CH 40

Eimum was one of the few vassals who knew that Aster was treated in Heinrihi’s laboratory. So, two years ago, when the missing Aster showed up at Genoyer’s birthday for the first time in 10 years, he had predicted the situation to some extent.

Eimum wasn’t too worried about it. He believed the Sestein family and that if he set his mind to it, he could keep at least one illegitimate child who ran wild quiet. But that thought was arrogant. In fact, Aster’s power was far more powerful and dangerous than they had imagined.

The transcendent. Aster had already become an existence far beyond human limits. But if it was Heinrihi, the head of the Sestein family, he might know how to kill this crazy mutant.

At that time, Heinrihi was in a laboratory where only immediate blood relatives could enter and hadn’t appeared since then. That being said, it was clear that this crazy bastard had done something to Heinrihi.

His purpose is to take over the Sestein family, so he probably didn’t kill the head of the family. That was the only hope Eimum believed in. He begged as if he squeezed out his last hope. “I must see the Lord. Please let me see him.”

“Count Eimum, my father is not feeling well now. He can’t afford to meet someone.”

The moment Aster finished his words and grinned, Count Eimum’s anger exploded. “Don’t talk nonsense, Aster! Bring the Lord right away. Otherwise, I will tell the emperor everything about this incident!”

Eimum glared at Aster with bloodshot eyes. He realized that too. He would never be able to meet Heinrihi if he stayed silent to hide this family’s disgrace.

Aster said as if laughing, “Your loyalty to my father is too much. So your disloyalty towards me is understandable. At this point, wouldn’t I have no choice but to kill Count?”

“W-what? You’re gonna kill me?”

In a great rage, Eimum staggered his feet. The floor he stood up on was filled with the blood from the bodies of his already dead vassals. After taking a couple steps off the wet floor, Eimum flashed a hideous look.

“How dare you say that as an illegitimate child. Eimum is a loyal family that has protected the Sestein family for a long time. But someone like you, born with blood I don’t know where it came from, is going to kill me? Aren’t you afraid of God!”

“Count Eimum, anyone who sees it will think that you’re the owner of the Sestein family.”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you’ve made a hassle because you want to take this position,”  Aster said calmly and smiled. The sight was so frightening that Eimum hesitated.

“…What are you talking about? Could it be that you intend to blame their deaths on me?”

Tsk, tsk. Aster, who clicked his tongue low, said with a sad expression on his face, “It’s no use denying, Count Eimum. You killed so many of those precious people without hesitation, and now you’re pretending you don’t know.”

Aster, who was laughing, got up from his chair. He walked down slowly and stood in front of Eimum, who was standing precariously. The golden rings surrounding his red eyes shone creepily.

“Since you harbored resentment and killed the family’s vassals, I can no longer take your side. I can’t help it either.”

“What? Resentment? What a spectacle. How dare you lay the blame on me?! Hahaha.”

Eimum looked at him with a laugh as if he had heard something very funny. “Even if you said that, who would believe you? Not a single person in the Sestein family will acknowledge you, who only believes in your strength. Are you still under the illusion that you are suitable for the position? Hahaha. What a fool!”

Aster, who raised his hand slightly, shook it lightly. Then— Thud. Count Eimum, who was being sarcastic, fell to the floor like a lie.

“Now you become a little quieter.”

His bored gaze turned to Count Eimum. Only then did the blood flow from the count’s severed throat like a fountain. Aster, who had a sullen expression, frowned unpleasantly.

“It’s not a good sight, Your Excellency.”

“Didn’t you advise me not to do this?”

“Still, I don’t like this sight.”

“Tsk.”

Aster clicked his tongue low at Louis’s brazen reply and swung his hand once more.

Fwoosh. Blue flames soared over the red blood. The blazing flames soon engulfed all the wreckage in the hall as if to announce the end of the two years of a silent war. A deep smile spread across the lips of Aster, no, Astein, who left the large hall.

* * *

Elusiana, who left ‘Dream-seeking Paradise,’ started walking straight along the road outside. She, who had been walking for a while, suddenly burst into tears.

“…A swindler. How do you expect me to give you 30 gold when it was originally only 4 cooper? A man without a conscience.”

Elusiana felt nauseous when she remembered Painen’s face, who was speaking as if announcing her death sentence.

“If you plan to sell the mansion, you will have to take another plan. Items held as collateral cannot be disposed of arbitrarily. It’s stated in the contract, so please check it out, Lady.”

Damn it! All the corners to escape were blocked, and he pushed them back, telling them only to enter the path of death.

Isn’t she miserable? Yes, her situation was as if the sky was falling. It was even more unfair that she couldn’t do anything even though she knew his obvious trick.

“Well, there are all cases like this. Really.”

Elusiana’s eyes soon reddened. She bit her lips, but the indifferent tears fell without even knowing the owner’s heart.

If I had someone to ask for help at a time like this. At that moment, Noel’s face appeared in Elusiana’s mind. But she shook her head vigorously. I’m thinking about what’s going to happen.

Noel was kind, but he was also a noble. There was no way he would do a favor for nothing in return. That’s what he used to be. Didn’t he escape by using her, who went to deliver the flowers with a grudge against her when she kicked him out from hiding in her store?

It’s because I was lucky to catch the eye of Marquis Klaus. At that time, her legs were swollen, and she thought of running around like crazy. But if there was no way…

“I should at least talk about it.”

He was less reliable, but it was better than being sold into slavery right now. With that thought, Elusiana felt strangely relieved. But it was truly a last resort. Whatever it was, solving it on her own wasn’t a bad thing.

At that time, clang. She heard the sound of metal colliding. Elusiana lifted her wrist and looked at the source of the sound.

“Why did I forget this?”

Her gloomy scarlet eyes glistened. The sound was coming from an artifact given by Noel. Wouldn’t I be able to get quite a bit of money if I sold this? She didn’t know the exact amount, but if it was an artifact gifted by the eldest son of a marquis, it would be worth a lot. If she was lucky, the troubles she had been worrying about so far might be solved easily.

“As expected, there’s no way I would die like this.”

It was time for Elusiana, who had quickly become overjoyed, to spin her happiness circuit. Painen’s face with a sinister smile came to his mind.

“Should I leave this for sale?”

Painen was meticulous enough to hold the Waieos family’s mansion as collateral. He couldn’t have foreseen this. Furthermore, he was a man who had been running a loan business for over ten years in the same position. It was impossible to maintain the level of prominence in the industry of either eating or being eaten with an ordinary mind.

“…That’s right. There was no way he would leave me alone.”

There was a high possibility that she would be robbed by a pickpocket before she could even sell it. Even if she was lucky enough to sell it, there was a great risk of being forced to sell it at a very low price.

Elusiana, who let out a low laugh, opened the mansion door she had arrived at.

“By the way, father… is going to be okay, right?”

Thinking of him, who made an expression as if the world was about to collapse after confirming the absence of Viscount Milan, made her heart suffocate.

“Haa…”

After a long sight, Elusiana trudged to the annex.

Sometime after Elusiana disappeared, a shadow appeared in front of the annex, pulling his light green hair as if troubled.

“Uurgh. It’s a big deal. What to do with this?”

The low-tongued man frowned and suddenly swung his head. His gaze was directed to the place where Elusiana had visited before, where ‘Dream-seeking Paradise’ was located. After biting his lip a few times, he soon disappeared like smoke, as if he had made up his mind on something.

* * *

After changing from blood-splattered clothes, Aster headed straight to the office. There was little warmth in those eyes that were always cold.

“Is Jayra here?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. He is waiting in the office.”

“The regular report should have been made yesterday. Could it be that something happened to Lusi?”

“I haven’t heard. However, he brought something.”

“Hmm… really?”

Louis, the butler, opened the door to the office with a faint smile. When Aster entered the office, Jayra, who had been waiting for him, bowed his head and greeted Aster.

“You are here, Your Excellency.”

“Yes, let’s hear your business first.”

Aster, who was sitting in a chair, looked in one corner. Jayra, who smiled as if embarrassed, quietly averted his gaze and answered.

“It’s about the loan business I reported yesterday.”

Aster slowly opened his eyes and leaned his back against the back of the chair. “Isn’t that story already over?”