Chapter 134 : Chapter 134

Chapter 134 - To Shoot or Not to Shoot

“I’m sorry.”

A single word of apology spread through the headquarters’ reception room.

It reached the other party’s ears faster than the Second Daughter, who had spoken first.

The Fourth Son’s eyes slowly tilted towards the source of the sound.

“…What did you say?”

At his question, the lips below the brim of the hat opened once more.

“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry to the young ladies as well. Still, it’s cleaner to start from the bottom with things like this.”

“You…”

“It wasn’t because of personal feelings that I destroyed that place.”

The Forest Witch cut off the sibling’s words once again.

“To me, it was another form of expression. Illusion, a domain I couldn’t reach. My best effort to see the number one in that domain. And my admiration.”

The listening Fourth Son’s eyebrows increasingly furrowed.

It wasn’t laden with feelings of anger.

There was some of that, but it was closer to surprise, if anything.

The Forest Witch continued.

“I, who had achieved practical immortality while cooped up in the forest, one day felt that place was like a prison. It’s funny, isn’t it.”

Perhaps she had obtained what the human race had desired most.

The forest was vast, but she was alone, and even if there were others, they hated the immortal.

They tried to kill her, and she had to fight every single day.

It wasn’t particularly dangerous, but to have to receive only hatred until the end of the world.

She would get so sick and tired of it that one day she would hang herself.

“It didn’t take as long as immortality to realize how the rest of my life would flow. Because it was very easy to understand.”

“So you returned to the battlefield? And as a start, you attacked the Mystics with a sense of admiration?”

“To summarize, yes. I hope you understand that it was absolutely not meant as an act of disrespect.”

“For that to be the case, you destroyed Hojeopgung very explicitly. You left only dust. What’s the reason for that.”

The Forest Witch calmly answered the Fourth Son’s pointed question.

“The family head is the family’s land itself, an entity to be identified with. Destroying Hojeopgung in front of her has a similar meaning to defeating her.”

But the opposite turned into a different problem.

“I destroyed Hojeopgung because I admired her inside. If I had killing intent as you misunderstand, I would have gone for the head of the Mystics family instead.”

“……”

Jamie’s mouth closed, but the silence did not continue.

The Second Daughter, who had been quietly continuing her thoughts on her sister’s lap, took up the conversation.

“Melaine and I. At that time, we saw everything as an enemy.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to her.

“My sister and I were cursed in our mother’s womb without a choice. I took Melaine’s eyes, and Melaine took my legs.”

That they would not have been born like this originally.

That it was a normal future for her to walk and run like others, was something she learned a few days before the banquet.

“I hated everything, and I wanted to burn it all down.”

“Ah. So I was the poor scapegoat discovered during that dark period, is that it?”

The Second Daughter did not deny it.

However, she didn’t end her words there either.

“The reason we tried to kill you wasn’t because of the succession competition. The child who hated the whole world just hated the pure child.”

“Then why did you try to kill the youngest? The youngest isn’t pure.”

“We tried to pull him into the same curse as us.”

The Second Daughter said without hiding anything.

A physiological feeling of disgust appeared in the Fourth Son’s eyes, and she also understood.

“It’s very selfish, but that was our sisters’ way.”

“What way. Your own way of killing people?”

“It’s our way of understanding and accepting people. We were born under the same curse and grew up together. Under the curse, our biggest commonality.”

So, to trust others, this huge commonality was necessary.

If not, they had to become spirits and embrace their souls.

But the sisters, who wanted to feel the warm warmth of a person, felt that warmth in a different way.

“The day we invaded Eclipse, thinking the youngest was dead. While fighting the returned youngest, my breathing was heavy.”

Heat spread through her cold skin, and her head grew hot.

“It had been a really long time since I felt that sensation. The feeling of being alive.”

She was really surprised that day.

To think that the youngest had grown to the point where it would be difficult to face him without using the family sorcery.

She had never seen such short-term growth anywhere, and at a glance, it was a genius on par with that First Son.

“I became curious about the youngest and wanted to get closer. The method of expression was our way, though.”

“But I didn’t mind.”

The Youngest Son interjected between the words.

“There are things that can be gained from such a method, and I have gained them.”

“…What?”

At his second-oldest brother’s trembling voice, the youngest smiled.

“The shining sincerity of an individual, stained by a curse.”

Such sincerity should not be disparaged, regardless of the method of expression.

If one adhered to a wrong method, all one had to do was realize it was wrong, apologize, and be forgiven.

“The youngest forgave me for trying to pull him into the curse. And he understood me.”

Furthermore, he showed her the way.

What he held in his hand when he woke up from his comatose state was a shining blessing.

The youngest, who brought a blessing instead of a curse, warmly accepted her despite knowing all her demonic schemes.

It was a moment that shone like the blessing he brought.

And when she heard that he had even brought the ghost that cast the curse to its knees and that the blessing was its spoils of war….

‘Melaine and I were both really surprised.’

At the same time, a thought came to mind.

Perhaps we also received a blessing.

To have gained another true family member to lean on, back to back, how could it not be a blessing?

“Jamie. We will never acknowledge each other as family for the rest of our lives.”

“For the first time, you’ve said something I can agree with~.”

“But, you know.”

Perhaps because she had taken her brother’s.

Eyes deeper and deeper than any of the family’s adults looked at her younger brother.

“Couldn’t we at least have an alliance?”

“……”

“We don’t even have to stand back-to-back. We can be satisfied as long as we don’t stab that back. At least, I’ve decided not to stab it.”

The Fourth Son couldn’t continue.

In the silence, his pale hand swept over those beside and behind him.

“Second-oldest brother. Everyone here has shown you their heart. You, brother, would know better than anyone that there were no lies.”

The Fourth Son remained silent, only crossing his legs.

“Now it’s your turn, brother.”

The gun had been turned.

Where that muzzle would be aimed was up to the person holding the gun.

To open his sealed lips and shout that he must be killed after all.

Or to postpone that moment for a while, and for this moment, to put the gun down for a bit.

“…I’m going to get some chocolate.”

The Fourth Son got up from his seat.

“Work hard on the family business. Do you happen to accept investments?”

“Anytime, if it’s your request, brother. If you send someone to Jubel, he will handle it for you.”

“Great~.”

He dragged out the end of his words, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the young ladies and the Forest Witch.

“Even if I hate them now, I can’t kill them…. I don’t think I can change the youngest’s mind either….”

It was truly a dead-end reality.

He had been given a gun, but it felt like there were no bullets to load.

That gun was handed over by the family’s youngest. He must have done it on purpose. He must have deliberately taken out the bullets.

He had deliberately stimulated the ticklish emotion of sincerity, so that for now, no force would be put on the trigger.

Because even if he were to be shot tomorrow, he could sleep safely for today.

That faintly rising smile proved everything.

“Anyway~. I just can’t beat him, can I?”

Clunk─

The Fourth Son closed the door and left.

He didn’t drop any giants from the Black Floating Castle.

At the corners of his mouth, which drew a clear line, even the chief secretary approached and asked.

“Are you… not angry?”

“Angry? Why would I be?”

The Fourth Son chuckled lightly.

He had just confirmed once again that conversations with the youngest were still fun.

“It’s scary, it’s scary. The youngest now uses even others’ sincerity as his weapon.”

He had heard it from the old geezers of the family in the past.

That the greatest sorcerer is one who can make anything move.

Whether it be the dead. Or a vengeful spirit. Or a person’s heart.

“I want to stay close to the youngest, but bugs keep swarming around him~.”

Isn't there a bug-catching cleaner somewhere?

“Let’s go back! Send a million gold to that money-grubbing ghost!”

“…Half of the cash you have on hand?”

His other assets were spread out in the form of buildings, land, and investments.

As it was money that couldn't be withdrawn immediately, cash was important, and to turn half of it into another investment?

In a dangerous situation where he had just kicked off a negotiation?

But the Fourth Son’s decision was firm.

“It’s a business that the youngest is pushing forward, even bringing in those lowly ghosts and getting broken! And the Family Head even spared him after he blew up the Blue Volcano!”

“…There is certainly potential, but. It may have buzz, but its sustainability might be low. Right now, the only fixed income for the Potion Development Department is─”

“Right, right! There’s only that flame resistance whatever. But I really like the feel of the word ‘Dark Elixir’!”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Yeah! Does an investment need anything more?”

Words that would have made Jubel faint if he heard them popped out so casually.

“It’s okay if a million gold disappears~! That’s the decision, so I’m going to hurry back and train!”

“What about the chocolate?”

“Of course, that too!”

Kwooooooooo─

The Black Floating Castle disappeared beyond the high sky.

The Youngest Son, who was watching it from below, finally let out a small sigh.

“Somehow, I got through it.”

The Forest Witch approached from the side.

“You worked hard lying too.”

She, who had roughly nodded her head, quickly changed the subject.

“President. So, what’s the thing you brought back?”

“This.”

He took out the crystal stone that had materialized the blessing from the spatial dimension.

Its color was a bright yellow, as if only the egg yolk had been scooped out.

“What is this?”

“It’s a blessing. In the land where this is planted, whatever you plant within a certain radius grows as it is.”

“Even people?”

“Things with liquid in them don’t work. So blood wouldn’t normally work either, but my ability makes it possible.”

He held up the bloodstones to be planted as seeds.

The ones in the pouch were all Wisdom’s blood.

“The harvest doesn’t take a long time, so the blood can be mass-produced quickly.”

“I never knew such a thing existed in the world.”

“I got it from my sisters’ maternal family. You must never plant anything other than what you first planted.”

“So that’s why you told me to leave a vacant plot of land. Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The Forest Witch received the blessing and the bloodstones.

As she disappeared, the young ladies approached.

The Second Daughter, Melisende, once again carried by her younger sister, occupied the empty seat next to him.

“Dante. When do you think mass production will be possible?”

“It will take time to harvest the bloodstones, so it will probably take a week.”

The two young ladies hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask.

“If it’s produced, could we also be the first to try it?”

“Of course. One of the boxes that comes out after we go into mass production will be given to you, sisters.”

The two young ladies couldn’t help but thrill at this point.

Mass production. Business. The output and power they had tasted then.

“Thank you. Our family will become incomparable to before. By your hands, youngest.”

“I hope so. In any case, it will be completed within a week, so by then, it will be promoted throughout the family.”

That is the moment when the money shower begins.

***

The Ash Mountains of the East.

The snowy mountain, named for the continuous fall of ash-like snow, had a population of only one.

The environment was harsh, and the monsters that had made their nests there were incredibly tough.

However, there was a person living a life alone there, and that person received news from the outside world for the first time in a long time.

“Dark… Elixir.”

Every time he spoke, a long, white breath flowed out.

The monster’s blood that had drenched his sword froze in an instant and could not flow.

But no matter how fierce the blizzard, it could not stop his next step.

At least the monsters in the mountain range had fallen and died, unable to stop him.

The man with the gray sword turned his equally gray eyes dispassionately.

However, his pupils were not directed at a person.

“How much time has passed?”

“It is approaching 10 years since you entered the Ash Mountains.”

A crow, twice the size of a normal one, answered in human language.

“10 years…”

During those 10 years, the snow in the sky did not stop. The gray sword did not stop either.

His younger brothers would not have stopped growing either.

That is, if they wanted to die with their corpses intact.

“Let’s go down now. The house seems to have become quite interesting.”

The First Son of Millesdusk began his return.

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