CHAPTER 49: WE ENDURE

Mikhail Zorthar leaned back in his chair with a drawn out sigh, stretching as though releasing the pressure that had been building inside him. "A lot has happened," he muttered, almost to himself. "I have been analyzing it all."

No one responded, none had the permission to do so. The silence in the room was heavy as it was absolute.

Not a single executive dared to speak without any permission. Mikhail was the most feared individual in the Zorthar syndicate, not for his strength in combat, but for his unparalleled intellect. He didn’t need blades or aura to keep enemies at bay. As he would rather keep the strongest from getting close to his family rather than facing them head on.

Each person in the room was acutely aware that they had the perfect opportunity to strike him now, surrounded by their peers. Yet none of them so much as flinched. That was the level of fear he inspired.

They all knew that if you failed to kill Mikhail in one blow, you wouldn’t live long enough to regret it as if he was still alive, he would ensure that the person who has done it would suffer an unimaginable fate by all means.

"The Baron is clever," Mikhail said, surprising everyone because It was a rare thing unheard of especially for Mikhail to compliment someone that was an enemy of the family.

Mikhail viewed communication as a tool, only to be used when necessary for business. To hear him offer praise, especially to the son of a man he had previously called a fool, was nothing short of shocking.

"He is trying to lure us into reacting," Mikhail continued, his tone calm and calculating. "It’s a trap. A well-crafted provocation. He wants us to retaliate, and then use that response to justify a counterattack."

Still, the room remained silent. No one would speak unless granted permission.

"I’m fully aware of what happened in the central region. Losing more than ten of our most profitable businesses there is indeed a significant blow." He said while leaning back on his chair.

The central sector of the city, now firmly under City Guard control, had always been the safest and most lucrative area in the city especially for merchants and travellers.

Unlike the crime-infested zones that surrounded it, the central district attracted most of the city’s incoming wealth.

Zorthar’s solution had been simple as it was to take over successful and already existing businesses by putting them under a debt trap or using forged documents and strong arm tactics.

Since the former city council was under their payroll, the acquisitions were well hidden. Everything had been working smoothly for them until the Baron came who ruined Zorthar’s influence by removing the councillors.

"When Estefan purged the councillors, we were the ones who suffered the most," Mikhail sneered. "Not only did we lose our influence over the city’s leadership, but we also lost access to vital information, especially about the Duke’s next moves. We have been left blind and vulnerable on a larger scale than before."

He tapped his pen on the armrest of his chair, deep in thought. "This Baron... he cut off our access to the government. Then, he came for our businesses. I suspect one of those councillors passed information about our assets to him before they died. That’s how he knew which enterprises to strike."

He paused, then looked around. "Regardless of how he found out, none of you are to fall into this trap. We may have suffered losses, but our long term survival depends on not giving in to these provocations."

Mikhail was convinced Estefan wanted someone from the Zorthar family to lash out or perhaps to attack a patrolling Guard, or worse, strike at the palace itself. That kind of move would provide the perfect excuse for the Duke to reignite the crackdown.

"I had once assumed the Duke had abandoned his son. After the truce was broken and the Angeras Knights left the city, it seemed like Estefan was being set up to fail." He said with clarity. "But now, I wonder if the Duke is more cunning than we believed since he is using his son both as bait and blade against us." He paused, eyes narrowing.

"Maybe I underestimated him... or perhaps I didn’t. Either way, it doesn’t matter." He answered his own musings. "All that matters is that we maintain our operations. Ignore the theatrics. Don’t strike back unless they strike first and only strike if we have the chance to do so without suffering too much damage in the process."

Disappointment quietly swept through the room. No one wanted to sit on their hands while they bled revenue and power. But they didn’t argue. Mikhail had led them through worse. His strategies, however frustrating, were always effective.

"The Baron has some kind of protection," Mikhail added, glancing toward one of the executives seated on the couch. "Celine."

All heads turned toward her. Mikhail gestured casually in her direction. "She sent in a report. Her two guards were killed within the palace walls by something invisible. There’s reason to believe the Baron has access to a force we cannot see. Something deadly... Something silent..."

He continued, voice low and calculating. "The Duke has likely created a hidden force, trained to be undetectable even while attacking. That kind of power... it’s dangerous. They could be in this very room right now, and we would never know. The Duke gave his heir a weapon far greater than any aura user."

What the Zorthar family didn’t realize was that Estefan wasn’t truly an "heir" at all. The Duke despised his oldest son, intending to bury him in Rammstein.

Ironically, the very people Estefan was sent to fail had come to view him as their savior as believing the Duke entrusted him with their salvation.

"Tough times are ahead," Mikhail warned, his tone dropping further. "Harder than anything we faced when the Angeras Knights stormed our territory. But no matter who stands against us... we endure... we always endure."

[To be Continued]