"Certainly, I don't deny that the presence of the Senate has allowed Rodbel to be more stable. I acknowledge their contribution, and so..."
His voice trailed off as the Duke imprinted the faces of each of the senators in his mind.
Then, his voice dripped with boredom.
"Each taking a seat and uttering a word."
"......"
A chilling silence descended as his tone clearly mocked the Senate.
"One."
However, the Duke's ruthless remarks didn't end there.
"To argue about whether or not to revoke Rodbel's qualifications... isn't that blatant overreach?"
"O-Overreach, you say!"
"That's quite a leap!"
"A leap?"
"......"
Ego Rodbel's expression turned icy.
The senators, who had protested against the blizzard-like chill, clamped their mouths shut and cowered.
"If arguing about depriving a qualification earned through a fair trial isn't overreach, then what is?"
"T-That's!"
Gaspar's accomplice hurriedly retorted.
"Out of concern that Lucia Rodbel might be the destroyer from the prophecy...!"
"The problem of justification...!"
"Prophecy and justification, all of them are too pathetic to even listen to."
"Master...!"
The senators glared at the Duke with resentful eyes, but the Duke's expression remained indifferent.
And at his next words, the senators' eyes widened as if they would burst.
"She's my child."
"......!!"
"My child, the head of Rodbel's child, achieved that qualification to be reborn as the true Rodbel. As a father, I cannot stand idly by and watch unqualified people recklessly talk about it."
"......"
The senators stared at the Duke with eyes that were beyond shock, now dazed.
His child, that bastard child...
Some were completely dumbfounded, unable to believe what they had heard.
Senate Leader Gaspar Other was also momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected situation.
"If there are still those who harbor dissent, speak now. I will personally correct your thoughts."
"Ahem..."
"Ahem! Cough."
At the Duke's blatant warning that he would essentially execute them on the spot, the senators, while expressing their discomfort, could no longer raise opposition.
What could they do? He was saying he wouldn't stand for anyone touching his child...
"It seems there are none."
"......"
"Then this meeting is adjourned. Let's dismiss."
After unilaterally announcing this, the Duke rose from his seat.
As he grabbed the doorknob, as if to leave immediately, he suddenly turned around and said.
"And she's not a bastard."
"......Excuse me?"
"She's Lucia Rodbel. Isn't it ridiculous that those who claim to follow Rodbel don't even know the name of the direct line?"
"......"
Bang!
The door closed firmly.
The senators stared blankly at the tightly shut door before finally exhaling.
One senator broke the silence with a dry cough.
"Ahem! I knew it would turn out like this."
He glanced sideways at Gaspar.
Several senators agreed with his statement.
"It was a reckless agenda. In the first place, the authenticity of the prophecy itself isn't certain."
"The Master's words are correct. Arguing about Rodbel's qualifications is clearly overreach."
"It seems the Leader made a misjudgment this time."
Factions are divided even within the Senate.
Senators who were not very friendly to Gaspar Other, who had held the position of Leader for a long time, left the meeting room, each leaving a word of criticism.
Before long, only Gaspar and his close aides remained in the meeting room.
"Leader..."
The aides looked at him with troubled faces.
They were giving him a look that asked what he was going to do now.
Gaspar stared straight ahead with a coldly hardened face, then soon let out a long breath.
"Hooo..."
As if emptying everything with that one breath, he spoke with a cleaner face.
"It's a minor conflict."
"But since even the attempt to deprive a mere bastard of their qualifications has failed, it will be even more difficult to put strength into our plans later."
"Moreover, since the bastard has obtained the qualifications of the direct line, doesn't that mean they have the right to become the successor in any case? Our plan to deal with the direct line one by one has been disrupted!"
As he said, it was so.
Their goal was to manipulate the Duke to dispose of the bastard child, thereby strengthening the Senate's say, and at the same time, dealing with the direct line who held the succession rights one by one.
However, far from dealing with the direct line who held the succession rights one by one, they had not even been able to deprive the bastard child of their qualifications.
The aide bit his lip and muttered.
"Surely the Master didn't mistreat that bastard. He disliked the child more than anyone else, so why is he changing his attitude now!"
Anyone would think he was a father who loved his child very much!
The aides' indignation grew even stronger.
"If we continue like this, the eldest son will get the dukedom-"
Bang-!
At that moment, Gaspar slammed the round table hard with both hands.
"......!"
The startled aides looked at him with surprised expressions.
Gaspar gave them a gentle smile and said.
"There is still plenty of time."
"......But..."
"Last dawn, we obtained information that Estio Rodbel secretly left the country."
The aides' eyes widened at the unexpected news.
"Left the country? Come to think of it, he wasn't visible at the ceremony either, but why suddenly..."
"We haven't been able to reveal the reason yet, but something must have gone wrong for him to leave so urgently and secretly."
"You mean..."
"Find out why the eldest son left the country and build up and strengthen our power until he returns."
"Ah...!"
"The war hasn't even started yet. So don't be scared. Only when we stand tall will Young Master Vantis trust and follow us."
"......The Leader is right."
"We were too flustered, not acting like adults. I have no face to show Young Master."
The aides, seduced by Gaspar's story, corrected their posture while self-reflecting.
Gaspar, nodding in satisfaction, said.
"Let's promise next time."
"Then what about the bastard?"
"The bastard..."
After a moment's thought, Gaspar turned away without regret and answered.
"Let's just wait and see for now. Even if they have obtained the qualifications of the direct line, they are still a lowly bastard. There is even less chance that that bastard will become the successor."
"Yes...!"
"As expected, you are the Senate Leader. Such a cold-blooded judgment!"
To the flattery of the aides who had recharged their morale, Gaspar quietly smiled and left the conference hall.
Click.
However, as soon as the door closed, his expression hardened so much that it was as if he had never worn a relaxed smile.
"Damn it. That damned child...!"
As he quickly crossed the hallway, he spewed out his hatred.
"A brat who thinks Rodbel is his forever and runs wild!"
The target of that hatred was Ego Rodbel, the Duke.
"...I never imagined that the Master would protect the bastard."
His closest aide, Edrack Rosed, who had caught up by his side, made a groaning sound.
"It's outside of the plan, but it doesn't cause a major disruption to the plan. It's just been delayed a little."
His insides were boiling, but expressing all that anger was a foolish act.
As he calmed his mind, his reason returned a little.
But... when he thought about it, something was strange.
Thud, his steps stopped.
He looked at Edrack Rosed and asked.
"Why was the color of the wind purple?"
The thing was.
"To create an ominous atmosphere, I definitely prepared it in a dark crimson color."
As if seeking an explanation, Gaspar looked at Edrack.
At the unexpected question, Edrack panicked and quickly answered.
"Th, there seems to have been a mistake in the delivery process..."
"I'm disappointed in you."
Gaspar didn't even listen to his excuse.
He spoke as if coldly striking down and mercilessly moved his steps.
"L, Leader...!"
Edrack desperately called out from behind, but Gaspar didn't stop.
Edrack didn't chase after Gaspar.
Indeed, it was a wise judgment befitting his right-hand man.
If he had blocked Gaspar's path now, he would have been truly unable to contain his anger.
Instead, the arrow of anger was directed elsewhere.
'Ego Rodbel...!'
Even his eyes burned with anger towards Duke Ego Rodbel.
In fact, Edrack's mistake was insignificant.
What did it matter if it was purple or dark crimson!
The important thing was to frame the bastard Lucia as the destroyer in the prophecy, strip her of her direct line qualifications, and make it a precedent to later drag down Estio as well!
It was definitely a perfect plan.
The wind magic, which he had painstakingly crafted, was successfully activated, and the emergency meeting, which was difficult to convene, was also successfully held.
But from where exactly did it go wrong?
"......"
Gaspar's steps slowed.
Thud. He stopped.
He had realized what he had overlooked.
"......Lucia Rodbel."
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