Chapter 9 : Memory of Betrayal

“Memory Crystal.”

It was one of the magical artifacts.

Its effect was exactly as its name suggested.

By utilizing a mana stone, it could store scenes from a certain period of time.

The crystal was stored alongside various gems, but it was clearly an item that reeked of shadiness.

“Mana stone.”

“Please wait a moment!”

Hans rummaged through the office.

Soon, he found a low-grade mana stone.

When he brought it close to the crystal, the stored scene began to play.

So… you’re saying we just need to turn that youngest lord into a cripple, right?

Yes.

I don’t care how you do it, just make sure he can’t function properly as a person.

As you know, my lord, these things take time.

To do it quickly, we’d need some potent drugs, but those aren’t something we use lightly…

No need for drugs.

We have plenty of time, so take about three years to get it done.

That should be enough.

I’ll assign some suitable people to handle it.

However, this kind of job comes with a hefty price…

Will this do?

This… isn’t this the mana breathing technique used by the ducal family’s knights?

I’ll also provide a training manual with details on physical techniques, depending on how things progress.

Haha! We’ll do our utmost, my lord.

You’ve worked hard under me.

You’ll continue to do so, won’t you?

Of course!

I’ll remain loyal to you, my lord.

Watching the footage, Ethan let out a hollow laugh.

What a bunch of bastards.

To an outsider, the scene could easily be mistaken for knights swearing loyalty to their lord.

Wirdan’s voice in the video was dripping with fervent devotion.

Yet, the fact that he kept such a recording showed clearly that his outward loyalty was a facade, hiding a completely different nature.

“That guy from earlier.”

“We’ve turned him into half a cripple. His mana core was completely shattered, so he’ll never show his face again.”

Hans spoke with confidence.

They had already interrogated the man face-to-face.

Leaving someone with mana alive would naturally invite the risk of retaliation, and Hans despised such variables.

A peaceful, stable life was the best, wasn’t it?

That’s why he had asked Myers to completely destroy that damned thug’s mana core.

Convincing the youngest lord wasn’t difficult.

The moment they mentioned he could be a threat to his brother, he didn’t hesitate to crush the man’s abdomen, where the mana core resided.

Only after confirming the core was shattered into pieces did they stop the interrogation.

Now, the man was nothing more than an ordinary person.

“Is that so?”

“If you want to see him again, I can bring him right away.”

“No need.”

There was no more information to extract from him.

The crystal had already served its purpose.

Evidence secured.

Not only had a branch family stolen the main family’s breathing technique and physical training methods, but they had also passed them on to others.

On top of that, they had conspired to harm a direct descendant of the family.

Once this footage was revealed, it would be easy to crush them.

The evidence was undeniable.

With Ethan’s immunity, he could even behead them in public, and no one would dare protest.

However…

Not yet.

Ethan shook his head.

So far, the only part of his body imbued with the Essence of Fire was his wrist.

He couldn’t yet move his entire body with agility.

If the enemy let their guard down, he was confident he could take down a formal knight—a three-star knight—in a single strike.

But a four-star knight or higher?

Starting from four stars, knights had considerable combat experience.

Even if they were careless, his chances of winning were slim.

No matter how much battle experience he had, it was meaningless if his body couldn’t keep up.

I need time to prepare.

The Kargas Baron Family was the weakest among the ten branch families.

Provoking the other nine families just to take this one down wasn’t a wise move.

As families that had taken bites out of the ducal family, some of the branch families likely had knights of four stars or higher.

Only when he had enough power to completely crush them should he reveal the evidence.

First, I need to complete the sowing process.

Head, neck, back, chest, shoulders, arms, wrists.

Then the waist, thighs, calves, and ankles.

Once the sowing was complete in these eleven areas, and finally in the mana core embedded in his heart, the basic preparations for circulating mana through his body would be finished.

The remaining mana cores could be awakened later.

After completing the sowing, he would move in earnest.

The first family to be devoured would be the Kargas Baron Family.

With a quiet smile, Ethan tucked the memory crystal into his chest.

“Take the gems.”

“All of them, my lord?”

“Yes.”

Hans swallowed hard.

The value of the gems in the box was likely more than he could earn in a lifetime.

It was an incredibly satisfying haul.

But then—

“Forget.”

“Pardon?”

“If you want to live.”

Hans’ smirking face froze instantly.

It was clear what he was being told to forget: the contents of the memory crystal.

If he mentioned this to the baron, the baron would surely move to destroy the evidence.

The moment the grand duke confirmed that, Hans would be as good as dead.

Risking his life for a bit of reward wasn’t worth it.

Hans quickly made his calculations.

His expression shifted to one of feigned confusion.

“What happened today?”

“Nothing.”

“By the way, that Helmut guy’s in for trouble. One of his income sources got completely wrecked. He’s probably going to feel the sting when he has to hand over support funds. Heh.”

To think that someone had gutted the goose that laid golden eggs and still had to fork over support funds.

The moment the news of the Red Scorpion’s destruction reached the baron, he’d probably lose sleep over it.

The three left the building.

When they returned in the afternoon, Elena was waiting at the entrance.

She stared intently at Myers.

His clothes were in tatters, and the bandages on his side were soaked with blood.

“Where’s Ethan?”

“He said he had somewhere to go. He’ll probably be back soon.”

“Did you go out for training?”

“Yup!”

Myers answered energetically.

“And the results?”

“Excellent, of course!”

“Good. Go wash up.”

“Will do!”

Their conversation was remarkably calm.

Hans, watching this, was stunned.

The grand duchess, who was usually so timid she could barely speak up, was acting so composed despite her brother returning battered and bloodied?

Has she changed overnight or something?

He couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

But soon, he realized that wasn’t the case.

Despite her composed demeanor, her pupils were trembling.

The reason for her newfound attitude…

It’s because of the grand duke.

Ten years.

For ten years, Elena had practically lived in the room where the grand duke lay bedridden.

It was clear she had high expectations for her eldest brother.

“Steward.”

“Yes, Grand Duchess.”

“What happened today?”

“We went out for practical training.”

“Practical training?”

Hans nodded, deciding it was safe to share this much.

“Yes. We visited Veros Village with the youngest lord. There, we clashed with the Red Scorpions.”

“The Red Scorpions… aren’t they a fairly notorious group? I heard they’re one of Baron Helmut’s sources of funds…”

“Yes, that’s correct. We stormed their base for training. The injuries on the youngest lord’s body were sustained during that.”

“I see.”

“The youngest lord was impressive, but the grand duke’s prowess today was truly remarkable.”

“Ethan?”

“Yes. The mana emanating from him felt like… flames. Even Wirdan, the leader of the Red Scorpions, couldn’t last a minute against his onslaught.”

“Flames…?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Elena flinched.

Mana like flames.

At the[first, it was a sign of mastering the family’s advanced techniques.

Ethan.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

After the mana surge, she had thought her brother’s body was completely broken.

But it wasn’t.

Controlling mana meant he had overcome the surge.

Elena sighed in relief.

Wiping away her tears, she looked at Hans.

“So, what will Baron Helmut do now?”

“Well, knowing the baron, he’ll likely wait until the results come from the council of elders.”

Once news of the Red Scorpions reached him, he’d realize Ethan was no pushover.

Not only could he wield mana, but he had incapacitated Wirdan—a seasoned fighter—in under a minute.

Baron Helmut was a cautious man.

If he sensed danger, he wouldn’t act rashly.

“I suspect he’ll only make a move after securing support from the other branch families. Frankly, the baron alone can’t handle the grand duke, who holds immunity.”

“I see.”

“So don’t worry too much. The grand duke is growing stronger faster than anyone.”

To Hans, the grand duke was a golden goose.

And generous, too.

Just look at how he handed over all the gems today.

Compared to that petty Helmut, the grand duke is far better.

That was why his loyalty was leaning more toward the grand duke than the branch family.

“My lord! Urgent news!”

The old steward burst in without even knocking.

Helmut tilted his head.

The steward was usually calm, so for him to be this flustered, it had to be something significant.

“What’s the matter?”

“The… the Red Scorpions have been completely wiped out! Wirdan’s been turned into a cripple, and all the others have broken limbs…”

“What?”

The baron’s eyes widened.

Who dared to destroy a group under his protection in the Kargas Barony?

The Red Scorpions were a key source of income for his territory.

They couldn’t just vanish like this.

Bang!

The baron slammed the desk.

“Who the hell did this?”

“It… it was the grand duke.”

“What?”

“The grand duke… he completely shattered Wirdan’s mana core.”

“Damn it!”

The baron hurled objects around the room.

With the grand duke’s immunity, he couldn’t even be punished under the territory’s laws.

“How the hell did that cripple take down the Red Scorpions… Damn it! Damn it!”

It was unthinkable, which made it all the more infuriating.

But assassinating him wasn’t an option either.

The Ardan Ducal Family was treated like guardian deities by the people, war heroes of sorts.

Killing their heir?

It was possible with the baron’s resources, but the aftermath would be catastrophic.

If the heir of such a prestigious family died on his land, no matter who did it, the baron wouldn’t escape responsibility.

The other branch families will try to cut ties and pin it all on us.

They’d make the Kargas Barony the scapegoat.

Assassination’s off the table.

It wasn’t a viable option.

It was a matter of the family’s survival, not something to risk just because he was annoyed.

Helmut’s mind quickly cooled.

“Yes, my lord?”

“What now?”

“A letter from Hans has arrived.”

“Let me see it.”

The baron tore open the envelope.

As he read, his face grew redder.

“That crazy bastard! He’s asking for a hundred gold coins?”

One gold coin could sustain a commoner family for a month.

A hundred was no small sum, even for a baron.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

But he couldn’t refuse.

He needed at least one pair of eyes to closely monitor the grand duke’s every move.

“What should we do? The requested items seem to require that amount.”

“Damn it! Send it! And make sure to check if that bastard’s inflating the costs!”

Helmut’s face twisted in anger.

It was truly a rotten day.