With Cassion’s words, the grand hall fell into a hushed silence.
However, only for a moment.
Whispering sounds could be heard here and there.
“Since the eldest son has returned, his candidacy should be reinstated, shouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, thinking about it, that makes sense.”
“We thought Lord Leo would become the next duke, but at this rate, could the first son become the duke?”
“Oh, come on. He can’t even wield magic. How can someone like that become the next duke?”
Alongside Cassion’s astonishing demand, the voices of people around could be heard. All the duchess wanted to do was scream back at those people who kept speaking those barely hushed words.
Her lips, barely holding back a scream, trembled slightly.
Leo felt the same.
The rising anger seemed to scorch his throat.
‘What? Hand over the successorship?’
It was the first time Cassion had uttered such words.
Someone like Cassion Carter. It was impossible to imagine him stringing together the words ‘duchy’ and ‘successorship’ in one sentence.
Yet here he was, confidently demanding Leo’s position in front of so many people.
And, so audaciously.
It seemed like his head had gone astray after waking up from the dead.
Did he forget his place? How much of a pathetic fool without any abilities he was.
Leo twisted the corner of his mouth, gently caressing the ring he had secretly held in his hand a few days ago.
He recalled the conversation he had with Daniel.
“Summoning a monster with the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Yes. The hunting festival didn’t go as planned—your achievements were inadvertently shared with one other. It wasn’t a commendable enough performance.”
As Leo recalled the events of the hunting festival, he couldn’t counter Daniel’s words and had to keep silent.
The plan in the hunting competition wasn’t as successful as intended.
Leo was supposed to become the sole hero in the hunting competition.
However, he shared the credit with Rosetta’s knight.
“Then, will you create a similar situation again this time?”
“The choice is yours. But, this time, you need to showcase your abilities cleverly once again. And…”
Daniel closed his mouth and grinned.
“And?”
“And, as the monster incidents become more prominent, it will be easier to lure Rosetta out.”
People will be blindsided by fear, and even the imperial family will need sacrifices to calm the people amidst chaos.
In other words, Rosetta Valentine would become their scapegoat.
Daniel’s red tongue slipped between his lips.
Leo, feeling a shiver, narrowed his eyes.
In any case, this guy was undoubtedly eerie.
“How do I summon the monsters?”
“Tap the ring when you desire. Then, the monsters hidden among the people will open their eyes.”
With Daniel’s voice echoing in his mind, Leo’s hand, tapping the ring, paused.
Soon, indistinctive blue shadows started to sway somewhere.
They took the form of people and revealed themselves within the crowd.
Leo smiled inwardly.
Then, a man yelled.
“M… Monsters!”
That was the signal of chaos.
“What did you say?! Monsters?!”
“Ahh!”
“Save us!”
Screams began to pour out from everywhere.
Most of the nobles gathered here had witnessed the dreadful tragedy of the hunting festival.
The memories flooded back like a broken dam when they saw the blue monsters.
While the number of blue monsters was small compared to the hunting competition, the panic that set in was just as real.
In the meantime, above the stage at the ball, frantic movements began.
The startled emperor rose from his seat, and the imperial knights guarding him quickly entered their combative stances in response to the sudden situation.
Though rumors of monster sightings during the hunting competition had circulated, actually seeing monsters was a first for many.
Meanwhile, the commotion sparked above the ball, leading the emperor to tighten his fist with determination.
‘Treason.’
The hunting competition and the imperial ball.
Both events were hosted by the crown, with the emperor and other members of the imperial family attending.
However, repeatedly unleashing monsters at such events was undoubtedly an act of treason.
Just before the emperor, brows furrowed, could command the imperial guard surrounding him to eliminate the monsters, someone moved faster than him.
Bathed in a flickering blue light, which the emperor assumed was an extension of a monster, a man shot forward and took down a monster in a single, fluid motion. A shriek erupted right then as well.
People couldn’t comprehend what just happened. However, as if they were waiting for the signal, they flinched out of their stupors and started running away.
Guooooh!
Guuhk!
With agonizing groans, more monsters collapsed, pouring blue blood. The fragments of black beads made a sharp noise as they crumbled under the man’s feet.
When the situation became apparent, people who had been fleeing in fear held their breath and focused their attention.
The man had his foot confidently on the fallen monster’s corpse, and as the monster was about to try and stand back up…
Crackle.
As the man stomped down, a blue flame rose on the monster’s chest.
The monster couldn’t even groan and turned into ashes, disappearing.
Silence enveloped the surroundings. Not a single person dared to speak.
The sight of a man covered in inverted blue blood and even bluer flames was so intense that it seemed mystical.
The man’s bright red eyes flashed vividly.
“How on earth did you…”
In the silence, someone’s voice quietly echoed. The owner of the voice was the duchess.
In response to her stumbling words, Cassion smirked and collected the flames adorning his body.
Cassion touched the ashes of the fallen monster under his foot with a nudge, then opened his mouth with a sly smile.
“It looked dangerous, so I just moved on instinct.”
“But you… You surely can’t use magic, right?”
“Oh, that…”
Cassion’s eyes rounded playfully. Slowly sweeping through the gaze of those solely directed at him, Cassion leisurely opened his mouth.
“As it turned out, my mana had been blocked all this time. However, the shock of the accident I had suffered made it flow again. This is…”
All thanks to that mysterious carriage accident.
At that voice, so tinged with amusement, Leo ground his teeth.
Blood rushed to his head, making it hard to breathe.
However.
“Cassion!”
The emotions he had held back all erupted explosively.
A clear voice echoed in the grand hall.
Cassion. Cassion. Cassion.
Those watching Cassion alternated their gaze between Leo and Cassion, following the echo.
And, they thought.
The supposedly deceased Cassion Carter had returned.
Moreover, with immense power in his arsenal.
The current Cassion Carter was not the same pitiful Carter of the past.
Rather…
‘Cassion Carter might be more suited for the role of the next duke.’
Public opinion reversed in an instant.
* * *
“What the hell is going on!”
Bang!
Leo grabbed Daniel by the collar, forcefully slamming him against the wall.
Daniel, hitting the wall with his back, didn’t change a single expression and faced Leo.
Then, he let out a small laugh.
“Why are you laughing now?!”
“Because it’s amusing, what you’re doing.”
Saying so, Daniel lightly brushed off Leo’s wrist. After straightening his disheveled collar once, Leo, with a sly smile, bit into Daniel.
“More importantly, what are we going to do now?”
“What?”
“That guy has come back. Moreover, with such power.”
Daniel tilted his head to the side.
An expression of pure doubt emerged above his fair and expressionless face.
“Why do you keep asking me about it?”
“What?”
“Dealing with your brother is your job, not mine.”
Leo’s lips twitched slightly, then remained closed.
There was nothing to say.
Daniel was right.
Originally, what Daniel promised him was to provide him power that would help him become the next duke.
And, additionally, to make Alicia his.
Originally, dealing with Cassion was not his responsibility.
The already angry man became even more frustrated.
His head throbbed.
‘How did things end up like this?’
* * *
A few hours back, after the short but intense monster incident during the coming-of-age ball, Cassion uttered such words in front of so many people.
“Now that I can use magic, I believe I have a claim to the duchy’s succession as well, Father.”
The duke remained silent. After a moment of apparent contemplation, he chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
The duchess, who had been supporting him, turned her head in surprise.
“Dear!”
Leo also looked at the duke with trembling eyes.
He wanted to shout that this was absurd, but there were too many eyes watching.
He had just expressed his anger towards Cassion a while ago, and if he made another move, he would face backlash from the crowd.
Moreover, even the emperor was now paying attention.
While, too, wearing a pleased expression.
The duke was likely aware of this as well.
The situation was bad.
The duke slowly spoke.
“To my ears, Cassion’s claim seems valid. Don’t you also agree, Duchess?”
The duchess closed her mouth at the pointed remark. There was no use in trying to refute something here.
Clenching his fist, Leo felt sharp nails digging into the palm of his hand.
‘Well, it looks like Cassion is changing his mind now.’
It was quite expected.
His nuisance of a son had returned with tremendous power.
Not only that, but he had also displayed his abilities in front of many people.
The emperor seemed pleased, making Cassion even more favorable in the duke’s eyes.
That’s the kind of man he was.
He would acknowledge people—even his own family members—if they were skilled.
After all, skill was where he could derive value.
And, right now, the duke valued Cassion more than Leo.
The situation was at its worst.
With Cassion’s words, the grand hall fell into a hushed silence.
However, only for a moment.
Whispering sounds could be heard here and there.
“Since the eldest son has returned, his candidacy should be reinstated, shouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, thinking about it, that makes sense.”
“We thought Lord Leo would become the next duke, but at this rate, could the first son become the duke?”
“Oh, come on. He can’t even wield magic. How can someone like that become the next duke?”
Alongside Cassion’s astonishing demand, the voices of people around could be heard. All the duchess wanted to do was scream back at those people who kept speaking those barely hushed words.
Her lips, barely holding back a scream, trembled slightly.
Leo felt the same.
The rising anger seemed to scorch his throat.
‘What? Hand over the successorship?’
It was the first time Cassion had uttered such words.
Someone like Cassion Carter. It was impossible to imagine him stringing together the words ‘duchy’ and ‘successorship’ in one sentence.
Yet here he was, confidently demanding Leo’s position in front of so many people.
And, so audaciously.
It seemed like his head had gone astray after waking up from the dead.
Did he forget his place? How much of a pathetic fool without any abilities he was.
Leo twisted the corner of his mouth, gently caressing the ring he had secretly held in his hand a few days ago.
He recalled the conversation he had with Daniel.
“Summoning a monster with the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“Yes. The hunting festival didn’t go as planned—your achievements were inadvertently shared with one other. It wasn’t a commendable enough performance.”
As Leo recalled the events of the hunting festival, he couldn’t counter Daniel’s words and had to keep silent.
The plan in the hunting competition wasn’t as successful as intended.
Leo was supposed to become the sole hero in the hunting competition.
However, he shared the credit with Rosetta’s knight.
“Then, will you create a similar situation again this time?”
“The choice is yours. But, this time, you need to showcase your abilities cleverly once again. And…”
Daniel closed his mouth and grinned.
“And?”
“And, as the monster incidents become more prominent, it will be easier to lure Rosetta out.”
People will be blindsided by fear, and even the imperial family will need sacrifices to calm the people amidst chaos.
In other words, Rosetta Valentine would become their scapegoat.
Daniel’s red tongue slipped between his lips.
Leo, feeling a shiver, narrowed his eyes.
In any case, this guy was undoubtedly eerie.
“How do I summon the monsters?”
“Tap the ring when you desire. Then, the monsters hidden among the people will open their eyes.”
With Daniel’s voice echoing in his mind, Leo’s hand, tapping the ring, paused.
Soon, indistinctive blue shadows started to sway somewhere.
They took the form of people and revealed themselves within the crowd.
Leo smiled inwardly.
Then, a man yelled.
“M… Monsters!”
That was the signal of chaos.
“What did you say?! Monsters?!”
“Ahh!”
“Save us!”
Screams began to pour out from everywhere.
Most of the nobles gathered here had witnessed the dreadful tragedy of the hunting festival.
The memories flooded back like a broken dam when they saw the blue monsters.
While the number of blue monsters was small compared to the hunting competition, the panic that set in was just as real.
In the meantime, above the stage at the ball, frantic movements began.
The startled emperor rose from his seat, and the imperial knights guarding him quickly entered their combative stances in response to the sudden situation.
Though rumors of monster sightings during the hunting competition had circulated, actually seeing monsters was a first for many.
Meanwhile, the commotion sparked above the ball, leading the emperor to tighten his fist with determination.
‘Treason.’
The hunting competition and the imperial ball.
Both events were hosted by the crown, with the emperor and other members of the imperial family attending.
However, repeatedly unleashing monsters at such events was undoubtedly an act of treason.
Just before the emperor, brows furrowed, could command the imperial guard surrounding him to eliminate the monsters, someone moved faster than him.
Bathed in a flickering blue light, which the emperor assumed was an extension of a monster, a man shot forward and took down a monster in a single, fluid motion. A shriek erupted right then as well.
People couldn’t comprehend what just happened. However, as if they were waiting for the signal, they flinched out of their stupors and started running away.
Guooooh!
Guuhk!
With agonizing groans, more monsters collapsed, pouring blue blood. The fragments of black beads made a sharp noise as they crumbled under the man’s feet.
When the situation became apparent, people who had been fleeing in fear held their breath and focused their attention.
The man had his foot confidently on the fallen monster’s corpse, and as the monster was about to try and stand back up…
Crackle.
As the man stomped down, a blue flame rose on the monster’s chest.
The monster couldn’t even groan and turned into ashes, disappearing.
Silence enveloped the surroundings. Not a single person dared to speak.
The sight of a man covered in inverted blue blood and even bluer flames was so intense that it seemed mystical.
The man’s bright red eyes flashed vividly.
“How on earth did you…”
In the silence, someone’s voice quietly echoed. The owner of the voice was the duchess.
In response to her stumbling words, Cassion smirked and collected the flames adorning his body.
Cassion touched the ashes of the fallen monster under his foot with a nudge, then opened his mouth with a sly smile.
“It looked dangerous, so I just moved on instinct.”
“But you… You surely can’t use magic, right?”
“Oh, that…”
Cassion’s eyes rounded playfully. Slowly sweeping through the gaze of those solely directed at him, Cassion leisurely opened his mouth.
“As it turned out, my mana had been blocked all this time. However, the shock of the accident I had suffered made it flow again. This is…”
All thanks to that mysterious carriage accident.
At that voice, so tinged with amusement, Leo ground his teeth.
Blood rushed to his head, making it hard to breathe.
However.
“Cassion!”
The emotions he had held back all erupted explosively.
A clear voice echoed in the grand hall.
Cassion. Cassion. Cassion.
Those watching Cassion alternated their gaze between Leo and Cassion, following the echo.
And, they thought.
The supposedly deceased Cassion Carter had returned.
Moreover, with immense power in his arsenal.
The current Cassion Carter was not the same pitiful Carter of the past.
Rather…
‘Cassion Carter might be more suited for the role of the next duke.’
Public opinion reversed in an instant.
* * *
“What the hell is going on!”
Bang!
Leo grabbed Daniel by the collar, forcefully slamming him against the wall.
Daniel, hitting the wall with his back, didn’t change a single expression and faced Leo.
Then, he let out a small laugh.
“Why are you laughing now?!”
“Because it’s amusing, what you’re doing.”
Saying so, Daniel lightly brushed off Leo’s wrist. After straightening his disheveled collar once, Leo, with a sly smile, bit into Daniel.
“More importantly, what are we going to do now?”
“What?”
“That guy has come back. Moreover, with such power.”
Daniel tilted his head to the side.
An expression of pure doubt emerged above his fair and expressionless face.
“Why do you keep asking me about it?”
“What?”
“Dealing with your brother is your job, not mine.”
Leo’s lips twitched slightly, then remained closed.
There was nothing to say.
Daniel was right.
Originally, what Daniel promised him was to provide him power that would help him become the next duke.
And, additionally, to make Alicia his.
Originally, dealing with Cassion was not his responsibility.
The already angry man became even more frustrated.
His head throbbed.
‘How did things end up like this?’
* * *
A few hours back, after the short but intense monster incident during the coming-of-age ball, Cassion uttered such words in front of so many people.
“Now that I can use magic, I believe I have a claim to the duchy’s succession as well, Father.”
The duke remained silent. After a moment of apparent contemplation, he chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
The duchess, who had been supporting him, turned her head in surprise.
“Dear!”
Leo also looked at the duke with trembling eyes.
He wanted to shout that this was absurd, but there were too many eyes watching.
He had just expressed his anger towards Cassion a while ago, and if he made another move, he would face backlash from the crowd.
Moreover, even the emperor was now paying attention.
While, too, wearing a pleased expression.
The duke was likely aware of this as well.
The situation was bad.
The duke slowly spoke.
“To my ears, Cassion’s claim seems valid. Don’t you also agree, Duchess?”
The duchess closed her mouth at the pointed remark. There was no use in trying to refute something here.
Clenching his fist, Leo felt sharp nails digging into the palm of his hand.
‘Well, it looks like Cassion is changing his mind now.’
It was quite expected.
His nuisance of a son had returned with tremendous power.
Not only that, but he had also displayed his abilities in front of many people.
The emperor seemed pleased, making Cassion even more favorable in the duke’s eyes.
That’s the kind of man he was.
He would acknowledge people—even his own family members—if they were skilled.
After all, skill was where he could derive value.
And, right now, the duke valued Cassion more than Leo.
The situation was at its worst.
