CHAPTER 85: I WILL GET RID OF JAVIER ADITI

Grim.

The atmosphere within the luxurious room is grim.

Kneeling on the ground is a High Noble with a chubby body and a robust physique. His entire pristine attire has been sullied by crimson wine, and the ugly expression on his face is not at all befitting of someone of his standing.

But who can blame him?

This is the look of a completely defeated man!

Frustration!

Deep frustration is evident on his features, and he no longer tries to hide it or disguise it under bravado as he is fond of doing.

His eyes squint, allowing the hot tears of anger to roll down his chubby face.

His buckteeth clatter with pure annoyance.

That’s right.

This man who kneels pathetically atop his own spilled wine, like a common beggar amidst filth, is none other than Count Kaelen Thornvale—one of the Seven Counts of the Randalorion Kingdom.

His elegant garb soaks in the crimson wine, and the stench of alcohol diffuses in the air.

A look of absolute defeat plays on his face.

This haggard countenance of his shows a myriad of emotions.

He is broken.

Lost.

Confused.

But, more than all... vindictive!

"Javier Aditi... HOW DARE YOU?!" He roars with passionate hatred. "My great plan... ten years in the making... unraveled by a brat like you!"

This is the same Count Kaelen Thornvale who appears to be an easygoing Noble, humble and even pleasant to speak with. He is consistently polite and refuses to act arrogantly despite his high status.

This gives him a great reputation among Lesser Nobles and even High Nobles of lower status.

But the truth is far from this.

There is actually a deeper, more sinister aspect to this man.

In actuality, the Count has always had a poor reputation among High Nobles of the same Rank due to his rat-like face and buckteeth, a physical deformity that runs in his family due to genes.

It is known as the Thornvale Curse, one that has no cure.

Even his son has the same, and any male child born in their Household has it without exception.

Thankfully, the females are spared such humiliation.

Still, this is a rather shameful thing that has plagued his Household for many generations.

Because of his appearance, many underestimate the Count.

They treat him as a joke, always the least important among the other Counts. Lesser Nobles who are affiliated with his rivals even go as far as disrespecting him openly. However, because of his outward good nature and reputation, he hardly retaliates.

He remains good-natured.

At least... that is what everyone thinks.

But, the true nature of the Count is one that has long embraced the disdain that comes with his undignified appearance and status, and has actually chosen to use it to his advantage.

After all, this has allowed him to hide his true intentions perfectly.

Even when he is up to no good, no one suspects.

Though he belongs to the Royal Faction, he is able to freely relate with the Noble Faction, grifting with very little consequence thanks to the non-threatening aura he outwardly displays. The Royal Faction doesn’t view him as much of an aid, and the Noble Faction doesn’t see him as much of a threat.

Hence, he is more of a Neutral Faction, if anything at all.

This is precisely why he has such an easy time manipulating a lot of things from the shadows.

Contrary to what many think, he actually holds a lot of influence.

The money from the Money Laundering Scheme... the many illegal proceeds gotten from the activities of the Dark Guild... and many other ample resources...

... All of them exist in his coffers.

He possesses money and power on the same level as the Dukes—no, even more than them.

"Yet I have remained a Count all these years..." He grits his teeth, his eyes still planted on the wine-spilled floor as he stares at his crimson reflection.

With his incredible appetite and grand ambitions, how could he settle for that?

Even though he has used it to his benefit all these years, there’s no way the Count would ever be satisfied with remaining the same joke of a High Noble. Who would be comfortable with being looked down on forever?

No one!

Count Kaelen Thornvale is no exception.

However, unlike most people who suffer from the frustration of their inferiority, he actually had a plan to elevate himself to the same level as the overlords of the Randalorion Kingdom.

He was going to be promoted after sufficiently weakening one of the two Factions and triggering a Civil War. There are only three Dukes in the Randalorion Kingdom, and they maintain the balance quite well.

Hence, the possibility of a fourth Duke is highly unlikely.

But—

What if one of the Duke Households suffers a heavy blow, causing them to fall from grace?

In that case, he could take the opportunity to absorb their forces or downright replace them. For this purpose, he has been amassing a lot of power all these years.

With a great scheme that has existed for over a decade, he planned it all to this moment.

The Randalorion Civil War!

That was supposed to be the climax of his plan, engulfing the entire Kingdom in the chaos of war, and reaping all the benefits as a result. But... down the line, someone interfered and began to alter the flow of his plan.

"Damn you, Javier..." Count Kaelen groans loudly. "I should have gotten rid of you back in the Academy. I already knew something was wrong when your involvement subdued the Noble Faction’s influence in the Royal Academy."

Indeed!

Count Kaelen Thornvale had already taken note of Javier since his time in the Academy.

While there were other major players like Prince Korrin, Lady Anna Randalorion, and even Earl Balric Wolfshade, he found Javier Aditi to be at the center of the great change that caused the Noble Faction to collapse.

This fact was further exemplified when he caught Brutus and made him spill the details of Professor Alaric’s downfall and the role Javier had to play in it.

If he wasn’t convinced before, that fact alone made him quite aware of the situation.

Javier Aditi... he was the main reason.

If Javier Aditi didn’t exist, the Royal Faction and Noble Faction within the Academy would have continued to keep each other in check without any side gaining the edge. In fact, that is what Count Kaelen wants for the entirety of the Randalorion Kingdom.

He knows full well that if one side possesses an overwhelming advantage, the other side would be too hesitant to go to war and would rather surrender.

Hence, he has ensured over the years that these two sides remain fairly matched.

But, can they ever be truly be equal?

The Royal Faction would always have the advantage thanks to the Royal Family, which is the legitimate ruler of the Kingdom. This fact is recognized by the vast majority of people.

That’s why he planned the Money Laundering Scheme.

If it went according to plan, he would have gathered a lot more resources, and by implicating the Royal Family, they would have suffered dearly, resulting in the loss of support from the citizenry, which would spark an uprising borne from dissatisfaction.

With many Royal Faction supporters seceding to the Noble Faction, the balance would tilt.

This would give the Noble Faction an advantage.

If the plan with Duke Ravenwood was successful, then the excuse for war would be initiated, and the sparks would only rise from there.

Eventually, it would have devolved into a full-scale Civil War.

"Once it was over, or even during the Civil War itself, I would rise to prominence and the greatness of my Household would finally be recognized."

Whoever won or lost would have no choice but to recognize him, and he would secure a position as the most powerful Duke in the Randalorion Kingdom—second only to the Royal Family.

In fact, the most favorable result would be for him to be the true Ruler of the Kingdom, with the new Royal Family being nothing but figureheads. As alluring as that outcome would be, the Count has controlled his greed all this time and would have settled for just being a Duke.

But... even that was denied him.

All because of Javier.

"I deeply resent you, Javier! I don’t know what kind of luck you have, but you keep getting in my way, and yet you keep slipping out of my grasp."

Despite all his assassination attempts, none of them succeeded.

Even with his cautious nature and immense preparations, down to the last contingencies, they were all bypassed somehow, and Javier ended up winning.

How does that even make any sense?

Right now, Count Kaelen still doesn’t understand how he could have lost to a boy who wasn’t even alive when he became Head of his Household—a boy who wasn’t even of age when his scheme truly began.

But... things have finally come to this point.

It is unmistakable.

He lost.

Despite how unbelievable it is, the truth remains the same—evident before his eyes.

He lost to Javier Aditi.

"Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes..."

A pleasant voice echoes in the air, and a man with a mysterious aura suddenly appears in the room, almost as though he were always there. His abrupt entrance causes Count Kaelen to shudder slightly, but he quickly controls himself.

This mysterious man is fond of appearing this way, almost like teleportation, yet the Count has still not gotten used to it despite how many times it has happened already.

As the man takes a seat, slowly letting down the hood of his cloak to reveal bright yellow hair, a loud sigh echoes into the air.

He kicks each foot outward and rests his dirty boots on the center table.

Then, he glances at the Duke and chuckles aloud.

It’s an almost childlike laugh.

Despite how casual this man seems, an eerily cold atmosphere has surrounded the room.

It is suffocating.

Almost like everything is still—paused in the frame of time.

"Are you going to remain that way? Man, you’re so pathetic..." The blond figure smiles as he narrows his crimson eyes and stares intently.

A portion of his dark olive face, the left side, has burn marks that trail down his neck, and likely far below. However, the rest of his body is covered in his deep brown cloak.

"I-I’m sorry... Sir..."

"It’s fine, just stand." The man commands, a dismissive smirk playing on his playful face.

As instructed, Count Kaelen rises to his feet.

"Even with the authority I gave you over the Dark Guild, and the simple plan you were supposed to follow to secure your ascension, you still failed in the end."

"Y-yes, sir..." Count Kaelen bows his head in shame. "I’m sorry. B-but I can still—"

"Nah, forget it."

"But sir—"

"I said... forget it."

The change in this blond man’s tone causes the Count to freeze up.

Even though a smile remains on his face, his blood-red eyes burrow into the Count, and he feels a slight cut on his throat.

How is that possible?

The man didn’t even leave his chair, yet he could have easily taken the Count’s life.

Worse yet... there’s no Trace Element!

"I suspect that Javier has help from someone. It’s too coincidental how he has escaped your devices so many times. He keeps foiling your plans, too, almost like he has full knowledge of them, but even a Diviner wouldn’t be able to achieve this much. Could it be... a Seeker?"

"S-Seeker...?"

"Hmm..." The blond man shrugs before a wide grin forms on his face. "This has gotten quite interesting. Look, you’re quite the useful guy, fatty, but I doubt you’ll be able to stop that Javier guy even if you expend all your resources."

"B-but how can that be—?"

"Dunno! But... I intend to find out."

The blond man jumps to his feet with a "hut" and stretches his body with comical proficiency.

It almost looks like he’s having fun.

"We’ve known each other for a while, Kaelen... so don’t worry. I don’t blame you for your failures. You tried your best, right?"

"Y-yes, sir! I did... I promise, I did!" Count Kaelen whimpers, nodding frantically.

Faster than the blink of an eye, the burned man appears right next to Kaelen and pats his shoulder with a knowing, playful gaze.

"Yeah... I understand."

One finger from the five on his hand is missing, but everything is covered in a black glove.

Count Kaelen shivers under the man’s touch.

Beads of sweat form all over his face, his breathing turns heavy, and he can’t help but gulp several times at once.

"Calm your worries. I won’t kill you or anything." The blond man slaps his back softly, before suddenly appearing at the exit of the room. "In fact, I’m going to help you a little."

"W-wha...?"

"That’s right. I’m going to do what you and your goons have been unable to do all this time. Once that’s done, we’ll modify the plan a little and proceed."

"R-really? You’re really going to step in? But something so lowly, someone of your caliber shouldn’t have to—"

"It’s just a life, hehe... I’ve killed for far less."

The man leaks out an evil grin, one filled with much bloodlust and malice.

At this moment, he looks like a personification of death itself—the second coming of an evil deity.

"Just sit back and relax. I will get rid of Javier Aditi."

Before Count Kaelen even finishes hearing those words, the mysterious blond man has vanished, leaving no trace at all behind. Such a feat even exceeds the capability of the greatest assassin or the most skilled of men.

The Count knows this quite well, which is why his knees give out almost immediately and he collapses on the ground yet again.

This is the first time... the first time the mysterious man has touched him.

Such a thing...

Scary!

How scary!

Count Kaelen Thornvale can’t help but have these thoughts as his wide-open eyes keep twitching, responding to the loud pounding of his heart.

At this moment, all his deep-seated frustrations and anger have vanished.

Javier Aditi has even left his mind.

Since the mysterious blond man whom he calls "Sir" has involved himself in the matter, the end is already a foregone conclusion.

This is not a sign of arrogance or overconfidence, but merely a statement of fact.

After all... this "Sir" is a Leviathan.