Chapter 139: Setback

“We have allocated the funds for redevelopment and also distributed enough money among the grieving families.”

The butler handed over all the documents, showing the transactions that were being concluded.

“Brother, I am sorry. I should have been more proactive—”

“Hm?”

Duke Levaith adjusted his blonde hair, looking at his younger brother.

“Proactive?”

At his question, Arnold raised his head with utter shame.

“If only I had fought, I could have prevented everything.”

“You think so?”

“Huh?”

Arnold was flustered as the Duke questioned his strength.

“You took the best decision by listening to Remzi. Though I detest the guy, there’s no denying his capabilities.”

“But—”

“Silence.”

Arnold went silent, as the eyes of Duke Levaith stared at him with indifference.

“Speak only when you are asked to. Is that clear?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Good. As I was saying, even if you had fought them, it would have resulted in your death. So that was a good choice on your part not to interfere. As for the consequences of all those deaths, they don’t matter if losing you would have been the other outcome.”

Hearing his elder brother’s words, which had turned soft from his previous indifference, Arnold felt a warm sensation in his chest.

“Thank—”

“You are a good asset. One that I had invested a lot in. So, don’t disappoint me.”

Duke Levaith stood from his seat, his eyes already glued to the screen before him.

The money to be given for compensating the losses suffered by the auction house as well as those who had been killed was staggering.

Though it was nothing compared to the actual wealth of the Levaiths… even a single credit of free money given away was much more valuable than something that was spent on yourself.

The Duke moved towards a nearby window, his eyes taking in the scenery before him.

He had already dispatched his best men to search for those criminals, but so far nothing of value had been achieved.

The Levaith Duchy was already behind the Frosts in actual power, and now even their soft power had taken a huge hit.

The royal family had sent their soldiers to investigate the incident, though Duke Levaith knew it was just a cover to dig freely in his territory.

Even after being the supreme ruling family in the Veltran Empire, House Veltra was filled with scheming bastards who didn’t leave a single opportunity to get hold over the necks of their subordinates.

The Veltran royals liked control more than anything else; that was why there had never been an uprising in the empire throughout its entire history.

So far, only the Frosts had been able to grow without any interruptions, on account of the friendship between Castor and Mair.

Damian was a man of ambition.

All the efforts throughout his life had always been directed at fulfilling one of his biggest ambitions, but the recent incident had given him a deadly setback.

Still, Damian wasn’t someone to back down.

He had already made all necessary preparations to cushion the blow to the public image of his house.

For the entirety of the time, Arnold had his head bowed down, not daring to look up.

He had always known that his brother disliked failures, and the thing that had happened at the auction house was the biggest failure for Arnold, as he had damaged his brother’s efforts to make their house greater than ever before.

Arnold felt like beating the hell out of Remzi. If only that guy had not stopped him, Arnold could have somehow managed to reduce the damage sustained.

He might have died in doing so, but that would only have attracted sympathy from the public as opposed to the rumour about him not interfering to protect the people despite being present at the auction house.

“How is Ashlyn doing?”

Damian asked his butler without turning around.

“Young Miss is doing great. The annual tournament is near, and she is preparing for the same.”

The butler kept his answer short and measured.

He didn’t dare utter the consequences of all the recent events on her popularity for becoming the next student council president, as the Duke already knew about it.

“Hm. Tell the academy that we are open to letting the students visit our main forge for academic research.”

The butler as well as Arnold widened their eyes in surprise.

The main forge of every noble house had all their best technologies involved to manufacture the best weapons for their elite soldiers.

So it was rare for anyone to let others visit it, as that could lead to a leak in some of the advanced technologies or methods that might not have been known to the world—

As each noble house used their own ancestral methods to create weapons.

Methods that could not be replicated by anyone if they hadn’t seen the entire process with their own eyes.

Though the decision was shocking, the butler knew better than to question the Duke.

“As you wish, my lord.”

Bowing once, the butler left the room, leaving the two brothers in each other’s company.

“You may speak.”

Duke Levaith turned to look at Arnold, who couldn’t process the logic behind the decision of his brother.

Arnold, seeing that he was given permission, took a deep breath before speaking.

“The academy has heirs from all across the world. Opening the doors of the main forge for them would surely leak all our techniques, as all of the major powers would be able to easily replicate everything, with them having all the necessary resources. I mean, you might already know that, but… Hahah.”

Arnold chuckled awkwardly to reduce the anxiety bubbling in his heart.

“Do you think I don’t know such a basic thing?”

“N-No. I mean… I am sorry. It was foolish of me to speak.”

Arnold averted his eyes, looking at the ground below.

“You will be the one accompanying all the students as they visit us. Make sure all their needs are satisfied and no inconvenience is faced by our guests.”

“Yes, brother.”

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