Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter 97

Ninety-Seventh Chapter: Scion of Darkness

In the past, the two matchless families—Fable and Womruina—had regularly interacted. Tesfia was only nine years old back then.

At the time, Frose had retired from the military and prioritized building connections within noble society. While she was respected, Frose’s achievements in the military hadn’t given her much influence in social circles. As a result, her connection to other families had been diluted, so it was necessary to build a solid connection to the Womruina family in order to solidify Fable’s foundation.

And so, as she was her daughter, Frose would bring Tesfia with her on visits.

At the time, meetings between the three great noble families happened on a regular basis, but with Vizaist being absent so often, a representative would attend in his place.

The Socalent family aside, it was an important place for the other two heads of their families to meet. That was also why Tesfia, as the next head of the family, along with the Womruina family’s eldest son, Lloyd, and second son, Aile came along.

As the second son, Aile was only a spare in case something happened to Lloyd. But even from a young age, Aile was always preparing in hopes of that opportunity. He was practically convinced that he would one day stand at the top of the Womruina family—and all of the noble world.

While he was no exceptional genius, he had different kinds of talents: transcendent powers of observation and a grasp of the inner workings of a mind. Aile excelled at eloquently manipulating people and securing an advantage for himself. He put veteran politicians to shame.

It was a simple feat for him to see through his opponent’s true feelings and aspirations. But Aile’s interest wasn’t magic but what made people tick.

He started his “study” by talking with several of the maids as an experiment.

He called new hires into his room and made casual conversation with them. The maids had been nervous at first and prostrated themselves before him, but once he got the hang of it, he could easily get them to open their hearts.

He pulled out their secret desires and accepted their discontent and complaints with a bright smile. With his young looks, the maids would just forget to show proper respect, and he would let it go with a smile.

First he looked to see what they wanted to hear. He skillfully closed the distance between himself and them. And the maids would become quite talkative. He would satisfy their desires and aspirations, console their sense of inferiority, and blur the lines between them. That made them forget their position and he could skillfully get close to them.

So he disposed of those who were carelessly blinded by money. A simple mind and allegiance that was only skin deep were fool’s businesses that only made Aile lose interest. He quickly divided the people at the mansion into those to swiftly throw away and those that could be used as a throwaway piece.

After a few months, the maids fully enjoyed their conversations with Aile, with how busy work was at the mansion, and with the time spent with him was when they could relax even more than break time.

And the servants’ room was full with talks about Aile. How he was adorable, clever, and very considerate of them. And after talking about him, they always ended up comparing him to his older brother.

Ever since he was young, there had been no love between Aile and his foolish brother. In fact, despite living in the same mansion, they had few chances to meet. Care was put in so that the brothers weren’t left alone together before they had grown up.

It was already informally decided that Lloyd would be the next head of the family, and because of that, he was always arrogant and tyrannical. Being the eldest, he misused his authority and was accompanied by the strong glow of influence, which really intrigued Aile.

His brother’s future seat surely had a great view.

It was at a height where inferior humans could be used as pawns. But at the same time, Aile was able to closely observe how terrifying it was when an incompetent fool wielded authority.

Some power could be used freely and mercilessly because the person saw nothing. Aile first realized that when his brother complained to his father about a rude noble.

As a result, his father had swiftly condemned the noble.

His father made up some random crime and used his private force and connections in the military to crush his entire family. It was as easy as breathing and settled with a single flick of his finger.

And everything worked out just like Lloyd wanted.

While it was called the three great noble families, none had as much power as Womruina. They had the authority, money, and power that not even the military could ignore. Trampling over another family left a strong impression on Aile.

At the same time, so did the dangerous balance the world was in as the helpless fools wielded overwhelming power.

He carved all of that into his heart.

After that, some time passed.

Aile and his brother took seats in a ballroom facing each other. Their father sat in the middle in a particularly luxurious chair. On the other side were the maids who served the mansion, perfectly lined up.

It was time to screen the maids. Or rather, several of the many maids would be promoted to personal attendants for Lloyd and Aile.

Those gathered here didn’t do odd jobs in the mansion. These maids took care of everyday necessities. In other words, they were all well trained.

According to Aile’s preliminary investigation, his brother only wanted a single woman as his attendant. And Aile was simply waiting for the result. The young head maid in the center of the hall spoke up at his father’s signal.

“Let us begin choosing the personal attendants for the young masters. In addition, Master Lloyd, Master Aile, your qualifications as the head of the family may be questioned, so keep that in mind.”

Aile smiled in a way that nobody would notice. How kind of them to call for him when he was second in line.

This ceremony was like a test to confirm the caliber of the head of the family. Normally, Aile would be nothing more than another element to put pressure on Lloyd, as the next head of the family was practically decided by a single advantage: being born first.

His brother was no doubt confident that his position was rock solid. And so was his father. Birth order had decided it all. Thus, all Aile had to do was overturn their shallow thinking.

After clearing her throat, the head maid spoke in a dignified manner. “Very well. Everyone, please go towards the one you would like to serve.”

At the head maid’s words, the maids bowed and began moving towards the Womruina sons.

“Wha—!!!”

The astonished utterance came from the older brother. Nobody had come to stand before him. Even the maid he really wanted had gone to Aile’s side.

Indeed, all fifty or so maids were lined up before Aile. Even his father couldn’t hide his surprise.

Having the servants choose rather than the master was something that the young head maid had proposed to Aile’s father.

Knowing that his father highly valued the head maid for her smarts and loyalty, Aile had flattered her, won her over, and opened up to her about worries he’d made up to get a firm hold of her mind.

Ignoring the astonished Lloyd, the head maid spoke to Aile with a reverent tone.

“Very well, Master Aile...please choose your attendant from among them.”

“I know,” Aile calmly replied and looked over the maids with a smile. “Then I request that everyone here becomes my personal attendant.”

His brother was shocked speechless.

“B-But, Master Aile, then there will be some without anything to do...”

That had been unexpected, but Aile brushed off the shocked head maid’s words. “If anything, these aren’t enough.”

Aile turned to his father and spoke in a merry tone.

“Oh, my great and wise father, Moroteon von Womruina—now that it has become clear who has the talent to become the next head of the family, I ask for your permission. Do you not agree that making full use of these numbers is the caliber necessary for the true head of the family? Even should I have double the number present, as long as they wish to serve me, not a single one will have time on their hands.”

In fact, they would surely work themselves to the bone for Aile’s sake. He had already become an irreplaceable presence in their lives and the hope of this family that they could cling to.

In the next stage, he hoped to implant them with such a strong sense of loyalty that it would surpass their moral compass. After that, he would have them overcome physical pain and ultimately be prepared to risk their lives. If he could accomplish that, he would be satisfied with the results of his experiment.

“How about it, father?”

“Hmm...”

His father was evasive and gave him a sour look, prompting Aile to glance at his quiet brother.

“I understand that this is irregular,” Aile said. “But when it has become this clear, it would be disrespectful to give the position to my brother. Reconsidering is fine, but I do not believe anything will change at this point.”

With his pale older brother in the corner of his eye, Aile purposefully put on an air of importance and looked over the lined up maids.

His weapon of choice was numbers. They might have been mere maids, but their group decision would serve as visible pressure. It would make his father, who was at the height of his power, but clearly aging, lose his ability to judge certain factors such as tradition, prestige, and appropriateness. It would shake up his existing entrenched way of thinking.

His father groaned, but Aile attacked again.

“Father, I can bring Womruina to even further greatness.”

While his words could be taken as insolence, Moroteon’s expression was sober.

He asked, “In what way?”

“First, I will reduce the power of Fable and Socalent. The great noble families won’t be equals; instead, Womruina will always be at the top. We will start with the Fable family. If I recall, they have a daughter around my age.”

“You plan to take her in,” his father exclaimed.

“Yes, our family’s influence will further expand, and we will only have to contain Socalent. Of course, I do not intend to end their family. With two children, they should be able to survive. And if two of the three great noble families have such a strong connection, even the ruler won’t be able to make a move so easily.”

Moroteon closed his mouth. He wasn’t pondering; he was astonished. While Aile was his son, he was still young. Yet the young man shared the ideas his father had secretly been plotting. While that was reassuring, he also felt a tinge of fear well up in his heart.

However, that didn’t matter to Aile. He intended to continue playing house with his family, but his father would inevitably get old. His time left on the board was limited.

“Very well, do as you please,” Moroteon said and got up, leaving the hall behind.

Aile’s older brother, Lloyd, chased after their father, pleading pathetically. Aile remained and took a thick file from the head maid, who had sworn her loyalty to him.

He flipped through it in satisfaction. It contained information on the daughter of Fable, Tesfia, and the family. It would be his first time “conquering” a girl his age, but he already had an image of what steps to take.

After that, Aile found an opportunity to make some time for just him and Tesfia. Once their relationship had been established, he made sure to put his hand on her forehead whenever they met and parted ways so that she would only be able to see him from the neck down.

That was a form of magical suggestion he’d learned from a questionable old book, but its effect was immediate. After that, all he needed to do was take time to work over her psyche.

He sowed the seeds to dominate her mind. With that, Tesfia was unable to resist Aile. Everything went according to plan, but with little in the way of tension and sense of accomplishment, Aile was bored.

Within half a year of meeting, Tesfia was practically at his beck and call, and with some sounding out from Womruina, she signed and stamped the engagement papers. And so they became betrothed without any room for doubt.

However, three months after that light had left Tesfia’s eyes, they took on a new shine.

Aile had no doubt she’d met someone who’d influenced her. He had no idea that the person she’d met was her best friend, Alice.

He didn’t think anyone had noticed anything unusual about her, but even Frose, who’d been supportive of the engagement, now actively supported her daughter. With life back in her eyes, Tesfia asked Aile to annul the engagement.

That surprised even Aile. He thought he’d turned her into a puppet, but he understood that her mental growth could threaten to cut the strings dominating her.

Hmm, I suppose I should back off for now. But the needles of domination deep in her psyche won’t disappear. They will simply be resting inside of you, Fia... he thought.

Aile pretended to give up and released Tesfia from the engagement.

But that pleased Aile too. There was nothing fun in everything going too well. If her will broke as easily as his brother’s had a few months ago, the reward wouldn’t be worth the effort.

Besides, Aile had already carved several conditions into Tesfia’s subconscious. There would likely be some change as she grew up, but the psychological grip had taken root in her and could be recalled at any time to become a trigger for domination.

That was enough for now. The game would begin several years later...when she would no doubt become useful once Aile was close to becoming the head of the family.

Aile didn’t understand human feelings, but he did have something he valued in others: power.

It was hard for him to gain the favor of those with power. Just speaking to them wouldn’t be enough to get them on his side. Sympathy was often most efficient.

First, Aile chose to keep the combat maid Cicila at his side. She was already something of a bodyguard, and appearance-wise she looked like a butler, which was her way of showing that gender had nothing to do with anything.

She came from the Cikolen family, which had served the Womruina family for generations as a military family. Since Cicila was pure, Aile was easily able to win her over by acting like a virtuous person. Before long, she acknowledged Aile as a lord worth protecting with her own life.

As expected, Cicila was the most devoted in her guard over anyone else. She was normally taciturn, but when she was around Aile, it was like she transformed into a different person, becoming very talkative. That was another reason why she was Aile’s favorite.

Four years later, Aile had even more attendants.

One was someone hired from outside of the family, who had a completely different role from Cicila.

Aile needed someone who truly understood him, someone who walked the same path as he walked the inhuman and immoral path of madness. And that turned out to be the magical criminal who hunted Magicmasters and made waves across the world at the time—The Hunter.

Aile used his family’s private forces to cast a net around him in order to make contact with him. He ignored Cicila’s desperate pleas to stop, and when they faced each other, all alone, he exposed himself for the first time.

“If you are bored, I will give you stimulation,” he said, then explained his plan to take over the nation.

The Womruina family was former royalty, and Aile had already given up on his father, who seemed content to be the ruler’s dog.

Even so, it was insane for the son of a great noble to face a murderer without any protection. It was unclear if he surrendered to Aile because he saw the same insanity in his eyes as in his own or if it was just on a whim.

Either way, his answer was instant.

He was pursued by the military, and now that he was surrounded by Aile’s private army, he probably felt it was time to move on. He didn’t hunt Magicmasters to prove his strength. Nor was it for money. He simply wanted to live on the edge of death, and he told Aile as much.

And he mentioned he still hadn’t experienced the ultimate battle.

Aile had all information on The Hunter erased and employed him as his new servant, giving him the name of Orneus.

Aile was sure that Orneus alone could sympathize with his ideology.

With that, Aile finally made plans to take back what had been taken from him. Alpha had to be ruled by Womruina. They should hold the highest seat in the nation.

Right now, the ruler was a member of the Arlzeit family. They were both of the same blood, but now there was such a difference between them... One was the absolute ruler of an entire nation while the other was a dog in a luxurious collar.

And the Arlzeit family had a daughter by the name Cicelnia, who was a peerless beauty. There was always the option of marrying her. However, Aile hated her more than he hated anyone. She’d completely seen through him when they met for the first time.

During their first pleasantries, she’d coldly laughed while looking like a beautiful goddess and told him that the ruler’s seat wouldn’t fill the void in his heart.

And no matter how he tried to smooth things over, she saw through everything.

It was all because of the difference in power. Because of the difference in position. He wanted to believe it was because Cicelnia was part of the family that ruled the nation. However...

Cicelnia was the only woman whose thoughts he couldn’t get a read on. That astonished him, but it also made him feel an intense displeasure.

So when Cicelnia had become the ruler, Aile rejoiced. Now he could finally drag down the woman who always looked down on him. She was an opponent worth making his life’s objective.

Like she said, being a ruler might not have a permanent value, but he still wanted to beat her.

If Aile had any talent as a Magicmaster, he could have joined the military. It would have been fine if he found joy in pushing towards world peace too. But Aile had no desire for any of that. So in the end, Aile belonged in noble society, where conspiracies swirled.

The reason didn’t matter. As long as he had one thing to do, he could bid farewell to his days of boredom. And punishing the woman who had wrongly believed that there was an absolute difference in intelligence was one such thing. There was a mountain of problems to overcome before he could reach her, but that was just the perfect reward for him.

Winning over the Fable family would also require winning over Frose Fable.

Cicelnia was too strong to be taken down by deceptive plans. He had instigated the real leader of Aferka, Rayleigh, to attack the ruler, but it had failed. However, it had been a declaration of war. Eventually he would be forcing her off the public stage at any cost.

Until that time, he needed to make Womruina bigger and stronger. His planned engagement to Tesfia and domination of Fable was just a stepping stone. If could get his hands of Alus Reigin, or at least eliminate him, he would be able to climb to further heights—like taking control of the military.

If I could have him at my side that would be best. But all I really have to do is to get the military’s collar off him and that will be enough. After all, Cicelnia is practically holding his reins right now.

As long as the person he wanted to dominate had a human mind, Aile had absolute confidence. On top of all sorts of techniques, he also had gotten his hands on psychic drugs from the black market that were far more powerful than anything commercially available.

Aile finished his preparations, and despite knowing it wouldn’t lead to heaven, he walked along the edge of madness.

A wild party only had meaning if one danced until the end.

◇◇◇

Inside a mansion steeped in history, tradition, and luxury, Aile von Womruina stood at the window of his room.

“What is the matter, Master Aile?”

When a clear voice called out to him from behind, he turned around.

“Cicila, huh. I was just reminiscing about the past.”

“Is that so? You appeared to look a little displeased, though.”

“I’m bored, waiting for the Tenbram to begin... Or maybe I should say that it’s not fun.”

All of that was his older brother’s fault.

“I thought that it was all but certain that his heart had broken and that he would give up on becoming the next head of the family...but this is unexpected. His incompetence is almost admirable.”

Despite being Aile’s closest attendant, Cicila hadn’t seen Aile so irritated in years.

While Aile somewhat violently sat down, Cicila put cooled tea down on the table next to him. Her emotions didn’t show; she simply answered as his usual conversational partner.

“I am sorry. I was convinced that Master Lloyd would be unable to do anything after we deprived him of his power. I never expected that he would turn to such savagery. My Cikolen family has decided to decline the position of being Master Lloyd’s bodyguard.”

“Yes. He must have been bored of his retirement and drunk, but what a stupid thing to do,” said Aile.

The Cikolen family had sent a female bodyguard, and Lloyd had put her under house arrest and done things to her that couldn’t even be put into words. Fortunately, the worst had been avoided since the bodyguard hadn’t gotten pregnant.

As Cicila took a sip of the newly poured tea, she felt her nerves calm from its sweetness.

“I should have just killed him,” said Aile. “Write a letter of apology to the Cikolen family from me.”

However, Aile’s father, who still clung to his position, would have to punish him, and if he gave Lloyd too light of a punishment, nobody would blame Aile if he were to secretly dispose of him.

Those were Aile’s thoughts as he looked at the splendid view out the window.

“There are some things even you cannot anticipate, Master Aile,” said Cicila.

“You can say that again. He might have been brainless scum, but it seemed he still had pent-up frustration. It seems like leading senator Fouriva Surah has his eyes on not just my father trying to put out the fire but even my grandfather,” said Aile with a sigh. “That is to be expected of Cicelnia. She is quick to act. And when dealing with the ruler you can’t even use money from selling drugs on the black market to shut her up.”

That was one of Womruina’s secrets to securing funds. The illegal mana stimulant Chemical Boost had been selling very well recently.

“That aside, that Ambrosia there’ve been rumors about... Is that using our ingredients? It has a couple of components that Chemical Boost uses.”

“It appears so,” answered Cicila. “We launched an urgent investigation and shut down several farms but it was too late.”

“Cicelnia’s people have sharp noses when it comes to these kind of things. She ordered Senator Fouriva to keep my grandfather in check. He is a career politician with decades of experience. He won’t be dismissed anytime soon, so the surveillance on my grandfather won’t be removed for the time being.”

At the same time the illegal drug Ambrosia began to spread, the escaped prisoners had appeared within the nation. It was clear that someone had guided them, and all signs pointed to a secondary residence that Lloyd owned.

Traces of the escaped prisoners staying there had been discovered. A has-been noble who’d likely served as a mediator had disappeared, most likely disposed of by the vicious escaped prisoners, and since Lloyd’s butler was involved in that, suspicion was cast on all of Womruina.

Moreover, it seemed like the transformation the escaped prisoners had gone through at the Institute had been related to Ambrosia. And with that, Ambrosia, the escaped prisoners, and Womruina had become connected.

“To think he would lend a Womruina mansion to criminals. Even a child could understand that was a stupid idea. Just how much of a fool can he be?” asked Aile.

“Yes, it would seem that Master Lloyd is habitually using drugs,” said Cicila.

Aile no longer even felt like sighing.

“At least the Tenbram will still be held as arranged,” Aile muttered.

But how exactly would he turn things around in the current situation?

Cicila was sure that the scion was hatching a secret plan behind his calm exterior. But never once since becoming his bodyguard had she been able to understand what the boy was truly thinking.

“Yes...but I wasn’t really sure if I should have shared this with you, Master Aile,” Cicila said, revealing her hesitation with downcast eyes. “I was thinking that perhaps it was Master Aile who was moving the escaped prisoners, not Master Lloyd.”

“That’s my bodyguard! You have a discerning eye.”

Aile narrowed his eyes. Indeed, at first he had made contact with the escaped prisoners, using a mediator.

“Then you could have just shared it with me,” Cicila said.

Aile smiled slightly in response.

“I didn’t move them directly. I used a certain organization to talk with them a little. I was hoping to make use of one of them, but they were really shady.”

A member of Kurama had told Aile about the escaped prisoners, but they never showed their face or identity. Aile likely hadn’t given them a good impression, and surely, they had brought the matter to Lloyd instead through his butler.

Having lost his position as the next head of the family, which included with it his authority, might, and connections, he had jumped at the offer without hesitation. And the result was the current mess...

“Here I discarded them because I thought they would bite the hand of their owner, but looking at the results it was like they took a parting shot at me,” said Aile.

“It was probably a convenient way to get their hands on the drugs. But they were dangerous beasts that had broken free from their cages. I repeatedly told you not to carelessly contact them, so when did you come in contact...” Cicila said.

A little while back, Cicila had been told to take care of some tasks and had been out of the mansion for an entire day.

“Don’t worry, I had Orneus protecting me.”

Cicila furrowed her brows as if to object.

“Orneus again... Why do you make so much of him?”

“Well, with him around, the talks proceed smoothly. Still, you really are fussy about cleanliness. Use him like a dust cloth; once he’s dirty, throw him away.”

“No, not only is he shady, he is also a ruffian with no manners at all,” said Cicila.

“It would be the same even if he was courteous. It’s true that he might try to pull me down with him when I throw him away. Still, the world is big. It’s amazing someone like him was in Alpha.”

“I am sure that you won’t be fooled, but please be careful around those kinds of people, Master Aile. I simply couldn’t stand Mekfis when we first met him.”

Cicila screwed up her face as she spoke.

It wasn’t like Aile couldn’t understand what she meant. While it had been a different person this time, Mekfis, who’d appeared as a mediator in the past, had been a bizarre character. He’d had a unique vibe, which had sent a chill down even Aile’s spine.

Evil probably never disappeared because of people like him. With Aile’s power of observation, he could tell that Mekfis was a monster. His actions surpassed that of humanity, and of good and evil. It was like he’d been raised outside of this world.

He hadn’t ignored Cicila’s words. Because he was cautious, the people from Kurama hadn’t gotten deeply involved.

“We’ll put Kurama off for later, but right now we can’t ignore my idiotic elder brother any further. Especially if my father intends to give that scum more leniency.”

The strong will behind his cold tone sent a shiver down her neck.

Lloyd hadn’t been completely disinherited because of the head of the family’s naiveté. Their father had been trying to keep him away from Aile’s evil influence, but that discretion had worked against him.

“Master Moroteon is very kind towards Master Lloyd. But your grandfather, Master Josef, dotes on you more.”

“Well, it would be boring if Womruina split in two before everything began. I suppose I will be a good, filial son a little while longer. Society probably thinks that Womruina has been cornered, but I will calmly see this Tenbram through. Oh, how I look forward to it.”

Aile smiled innocently, but Cicila felt a tinge of anxiety. There was no way Aile wouldn’t make any schemes, but she hadn’t been told anything. Moreover, their opponent was the Fable family, and past them was Alus Reigin.

Aile ignored Cicila’s worried look.

“Now then, it’s about time we move. I want to get a grasp of the situation. There’s someone I have on my mind.”

“Huh? Master Lloyd is already being kept under surveillance...”

Aile wagged his finger to correct her.

“I’m talking about Morwald,” he spat out.

“His Excellency? What do you mean?” Cicila asked in confusion.

Morwald was an influential figure in the military, and he was close to the Womruina family. He’d also signed the engagement papers with Tesfia Fable.

“I got an interesting report just now. It appears he is intervening in my Tenbram.”

Aile took a letter on his desk and handed it over to Cicila.

“This is...a recommendation for a second referee. It is true that the referee from the Frusevan family has been getting closer to the Fable family.”

Cicila continued reading the letter, and when surprise washed over her, blurted out, “This is the person His Excellency is recommending?! To think it’s the Einhemmil Sect...”

“Morwald sure has fallen if he’s pleading to god. It’s true that he is the head of the old noble faction with quite a lot of military power, and he would be useful to pit against Berwick... Still, this is His Excellency’s proposal. I won’t bluntly refuse it.”

Morwald’s abilities were low, but he had a lot of pride, and he saw Berwick and Vizaist as political enemies that he would constantly compete against. Now that very person was doing something unexpected.

“It looks like the time to let go of His Excellency’s reins has come. If he wants to run rampant then that is his own problem, he might be close to my father, but it would be vexing if someone takes me as his owner.”

Moroteon and Morwald were in a give-and-take relationship, but Aile was different.

He is an incompetent fool with nothing but pride. My father might have use for him, but he will be useless during my period. But the two-referee idea is fair. Since it won’t hurt, I can let His Excellency have the credits one last time.

Aile pondered while Cicila quietly stared at him.

Then Aile began thinking happily. There was still time until the Tenbram began, so until then he could indulge in coming up with plans. Such was the decision of Womruina’s star.