Chapter 121 : Chapter 121

Chapter 121 - The Betting Begins

An emergency elder meeting was convened.

The elder meetings were usually as leisurely as the years of experience of those who filled the seats.

Everyone knew their tasks and roles, so they only exchanged necessary words and what had to be said.

They weren't close enough to engage in more idle chatter, and their own research was more pressing than meetings.

Despite their advanced age, the elders, who still sought higher realms, considered their time as precious as gold.

Such individuals had voluntarily organized a meeting, not a regularly scheduled one.

The room, imbued with a rushed and urgent atmosphere, felt cold.

“…It seems everyone has gathered, so let us begin.”

A total of 10 members.

Only one was absent: the Forest Witch, Elder Lorelin.

The reason was the same as why the emergency meeting was called.

“As you have all heard, the Blue Volcano was completely destroyed at the hands of the Fifth Son-nim.”

“……”

“……”

The silence grew even heavier.

It felt as if the combined ages of those gathered here would not be as heavy.

Amidst that cold silence, Elder Graham continued to speak.

“Elder Lorelin, who is not present, is on-site and, as a matter of fact, is deeply entangled in the current situation due to the family business.”

Thump—

Elder Kalsbach's single arm struck the table.

“Therefore, we must summon her immediately. It is only right to have her explain the situation in detail and hold her responsible, I believe.”

Graham's eyes turned to him.

“What kind of responsibility are you referring to.”

“The responsibility for failing to control the situation as an elder, of course. She must have heard of the still immature Son-nim's decision beforehand. Did she not just stand by without trying to stop him.”

“Then allow me to ask you in return.”

Scrape—

Elder Graham's chair slid back.

The sound, as large as the chair itself, echoed heavily throughout the hall.

The sound of the chair legs scraping the floor seemed to scrape at one’s very heart.

“Could Elder Kalsbach have done it?”

“…What are you talking about.”

Thud. Thud.

Elder Graham moved along the edge of the round table.

“Just as the elder said, the Fifth Son-nim is a direct blood relative to whom the Family Head-nim himself entrusted a family business at his immature age.”

“……”

“Could you have interfered in the middle of that business plan to voice your opinion? I heard she was not even an advisor, but was simply called because they needed a helping hand.”

Thud—

His footsteps stopped.

Behind Elder Kalsbach's chair, behind his back.

“I shall ask you once more. Elder Kalsbach.”

The hand of the family's second-in-command rested on his shoulder.

The shoulder with the only remaining arm trembled unconsciously.

It shook relentlessly, as if a foot had been placed in the maw of a beast.

“Could you have done it? As a mere laborer who came to lend a hand, could you have disobeyed the words of the Fifth Son-nim, who holds the Family Head’s seal? That is what I’m asking.”

“…I could not have.”

“Indeed.”

The hand on his shoulder was removed.

Having heard the desired answer, he once again clasped his hands behind his back.

“If you had known your place like this in the past, you wouldn't be living with just one arm.”

“……”

Kalsbach's head dropped.

His faintly trembling body was drained of blood.

The other elders also swallowed groans as they recalled the past.

A past when Kalsbach still had both arms, and when he had challenged Graham.

Clap—

Graham clapped with both hands, as if for all to see.

“The Forest Witch, Elder Lorelin, was merely caught up in the incident. However, the destruction of the Blue Volcano is a serious matter, and we will hear a detailed account from her later.”

The elders merely nodded.

Seeing the one who had lost an arm for not nodding in the past, they had no other choice.

As they agreed with Graham's words, they exchanged subtle glances.

Those glances held a single, common opinion.

─Elder Graham is backing the Forest Witch.

Known as the greatest among the elders, the family's second-in-command, the monster who served two Family Heads, Graham Docs.

Such a man was backing a new elder.

What meaning did this hold?

Elder Salace, despite his boyish appearance, thought of one possibility.

‘Could it be… that Elder Graham has broken his neutrality for the first time and intends to help the Fifth Son through the Forest Witch?’

He was not the only one with this thought.

Everyone, including Kalsbach, thought the same and sent suspicious glances.

However, Elder Graham spoke as if to deny their thoughts and gazes.

“As you all think, the Fifth Son-nim will not be able to avoid the Family Head-nim's reprimand.”

The elders nodded once more.

The only female elder in the hall raised her voice.

“That’s to be expected, since it’s the Blue Volcano. It means one of the three attribute defenses we supplemented through large entities has been blown away.”

Her voice was youthful, belying her age.

Graham picked up where she left off.

“Fire attribute. Earth attribute. Wind attribute. We raised our resistance to these three as a defense against Wisdom's attribute magic.”

“Until now, that is. From now on, it will be just the Earth and Wind attributes. One of the towers we’ve built over centuries has crumbled today.”

“The Family Head-nim will hold him accountable for that. Wisdom, too, will soon hear of this incident and actively embrace the fire attribute.”

“Shall we prepare the funeral arrangements in advance?”

Although she didn't say whose funeral, everyone knew.

There was no emotion mixed in her words.

She simply asked because it seemed like something that genuinely needed to be done.

Graham smiled faintly and, instead of restraining her, made a suggestion.

“We must do what we can.”

He sat back in his seat and snapped his fingers.

With that light signal, the empty bookshelves that lined the outer walls were filled with old books.

“The direct and collateral branches from now on, the family sorcerers, must prepare for the fire attribute. Therefore, the entire educational system for defensive sorcery must be changed.”

The old books that had just appeared were the ones that summarized the entire educational system.

There were hundreds of them.

Sighs were already leaking from here and there.

How many dozens of those books would they have to revise and re-establish?

It was difficult to even fathom.

What was certain was that they wouldn't be able to get near their beds for the next few days.

The revision of the system, which only the elders could do, tied down the greatest powers in one place for days like this.

It took so much of the time of ten geniuses.

The things the Fifth Son had to prove and argue were no longer just one or two.

Elder Kalsbach smiled inwardly, his features not twitching one bit.

‘Yes, Fifth Son. I shall consider this the last bit of dirt you will ever sow. You will be plunged into a deeper abyss than ever before.’

Death. Or a punishment equivalent to death.

All the elders, save for one, thought of the Fifth Son's end in this way.

However, the sole exception, Elder Graham, quietly brewed tea.

‘Son-nim. You are undoubtedly an extraordinary person.’

Even if everyone was certain of one outcome, when it passed through his hands, something completely unexpected would emerge.

It had always been that way.

But people continued to be certain of one outcome.

They had lost so many times, yet they failed to see a different result.

Elder Graham decided to anticipate something unexpected this time as well.

He decided to believe that he would crawl out of death, as he always had.

He decided to try.

***

Fourth Son's camp, Black Giant Castle.

The floating castle recovered its broken debris and returned to its place.

The area in front of Eclipse was a mess from the traces left by the debris before it became debris, but it was not broken.

What was broken was only the Fourth Son's Bone Giants.

It would take quite some time to reassemble the pieces that had been fragmented by the demon and the demon-like Cursed Knight.

Of course, such things were chores that could be left to his subordinate sorcerers.

The master, as a master should, had to deal only with important matters, and that was right before his eyes.

“What's the meaning of barging in like this? Are you looking for a war?”

After I had washed up to shake off my fatigue.

“A family member coming to another family member’s home is barging in? Your words are too harsh.”

An uninvited guest spoke languidly, carried on the back of another uninvited guest.

The Second Daughter, who was already tall but made even taller by being carried by someone, caressed a shelf on the wall.

Then, she asked in wonder.

“But you. Can your hands even reach this high?”

“……”

Kuuuwoooong─!!

A bone pillar fell from a spatial rift that opened in the ceiling.

It was as large as a pillar but had joints; it was, unbelievably, a finger.

“The recent intel was correct.”

As the Third Daughter raised her arm to block it, the Second Daughter spoke from below.

“The final form of the Skeleton Giant. They said you were training in the family sorcery ‘Skeleton Colossus’. You’ve already made the index finger. I see you’re not slacking off these days.”

The Fourth Son nonchalantly scratched his ear.

I didn't know how many annoying things I had heard in that one exchange.

“They said you were training in the Skeleton Colossus. Already the index finger. These days. And slacking off.”

Jamie Black Millesdusk grinned so wide his fangs showed.

“I thought I had weeded them all out. Looks like some cute little rats are still left. Should I just kill them all at once?”

“Don't go after innocent people. Let's talk now.”

“Talk? What talk is there to have? It's not like we're on terms to sit down, smile, and have tea together, are we?”

“In our family, aren't there no eternal allies or eternal enemies?”

The Third Daughter's arm, which had blocked the immensely large index finger, slid down.

What followed was not a counterattack but a natural seating.

“Sit down. I have something to say.”

“……”

Srrrrk—

The index finger rose.

The Fourth Son also plopped down on the opposite side.

Despite some sort of agreement already being exchanged through an elder and a collateral branch, a face-to-face meeting was difficult.

The Third Daughter lifted her on her shoulders and sat her on her lap.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the Second Daughter broke the ice.

“The Blue Volcano has been completely destroyed. You must have heard the news too, Jamie.”

“Did you come all this way just to tell me something everyone already knows?”

Of course not.

The Second Daughter pointed in one direction with her finger.

It was the direction of the Pantheon, which I could find even with my eyes closed, and where our father, the Mind Demon, resided.

“By now, the Youngest must be being punished for his sin by the Family Head-nim. Even though it happened during a family business, the extent of it was too much.”

The Fourth Son's brows furrowed.

“So now. Are you suggesting we negotiate over Eclipse, now that the Youngest is gone?”

“Something like that.”

It was like an ownerless gold mine had been sprinkled from above.

Time to fight a competitor was a luxury when I had to dig it up and secure it as soon as possible.

Moreover, the competitors were not limited to the people in this room.

“I've received intelligence that Older Brother might finish his training in the Ash Mountains sooner than expected.”

“…You call someone like that ‘Older Brother’ so easily.”

“Well. It’s been so long since I've seen him, I suppose I miss him.”

Words that could never be true came out without a single change in expression.

However, what was important was not such a blatant lie.

“When Older Brother returns, the option of us negotiating over Eclipse will be gone. We’ll be too busy fighting that monster.”

“My thoughts are a liiittle different.”

The Fourth Son leaned back comfortably in his seat.

I agreed that the moment the First Son returned, war would be near.

But I shook my head at the idea that Eclipse would become an empty house after such negotiations.

“The Youngest will come out of the Family Head-nim's room safely.”

“…What?”

The Second Daughter's flat eyebrows curved for the first time.

But at this reaction, the Fourth Son scoffed.

“Has our Dante hidden his skills from the witches that much?”

“…I know the Youngest has potential, enough to pique the Family Head-nim's interest. I’ve fought him lightly before.”

“No! You all know nothing.”

Simply fighting him wasn't enough to judge the Youngest.

His strangeness wasn't something that could be determined by combat.

“Get out of my room now. And Eclipse? If you think you can take it, go ahead and try. I gave it a poke once. It wasn't just tough. Heheh.”

“…You’ll regret it.”

“We’ll know when we see. More importantly, are you guys going to be okay?”

The Fourth Son also pointed in the direction the Second Daughter had pointed a moment ago.

“If the Youngest comes out alive, that confirms that the family business was a big enough deal to be worth blowing up the Blue Volcano.”

“……”

“If you mess with the land of the person who holds full authority over such a business, what kind of disfavor do you think you’ll earn?”

“That’s if he comes back alive.”

The Third Daughter, carrying the Second Daughter who had retorted coldly, stood up and turned around.

The Fourth Son, who was now left alone, replied with a smile.

“Yes. That's if he comes back alive.”

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