Ch.237Chapter 237 – Succeed as the Head of the Family

“The young lady of the Ekatos family wishes to see you, Count?”

News of Serin Ekatos’s sudden visit request from the Academy was delivered unexpectedly.

“All of a sudden?”

I received the message just as I was about to cut into the steak that Sister Regina had personally grilled for me.

Steam was rising from the perfectly cooked steak, and now this sudden visit request.

“Eat first. If someone comes urgently without prior notice, it’s only proper that they wait.”

“Well… I guess I’ll just eat first then.”

Only after finishing my steak and having a cup of tea for dessert was I finally able to depart for the reception room at the Academy’s main gate.

“Count. The guest is waiting outside. Although she’s a graduate, she’s still considered an outsider, so…”

“Ah, that’s fine. She’s the one in a hurry anyway.”

I was curious about why Serin Ekatos had come all the way to Glesius Academy to see me.

I entered the reception room and sat on the sofa. Soon after, the opposite door opened, and a blue-haired woman appeared.

“It’s… been a while, Count Severio.”

I could see Serin Ekatos hesitantly entering the reception room.

Had something serious happened?

“Let’s sit down and talk.”

“Ah, yes!”

At my invitation, Serin sat down across from me.

Dark circles had formed under her eyes, suggesting she had been going through some mental distress.

“Lady Ekatos. What brings you here to see me?”

I asked Serin directly.

I was curious about why she had come to see me and why she looked so haggard.

“My family is in complete chaos.”

“What do you mean?”

The Ekatos family is in chaos?

I briefly recalled what had happened before.

Count Ekatos, the head of the Ekatos family, wanted to repair their family heirloom, while the elders were against it.

Could it be that the conflict from back then was still ongoing?

“Internal strife has broken out between my father, Count Ekatos, and the family elders who served with the previous head. And the cause is whether to repair the family heirloom, the ‘Storm Guide,’ or not.”

As I suspected, it was about repairing the heirloom.

But to think the dispute was still continuing because of that.

Indeed, a family heirloom is truly a family heirloom.

If it weren’t such an important item, the fight wouldn’t have lasted for nearly a month.

Today marked a month since my visit to the Ekatos family.

The Academy was now wrapping up its second semester and preparing for the next year.

Because of this, Sister Regina had been busy every day.

I too had a packed schedule, going to the workshop daily to repair students’ equipment and conducting separate facility inspections.

So after visiting the Ekatos family, I had been focusing solely on Academy life, never expecting something like this to happen.

“I heard the Imperial Family is also keeping a close eye on this matter.”

“It makes sense that the Imperial Family would be interested in a dispute over repairing a family heirloom.”

It’s not just any heirloom but a precious item called a divine sword… of course they’d be interested.

“It seems strange that the disagreement between the head and the elders has persisted for a month without resolution.”

“Yes. Even within the family, there’s been talk about how unusual it is for a conflict between the family leaders to continue for a month.”

According to Serin, both the head and the elders showed an abnormal, almost fanatical obsession with the heirloom.

One side wanted to repair it, while the other was doing everything to prevent the repair.

From what she said, it seemed both sides were adamant about getting their way.

“But there’s something strange.”

“What is it?”

“The divine sword kept under strict security in the family vault… I think it might be a fake.”

“A fake?”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard.

A fake? The Storm Guide?

“Just a couple of months ago, it definitely emanated a storm-like energy, but when I visited the family recently, there was no storm energy at all. It felt like an ordinary sword.”

“Could you have misperceived the energy?”

I wondered if Serin might have misjudged the sword’s energy.

After all, couldn’t a sword’s energy fluctuate, being stronger at times and weaker at others?

“No! Absolutely not! Even though the Storm Guide was broken in half, its energy was still incredibly fierce and intense.”

Hearing Serin’s insistence that the energy was intense despite the sword being broken in half, I could only nod in agreement.

Truth be told, I don’t know much about swords.

“Then, who do you think might have switched the sword with a fake?”

“Probably the elders. They’re strongly against repairing the sword, so they might have prepared for the possibility that my father would take the sword and force a repair.”

Well, it seems the elders are one step ahead of the head.

Then again, having spent a long time in the family, the elders would have seen and experienced much, making it easier for them to predict how the family heads might act.

“What do you think is the root cause of the problem?”

“Hmm… honestly, if I didn’t know better, I would have sided with my father, but… now I know why the Storm Guide was broken, so I’m on the elders’ side.”

“Oh…”

So Serin knows the story behind the Storm Guide.

Just then, a flash of insight crossed my mind.

“Lady Ekatos.”

“Yes, Count.”

“What about… succeeding the position of family head?”

“What?”

Serin expressed confusion at my words, wondering what I meant.

“What’s the current difference in ability between Count Ekatos and yourself?”

“At this point… while my father has more experience, our physical abilities and aura control are quite similar.”

So, if not for Count Ekatos’s years of experience, they would essentially be equals.

That means it’s definitely worth a try.

“Lady Ekatos. How about seizing the position of family head with your own hands?”

“The position of… family head?”

“Yes.”

The current conflict in the Ekatos family is due to the difference of opinion between the head and the elders.

If the head and the elders were to agree, wouldn’t all problems be resolved?

Therefore, if Serin became the new head of the Ekatos family, all issues would be solved.

Since she knows the story behind the Storm Guide, I believe she wouldn’t clash significantly with the elders.

“Challenging for the position of family head isn’t impossible. However… I would need the approval of the elders…”

“Aren’t the current elders in conflict with the head due to their differences of opinion?”

“Um… that’s true.”

“Then wouldn’t it be easier to gain the elders’ support? After all, the elders would also want the conflict to end quickly to avoid tarnishing the family’s honor.”

Serin nodded at my words and fell into deep thought.

I remained silent, giving her ample time to consider thoroughly.

“Alright. It seems there’s no other way.”

“You’ve made a wise decision.”

Serin ultimately chose to succeed the position of family head.

“But with my current abilities, I can’t overwhelmingly surpass my father.”

“To become the family head, do you need to demonstrate overwhelming martial prowess compared to the previous head?”

“Yes. For the elders to recognize the succession, the challenger must demonstrate at least a one-third martial advantage over the defender. That’s the criterion for succession in our family.”

One-third means… roughly a 40% advantage.

That’s definitely achievable.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Do you have a method in mind?”

“Have you heard of the Cheonma?”

“Cheon… ma?”

Hmm. I thought she might know about the Cheonma since she works at Black Feather, but it seems she doesn’t.

“You’re probably aware that martial arts developed differently in the Eastern Continent compared to here.”

“Yes, I know that. I’m personally interested in it too.”

“The universally acknowledged strongest entity in terms of martial power and skill there is the Cheonma.”

“Ah… but what does that have to do with this? Learning martial arts would take a long time.”

Serin looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“It’s not about learning martial arts; by directly sparring with the Cheonma, your skills will improve rapidly.”

“What? But…”

“Don’t worry. Hyeryeong?”

“Did you call for me?”

As I called her name, Cheon Hyeryeong appeared behind me.

“You heard everything, right?”

“Of course. I suppose you want me to take this young lady and make her much stronger than this Count Ekatos fellow.”

Serin looked back and forth between me and Hyeryeong after hearing her words.

“Yes, please.”

“Don’t worry. It’s my husband’s request, so I’ll naturally oblige. Come, child. I’ll make you twice as strong as that man.”

With that, Hyeryeong took Serin and disappeared somewhere.

Serin might have a tough time, but… for now, this was the only way for her to become stronger in a short period.