Chapter 211

Chapter 211

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 211: I’ll Give You My Surname (1)

The news of Aidel’s double engagement threw the Adelwein family into immediate chaos.

Jerome sprang into action, quick to point out that this engagement occurred without the Adelwein family’s consent – it was solely the Reinhardt family’s unilateral decision. “Direct your curses at those bastards, not our family,” he declared.

He attempted to contact both the Council of Elders and Zelnya – or rather, he tried to.

Thud, thud, thud.

“Who’s there?”

“Honey!” came a panicked voice. “Something terrible has happened! The prosecutor’s office inspectors are here!”

Jerome’s mind went blank.

“The prosecutor’s office? Why?”

“They’re conducting an investigation!”

The situation seemed too suspicious to digest. Jerome calmly verified the dock entrance, noting these weren’t the Northern Prosecutor’s Office inspectors the Adelwein family had previously dealt with.

“…Damn it.”

These were inspectors from the Southern Prosecutor’s Office – notorious for their merciless approach.

Thud, thud, thud.

BANG!

The steel-alloy dock entrance shattered as inspectors burst in, flanked by heavily armed police and soldiers. This violent, unauthorized intrusion was unthinkable in a civilized society governed by the rule of law.

Though Jerome considered fleeing, he realized it would only make him appear guilty. Instead, he decided to dress and face them with confidence.

“What is the meaning of this!”

“I’m Herseth, chief inspector from the Southern Prosecutor’s Office. And this is our special inspector.”

“You’ve brought a task force and soldiers – what’s this about?”

“Indeed. Why don’t you tell me why you think we’re here?”

Inspector Herseth smirked as he held up a screen displaying an arrest warrant.

“See this? A fresh warrant was issued just two hours ago. If you wanted to play SM games, you should have called me directly.”

“What are you implying…?”

“I’m saying there was no need to communicate through your son-in-law.”

“Son-in-law?”

Aidel von Reinhardt.

Veins bulged on Jerome’s forehead, but before he could process his anger, the task force had already secured him with silver handcuffs.

“This is outrageous! Have you forgotten the presumption of innocence? Are you even a real prosecutor?”

“Let me ask you something in return: Are you human?”

“What…?”

“I’ll keep this brief.”

Prosecutor Herseth displayed a stack of evidence, his expression darkening.

“Jerome von Adelwein, Trisha von Adelwein. We’re conducting a search and seizure based on 147 charges, including violations of the Bioethics Act. Due to flight risk and possible evidence destruction, you’ll be detained immediately. That’s all.”

“Detained? We’re innocent!”

“The investigation will reveal everything. I hear you’ve hidden quite a ‘secret’ in your underground vault. Shouldn’t such valuable information be shared?”

The prosecutor’s cold smile sent shivers down Jerome’s spine.

The vault’s ‘secret’ – the research on transforming humans into monsters or Incarnates – was highly classified information known only to a select inner circle of the Adelwein family.

“But that’s not all. Just look at this. My word, how many pages of evidence do we have here?”

The prosecutors thrust the documents before Jerome. Every record of the family’s serious crimes was laid bare – information that could only have been obtained through access to Adelwein’s internal network.

“Well, we’ll soon verify everything during our search.”

At the inspector’s signal, the police teams dispersed throughout the premises.

They methodically located relevant materials, verified their authenticity, and ultimately discovered the horrifying truth within the vault.

That was all it took.

The fall of the Adelwein family was now inevitable.

In the aftermath, Inspector Herseth’s team conducted their investigation with unprecedented aggression. They executed raids on every household, from the main family to distant branches, leaving no stone unturned.

The result was staggering: 80% of family members were implicated in criminal activities.

“Only those who married out or became live-in sons-in-law escaped. Mere pawns, disposed of when convenient. Rather pitiful.”

Brian remarked, scanning the news article.

The Adelwein family’s collapse sent shockwaves through society. Not only was the general public stunned, but the other nine great families were thrown into panic. The power dynamics among the ten great families had become unpredictable.

Moreover, the nature of Adelwein’s crimes was particularly shocking.

“Turning people into Incarnates? Did they fancy themselves Outer Gods?”

“Indeed, master. I’ve never encountered such horror…”

“That Aidel certainly orchestrated this masterfully.”

Brian knew this was Aidel’s handiwork. The double engagement during a political marriage was telling – he had gathered intelligence on Adelwein before striking decisively.

Yet the method remained unclear.

Had Zelnya Adelwein genuinely fallen for him?

“Young master, could this backfire on you?”

“Hmm.”

Brian contemplated. While Adelwein’s downfall was unexpected, it wasn’t necessarily problematic. The crucial question was whether this situation presented an opportunity or a threat.

The original plan to control Adelwein through Aidel was now moot – neither a gain nor a loss. However, the option to marry him off was gone, leaving only the possibility of driving him to insanity.

There had to be another way.

“Erica, bring me my brother’s medical records.”

“Yes, here they are.”

The records from Aidel’s intensive care stay clearly suggested Outer God’s involvement.

Yet when Brian had examined Aidel, those symptoms had vanished completely. Though Aidel had cleverly falsified the waveform readings, the original case still held some significance.

“Hmm?”

Something caught Brian’s eye – a barcode-like marking at the bottom of the record sheet he’d previously overlooked.

“Erica, what’s this?”

“I haven’t seen this before either. One moment while I scan it.”

Erica nodded as she processed the information.

“It’s a document authentication code from Miss Ceti’s company, ‘Maidoc.’ It verifies the original documents for each case. The system uses random number assignment, creating different access paths each time – highly secure.”

“…What did you just say?”

That’s when it happened.

Thud, thud, thud.

Heavy, club-like pounding echoed from beyond the door. Brian frowned deeply, pressing his ear against it. The sound grew louder: THUD, THUD, THUD! His breath caught in his throat.

“Y-Young Master…?”

Brian inhaled deeply. Surely not. He had always conducted his meetings with the Adelwein family with the utmost discretion.

Yet unexpected events have a way of blindsiding you.

“Who’s there?”

“Federal Prosecutor’s Office. Are you Mr. Brian von Reinhardt?”

“Yes, but…”

“We’re conducting a non-custodial investigation regarding suspected violations of medical laws. Please cooperate quietly.”

The inspector produced a file comparing Brian’s forged documents with the authentic cases.

His mind went blank.

When had he…

When had he ended up on their chopping block?

“Come with us.”

Brian moved in a daze.

Two weeks had passed since my engagement to Rustila.

Contrary to my initial worries, both the investigation and subsequent judgment were proceeding smoothly. I had expected at least one assassination attempt. Still, Zelnya’s preemptive strike had been so devastating that it seemed to have completely crushed any opposition’s will.

Well, when the head of a family betrays their own house, what else could you expect?

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The investigators had completed their search and seizure of my belongings. Of course, I was innocent. Even if they had hacked my computer, they would have found nothing but my thesis.

‘This person only exchanges emails with professors…’ It was somewhat embarrassing but ultimately inconsequential.

Meanwhile, my father was particularly distressed when Brian came under investigation. He berated me for suing my own brother immediately after becoming head of the family, questioning my sanity. However, he fell silent when I presented the medical records released by Maidoc as evidence.

This was a fortunate development. I had managed to eliminate one of the Five Evils before the Darwin Legion’s Great Invasion began. However, this didn’t mean everything was resolved – these matters needed proper handling to prevent future complications.

My current priority was supporting Zelnya, who was more deeply affected by these events than anticipated. She exhibited clear signs of anxiety and required careful attention.

Accompanied by Rustila, I visited Zelnya at the detention center where she was being held due to her position as the former head of the Adelwein family. Despite her cooperation in providing evidence for the lawsuit, her confession didn’t absolve her of all responsibility. While I was quickly released, Zelnya, as a direct Adelwein descendant, required more thorough investigation and judgment.

“Ah, Aidel,”

She was trembling like an abandoned kitten.

“The Adelwein is finished now, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I… I destroyed everything with my own hands. The power, the wealth, my position as head – everything. Ahaha…”

Though she had made this decision herself, the magnitude of its impact was clearly taking its toll on her.

Over the past two weeks, I have been following the news closely. Most comments were critical of Zelnya.

“People are all condemning me. I’ve given up everything; let go of it all. Yet all I receive in return are those judgmental looks. I knew this would happen; I was prepared for it. Yes, I know this was the right thing to do…”

“Zelnya.”

“They say my confession doesn’t absolve me of my evil deeds. That I deserve life imprisonment just for being a bystander to such cruel acts.”

Zelnya surely understood that public opinion had no legal bearing. Her fate would be determined by either a judge or the automatic judgment system.

But her real pain came from somewhere else.

“Aidel… if you marry me, you’ll face criticism too.”

She didn’t want to make me the husband of someone from a family of serious criminals.

“I can handle being criticized by the world. But you know what? I can’t bear the thought of you, who saved me, being condemned because of me. We discussed this before, but now that we’re here, I can’t do something so selfish… So rather…”

“Are you asking to break off the engagement?”

The sharp question came not from me but from Rustila, her voice cutting through the visitation room’s air.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Rustila continued coldly.

“I told you before – Aidel is someone both you and I need. While I still oppose this bigamy, I’ve accepted it as necessary. So why are you backing out now after we’ve all agreed?”

“You…”

“Don’t you see that acting this way makes only Aidel and me look like the villains? You’re still as thoughtless as ever.”

Though harsh, her words weren’t meant as criticism but rather showed genuine concern – something only Rustila could express so directly.

I nodded in agreement and stood up. Crossing the visitation room, I gently touched Zelnya’s cheek, which was as red and tender as an apple.

“Zelnya, I’ve told you before. What you did was morally right. You were a victim, and you did nothing wrong.”

“A-Aidel.”

“I promised to make you happy for the rest of your life.”

“But I’m still an Adelwein…”

“Says who?”

I pulled out a small box from my pocket and opened it, revealing three yellow diamond rings – yellow being the symbolic color of the Reinhardt family.

My next words were clear:

“I’ll give you my surname.”

“Ah…”

“Zelnya von Reinhardt. That’s your name from now on. Even if you object, I’m registering it regardless.”

Zelnya’s expression went blank with surprise.

Contrary to all concerns, she was eventually acquitted and able to return to school safely.

Meanwhile, there was another person trembling in fear merely because they bore the Adelwein name.

It was Rejane, Ceti’s biological mother.

“To think you’d show your true colors only now…”

Believing she was completely cornered, she was making preparations to flee.