Chapter 32. Unity in Marriage
The situation is taking a strange turn.
Parriel Agtas, feeling anxious, shouted, “Lord Clind, do not be swayed by Sirius’s words!”
Staring at the silent Clind Albraim, Parriel raised his voice.
“Sirius is a figure surrounded by all kinds of bad rumors! You must not fall for his manipulations!”
“Hmph.”
A hollow laugh escaped Sirius’s lips.
With no counterargument, transitioning to childish personal attacks, laughter was the only response.
“Lord Clind, have you not heard how violent and cruel Sirius is? There are even rumors of his involvement with the ‘Alliance’ ruling over the Black Guilds!”
Suddenly, Sirius began mentioning rumors intentionally spread by him.
“Parriel, it may not be necessary to bring up that topic.”
But Clind lowered his head with a bitter expression.
“Sirius is a member of the prestigious Regal family. Accusing such a person of being involved with the Alliance… isn’t it too offensive?”
“No, among the Black Guilds, there have been discussions…”
“Does the Agtas family believe the words of the Black Guild members?”
“…”
“Without evidence, one should not falsely accuse others. It tarnishes their honor…”
Parriel bit his lip.
When honor was brought up, he had nothing to say.
“Sirius, the same could be said for you.”
“…”
“Without decisive evidence that the Agtas family is scheming in such a way… it’s hard to believe your side of the story.”
After saying this, Clind looked back and forth between Sirius and Parriel.
“Therefore, regarding this matter… the Albraim family will withhold judgment.”
“L-Lord Clind!”
“At the moment, it’s difficult to take sides in this situation.”
Despite Parriel’s objections, Clind calmly spoke.
“The Albraim family will maintain neutrality.”
“…!”
Maintain neutrality.
It meant that regardless of how the Regal and Agtas families fought, the Albraim family would not intervene.
“Lord Clind… I never expected you to act like this.”
From Parriel’s perspective, it was a disappointing outcome.
But it was not the worst-case scenario.
While they failed to secure the cooperation of the Albraim family, at least the Albraim family would not obstruct the Agtas family.
“Since you’ve stated you’ll maintain neutrality, please refrain from interfering no matter how the Agtas family acts.”
“Do not worry. We will simply observe with closed lips.”
“Understood.”
Parriel nodded his head.
“If that’s your conclusion, then I shall take my leave. I must quickly convey Lord Klynd’s intentions to the master of the house…”
“Please ensure there are no misunderstandings in your message.”
“Yes, I will do so.”
After giving Sirius a final glance, Parriel stepped out of the garden.
The tension that had been building up dissipated, and Bellid, who had been holding his breath all this time, urgently spoke up.
“Father, if it comes to this…”
“Thanks to you bringing Sirius, things have been resolved smoothly, Bellid.”
“Really? Is that so?”
Leaving Bellid with wide eyes, Klynd looked at Sirius.
“Did you come at this timing knowing everything?”
“That’s not the case.”
Sirius shook his head.
“I simply wished to personally confirm the position of the Albraim family.”
“I see.”
Nodding slowly, Klynd smiled.
“Sirius, as you can see from this fortress… the Albraim family fundamentally pursues fortification.”
“…”
The nature of the Albraim family is surrounded by high walls.
In this region, there has never been a fight that required such walls in hundreds of years.
Even recently, Bellid had been ordered to expand the outer fortresses.
“Protecting the territories passed down through generations, that is my duty as the one who inherits the Albraim family. Whether dominating the entire east or expanding to the center… I have never harbored such ambitions.”
“…”
“The conflict between the Regel and Agtas families? Have at it. As long as you don’t harm the Albraim family, I will not concern myself in the least.”
With this mindset, Klynd had intended to reject the Agtas family’s request for cooperation from the start.
That’s why Sirius’s visit was welcomed.
By pretending to remain neutral on both sides, he could reject the Agtas family’s request.
“That is the stance of our Albraim, Sirius.”
“I understand.”
Sirius nodded.
“In that case, you will not raise objections regarding the system being developed by our Regel family.”
“That’s correct. I am well aware.”
Currently, Sirius and Yustia are establishing a new order in the northeast.
If the dominant Albraim family in the northeast does not raise any objections, it is as good as the Regel family leading the new system.
Even if Sirius were to subdue the Agtas family and become the ruler of the entire east… the Albraim family would not object.
What is important to Klynd is to protect the Albraim family passed down by his ancestors.
“Sirius, I have one question.”
“Yes, Lord Klynd.”
“Earlier, you mentioned becoming the lord of the east… was that statement sincere?”
It was a confirmation of the conversation they had in front of Parriel earlier.
“Of course.”
Sirius nodded his head and spoke.
“But that’s just a turning point.”
“Turning point?”
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“I have no intention of ending it there.”
“….”
Cheonlangmuje Baekmulang died while pledging to create a new martial arts world if he were to be reborn.
Sirius is here now to achieve that goal.
He was not satisfied with just becoming the leader of the East.
“Does that mean… it’s not just about restoring past glory, but about reaching the peak of the Five Great Houses of the continent?”
“That’s not important.”
Sirius said in a calm voice.
“I aim to encompass not only the Five Great Houses of the continent but all forces… to maintain order in the world.”
“….”
“That is my goal.”
Klindt remained silent for a while.
He stared at Sirius intently, lost in thought.
“Rutvane Rigel has a good son-in-law. I envy him.”
After a while, Klindt sighed and muttered.
“What kind of person will my child marry… tsk tsk.”
“Oh, Father?”
Watching, Beryd looked puzzled.
“Beryd, I command you.”
“Yes?”
“You will continue to stay at the fortress, keep in frequent contact with Sirius’s side, and assist them if they request it.”
“….!”
Beryd looked surprised and glanced at his father.
“Father, didn’t you just say we would maintain neutrality?”
“I mean we won’t interfere in the conflict between the Rigel and Agtas families. It doesn’t apply there.”
This is sophistry.
Any help given to the Rigel family will have an impact in some way.
But Klindt was shameless to the point of being nonchalant.
“Beryd, in my view, Sirius is a very dangerous person.”
With Sirius right in front of him, Klindt spoke in a calm voice.
“If Sirius were to dominate the entire East, and if he deems our family an obstacle, he will not hesitate to eradicate us.”
“….!”
“But if he sees us as helpful, he will respect and favor us. He might even protect us.”
How should one act to protect the Albrime family?
Klindt was only thinking about that point.
“From our conversation today, it seems that the direct confrontation between the Rigel and Agtas families is not far off. The victorious side will become the leader of the East region.”
“….!”
“I’m looking forward to the Rigel family.”
After finishing his story, Clindd glanced sharply at Sirius.
Superficially, he might remain neutral, but the Albraim family will stand with the Rigel family.
That’s what Clindd’s gaze was saying.
“S-So…?”
At that moment, Belid nodded.
“It seems… the turmoil is beginning.”
“…”
“Understood. I will do my best to navigate through this turmoil.”
Belid started to get excited by himself.
Watching him, Clindd sighed.
“Sirius, as you can see, is quite lacking as a son.”
“It seems so.”
“If left alone, he might wander into trouble and get himself killed. I hope you pay attention to prevent such things from happening.”
“…”
“I hope you pay attention.”
Feeling pressured by Clindd’s repeated words, Sirius let out a sigh.
* * *
Sirius left the Albraim family.
Although Belid tried to see him off, Sirius declined.
“If Belid follows me at this point, the Agtas family will grow suspicious.”
Sirius immediately used teleportation.
With his current skill, it would take less than a day to reach Heaven’s Land.
Despite returning swiftly, Sirius sensed that something was amiss as soon as he arrived.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, Sirius!”
Key figures were gathered in the conference room.
Alreion of the Heaven’s Blade, Palteon of the Yuterus family, and even Yustia.
“We’ve received an invitation.”
“An invitation?”
Yustia handed Sirius a letter.
“It’s an invitation from the Entrovil 6 Council. They want to meet the representative of Heaven’s Land.”
“Entrovil…”
Entrovil was a key transportation hub located south of here.
With a river running through it, maritime transportation was active.
The Entrovil 6 Council consisted of leaders of six organizations that held power in the area.
“Alreion, do you know what kind of people the Entrovil 6 Council are?”
“They engage in various businesses… but ultimately, they’re just ordinary black guilds.”
Alreion, who had been organizing the surrounding black guilds with Sirius, spoke up.
“They can be likened to the Valkain Guild. They tightly control the commerce in Entrovil and make a substantial amount of money.”
“Yes, that’s how it was.”
The reason the likes of them were left alone was because Entrovil lay at the southern tip of the northeast region.
After completely taking over other regions, the plan was to subdue Entrovil last.
“The Entrovil Council of Six invited Cheonlangpyo Kingdom first…”
“To be precise, they invited me.”
Yustia said with a calm expression.
“The representative of Cheonlangpyo Kingdom personally requested my presence.”
“…Cheonlangpyo Kingdom’s ruler… the overall leader is Yustia.”
The letter stated a desire to meet Yustia in person to discuss future matters.
“If Cheonlangpyo Kingdom and the Entrovil Council of Six join forces to promote the development of the northeast, wouldn’t that be good… The intention sounds good.”
“The letter is well-written, but the true intentions may be different.”
Pallteon spoke in front of Sirius, reading the letter.
“If Yustia goes to Entrovil, do you think they’ll just stand by? If it were me, I’d kidnap Yustia and use her as leverage.”
“Yes, that’s a likely scenario.”
Sirius said, scanning the letter again.
“If we kidnap Yustia and hand her over to the Agtas family, we could get a good price for her.”
Of course, the Agtas family would deny any knowledge of Yustia’s kidnapping.
If a prestigious family like the Agtas were to do such a thing, they would face public outrage.
But by leveraging the Entrovil Council of Six, there would be no issue.
This incident stemmed from the conflict between Cheonlangpyo Kingdom and the Entrovil Council of Six, with the Agtas family not involved.
Externally, by pretending not to be concerned, they could threaten the Regal family behind the scenes… and have an advantage in their fight with the Regal family.
“Sirius, it might be best to just ignore them.”
Pallteon cautiously spoke up.
“They probably don’t expect Yustia to come willingly. They’ll send the invitation, gauge our response, and plan their next move accordingly.”
“That’s true.”
“It might be best not to respond at all. We might get entangled unnecessarily if we reply.”
Saying so, Pallteon looked at Yustia.
“What do you think, Yustia?”
“I think ignoring them might be better than responding.”
Yustia nodded her head.
“Sirius, shall we go with that?”
“Hmm…”
Sirius looked over the letter once more.
“They did extend an invitation, so ignoring it might be considered rude.”
“Pardon?”
“The Entrovil Council of Six are ultimately businessmen. With Cheonlangpyo Kingdom entering the scene, the market situation must have changed a lot there too.”
Setting the letter down, Sirius spoke in a calm voice.
“I’ll go as a representative and have a conversation with them.”
“…!”
Sirius will go as a delegate.
If that happens, it won’t end with just a casual conversation… Everyone here knew that.
“I am currently not holding any position in the Celestial Empire. But a couple acts as one… Even if I stand in for Yustia, it’s not a problem. If they don’t accept it, we can push it through.”
Sirius justified his approach like that… But he cleared his throat upon seeing his subordinates giggling.
“Forget the part about ‘acting as one’ from what I just said.”
“Yes, understood.”
“I didn’t hear anything.”
“…”
Yustia gave Sirius a look as if asking, ‘Why are you adding unnecessary words.’
Avoiding that gaze, Sirius spoke again.
“Anyway, draft a reply and send it.”
The plan was set.
Now, they just needed to gather the Entrovil Six Council.
“We will send someone representing the Celestial Empire, so all six of you should gather.”
That day, indeed, would be the day the Entrovil Six Council disbanded.