episode_0029

If we were a family that could boast such titles, we would have been nobles.

The roots and soul of our family barely stretched back fifty years.

My great-grandfather was a merchant, but it was my grandfather and father who truly began to expand the family’s wealth.

By the time I was born, my grandfather had already retired, and my father had taken over as the head of the family, leading the merchant guild.

Unlike me, who was easygoing, or Rinaldo, who was simply bright and innocent, my father was a man of fiery ambition.

Although I hadn’t inherited my father’s ambition or drive for improvement, over the years, a flame had been drawn within my heart; this, too, was one of life’s ironies.

“Have you been well, Father? I’ve missed you.”

I called out to my father, my voice tinged with ten years of longing and a hint of resentment.

“Yes. I’m always healthy… But your way of speaking has changed so strangely since you went to the Academy.”

“It’s because I’m going through a turbulent phase, so please understand with broad-mindedness.”

My father chuckled, then went to the cupboard and chose a bottle of alcohol and two glasses.

“Sit. Let’s have a drink and talk, it’s been a long time. Ah… you’re said to have severe internal injuries, so you can’t drink yet.”

“Well… I wasn’t particularly thinking of it, but listening to you, it’s true. My attending physician would be very angry if he knew, so I’ll abstain from alcohol today.”

My father somehow chuckled to himself at my words.

It was the first time I’d seen him like that since I was a child, and it felt a little unfamiliar. After all, by the time I grew up, my father had maintained the stern dignity of a family head nine times out of ten in front of me.

“I thought you’d become more manly. Before you went to the Academy, you used to fret about everything, but now you look relaxed, and it’s good to see.”

“Ah… well, a lot has happened. It feels short, but it’s actually been quite long.”

The ten years before regression were exactly like that.

They were short enough that I couldn’t even tell how they passed, but at the same time, they were years of endurance so long that I desperately wished they would end.

Within those bygone times, my precious family, whom I always longed for, was now before my eyes.

It’s the noble way of speaking to start with trivial matters, circling around and subtly bringing up the main point, but I have no such hobby.

So,

“Father. I’m breaking off my engagement with Lizley.”

“……”

My father’s expression, upon hearing my blunt demand, was momentarily like someone who had a fishbone caught in their throat.

But, like a seasoned merchant, hardened by long years, he quickly regained his composure and responded to my words.

“Right… breaking the engagement. But that’s not something you can decide unilaterally. First, what’s the reason?”

My father’s initially plain and slightly gentle tone had reverted to the strong, firm tone of a family head.

I had nothing to hide, so I answered honestly.

“Lizley had an affair behind my back. It’s been several years since we got engaged, so… I suppose it’s fair to call it adultery, wouldn’t you say?”

“Huh….”

Affair, adultery.

My father let out a groan at the provocative words. Then, he continued.

“Indeed… you must have been very heartbroken. Have you two already discussed this?”

“To some extent, we’ve reached an agreement to separate. Of course, since it’s a family matter, I haven’t ended it unilaterally.”

My father sighed deeply and picked up a cigar from the table.

He then bit down on the thick cigar, used ignition magic on his finger to light it, and took a puff.

Ignition magic was one of the minor spells my father learned late in life, out of lingering regret for magic, which was the exclusive domain of nobles and something he hadn’t learned in his youth.

I felt as though that flame contained the regrets of my father’s younger days, when he had dreamed of higher and vaster goals and visions but had been blocked.

“Ras. I’m very sorry to you, but could you reconsider breaking off the engagement with Lizley?”

“……”

My father was quite different from how he was around this time before the regression, but I wasn’t surprised, as I had somewhat expected this.

The biggest difference between my father then and my father now was none other than ‘me’.

Before, my father, shedding tears of blood and grinding his teeth in revenge, had before his eyes a half-crippled Ras, suffering from a high fever and wailing.

Now, my father, who was proposing to continue the relationship with Lizley, had before his eyes a seemingly unharmed Ras.

Since the circumstances were quite different, I could understand my father’s stance, and I didn’t feel any particular regret.

Of course, not feeling regret doesn’t mean I’ll comply with his words.

“I cannot.”

“Anyway, we hold the leash, so the Gracia side will have no choice but to truly humble themselves from now on. I even feel that it might be a good thing. You’ve been too soft on Lizley all this time.”

‘Say more,’ I thought, looking sullenly, and my father’s words continued.

“You liked that girl so much to begin with. Is there any guarantee you won’t regret it more after giving up? Rather, use this as an excuse to firmly control Lizley and make her atone.”

As I listened, my stomach suddenly felt hot, and I considered grabbing the liquor bottle and drinking straight from it, but then Rosalie’s smile came to mind, and I held back.

Instead, I pulled out a vial from my pocket and drank the medicine prescribed by the gentle doctor at the capital hospital.

It was said to calm anger, and it tasted quite refreshing, quickly settling my stomach.

That doctor was quite skilled.

Yes… I, too, thought that at that time, I was excessively leashed to Lizley.

My father’s words were for the centennial plan he had laid out, but at the same time, they were also words of concern for me.

“To be able to secure an engagement by putting the count’s family in debt was a stroke of divine luck that won’t come again. There’s no point in forming marriage ties with mere viscounts or barons. And we’ve just established a friendly relationship with Valencia…”

But today, my father was droning on with an uncharacteristic lengthy speech, so I had no choice but to cut him off…

“Father. A stroke of divine luck that won’t come again is not merely such a thing. Let’s see… first, I’ll tell you about Lizley’s affair partner.”

“……Tell me.”

“First, Lizley’s affair partner is Leon. Leontidas, the First Imperial Prince of Sephiroth.”

My father’s brow furrowed very noticeably, as if it was a name he had never imagined.

“The Imperial Prince… you say? How bold of them, having fiancés already…”

“Because Leon is involved, it will be difficult to hold Lizley or Gracia on a leash.”

“Why? Is the Imperial Prince going to marry Lizley? Abandoning his own fiancée?”

My father’s voice had become much rougher and more irritable than at first.

Before the regression, those two awful personalities did end up marrying each other.

“I have no way of knowing that, but I do know very well that Leon is a brazen lunatic. What do you think would happen if Etgard tried to hold Gracia on a leash because of this incident?”

“I don’t know the Imperial Prince. But his fiancée is none other than a Duchess of Valencia. Wouldn’t it be logical to assume he’d just pull his foot out and cut ties?”

I shook my head, correcting my father’s logic, who knew nothing about Leon.

“No. He’s the kind of guy who would interpret that as a ‘commoner family’ daring to challenge a ‘noble Imperial Prince.’ When dealing with Leon, put logic aside.”

That’s how it actually was in the past.

My father, who was extremely furious due to my crippled state back then, was many times more of a fiery man than he was now.

Of course, my father at that time didn’t know that my disability was caused by Lizley and Leon’s schemes. Even I didn’t know it then.

However, since I, in my messed-up state, kept talking about Lizley’s affair and wanted revenge whenever I regained consciousness, he went and vented his anger.

What my father said to Gracia at the time was roughly as follows:

“Not only will the engagement be broken, but the rumors will be spread throughout noble society.” “We don’t need your dirty daughter, so pay back the debt immediately.” “If the Imperial Prince intervenes, I will immediately go to Duke Valencia and tell him the truth. Can he handle a scandal right before the succession struggle?”

It was a satisfying outburst, but unfortunately, the problem was that it only felt satisfying and that was the end of it.

Did Leon, who heard this story through Gracia and Lizley, tremble and say, ‘Oh, Elder Etgard, I was wrong’?

From his perspective, a mere commoner merchant dared to threaten him, especially by invoking the succession struggle, so he only decided to utterly crush the entire family.

The very extinction of our family before the regression was when the man who had personally beaten and trampled me, completely crushed and wiped out Etgard as well.

“For nobles, justification can be created as needed. Especially when power is strong, creating justification is as easy as breathing. They are fundamentally different from merchants who only calculate monetary profit and loss.”

My father believed three things: that we, the upright victims, had justification; that Leon would be cautious given the impending succession struggle; and that Leon’s fiancée was a Duchess of Valencia, so he would be mindful of his maternal family.

“Unfortunately, the things Father believes are all but useless cards. First, even if we plead our case as victims and it’s true, there’s no visible evidence.”

This wasn’t actually that big of a problem. It wasn’t an investigation into adultery, and merely spreading rumors could cause damage.

The real problem lay in what followed.

“Second, Valencia, which Father trusts implicitly as a golden rope, is actually a rotten rope. How much do you know about Duke Valencia?”

My father looked at me with a suspicious gaze, as if to say, ‘What is this kid talking about?’

I couldn’t just yell that I’d seen the future, so I first had to persuade and chastise him.

Rodrigo Ertines von Valencia.

The current head of the Duke of Valencia family, the most powerful family in the Sephiroth Empire after the Imperial Family, and Leon and Marisa’s maternal grandfather.

A veteran warrior ranked among the empire’s best, often referred to by the honorific ‘Grand Duke of the North.’

“He’s the current Empress’s father and the Imperial Prince’s maternal grandfather. In addition, he’s a warrior of the empire, renowned for his immense strength. He’s jovial and generous, giving freely to those who follow him…”

The assessment of Rodrigo that flowed from my father’s lips was exactly the same as the common public’s perception.

I couldn’t help but sigh deeply at this disparity in information.

“The biggest reason the Imperial Prince is favored in the upcoming succession struggle is because Valencia is his maternal family. So why do you call the Emperor’s maternal relative a rotten rope?”

To someone who doesn’t know, it seems like a valid opinion.

Skada and Leon both possess abilities far superior to their peers, but it’s true that Leon, being the legitimate heir born of the Empress, has a stronger foundation.

However, motley commoners like us, who don’t even have a family to speak of, shouldn’t display such a confident stance.

Those who don’t know the complex relationships or hidden secrets within it, and dare to dance recklessly, will end up being stabbed and dying.

“First, about half of what Father knows is wrong. Especially most of the assessments regarding Duke Valencia are wrong. So wrong, they should be thrown in the trash.”

My father’s face quickly hardened at my scathing evaluation, but I quickly continued speaking.

It was a sin not to use the information I had, now that I had regressed.

“Rodrigo is known as a magnanimous and simple warrior, but that’s just his facade. He is, in fact, a living embodiment of lust for power.”

“Why do you make such an assessment, when you’ve never even met him?”

“Despite having adult sons who have established their own families, he has spent two generations as duke. Furthermore, he is steadily increasing military spending, citing the conflict with Azuldah.”

The Duke was already well over seventy years old. He was a generation older than the current Emperor.

It was highly abnormal for a man who should have long since handed the family over to his son and enjoyed his retirement to still be acting as Duke.

Moreover, he was a man who had established a base in the border regions and, using the Empress’s backing, consistently expanded the size of his private army beyond what was permitted.

The public praised him, calling him the ‘Grand Duke of the North’ or the ‘Empire’s Loyal Shield,’ but I wonder?

No one questioned it simply because he was a war hero boasting one of the top martial prowess in the empire, and the current Emperor’s father-in-law, famous for being exceptionally devoted to his wife.

“Are you saying Duke Valencia is aiming for treason against the Empire? That’s an overstatement.”

“Rather than treason, he hopes to attain an unshakeable position as a regent. Especially since he thinks Leon is outstanding but still young and immature…”

That’s why he was trying to make ‘two daughters’ empresses of the Empire across two generations.

“Father, did you know that the current Duchess of Valencia is not Rodrigo’s granddaughter, but his biological daughter? Well… it’s strange to know that, though. So, there are flaws in all three cards you believe in.”

“….?!”

Marisa was Rodrigo’s late-born daughter, who appeared in the Duke of Valencia family after the female line had dried up following the current Empress.

Though there was a significant age difference, Marisa and the current Empress were sisters.

Therefore, Marisa and Leon were not cousins, but rather aunt and nephew.

Marriage between cousins was legally permitted without issue, but marriage between aunt and nephew was incest, and thus naturally forbidden by both common perception and law.

Rodrigo was a madman who, to avoid the prohibition on incest, secretly adopted young Marisa as his eldest son’s daughter, making her his granddaughter.

“Is a man who violates the taboos set by the Imperial Family and law, and thoroughly conceals that fact from everyone around him, normal?”

My father seemed unable to hide his confusion and shock at the new information.

This was a top-secret fact in my previous life, known to no one except Rodrigo, the Empress, and Rodrigo’s eldest son, who played the role of Marisa’s father.

Even Leon or Marisa, the parties to the engagement, knew nothing of this secret at this point.

Me? I knew because Marisa told me later when I met her.

“He is a man who plans to step down from his ducal title at an appropriate time and aim for the position of Grand Emperor or Regent. And this is in the Empire, of all places.”

Therefore, both Duke Valencia and the Ducal House of Valencia are unstable, rotten ropes.

If Leon had been a filial son with deep affection for his relatives, it might have been different… but this guy, upon ascending the throne, personally cut down his grandfather, aunt, and mother.

A guy who was full of ideas and plans to take down Rodrigo wouldn’t pay attention to his maternal family, and he was already building his own independent forces, unrelated to them.

“Leon is far more cunning than is publicly known. He has no intention of being swayed by his maternal family. He will start cutting down Rodrigo’s small pawns one by one.”

I opened a drawer and took out a cigar my father used to smoke.

It had been a long time since I’d seen the tobacco I’d quit, and it felt nostalgic.

“Kashrum, isn’t it? A cigar popular in Kashmir? A product that sold quite well, Father secured exclusive distribution rights, it will soon be presented to the Emperor, it contains narcotics…”

“Narcotics? What are you talking about? It was a product that sold well without issue in Kashmir and Azuldah…”

“There was an issue. They just pretended there wasn’t. Except in Azuldah, the demonfolk are tough as steel, so narcotics or whatever don’t really affect them.”

This cigar, which caused weakening symptoms in the body when its ingredients mixed upon lighting, was already a prohibited product in Kashmir at this point.

It had been quite popular in Kashmir and sold expensively to other countries as a luxury item, but in reality, they were passing off a problematic product with a huge markup.

Anyway, those bastards.

“Justification can be created even with a single cigar like this. ‘Some merchant dared to threaten my lover because I had an affair? What, he’s peddling drugs?’ Like this.”

Etgard was utterly ruined in my previous life after a few such instances were caught.

There were several reasons, but the fact that Kashrum, which had been presented to the current Emperor, contained narcotics, acted as a very major charge.

I lit the cigar without moving a finger, then took a drag.

Smoking in front of my father, such disloyalty, but I couldn’t help it from frustration.

It wasn’t my father, but the extremely unlucky situation the family had been in before.

With a soft puff, the cigar slowly vanished, leaving no ash, as I continued.

“Everything we buy and sell, our accounting ledgers, they will be shaken, manipulated, inflated, and flaws will be created. Father, you jumped into this game at a high-risk time to gain something big… but sometimes, if you’re unlucky, you go broke.”

“Then… are you saying we should just collapse under their power? So vainly? Are you just going to run away from a woman who cheated on you without even a proper word, because you’re unlucky?”

Of course, that wasn’t it.

Lizley and Leon had already messed with me, and they planned to continue messing with me, so they wouldn’t be able to live comfortably.

It was just that I had no intention of involving Etgard in anything.

“Are you going to bet the family you’ve worked so hard to build against an opponent that’s difficult to face with normal methods? I don’t want the family to get caught up in my problems. Whether it’s revenge or defiance, I’ll pursue it on my own.”

“Alright… then, what do you want from me, and from Etgard?”

“End the engagement quietly, and consider the debt a sunk cost, collecting only what’s not too harsh. And just go back to being a merchant who makes money. And pay more attention to Rinaldo than me. Have you ever seen him doing calculations? Rinaldo’s talent as a merchant is far superior to mine.”

I hoped my father would give up his desire to become a noble.

Instead, I only wished he would pay a little more attention to the family and family members, and especially to my youngest sibling and mother.

My father before the regression was excessively indifferent to young Rinaldo, and this led to internal strife within the family.

Anyway, there were many people whose heads would roll depending on my father’s choice, so there was no choice.

It pained me deeply that one man was urging another man to give up his dreams, but there are times when one must temporarily set aside their dreams.

“Becoming a noble doesn’t necessarily have to happen now. If you wait, you can become a noble without relying on a ruined family like Gracia. Do you know why Rodrigo, even at his age, grinds his teeth and goes to the battlefield?”

“…..”

“Those without money think money is paramount, and those without power think power is paramount, but in the face of overwhelming might, all variables become meaningless. Rodrigo knows that too.”

Of course, knowing something and acting on it are worlds apart.

Rodrigo, before the regression, died at Leon’s hands before reaching the realm where he could face an entire nation alone.

I don’t know how Leon killed Rodrigo, but considering Leon’s level before ascending the throne, I imagine he must have prepared a cunning trap to kill him.

So, that’s as far as that power-hungry old man’s limits went, shattering in such a trap.

“Father, watch from a safe place how far your proud son ascends, entirely on his own.”

But I am different.

Leon kept me alive and pushed me to rock bottom, playing with me until I died, because I had fallen out of his favor once, but that was his downfall.

Through a series of unfortunate yet miraculous opportunities, I grew to a level where I could truly face the Empire alone.

Ras Etgard from before the regression destroyed Sephiroth, and he himself became the last Emperor of the ruined Empire.

And the current Ras Etgard has regressed, holding the key to ascend to even higher heavens.

The scent of a burning flame emanated from the family head’s presence.

What did I care about counts? I was an Emperor.