Chapter 127 : Chapter 127

Chapter 127 - The Family Head’s Message

The Ten Elders’ conference hall.

With a huge, dark brown round table at its center, the outer walls were filled with finely dried parchment and old books.

It was the seventh day of being cooped up in the conference hall, staring at letters until their eyes felt like they would fall out.

The Elders didn’t just look; they had to find areas for improvement and even make corrections.

Restarting the fire-attribute defenses, which had been neglected due to the power of the Blue Volcano, was no easy task.

Unable to go outside due to information leakage issues, and unable to hear news from the outside.

The Elders did not stop their research, if only to be able to lie down sooner.

“Before the Blue Volcano, our ancestors either brewed a separate decoction to raise flame resistance or were accompanied by Undead Private Soldiers with such abilities.”

“I’ve compiled a list of those Undead Private Soldiers here… and they are all inefficient.”

“Compared to the Blue Volcano, of course they would be.”

“Even excluding that, they are high-level private soldiers for the family sorcerers, who are to be the main combatants, to handle. Their numbers are also small.”

The Elders never stopped discussing whenever a problem arose.

Although the Ten Elders was a military organization, research naturally followed in the pursuit of strength.

The ten Elders were like scholars, and when they got closer to an answer, they rejoiced like children.

Then, a single conclusion was reached.

“No matter how I think about it, there aren’t many Undead Private Soldiers with high fire-attribute resistance available to our sorcerers.”

“Well, that’s typical for the undead.”

“There are some in Spirit Sorcery, but Spirit Sorcery depends too much on talent to be considered common. So, all that’s left is the decoction.”

Resistance decoction.

It was a field somewhat close to Poison Demon Sorcery, but there was no one here who specialized in it.

Someone had joined recently, but she was not here.

“Elder Graham. How about we summon the Forest Witch?”

Elder Kalsbach reflexively added.

“For the purpose of consultation, not, erm, interrogation, of course.”

“Hmm…”

This time, Elder Graham also stroked his beard silently.

Indeed, the fastest and most certain way to defend against the fire attribute was a decoction.

Simply by the act of drinking it, one would be safe for a certain period of time.

Following that, Elder Salace also spoke up.

“To find out what kind of decoction supplements fire-attribute resistance, what the ingredients are, and how to make it, we need her.”

“We also need to determine the source of supply and, if necessary, even cultivate it.”

Elder Graham nodded.

“I have sufficiently understood the Elders’ opinions. And I agree. I will ask for Elder Lorelin’s understanding and have her brought here for a moment.”

He, the only one here with the authority to go outside, initiated the Dark Wheel Sorcery.

He created a black ring in his clasped palms and was about to rotate it, but just then.

Swoosh─

“You’ve been through a lot, Elders.”

The Family Head’s messenger elegantly appeared from thin air and set foot on the floor.

“Messenger Ransis. What brings you here? Has a new order from the Family Head arrived?”

When Graham asked on behalf of the others, Ransis nodded.

“That is correct.”

Though they didn’t show it, the atmosphere in the hall brightened slightly.

It was the hope that they might escape this hell that smelled of books.

Ransis flew gracefully like a falling flower petal and stood on the round table.

“The Elders of the family, receive the Head’s command before me.”

Whatever they were holding in their hands, they threw it aside, and all the Elders lined up in a single file.

They knelt on one knee before the messenger who would deliver the Family Head’s words.

The messenger stepped on the Elders’ round table and conveyed the order from beneath the hydra on the ceiling.

“As the new family business conducted by the family’s Fifth Son is prospering, it is difficult to see the current field structure as sustainable.”

The main point hadn’t even been mentioned, yet their eyes trembled from the introduction alone.

The new family business conducted by the Fifth Son. It was advancing.

In other words.

“The Fifth Son is alive…?’

Kalsbach muttered without realizing it.

Of course, it did not last long.

He met the chilling eyes that seemed to reveal the soul dimension if one looked into them.

“My, my apologies.”

He had merely met her gaze, but he froze like a little mouse.

His back was bent, his head was lowered, and his remaining arm trembled.

The message continued once more.

“Therefore, I, as the master of Millesdusk, have realized the need for a new family institution.”

“…!”

“……!”

This time, the impact made the entire group of family Elders flinch.

Elder Graham was no exception.

However, the message was not yet over.

“The name of the new family institution shall be the Potion Development Department, and I will appoint Elder Lorelin as its General Manager.”

“An, an Elder as General Manager…”

“That’s…”

Voices of question erupted not from Kalsbach, but from the other Elders.

The messenger delivering the Family Head’s words was on the same level as the Family Head, but they still wanted to ask.

Why was an Elder also holding the position of General Manager?

The messenger also brought the answer to that question.

“An Elder serving as the General Manager of a family institution was something that only happened in the past when talent was scarce. Such a thing disappeared long ago, but it is difficult to see the present as different from then.”

Because currently, within the family, there was no better potion or decoction maker than the Forest Witch.

Moreover, that was something the Elders themselves had acknowledged just moments ago.

The Elders couldn’t find words to object and had to accept the result.

“The Potion Development Department will primarily handle the current family business, but it will also additionally develop and produce other potions necessary for the family.”

The matter they were about to ask of the Forest Witch was materializing in a very bad way.

Of course, it was bad only for the Elders who were wary of the Forest Witch.

In less than a year since she joined, Elder Lorelin had gained immense influence.

Not by currying favor with other Elders or siblings, but purely by her own strength.

Did the cunning of the 2nd Great Witch not go anywhere?

She had now become a big shot that even the Elders could not easily touch.

However, that was not the only thing that sent a chill down their spines.

“I know that you Elders have broken your neutrality and are secretly meeting with the young siblings.”

“……”

“……”

An uncomfortable silence ensued.

There were Elders who did not, but the majority did.

“It is the ability of the direct line that moved your hearts, so I will not question your crime. But be mindful that it is not something to be revealed.”

That was all.

The Family Head’s message ended, and the messenger descended from the round table again.

“Elders, please remember the matters our Family Head-nim has spoken of. I shall now take my leave.”

“W-wait.”

Elder Kalsbach stopped her.

“Is the Fifth Son, ah. No. Is the Fifth Son-nim safe?”

“Yes. He is safe. Is there a problem?”

Yes! There is!

Contrary to his inner thoughts, he continued speaking, drenched in a cold sweat.

“Th-that’s not it…. The Blue Volcano was destroyed, causing a great loss to the family, yet the Family Head-nim didn’t hold the Fifth Son-nim responsible at all?”

“He is, of course, taking responsibility.”

“Wh-what kind of responsibility?”

The Elders’ gazes focused on his question.

Knowing that this was not an answer for just one person, the messenger looked around at them.

“He is leading a task far more important than what you are all doing right now.”

“…What did you say?”

“The Fifth Son-nim is conducting a business that makes the Blue Volcano seem insignificant. I, as well as the Family Head-nim, have clearly confirmed its potential.”

The messenger did not speak to just one person.

She looked around at all the Elders, meeting each of their eyes.

“Not only is there a way to replace the Blue Volcano, but a value that surpasses it, that will exceed it by two, three times, is in the hands of the Fifth Son-nim.”

As the person in charge, he held the authority over the said business.

But by proving the usefulness of this business, the responsibility on top of his authority became even heavier.

“The Fifth Son-nim is sitting at a poker table. He has raised the stakes very quickly with a bet that leaves no room for leisure.”

“Th-that’s his responsibility?”

“Yes. It is his responsibility. If this bet goes wrong, all the responsibility will be on the Fifth Son-nim.”

He postponed the responsibility he was supposed to take.

He pushed it to a case where things go wrong, ensuring that such a thing would not happen.

If the situation aligns well, it’s a brilliant move that erases the risk itself.

“The Family Head-nim saw this Blue Volcano incident and judged that there was a reason for the Fifth Son-nim’s bet. Thus, he supported the Fifth Son-nim’s all-in.”

“N-no way…”

“Even the young sibling is sacrificing his own body like this to grow the family. How about learning a little more from him, Elder Kalsbach-nim?”

Kalsbach and the other Elders wore dazed expressions.

The family’s youngest had received the Family Head’s acknowledgment.

That hypothesis became an established fact through the messenger’s mouth.

Among them, only Elder Graham nodded his head.

‘As I thought. That Kulsian fellow. Did you foresee this far?’

When the Family Head sent him, the Fifth Son was truly nothing.

But from that moment on, the Family Head had his eye on the youngest and even sent the Vice-Patriarch of the Dark Wheel.

The Fifth Son, seen in that light, was certainly a sprout worth watching.

But he never dreamed that he would grow so much on his own.

‘It’s like a lotus flower blooming in a barren land.’

Moreover, that lotus flower was changing its surroundings by itself.

It was transforming an unusable land into a place of great fortune.

And people who were slowly beginning to recognize the value of that place started to appear.

“Hmph.”

Elder Shina twirled her long hair with her finger and was lost in thought for a moment.

***

Two weeks had passed since the Second Daughter’s invasion.

The Blue Volcano’s business branch was mostly completed and had taken its proper form.

Buildings were erected on the land that was once filled only with ash, and the volcano that had been torn and blown away was also refurbished.

That place was now a workshop for making Dark Elixir, transformed from the Blue Flame Spirit’s nest.

Josephine was involved in the process.

She, along with Belir’s artisans, created and assembled the machines necessary for mass production.

Josephine’s skills were acknowledged by both the Construction General Manager and the Land General Manager, so the work proceeded very smoothly.

However, Josephine was puzzled even as she built the machines.

No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem possible for her blood, the raw material, to come out in such quantities.

“Dante. Do you have a Wisdom sibling hidden somewhere? Even if you put all of me in, you can’t fill a tank this size.”

“I know. This is all the Wisdom blood we have.”

The blood last drawn from Josephine.

It was contained in a vial, boasting a vivid red color.

“If we can just mass-produce this, the first batch of Dark Elixir will be able to be produced as if by a press.”

The Forest Witch next to him affirmed listlessly.

“That’s right. The rest can be solved with Millesdusk’s capital.”

However, Wisdom’s blood could not, and that’s why cultivation was necessary.

Even the Forest Witch, who was usually not very curious, was curious about this.

“What are you thinking? To be able to multiply the blood in that tiny bottle by that much. Honestly, I don’t really believe it.”

It was understandable.

The tank in front of the three of them boasted a capacity that a whole domain could use.

To say that the blood in this bottle alone could fill that tank was indeed like a delusion.

“Wait here. I’ll be back.”

“Wh-where are you going?”

Josephine asked in an anxious voice.

I knew the reason for her anxiety.

The recent invasion by the siblings, which had happened twice.

She didn’t want to feel that sensation of her heart dropping to her feet again.

But knowing she had to let him go, she couldn’t keep her hands still, just fidgeting with them.

The Youngest Son knew her worries and smiled.

“Don’t worry. I’ve entered a truce with my sisters, and my second-oldest brother must have a lot on his mind.”

“What did you do now, President?”

The Forest Witch asked as if she was fed up.

What did I do? I hadn’t done much.

“A family institution with the Forest Witch as the General Manager has been established. In a sense, the prey I put in my mouth to eat soon is getting tougher and tougher.”

“…You even thought of that when you recommended the institution.”

A rookie Elder who was steadily gaining strong influence in the family.

That rookie Elder was now in charge of a promising family institution.

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

“The newly established family institution will rake in money while trading with Hexa, following the network Jubel has set up.”

Because the family Elder, the General Manager, and the master of Hexa’s tower were the same person.

I wondered if this wasn’t the biggest twist that could come out in Act 1.

The fact that it was in my hands was a pleasant thing.

“When I return after following my sisters, I should be able to heat this volcano up again.”

“Uh-huh. You have to be careful.”

“Come back safe, President. I don’t know where you’re going, but it probably isn’t a safe place.”

The Youngest Son smiled bitterly.

Because unfortunately, she was right.

As if to prove it, the incident happened on the very day of departure.

It exploded as soon as he set off with the young ladies.

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