Chapter 91 : Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Gemma’s gaze, now different, was fixed on Eddie.

It was as sharp as her questions.

For a moment, Eddie considered how to answer.

But it wasn’t a matter he could ponder for long.

The magic he had used to save Derrick and Jeremy back then was ‘Attribute Disruption’.

It was a unique magic from my past life, not officially registered in the magical world.

Therefore, as long as it wasn’t time to reveal my identity, there was no way to talk around it.

The only option was to lie.

“That wasn’t magic back then; it was a release of mana itself. If I had to compare it to something, I’d say it’s similar to Launching.”

“Similar to Launching… At that time, you weren’t holding a wand, were you, Mr. Summerson?”

“No.”

“And yet, to have that level of mana… Mr. Summerson, you don’t seem to need to rely on a wand for magic implementation, do you?”

“No, for most magic, I have no problem implementing it without a wand. Of course, with one, I could implement it more precisely and powerfully.”

“Hmm… Even your philosophy on wands is similar.”

“Similar? To whom…”

“To the former head of the Kirhausen family.”

Under the table, Eddie’s fingertips twitched ever so slightly.

Thanks to that, however, he barely managed to keep his expression under control.

‘To think her thoughts have already reached that far.’

Gemma looked at Eddie with interest and continued.

“As an aide to the Kirhausen family, I assume you are already well-acquainted with Lord Edmund von Kirhausen.”

“Of course.”

“The more I look into you, Mr. Summerson, the more similarities I see with the late Lord Edmund. Of course, since you’re not related by blood, they must all be coincidences.”

“What parts are similar?”

To Eddie, who had sharpened his senses under the guise of curiosity, Gemma listed the similarities she had identified between him and Edmund.

A level of magical skill that was second to none.

Entering the academy as a commoner and even joining the student council.

The philosophy of not relying on magic tools for magic implementation.

And even the fact that, as a mere student, he had quickly formed a connection with the dean.

The Westin Post’s reasoning, which had started with Attribute Disruption, had reached quite deep.

Tap- tap- tap-

Eddie’s fingers tapped the back of his hand under the table.

As expected, in an information war, no one could catch up to the Westin Post.

‘And as it happens, I am also tied to the Kirhausen family. She must have thought it even more peculiar.’

Of course, she hadn’t discovered the link between Eddie and Edmund.

That wasn’t something one could find out through reasoning.

Who could possibly consider something as absurd as reincarnation?

But it was enough to create this misunderstanding.

That he was deliberately imitating Edmund von Kirhausen to get out of the current Kirhausen family.

And Eddie’s prediction was spot on.

“Are all these similarities mere coincidence? Or are they part of a strategy?”

There was no beating around the bush.

At Gemma’s question, which cut straight to the core, Eddie’s tapping fingers stopped.

‘She was always the type to ask questions without holding back, no matter who she was interviewing. She hasn’t changed.’

Right now, Eddie’s newsworthiness was such that even a single breath could become an article.

From the newspapers’ perspective, he was a truly precious commodity.

So, even in an interview conducted as a deal, asking, ‘Are you deliberately imitating Edmund?’ required considerable courage.

A single misstep could get on the wrong side of the Kirhausen family.

However, Gemma Adler pushed forward with confidence instead of courage.

This was the Westin Post.

The press, the pen.

The pen does not walk on eggshells.

Recalling the family motto of the former head of the West family, Eddie met Gemma’s gaze head-on.

“I have never deliberately imitated Lord Edmund. And since you were probably going to ask this anyway, I’ll say it first. Yes, I will be leaving the Kirhausen family.”

If the West family still maintained its resolve, he would treat them accordingly.

Eddie smiled as he saw Gemma’s surprise at his blunt answer.

“…What is your reason for leaving? Is it, as the public speculates, ‘because you’ve become too famous to remain an aide’?”

“That did ignite my courage, it’s true. But there is another, real reason.”

“I’d like to hear it.”

“It’s because of the Kirhausen family’s corruption that I experienced in Shainborough.”

“……!”

Gemma’s pen came to a dead stop.

Silence filled the office, and then Gemma slowly raised her gaze to look at Eddie.

In her eyes, along with tension, was the pure excitement for a scoop.

Looking at that professionally spirited gaze, Eddie continued.

“I’m sure you’ve already thoroughly investigated the current Kirhausen family.”

“Of course.”

“Then did you also know that the magic tutor for the Kirhausen family is Circe?”

Gemma’s eyes gradually widened.

“…No. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“The Kirhausens took me in not because they needed an aide for the next head’s admission. It was to manipulate my mind and then unleash and absorb my mana.”

“Absorb your mana? Why would the Kirhausens do such a thing….”

“It’s a scheme to supplement the low mana of the current heir.”

“……”

The strength in Gemma’s hand, which was holding the pen, momentarily slackened.

She didn’t drop the pen, but her gaze wandered, unable to find a focus.

Even for a veteran reporter like her, the information she had just heard was too much and too shocking.

Gemma paused her writing for a moment and looked down at her notepad.

It seemed she needed time to organize her thoughts.

But, befitting a veteran reporter, she quickly classified the information according to the five Ws and one H.

Who, when, where, what, and why had been established.

All that remained was ‘how’.

The mental manipulation must have used Circe’s Insight.

How did they absorb the mana?

“By what method did the Kirhausens have your mana absorbed by the next head, Mr. Summerson?”

“They used a ritual called the ‘Well and Deer’. I don’t know exactly what it is myself.”

“Well… and Deer…. What a curious name.”

“To them, I am not an aide, but a well with abundant mana. And Young Master Marcel is the deer who will drink from that well.”

“For you to know such details, Mr. Summerson, means you weren’t affected by Circe’s mental manipulation at all… Have you been pretending to be deceived all this time for a moment like this?”

“At first, it was to stay alive. If they had found out back then that I knew their secret, I would have been eliminated immediately.”

“Ah……”

At Eddie’s words, Gemma’s expression clouded over slightly.

Because of his unusual demeanor, she had momentarily forgotten that he was originally just an orphan from an orphanage.

She felt a little sorry for treating a 14-year-old boy like a dark, scheming adult.

But Eddie’s next words wiped away Gemma’s guilt.

“You don’t have to feel sorry. What you said is correct, Chief.”

“What do you……”

“I thought that if I ever left the Kirhausen family, I must protect myself with this secret.”

“……”

“And this interview with the Westin Post will be a powerful weapon to utilize that secret.”

Gemma’s clouded expression quickly cleared.

‘I expected him to be no ordinary person, but he’s beyond my expectations.’

The audacity to treat the empire’s largest newspaper as a weapon to be wielded.

Whatever else he was, he wasn’t just some cunning little kid.

Eddie Summerson was moving according to a clear plan.

That was why Gemma had decided to listen to the end of a child’s dangerous claims, which lacked any evidence.

The testimony that followed was as expected.

He said that he had gained attention at the academy while knowing the Kirhausen family’s secret, and just when he was thinking of using this secret as a weapon to leave, the field trip accident happened.

And at this point, Eddie talked about Leodimir.

“When I opened my eyes, I was greatly relieved to find myself at the academy and not in Shainborough. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dean Devens.”

“Because if you received treatment at the Kirhausen estate, they might have found out you weren’t under the ‘Well and Deer’ ritual?”

“Yes. If that had happened, I might have remained in a coma forever.”

“Then did you tell all of this to Dean Devens as well?”

“I had no choice. While begging him not to send me to Shainborough, I couldn’t hide the reason why.”

While doing the interview, Eddie also created a path for Leodimir.

He made the situation where Leodimir seemed to be monopolizing him his own fault.

Leodimir had intended to send him to Shainborough after he regained consciousness.

It was he who had clung to him, telling him the Kirhausen family’s secret.

And Leodimir, to protect him, had put his own reputation on the line and adamantly monopolized him.

Gemma wrote down every word of Eddie’s story in her notepad without missing a thing.

There was no sign of doubt in the way she nodded her head.

Even to her eyes, which had filtered out countless false tips, this narrative was quite plausible.

Scribble, scribble- Thud.

Gemma, who had been writing until several pages were filled, finally put down her pen.

Her eyes, reading the keywords scattered across the pages, shone with a strong sense of professional duty.

It was truly the scoop of a lifetime.

The content revealed so far was enough to make the citizens of the Empire read only the Westin Post for the entire year.

So now, it was time to confirm the most important part: the ‘veracity’.

“The Kirhausen family’s corruption that you claim, Mr. Summerson. Do you have any evidence to prove that this is true?”

“……”

At the question of evidence, Eddie stared at Gemma for a moment without a word.

Eddie’s expression betrayed no particular emotion.

But Gemma could fully understand even if that expressionlessness was a sign of displeasure.

This was a newspaper office, not a courtroom.

Whether the claims were true or not, Eddie had only agreed to an interview; he was under no obligation to prove it.

But the Westin Post’s position was different.

They couldn’t report such a tremendous fact without any evidence.

Although the essence of reporting was to deliver new information, this was a story where one side was bound to suffer a massive blow.

And if that happened, the Kirhausen family and the Westin Post would become enemies.

Moreover, if by any chance Eddie’s claims were proven false, not only the Westin Post but also the West family would fall into ruin.

So, even if it was unpleasant for Eddie to hear, asking for evidence was unavoidable.

Only by being able to prove his claims could this interview be saved.

And Eddie knew that well too.

“Evidence, I can provide it. But I can’t just give it to you.”

“I expected conditions. State what you want.”

“Publish this interview in the paper when I want you to.”

“Hmm. I’m sorry, but if those are the terms, I can’t accept…”

“If you do that for me.”

Eddie’s gaze changed in an instant.

An unreasonable demand to control how a scoop would be used.

Of course, she would refuse.

And Eddie intended to make this an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“I will make the next head of the Kirhausen family personally admit to the contents of the report.”

With a condition that was simply impossible to ignore.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.