The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 29: Grabbing the Tail (5)

“The Rustal family… You’re not joking, are you?”

“Of course not, Commander Lucas. I may be your lord now, but I wouldn’t waste the time of the commanders of the White and Golden Dragon Knights with nonsense.”

“Well, even if you said something strange, I’d still take you seriously, young master, but… this is….”

“The Rustal family is part of the branch families. To fight them, we need a just cause. One that everyone will have no choice but to accept.”

Philip Alofs cut in, stopping Lucas Hoffmann from continuing, and he fixed his gaze directly on Martin.

While Philip had been genuinely shocked when the name of the Rustal family first came up, he had since regained his composure.

Smirk.

Seeing the unwavering determination in Philip’s eyes, Martin smiled.

“You don’t need to worry about justifying it. Vincent, if you please.”

“Got it.”

Vincent handed over the bundle of papers—the ledger from the Blood Sword Guild—that was sitting in front of him.

“…This can’t be.”

Shudder.

As soon as Philip read the first page, his arms began to shake uncontrollably. His previously calm face twisted into a grim expression.

“What? What does it say?”

Curious, Lucas immediately approached, and Philip handed him the pages he had already read.

Lucas glanced at the contents and—

“What… What is this?!”

He nearly shouted, his voice filled with disbelief.

The information was shocking.

The ledger detailed how, over a century ago, the Rustal family had founded the Blood Sword Guild and used them to eliminate political opponents.

The organization had carried out numerous requests over the past hundred years, but the Rustal family had always been their most generous patron.

The Rustal family’s involvement alone was enough to warrant their downfall.

But the last page was even more damning.

It clearly stated that they had targeted Martin himself.

“Where… Where did you find this?”

“Two days ago, the young master and my daughter led a raid on the Blood Sword Guild. We found this ledger in their base, and the young master personally deciphered its contents.”

“We discovered the location of their headquarters by slaughtering the remaining members.”

Martin added a brief explanation to Vincent’s words.

Lucas, having understood the situation, continued reading the ledger.

As he did, a sharp aura of anger slowly began to seep from him.

“Valdemar von Rustal… You’ve gone completely insane.”

Gone was the playful or relaxed demeanor Lucas usually displayed.

His cold fury made him resemble a drawn sword, ready to strike.

In contrast, Philip’s anger was far more obvious.

His overwhelming aura surged through the room like a storm.

“This is clear treason. With your permission, young master, I will immediately summon the knights of the Golden Dragon.”

“The White Dragon Knights will move as well. Once the knights are gathered, we’ll march on Talonia City. Is that the plan, young master?”

Suppressing their fury, both Lucas and Philip looked at Martin, awaiting his command.

Both men were resolute.

The moment Martin gave the order, they would turn Talonia City, the Rustal family’s stronghold, and all its territories into a sea of flames.

“We will head to Talonia City, but that’s not our true target.”

“Then where do we go?”

“Cheloti Mountain, located just outside Talonia City. But we must arrive there before the Rustal family does. That alone will guarantee our victory in this war.”

“Is there something special about that place?”

“Yes. You’ll understand as soon as we get there.”

“When do we need to arrive?”

“At the very latest, by noon the day after tomorrow. Can you manage that?”

“Of course. From Varehein City to Talonia City, it’s only about 100 kilometers. We could easily arrive by tomorrow night, not even needing until the day after. But what about you, young master? Long-distance travel could be hard on you.”

“It might have been a problem in the past, but I’m fine now.”

“Understood. I’ll gather the knights as quickly as possible, and we’ll depart early tomorrow.”

Lucas’s words were met with a light nod from Martin.

At this point, Vincent, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

“The White Dragon Knights and the Golden Dragon Knights are the main house’s strongest forces. Once the knights are gathered, the elders and the other branch family heads will certainly notice their movements. They’ll figure out your destination at Cheloti Mountain soon enough. How do you plan to catch them off guard, young master?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. The elders and branch heads will be too focused on me to notice anything else.”

“Judging by your confidence, you’ve got a way to ensure that… Oh.”

Vincent let out a genuine sigh of admiration.

He now understood the scope of Martin’s plan.

“So, it all connects to the audit of the Rustal family. Once that unfolds, the elders and branch heads will have no choice but to focus their attention on you.”

“Exactly. While they’re all watching me, the White Dragon Knights and Golden Dragon Knights can move toward their objective. Since Sien and I can teleport, we’ll leave later and still catch up in no time.”

“You really are fit to be head of the family, young master. To have prepared everything this thoroughly…”

Vincent shook his head in disbelief.

Martin just smiled in response, as if he was used to such reactions.

Meanwhile, Lucas and Philip stared at Martin, once again surprised.

The mention of an audit was enough to shock them.

Such an event was incredibly rare.

“To conduct an audit, you’ll need the approval of at least two of the elders or branch family heads. Even with Vincent here….”

“Don’t be surprised, Commander Lucas. The young master has already secured Elder Oriana’s support. I don’t know how, but he’s done it.”

“W-What?!”

Lucas gasped in astonishment at Vincent’s words.

Philip, equally shocked, turned to Martin.

“Did you really manage to win over Elder Oriana, that venomous old serpent?”

“Yes, Commander Philip. Although it’s not publicly known yet, Elder Oriana has already pledged her allegiance to me.”

Philip shook his head in disbelief.

He couldn’t even imagine how much more there was to be shocked by.

“As I learn more, I can’t help but be even more impressed with you, young master.”

“I have to agree with him. To win over even a wily elder so quickly… Valdemar von Rustal has truly provoked the wrong person.”

“It’s time to show him that clearly. As I mentioned earlier, we’ll leave at dawn tomorrow. I know it’s short notice, but I expect everything to be ready.”

“Don’t worry, young master. We’ll have everything perfectly prepared.”

“We’ll do our utmost to meet your expectations, young master.”

Lucas and Philip responded with firm resolve.

Thus, the two wings of the Adalbert family were fully spread, ready to serve their new lord, Martin Adalbert.

* * *

The next morning.

A massive storm swept through the Adalbert family.

Martin had officially announced a full-scale audit of the Rustal family.

The announcement followed all proper procedures, with the official document stamped by both Vincent and Elder Oriana, confirming its legitimacy.

“Oriana said she’s feeling unwell and has retreated to her private villa for the time being. She also mentioned that she won’t be able to receive any communications.”

“Well, that’s understandable. In the end, she did betray her fellow elders.”

“That’s true, but I don’t think it’s something we need to worry about.”

“Are you sure? After all, she’s now on your side.”

“She only bowed to me because I caught her in a vulnerable position. There’s no trust there. That’s why I need you, Vincent, to keep an eye on her.”

“You certainly know how to handle people harshly.”

“That’s because I trust you, Vincent.”

Martin’s sly response made Vincent shake his head in amusement.

Seeing this, Martin allowed himself a faint smile.

‘You never trust a traitor unless they’ve proven their loyalty.’

Use them as much as possible, and once they’ve outlived their usefulness, discard them.

That was the extent of Oriana’s value to him at the moment.

Bang!

Just then, the office door burst open violently.

Moments later, Elders Aren and Marius stormed in, their faces flushed with anger.

Judging by the look in their eyes, they seemed ready to tear Martin apart.

“Now, now. What’s all this commotion about? Have you two forgotten that this is the young master’s office?”

Vincent’s playful jab only fueled their anger further, but the two elders forced themselves to calm down and offered a stiff apology.

“…Apologies, young master. I acted rashly due to the circumstances. However, there is something that must be addressed.”

“What is the meaning of the notice released today? How could you proceed with something so critical without informing the elders first? This is an overstep of authority…”

“Overstep of authority? Let’s use the correct words, shall we? Elder Oriana and I approved the audit. That alone makes the procedure valid,” Vincent responded casually.

The two elders were about to argue, but Vincent cut them off, continuing in a calm voice.

“You both should be well aware of how important discretion is when dealing with matters like these. The more people who know the truth, the more likely it is that information will leak. We had to keep it under wraps.”

Aren and Marius’s faces contorted with frustration.

Vincent’s words were a direct insinuation that they couldn’t be trusted.

Yet, they couldn’t back down here.

“What is the real reason for this audit, young master? I doubt it’s over something as trivial as tax evasion and slush funds.”

“Trivial?” Martin’s tone grew icy as he addressed Marius.

“Of course, those things are crimes, but not serious enough to warrant this level of action.”

At Martin’s cold expression, Marius quickly bowed his head in deference.

Only then did Martin’s expression relax.

“It’s far from ordinary tax evasion. The Rustal family has been smuggling materials from dungeons. To verify this, an audit is necessary.”

“You’re accusing a branch family of such a crime without solid evidence?”

Marius looked incredulous, and Aren stepped in to back him up.

“Elder Marius is right. We should investigate more thoroughly before taking such drastic measures. It could be seen as persecution against the Rustal family.”

“I’ve also received reports that the White Dragon and Golden Dragon Knights left the estate right after the notice was issued. Are you planning to wage war against the Rustal family, young master?”

“If the Rustal family cooperates with the audit, there will be no issue, Elder Marius. As for Elder Aren, calling it persecution is rather harsh. The Rustal family brought this upon themselves. I’m merely confirming the facts.”

“But their guilt hasn’t been confirmed yet…”

“The information has been verified by Vincent and Elder Oriana, who is currently recovering. Isn’t that right, Elder Aren?”

Martin nonchalantly invoked both Vincent and Elder Oriana’s names, making Aren and Marius grit their teeth.

With everything proceeding according to procedure, there was nothing more they could do.

It was already infuriating that Oriana had sided with Martin, and now the situation was growing even more dire.

What if Valdemar was truly guilty?

Their entire effort to block Martin’s rise to head of the family would collapse.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to the Rustal family with Sien. I expect you both to stay here with Vincent and keep the estate in order.”

“Rest assured, young master,” Vincent responded confidently.

Unlike Vincent, Aren and Marius remained silent.

They could only watch, helpless and fuming, as Martin and Vincent discussed the situation.

Martin, for his part, didn’t seem the least bit concerned by their frustration.

“Well, since you seem to understand the situation, I’ll ask you to leave. I have a lot to prepare before heading to the Rustal family.”

Grit.

Aren and Marius’s faces turned beet red with rage, but Martin paid no mind to it.

In the end, the two elders stormed out of the office, their anger barely contained.

Once they were gone, Martin stared at the door they had left through, finally allowing his murderous intent to surface.

‘Just wait. Your turn is coming soon.’

This time, he would cleanly sever their heads.

Just like he had in his previous life.

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