Book 1 Chapter 989

"Hero Federation?"

"Leo Oppa is the new leader?"

Celia and Chelsea's eyes widened as they heard the news from Carl.

"Yeah. Ucha. Aigo~ I'm tired."

Carl replied in his usual nonchalant voice, patting his shoulder.

"I had no idea."

Abad also looked surprised and then turned to Eliza.

"Did you know?"

"I didn't know either. He didn't tell me."

"Don't blame him too much. The head of the family told me to keep this absolutely secret."

Carl quipped, glancing at Eliza's displeased look.

And it was true.

The fact that the heads of the heroic noble families had gathered to select a leader was a top-secret matter.

Not even the heirs of each family were informed.

Within the Rodren Empire, the only ones aware of this fact were the Emperor of Rodren, a single person closest to the Emperor,

and Selde and Cheide, the heads of the Zerdinger and Rwalin families.

The fact that the Emperor of Rodren was not the leader of such a powerful force as the Hero Federation could have caused backlash among the empire's nobles.

However, if the Emperor, along with the heads of the Zerdinger and Rwalin families, had agreed, there would be no room for opposition.

It was no exaggeration to say that the formation of the Hero Federation was complete.

Carl had heard about it in advance because he was chosen as the representative of Hergin at the noble family meeting.

"Even so, it's a bit surprising that you didn't tell Eliza."

At Celia's words, Carl gave a thumbs-up.

"I, Carl Thomas. The man who endured in Lumen solely on trust. I couldn't betray the trust of the Hergin family head, even if she's my girlfriend."

At that, Eliza, who had been glaring at Carl, poked his side repeatedly with her fingers.

It was Eliza's way of expressing her disappointment, even though she understood.

Carl, knowing this, reacted with a playful "Oops-" and a scream.

Watching them, Celia remarked,

"You two look like a real couple when you're like that."

At Celia's words, Carl looked slightly embarrassed, while Eliza simply snorted lightly with her characteristic haughty expression.

'I could never have imagined this pair back in our first year.'

Carl, a commoner who barely scraped by academically since his first year.

On the other hand, Eliza, who had excellent grades and was brimming with pride for her heroic noble family.

If someone went back to their first year and told them, 'You two will get married later,' what expressions would they have?

As he was lost in thought, Abad subtly sat down next to Celia.

"Jealous?"

"Don't cling to me, butter."

Abad smiled as Celia frowned and moved away.

Watching them, Chelsea's brow furrowed slightly, but she didn't get angry.

"You two still don't get along."

Eliza shook her head, saying they were like their usual selves.

However, only Carl could sense the peculiar atmosphere between the two.

'Well, well? Look at these two.'

Carl stroked his chin, his eyes twinkling.

With his sharp wits and quick grasp of situations,

Carl, who considered his excellent intuition his greatest asset, instantly noticed the subtle atmosphere flowing between Celia and Abad.

Just then, Carl's eyes met Chelsea's.

As they had been best friends since their first year, Chelsea knew that her sharp-witted friend had vaguely noticed the situation between Celia and Abad.

'Don't say a word.'

Chelsea mouthed the message to Carl.

Carl, seeing Chelsea clenching her fist so only he could see, turned his head with a sheepish expression.

Chelsea wished for the relationship between Celia and Abad to remain unknown for as long as possible.

She knew that if their relationship became known, she herself would become the target of teasing, not them.

'After arguing so much with Celia, if she becomes my sister-in-law, they'll definitely tease me!'

The thought alone made her shudder, and Chelsea resolved.

'I'll do whatever it takes to keep their relationship from being discovered!'

While Chelsea was steeling her resolve.

"By the way, Carl, are you okay? Apart from the results of this meeting, there seem to be quite a few people who have negative feelings towards you."

At Abad's words, Eliza scoffed.

"Isn't it ridiculous? They know I wouldn't even look at them if Carl weren't around."

For Eliza, it was an infuriating matter.

Thinking of those who didn't understand their place and harbored futile dreams of becoming her partner, Eliza gritted her teeth.

Of course, the most infuriating thing was that Carl had been treated with contempt.

Watching her, Chelsea whispered to Celia,

"Learn from Eliza."

"Learn what?"

"She's genuinely angry because of her future husband."

"What are you whispering about?"

"Nothing."

Chelsea quickly pushed Celia away.

Carl said, watching them,

"Everything is fine."

***

Bang!

"How can the heroic noble families unilaterally form a federation!"

The head of the Zeltian family, his eyes bloodshot, slammed his desk.

"Isn't this a clear act of disrespect towards our noble families!"

He raved in anger.

With the heroic noble families united, confronting Leo, who had been elected leader, would be detrimental.

Even the noble families who harbored resentment towards Arhi were now observing the situation and showing signs of defecting from the anti-Arhi faction led by Zeltian.

"You bunch of bats!"

The head of the Zeltian family gnashed his teeth.

"Huuu…"

But no matter how angry he was, maintaining the anti-Arhi forces had become difficult.

Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, the head of the Zeltian family gritted his teeth.

Just then.

*Creak-*!

"Father! What happened to my marriage proposal?"

"Wait and see!"

"But I can't stand hearing people talk about Eliza Hergin and Carl Thomas anymore…"

"Silence! Didn't I tell you to wait! How can the one who will lead Zeltian in the future be so impatient!"

At the head of the Zeltian family's rebuke, his son's face turned pale, and he quickly fled the room as if escaping.

"Pathetic!"

The head of the Zeltian family, letting out a deep sigh, clenched his fist.

'In this situation, I must deal with Carl Thomas!'

"Head of Zeltian."

Just then, a voice came from behind.

Startled, the head of the Zeltian family quickly turned around.

There stood a subordinate demon of Sigas, the King of Desires, with whom he was cooperating.

"Where is the King of Desires, and why are you, a mere subordinate, here?"

"The King of Desires is busy. You should be grateful that I came."

"Hmph! A mere demon…"

"More importantly, Carl Thomas just left the Rwalin mansion."

"……!"

'This is an opportunity!'

***

"Ughhh…"

The brown-haired man shivered, clutching himself.

"It doesn't seem like such cold weather, why are you shivering so much?"

"Boss. Southern autumn nights aren't this cold!"

"You're exaggerating…"

Carl scoffed at the beastkin man.

He was Tiri, the leader of the intelligence network Carl had established.

And…

'From Shadow.'

Although he had left the shadow world behind and started a new life, his origins made him a top-tier asset in this field.

'If only he wasn't so expensive.'

"Boss. Don't forget the special bonus you promised me."

"Yeah, yeah."

Carl nodded, but inwardly shed tears of blood.

"But… will they come if we're acting so suspiciously out in the open?"

Perena, standing next to Carl, asked with a puzzled expression.

To which Carl replied,

"If I return to Lumen, they'll have no more opportunities."

The head of the Hergin family, Elkan, who had foreseen this situation, had already relocated Carl's family to Hersia.

As they were protected by the Hergin family, kidnapping and blackmailing his family was impossible.

And once he returned to Lumen, the opportunity for assassination itself would disappear.

No matter what anyone said, Lumen was one of the safest places in the world.

Those who wished for Carl's death were those who desired a political marriage with the Hergin family.

As time went on, Carl's position within the Hergin family would only solidify.

'By then, they would have judged that even if they succeeded in assassinating me, a political marriage would be difficult.'

At that point, the Hergin family would investigate to find the mastermind.

Of course, it was the same now, but those who threatened Carl's life might be thinking, 'Would the Hergin family really act for a mere commoner, especially when it hasn't been officially announced?'

"If they're impatient, they'll act rashly."

"What if they don't move then?"

"At that point…"

"At that point?"

"We'll have to devise a new plan."

Carl, for his part, did not want to let those who threatened his life go unpunished.

Moreover…

'It seems highly likely they are involved with demons.'

Carl scratched his head.

The strength of the heroic noble families was something the families themselves knew best.

To attempt assassination even with the risk of becoming adversaries with the Hergin family meant they were confident they wouldn't be caught.

If so, there was only one answer.

They were likely making a deal with Tartarus.

Of course, he didn't mention this.

As Carl was lost in thought,

Tiri's eyes suddenly changed.

Seeing that, Carl let out a hollow laugh.

'They're here, I guess.'

***

Perched atop a bell tower overlooking the city, Leo gazed down.

Melina stood behind him.

"When Carl uses his wits, he reminds me of Lysinus."

"I expected demons to appear when the King of Desires made a move… but it seems the Zeltian family has been abandoned."

"Sigas, was it? That Legion Commander, the King of Desires."

Leo said calmly.

"He's a cunning fellow, like the Commander of the Undead. Unlike his name, he doesn't overreach."

"So the Zeltian family was just a pawn from the start."

The King of Desires' objective was simple.

To weaken the noble families by causing internal strife, whatever the form.

For Tartarus, simply instigating a powerful family like the Zeltian family to ruin would be beneficial.

If they succeeded in eliminating Carl, that would be a significant bonus.

Therefore, they likely assisted the assassins in moving secretly but provided no further aid.

Losing demons would be a disadvantage.

As Leo was thinking about the Legion Commander, Melina said,

"Still, Carl's handling of things is very clean."

"He has to be that competent. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble."

Leo said with a smile.

Watching Leo, Melina's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"Your demeanor seems to have changed a bit."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like you've gained some余裕 (yoyu -余裕, composure,余裕, leeway,余.裕). Like you've shed a bit of your burden."

"Ha, how do you know that?"

"I'm always watching and assisting you, Leo-nim. You look good."

At Melina's words, Leo let out a hollow laugh.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. By the way, have you had some kind of change of heart?"

"Someone lectured me."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Since you say you've changed your mind after being lectured, may I also say something?"

"…Do you have a lot of things you've been holding back against me?"

"A little."

"……"

"No. A lot?"

"Go ahead and say it."

"Leo-nim, I think you should trust me more. No, you shouldn't treat me like a child in the first place. Do you even know how old I am?"

Seeing Melina pour out the words she had been holding back, Leo wore a tired expression.

'Did I make a mistake by telling her to speak?'

"Leo-nim, you're spacing out, aren't you?"

'I shouldn't have told her to speak.'