Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

“Yes…” The count gave a wry smile, as if Liu Xia’s words reminded him of something helpless. “If only all the sons of nobles could understand this, what would maintain their status is not their fathers’ titles, but their own strength…”

Today, most young nobles only know how to indulge in debauchery, neglecting their swordsmanship… When the storm comes, their gilded exteriors will be washed away, and their inner worthless bodies will return to dust… That will be the time when the old empire falls and the new empire rises.”

Hearing the Earl's sigh, Linton couldn't help but say, "Lord Tavis and Lord Bran, while they each have their problems, aren't they really that bad..."

“I wasn’t talking about them, I was talking about my past self, and the current situation of most noble families.” The count shook his head and looked out the window at a brightly lit place in the city.

The Enchanting Pearl shines from dusk till dawn. Even with the Upper City under control, there are always carefree, spoiled nobles who go out to enjoy themselves all night, seemingly oblivious to the changes happening around them.

Ryuka vaguely sensed that she understood what the old count was trying to achieve by saying all this, so she asked decisively:

“My lord, let’s be frank. Whether it’s the three-way power struggle in Sochi, what you just told me, or… why you’ve been paying attention to me.”

“I want to form an alliance with you, not with Lord Tartu of Linhu Territory, but with you.” The Earl laughed, knowing that honesty would be more effective with Liuxia. “My offspring are not so bad, but they are certainly not outstanding. Once I die, the Duke family will inevitably decline, and if greater chaos comes, they may not be able to protect their lives and property.”

“I want to form an alliance with you, not with Lord Tartu of Linhu Territory, but with you.” The Earl laughed, knowing that honesty would be more effective with Liuxia. “My offspring are not so bad, but they are certainly not outstanding. Once I die, the Duke family will inevitably decline, and if greater chaos comes, they may not be able to protect their lives and property.”

Ryusha understood what Earl Duke meant. He... was selecting investors? Did he think he was good enough to be invested in, so he was exchanging the current cooperation for a future boost to the Duke family?

"Are you so sure that the Empire will experience a large-scale internal strife?" Ryusha asked curiously. Although the Empire was declining and had many problems, no one could say for sure when the problems accumulated within it would erupt. What if it continued to languish for another generation or two, allowing Count Duke to miscalculate?

"Believe me, child, that day is not far off. Although many people are making various efforts, I don't think they will succeed. Even the neutral Alvarez family has joined the partisan war..."

"So you want to place your hopes on an outsider, a young boy at that?" Ryuka shook his head with a smile. "That sounds too unbelievable."

Would an old fox like him really choose himself so firmly? After all, this count and his wife of decades have been living separate lives—no, now they don't even share a bed…

“I have reasons to earn your trust…” The count touched his neck and looked at Ryusha with a playful gaze, seemingly anticipating his next reaction.

"Sir, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

Linton panicked, but before he could finish speaking, Earl Duke interrupted him, looking at Ryusha and asking with amusement:

"Kid, do you love Kira?"

What?! Liu Xia was stunned when she heard this, not understanding why the other party suddenly asked this question.

The count before him wore an amused expression, eagerly awaiting his answer...

Chapter 4 Father-in-law?! And grandfather too?

Looking at the Earl's expression, everything about Kira flashed through Liuxia's mind.

A heretical mixed-race woman, whose mother is a famous socialite in Sochi, and whose father is unknown...

After attacking Bran, the Earl did not pursue the matter, but demanded that Kira be present when the peace treaty was signed...

After that, Kira's many trade trips went very smoothly, and even Bran, who seemed extremely violent, did not cause her any more trouble...

Could it be that...?

Although she had a vague feeling before, Ryuka wouldn't make assumptions, but now...

Ryuka tentatively asked with a very strange look in her eyes, "Kira, she..."

"She is my daughter." The count smiled and pulled a cross pendant from his neck, exactly the same one that Ryusha had seen on Kira...

Liu Xia was speechless for a moment, her mind racing.

“I know what you’re thinking,” the Earl explained preemptively. “Kira herself is completely unaware of this. Only my family and Linton know. Even so, apart from Linton, others only have a vague idea and no concrete evidence.”

“You can completely trust Kira; it was her own choice to follow you. And you have indeed given her a different life and allowed her to make the most of her talents.”

"Of course, I saw the spark between you two at a glance. Believe me, this old man has been through it all... So, you still haven't answered my question?"

Looking at the Earl's questioning gaze, Liu Xia suddenly felt immense pressure.

Does he love Kira? To be honest, before Kira, he had already been with quite a few women, but the word 'love'...

Liu Xia's eyes twitched twice, and she slowly said, "I like her, admire her talent, and approve of her character... but as for love, I don't think it's that high a level."

Even though Kira was already his woman, Ryuka didn't dare to say he loved her, and he even felt like a jerk himself.

But for some reason, Earl Duke was quite pleased with this and burst into laughter:

"Good! I like this answer. If you said love, I'd find that a bit insincere! After all, you have quite a few beautiful women around you... Ah~ I didn't mean anything by it, but as a man, if my husband weren't so amazing, I'd want to have a bunch of concubines like other nobles~"

“Uh…aren’t you angry? By the way, why is Kira…” Ryuga looked at the laughing old man, wanting to ask a question but being ignored. He looked at Linton to the side and saw the other man sighing and shaking his head with a helpless expression.

While ignoring Ryusha's question, Count Duke began speaking to someone else:

"Kramer, what about you? How do you feel about this answer?"

Clemens? There was clearly no one else in the room, but the light and shadow in front of Ryuka blurred, and a dark figure appeared out of thin air next to Earl Duke.

Liu Xia immediately became serious. This person had been there all along, but she hadn't noticed at all!

The top official! The one from the Duke family! And his appearance...

The man called Kramer was an old man, though aged, his spirit was sharp. He had short, gray hair. He looked older than Earl Duke, but his lean body was upright and strong. He wore assassin's leather armor, his unseen hands were clasped behind his back, and his emotionless silver-gray eyes were fixed intently on him…

And his skin color was the same wheat color as Kira's!

Dark Elf! No, a hybrid! Ryusha noticed Clemur's ears, which were far shorter than those of a legendary dark elf, but definitely exceeded the Church's tolerance standard for heretical hybrids!

"And who is this?" Ryusha felt a little flustered by Clemmer's stare, but the other party didn't say a word, only communicating with Earl Duke with his eyes.

"Kramer is Kira's maternal grandfather, a highly skilled shadow assassin proficient in both magic and martial arts." Count Duke chuckled, dropping an even more shocking revelation that left Ryuka utterly stunned... (The rest of the text appears to be a jumbled collection of characters and phrases, possibly from different sources, and doesn't form coherent sentences.)

Grandpa, grandpa, grandpa?!

'How is Kira doing?'

A strange voice suddenly echoed in Ryūka's mind, while Kramer's lips remained perfectly still. The expressions of Earl Duke and Scribe Linton also remained unchanged. Only when Ryūka was momentarily stunned did Earl Duke smile and explain:

"You heard Kramer talking to you, didn't you? He can't speak, but he can communicate directly with people using magic, which is a kind of talent."

Upon hearing this, Kremer opened his mouth towards Ryusha, displaying his empty mouth without a tongue.

He... was a slave? In an instant, Ryuga understood their previous relationship.

“Kira is doing well. She’s full of energy every day and busy with various business matters. She’s also made a lot of friends…” Ryusha responded to Kramer’s question.

Then, Count Duke slowly explained the complicated relationship between them to Ryukyu.

Clemur was a slave to the Duke family long before Earl Duke was born, serving the previous Earl Duke, who was also Ronald Duke's father. However, he did not yet have the strength to become a Grand Master at that time; he only broke through to the Grand Master level after Ronald Duke took over his father's territory.

Kira's mother, Mia, was both Ronald Duke's servant and childhood friend. After Clemens became Grand Master, in order to further gain his trust, Earl Duke made Mia a free woman. Mia then founded the Silver Star Nocturne, partly because she enjoyed it, and partly to help Earl Duke gather intelligence.

Mia was more than ten years younger than Ronald Duke, and Earl Duke was ultimately to marry Mara Payne, whom his father had arranged for him to marry. Therefore, their affair remained secret. But Mrs. Mara was not entirely unaware…

Kira was born ten years later than her second son, Bran. And her mother never told Kira that her father was the lord of Sochi.

From the changes in Count Duke's expression as he recounted these events, and the look in his eyes when he spoke of Kira's mother, Ruka realized that the story was more complex than she had imagined...

As for the death of Kira's mother, Count Duke remained silent, which made Ryusha realize that there was another story behind it.

"So when Kira sold her mother's belongings and went to Linhu Territory, I didn't stop her. Perhaps she could have a better life there..."

Hearing this, Ryusha couldn't help but retort on Kira's behalf: "But Bran almost killed her, so what do you say about that?"

“I know about this,” Earl Duke gave a wry smile. “Bran doesn’t know the specifics, but he knows some things from his mother. He’s just angry on his mother’s behalf, believing that Kira has tainted the Duke family bloodline, so he dislikes his sister. But he won’t kill his sister for that, I can guarantee that…”

"Is that so?" Ryuka's lips twitched. He had no liking for Bran, who indiscriminately slaughtered civilians, even if it was the 'standard morality' of the nobles in this world...

“I know you don’t like Bran, but he’s changed a lot lately. If possible, I still hope you can help him out at a crucial moment. After all, you seem to know a lot about managing people, don’t you? And he’ll soon become a great knight.” Count Duke joked with Ryūka.

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. I can't guarantee that I will accept him," Liu Xia said frankly.

“I understand, so it’s up to you and him to choose in the future. I just want to ensure that my bloodline continues… And Bran’s mindset and stance have indeed changed. At least he has accepted Kira as his sister, after all…”

Earl Duke stroked the cross in his hand and slowly took it down...

"He already knows that he also has heretical dark elf blood... even if it's less..."

As the cross was removed, Count Duke's eyes instantly turned the same silver-grey as Clemens and Kira's!

Chapter 5 Zona, the Half-Blood Elf

Long before the Ottus Empire conquered the east, this area was scattered with many small states, and a large number of heretical mixed-race people who were discriminated against settled here.

The Duke family, who now rule this area, has long since secretly forged an inseparable bond with the dark elf hybrids. Initially, they were simply after the hybrids' talent and abilities in dark magic, but this mutual exploitation eventually became ambiguous.

"Is this cross a magical artifact that can conceal a mixed-race appearance?"

Ryuga looked at the necklace in the count's hand. It was common for mixed-race people to be discriminated against. Even though Ronald Duke's eyes were the only difference, it was enough for him to be ostracized and attacked by nobles.

"To be precise, it's an expression of suppressed dark elf bloodline. The same goes for Kira; her heretical bloodline concentration is higher than it actually is, but she herself doesn't know it."

As he spoke, the count put the necklace back on.

Indeed, Ryusha had never seen Kira remove the necklace from her neck, not even at that moment.

“She was both lucky and unlucky; her dark elf blood granted her immense power. But if she accepted this power, she would be forced to live in the shadows. That’s why her mother, Mia, and I made this decision to conceal the truth about her…”

"My two sons do not possess the characteristics of dark elves, nor do they have any talent for magic, after all, the bloodline in my veins is already very diluted. If my father hadn't ended up with only me as his son, I wouldn't be the one to become the count."

As Ryusha listened to Count Duke's story, she suddenly realized something.

Tavis and Bran didn't have enough dark elf bloodline to acquire the talent for dark magic. Melanie had previously stated that, as a mage, she wasn't particularly averse to heresy.

"What does magic have to do with heresy?" (Mei Nene Mei Mei Ni Kong Ni Lin Zai Zai Mei Ni...)

Upon hearing Ryusha's question, Count Duke nodded: "Legend has it that the first human magicians acquired magical power through unions, rituals, and learning from heretical races."

To put it bluntly, they are simply intelligent life forms of a different race from ours; it's just that the Church doesn't recognize them, which is why they are called heretics. Of course, there's also the barrier caused by the past era of witches…

So that's how it's said, but magicians don't mention it often anymore.

Liu Xia pondered for a moment, then said to Earl Duke, "You're showing me all this in an attempt to gain my trust?"

“That’s right.” Earl Duke nodded. “Whether you rise to prominence in the future or help my children, the important thing is that I have something I’d like to ask you right now.”

"But besides making you believe it, you also need to have ways to motivate young people, right?"

Count Duke smiled and clapped his hands. A beautiful figure descended from the ceiling, her slender yet powerful body kneeling on one knee, her silver-gray pupils fixed on Ryuu.

An assassin, or rather, a ninja. Ryuga looked at the mixed-race female assassin who appeared before him; the characteristics of dark elves were even more pronounced in her. Only her face was obscured by a mask, revealing only her eyes, but it was said that all female dark elves were incredibly alluring, and mixed-race individuals were no exception.

"Zona is Clemens's disciple and is proficient in dark magic and various assassination techniques. It's just a pity that her talent is only average, so I'm afraid she has no hope of becoming a full-fledged official. I hope you don't mind."

Zona's expression remained unchanged upon hearing the count's assessment.

Upon seeing this scene, Ryusha knew without a doubt that this was a 'gift' from Earl Duke, or perhaps an informant.

Compared to the female assassin before her, Ryuka raised a more interesting question: "How many such dark elf hybrids are there behind the Duke family?"

“This is a secret known only to the head of the family, but I can tell you not much…” Earl Duke smiled bitterly. It seemed that not only the number of them, but also the methods of controlling them were probably known only to him.

Seeing that Ryūka wasn't interested in Zōna and was only asking the key questions, Count Duke's appreciation for her grew even stronger.

"Zona, Mr. Ryukatsu is now your master."

Count Duke's words became law; a dark purple rune appeared and bound Ryukatsu and Zona together. At the same time, Ryukatsu's [Proof of Leadership] sensed the increase in followers.

This is… a slave contract? Ryuga sensed the dark purple runes on his body; it was a more advanced form of dark magic than a slave contract. It was likely a secret technique of the ancient dark elves, who were said to have a strict hierarchy where superiors could order subordinates to commit suicide without hesitation.

The fact that Count Duke himself had neither martial arts nor magic, yet was able to do this, made Ryuka feel incredible.

Ryuka looked at Zona, who was kneeling on one knee, and waved.

Beautiful yet dangerous, Ryūka observed Zona's slightly darker complexion and sharp, striking features compared to Kira, her icy demeanor mirroring that of the original Melanie. However, Ryūka could sense Zona's intense loyalty through the [Leader's Proof], suggesting that coldness was her true nature.

The dark elves' methods are truly unbelievable. With just a single sentence from Earl Duke, Zona accepted Ryūka as her master, willing to die for him. And with such methods, and the control of a group of dark elf half-bloods behind them, is the Duke family still in decline?

Ryūka stroked Zona's long, pointed ears. According to the books, this was already very close to that of a pure-blooded dark elf. Even Clemur, standing behind Count Duke, didn't have this appearance…

But her talent was only average...

It seems that internal reproduction has made their appearance and bloodline talents highly unstable. Perhaps useful hybrid dark elves are becoming increasingly rare, and some may even lack both martial and magical talents, like Count Duke himself.

However, Ryūka didn't care. If he wanted, he could easily make Zorna a full-fledged member by simply boosting her stats. The key was her loyalty and unique talent skills.

"I cannot accept a reward without merit. What exactly does Your Excellency require of me to do in this matter?"

Ryuuya withdrew his hand from examining Zona. He inexplicably felt that Zona was quite satisfied with his attitude of treating him as a tool, and her eyes showed a hint of obedience.

"The first thing I want you to do is find my eldest grandson, David. He's likely been kidnapped by our adversaries. The man the Third Prince sent this time is named Ethan, and he's in charge of affairs in Sochi. This man has no resume whatsoever; all I know is that he has the power of a high-ranking official. Also, he's a madman..."

The count spoke slowly.

“I’ve seen him many times. This man is not only incredibly strong in combat, but also very perceptive and dangerous. Kramer can’t leave my side. Zona has enough reconnaissance skills, but not enough strategic thinking, so we need a smart person to command her.”