Chapter 79
Abel.
Meeting with him wasn’t difficult.
Since we had grown considerably closer, I now had a free pass to enter and leave his office without issue.
Erciel, who had been dragged along without much explanation, looked around the room.
“Young Master?”
“What?”
“What should I do?”
“It’s nothing complicated.
When Big Brother arrives, just show your spirit and tell him what it said.
If he asks any questions, just answer them.”
The Ancient Spirit of Light.
Even a jaded veteran like me had never seen such a spirit before.
Naturally, it must be extremely rare in this world as well.
If such a spirit had spoken, its words would lend strong credibility to my claims.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, the door finally opened.
“It’s been a while, Kyle. I heard you won the tournament. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“And who is this?”
“Ah, my personal maid. Her name is Erciel. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”
“…Hello, First Young Master. My name is Erciel.”
“I see. Nice to meet you. But why did you bring her?”
“I have something to discuss with you. I’ll explain shortly. You can speak freely—she is someone I trust.”
At my words, Abel gave a small nod.
“I see. So this is the girl the assassins targeted during the attack?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I heard about it from Father. It was Viscount Remington who orchestrated it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ha.”
At my words, Abel smirked bitterly.
“After what happened, I suppose the Viscount holds quite the grudge. He must think we destroyed his perfectly functioning business.”
“It was illegal. He has no right to complain.”
“This all happened because of that boy, Seron, didn’t it? Father mentioned that he has exceptional skill.”
“For the most part, yes. Originally, I intended to settle things quietly by purchasing him, but those scumbags tried to lowball me, so negotiations were impossible.”
“Figures. People like them wouldn’t sell at a fair price. I heard the Storm Corps was deployed. They should be bringing back evidence soon…”
Abel’s lips curled into a grin.
“Soon enough, they’ll learn what it means to cross the Seltarion Family.”
“Exactly. Prinus is a decent city. If we eliminate its illegal activities while properly managing the existing businesses, it could become a profitable and stable source of income.”
If you wanted long-term success,
it was always better to run things legally.
Even within the law, there were countless ways to make money.
“But anyway, why did you come to see me today?”
“It’s about our Second Brother. I thought we should discuss something important.”
“You mean Adolf?”
“Yes. I believe something will happen during the Succession Ceremony.”
“……”
At my words, Abel fell into silence.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
“…I don’t have a good feeling about this… But it’s hard to be certain based on intuition alone. Do you really believe he’ll draw his sword?”
Abel and Adolf.
So far, Adolf had always been the one to step back,
yielding a little at a time.
That was probably why Abel couldn’t bring himself to be fully convinced yet.
He looked uncomfortable, as if something was bothering him.
That meant my task was simple—
I just needed to turn that discomfort into certainty.
“Big Brother. This girl is a Spirit Contractor.”
“…A Spirit Contractor?”
At my words, Abel stared at her intently.
It seemed that Father hadn’t disclosed this information.
Should I thank him for keeping the secret?
Regardless, if we were going to talk seriously,
we needed to reveal the spirit.
“Yes. She possesses extraordinary talent. The spirit she summons is the Ancient Spirit of Light. You should see for yourself.
Erciel?”
At my signal, Erciel nodded,
and soon, a pure white spirit floated beside her.
Flap!
“…Fascinating. And if it’s an Ancient Spirit…”
“You’re thinking exactly what it is, aren’t you? This Ancient Spirit delivered a message to her. It said this Marquisate is filled with evil energy.”
“…Evil energy?”
“Yes.”
At my words, Abel turned his gaze to the spirit circling Erciel.
“Did this spirit really say that?”
“Yes.”
Flap!
As Erciel nodded,
Asiris shuddered as if confirming her words.
“…Hmm…”
An Ancient Spirit of Light.
Anyone could tell it was unusual just by looking at it.
So it was no surprise that Abel took my words seriously.
As his expression turned grave, I spoke.
“Evil energy within the Seltarion Family’s estate… Isn’t that strange? Why do you think that is?”
“…….”
Considering the trust Abel had built with me and the strong warning signals his intuition was sending, he wouldn’t dismiss my words lightly.
After a brief silence, Abel finally spoke.
“…Are you saying that Adolf possesses such power?”
“The possibility is very high. Do you know about the 5th Legion?”
At my question, Abel nodded.
“The troops Adolf has been gathering, right?”
“I’ll be honest with you. Right now, what I’m saying lacks definitive proof and is mostly based on circumstantial evidence. That’s why I came to you, Big Brother.”
Even though the Ancient Spirit had spoken about it, that alone wasn’t direct evidence.
If someone insisted it was all fabricated, there wouldn’t be much I could do.
Adolf.
Unless he revealed his power, there was no tangible proof to present.
That meant an immediate response wasn’t possible,
but that didn’t mean I planned to stand still either.
The reason I came to Abel now was to start taking action.
“…I see. Even I find it hard to believe so easily… I understand why you sought me out. Have you told anyone else about this?”
“Apart from my guard knight and Erciel, no one.”
“Good. This isn’t the kind of story to spread around carelessly.”
“Yes. And I don’t exactly have many people I trust.”
“…So, Adolf must have sought that power out of his desire for authority. But wouldn’t it be difficult for him to act freely? Not everyone would support his actions.”
It seemed Abel still trusted the knights who had sworn loyalty to the family.
Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced.
Starting from the soldiers and low-ranking knights in the 5th Corps,
all the way up to high-ranking knights,
most of them were already his puppets.
I glanced at Erciel, who nodded and began to speak.
She explained how the Ancient Spirit had sensed a boiling, surging energy—
a force that was suppressing the wills of countless people,
one that would inevitably erupt in the near future.
As the conversation continued, Abel’s face grew steadily darker.
And then—
“…Could it be?”
“Big Brother, you probably already know. The 5th Corps isn’t just made up of ordinary soldiers and citizens— it was formed by incorporating criminals as well. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The ratio of criminals isn’t small, yet the corps is running too smoothly. Not a single major incident has occurred.”
“…If what the spirit said is true… Then it’s because he’s been suppressing their nature.”
“Exactly. And soon, he will release it. Now, the question is—when?”
As Abel remained silent, I whispered softly.
“A power capable of controlling countless people… If he’s already taken full control over the knights and soldiers under him, then surely, Big Brother, you must already know.”
“…Know what?”
“That Father has already chosen a successor. The balance has tipped more than halfway now. And Adolf knows it too. He must see it as unfair— that despite his capabilities, he’s being passed over simply because you are the eldest son.”
“…….”
“Big Brother, there won’t be any compromise. Before the rivers run red with blood, we need to be ready.”
By now, some soldiers were surely beginning to break free of his control.
That meant he would need to unleash the power he had amassed sooner rather than later.
There was no reason for him to back down.
‘Of course, it won’t all break out at once.’
At first, it would start with dozens of men,
but as time passed, more and more soldiers would succumb to madness.
And if they were going to rampage,
it would be best if they did so in a way that benefited him.
The Succession Ceremony was the perfect timing.
“…What do you think we should do?”
“We must act as discreetly as possible, making sure he believes his plan is proceeding smoothly. That will make it easier to stop him. A sudden rebellion would be far more difficult to handle.”
“…Hah. This is complicated. If only we could stop him now. Can’t we use the Ancient Spirit to expose him?”
At that, Asiris shuddered,
and Erciel shook her head.
“It can only sense the energy, not reveal it directly. The only reason it detected it at all is because light and darkness are opposites, and it has encountered such energy before in the past…”
“…Hmm.”
As Abel contemplated the situation, I spoke carefully.
“Big Brother, even Father failed to sense this energy. Only a Spirit as powerful as the Ancient Spirit of Light could recognize it. Uncovering this force will be nearly impossible.”
“…Then how do you suggest we prepare?”
“We need to use the troops under your command to counter the 5th Legion during the Succession Ceremony.”
“…You said it would erupt, didn’t you?”
“Yes. And it won’t be long. After ten years of suppression, it’s already reaching its limit. Blood will be spilled.”
The one silver lining was that, unlike the past timeline,
Abel now knew what was coming.
The difference between knowing and being caught unaware was immeasurable.
“…I’ll make all necessary preparations. Until the day before the Succession Ceremony, I will ensure this remains a secret.”
“Yes. For now, only inform those you completely trust.”
“…As for Father…”
He let out a heavy sigh.
“It would be better to keep this from him.”
“That would be wise. If Father begins preparations, Adolf may delay his rebellion. Even if his control over the troops weakens, it won’t drive them all to madness immediately. There will still be some time to act.”
If necessary, they could silently eliminate those who lost control,
stalling for time.
If everyone openly prepared,
Adolf wasn’t stupid—
he would adjust his timing.
“And if we delay the rebellion, it could become an even greater disaster for the family. Having time to prepare makes all the difference.”
“…You’re right. Then Father…”
“I will hint at it subtly to him.”
At that, Abel slowly nodded.
“…Understood. Thank you for telling me. If I hadn’t known, this would have been a catastrophe.”
“It’s nothing. This is my family too. I’m just doing what I must.”
Abel.
Though he expressed gratitude,
his eyes were now hardened with resolve.
From his expression, it was clear—
he would do everything in his power to prepare.
Through this conversation, I had gained a powerful ally in stopping the rebellion.
—
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