Chapter 32: Journey (part 2)

Watching Dinua and Noah greet him, I followed along and attempted to introduce myself.

“Ian Clark of Baron Clark…”

“You, stay.”

Hypnos looked at me and pointed in my direction. 

Honestly, being noticed by the head of a family was quite overwhelming. Well it was to be expected since he a middle-aged man with more experience than I had in my entire life.

“Leave us alone for now. You too, Stella.”

With that, everyone left the office except me. 

After they departed, a long silence settled over the room.

* * *

[Third Person POV]

The silence was broken after ten minutes had passed.

“They say Stella is in debt.”

“Ah, yes.” 

Ian responded, albeit late. 

Seeing this, Hypnos pulled a letter from Stella out of a drawer. He waved the letter in front of Ian.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Well…”

“Stella’s letter. The entire content revolves around you.”

Saying this, he began reading a portion of Stella’s letter aloud. If she had been present, Stella would have turned red from embarrassment for sure.

“It’s been years since she addressed me as ‘Dear Father.’”

Dear Father, lovely daughter…with those words, she requested permission to access the family’s secret warehouse. Other than that, her words were adorned with all sorts of embellishments, filled with warmth and affection. Stella’s writing style was remarkably flowery and feminine.

After pausing, Hypnos folded the letter neatly and then sealed it back inside the envelope.

“You know what crossed my mind while reading this letter?”

“… Stella has more cute side than I expected?”

“I realized just how obsessed she is with you to write something like this to me.”

He clenched his fists as he spoke. His large forearm muscles, which could easily defeat a monster, tensed. 

Ian couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated, but then, the Duke laughed, seemingly amused by the youngster’s reaction.

“How about it? Do you think the same?”

“… I don’t think Stella likes me, probably not.”

Of course, Ian had some idea that Stella had a crush on him. The system had shown her rising affinity for him. Beyond that? He couldn’t see why she would fall for him. Their first meeting had been terrible, and things only worsened after that. He had been demanding far too much from her.

“When did I say she liked you?”

“… Excuse me? Didn’t you just say she fell in love?”

“I meant Stella admires your talent, not in a romantic sense.”

The smile that had been lingering on his face faded completely. His expression shifted to something harsher, as though a shadow had passed over him. His stern face now resembled a character from a certain mob movie.

“Don’t entertain delusions. Understand? Don’t cross that line.”

“… Yes, of course. Understood.”

Ian had never even dreamed of such a thing, nor had he ever aimed for it. He simply nodded quietly, not wanting to escalate the situation. There was no point in arguing with someone as stubborn as Hypnos. Instead, it was time to move on to the more important topic.

“Alright. You made a bet with Stella.”

“—Yes. And I won.”

“Do you understand the implications?”

“Stella was the one to initiate it…”

A mix of subtle deceit and 99% truth. No one would suspect a lie. As long as most of it was true, he could handle any questions or unexpected inquiries. 

Hypnos, who had been interrogating Ian as though it were an official inquiry, soon realized that Stella’s loss was indeed a fact. There was no fraud, no manipulation—just pure luck on Ian’s part.

‘How on earth…?’

Stella wasn’t the type to act on emotion. As the daughter of a duke, she had been trained never to act unless she was certain of victory. And yet, she had allowed her emotions to sway her into making an absurd bet, which she ultimately lost.

‘This man… he’s something else.’

Even with Stella’s keen perception, she had been unable to gauge him fully. That was why she suffered such a crushing defeat. There was something special, something unexplainable, about Ian.

Hypnos had intuited this. And with that realization, he came to a decision.

“Follow me.”

An individual’s uniqueness is what makes humanity special. A strong individual can ultimately save mankind. For humanity and the empire, even a family heirloom could be sacrificed. Above all, Hypnos calculated:

‘If he marries Stella, the financial resources will eventually return to us again.’

With his mind made up, the duke slowly stood from the table.

“I’ll show you the duke’s treasury.”

With those words, he led Ian toward the secret warehouse known only to the Duke.

* * *

Thud.

They arrived at the secret warehouse, forbidden to all but the head of the family. Even knowing its location was considered taboo. Two men walked down the hallway leading there. 

Hypnos turned to Ian.

“How much do you know about heirlooms?”

“Well, about as much as anyone else…”

“Good. Then I don’t need to explain further.”

Standing before the warehouse, sealed with chains and locks, Hypnos retrieved a key from his pocket and began unlocking it. The security appeared simple, but the hallway was heavily enchanted. Without the key, it was impossible to reach the warehouse.

Hypnos opened the door and lit a lamp inside. Slowly, a small flame illuminated the warehouse’s interior.

“Our Eritz family has protected the entire southern region for centuries.”

In other words, the entire southern part of the empire was under their control.

“Every summon that passes away in the South, their heirloom becomes ours.”

Over hundreds of years, countless heirlooms had accumulated. Many of these treasures weren’t even recorded, and their exact properties were unknown.

“Choose one.”

Upon hearing those words, Ian’s eyes widened in surprise. It was expected considering everything that lay within.

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