I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 80

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (81)

Earl Welington.

Ethan, who was staring at him, asked.

“So what does the decree say?”

“…I will now recite the contents of the decree. The Seven Families of the Kingdom and the Grand Duke, please listen carefully!”

Soon, a mana barrier surrounded the training ground.

No outsiders could hear anything through the thick mana wall.

The nobles’ eyes lit up, but all they could see was Wellington’s figure moving his lips in the training ground.

The earl removed the mana barrier and read the decree aloud.

―We acknowledge the skills the Grand Duke demonstrated at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

―However, considering the rushed schedule of the ceremony, it would be difficult for the Seven Royal Houses to fully accept the results.

“The Grand Duke shall be appointed as the temporary head of the Ardan family, but the Three Dukes shall be given the opportunity to compete with the Grand Duke for one year. If they win, the title of Duke shall be handed over to them.

This opportunity is a one-time offer, and if they do not challenge the Grand Duke within a year, the title of Duke shall automatically be passed on to the Grand Duke.

After hearing the entire contents, Ethan smiled wryly.

“A mediation plan.”

The Seven Houses of the Kingdom are the leaders of the aristocracy.

The fact that they are taking over the duke’s family is not good news for the king’s faction.

“That’s why they appointed him as the temporary head of the family.”

It’s much better than seeing the Seven Houses of the Kingdom’s puppet become the head of the family.

At least this side is closer to neutral than the aristocratic faction.

Marek and the other members of the Kingdom’s Seven Gaze looked at Count Welington.

“Hmmm…”

The king’s move was quite clever. It was impossible for Teron to defeat the Grand Duke right now.

It meant that he needed time.

“One year.”

That was quite a long time.

If they could reorganize during that time and try again, they would have a chance to take the dukedom.

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That was the moment.

“Why do I have to obey that?”

“…Grand Duke. This is His Majesty’s order.”

“So why do I have to obey? Can’t you see the third son lying there?”

“…”

It was exactly as he said.

Teron was being supported by the Black Knight, his eyes blurry.

“Temporary head of the family? The ceremony has already taken place, and the result is clear to everyone.”

He was not wrong.

If the seven royal families had not intervened, the grand duke would have easily become the head of the family.

“Furthermore, the council of elders made their decision long ago. Count Cheyman clearly said he would recognize me as the head of the family. In this situation, do you think I should follow the royal decree just because it is a royal decree?”

“How dare you disregard the royal decree?”

Ethan smiled slightly.

“It’s not that I’m ignoring it… I’m just asking because I think the result is too biased. I’m sure His Majesty previously defined the affairs of the Duke’s family as ‘family matters.’”

“……”

“The opening ceremony is just one of the duke’s family affairs. Compared to that, aren’t the Seven Families of the Kingdom outsiders? I don’t think it’s a good idea to let a bunch of nobodies meddle in family affairs. Especially when His Majesty himself defined their status.”

Wellington was speechless.

Just then.

A terrifying aura emanated from Count Marek.

“The Grand Duke’s words are truly strange. The Seven Houses of the Kingdom have supported the Three Princes with all their might for the past nine years. It is ridiculous to call them outsiders when they are like family.”

“You really do talk a lot of nonsense.”

“…The Grand Duke is like a thunderstorm. Watch your mouth!”

“You. Don’t forget where you are. This is the Duchy of Ardan.”

In an instant, explosive energy flowed from the Grand Duke’s body.

Marek flinched.

It was because he remembered the previous duke he had seen long ago. At that time, the duke was one of the absolute rulers who shook the continent.

He was a knight in the sky who was incomparable to himself.

He took a step back without realizing it and soon contorted his face.

“…What a disgrace!”

He was being intimidated by mere momentum!

Soon, explosive energy burst forth from Marek’s body.

Wellington grimaced at the sight. The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense.

It wouldn’t have been surprising if someone had drawn their sword at that moment.

“If this continues, the Seven Houses of the Kingdom and the Grand Duke will clash head-on…”

The outcome was clear.

No matter what the Grand Duke did, he could not defeat the Seven Families of the Kingdom.

To put it bluntly.

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Even if only one of the Seven Families of the Kingdom stepped forward, the Grand Duke would be crushed.

His strength and talent were undeniable, but he was not yet a fully matured warrior.

The problem was what would happen after that.

The Grand Prince being killed by the Seven Families of the Kingdom? It wouldn’t be surprising if the kingdom was turned upside down. Chaos and war would begin to loom.

“The Grand Prince is a card that must not disappear now.”

The Seven Families of the Kingdom.

They were a gathering of prestigious families with enormous power that even the king could not easily touch, and they were all intricately intertwined with the Yongin clan.

“These guys are worse than…”

The Ardan Duke’s family was much better. They were a family that had shown their loyalty to the kingdom.

What other family would mobilize all of their direct descendants except for their children to protect the kingdom?

In the long history of the Kingdom of Haidern.

The only family that showed their loyalty through actions rather than words was the Duke’s family.

The Grand Duke was a dangerous sword, but he could also be called the best sword.

He was sharp enough to cut off the arms and legs of the Seven Families of the Kingdom.

Wellington stood in front of Marek and the Grand Duke.

“Both of you, stop!”

Leaving Marek behind, Wellington looked at the Grand Duke.

“Huh. Grand Duke. This can be resolved through dialogue.”

“The Ardan family does not care about the opinions of others.”

“…I didn’t mean to say you should care about others’ opinions, but at least leave room for dialogue.”

“That’s what you said.”

“…”

Wellington sighed.

The Grand Duke and the Seven Families of the Kingdom.

And himself, who belonged to the royalist faction.

The situation was complicated.

Just then,

“Give me my brother back.”

The Grand Duke made another explosive declaration. Marek immediately refuted him with a stern expression.

“The Third Prince chose to remain with the Seven Families of the Kingdom of his own free will. The Grand Duke has no right to demand his return.”

“Nonsense. Do you think you can brainwash people with black magic?”

“Brainwashing! Don’t slander him without any evidence!”

[Gmaaan!]

A voice filled with mana echoed throughout the training ground.

The entire training ground shook from the power of the voice.

Even the thick wall of mana trembled from the powerful shout.

The audience widened their eyes.

They couldn’t hear anything, so they didn’t know exactly what was happening inside.

“…The atmosphere is tense.”

At least they knew that much.

Marek’s eyes lit up.

Wellington.

He was now seriously unleashing his power. If he moved carelessly here, he would clash head-on with him.

“…Not bad.”

He had heard that he was skilled, but

he didn’t know that he had reached the level of a superhuman.

Now that things had come to this, it would be wrong to fight the Grand Duke.

Meanwhile

A voice penetrated Ethan’s mind.

[…Grand Duke. The kingdom will reward you. So please stop here. You know that, don’t you?]

[What?]

“…!”

Wellington’s eyes widened.

The whisper of mana.

Even if he was at his worst, he had to reach the level of an 8th-rank knight master to send a whisper like that, but the Grand Prince sent it as if it were nothing.

“How powerful is his mana control…?”

How high is it?

Wellington continued whispering very quietly so that Marek wouldn’t notice.

[A claim without power is hollow. Even if the Grand Duke makes such a claim, the decision of the Seven Houses of the Kingdom will not change. If the Grand Duke is willing to make a concession, we will give you something in return. How about funds to rebuild the devastated duchy?]

Funds.

He was making money by delivering goods to Viscount Bloten, but

To be honest, it was nearly impossible to rebuild the collapsed duchy with that amount. “Two thousand platinum coins.”

That was the amount Viscount Besos had earned so far.

It was a large sum, but it would be difficult to even restore Londinium, a large city like the ducal capital, with that money. The duchy had been ruined for so long.

[I will report and decide.]

[… Fine. Then stop for now.]

[Yes.]

Wellington and the king’s faction would definitely try to protect this side.

That was why he kept attacking the Seven Houses of the Kingdom.

If they were going to make such a terrible decision, then at least they should give this side a little something in return.

Now it was time to see how Wellington would gather support.

“Let me summarize the situation. The Grand Duke’s words make some sense. That much is clear from the appearance of the Three Princes.”

“That’s because the opening ceremony was held in a hurry.”

Marek immediately refuted, but Wellington ignored him and continued.

“In any case, the Third Prince did not attend the opening ceremony, did he? If he had argued about the urgency of the situation as soon as he attended the opening ceremony, I would have accepted it.”

“The situation was so urgent…”

“From the moment the three princes faced the Grand Duke, they claimed that they would accept their disadvantage. On top of that, the earl’s intrusion into the training ground is unjustifiable no matter how you look at it.”

At that moment.

Marek glared at Welington and asked.

“Was that the earl’s decision or His Majesty’s?”

“The latter.”

“…”

Before visiting, he had been given full authority by Delphreon. Even if this incident caused friction with the Seven Families of the kingdom, now was the time to protect the Grand Duke.

“It is understandable that the Grand Duke would question His Majesty’s decision. Therefore, I will propose a compromise. The solution is simple. The kingdom and the Seven Houses will provide compensation separately.”

“…Compensation?”

“Give them the amount needed to rebuild their dukedom. Five hundred platinum coins per family. The kingdom will also give them two thousand platinum coins.”

At those words, Marek and the other members of the Seven Families of the Kingdom fell silent.

Their minds were working furiously.

“It’s not bad.”

Five hundred platinum coins.

It wasn’t a large amount for the seven royal families.

Moreover, if the three princes took over the duchy in the future, the money would return to them anyway.

The Black Magician nodded in agreement.

He must be thinking the same thing. One year and one chance to challenge in the future.

In exchange for that, the amount they were offering was rather small. After all, the rule of the Ardan Duke’s family was at stake. Marek looked at Welington.

“All right.”

“Grand Duke. Do you agree to this proposal?”

“I’ll show you my sincerity and let you off this once.”

Guh!

The members of the Seven Families of the Kingdom gritted their teeth. How could he say such a thing?

What an arrogant man.

Wellington sighed and nodded. The wall of mana surrounding the training ground collapsed.

Wellington looked around and shouted loudly.

[The results of the 18th Flowering Ceremony are in!]

Curious eyes gathered around. The same was true for the nobles of the 5th branch family who were watching the training ground with bated breath.

The bigwigs gathered in one place and discussed the matter.

How would it end? Among them, there was one person who was praying the hardest.

It was Cheyman.

“Please!”

Please let this Flowering Ceremony be invalidated!

If the Grand Duke was elected as the next head of the family, it would be the end for them.

At that moment.

Count Welington approached Cheyman.

“You announce it.”

As Welington continued to speak.

Chayman’s face gradually turned pale. With his hands trembling, Chayman managed to speak.

[…I hereby appoint the 18th head of the Ardan family, the Grand Duke… However, I grant the third prince, Teron Ardan, one chance to challenge him. The deadline is one year.]

A murmur rose from the crowd.

A challenge?

Unexpectedly, the nobles and the audience all widened their eyes.