Chapter 56. I need to take the center.
Thinking about it, it was natural.
When a family member gets married, it’s natural to wonder about their plans for children.
“Brother-in-law, what do you think?”
“Um….”
As Leticia pressed him, Sirius averted his gaze.
“Well, that’s… naturally….”
“Naturally, what naturally? If you two keep running around outside like this, having a baby wouldn’t be natural, it would be shocking.”
Leticia’s criticism was too sharp.
Sirius had nothing to say, so he kept his mouth shut.
To begin with, Sirius and Justitia had never even slept together.
On their wedding night, after the reborn Sirius ran out of the bedroom, they continued to sleep in separate rooms.
“It’s not just my brother-in-law. Justitia is also a celestial wanderer, running around here and there managing this and that.”
“Sister, it’s necessary for the development of the Rigel family and the eastern region.”
“But why are you doing it? Why is the youngest daughter of the Rigel family doing such a thing?”
“That’s….”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand me. It’s something that Father has permitted, and I have no intention of forcing you to stop. It’s just that I don’t like it.”
When Leticia cut her off like that, Justitia closed her mouth.
If she was just grumbling because she didn’t like it, no matter how logical Justitia’s arguments were, it would be useless.
“No matter how busy you are, you’re newlyweds. You need to stick together. What if you grow apart at this rate? What if one of you ends up giving the other the side eye?”
“…….”
“I heard my brother-in-law was an extreme lover, so I thought you two were very affectionate.”
Leticia chattered while waving her hand.
“But when I saw you in person, the atmosphere between you was so cold? You don’t even say a single loving word. I thought you were a fake couple.”
To her surprise… Leticia had seen through Sirius and Justitia’s relationship very accurately.
“Brother-in-law, what do you think? Anything to say?”
“Well… That’s just how we are as people.”
“You act all lovey-dovey in front of others, but deep down, you’re deeply in love?”
“…….”
If they were his subordinates, he would have snapped at them to stop the nonsense… But he couldn’t do that to his wife’s older sister.
“I guess you could say that.”
“Why are you answering like that? Can’t you give me a definite answer?”
“…….”
“Brother-in-law, do you love Justitia?”
This woman was a lot more astute than he thought.
As Sirius hesitated, Justitia finally spoke.
“I understand, Sister. You’re right about everything.”
“Justitia, I’m talking to your husband right no–”
“We’ll listen to your advice and work on it, so please go home and rest for today.”
As she spoke, Justitia grabbed Leticia’s arm and pulled her.
“Hey, I’m not done talking yet? As your senior in life, I have things I need to tell you…”
“Sister.”
Justitia spoke in a hushed voice.
“You’re interrupting.”
“Interrupting?”
“Can’t you tell that Sirius came to visit me so suddenly at night?”
“…….”
Leticia’s eyes widened.
“Oh, oh, oooh…!”
Then, she covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Sirius.
“Ooh, is that what this is about? I was so clueless.”
“…….”
“Okay, I get it. I shouldn’t interrupt something like that.”
Leticia rushed towards the door.
“Have a good time.”
“…….”
After whispering those words, Leticia closed the door and disappeared.
Alone in their room, Justitia let out a sigh.
“I’m sorry. That’s just how my sister is.”
“No, you have nothing to apologize for.”
Sirius replied in a tired voice.
If Leticia had brought up the issue of leadership in the Rigel family, Sirius would have fought back confidently, but… it was not easy to answer when she questioned him like this.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I couldn’t handle it properly.”
“It would be nice to have a prepared response in advance for when something like this happens.”
However, neither of them wanted to discuss this matter right now.
They were both exhausted from dealing with Leticia’s nagging.
“Eustia.”
So Sirius brought up what he had originally intended to talk about.
“I’m planning to create a治安維持部隊 security force that will include several families soon.”
“I heard from Kaien-nim.”
Eustia nodded.
“He said he was preparing a joint force to maintain order throughout the East.”
“Yes, once it’s created, the entire eastern region will be stabilized.”
Sirius had destroyed the major dark guilds in the East and even annihilated the eastern branch of the Alliance.
However, that did not mean that the East would be peaceful.
Those who had been waiting for a chance to grow their power in the absence of competitors would pop up one after another.
Sirius could not go around catching all of them.
That was why he was planning to establish the new Black Turtle Platoon this time.
“So… I need the Rigel family to take the lead.”
“…….”
“Neither the Agtas nor the Albraham family can be the center of the East.”
Excluding Sirius’s personal strength, the power of the Rigel family was still insignificant.
Of course, it was inferior to the Agtas family and even the Albraham family.
However, the Rigel family had the reputation of being one of the five great families on the continent.
They could use that name to represent the East.
“It would be nice to announce a statement in your father’s name.”
Eustia said in a calm voice.
“It would be even better if Kaien-nim of the Agtas family and Clind-nim of the Albraham family also put their names on the statement.”
“Yes, I’ll leave that part to you.”
If a ‘senate’ was established in the new Murim Alliance, these individuals would form the senate.
“So, once the East is stabilized… what do you plan to do from now on?”
“I plan to find out about the Alliance.”
“The Alliance……”
Eustia frowned.
“Sirius, the Alliance is an organization whose true nature no one knows. Even though you destroyed the eastern branch, I think it’s a force that we shouldn’t confront recklessly.”
“Since I’ve already destroyed the eastern branch, confronting them is inevitable.”
“…….”
“Anyway, they’ll be in reconnaissance mode for a while. They won’t send a 9th Circle高手 expert to catch me right now, so we can take our time and prepare.”
Bringing Verdian in was also part of that plan.
He still kept his mouth shut, but his attitude was changing little by little.
“He really is a handful.”
Eustia let out a sigh.
“So, what are you going to do? You said you destroyed the Eastern branch of the Alliance as well?”
“I’m thinking of checking out the Southern region.”
“The Southern region?”
The Southern region.
As the name suggests, it is the region located to the south of the continent.
It has vast plains and warm weather.
It is rich in resources and has a large population.
“I found out while interrogating Noyen Myu that the Alliance’s influence is strongest in the Southern region.”
“Ah…”
“So, I’m going to investigate by going there myself.”
Sirius said that and added,
“I also want to try contacting the Southern Union.”
“……!”
The Southern Union is an alliance of several noble houses in the South.
The Letiud family, into which Leticia married, is also a member.
Now that Sirius has stabilized the Eastern region… as the representative of the Eastern region, he is qualified to have a direct dialogue with the Southern Union.
“Sirius, surely you’re not thinking of asking the Strauss family for help?”
The Strauss family.
They are the most prestigious noble family in the South, acting as its head even within the Southern Union.
Like the Rigel family, they are also one of the Five Great Families of the continent.
Of course, unlike the Rigel family, the Strauss family has not fallen into decline at all.
“I hear that the head of the Strauss family is a 9th Circle. He might be able to help us fight against the Alliance.”
* * *
After discussing future plans late into the night, Sirius left Eustia’s room.
Just because he told Leticia that he would, it didn’t mean he had to spend the night with Eustia.
Eustia would have a lot on her mind too, so it would be better to let her rest alone in peace.
“……?”
As he tried to enter the room he had been using, Sirius sensed a presence.
Sirius hesitated for a moment before entering the room anyway.
“What did you do with Alleion?”
“I put him to sleep.”
Verdian was standing in the dark room.
Alleion must have been watching over him, yet he had managed to enter Sirius’ room freely on his own.
“I thought I took away all the drugs you had.”
“I can make sleeping potions even from the dust rolling around on the ground. It took a while since I didn’t have any equipment or magic, but…”
“I didn’t know you could do that.”
Sirius closed the door and sat down on a chair.
“Why didn’t you run away?”
“Where was I supposed to run to?”
Verdian chuckled.
“Even if I had returned to His Majesty the Poison King, I would have just been used as an experimental subject, wouldn’t I?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Furthermore, now that the Eastern Branch has been annihilated, if I had returned alone… I would have been treated as a traitor. After all, I was with you when you went to find Neuen Myu and when you attacked the Eastern Branch.”
“Do you think the Alliance has figured all that out by now?”
“Don’t underestimate the Alliance. They would have figured out that much already.”
The old Verdian would have tried to return to the Alliance even after learning that.
But Verdian didn’t do that. He just stayed here.
It was proof that there had been a change in his heart.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“I have to think about it. I have to figure out how to prove my innocence and how to get His Majesty the Poison King to forgive me.”
“So you want to go back to the Poison King after all.”
“You… don’t understand.”
As he said that, Verdian looked away.
Sirius saw his expression and thought of a possibility.
Could it be that to Verdian, the Poison King was… like a father or a mother?
Even if that was due to brainwashing, if he perceived the Poison King as a parent, it would be difficult for him to break away easily.
“Maybe if you stab him in the back when you finally come face to face with His Majesty the Poison King, he’ll forgive you.”
“Well, that would depend on the atmosphere at the time.”
“Hoo…”
A sigh escaped Verdian’s lips.
“Sirius-nim, the Alliance is not a close-knit organization.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“There are also factions that oppose His Majesty the Poison King. Those factions would capture me alive and use me as a means to attack His Majesty the Poison King.”
“Is the Brain Emperor’s faction like that?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Brain Emperor.
He must be on the same level as the Sword Emperor.
I heard that the Eastern Branch Director learned brain magic from the Brain Emperor.
“Yes. And not just the Brain Emperor, but also those who follow the Flame Emperor.”
“Flame Emperor…”
Another name was mentioned.
Just hearing the name, I could guess that he was a master of flame magic.
“Sword Emperor, Brain Emperor, Flame Emperor… Are these three the most powerful people in the Alliance?”
“Yes.”
“What about the Poison King? Are there any beings on the same level as the Poison King?”
“I don’t want to tell you that much.”
Verdian refused to give any more information.
Even so, it was a big收获 for Sirius.
We can confirm that the three strongest men, Geomje, Noeje, and Yeomje, are at the top of the alliance.
“If you get caught by their faction… I’ll end up being captured and dragged away with you.”
“That’s right.”
“I want to avoid that situation at all costs.”
“So you’re saying that you’ll cooperate with me in the future to avoid that?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Sirius grinned.
In fact, this was the situation Sirius had intended from the beginning.
If he continued to drag Berdian around while subjugating the Eastern Branch, Berdian would eventually find it difficult to return to the alliance.
Having anticipated this, Sirius waited for Berdian’s response with a relaxed mind.
“Don’t worry, Berdian.”
Sirius said, looking straight at Berdian.
“I won’t lose to them.”
“There’s no guarantee of that….”
“And I’m not the kind of person who would just stand by and watch my subordinates get captured right before my eyes.”
“……!”
“I don’t know about the Poison King, but at least I wouldn’t do that. So you don’t have to worry.”
Berdian’s eyes widened for a moment.
Then he cleared his throat and opened his mouth again.
“I never said I would become your subordinate.”
“Berdian, I’ll just ask you one thing.”
“Will you listen to me?”
Ignoring Berdian’s protest, Sirius spoke.
“The white ice flower I’ve been looking for is said to be a plant that grows in cold regions. By any chance… is there a medicinal herb among the plants of the hot regions that corresponds to the white ice flower?”
“……!”
This was another reason why Sirius was heading to the Southern Region.
It was because he wanted to enter the third stage of the Cheonrang Divine Technique, the Realm of the Thundering Spear, in earnest.
Considering that he would eventually face off against the 9-circle wizards of the alliance, he needed to quickly improve his Cheonrang Divine Technique.
However, in order to enter the Realm of the Thundering Spear, he needed an extremely yang internal energy.
The Cheonrang Divine Technique was a martial art that required both extremely yin and extremely yang internal energy.
Sirius was expecting to find an extremely yang elixir through Berdian.
“Sir Sirius, why on earth are you….”
Just as Berdian was about to ask Sirius what he really meant.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Velid came in.
“Sirius, you’re not sleeping yet? Rejoice! This body has finally achieved ten thousand repetitions of wooden sword training, so let’s move on to the next stage….”
Velid, who had been chattering excitedly, opened his eyes wide when he saw Sirius and Berdian together in the dark bedroom.
“Sirius, your wife is nearby, but why are you with this woman in the middle of the night… Even though I’m close to you, I can’t cover this up!”
“Velid.”
Sirius said in a voice devoid of emotion.
“Ten thousand more.”