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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Modifying the populace.
It was a radical idea, sparked by Enya’s offhand comment, but the more Ed thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed.
Upgrading his workers would drastically increase productivity.
‘I’ll start immediately!’
Why delay something so exciting?
He informed Elena of his decision, choosing the Arzier territory, rich in mineral deposits and ideally suited for building factories and securing coal.
“The Arzier territory… Not a bad choice. Have you decided on a guardian yet?”
He still needed to choose a guardian to oversee the territory’s management, a test of his judgment and political acumen.
The Imperial Family would analyze his choice to gauge his ambitions and allegiances.
“I’ll need some time to think about it.”
He considered his options carefully.
‘…House Elmar.’
House Elmar seemed the most suitable.
He didn’t want the Empire’s power structure to become unbalanced.
Choosing a relatively weaker Grand Ducal House like Elmar would maintain equilibrium.
Adela had married a commoner, leaving her without a strong power base.
‘And there’s no possibility of a marriage alliance.’
The only eligible bachelor in House Elmar was Lucas.
Since Adela herself was an only child, there were no cousins to offer for a political marriage.
Choosing House Elmar as his guardian wouldn’t imply a marriage alliance, leaving him free to pursue other options.
He could maintain his eligibility, keeping other families interested.
“Master, I choose Adela Elmar of House Elmar as my guardian.”
Elena considered his choice, then smiled.
“Maintaining balance, are we? Choosing Elmar signifies a temporary alliance, then.”
“Something like that.”
“My, my. So cunning, even for my own student. Forming a connection with a Grand Ducal House, yet leaving your options open.”
“It’s all thanks to your teachings, Master.”
“Ha! I’m not that calculating. I’m more of an emotional type.”
Elena rose to her feet, stating she would discuss the matter with the Princess and inform the Imperial Family.
It was time to develop his territory.
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The news of Ed choosing Adela Elmar as his guardian spread like wildfire.
The reactions from the nobility were varied.
“A clever move.”
Adrian Graham, the Grand Duke of the North, admired Ed’s shrewdness.
The choice of Adela prevented a significant shift in the balance of power.
Ed had maintained his neutrality while increasing his value.
He had the backing of the Grand Duchess of the East but remained unattached.
He was the ultimate prize: handsome, intelligent, capable, renowned, wealthy, well-connected… an SSS-rank bachelor.
Every noble family in the Empire would continue to covet him.
“I… was too hasty.”
Eleiya Cruel, the Grand Duke of the West, however, was filled with regret.
If he had been more assertive when he met Ed, perhaps he would have chosen him.
‘…A grave mistake.’
He had underestimated him.
He had been the first to approach him, at the most opportune moment, but his actions had been disastrous.
He had not only demanded Ed distance himself from Enya, but he had also made the outrageous suggestion of taking him as Enya’s concubine.
To the most brilliant mind in generations!
If anyone learned of his blunder, they would question his judgment.
“We still have a chance.”
House Bernhard, Claire’s family, saw this as an opportunity.
The possibility of a marriage alliance was still open.
Claire, however, remained indifferent to her family’s scheming.
‘I’m not interested.’
She had no romantic interest in Ed.
Her fascination with him was purely intellectual.
He was, in her opinion, a textbook example of a womanizer.
Charming and attentive to every woman who approached him, yet never committing to anyone.
He offered just enough encouragement to spark interest, then subtly withdrew.
‘But it’s… strange.’
It wasn’t typical womanizing behavior.
What was the point of stringing someone along if not to exploit them?
Ed, however, seemed more inclined to help the women around him.
With his looks and abilities, he could have any woman he desired, yet he remained… chaste.
‘And his personality is flawless.’
He was decisive yet cautious, accomplished yet humble, confident when necessary.
It was as if a god had meticulously crafted him, bestowing upon him every desirable trait.
‘He’s not like Lucas…’
Lucas, despite his outward perfection, harbored a deep-seated insecurity.
Claire found that vulnerability endearing.
His struggle to hide his weakness touched her heart, sparking a unique affection.
While others saw him as a flawless prince, she saw him as… adorable.
‘But Edgar Fix…’
He seemed… inherently perfect, as if designed that way from the beginning.
His duel with Lucas had confirmed what Claire already suspected: Edgar Fix was the strongest student at the academy, second only to Isabella.
And once he found a way to counter House Graham’s mental attacks, he would become the undisputed champion.
‘What drives him…?’
Claire enjoyed observing people.
That’s why she was drawn to Enya, the most emotionally immature of their group.
There was a certain… freshness to her, a tempting vulnerability.
Isabella, once the kindest of them all, had changed, burdened by the Graham family’s mission.
Lucas’s desperate attempts to appear strong were both pitiful and endearing.
‘Their desires reveal their true nature…’
Claire understood people through their desires.
Enya’s desire to be the best, Isabella’s desire to fulfill her family’s destiny, Lucas’s desire to hide his weakness… desires shaped their goals, reorganized their neural pathways, and molded their personalities.
Her own desire to understand others had manifested as a peculiar, almost voyeuristic, personality.
‘But what about Edgar Fix?’
She couldn’t decipher him.
What drove him? What desires fueled his relentless pursuit of perfection?
Claire’s curiosity deepened.
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[Jack O’Neill]
Lucas stood before his father’s grave for the first time.
He had never visited before, ashamed of his commoner blood.
“Honey, I’m sorry it took so long. Isn’t he handsome? This is our son.”
Adela introduced Lucas to her late husband.
She knelt before the grave, hands clasped respectfully.
Lucas watched her, with a mixture of emotions swirling within him.
“Mother, please rise. You are the head of the family.”
He had accompanied Adela to confront his past, to accept his heritage, but her demeanor made him uncomfortable.
She was the Grand Duchess of the East, the head of House Elmar.
It was inappropriate for her to kneel before the grave of a commoner.
“Lucas.”
Adela’s gentle voice called to him. She remained kneeling.
“You know how everyone used to speak ill of your father.”
Lucas remembered his childhood, the taunts, the insults.
Everyone had condemned Adela’s husband.
Adela had been one of the most beautiful women in the Empire, and those who had coveted her had heaped scorn upon her deceased husband, spreading baseless rumors: rapist, murderer, all manner of insults.
“If not me, who would honor him? I only regret that he didn’t survive to return with me. He wouldn’t have had to endure such humiliation…”
Adela’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Lucas, however, still felt a lingering discomfort.
He had never truly accepted his commoner father.
‘…No.’
It wasn’t that.
It was the skewed hierarchy.
His father was a mercenary who had caught Adela’s eye.
Adela was a Grand Duchess.
It felt wrong for her to kneel before him.
“You seem troubled.”
Adela turned to him, her gaze understanding.
Lucas confessed his feelings.
“…There are customs and traditions to uphold. If other nobles saw you like this… they would talk. Your position demands respect. You are the Grand Duchess of the East.”
Adela Elmar, the revered ruler of the East, kneeling before the grave of a common mercenary…
Lucas couldn’t reconcile the image.
“You’re uncomfortable with me humbling myself.”
“Yes.”
He respected his mother, not just as a parent, but as a skilled Formula user and a capable ruler.
“But Lucas, this is right. Your father… he was my everything.”
She referred to his commoner father as her everything.
“I became who I am because of his philosophy, his convictions. I respected him deeply, and I wished to serve him always.”
“For a marriage to thrive, a wife must be devoted to her husband, supporting his ambitions. If she feels any resistance to this, it means she chose the wrong man. She lacks judgment.”
Lucas was stunned.
His powerful mother, a submissive wife?
“So, Lucas, I chose wisely. I still uphold his beliefs, his will. He is my husband. To insult him is to insult me.”
Lucas nodded, understanding the depth of her conviction.
“Lucas, a man is a conqueror. A true man must conquer everything about the woman he desires. Her body, her heart, her mind.”
Her words resonated deeply. His father wasn’t just a commoner.
‘Edgar Fix…’
He thought of Ed.
His mother’s description of a conqueror perfectly matched him.
Enya had been completely conquered by him, constantly quoting his strange terms like “entropy” and “quantum leap.”
Her mind was enthralled by him.
“…Is Edgar Fix a conqueror, then?”
He was curious about his mother’s opinion.
He couldn’t shake the news of Ed choosing her as his guardian.
“…He is. He may be young, but his soul is ancient. Many women would willingly surrender to him. Keep him close. He will be a good influence on you.”
Adela smiled, but Lucas felt a different kind of influence, a growing unease about Ed’s proximity to his mother.
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That night, Lucas had a disturbing dream.
His mother, still youthful and beautiful, remarried Ed.
—My husband…♥ Welcome home.
She greeted Ed, kneeling respectfully, hands clasped.
—Is Lucas asleep?
—I just checked on him.♥
She removed Ed’s coat, hanging it carefully.
Lucas’s heart pounded. He woke up in a cold sweat.
—Your muscles are tense. Let me massage them.♥
—Thank you.
The dream became increasingly explicit, making him nauseous.
“No, stop it!!!”
He woke up with a jolt, disgusted.
He had dreamt of his family’s intimate moments.
“Ha… what a ridiculous dream.”
He forced a laugh. It was absurd.
“Just a dream…”
He tried to dismiss it, but he couldn’t fall back asleep.
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Ed was in the Arzier territory, surveying his future home.
“No need to reveal my identity.”
He wouldn’t announce his arrival.
Experiencing the territory as an ordinary visitor would give him a different perspective.
“Let’s go!”
He would start with the red-light district.
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[T/N: Man, I just can’t get enough of Lucas’s POV lololol.]
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bruh