. All that remained was to wait for the right moment.

*

Myers.

As he continued his training, crimson flames rose from his sword.

Resonance. Sowing. Circulation. Blossoming.

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Meyers was now in the circulation stage.

“I’ve finally passed the acceptance stage.”

The acceptance stage was the first stage of circulation, where one must simply accept the pain of the fiery liquid.

When he first entered this stage, the pain was so intense that he spent the entire day rolling around in his room.

Even though he had received the blessing of the Lord of Fire, albeit not as much as his older brother Ethan, his bloodline was unable to withstand the temperature of the fiery liquid.

He still vividly remembered Hans trying to call for help in terror, but he managed to stop him.

Fortunately, the pain did not last long.

Compared to the usual week of bed rest, he was able to overcome the pain and move around after only two days.

The red flames became increasingly murky as he used the black flame breath.

The flames gradually turned black.

That was when he noticed that Cheyman’s gaze toward him had changed.

The change in his attitude was so obvious that it was impossible to ignore.

Recently, he had even reached the stage where he was generously providing him with medicinal herbs.

Even though his treatment had changed so drastically from the past.

Myers still felt that something was missing.

“Compared to my brother, I am nothing.”

He was in occasional contact with Ethan through Hans.

Not only had he defeated the Nam and Ja writers, but he had even conquered the Baek writer.

Even the 6-star knights were no match for his brother.

This was proof that Ethan’s level was overwhelmingly higher than his own.

“That’s to be expected.”

Ethan, who couldn’t even produce black flames.

Meyers was the brother who knew his secret best.

“My brother was on a completely different level from the very beginning.”

He had only planted a single essence in the mana hole located in his dantian. But Ethan was a monster who had planted the essence of fire in all of his fragmented mana holes.

It was proof that he had mana control beyond imagination.

Was that all?

Unlike his sister, who had only received a single breath from the Fire Lord, Ethan was the one who had directly controlled the Fire Lord and burned his body for over two hours.

“The reason my brother couldn’t produce black flames…”

It was highly likely that he couldn’t feel the burning pain at all.

Black flames were mana created by the combination of burning pain and breathing techniques. Not feeling the burning pain at all meant…

“At the very least…”

It meant that Ethan had reached the third stage of the cycle, the stage of embodiment.

It meant that he had entered the next stage immediately after entering the cycle.

Meyers swallowed hard as he thought about it. No one in the history of the Duke’s family had ever experienced the burning pain.

Except for Ethan.

“I wonder what kind of flames my brother will show me?”

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One thing was certain.

Even with his black flame, he would be no match for him.

The true master of fire.

There was no phrase more fitting for his brother.

Just then, Myers lowered his sword.

“Youngest prince! Have you achieved something?”

Hans, who was nearby, asked urgently. Rodern, the knight guarding him, also looked at Myers with sparkling eyes.

As usual, he was training when the color of the flames suddenly turned darker. There was no doubt that he had achieved something.

“Yes. I think I’ve broken through another barrier.”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations! I’ll go and inform the count.”

Roden hurriedly left and soon returned with a message from the count. The three headed for the count’s office. Cheiman greeted Myers with a broad smile.

“Hehe. Congratulations.”

“No, it’s just a small achievement.”

“The black flames are becoming clearer and clearer. How can you consider this a small achievement? Please sit down. The two of you, step outside for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Only the count and Myers remained in the office. Chayman took a sip of tea and said, “Youngest prince, have you heard any news about the crown prince recently?”

“Youngest Prince. Have you heard the latest news about the Grand Prince?”

“Yes. I heard it at the training ground. I heard that Irdan was defeated.”

“That’s right. Fortunately, we were able to bring in Viscount Kesten and Baron Henris, who were under him, but even so, the Grand Prince’s power has grown too strong.”

It’s to the point where it would be more accurate to call it the Southeast Union rather than the Southern Union.

Even so, Chayman remained unperturbed because he had a legitimate heir who was capable of producing black flames.

“I see.”

“If time continues to pass like this, the world will begin to see the Grand Duke not as the son of a mere duke, but as the legitimate heir to the ducal family.”

“…That would be a bit of a problem. I am also one of my father’s legitimate children…”

The teacup Myers was holding shook. The handle of the teacup was slowly cracking.

Anyone could see that he was uncomfortable. Seeing this, Cheyman nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s right. The youngest prince also has the right to succeed.”

“But my brother’s skills… I don’t think I can handle him with my sword.”

“Yes, I’m sure you’re right. I also recognize the talent of the eldest prince. But what if we hold the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“…The coming-of-age ceremony?”

The coming-of-age ceremony.

It was a ceremony that had been held every time the duke chose a new head of the family since ancient times.

Who could spit out the most viscous black flame?

That was what the Flowering Ceremony was all about.

“Yes. It was a tradition that had been passed down until the previous generation. Moreover, the youngest young master has spit out black flame. There is no reason not to hold the Flowering Ceremony.”

The reason no one had mentioned the Flowering Ceremony until now was because the secret technique had been lost, and there was no one who could produce black flames. But now, the situation was different.

“Alright. However, the problem is whether your brother will willingly participate in the Flowering Ceremony. Since he cannot produce black flames, he will surely oppose it.”

“Leave that to me. I will handle it.”

Cheiman replied with a quiet smile. The world still remembered the former duke.

The Flowering Ceremony.

It was one of the events that remained in everyone’s memory.

We have the justification on our side. Myers nodded.

*

It had been a week since they occupied the count’s territory.

With the occupation of the vast count’s territory, the amount of work had exploded. This was especially true in the early stages of the occupation.

Even Elena, who was known as a genius in administration by the Frexians, was overwhelmed by the amount of work. Ethan was also buried in a mountain of documents.

Ethan’s status had changed dramatically from the past, just as his workload had increased. The change in the attitude of the nobles was particularly striking.

The 10 branches of the family and himself.

The nobles who had been quietly watching the battle between the two were now reaching out to him one by one.

There were dozens of invitations sent to Toledo’s inner castle every day.

Despite this, Ethan did not send a single reply.

They were nothing more than hyenas.

There was no reason to engage in meaningless conversations. He was busy dealing with his work when something caught his eye.

Light shone through the window.

The moment he brought the mana stone closer, a familiar face appeared.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. Has there been any progress?”

“Yes. After hearing your story, I investigated the dwarves working in the royal palace. Don’t be surprised. Nearly eight out of ten of them are in cahoots with the dragon tribe.”

“That’s more than I expected.”

“I found out that Williams brought them in one by one. They were all in cahoots. I’ve gathered all the evidence. Even the Seven Families of the Kingdom won’t be able to stop this.”

“Are they connected to the Seven Families of the Kingdom?”

“Unfortunately, yes. They were receiving support in secret.”

“It’s possible that the Kingdom of Seven and the Church are working together.”

…/Hoo. It’s terrible to even imagine.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes. Don’t worry. This will raise the reputation of our Lord Popolence. I’ll make sure of it. Now, I’ll be going.”

That was the last message from Seong-gu.

“You’re doing well.”

The kingdom that rejected the sect.

And the sect that suspects the kingdom of murdering the bishop.

The power of the royal family, accumulated over a long period of time, was not to be underestimated. If the two forces were to clash, it would be quite a sight to behold.

Lost in thought,

A familiar voice came from outside the door.

“Ethan. Can I come in?”

It was Elena’s voice.

“Sure.”

She opened the door and handed him a letter.

“This is for you.”

The black letter was adorned with golden threads. The golden threads burned like colorful flames.

It was a letter bearing the crest of the duke’s domain.

Only the head of the family could send a letter with such a crest. And in the duke’s domain, there was an organization that acted as the head of the family’s representative.

The Council of Elders.

Ethan opened the letter and read its contents.

“Hm.”

As he read on,

Ethan looked around, sensing someone’s gaze.

Elena was staring at him intently. She looked like a baby bird begging for food.

“Are you done reading?”

“Yeah.”

“What does it say?”

The letter was sent directly to Ethan by the head of the family, so even Elena had no right to read it. That was the law of the family.

“Now that I am approaching adulthood, the time has come to determine who is the rightful heir to the duke’s title.”

“…Huh? The rightful heir?”

“Yes. Some claim that only those who can produce black flames are the rightful heirs.”

The letter’s contents can be summarized as follows. Ethan smiled slightly after reading the last line.

Accordingly, I hereby announce that the coming-of-age ceremony will be held under the authority of the acting head of the family. The schedule is as follows…

“So, you want to hold the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“…Coming-of-age ceremony?”

Ethan nodded.

It was one of the pieces of news he had been waiting for.

“The time has come.”

Not only had he devoured all ten branches of the collateral line, but now it was time to completely bring the duke’s domain under his control.

Ethan raised the crystal ball.

There was no need to send a reply. He already had a way to contact the Cheymen side directly.

Soon, light shone through the crystal ball.