Chapter 40: The Delight of an Upset

"Shit!!" a man yelled. He kicked the table which was made by a prominent carpenter, and the bottle on top crashed to the floor.

Bale Cyrus heaved a sigh and steadied his breathing before sitting down on a chair.

There were rumors that Yukihiro The Hero, renowned as the strongest in the empire, had suffered a defeat, and that his own son, Mawlek Cyrus, had witnessed his own soldiers being beaten to half-death. In just a single night, these rumors had circulated between all the nobles.

Yukihiro The Hero, who had gained his title after slaying a dragon, wielded enough strength to defeat Margrave Salzburg's large army.

He wielded the strongest weapon in the empire and, in recent years, served as the source of Duke Cyrus's authority. And yet that very hero had lost. It would be one thing if he had lost after an intense battle, but he had been one-sidedly destroyed like it was a public execution. Moreover, a mere 12-year-old child had done him in; it was obvious what the lords had thought of this.

"Where's Mawlek?" Bale asked his butler.

"He remains secluded in his room..."

His cute grandson was tormented by that child until Sieg arrived, and even after returning home, only wore a dead fish's eyes, trembling as he wrapped up in a blanket in the corner of his room.

"A mere lower-class noble!!"

It wouldn't end here. The Cyrus family, who had always competed for the top seat and had high social status, was publicly shamed by a mere child of an outsider---It was something never heard of before in the empire.

Bale swore to annihilate the lower-class nobles that were the Millards. Every last one of them. Then, they would regain the power they had before.

The problem was that child was strong enough to overwhelm that useless hero. Just that. Might made right in this empire, after all.

"Master, a guest came earlier and wanted to hand you this," the butler said.

"A guest?"

The butler walked towards Bale and held up a red tray with a single scroll on top.

Bale began to inspect it, but he couldn't find a sender.

There was the possibility that some local clan leader with a grudge against him had sent this over.

"Who brought this over?" Bale asked.

"A large gentlemen wearing white clothes from another country," his butler replied.

White clothes from another country? Was it an invitation to a secret meeting between the ambassadors and nobles of The Amrzs Kingdom and The Holy Kingdom of Esters? No, the ambassadors already frequented the Cyrus estate---the butler would have recognized them in that case.

Still, if they were suspicious, he would have just refused them at the gate.

"Open the scroll," he commanded the butler.

The butler respectfully bowed his head and began unraveling the scroll.

It was just a normal piece of paper.

"Nothing?"

"Yes, Master."

"Hand it over!"

Bale snatched the scroll from his head butler and began reading.

...

......

.........

Bale choked, so focused on reading that he forgot to swallow. A glint of delight tinted his voice as he cleared his through.

"Good!"

If the contents of the letter were true, the Cyrus family would attain even more authority and fortune.

"I'm going to the Department of Justice. Send a carriage to the front," Bale commanded.

"Certainly, sir."

The butler bowed once and exited the room.

The Cyrus family attained great authority by turning even misfortune into wealth. And this time was no different. No, this time, an even larger amount of wealth would roll into his lap. Then, those insects would be lured in by the honey---by his wealth---and he would attain even higher military might and authority.

"I'll make you pay for your crimes, and I'll wring out every last drop."

Bale suppressed his urge to burst out in dance as he quickly descended the stairs, several steps at a time.