The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 87: Hierarchy Re-organization (2)

Shudder.

Elder Aren trembled violently.

Cold sweat had already drenched his entire body.

Martin had spoken to him in a casual, disrespectful tone, which was unusual, but Aren didn’t even have the presence of mind to address it.

“How… How did you find this place?”

He couldn’t comprehend it at all.

This secret hideout wasn’t just far from the Adalbert Estate but also far from Varehein City itself.

Even the other elders only knew of the existence of such hideouts but not the exact locations. How on earth had Martin arrived here?

Regardless of that, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

‘If it’s here….’

He spread his mana throughout the surroundings, but other than Martin, there was no one else.

And this place was practically a sealed room.

If he dealt with the man in front of him and destroyed this place entirely, no one would ever know he was responsible.

If Martin died, the Adalbert family would naturally fall into chaos, and if he, as an elder, handled the situation, becoming the new lord wouldn’t be out of reach.

Clench.

Elder Aren clenched his fist tightly.

What he saw at that moment, however, was a smirk on Martin’s lips.

It was obvious at a glance how composed Martin was.

And that’s when a certain realization dawned on Aren.

‘The heir killed the Crimson Reaper.’

Heinz Schwarzenbeck, a contemporary of Aren’s.

He had reached the 8th circle, a level above Aren himself.

Though Heinz’s actual power didn’t fully live up to the 8th circle due to his age, he was still a formidable force.

Yet that powerful man had perished at Martin’s hands in a one-on-one battle.

No matter how hard he fought, could he really win?

The conclusion came quickly, and Elder Aren eventually released his clenched fist.

He had lived a long life, but he still did not want to die.

“That’s a shame. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test my new strength.”

Martin’s words sent a chill through Elder Aren’s heart.

At the same time, he realized something.

The room had suddenly become oppressively hot.

He had no idea what trick Martin had employed, but one thing was clear.

If he had attacked, he would have surely lost his life.

With a resigned expression, he asked.

“Sigh… how did you even know about this place? Even the former family head didn’t know.”

“Why do you think my father didn’t know? He knew all about the Rustal family’s corruption, after all.”

It was a lie.

In truth, before his regression, he had once fought Elder Aren, and the elder had fled to this very location. That’s how Martin remembered it.

Of course, Aren would never know that.

“I don’t like you, Elder Aren. Actually, I despise all the heads of the branch families, excluding Vincent, and all of you elders, including yourself. Here’s a question: why do you think I’ve kept you alive for this long, despite how much I hate you?”

“…Because I haven’t openly betrayed you yet.”

“Exactly. But the situation has changed, hasn’t it?”

Elder Aren squeezed his eyes shut.

Martin had clearly heard everything.

Given Martin’s meticulous nature, there was a high possibility he had recorded or even filmed it.

If that information were to become known, it would spell his ruin.

“Sigh… What is it that you want, heir?”

“It’s simple. Bow your head to me, just like Elder Oriana did. And wag your tail like a dog.”

Twitch.

Elder Aren’s eyes twitched violently.

He had lived a long life, but he had never been treated so humiliatingly.

“Why are you so angry? Shouldn’t you be grateful instead? Not only are you keeping your life, but you’re also maintaining your reputation. Oh, wait… Do you want some sort of reward?”

Martin spoke as if he had just realized it, despite clearly knowing the truth.

His words were infuriatingly hypocritical.

“In the north, there are many territories currently without a lord. Once the heads of the rebellious branch families are dealt with, even more vacant lands will open up. If you faithfully follow my orders and achieve merit, you’ll have a shot at becoming a lord. I can help you fulfill your long-standing wish.”

“Anyone can make empty promises, heir.”

“So, you don’t believe me? Are you planning to join Marquis Royce’s side instead? But do you really trust Nicholas von Royce? I certainly don’t.”

“That’s…”

Elder Aren sighed once more.

No one was unaware of how devious Nicholas was.

Once he seized the Adalbert family, he would eliminate all his collaborators under the pretext of rewarding his loyal supporters.

“You’ve seen how it went with Elder Oriana. I don’t eliminate those who swear loyalty to me. Instead, I work them to the bone. But that’s not necessarily bad for you, is it? Bow to me, Elder Aren Cruse, and I will see to it that your wish is granted.”

The humiliating treatment continued to stoke his anger.

But at the same time, Martin’s offer was tempting.

It was the safest way to achieve his desire.

“All I need to do is swear loyalty, heir?”

“Not quite. If you want to become a lord, you must earn the merit that befits the position. Just carry out the tasks I give you properly. Then you’ll become a lord. Simple, right?”

“And what exactly do I need to do?”

“It’s a simple task. You just need to…”

As Martin finished speaking, Elder Aren’s eyes widened.

It was far more difficult than he had expected.

But he had no right to object.

“Understood, heir.”

“I hope you bring good results, Elder Aren. Despite everything, I still have high expectations for you.”

“I will bear that in mind.”

Finally, Elder Aren bowed his head to Martin.

* * *

Whirrr.

Space rippled, and Martin stepped into his office.

Sien was already waiting there.

“Did everything go well?”

“Yes. Elder Aren will now follow my orders faithfully.”

“Are you sure you can trust him? It wouldn’t be surprising if that man betrayed you.”

“If it were Elder Marius, then yes. But Elder Aren is different. He’s a man with great ambition. He has to have everything he desires to be satisfied. By following me, he can keep both his reputation and achieve his goals. For him, there’s no other option.”

“But what if he does betray you? If we’re not careful, our information could be leaked.”

“From now on, we’ll move with that in mind as well.”

“You know it’s not going to be easy, right?”

“It’s not that difficult.”

Martin shrugged, causing Sien to glance at him with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

She was so cute at that moment that he almost laughed, but he held it in.

Then he turned his gaze away.

At the edge of his sight was a towering stack of documents.

Buried beneath them was Kurt Steinhoff, looking utterly disheveled.

Yet he was diligently reading through every single one, writing, and organizing continuously, as if nothing was wrong.

‘Impressive.’

That’s how focused Kurt was on his work.

So much so that even his aura was palpable.

Swoosh.

Finally, Kurt finished his task, stood up, and gathered the massive pile of documents.

Then he walked straight over to Martin.

Thud!

In an instant, Martin’s desk was piled high with documents.

“I would like you to review these.”

“Hmm. Is this all I need to go through?”

“No, you still have three times more to review after this.”

“…You started working on this yesterday, and you’ve already gone through half?”

“Not everything. I’ve only reviewed about half so far.”

Martin wore a stunned expression. It had been a while since someone had managed to astonish him like this.

He had been away from the family for about a month, so it was no surprise that work had piled up.

But to get through half of it in a single day? It seemed impossible.

“It wasn’t too difficult. The previous secretaries handled the tasks quite well, so I was able to finish it quickly.”

“You know it’s even more shocking that you checked all of that, right?”

“This is nothing compared to the workload I had back at the Raize Library.”

Kurt responded calmly, and Sien chimed in with a playful smile.

“Now you see what it feels like for others when you talk like that?”

“…I hate to admit it, but I definitely understand now. I always thought I was good at handling paperwork, but this guy… he’s on a whole different level.”

“There’s naturally a difference between us, since I only offer suggestions, but you, heir, have to make the final decisions.”

“Should I thank you for acknowledging that?”

Martin gave a wry smile at Kurt’s remark.

Still, there was no escaping the fact that paperwork was just as important as anything else, and he needed to approach it with diligence.

But now wasn’t the time for that.

He had other matters to address.

“I’ll deal with this later… Sien, could you step out for a moment? I need to discuss something privately.”

“Sure.”

Sien responded cheerfully to Martin’s serious expression and immediately left the office.

Kurt, however, looked intrigued.

As far as he knew, Sien was the person Martin cherished the most. He was curious about what Martin intended to discuss by dismissing her first.

“There’s something I want to ask…”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s a woman I know. We’ve never had much interaction, but she’s been unusually friendly toward me.”

“Hmm. Could this be a woman issue?”

“I can say for certain that she doesn’t see me as a romantic interest.”

“Then what makes you think she’s being so friendly?”

“She’s gone so far as to defy the wishes of her family’s head just to help me.”

“If it’s not affection, then she must be expecting something from you. Something she hopes to achieve through you, heir.”

“Something she hopes to achieve, huh.”

Martin thought of Adel von Bitenfeld.

Before his regression, they had never spoken much.

Even after she had saved his life, they didn’t engage in much conversation.

It was understandable at the time—he had been too preoccupied with Oliver von Bitenfeld, who openly sought to take his position.

Moreover, after saving him, Adel had left her family entirely.

The possibility of meeting her again had vanished.

Nevertheless, she had undeniably saved him, and in the end, he had successfully defeated Oliver von Bitenfeld.

He had repaid that debt during the recent monster wave crisis.

‘Wait.’

He recalled something he had read in the family records.

It mentioned that Adel von Bitenfeld’s mother had been a maid.

But Adel had been fortunate.

She had been born with exceptional talent and the potential for unique abilities.

She had honed those talents, and despite being the daughter of a maid, she had successfully overtaken her younger brother, born to the legitimate wife, to become the family’s heir.

However, she constantly clashed with her father due to their differing temperaments and views, which led to frequent disputes.

‘What if Oliver von Bitenfeld, dissatisfied with his daughter, tried to replace her as heir?’

Indeed, Oliver had stripped Adel of her heir status the moment she lost her left arm.

From then on, she was only allowed to appear publicly to fight when ordered by the family head. Otherwise, she was confined to the family’s secret hideout.

Adel couldn’t possibly harbor any affection for her father.

What would it take for her to reclaim her position as head of the Bitenfeld family?

‘She’ll need my recognition.’

Though it was just a hypothesis, Martin wasn’t entirely sure yet.

“Kurt.”

“Yes?”

“Investigate the heir succession situation within the Bitenfeld family.”

“As you command, heir.”

Kurt bowed his head as he answered.

Watching Kurt, Martin fell into deep thought.

‘Oliver von Bitenfeld will surely betray me. If my hypothesis is correct, I’ll be able to subdue him far more easily than expected… The key lies in Adel von Bitenfeld’s capabilities.’

Is she simply relying on him?

Or is she fully prepared to become the family head and waiting for the right moment to make her move?

How he would deal with her depended on which was true.

Just then—

Vrrr.

A communication crystal on the corner of the desk began to vibrate.

‘Who could it be?’

After returning to the family, Martin had already contacted all the people he needed to, including the First Princess.

He couldn’t guess who would be reaching out to him now.

Flash!

As Martin infused the crystal with mana, a bright light flared up.

The light soon transformed into the shape of a person, and Martin let out a small chuckle.

He had never expected the subject of their recent conversation to be the one contacting him.

– “Hello, heir?”

The caller was none other than Adel von Bitenfeld.

“It’s been a while, Adel von Bitenfeld. Thanks for reaching out. I was just about to send you a message.”

Martin responded with a bright smile.