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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 217: I Was Also My Father's Shadow
Today I had many conversations with my mother, but there was still one thing left to say.
"Mother, do you know Rudgarda Angantyr?"
"Rudgarda? Of course."
My mother recalled her memories and said,
"That child was, in a word, like 'the Ulbhild of House Angantyr.' In both talent and temperament."
"Do you also know that she was sent here as a hostage by my father?"
"Yes, I do."
Good, less to explain. I spoke directly.
"I have joined hands with her. To defeat our common enemy."
"...!"
Mother asked with a surprised expression,
"Could this common enemy be...?"
"The usurper Grimnar Angantyr," I answered.
"Our objectives are the same. To kill Grimnar Angantyr and restore Eisenach to the position of Lordstir."
"..."
Mother's eyes wavered before regaining composure.
"You've made a significant decision, Allen."
"You don't reproach me?"
"Reproach? What right would I have to do that?"
Mother asked in return.
"On the contrary, it's an incredibly rational judgment. Yes, rational indeed."
Mother repeated that word as if savoring it.
"Rationality. I've hated it for a long time, but I won't deny its necessity."
"Mother."
"Say nothing, Allen."
Mother smiled bitterly and took something from her bosom.
"This is my handwritten letter. Please deliver it to Uncle Balthazar."
"Ah!"
It was Mother's handwritten letter that the Haglandere side had requested as proof of trust.
"With this letter, I will surely be able to connect with them."
"Only then can Eisenach rise again."
The significance of this single letter was suddenly not insignificant.
"...Actually, Mother."
I took out a jewelry box from my pocket.
"I also have something to give you."
It was a necklace meticulously crafted by Baldun, one of Grunewald's proud artisans.
"Allen."
Mother looked at it with tears in her eyes and then held it out to me.
"I would like my son to put it on for me."
"Of course."
I put the necklace around my mother's thin neck.
"...Come to think of it, I haven't given Adeline a necklace as a gift."
Don't needlessly recall that beloved face, Karzan. If you do, you'll meet her again in your dreams.
* * *
The next day.
News that Allenvert and Lusatia had met was causing a commotion throughout the Duke's castle.
"This is no ordinary matter."
"Yes. It's an extremely serious issue."
The Legal Officer Lawrence Bergen and the Finance Officer Silas Agrippa.
The two secretly met to discuss the major event of Lusatia's return.
"It would be problematic if the Fourth Duchess rallies the survivors of Eisenach for reconstruction."
"...To think she would finally return."
Silas Agrippa muttered with a complicated expression.
"Unfortunately, Silas, if things go this way, wouldn't they eventually target Agrippa?"
"..."
Silas lowered his voice.
"Do you think the Fourth Duchess actually knows 'that fact'?"
"I don't think so. However."
Lawrence replied.
"As we've all seen, Young master Allenvert's mental capacity is at an extraordinary level. If he sets his mind to uncovering the truth, eventually..."
Silas's expression darkened.
In a situation already tense with Somerset losing ground in the succession struggle, bearing Allenvert's hostility would be an extremely burdensome matter.
"It's time for Agrippa to make a decision as well."
Lawrence spoke persuasively in a lowered voice.
"In the end, Bergen and Agrippa must gather under the banner of Verdzig."
"But as you know, my sister's anger is great."
Silas shook his head.
"Regardless of the Third Duchess's sentiments, won't you eventually have to follow the general trend?"
As Lawrence said, ultimately the decision-making authority of Agrippa rested with the Count, the head of the clan.
"But if my sister deliberately opposes it, it will be difficult to ignore."
"...What about Young master Somerset?"
"He's quietly training in martial arts. He's also stopped drinking."
Lawrence sighed in response.
"It's too late. It's like fixing the stable after the horse has fled."
Silas pressed his lips tightly together. It was a disparaging remark about his nephew, but even he thought the same.
"I apologize if I've overstepped."
Lawrence, noticing this reaction, hurriedly apologized.
"It's fine. What you said isn't wrong."
Despite Silas's response, Lawrence spoke as if to make amends.
"To be frank, Verdzig has already captured most of our Bergen."
"...Indeed."
Silas wasn't greatly surprised. He had thought it was only a matter of time before this would happen anyway.
"My father has promised full support and handed over the entire 'Shadow of the Family,' including Recrusa clan, to Verdzig."
"...So he views the matter that seriously."
"Allenvert's movements and the Duke's intentions are indeed concerning."
Among them, there was already anxiety that 'the Duke may have designated the Fourth Young master as his successor.'
"...I wonder what House Visquera's intentions are."
Silas furrowed his brow.
"Young Lady Ulbhild is quite favorable toward Young master Allenvert, but would the First Duchess and Count Visquera really be able to abandon Eldest Young master Karl?"
"Surely not. Even if the sky falls, that wouldn't happen."
Lawrence declared with certainty.
"Anyway, please persuade your father well, Silas. If we don't clarify our position quickly, we might find ourselves in a difficult situation."
"...I understand for now."
The succession struggle of Grunewald was preparing to enter a new phase.
* * *
Having returned from meeting my mother, I was exploring the Dark Mana, postponing even sleep.
"Whew."
The Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique shows quite impressive performance in controlling this dark mana.
However, it was also true that I was far from the stage of using the dark mana according to my will.
'Absorption and Adsorption.'
Currently, the dark mana was at a level where it independently used its absorption ability only in its master's crisis situations.
'According to Mother, this is just the most basic stage.'
But there's no need to be discouraged. Although the creature is consuming my body, if I just maintain the current state, my lifespan should be considerably extended.
'If I hadn't had Karzan's experience, I probably would have given up during the process of learning the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique due to excessive pain.'
Or perhaps I might have fallen into madness, caught by the dark mana that was spread throughout my veins.
'Probably around the sixth or seventh year, pain would have been felt even in daily life.'
Who could point a finger at Allenvert of that time and call him weak?
"Even if you were born with the Dark Mana, enormous talent, will, and effort are needed to be recognized as its master."
I recalled my mother's words.
"Uncle Balthazar said that the Dark Mana seems to choose the most suitable vessel among those who inherit the ancestry of the ancestors, and then examines whether that vessel is qualified to become its master."
And unfortunately,
"It seems that not a single person since him has truly mastered the Dark Mana. Even those who survived the longest didn't live past forty."
That's a bit strange. Although I had Karzan's experience, I didn't feel that much difficulty in subduing them.
'Perhaps the characteristics of the Eternal Ocean Chain Technique and the Seven Stars of the Black Sea Technique being extremely pure, stable, and versatile are martial arts specialized in suppressing the Dark Mana.'
If so—
My very existence, born from the union of the two clans Eisenach and Grunewald, might have been the best condition for the Dark Mana to dwell.
'If that's true, it's truly a coincidental thing.'
I don't know whether that's the truth or not.
But making it true is my responsibility.
"This isn't working well."
I was in the middle of trying all sorts of things with my palm against a sheet of paper.
But the dark mana hiding quietly in my dantian showed no reaction.
"These bastards are playing mind games."
Perhaps, as my mother said, as long as I don't meet the criterion of the 7th tier, the Dark Mana doesn't truly acknowledge me.
'If it's the wall of the 6th tier, I should be able to break it soon.'
But not yet.
"No use in holding onto something that's not working."
I abandoned my obsession and stood up.
"Peter!"
"Yes, young master! Did you call?"
"Please summon Jeffrey for me."
"Understood!"
I was planning to deliver my mother's handwritten letter to Zizek.
'Sending Peter would be too dangerous.'
I have a very important schedule tonight, so I can't go directly. Therefore, Jeffrey was going to quietly contact Rudgarda and hand over the letter.
'I can see the end of a long wait.'
But there was yet another mountain before me.
* * *
"Welcome, Allen."
I looked at my father, the head butler Aiden, and the 'Intelligence Director' Venion.
"This is a combination I simply cannot get used to."
It was equally strange to see Venion smiling as usual, my stern father sitting casually, and the head butler clearing his throat with a slightly embarrassed face.
"Allen, how was your meeting with Lusatia?"
"It was a very emotional encounter."
I answered.
"But at the same time, I realized how wise and thoughtful my mother is."
"That's right. She's that kind of person."
From my father's expression alone, I could somewhat understand what feelings he harbored for my mother.
"Let's put that story aside for now."
The 'human emotion' that had remained on my father's face disappeared as if washed away.
What I saw before me then was simply a ruler with iron-blooded dignity.
"Allen, what you have shown this time was exceptionally outstanding. Even if an army had been deployed, it would have been difficult to achieve better results."
Since it wasn't the atmosphere for jokes, I answered concisely.
"Thank you."
"You must have realized through this incident. The fact that Venion and I have been constantly fighting someone from within the shadows."
"...Yes. But what I know isn't everything, I presume."
"Correct. We have been protecting Grunewald from the attacks of enemies woven as intricately as a spider's web."
The moment I hear who these enemies are, will I perhaps end up on the same boat as my father?
"Allen, I have been carefully observing your actions all this time."
I looked at both men in turn before asking,
"For what purpose?"
Was it not to make me the successor of the clan?
"I wanted to see if you could handle 'the darkness of Grunewald.'"
My father rose from his seat and walked to the window.
"From inside and outside of this Grunewald—"
Cold sea wind blew in through the open window.
"And from both light and shadow, enemies are joining forces to invade this Grunewald. To stop them, eyes that can see both day and night are needed."
Then Venion must be the owl's eyes watching over Grunewald's night.
"My son."
My father looked at me and said,
"Become my shadow."
"...Father."
My voice sank low.
"Does that mean you want to use me not as your successor, but as your most trusted blade?"
Why? Was the bond we father and son have shared just an illusion? Does Father ultimately intend to pass on his position to Karl or Verdzig?
'...Am I unable to escape the same fate as Karzan in this life as well?'
That would be something that makes me feel utterly humiliated. Rather than that—
"Allen, you seem to misunderstand something."
I raised my head at my father's words.
"What have I misunderstood?"
Perhaps my voice contained emotions unlike my usual self.
"Allen, let me tell you one thing."
My father's eyes looked into mine. The abyss contained in those pupils was as distant as a well whose bottom could not be seen.
"I, too, was once my father's shadow."
"...!"
"Contrary to what is known to the public, Father was by no means an incompetent head of the clan. Rather, he acted as an 'incompetent head' while sacrificing and arranging many things for future generations."
My father pointed a finger at his own chest.
"The prosperity of Grunewald that you have enjoyed since birth. It was not easily obtained. That 'we' won in an era of covert struggle that you don't know and can't even imagine was truly a miracle."
I looked at Venion's expression and realized that he was a comrade who had gone through that era with my father.
"Is that answer sufficient?"
"...I apologize."
Only then did I come to my senses as if hit by cold wind.
'I showed unseemly behavior.'
I had become excited on my own, recalling memories from my previous life.
"Rather, I need a successor who can encompass both light and shadow. One who is neither too harsh nor too soft."
My father pointed at me.
"You have proven that sufficiently, so what are you doubting and worrying about?"
"...!"
I never expected to hear such a direct expression.
"Together, we will protect Grunewald. For that, you shall become Venion's disciple and follower, learning everything from him."
"...What should I do?"
"Your first mission is—"
My father raised a finger.
"To monitor the movements of the two maternal relatives, Bergen and Agrippa."
"!"
The first mission was already extraordinary. Are they plotting something again?
"But fighting in the shadows of Grunewald is far more fierce and arduous than you think. Therefore, before plunging into it—"
My father commanded.
"Master the Ink Soul Sacred Shadow Technique, break through the wall of the 6th tier, and defeat Siena Valkenhain to claim the 6th seat of Ete Nistyrnur."
"I understand."
These are tasks I would have had to tackle even without my father's command.
"Only then will you be qualified to become Venion's disciple."
I looked at Venion at this point.
"...But must I become Venion's disciple after going through all that trouble?"
Somehow it feels like I'm getting the short end of the stick.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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