Chapter 161 : Chapter 161

Chapter 161 - Tense Situation

The Youngest Son explained to Edwin.

“Listen carefully. The key to the second processing of the Dark Elixir is storage.”

“I-Is it alright for me to hear something like this?”

“As the Chairman, you must hear it. Look now. Isn't Cailin covering her ears with some sense?”

At the entrance of the underground bridge, Cailin stood a few paces away from the two.

She was pressing her hands firmly against her ears, as if she couldn't hear a thing.

“Cailin. You can't hear well, can you.”

“Yeah!”

“Good.”

“…?”

After a somewhat questionable exchange.

The Youngest Son spoke of the helmet, Twilight, and the abyss beneath this bridge.

“Twilight is a gift, but it is also a countermeasure given by Millesdusk.”

“A countermeasure, you say….”

“The natural yin energy of the citadel is quite exceptional, so it attracts even powerful monsters. But unlike Eclipse or the Pantheon, the citadel lacks strength.”

Thus, Millesdusk had set the stage.

They created a deep pit so that the monsters drawn by the yin energy would naturally fall into the underground.

Above it, they built a bridge and gifted Twilight to deal with the monsters.

“Down there, below the abyss. There exists a monster that swallowed the other monsters drawn to the yin energy, and is now consuming the citadel’s yin energy all by itself.”

“…Am I the one who has to catch it?”

“It’s a creature that has done nothing but eat in the darkness for centuries. To it, this place is a warm bedroom. Would it want to leave such a bedroom?”

“N-No.”

“Even if it wanted to leave, a fearsome existence blocks the way above the abyss. We know what that is.”

The Youngest Son’s thumb pointed to the helmet behind him, Twilight.

Edwin swallowed hard.

“The creature below has been eating yin energy and observing human civilization for centuries. It should be possible to communicate with it.”

“Young Master, you have chosen the abyss below as the storage location for the second processing. And the monster is the reason for storing it here.”

“Correct. The monster is, so to speak, the on-site employee. You will understand what I mean when you go down there.”

He no longer asked how he knew such things.

Yes. It was better for his mental health to just gloss it over with, ‘The Young Master would know.’

The Youngest Son grabbed the Chairman’s shoulder, who was holding a staff, and patted it repeatedly.

“You can do it. I’ll send a clone as well, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Th-Then can’t the clone wear the helmet?”

“No. The creature will recognize the one wearing the helmet as its master. Then there would be no division of labor. The clone’s role is to prevent the worst-case scenario.”

“…I understand. Then I will quell the chaos in the citadel and await your signal, Young Master.”

“Alright.”

He now understood without being told.

His eyes were already heavy with the responsibility of a chairman.

“The clone will tell you the details. You there, Cailin. It’s time to go.”

“Are you done talking?”

The wolf girl answered naturally while covering her ears.

The Youngest Son nodded, and the three of them once again climbed the stairs to see the light of the surface.

The outside still resembled a demolition site, but the sunlight was certainly better than the creepy underground.

Edwin massaged his tingling forearm, still trembling, and looked back at the Youngest Son.

“You are returning now, I presume.”

“I have to go to work.”

“You achieved a victory against none other than the First Son-nim. It would be nice if you held a celebratory feast.”

The Youngest Son chuckled.

“I couldn’t lay a single finger on my Older Brother’s body. If it weren’t for the Magic Dragon, Older Brother would have disposed of me without even thinking of backing down.”

“I just thought it would be good for you to rest even a little…”

“The thought is commendable, but even a catnap is a luxury right now. The Dark Elixir became famous faster than expected.”

“…Isn’t it a good thing if it becomes famous quickly…?”

“It would be, if the trademark’s original creator didn't exist.”

The original creator? At that mention, Edwin’s eyes widened.

“Wi-Wisdom…! Is Wisdom on the move? Is the East-West war going to happen again?”

“East-West war? What’s the East-West war?”

One trembled in surprise, and the other tilted her head in confusion.

The Youngest Son placed his foot on the ghost ship’s anchor.

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s still too early for a war. I will make it so.”

A war could not happen before the second processing was complete.

The family’s military power had increased significantly with the first processing, but an all-out war had to be avoided.

Only when they were strong enough to win with just the new generation of the clan at the core could they also fight against the South and the North.

If the East-West war Edwin mentioned broke out, the South and the North would be looking for an opening like hyenas.

“So, Edwin. You just manage the chaos until the clone arrives. Conceal the fact that this is the base for the second processing until the very end.”

“Understood. Please leave it to me.”

“Cailin.”

“Yeah!”

“I’m sorry to ask, but could you act as Edwin’s guard until he secures the underground? I will pay you.”

Cailin laughed heartily.

“What’s money between us! It means that a peak reached amidst chaos is unstable, right? Don’t worry! I’ll protect him!”

“Thank you.”

All the cogs of Dusk Citadel had been put in place.

Even if it creaked a little now, this place would turn by the wheel that was Edwin.

And there was another place that was turning by the wheel that was the Forest Witch.

It was where the clone had arrived a moment ago.

***

Dark Elixir first processing site headquarters.

This place, once called the Blue Volcano, had become the site of the mainstream industry leading the East.

Its person in charge, the Forest Witch, greeted the President’s clone.

“I’m working on what you sent via the Messenger Ghoul before. The potion that removes curse waste products is under development.”

“Right. I trust you’ll do a good job with the Purification Potion as always.”

“So what brings you here? To send a clone instead of your main body means you’re quite busy.”

“It's a warning.”

As I was about to state the subject and add a supplementary explanation, the Forest Witch’s face hardened noticeably.

“…I’ve been caught. I guess I can’t fool you, President.”

She quietly stood up and opened a cupboard.

All the wooden furniture here was made with the Forest Witch’s power.

The cupboard was no different, and if she wanted, she could put any object inside without it being discovered.

What she had placed inside, with such powerful security, was some kind of potion box.

The box that originally held the Dark Elixir contained something else.

“I thought I could use the Blue Flame Spirit’s power for other potions, so I used it privately. I also left some ingredients under Hexa’s name.”

“…No, the main body isn’t here because of that─”

“Yes. I didn’t want to use the business’s public funds. But I recently bought Kio a present, so I was out of money.”

“……”

The embezzler confessed all her crimes.

The clone Young Master, speechless at the misuse of public funds, looked into the box.

What did she want to make that she even used someone else’s money? I wanted to see it out of curiosity.

“So what are these?”

“Good question.”

The Forest Witch, perhaps thinking it was a chance to escape a tax audit, approached like the wind.

Even a person who was always as relaxed as a forest in warm weather became hasty when public funds were involved.

“As you know, President, the Blue Flame Spirit is a very special fire that can burn only what it wants.”

“So you burned public funds with the Blue Flame Spirit’s fire?”

“Let me finish my sentence.”

She took out a bottle from the box.

The contents were both blue and red, like the Blue Flame Spirit’s flame, and its color was mysterious.

“It’s still in the testing phase, but I’ll show you myself.”

She opened the lid and drank the potion.

The struggle of someone who didn't want to meet an Execution Department Knight was without hesitation.

The bottle was emptied cleanly.

Now that I saw it, the bottle was also a high-quality one used for delivering Dark Elixir.

Just by watching, it was clear she had embezzled more than one or two things.

Perhaps realizing her mistake, she carefully hid the bottle at her waist, but she was already caught.

“Please pay attention for a moment. What’s important right now isn’t the bottle, is it?”

“That’s right. Your punishment, Forest Witch, is what’s most important.”

“Just wait a moment.”

The Forest Witch rolled up her sleeves.

I could see a blue heat passing through her fair skin.

It was strange for a person’s skin to be translucent, but I could clearly see something.

What seemed to be the solution she had just swallowed definitely felt like it had some kind of heat.

“It allows one to carry the Blue Flame Spirit’s fire within their body for a certain period of time.”

“What’s the effect of that?”

“That’s the interesting part.”

She reached her hand out into the air.

A twig was naturally caught, as if it had been there all along.

The branches, lush with leaves, were ordinary except for their slightly darker color.

Until the Forest Witch swung the branch like a staff.

Fwoosh─!

The leaves fell off and burned blue.

The blue flames scattered in the direction she swung, creating a spectacle.

“See? It allows you to mix blue flames into your own magic power. And blue flame is one of the highest-ranking powers in the fire attribute.”

“…You mean just by possessing the blue flame, one can prepare against the fire attribute?”

“That’s right. It’s a trivial amount of power for the Blue Flame Spirit, but it’s a great help in preparation. And that’s not all.”

She gathered the remaining blue flame in her body into her hands.

A blue fireball flickered above her cupped hands, as if she were washing her face.

“You know the Purification Potion you commissioned, President? This can replace that as well. You just have to burn off the waste products.”

The clone’s expression changed.

He was starting to be drawn in. This was clearly an item with not only utility but also marketability.

However, there was one catch.

That reason was the same as the reason he came here.

“The Dark Elixir is provoking Wisdom.”

“Hmm.”

“The main body is worried about that and is trying to prevent an East-West war from breaking out before the second processing.”

“How much time is left until the second processing?”

“I don’t know that for sure. But I know it’s close.”

The Forest Witch, hearing the more serious than expected story, dispersed the flame.

She, too, immediately thought of the risk her test potion carried at the mention of Wisdom.

“Since the Blue Flame Spirit is from the West, releasing this along with the Dark Elixir would be taken as an explicit declaration of war.”

“Because they are obsessed with a strange sense of privilege. They don’t care if the Millesdusk clan, their long-time rivals, covet the power of the Blue Flame Spirit.”

“But the ignorant commoners can’t. Is that it?”

The Forest Witch smiled under the brim of her hat. A small but definite sneer.

A blue flame flickered above the finger peeking out from her sleeve.

“With this, even an ordinary sorcerer could infuse blue flames into their Undead Private Soldiers. That blue flame would produce different results for each of the four sorcery seasons.”

“I won’t stop you from experimenting. But it will have to be secretive.”

“Alright. And thank you. I’ll also complete the favor you were about to ask of me.”

“You know what the favor is?”

“Of course.”

Chiiiiik─

The Forest Witch finally extinguished the blue flame.

“You’re asking me to release other products to overshadow the Dark Elixir, aren't you? Our main product is the Dark Elixir, but to give the impression that we sell other things too.”

“Exactly.”

“So that’s why you ordered me to develop the Purification Potion.”

“That’s part of the reason.”

The Forest Witch nodded moderately and crossed her arms.

“I understand you don’t want to give them an excuse to grab us by the scruff of the neck, but Wisdom won’t stand still. Besides, we have that little kid, too.”

That was also one of the concerning points, but the main body’s intention was firm.

“I will give up nothing. I didn’t gather these precious things just to have them taken away.”

“I understand. I will do as you command.”

“From now on, if you want to experiment on something separately, submit a report. The main body told me to convey that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind too. I was going to report it when it was complete, but I didn’t expect it to be revealed this way.”

“Is there anything else you’re hiding?”

“…No.”

The answer was a little slow.

For now, he let it slide, and the clone Young Master turned around.

“The tense situation between the Wisdom clan and the Millesdusk clan will only intensify from now on. It will worsen as the main body comes to the surface.”

“What does the Family Head say?”

“I don’t know. For now─”

The clone Young Master’s voice cut off.

As the main body’s eyes widened, the clone also froze.

The main body was looking at the characters forming in the air.

[Act 2 is approaching.]

[Player, please prepare for the increasing game difficulty.]

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