Chapter 129:A Sharp Stone Draws a Blow (2)

“Those despicable bastards!”

Riiiip-

The Evergarden family gathered in the study as soon as they returned to the mansion.

Meanwhile, Dariann, still furious, tore at the newspaper filled with Evergarden family gossip, as if trying to grind it into powder.

“They should have just faced me head-on! Not only did they threaten to kill my husband, but they’re also resorting to such underhanded tactics behind the scenes! Just you wait…! I’ll turn them into mincemeat!”

Already enraged and annoyed that Freya was receiving death threats in her absence, she was now burning with anger at Ganix for resorting to such petty public opinion manipulation.

“I’m going to…!”

“Mom, stop!”

“Wait, Mom! Calm down! Put that down!”

“No! I need to split their heads like firewood to feel better!”

Dariann grabbed her signature weapon, a gruesome axe, and tried to leave the study with a determined look, causing Felix and Rosaria to break out in a cold sweat trying to stop her.

“What do you think you can do alone, Mom!”

“So, you want me to just sit here?”

“Still, this isn’t the way! Unless you’re going to ride a dragon and charge in!”

“…Dragon?”

“Wait, that could work?”

Rosaria, who was trying to stop Dariann, blurted out a remark in a fit of anger, and the two women simultaneously turned their heads and muttered.

“…..”

“…Excuse me?”

They were referring to Tene, who was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly with open eyes.

“Hey, Tene. Want to put on a grand fire show with your aunt?”

“Huh?!”

“Yeah, what the heck, if we shoot a breath over the Imperial Palace, they won’t even dare to make a sound and will tremble in fear, right?”

“Whaaat?!”

Certainly, even though Dariann had mastered Sword Aura and could easily defeat knights, charging into the Imperial Palace alone was practically suicide.

But what if a dragon appeared?

What if a nuclear bomb was flying right over the Imperial Palace?

It would be an excellent means of communication (?).

“That’s not going to happen.”

However, Freya stopped that excellent and perfect plan.

“The moment we use Tene, we’ll either be staging a coup to swallow the Empire, or we’ll have to leave the Empire and hole up in the outskirts. We only have two paths.”

“If we use Tene to launch a coup by force… you or I would probably be on the Emperor’s throne in less than a day.”

“The method is simple. Just kill all the Emperors and their bloodlines in this Empire.”

“Ugh…”

At Freya’s words, who spoke of slaughter without any change in expression, Tene imagined himself growing huge and chewing on the Imperial family like gum, and his face turned pale.

“If we become Emperor like that… everything in the Empire we’re standing on will be hanging below us… no, on our shoulders. Can you handle that weight?”

“Hmm… that’s a bit much.”

“I can, of course. But even if we eliminate the Imperial bloodline that has lasted for over a thousand years and rule this Empire with a reign of terror, we won’t see a good end.”

“Assassination attempts will probably continue every day for my whole family, including me, right? I don’t want to make my family walk on thin ice every day.”

“Then, can’t we even threaten them a little?”

“The Empire is so sensitive to coups that they impose the death penalty for capturing and raising magical beasts. Would they acknowledge an existence that could easily twist my neck, even a little?”

“Hmph… this is frustrating. We have power, but it’s too strong, so we can’t do anything…”

Dariann sighed in frustration, thinking about what would happen if Tene revealed his identity, considering that even magical beasts used to ‘attempt’ a coup were strictly managed.

“That’s why Tene must always move as a ‘last resort.’ A kind of secret weapon.”

“I guess there’s no other way.”

“Secret weapon, a cool sound…!”

Freya calmed Dariann down like that.

“E, ahem! I’m a ‘secret weapon’! I have to be used for important things!”

“Yeah, that’s really cool.”

Meanwhile, Tene’s middle schooler heart began to pound at the word [secret weapon] that Freya muttered.

“So, what do we do now? Something terrible might happen if we stay like this.”

“Certainly, the situation is turning a bit unfavorable right now.”

“It seems they prepared meticulously during the two weeks we were in the Imperial Palace. We were caught off guard.”

“We are the only nobles supporting the Fifth Princess so far, but the forces supporting the Third Prince are considerable.”

“They wouldn’t welcome the Fifth Princess standing out either, so it’s obvious they’ll join forces.”

“Most of those who have contacted us for refunds seem to be supporters of the Third Prince. These big names are demanding refunds first, leading the atmosphere among the other nobles.”

“They’re even spreading gossip, so it seems they’ve made up their minds?”

“Once you’re caught on something, it takes more than ten times the effort to explain. It’s like being the devil’s advocate.”

When one person starts throwing stones, the person next to them, and the person behind them, also start throwing stones.

The act of throwing stones, that is, slandering others, is a very fun act, and the reassurance that you’re not the only one throwing them makes the guilt fade.

From simple gossip to refund requests.

At first, it’s radical news, but once a fire starts in this situation, the situation will spread endlessly.

“But, you don’t have to worry too much. This problem will eventually be solved once we start selling the Elixir.”

However, Freya was not worried.

Refund incidents, baseless malicious gossip.

Such things lose meaning in the face of overwhelming products.

The performance of the Elixir was too outstanding to be swayed by mere gossip.

Unless all of this was a simple scam, the Evergarden family’s Elixir was the real deal.

“Once it starts selling, the rumors will be forgotten and it will sell tremendously. Our product has that much value.”

“Still, being attacked like this is infuriating.”

“Now is the time to conserve our strength and crouch down.”

“Eventually, the Elixir will spread throughout the Empire, and our power will naturally become even more formidable.”

Freya judged.

This may sound strange, but Freya wanted to applaud Ganix’s judgment.

Quick judgment and the determination to execute it.

If he weren’t an enemy, she would want to recruit him to their side.

But, Ganix was now an enemy, and his actions did not shake the Evergarden family at all.

Rather, Freya could only smile at the fact that Ganix had made a bad move that would backfire on him once the Elixir started selling.

“I see…”

“Well, our Elixir is amazing, isn’t it?”

“Tch… we’ll see next time.”

At Freya’s explanation, the family members also began to calm down one by one.

This was because there was an overwhelming trust that if Freya didn’t waver, nothing would collapse.

“Well, then, shall we all have dinner together and relieve some of the fatigue?”

It was the moment when Freya, who had sorted out the gossip and refund situation, stood up and suggested dinner.

Bang-

“Freya-niiim!!!”

“?!”

At that moment, a woman burst into the study as if trying to break down the door.

Her ears, much longer than those of humans, were twitching wildly.

Her identity was Shalle, an elf.

Celebrian Estel had left the Evergarden territory to manufacture Elixirs with World Tree Leaf and was conducting command and control in the Great Forest.

Therefore, Shalle remained in this mansion to serve as an emergency contact, so that she could be contacted at any time in case of any event.

Of course, it was possible even if it wasn’t Shalle, but it was possible because of Shalle’s determined resolve (?) to choose the lonely and desolate mansion with delicious meals three times a day, rather than the Great Forest with affectionate family and terribly

And now, the reason why Shalle existed in this mansion had come to be.

“N, now…! Huff…! Third P… Huff…! rincess…! Huff…! H, has contacted…!”

“Calm down first, what’s wrong?”

“…Kha! Yes! Just now, Celebrian Estel, the Third Princess, has requested an emergency contact!”

petizing meals.

“…The Third Princess?”

Shalle, who burst into the room, hurriedly took out a crystal ball from her arms.

‘Grandmother contacted me?’

It wasn’t that this hadn’t happened before.

Freya had received her calls several times because she sometimes felt lonely after being separated from her family after a long time, or when she had something to discuss.

However, Freya already felt that something was going wrong due to Shalle’s reaction, which was different from usual.

“First, please connect me.”

“Yes! Connected!”

“Thank you.”

“Yes! Then call me when the story is over!”

Bang-

Anyway, Freya received the crystal ball from Shalle because she had been contacted.

Shalle left the study immediately after handing over the crystal ball so as not to privately eavesdrop on the conversation of the royal family.

“…Grandmother?”

[Yes, is that my granddaughter?]

“What’s wrong? It sounded like a very urgent call…”

The voice of Estel was heard from the communication that followed.

Unlike her usual hearty voice, Freya swallowed involuntarily as she heard a voice mixed with quite complicated emotions.

Praying that what she had expected would not happen, Freya continued to speak.

[Haa… things have gone wrong.]

“What do you mean things have gone wrong?”

[Well, that’s…]

In a way, Freya’s expectations were wrong.

[The Second Princess, the Second Princess of the Elves, has appeared.]

It was a problem because it was too far off.