Chapter 1072 – 1072. God’S Atlantis
Having returned to the Valdert family, Elena was spending busy days.
While she was briefly away from her position as head of the family, the household had become a mess. It was far worse than she had anticipated.
More than half of the capable and talented individuals had left. Fortunately, news of Elena’s return had spread, and those who had left were coming back, but the process was slow. They must be enjoying their time off.
‘How vexing. But it can’t be helped. I ended up enjoying a vacation myself… If I were to push them away… That would be terrible.’
There were significant problems both inside and outside the family.
The external problem was the political attacks from nobles targeting the Valdert family. This was manageable. Since she, one of the Empire’s Five Greats, had returned safely, she could slowly retaliate. The thought of crushing the nobles and receiving compensation was actually enjoyable.
The serious issue was the internal problem.
The Valdert family was certain of Elena’s death. She had fallen into the Hell Zone, and many had witnessed the scene, so it was natural.
Her relatives, eyeing the vacant position of the family head, revealed their greed. Those who hadn’t dared to make a peep when she was around were now engaged in a power struggle for the throne.
‘And they did it openly. Poisoning and assassinations were basic, and they even reached out to external forces. There’s more than one thing to clean up.’
The Justia Imperial Family had condoned the Valdert family’s downfall. Other nobles were only scheming about how to take a bite out of the Valdert family. Enemies were everywhere.
‘If I had returned just a month later… That would have been terrifying.’
She worked day and night. She purged those who needed to be purged and checked every business related to the family. If she hadn’t had the [Complete Recovery] skill, which completely restored her physical and mental state, she would have already collapsed from overwork.
“Head of the family!”
The door opened, and a middle-aged man entered.
He was one of Elena’s trusted retainers. His gray beard, which he was usually proud of, had lost its luster due to neglect, and the dark circles under his eyes behind his glasses were so deep that he could have been mistaken for a panda.
“Did you finish what I ordered?”
“…I sent an inspection team to the Perraid Merchant Guild. You will be able to see the guild master’s head around noon tomorrow.”
“I’ve seen at least thirty people’s heads today. I’m tired of seeing more, so you check and handle it yourself.”
“Yes, Head of the family.”
“I will not permit it.”
“…Pardon?”
“……Weren’t you here to ask for resignation?”
“I know it’s useless. A guest has come to the mansion.”
“Who is it?”
Elena straightened her slouched posture. She had previously ordered that any riff-raff who came should be turned away at the door. For reference, most of that riff-raff were nobles below the rank of count.
“It’s the Aplan Legion. The legion that resumed its sponsorship after you returned, Head of the family.”
“I see. I’m too lazy to go to the reception room. Bring them here.”
“Understood.”
Elena, who had lowered her gaze to the documents, realized that he hadn’t left and looked up again.
“Is there something else you want to say?”
“Well… It would be an impious thing to say…”
“Speak freely. I can’t kill you right now. If you die, I’ll have twice as much work to do.”
“I will speak, risking this old life. Head of the family, please stop the executions of the family members.”
“Are you saying I should spare them because they’re relatives? You know very well what they’ve done, don’t you?”
“I do, but isn’t it too excessive?”
“I sent the young ones to the monastery. I’ve shown enough mercy. The money I donated to the monastery isn’t small either. …Hmm. This is a problem. I’m starting to suspect you now.”
“I haven’t received any money or anything. It’s for the sake of the family. There are no successors. To eliminate all but two… If something were to happen to you, Head of the family…”
“……”
Elena couldn’t ignore her retainer’s concerns. One of the reasons the family was in such a mess was because there were no successors.
As a retainer, he must be worried that a similar situation might occur again. She closed her eyes for a moment.
‘If it were the past, I would have ignored these words. After all, there’s almost no chance that this world will last more than 30 years. But now…’
A man with abilities more godlike than a god came to her mind.
That man would be able to change the fate of this world. No, he would more than be able to change it.
Elena, who had opened her eyes, said,
“I will create a successor within 10 years. So, wait for 10 years. What? 10 years is a generous estimate. Maybe it will happen as early as next year.”
“…Pardon? Not choose, but… create? Surely, Head of the family, are you planning to create an artificial human?!”
“You’re crossing the line. If we weren’t short on manpower, you would have had to run 30 laps around the parade ground.”
“……Who is the other party? What is their lineage? Do they have the dignity befitting the Valdert Ducal family?”
The retainer asked seriously.
“Lineage? They’re from a high-ranking noble family. Born as the youngest of three brothers, they seized the position of successor. As for dignity… they’re good at acting. If they set their mind to it, you’d believe they were a king. They even played the role of emperor, I hear.”
The retainer narrowed his brow. He desperately searched his mind, but no one came to mind.
“Could it be… from the Imperial Family?!”
“Do you want to die?”
“It was a slip of the tongue. Anyway, if it’s that unknown person, I can trust them.”
“…What do you mean you can trust them?”
“Somehow, I feel like that person would jump into hell for you, Head of the family.”
“……”
“They must be the one who makes you feel at ease, Head of the family.”
“At ease? Me? Can’t you see how busy I am right now?”
“I mean peace of mind. You used to accept jokes a few times, but… there was a line. A firm line.”
“Can’t you see that line now?”
“I can see it. But it’s far away, so it looks blurry. It’s a good change. I’ll go and bring the members of the Aplan Legion now.”
The retainer went outside. Elena stared blankly into the air for a moment.
‘I’ve changed?’
She frowned, then chuckled.
‘Not bad.’
A little later, the members of the Aplan Legion came to her office. Led by the Legion Master, Kang Myungjin, there were many beautiful women around him. However, there was no soft, spring-like atmosphere. Everyone had serious faces, as if they were attending a funeral.
“Duke Valdert. It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you look well.”
“Enough with the greetings, Kang Myungjin. I don’t have time, so get to the point. Well, I can guess. It’s about Sung Yoojin, right?”
The women’s shoulders twitched at the mention of Sung Yoojin’s name. Elena’s sharp mind recalled their names and information. Joo Seo-hyun, Yoo Seo-hee, Lilsne, Lee Min-jung.
She used to think nothing of it, but now she was quite bothered by them.
‘…He must have touched them. He’s not the type to leave such beauties alone…’
Elena felt a strange tightness in her chest.
“…Yes. We know he’s alive. He probably escaped the Hell Zone with you, Duke. Where is he now?”
“I don’t know.”
She lied without even wetting her lips. If they went to find Sung Yoojin now, it would be difficult for Sung Yoojin, who was currently dealing with the Black Blood Alliance. She quietly soothed the rising irritation.
“We separated immediately after escaping the Hell Zone. I’ve been busy dealing with the mess in the family, so I know nothing about him.”
“…Is that so.”
They looked disappointed. Especially the women, who looked very depressed. The irritation rose again. However, the target had changed.
“Aren’t you his comrades? How can you not trust him and come to me… I’m disappointed. If it were me, I would have trusted him until the end.”
“We do trust him. We just couldn’t stay still because we were worried about him, so we came to see you, Duke.”
“That’s proof that you don’t trust him. There’s not much trust between comrades. If it were me, I would have trusted him and waited until the end.”
“Umm…”
The members of the Aplan Legion swallowed their groans.
Elena looked at the women and asked,
“Do any of you know the name ‘Yuria’?”
“No. It’s the first time I’ve heard that name…”
Kang Myungjin and the women reacted the same way. Elena curled up one corner of her mouth.
“Ah. I see. Well, I thought so.”
“May I ask who that person is?”
“She’s a woman who’s more capable than me. And… a rival? Something like that. She’s someone who has nothing to do with you.”
Perhaps they sensed the strange nuance in Elena’s tone. The women’s expressions were not good. Especially the tall woman with long black hair and sharp eyes, openly frowned and approached Elena.
Joo Seo-hyun.
Elena recalled her name. A quick glance at Joo Seo-hyun’s chest showed that it was as large as Yuria’s. Elena felt slightly annoyed.
“Duke. I’ll ask directly. What is your relationship with him?”
“Your tone is impudent. But, since you belong to the legion he’s in, I’ll forgive you. My relationship with him is… more than you think.”
“…Do you know what I’m thinking when you say that?”
“……”
Elena smiled quietly. Joo Seo-hyun’s hand trembled at the smile that looked down on people. But Joo Seo-hyun didn’t cross the line. She stepped back as if she didn’t want to deal with Elena. Joo Seo-hyun instinctively knew that Elena was an absurdly strong person.
“Now it’s my turn to ask. What is your relationship with him?”
“…We’re enemies.”
“Is that so. I thought you were in a master-and-bitch relationship.”
“What!”
Joo Seo-hyun’s face turned bright red. Elena smiled quietly. She had said it because she seemed strong-willed, but it seemed she had really been trained as a bitch.
“Kang Myungjin. If you’re done, I’d like you to leave now.”
“We apologize for taking up your time, Duke.”
“It’s fine. As for him… trust him and wait. Surely he wouldn’t abandon you?”
They bowed and left the office.
Elena waved her hand in the air. A conch shell fell into her hand from the subspace. After pondering over the conch shell, she put it back into the subspace.
‘He’ll take care of it himself, since it’s his mess.’
•••
I, as a Heavenly Demon, a cadre of Helten, was moving with Li Mei, wearing a clown mask. We were going to each of the Black Blood Alliance’s cadres and persuading them.
‘It’s closer to threatening than persuading, though.’
I looked at the Chinese man in front of me. Li Mei had cast charm and fascination on him. With three layers of fascination, he became a loyal slave, spitting out everything he had, including his wrongdoings and weaknesses.
Li Mei said that she could change the other person’s subconscious and make them a complete slave by casting fascination on them for one hour every day for about 30 days. But there wasn’t enough time for that, so we threatened them with their weaknesses. If the threat didn’t work, we killed them without hesitation.
“Yoojin, I think the Black Blood Alliance leader has noticed. It’s not that the cadres we’ve recruited have ratted us out… He must have guessed it since he knows my unique traits.”
What we were doing now was just laying the groundwork for the smooth operation of the Black Blood Alliance.
If the Black Blood Alliance leader had noticed, this would be difficult. Now is the real deal.
“It’s time for a thrilling conversation with the Black Blood Alliance leader.”
I would kill the Black Blood Alliance leader and take his place. After that, I would reorganize the Black Blood Alliance once again. I would reduce the size of the Black Blood Alliance to match Li Mei’s capabilities, as she had no experience leading an organization.
“Let’s go.”
We tore a space-movement scroll and moved to the area where the Black Blood Alliance leader was.
