The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 330: The "Living Father" of the Dantes Family

Five hundred years ago, there was a woman named Marguerite Dantes in the holy city of the empire.

This unknown lady was born into a wealthy merchant family in the holy city. Because of her beauty and wealthy family background, she married a nobleman of prominent origin.

The identity of this nobleman is very vague in the records of the Dantes family. The family genealogy only records that the nobleman's name is Fernando, and his surname is unknown. There is only a few records about his life - he disappeared on the route to Hojo Port and his whereabouts are unknown.

This incident was also recorded in the archives of the Imperial Ports Authority and registered by his immediate family members.

As to whether the Port Authority five hundred years ago verified it, the answer is obviously no.

To this day, the Empire's Port Authority has not yet gone to the depths of the vast ocean to salvage bodies, and the missing persons procedure is usually only for the disposal of property. Family members only need to publish the missing persons information in the newspaper and wait for a certain period of time to complete the notarization.

In fact, smart people have already seen the problem here. It is impossible for the two completely opposite concepts of "distinguished origin" and "vague" to appear in the same family tree at the same time.

This Margaret obviously did not marry this imperial nobleman in a formal marriage, otherwise her children would not have taken their mother's surname.

As for "Fernando", it is most likely a pseudonym.

But this is not important.

Just as the woman Margaret was insignificant in the history of the empire, Fernando's story was even less worthy of a special mention in history books.

However, Margaret and "Fernando"'s child was very competitive. Through his own hard work and the opportunities of the Age of Discovery, he became a baron named "Robert Dantes".

Although the title of Baron is not high, it is also considered a member of the ruling class. And almost every ruling class will embellish history, and this high-spirited Baron is certainly no exception... He can't let future generations think that he jumped out of a crack in the stone.

Therefore, the first thing Mr. Robert did after obtaining the title was to follow the trend and compile a family tree with a long history for himself.

The name Fernando was most likely given by him to his father, and even the experience of being at sea might have been a vicious curse.

As for the surname left blank, it was of course intentional. After all, one can't openly associate oneself with those famous and prestigious families, right?

As for taking advantage of a small family, that is meaningless...and it can easily lead to disputes over inheritance rights.

In short, the blank spaces in the family tree are one of the legacies he left to his descendants - if the Dantes family becomes prosperous in the future, you can use this family tree to fill in the blanks!
A prosperous family never lacks allies, and can be used to create title claims when necessary.

This is a gap that almost every imperial noble would leave in their family tree - and this often corresponds to the unrealized ambitions of the genealogy writer at the time.

Unfortunately, Robert Dantes obviously did not expect that he would be the ceiling of the Dantes family.

His family did not prosper, and his descendants had been living off the past.

Five hundred years later, by the generation of Edmond Dantès, he had lost even his baronial title, and was reduced to being reduced to the mere title of "Sir" and a farm called Château Dantès.

Because labor was expensive near the holy city, the knight occasionally had to work in the fields himself, feeding the cows and milking them.

As for his spare time, he would frequent various taverns as "Lord Dantes", order a glass of the most expensive beer, boast about the prominence of the Dantes family with a group of citizens, and reminisce about the glory of the past amid the flattery of the crowd.

The citizens were not at a disadvantage either, as Sir Dantes would often treat them to a drink when he got drunk.

The story that this knight likes to tell most is the legend of "Fernando". As for the identity of this ancestor, it changes with his mood.

Sometimes he is a baron, sometimes he is an earl...but more often he is a "prince" with a noble status but unclear fiefdom.

He often boasted about how his ancestor Fernando was trusted by the emperor and owned a lot of land and wealth overseas.

As for why the Dantes family was now in such a state of decline, he explained it away with a vague explanation of a "shipwreck".

Because the story was so convincing, he began to believe it himself.

Besides... he didn't tell a complete lie. After all, this story was made up by his ancestors five hundred years ago. At most, he just used his imagination when filling in the blanks in the cloze test.

Facts have proved that as long as you brag loud enough, you will never have a shortage of people to curry favor with you.

Just like Prince Fernando Colin, the cheap father of the ancestor of the Dantes family, the unknown Edmond also welcomed his spring on a drunken night - an inexperienced but ambitious girl fell in love with his shining noble title.

This Miss Anna, just like her great-great-great-grandmother Margaret in his family tree, dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family. She quickly fell in love with him and gave birth to a son.

But when this lady discovered that the "famous" Sir Dantes was actually a useless show-off, that was after she became pregnant with her second child.

Before she could even have a seizure, the third little life was born.

Now that things have come to this, it's too late for her to regret.

Fortunately, Sir Dantes, who had become a father, finally got a little better under the influence of his wife and children, and the family's life was not too bad. Especially Sir Dantes quit drinking, and with some savings left by his ancestors, he finally bought a decent house on Loyalty Street 11, and moved to the city with his family...

Days passed one after another, and Dantes, who had not been to the tavern to brag for a long time, almost forgot the glory of his ancestors.

It was not until the respected "Imperial Griffin" General Hamelton heard a legend from five hundred years ago on the continent of Janna that he decided to help the respected His Highness Colin find the roots of the Colin family in the empire. As a result, the officials of the Port Authority searched through boxes and drawers for several nights and finally found it.

When the official from the Port Authority came to him with the missing information from 500 years ago, Dantes suddenly realized that

It turns out that the ancestor "Fernando" that I have been bragging about for half my life is actually named Colin! His name is Fernando Colin!

Everything is complete!
As long as His Majesty nods...

……

At No. 11 Loyalty Street, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, just as gloomy as the mood of the Dantes family.

Logically speaking, the respected Mr. Lumire should have come early in the morning. It doesn't take too long to confirm the family tree. No matter how busy Mr. Colin is with social engagements, he would not forget such an important matter.

However, even when dusk stretched the shadows of the streets, no carriage with golden roses and scriptures appeared on the bustling Loyalty Street.

Obvious.

That lord had forgotten them!
Edmond Dantes paced back and forth in the living room in a restless manner. His tall, thin figure was hunched over, his face was pale, and beads of sweat on his forehead slid down to the tip of his nose several times, but he did not notice it.

He kept muttering to himself, glancing out the door from time to time, as if he could see through the shabby wooden door and see the fate that was about to happen outside.

"Sit down, Edmund," his wife Anna rubbed her hands vigorously, her voice sharp and anxious, "walking around won't change the result!"

She was in an extremely irritable mood, and any rustling sound outside the door sounded like the harsh ridicule of her neighbors to her.

She could even imagine what those people would say about their family——

"Look at that family, they are so foolish that they want to be relatives of His Royal Highness Colin! How could that noble prince have such lowly relatives!"

'Little Margaret, my dear little baby, you must never play with Emily again. Their family is not normal, especially Emily's mother, ha ha ha, it's so embarrassing.'

Seeing his wife's face becoming increasingly worse, Edmund swallowed, forced a smile of self-respect on his stiff face, and muttered.

"I'm just... a little hot, and I want to take a walk."

He just wanted to meet that gentleman.

He didn't want anything, just a chance to meet her, because that was the regret of Mr. Fernando Colin and Madame Marguerite Dantes five hundred years ago.

He is also his relative!

His wife was still muttering to him that he should have established connections with the Port Authority earlier, so that they might be able to join the team welcoming His Highness Colin... and maybe they could even get in touch with the big shots of the Hilfen family and get Sophia admitted to the Royal Academy of Art.

Edmund no longer had the energy to complain about his wife, nor did he want to do so. He could only coax her and help her calm down.

Why would they need the connections of the Hilfen family to solve Sophia's school problem? They didn't need to know anyone. All they needed was Colin to nod slightly, and the others would automatically help them.

To this day he still remembers the politeness of the Port Authority official towards him... that kind of thoughtfulness and care of a servant towards his master was something he had only experienced when dining in the restaurant.

As for his eldest son Lucian, this always unruly brat, now sat lonely in the corner of the room, like a frost-bitten eggplant.

His eyes were empty and confused, and his usual lofty words seemed to be blown away by the wind in an instant, leaving only silent waiting.

Is it really true that I can only be a knight's squire?

He didn't want to feed horses all day until he was thirty years old, and then find a noble lord who needed a knight to show off, and spend his days chasing after goblins and cursing them, or staring at windmills in the countryside or flirting with village girls.

What's the difference between this and an adventurer?!

The Royal Knights is where he should be!

Sophia sat on the old sofa holding her younger sister Emily, looking at the gray street scene outside the window with a melancholy expression.

Before Mr. Colin came to this port, she had many fantasies, including meeting him by chance in the garden, listening to him talk about his adventures in the Janna continent, and playing the piano for him alone in the empty piano room...

However, now those romantic expectations have finally turned into bubbles and disappeared in the melancholy evening breeze.

Until the end, she didn't say a word to him.

Seeing that no one was playing with her, little Emily, sitting in her sister Sofia's arms, pouted and hummed to her own amusement.

She wanted to go to the Notre Dame School, where Lady Agnes would lead them to sing, and Margaret, who played well with her, would secretly bring her a homemade nougat. However, her father insisted that Mr. Colin might come at any time, and the whole family had to greet him neatly, and then introduce themselves in the order they had rehearsed, and then Mr. Colin would give her more candies than she could finish in her lifetime...

She admitted that it was tempting, but she couldn't help but think with frustration that if she were Mr. Colin, she wouldn't come to such a troublesome place.

The only quiet one was the second son, François. This quiet boy always stayed with books, as if he had lost interest in the superficiality of human beings.

At this moment, clear footsteps were suddenly heard outside the door. Edmund, who had just sat down, stood up almost reflexively and looked excitedly at his wife who had also stood up.

The footsteps stopped, and soon there was a knock on the door. Edmund moved to the door almost instantly, and opened it while giving a distinctive smile.

"Mr. Lumire! Welcome to--"

The words that were about to come out of his mouth got stuck in his throat.

That calm and serious face made him subconsciously feel awe and fear of the unpredictable fate.

The whole family held their breath involuntarily. Even the nerd Francois quietly raised his head, and little Emily stopped humming.

She glanced at her sister secretly and saw that her pretty face was full of nervousness and her hands involuntarily clenched the hem of her skirt.

"Mr. Dantes," Lumière said slowly, still looking gentlemanly, but with a barely perceptible smile in his eyes, "His Royal Highness Prince Colin has carefully reviewed your genealogy and family history. I am here to inform you -"

"Wait a minute! I, it suddenly occurred to me that there seems to be a photo album in the suburban house! I remember seeing it before. It was an oil painting drawn for Lady Margaret by her children! That... maybe it can prove something." Anna looked at Edmund in panic and winked at him.

Edmund's heartbeat seemed to be about to jump out of his chest, and he stammered.

"Yes, yes! I remember it too - there are still a few relics there. Your Highness will definitely remember something after seeing them."

"I, I can go get it!" Lucien stood up from the sofa, but forgot how far it was from here to Dantes' farm.

Looking at the family in disarray, Lumire couldn't help but find it funny, but thinking that they were the Demon King's "relatives" after all, he coughed lightly and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Please calm down, Mr. Dantes and Ms. Dantes... His Highness Colin has confirmed your identities. There is no doubt that Fernando Colin is his great-great-great... grandfather. Although he used the alias Geoffrey after being lost in the wilderness, what happened is basically consistent with the genealogy of the Colin family, so we believe they are the same person."

This sentence was like a thunderclap falling on the plain, exploding in the hearts of Dantes' family.

Edmund was stunned for a long time, his lips trembling, and then his whole body glowed with unprecedented brilliance at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lumiel couldn't help but be surprised.

He had only seen this kind of situation when the Demon King upgraded his believers, but he never expected that his words could be so powerful.

As expected of the Demon King...

It is simply extremely powerful and unfathomable!

"Really...really?"

The same thing happened to Anna Dantes. Her lips trembled slightly, the corners of her eyes quickly turned red, and her voice was so excited that it even sounded like tears.

"Saint Sith above..."

Perhaps the bra was too tight and she lost her breath and nearly fainted from excitement. Fortunately, Edmund was quick to hug her and prevented her from falling.

Without looking at his disgraced parents, Lucien walked quickly to the door and looked at Lumire nervously, with ambition burning in his eyes.

"Then Your Highness... Will His Royal Highness the Prince meet us? I, I have always admired him... I want to shake his hand!"

He still remembered what his sister Sophia had said - Mr. Hilfen could send him to the reserve team of the Royal Knights with just one sentence.

of course.

With an uncle like His Royal Highness Colin, the Royal Knights alone were no longer enough to excite him.

He had made up his mind. He would train in the Royal Scouts for a year, and in the Royal Knights for another two years. In the fourth year, he would go directly to the Janna Continent to join Uncle Colin. At the latest when he was thirty years old, he would be able to return to the Holy City as a hero with a lifetime of glory and legend, and become a glorious Knight Commander.

The Dantes family will regain its former glory in his hands!

Sophia also wanted to shake hands with His Highness Colin, but she was too embarrassed to say it directly like her brother, so she just buried her head with a red face.

Looking at this ambitious young man, Lumire smiled and nodded.

"Of course, you will meet soon, but not tonight... There is a very important banquet at the Valencia family's manor tonight. It is hosted by His Royal Highness the Regent to welcome the return of the Prince of Janna Continent."

Regent!
The Valencia family!

Another well-known name!

Edmund almost forgot to breathe, his old face flushed with excitement. He hurriedly helped his wife to steady herself, and then spoke hurriedly.

"It's okay! It's okay! Business is more important! As long as he is willing to see us... we are free anytime!"

He would not be so foolish as to ask the other party to take him with him. He knew very well that if he went, he would only bring shame to Mr. Colin and even the Colin family!
They now share the same honor and disgrace!
Sophia nodded excitedly, approval written all over her pretty face, but Emily's face fell in frustration and her mouth pouted.

When are you free?

Shouldn't they keep waiting?

She doesn't want to stay home, she wants to go to school!
Pity.

Her wish was doomed to fail.

Little did she know at that young age that her family would soon move away from Loyalty Street and into a taller, larger house to assume new identities.

She no longer needs to go to school, more professional and decent teachers will go directly to her home and teach her the truth that the imperial cattle and horses will never be exposed to in their lifetime. When she is older, her mother will take her to various salons to make friends with more children who are more in line with the status of the Dantes family, until she enters university or gets married.

This is the rule of this era.

She will have endless candy.

But she could never eat the nougat that little Margaret secretly brought her again.

Lumire looked at Edmund and smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad you think so. His Highness is also very happy to find his relatives in the Holy City and make up for his father's regrets. At the beginning of next month, he plans to hold a funeral for his father, His Highness Nanfu Colin, at St. Clement's Cathedral. I hope you and your family can attend."

Edmund nodded quickly, his face showing joy at first, but perhaps realizing that something was wrong, he quickly squeezed out sadness and solemnity.

"Of course! I will definitely go!"

Not paying attention to his little action, Lumière nodded and continued to talk about the most important thing for Dantes' family.

"In addition, His Highness Colin hopes that you can help him manage some of his properties in the Holy City. He is very optimistic about the development of this city and is considering living here in his later years, so he wants to buy some real estate in advance. However, neither he nor I can stay here forever, and I can't trust others to take care of it, so I have to trouble you with this matter."

"He will provide you with a considerable salary, which is enough to cover your family's noble dignity. In addition, as a branch of the Colin family, you will be granted a more decent residence. You can choose the location by yourself. The only requirement is not to embarrass the Colin family."

Edmund's face was filled with unspeakable ecstasy. He staggered back two steps, as if he was in a dream and couldn't believe his ears.

This man, who had been in decadence for half his life, had lived in an illusory dream most of the time, but at this moment his dream became reality.

At this moment, his back was truly straightened, and he was no longer a vain person trying to show off his wealth. Instead, he truly became a father who could stand on his own feet, a man who could be relied upon by his wife and children!

If he would wake up from this dream tomorrow, he would rather stay in this day forever.

For Colin—

He was even willing to die!
"Please leave it to me! I, Edmond Dantes, swear to Saint-Sisse that if I dare to do anything wrong to Mr. Colin, my soul will suffer eternal torment in hell!" Edmond swore the oath more seriously than ever before.

Although Lumière did not think this was such a bad thing, for the believers of Saint Sith, this was indeed the most vicious oath.

At least Teach didn't dare to swear so.

Looking at her father who suddenly became so reliable, Sophia's face flushed with a rare blush, and her eyes sparkled. The dreams that had been hidden in her heart for a long time bloomed again at this moment.

Not only her, but also little Emily in her arms clapped her hands excitedly and shouted "Oh oh".

Although she didn't know what happened, the dark cloud hanging over the family's heads had finally dissipated, and perhaps it wouldn't be long before she could return to her previous life.

François, the nerd who had remained silent throughout the whole process, also breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at his ambitious brother, and was sincerely happy for him.

Not only his brother, but his own university was also settled.

Although it would not be difficult for him to pass the exam based on his own abilities, but... who would refuse a higher starting point?

In the past, he had to squeeze through a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops, and then pick up the leftovers from the nobles, or go to the colonies to make a living. But now, he can be at the table from the beginning, and let those unattainable opportunities line up in front of him waiting for him to choose.

These are two different lives.

Madame Anna Dantès, who had finally come to her senses from her dizziness, murmured to herself, and finally uttered the words of thanks which had choked her more than ten minutes ago.

"Saint Sith above..."

"Our family has finally turned things around..."

Just as Edmund's family was rejoicing over their transformation into masters of their own destiny, a carriage printed with golden roses and scripture emblems drove slowly into the Valencia family's estate at the tail end of the night.

If the Dantes family and Baron Cossiah are chess pieces of the Demon King, then this is the real chess table.

The carriages entering and leaving the manor are low-key yet luxurious, and the family crests carved on walnut wood are enough to shock the entire empire, and many of them are even included in the collection of the Demon King Academy Library.

Luo Yan's eyes casually swept out the window. He did not feel the slightest bit nervous about being in an enemy country. His face showed calmness and composure.

The transparent Youyou came close to him and whispered softly.

"Incredible... There are at least six demigod-level warriors here!"

There are only eight demigods in the entire Hell, and there are probably no more than twelve in the Empire.

In other words——

Half of the strongest people in the entire human world are here.

"Saint Sith" was slowly opening an eye towards him!
but--

So what?
In the Supreme Council Chamber of the Demon City’s Parliament Building, the Demon God opened his two eyes to him, but he saw nothing, didn’t he?
As long as he overcomes the fear in his heart, his soul will be invincible.

Sensing the prying eyes outside the carriage and the invisible pressure emanating from it, Luo Yan smiled faintly and responded calmly in his heart.

"That just proves we're in the right place."

(End of this chapter)