Chapter 64: The First Ally from the South
The Retiuad family is a prestigious family with a long history.
They may not reach the level of the Five Great Families of the continent, who boast a thousand-year history, but they still have a history spanning six hundred years.
On this continent, a family with such a long history is worthy of respect in and of itself.
It is even better if they possess the strength to match that history.
In that sense, the Retiuad family could be called a prestigious family that possesses both history and strength.
They have a considerable number of troops at their disposal, and have produced many excellent magicians from generation to generation.
Although the patriarch, Andrew Retiuad, is currently bedridden, his children are all capable.
In particular, the eldest son, Andres, has reached the 8th Circle at the young age of thirty.
He may one day challenge the 9th Circle, and his future is bright.
With this, there’s no choice but to look higher.
Instead of settling for a middle-ranking family in the South, they would rise to become a prestigious family known throughout the continent.
The family they had their eyes on to achieve this was the Rigel family, one of the Five Great Families of the continent.
They would make Leticia, who had married David, the next head of the family and place the Rigel family under the protection of the Retijud family.
By volunteering to be the guardian of one of the continent’s Five Great Families, they would gradually increase their influence on the continent and eventually take the place of the Rigel family as one of the Five Great Families.
That was Andres Retijud’s plan.
However, a major disruption occurred in this plan.
Sirius Canisroot had appeared.
“Sirius…….”
Andres cleared his throat as he looked at Sirius, who had suddenly appeared in his office.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. We’re not exactly…….”
“What part is a misunderstanding?”
Sirius asked in an indifferent voice as he sat down on the sofa.
“Please tell me what I’m misunderstanding.”
“…….”
Andres bit his lip.
The more he tried to explain, the worse it would get.
It was best to just pretend it never happened and change the subject.
“Sirius, we’re just…….”
“David.”
Andres cut off his younger brother David’s words.
“Don’t dawdle here. Go and tend to the people from the Rigel family. Let your wife rest too.”
“Ah, yes sir.”
David hurriedly went outside and closed the door.
Only Sirius and Andres remained in the office.
“Sirius, I heard from Andres that…… you killed the head of the Lupeltia Vigilantes and annihilated the Shahit Mercenary Group.”
Andres cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“They were a pain in the neck for many families. So, I’m grateful that you dealt with them…… but it was too reckless.”
“Was it reckless?”
“Yes. You should have at least told us beforehand.”
Andres observed Sirius’s expression as he said this.
“No family likes it when external forces run rampant. Everyone will be upset if you, who are from the East, cause a bloody mess in the South. If that happens…….”
“I don’t care.”
“What?”
“You just said they were a pain in the neck for many families.”
Sirius said with an indifferent expression.
“They were causing trouble, and you’re upset because I cleaned it up? I don’t need to care about ungrateful people like that. I just need to be friendly with those who are grateful to us.”
“……!”
“Mister Andres, does the Retijud family by any chance think our actions are upsetting?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
Andres slurred his words.
Seeing this, Sirius let out a snort.
“Why don’t we just speak plainly?”
“Wha, what do you mean?”
“There’s no one else here. You’ve already revealed your intentions, so it would be more efficient if we just spoke openly.”
Just now, Andres had been talking about how to restrain Sirius.
Sirius had been listening to it all from outside.
The room was soundproofed, but that didn’t matter to Sirius.
“Do you want to get rid of me?”
“Wha, what are you saying…”
“Without me, it would be easier for the Retirued family to swallow the Rigel family, right?”
“……!”
Andres shot up from his seat.
“That’s nonsense! We’re…!”
“I told you to speak honestly, Mr. Andres.”
Sirius continued speaking nonchalantly.
“I don’t care.”
“What?”
“If you want to get rid of me, then do it.”
“……!”
Andres’ eyes widened at the absurd words.
“I’m here in the South. I’ve shown up right in front of the Retirued family. If you don’t kill me now, when will you?”
“Wha, what are you…”
Andres couldn’t finish his sentence properly.
In fact, Sirius was right.
It would be difficult for the Retirued family to make a move while Sirius remained in the East.
They couldn’t miss this opportunity now that he had come to the South.
“Of course, I won’t just sit still.”
“What?”
“If you draw your sword, I’ll draw mine.”
“……!”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Sirius spoke in a relaxed voice to Andres, who had lost his words.
“Let’s make our positions clear, Mr. Andres…”
“……”
“If we’re going to fight to the death, let’s reach a conclusion as quickly as possible. That would be more efficient for both of us.”
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Sirius’ voice was calm.
“Kill me right now, take Lady Leticia to the East, and become the guardian of the Rigel family. Then you’ll have one of the five great families of the continent in your hands.”
“……”
“If you’re worried about the legitimacy, announce that Sirius Canisルート died suddenly from injuries sustained while fighting the Shahahahate Knights. I’ll even write a will for you in advance.”
This was a tremendous consideration.
If Sirius did as he said, the Retiue family would be able to swallow up the Rigel family without any problems.
However…….
“Of course, you should also write a will in advance.”
“……!”
“Wouldn’t it be fair that way?”
Andres shuddered.
Sirius wasn’t saying this because he particularly wanted to give in to the Retiue family.
It was because he was confident that he could annihilate the Retiue family if they were to directly confront each other.
Even if he was at a disadvantage.
“Sirius, there must be some kind of misunderstanding…….”
“Andres.”
At that moment.
Andres suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“You’ve already shown me your intentions. Let’s not waste any more time.”
“……!”
Sirius was now using impolite speech.
However, Andres couldn’t say anything.
He couldn’t breathe properly because of the sudden pressure he felt.
“There’s no point in stalling for time, Lord Andres…….”
“H-huh…….”
As Sirius started using honorifics again, Andres was able to breathe again.
“S-Sirius.”
Andres looked at Sirius’s face while breathing heavily.
“What…… what should I do?”
“Why are you asking me that? You should decide, Lord Andres.”
“Sirius……!”
Andres’s voice was trembling.
He had completely lost his initiative.
He hadn’t expected Sirius to act like this.
Even if Sirius had shown a tyrannical side in the East, he hadn’t expected him to do this even to the Retiue family, who were his relatives.
Right now, Sirius was speaking as if he wanted them to fight fairly and settle the matter.
However, this was actually a declaration that he would annihilate the Retiue family.
Just as he had annihilated several factions in the East one after another, he intended to destroy the Retiue family as well.
Andres was also confident in his abilities.
However, he couldn’t help but feel suffocated when he thought about having to fight Sirius directly.
Even Valerion Agtas, who was known as the strongest wizard in the East, had been miserably defeated by Sirius.
Would he also suffer the same fate?
He couldn’t shake off that thought.
“Is it really necessary for us to fight to the death? Isn’t there another way?!”
“Of course there is.”
Sirius said with a calm expression.
“You just need to join hands and stop fighting each other.”
“Join hands?”
“Of course… In order to prevent any more unnecessary conflict, the Retiud Family should no longer interfere in the Rigel Family’s successor issue.”
“……!”
That meant… to give up on making Leticia the next head of the Rigel Family.
It was true that if they gave up on that one point, there would be no reason to fight.
However… it was not something that the Retiud Family could easily give up.
“And please join the alliance that I am creating.”
“What…?”
“It is different from the Black Society’s alliance. I have not yet decided on a name… Anyway, I would like the Retiud Family to join this alliance.”
“The Retiud Family too? I heard that it is an alliance of the eastern forces…”
“You will be the first participant from the south. It is an honorable thing.”
Andres’s mouth fell open.
“Lord Andres, I intend to create an alliance that encompasses this entire continent.”
“The entire continent?”
“Think about it, Lord Andres.”
Sirius said slowly.
“Until now, the Retiud Family has not been able to properly deal with the likes of the Lupelcia Vigilante Corps or the Shahit Order. Why is that? Does the Retiud Family not care at all that the Black Society is exploiting people?”
“Th-that’s not true!”
“Of course it’s not. There must be various reasons. It could be because of the distance, or it could be because of a war of nerves with other families.”
The continent is vast.
Because of that, there are bound to be places where there are gaps in治安.
“The alliance that I will create will be an organization that can take care of even such places in great detail.”
“……!”
“In the east, many families have already joined. I would like the families of the south to join as well.”
Andres gulped.
“Then, this alliance… is an organization that you are creating in order to take care of every corner of the continent?”
“That’s not all.”
Sirius replied in a calm voice.
“It is also to defeat the great evils that are difficult to confront with the power of a single family.”
“……!”
In the martial arts world, there were also great threats such as the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Black Serpent Clan.
In order to defeat such people, it was necessary to move not as individual sects, but as the martial arts alliance.
“Are you talking about the Black Society’s alliance?”
“Not only that.”
“Then…?”
“There could be various things. For example… a prestigious family that has forgotten its duty and commits evil deeds would also be a target for me to defeat.”
“……!”
Upon hearing those words, Andres’ pupils trembled.
“I would like to confirm something, Lord Andres.”
Sirius spoke slowly, observing Andres’ expression.
“Is the Retidus family’s ambition to devour the Rigel family and become one of the Five Great Clans of the continent… simply due to a lust for power?”
“What…?”
“There is no other reason, is there?”
Suddenly, Andres clenched his fists.
As he watched him bite his lip hard enough to draw blood, Sirius recalled a memory from his past life.
Among the Twelve Guardians, the elite guard of the Peerless Martial King Baek Murang, there was a man named Singwi.
He was a vengeful spirit who sought to destroy a colossal sect to avenge his parents.
The way Singwi had confessed his true intentions before Baek Murang closely resembled the sight of Andres now.
“Before leaving the East, my Lord advised me.”
“Lord, Lord Rootvein…?”
“He said that the Retidus family holds a grudge against a certain ‘noble family.’ To avenge this grudge, they have sought to grow into a family that could rival them, haven’t they?”
“……!”
That’s right.
This was the real reason the Retidus family was fixated on the Rigel family.
As a mid-tier family in the South, they would never be able to exact revenge, even if they died and came back to life.
However, if they could attain a status equal to the Five Great Clans of the continent… they might be able to get their revenge.
With that thought in mind, the Retidus family had set their sights on annexing the Rigel family.
“S, Sirius, that story is…”
“I have no intention of revealing it to anyone else. I haven’t even told Justitia.”
“P, please keep it a secret. Not even my younger brother, David, knows about this. My father, who is currently bedridden, told me this in confidence.”
“Don’t worry.”
Sirius reassured Andres.
“Lord Andres, if that revenge is justified, I can help you.”
“Wh, what?”
“If the enemy is a great evil, we should fight together. That is the oath of the alliance.”
Even if the enemy was a renowned noble family, he would wield his sword for the sake of the world.
That was the true martial alliance that Sirius would forge.
“……..”
Andres stared at Sirius’ face with his mouth shut.
“In the end, the choice is ours.”
“That’s right.”
Sirius had given the Retidus family a choice.
Would they fight to the death for control of the Rigel family?
Or would they join the alliance and fight alongside them?
Sirius’ attitude would change depending on the choice the Retidus family made.
“How… should I give you my answer?”
“You don’t have to say it out loud.”
“If you wish to engage in a life-or-death struggle with me,” Sirius replied calmly, “you are welcome to assail me anytime while I remain here. However, I would ask you to spare my companions.”
“Of course. If I did such a thing, you would surely retaliate against my family.”
“That would be most undesirable.”
Andres exhaled.
“What if I were to propose an alliance with you?”
“I intend to raid a certain location in the near future,” Sirius said slowly. “I would request your assistance as a member of the League.”
“The Egret Workshop? Is that place truly connected to the Alliance?”
“I have it on good authority.”
“Hmm…”
Andres groaned.
“Sirius.”
“Yes, Lord Andres.”
“Even if I were to agree to cooperate with you… might you not stab me in the back later? Does that not concern you?”
“Do as you wish.”
“What?”
“Of course, I would not engage in a fair fight with you at that time.”
Sirius spoke in a cold voice.
“When Lord Andres is spending a peaceful time with his family… I will suddenly appear before you.”
“…”
“Perhaps not before you, but behind you. Or somewhere else.”
With that, Sirius rose from his seat.
“Then I shall take my leave. Lady Leticia has invited me to meet with her children.”
“Ah…”
Andres nodded with a bewildered expression.
After such a grim conversation, it felt surreal to be going to meet with his nephews.
“I look forward to you becoming the first member of the League from the south, Lord Andres Retiud.”
With those words, Sirius left the study.