How much money and connections were poured into creating the monsters?

‘Damn it...!’

The carefully nurtured pack of Shilui disappeared into Daymond’s hands, and Ereka Gilar fell under his control.

‘Why on earth was Daymond entrusted as acting head of the family?’

He wasn’t someone who could be easily swayed like the other brothers.

Just as he clenched his fists anxiously, Vasile, who was sitting nearby, glanced at him.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“...No. By the way, when will Brother Daymond arrive? I want to visit my son quickly.”

“Ah. Your son has been through a lot too.”

Vasile frowned.

She was just as worried about her child.

Fortunately, she heard Dionera wasn’t seriously injured but hadn’t seen her with her own eyes yet.

‘Visits are prohibited...’

One of the third generation, Adam, was infected with the poison.

Since the poison was an ancient disease, its contagion was still {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} unconfirmed.

Only the seventh-ranked children who hadn’t had direct skin contact with Adam were allowed into the main fortress; the contacted ones were isolated separately.

Dionera was one of those isolated.

While Vasile sighed deeply, the door to the great hall opened, and Daymond entered, followed by the seventh-ranked children.

“Selene...!”

Bastina bounced excitedly, calling for her daughter, but Selene only glanced over, showing little reaction.

“Milan, how’s your body?”

“Haha, since when have you worried about me~.”

“You brat─!”

Milan shrugged.

Other second-generation nobles noisily approached the seventh-ranked children.

“How’s our Liantin? Is she safe? Not infected with the poison?”

“Kara and Ridge? Are they okay? Oh, dear... Please protect our daughters from above.”

“How about Michel? Elman and Isla? Are they hurt?”

“And, what about Adam? Is his condition serious?!”

Amidst the noisy chatter, Daymond took the main seat.

Balderic frowned deeply.

‘Taking the seat as if it were mine.’

He spoke in a displeased tone.

“Why are you so late? Every minute counts...!”

“Do you want to handle the remaining Shilui yourself?”

“A-all of them weren’t handled already?”

“The children cleaned up the Shilui, but the corpses need to be dealt with. If the poison forms from the corpses, it’s troublesome.”

Without an ability like Daymond’s , even dealing with Shilui corpses was difficult.

Balderic clicked his tongue.

“Hmph, you suit being a cleaner better than acting head.”

At those words, Daymond’s three jurisdiction brothers stiffened.

Joshua curled his lips disdainfully.

‘Sitting on the chair but only good at talking.’

The hot-tempered Balzac looked ready to burst out at any moment.

Rishimund held Balzac’s arm to restrain him, though his expression wasn’t good either.

Then Erilot spoke.

“Sorry for being late, Uncle.”

“Do you even understand?”

“Yes. Considering the situation, you must have been so anxious. Waiting must have been agonizing.”

If you were in such a hurry, why didn’t you come to the Divine Hall to save the children? Just sitting there talking.

Balderic’s face flushed at the elegant insult.

The second generation who had also only waited shifted their gaze while clearing their throats.

Balderic shouted.

“You, you...! What do you mean by that? We worked frantically to resolve the Divine Hall incident!”

“Yes. I know you gave orders frantically.”

They couldn’t come because of fear of Shilui.

Balderic stammered, moving only his lips.

“You, you...! It’s because we need a command post to assess the situation and give orders...!”

“Thanks to you uncles and aunts working together, the matter was resolved quickly. Thank you.”

Too many command posts. So many talking heads that the soldiers actually struggled.

Balderic’s face grew red as if about to burst.

Loreina sighed.

‘And yet they can’t even win...’

They only embarrassed themselves in front of the direct descendants.

“The important thing is not that you were late to the meeting, Father.”

“...”

Only after hearing his daughter did Balderic click his tongue and turn away.

Vasile, Dionera’s mother, nodded.

“Enough with pointless quarrels. Let’s get to the point. Is Ereka Gilar really the mastermind behind the attack?”

It was already conveyed that Ereka Gilar was responsible for the ambush.

At Vasile’s words, some of the second generation began speaking up.

“Where’s the proof?”

“Proof? The only child unharmed among the kids was Ereka Gilar, who stayed in my father’s room.”

“Hmm, she wasn’t just there by chance?”

“She has the blessing. She has the ability to send monsters to attack.”

“But how could she move such a group of ancient monsters? Especially on the day of the red moon.”

“That’s...”

“Would a mere collateral child have that power? ...Unless it’s the direct descendant Erilot.”

At Silvain’s remark, the second generation glanced at Erilot sharply.

Daymond shot Silvain a piercing look.

“You say my daughter is the mastermind?”

“That’s not exactly what I mean. But it seems more plausible that Erilot, who tamed a dragon, commanded the ancient monsters than a collateral child...”

Silvain cleared his throat.

Balzac’s eyes flashed fire.

“Eril is not the culprit! If Eril were the mastermind, we wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this!”

Then the youngest, second generation Hernan, muttered quietly.

“To avoid public attention, it might have been done intentionally...”

“Uncle─!”

“It is suspicious, isn’t it? To be only this injured while fighting ancient monsters.”

Joshua and Rishimund’s faces also stiffened.

“All words said in the great hall are recorded by historians. Speak responsibly.”

“Hmph, so your bastard became acting head and dares to intimidate us with regulations?!”

“Uncle, you’re the one who’s uneasy about Father being acting head and trying to frame Erilot.”

Even the refined Rishimund spoke sharply.

The anti-Daymond second generation raised their voices.

“Already acting like my father is the Duke!”

“Watch your eyes when you talk to elders...!”

“We demand a clear resolution! Accusing Ereka Gilar without evidence means something suspicious is going on!”

“Daymond arriving so quickly is also suspicious. Maybe he plotted to become acting head.”

“That’s what I’m saying, sister!”

At the noisy moment, Erilot smiled leisurely and spoke.

“Then I’ll join you in the torture chamber.”

“What did you say?”

“Erilot.”

“Do you know what Astra’s torture chamber is like?!”

“...”

Rishimund, Joshua, Balzac, and Daymond each looked at Erilot.

But Erilot calmly glanced around at the second generation.

“I understand you uncles and aunts don’t trust me, so I’ll accept torture.”

“...”

“But if I’m not the culprit, you will have to take responsibility for what you’ve said.”

“How many times must I say! We need to clarify this thoroughly...!”

“I’m just as accused without evidence.”

“T-that’s...”

Balderic cleared his throat.

Erilot’s smile deepened.

“I was the first to accuse Ereka Gilar. If she’s not the culprit, I will take responsibility.”

“Hmph, what responsibility could you possibly take...”

“I will erase my name from the Astra family registry.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

Everyone gasped and stared at Erilot.

Normally, if one’s name is erased from the paternal registry, they take their mother’s surname.

But Erilot’s mother is...

‘A commoner. That means she’s giving up her noble status?’

Not only the seventh-ranked children but even the second generation gasped.

Vasile hurriedly said,

“Correct yourself. You don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I mean to give up everything as a noble. I’m staking all of myself.”

“Erilot...!”

“If I do so, what will you uncles and aunts lose?”

Everyone grew silent.

Erilot raised an eyebrow.

“Did you speak words you cannot take back?”

“...”

“Then I must conclude that you uncles and aunts are unhappy with my father’s appointment as acting head and targeted me.”

“...”

“My grandfather appointed my father as acting head. Are you opposing his words?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

The second generation were already intimidated by the third generation’s search task.

People fell silent, borrowing the Duke of Astra’s prestige.

Balderic shouted,

“So, what are you saying? What do you want to hear from us?”

“Let the Mage Tower investigate.”

“What, what?!”

The great hall shook loudly.

The Mage Tower was an organization under the Senate.

A remnant of the previous generation.

A manor report even the Duke of Astra hesitated to touch.

Erilot lightly placed a hand on her collarbone and said,

“Using such a powerful blessing on the day of the red moon. Something about it is suspicious.”

“W-what do you mean...?”

“...Could it really be a blessing?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I suspect those Shilui are ‘creations of alchemy.’”

“...!”

“There is only one place in this manor where that could be possible: the Mage Tower.”

The second generation murmured loudly.

‘If the monsters were created by alchemy, an ambush on the red moon day makes no sense.’

‘B-but to investigate the Mage Tower...’

The youngest, Hernan, said with a trembling voice,

“Investigating the Mage Tower means cutting out the Senate. The elders who even Father couldn’t touch are protecting it...!”

The old men who know all of Astra’s sins.

Those who know secrets even the Duke doesn’t know.

If even a fraction of what they know leaks, the continent will be overturned.

Erilot’s expression instantly turned cold.

“How long will you keep ignoring them?”

“What? They... even Father...!”

“No need to repeat yourself. We know they’re people grandfather left alone.”

“...”

“In grandfather’s generation, the previous generation committed tremendous sins. Involving imperial and royal families of various countries.”

“Y-yes! If you touch them, even foreign nations won’t stand idly by.”

“All this information belongs to the Astra main house.”

“W-what?”

“Everything they know is what the main house should know. Their power came from the main house; aren’t you frustrated?”

“...”

“Since when has our main house been controlled by collateral branches?”

“That’s...”

“Even if it was before, if we all cooperate now, we can oust the elders and make sure the collateral branches never raise their heads again.”

“...”

“Grandfather must have been waiting for this moment too.”

The second generation swallowed dryly.

Leaning on the table, Erilot whispered.

Like a snake tempting to bite the fruit of knowledge.

“We are the Astra main house.”

“...”

“We are the ones who bring fear, not the ones who fear.”

The second generation trembled.

‘Indeed, compared to the previous generation, the main house’s power has weakened.’

Until one generation ago, the great nobles of the Imperial Capital couldn’t even raise their heads to the Astra direct descendants.

The current Duke of Astra was a strongman who seized power from the previous generation.

But unlike the previous generation, he ran the family rationally.

Not using all the power given.

Not squeezing the surroundings or killing children to gain strength.

Daymond, quietly watching his daughter’s actions, smirked.

He lightly struck the table.

“For all things, for Astra.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

One of the silent nobles slowly spoke.

“...For Astra.”

“F-for Astra.”

“For Astra.”

“For Astra!”

It was the beginning of the Mage Tower investigation.

The silent second generation trembled.

‘In-investigate the Mage Tower?’

Was everyone crazy?

They couldn’t leave it like this.

Everything would be revealed.

Pale, he dashed out as soon as the meeting ended.

Reaching a secluded spot, he said to his aide,

“Evacuate Ereka Gilar.”

“What? How can we evacuate a child in the torture chamber...!”

“Evacuate her by any means!”

She must not be eliminated.

Traces remain even on corpses.

‘Damn it, damn it...!’

Late at night.

The prison door where Ereka was held creaked open.

“Come out.”

At the soldier’s command, Ereka raised her head.

“W-what?”

“You are to be evacuated before the real torture begins.”

“By him...?”

“Hurry up and come out. He’s waiting.”

Ereka’s face brightened.

She hurried out of the prison.

‘Ah, of course.’

He truly hadn’t abandoned me.

Walking the secret passage with a bright face,

She saw the light ahead.

“Sir... Sir, it’s Ereka! I’m here...!”

“Did you think it was him?”

A chilling voice whispered into her ear.