I Regressed to My Ruined Family Chapter 31

＃When I returned, my family was ruined (32)

Dungeon.

It was a special space created when monsters flocked to a space in nature where a lot of mana was collected.

Monsters that settle in the dungeon contain mana stones within their bodies.

Even if the mana stones were of the lowest grade, the price range was considerable, so the dungeon was one of the places treated as a kind of treasure trove.

It was for this reason that when a dungeon was discovered, rumors spread around.

Ethan also knew about a few dungeons from hearsay.

I had heard rumors about the ‘Metal Snake’s Abandoned Mines’, one of the dungeons previously discovered in the Kargath Barony.

‘It was a place that became famous when unusual metals, rather than mana stones, were discovered.’

A metal with a black glow.

Although it is weaker than mithril, which is considered a high-grade metal, it is a metal with a very high affinity for the elements.

Wizards gave the name ‘Neprion’ to this metal, which was first discovered in the Western Continent.

It was an item that was sold at a fairly high price and created many rumors.

From what I remember, the amount released in the past was quite large, so it would not be difficult to obtain enough metal to make a sword.

‘I’m not sure whether the dungeon conversion took place or not.’

It didn’t matter.

If a dungeon had not been created, all you had to do was mine metal. If a dungeon had been created, all you had to do was wipe out the monsters that were created and then mine the metal.

Sylvia nodded after hearing Ethan’s words.

“I don’t think there will be any major problems in about two months. “The 9 collateral families will also remain silent.”

So far, there was only one move the Archduke had shown.

That is, the overthrow of the Barony of Kargath.

If this incident had caused great damage, the 9th branch of the collateral world would have taken active action as well, but they suffered no damage.

As they grew in size, when they reached their limit, they split into factions and started bickering among themselves.

Rather, it was highly likely that he was hiding his joy at the fact that he had one less mouth.

So, at best, the response will end at the level of sending a watchful eye.

‘Two months.’

It wasn’t a bad thing considering it was a period of solidification before advancing to the next stage. That was why Sylvia nodded willingly.

“okay. And from now on, always carry around three knights, including the knight commander, as escorts.”

Until now, he had not been too concerned about Sylvia’s safety because he was always by her side.

But it was different now.

If something were to go wrong while I was away, I could have lost a useful advisor.

“I’m fine….”

“Just do as I say. “It’s for your safety.”

“…thank you.”

“Then let’s go.”

Ethan took his identity card.

It was an item that could prove that one was a descendant of the dukedom, as it was a badge handed out only to immediate descendants.

Ethan, accompanied by a horse, entered the inner palace.

* * *

The duchy’s inner city.

Nine nobles entered the huge conference room located within it.

Collateral 10 is not.

They were the heads of a family that now numbered nine. Originally, their gathering together would have been something that would have taken a long time to come.

The most important thing for them was to develop their own territory, not to handle the affairs of the duchy.

It has already been fifteen years since the Senate was formed.

The thing that was most ingrained in them during that time was handling work at an appropriate level.

This was the reason why senior meetings were held less frequently. But this time, we had no choice but to move nimbly.

The shocking news was delivered that the head of one of their colleagues had been caught in the castle gate.

Chaiman, who was looking around the conference room, nodded.

“Nine. I guess they all came together. We will proceed with the 32nd senior meeting. “The subject of the first agenda is the Archduke whom you have all heard rumors about.”

Someone immediately raised their hand.

It was Count Irdan, Cheyman’s rival.

“Count Cheyman. How do you plan to handle this matter? “The one who got hit this time was not Baron Helmut, who was one of the Count’s factions.”

After speaking, Irdan smiled in remorse.

Archduke.

His first target for attack was Baron Kargath.

Why did they conquer this place first?

It was obvious.

‘They must have noticed that you’ve been making modifications for a long time.’

Helmut.

The insult he gave to the duke’s children was enormous.

The first step was to lower the monthly support fee sent to the hunting annex over the past decade.

The amount scheduled to be given as support last month was not even in gold units.

‘It was a silver unit.’

Silver is given to the duke’s children as living expenses?

This is not something that is appropriate for beggars.

It was no wonder that the Archduke felt angry.

Is that it?

It was Helmut who tried to turn 4th Prince Myers into a drunken wreck and sent guards to the hunting annex to find out their whereabouts throughout the year.

The archduke had a reason to kill him.

Before he fell, the Archduke was renowned for his outstanding leadership and wise judgment despite his young age.

‘So you’ve probably already found out who’s behind Helmut.’

Who could he be?

It was his competitor, Chayman, right in front of him.

The place where the Archduke’s blade will fall next will most likely be his faction. So, I had no choice but to feel at ease.

Cheyman and the Archduchess.

All I had to do was pick up the scraps that came out when the two people collided. Chaiman sighed at Irdan’s words.

“…Whew. I know it without you having to say it. “After hearing the news that the Barony was devastated, I had a hard time sleeping at night.”

“Of course I have to take revenge, right?”

Chayman looked into Irdan’s snake-like eyes.

It was obvious what the author wanted. It would be a direct clash between one’s own faction and the Archduke. I had no intention of falling for his tricks.

‘Iganchaek.’

When Hans escapes from the dungeon. I heard an interesting story from this guy.

‘I heard you succeeded in tricking the Archduke.’

“When I was captured, the Archduke himself asked me where I was. So they called it the Count of Pernes. “The Archduke questioned why I went there.”

“so?”

“He said Helmut’s faction was Irdan’s. “He nodded when I answered that he was afraid that the Archduke would attack Count Irdan, so he went to Chaiman, who belongs to a different faction.”

“Was the Grand Duke deceived?”

“yes. The fact that the faction arose long after he fell, right? It seemed like the Archduke still didn’t know who the leader of each faction was or who belonged to whom. “This is information that only those in the know know.”

“…So what happened?”

“Immediately he started asking for the names of nobles belonging to Irdan’s faction. So it all blew up. “When Baron Romenton’s name came up, I said to myself that it was good because it was close… so maybe that will be my next destination.”

It was as if solid information had arrived.

The faction that the Archduke is gnashing his teeth at is the Irdan side.

There was no longer any reason to shed blood.

Chaiman answered calmly.

“Revenge. To be honest, I want revenge. But I can’t help but think about realistic issues.”

“A realistic problem? “Does that matter when someone you could call a colleague is dead?”

“It’s important. Cancer is important. “If the Archduke dies, who will bear the heavy responsibility?”

“….”

“Do you really think His Majesty Delprion and the seven kingdoms under him will remain silent? “Isn’t it obvious that they will rush to rip us apart and eat us because we failed to protect a member of the family?”

Irdan snorted.

Of course, the king and the seven kingdoms were not on their side. So, if a murder incident occurs, there is a high possibility that they will act that way.

But it wasn’t that there was no way to survive.

‘If you bow your head as a sacrifice to those bastards and some of the duchy.’

The remaining collateral families will be able to enjoy greater prosperity than before.

If one faction clashed with the Archduke, it was too easy to frame him as the culprit of the murder.

All you had to do was tie the two together by saying they had a grudge relationship.

This was also the reason why he was desperately trying to attach the Archduke to Chaiman’s faction.

“So you mean you won’t seek revenge? “Even if a member of your faction is killed?”

“Please speak clearly! It’s not that I don’t do it, it’s that I can’t do it!”

At this point, the nobles of the two factions began to stop each other’s leaders.

It was always the case at seniors’ meetings that the atmosphere became overheated.

Irdan said, looking at Chayman, pretending not to win.

“Baron Helmut was a truly loyal man… but seeing his master abandon him so callously makes me worry whether he will be able to sleep peacefully even in the afterlife.”

“what! “You’re just casually saying that your mouth is open!”

“You talk so casually! “I’m just stating the facts as they are!”

‘You son of a bitch!’

Chayman gritted his teeth.

The anxiety was diluted by mentioning in advance where the archduke’s blade would go next to members of the same faction.

However, if the image of abandoning one’s own faction without hesitation continued to build up, his power was bound to gradually be shaken.

Because doubt was like a stigma that could not be easily erased once it occurred.

‘Damn you. You too have to eat shit to come to your senses!’

The moment the Archduke moves.

That will be the starting point of Irdan’s collapse. The nobles began to stop the two once again.

Only then did the overheated atmosphere gradually subside.

The meeting continued, but responses continued to run parallel paths.

Irdan and Cheyman.

This is because each party thought that the Archduke’s next destination would be a noble family belonging to the other faction.

So there was no room for an active response. In the end, a lackluster conclusion was reached.

They decided to respond differently depending on how the Archduke moves in the future.

However, it was a result of poor mana.

‘Son of a bitch.’

‘Someone like a bat.’

The two counts swore at each other.

Without even thinking about the fact that even he himself was showing an exact resemblance to the other person.

“Whew. The first agenda ended like this. Then, let me talk about the second item. “With the collapse of the Kargas Barony, some of the balanced development support funds remained.”

All the nobles’ eyes sparkled at those words. The amount that the Barony received was 2% of the Duchy’s tax.

Even if only 0.1% of the duchy’s taxes can be collected, the development of the territory will be greatly accelerated.

The nobles’ eyes sparkled.

“Isn’t Baron Kargath now eligible to receive subsidies?”

“That is so true! “What kind of support is this for a family that has become the archduke’s puppet?”

Unlike before, all nobles from both factions began to actively participate in the agenda.

* * *

It’s been two days since I rode west. We arrived at the mountain located at the edge of the barony.

‘Mount Mitron.’

I recalled memories from my past life.

Adventurers discovered an abandoned mine nearby and discovered a place where dungeon conversion took place.

‘I guess I’ll have to find the abandoned mine first.’

I didn’t know exactly where the abandoned mine was located.

But one thing is certain.

‘Anyway, there is an abandoned mine somewhere on this mountain.’

That was enough.

There was a small village near Mount Mitron.

‘I guess I’ll have to find a guide.’

He rode his horse and approached the village.

The village’s vigilantes looked at Ethan from atop a fence about 2 meters high.

A large, sturdy horse that appears to have a good pedigree, and even clothes that look expensive.

In all likelihood, he would be a nobleman or the child of a wealthy merchant.

“who are you?”

Ethan immediately presented his identity card. The vigilantes who saw the identity badge began to murmur.

It was because of the pattern engraved on the identity card.

Golden pattern.

The only people in the kingdom who can use the golden pattern are the king and the blood relatives of the Duke of Ardan.

It was one of the forms of education that people received from an early age.

Even more so if that golden pattern is the flame symbol, the most famous symbol in the kingdom!

‘It’s the Duke of Ardan!’

A descendant of a great heroic family, praised as the greatest family in the kingdom, had visited.

The door of the wooden house was wide open.

The moment Ethan entered the village.

All the villagers knelt on the ground with as much respect as they could show.