Isaac

The sudden emergency didn’t go unnoticed by the administrative body. Those swimming in the sea of documents hurriedly gathered at the rooftop.

They didn’t need to ask questions about how this happened, for there was only one man that had the power to mobilise all the elves and North Bears in this city.

Horrified by the possibility of engaging in hostilities with the two races for the first time, the administrative body ran over—only to find Isaac leisurely smoking as he always did. Their hearts empty and moods despondent, the group moved to find their seats.

But they were also worried. This man wasn’t likely to just cause a ruckus because he was bored. Something big was coming again.

Having mobilised the two races—an unprecedented move until now—they couldn’t begin to fathom the immense scale of this new incident.

“… I think everyone’s here.”

Rivelia said after scanning her surroundings, certifying that most of the faces were here, but Isaac shook his head.

“No they aren’t.”

Everyone began looking at one another to find the missing person.

“Mr. Lanburton is here, so why does it matter that Miss Reisha isn’t here?”

Everyone nodded at Kalden’s argument, but Isaac shook his head again and took a glass of fruit wine that Laila had brought.

“Reisha has gone to do what I asked for. We’ll begin once she comes back with the people I asked for.”

Isaac answered everyone’s question, and then Reisha appeared with a cheery voice.

“Yaho! Sunbaenim, I brought them!”

“Kuhuk!”

Behind Reisha were a group of men shackled together in a line. The whole administrative body had collectively stopped breathing and grasped at their heads, their veins pounding furiously.

They were the emissaries from the Lichten Family whom they’d been negotiating with just moments ago.

The administrative body wasn’t sure why they were brought here shackled like criminals, but what was certain was that the negotiations were over.

“What is this?! How dare you arrest emissaries from another land!”

“We will file an official complaint about this matter!”

“Lady Rivelia, please say something!”

“Mr. Kalden, I will never forget this disgrace!”

The emissaries didn’t refrain from expressing their emotions. Some vented out their anger, some made arguments, and some sought assistance. But the administrative body ignored their indignance.

Now that Isaac made his move, the administrative body had no voice in the matter. The only ones who had a say were the non-humans, Rivelia, Cordnell, and Kalden.

After the emissaries chattered amongst themselves to exhaustion, Isaac opened his mouth.

“I almost died just now.”

“…”

The administrative body dropped their jaws and looked at Isaac in complete bafflement.

Everyone knew that it’d be near impossible to even harm Isaac in this city, secluded in his rooftop—even if they’d brought an entire armed division.

Not only was he protected by the elves and North Bears, he also wore his impenetrable defensive coat that had cost him a fortune.

Even the emissaries were baffled and started an angry ruckus. Isaac looked at Rizzly, and Rizzly dragged Viscount Aintz’s body from the back of the rooftop, front and center.

“This is the man who tried to assassinate the master of New Port City. And he doesn’t even have money!”

Everyone in the room thought Isaac’s emphasis on the lack of money wasn’t the correct subject, but the assassination attempt itself sounded so baseless that nobody knew where to start correcting him.

And with dignitaries from outside the city involved, no one dared to speak rashly.

“Viscount Aintz has been banished from the family already. You cannot make us responsible for his personal actions.”

Baron Dale, the leader of the emissaries, shouted out with a pale face. For a brief second, he was in an absolute panic at the thought of this bumbling fool destroying his own family, but he quickly let out a sigh of relief.

It was an assassination attempt at a Lord—not only that, a College graduate. They had no right to complain if even Central got involved.

It was a miracle they managed to drive out Viscount Aintz, the sole successor; they had spared no expense, involving connections, factions, and all sorts of political savvy. All Dale had to argue that all of this was Aintz’s personal actions.

But Baron Dale mistook Isaac’s intentions. Dale had thought that this fool, without a single talent, had gone off and drowned himself in booze after being banished, then went over to Isaac and made a scene, got arrested, and that Isaac wouldn’t have missed this chance to use him as an excuse to demand more favorable terms in the negotiations.

Isaac seemed to have noticed what was in Baron Dale’s mind, and his lips formed a cunning smile.

“So? The Lichtens aren’t responsible for anything? That’s disappointing. I’ve loaned a lot of money to this man purely because he bore the honorable and historied Lichten name—even when he didn’t have a single Bit to his name. But the Lichtens are trying to bury it under by ousting this fool, which is why he came crying to complain right? And you’re still acting innocent?”

Baron Dale tried his utmost to act sympathetic and nodded.

“We have already agreed as a Family to give up many of our rights to you, Lord. So…””

“Take it and fuck off?”

“That’s not what we…”

“I don’t want to.”

“Sorry?”

Baron Dale looked blankly at Isaac, who in turn smiled like a treacherous loan shark. With a cigarette in his mouth, he replied.

“Why should I be happy with crumbs when I can just take it all?”

The emissaries’ faces stiffened. Baron Dale glared menacingly at Isaac and spoke.

“As I’ve already said, Viscount Aintz no longer has any relation to the Lichten Family. Therefore, you cannot transfer former Viscount Aintz’s personal debts to us. We have also begun the process of suing him for using the Lichten seal for his personal gains. All documents that were signed by Viscount Aintz during the war will be voided.”

It was a warning to Isaac that he would not have any legal recourse, but Isaac took it with a smile.

“Wow, I can imagine you must have gone through many struggles to get that working. Amazing. You are quite talented.”

“… Thank you.”

Isaac clapped and praised Baron Dale, who couldn’t hide his worry even as he acknowledged the compliment. Isaac gulped his glass of wine and spoke to Rizzly.

“Rizzly.”

“Yes.”

“Declare a provincial war against the Lichten Family.”

“…”

“W, What are you saying!”

The administrative body’s jaws dropped at Isaac’s declaration, and the emissaries’ faces were bright red, outraged at being utterly disgraced. Isaac cocked his head and asked.

“Why?”

“Just what reason do you have to declare a provincial war?!”

“The lord of New Port City was almost assassinated in his own land. Both the culprit and his supporters are here, so isn’t revenge the natural conclusion?”

“That is your colored opinion, Lord. In fact what proof do you have that Viscount Aintz tried to assassinate you! You can’t expect witness accounts from your close aides to have meaningful legal relevance in such a severe incident!”

“Really?”

Isaac looked back at the administrative body as if this was the first time he’d heard of this, and the administrative body nodded without making eye contact with Isaac.

It was impossible that Isaac wasn’t aware of this fact.

The administrative body knew well that Isaac’s act was just preparation to push his opponent deeper into the abyss. They had been on the receiving end many times before, after all.

Baron Dale, who had no experience with Isaac’s treachery, shouted out, brimming with confidence.

“The court won’t just accept your biased opinion just because you arrested some drunkard without a shred of evidence.”

“But I do have proof?”

“What?”

Baron Dale was at a loss for words, when Kunette who was sleeping in Isaac’s arms twitched and knocked the wine glass from the chair’s armrest.

Clang—everyone’s focus turned to the glass. Laila quickly rushed to clean the broken glass, and Isaac frowned and scolded her.

“Tsk. Be careful next time. Go get me a new one.”

“Yes.”

Everyone watched Laila simply accept Isaac’s scolding silently even though she was blameless. She quickly dashed to the cupboard to find a new glass as Isaac spoke.

“So that fool assaulting that brat isn’t proof?”

Flick!

Everyone’s eyes returned to Isaac once more.

“T, that’s why we will apologize, but it still can’t be used to justify a provincial war! Not to mention, Miss Laila has no relation to you, Lord Isaac!”

“Why? This brat is the successor to Count Wolfgang, who is residing here as my guest. She was assaulted by some retard! That disgraces my name; I invited the brat as my guest, did I not?”

“…”

That was true, but nobody dared to point out that the very guest in question was pouring wine for Isaac like some servant.

“T, The Lichten Family will formally apologize and pay a handsome recompense for partial responsibility. Regardless, Miss Laila cannot be used as a witness account.”

“Tsk. I said evidence, not a witness account, didn’t I?”

“…”

Baron Dale shut his mouth at Isaac’s correction, and Isaac’s eyes moved to Rizzly.

“Are you really going to do it? Seriously?”

The administrative body could feel cold sweat dripping down their back, watching Rizzly question Isaac again and even Reisha plea, ‘Are you really doing it? Can you not?’ as Isaac passed Kunette to her.

It was something that even Reisha, an abnormality among the elves who loved to experience strange new things, refrained from doing. It couldn’t have been something normal.

Isaac got on his feet and waved his hand to his face in an exaggerated motion before he spoke.

“Phew! The drinks I had are making me hot.”

“Huck!”

Someone in the crowd gasped. Isaac took off his last line of defense, the defensive coat, himself. With a pathetic excuse that it was hot.

Isaac threw the coat onto his chair and walked over to Aintz, who was collapsed next to Rizzly’s feet. Isaac crouched and shook Aintz’s shoulders.

“Oh! Dear guest, you can’t sleep here. You seem to be quite drunk. You should be resting in your hotel.”

While everyone was confused by Isaac’s strange act with the incapacitated Viscount Aintz, Isaac glared at Rizzly.

“Aren’t you doing it?”

“Why don’t we just make a mark…”

“So much for that bravery you show. Give it here.”

“But…”

Rizzly hesitated, but when Isaac’s glare bore into his skull, Rizzly took out a dagger and handed it to Isaac.

Everyone got off their seat and shouted when they noticed the cold, sharp dagger, but Isaac was faster.

Stab!

Isaac frowned as he felt the unpleasant sensation of his stomach being pierced.

‘Is this the second time I’m getting stabbed?’

“What are you doing!”

Just as the pain followed the unpleasant feeling, Rivelia pulled Isaac back and put pressure onto the stomach where the dagger was struck, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Reisha, heal him now! You knew about this, right? Why didn’t you stop him!”

“Hing! I didn’t think he’d actually do it!”

Reisha cried in response to Rivelia’s growl. She then brought her hands to Isaac’s stomach and began casting.

Meanwhile, the ruckus woke Kunette from her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw Isaac bleeding from his stomach. Her eyes stretched wide, and she immediately ran over to Rizzly. She pounced on his head, biting him and pulling out his hair.

“Uwack! I’m innocent, I swear!”

Rizzly defended himself, while the administrative body and the emissaries were at a loss for words.

There was a limit to how crazy someone was—to think he’d cut open his own stomach. And seeing how blood was dripping from his mouth, the cut was definitely deep enough to pierce his organs.