Chapter 250: Chapter 197: The Knockout (Moral Bottom Line Version)
Isaac set the letter down and stroked his chin thoughtfully. The contents were simple. First, it detailed the resolution regarding Remington—just as he had expected, nothing came of it.
They had decided to send Remington back. After all, he had already died once and been revived in a Mechanical Body, no longer possessing a single drop of Solomon blood.
Moreover, he was now one of Prince Norns’s people, and they had to consider the Prince’s position on the matter, regardless.
Of course, the most important factor was that Isaac, the one with the greatest conflict with Remington, hadn’t said a word. So, naturally, neither would they.
Still, Isaac figured Caesar must have put in a good deal of effort to achieve this outcome. Based on his understanding of his old man, Gaia, he knew his father’s first response to Remington’s actions would have been to kill him outright.
But while Gaia was still the nominal head of the Solomon Clan, Caesar had already begun taking over matters both large and small. Therefore, Caesar’s voice carried much more weight.
This outcome was also consistent with Caesar’s usual way of doing things.
’This matter didn’t concern me, however. To me, a weak, stupid piece of trash like Remington was no longer even on my radar.’
What truly troubled Isaac in the letter was the second matter...
The business with Prince Norns!
First, Isaac’s previous suspicions about Prince Norns had been correct. The Prince did indeed have a conflict with the Solomons and truly wanted to annex their family’s territory.
But the reason for it...
...was a total cliché.
The story began back when Isaac’s father, Gaia, was a young man...
The Solomon Clan had a tradition: the heir must travel the continent as an Adventurer in their youth. This was partly to accumulate combat experience and increase their strength, and partly to broaden their horizons.
Gaia was no exception. During his travels, he happened to form an adventuring party with Norns, who was a Prince at the time. And that is where this grudge began...
In the beginning, they got along very well. After all, both hailed from the Nobility. Although there was a significant gap in their status, neither knew the other’s true identity back then. Coupled with the fact that both were geniuses, they became quite close.
Until...
...the appearance of that woman!
As an Adventurer party, even with two geniuses of their strength, a lineup of two melee fighters was simply too lacking in both power and tactical options. So, they recruited a Witch to join them.
And the story that followed unfolded just like in all the Knight novels: a cliché romance blossomed!
Norns fell in love with the Witch, and the Witch fell in love with him.
And Gaia!
Yes, the Witch had fallen for both of them. In true adult fashion, she didn’t want to choose.
But that was clearly impossible. Leaving aside the fact that their status as Nobility wouldn’t permit it, it was a non-starter for a simpler reason: Gaia didn’t like the Witch.
At the time, Gaia was already engaged to Isaac’s mother, and the two were very much in love.
And as everyone knows, you always want what you can’t have.
Influenced by this notion, the already mentally unstable Witch’s feelings for Gaia grew increasingly twisted, and she became more and more distant toward Norns.
Of course, things were still manageable at this point. Although Norns had fallen for the Witch, he was a Prince and keenly aware of his circumstances, so he wasn’t particularly bothered by her growing distance.
Until...
...the Witch’s feelings for Gaia became truly twisted!
So twisted that she attempted to kill Isaac’s mother, then turn Gaia into a Puppet so he would stay by her side forever!
Naturally, she failed.
Afterward, although Gaia saw through the Witch’s plan ahead of time and neither he nor Isaac’s mother was harmed, Gaia’s personality then was much like it is now: fiercely protective of his own.
So, having already grown weary of the Witch, upon discovering her plot, he killed her without a moment’s hesitation.
His decisiveness was so absolute it left even Norns stunned.
It was because of this incident that a rift formed between them. The Adventurer party disbanded, and the two went their separate ways to inherit their family legacies.
As time passed, their dislike for one another grew. Then came the political issues. Although Norns’s talent was considerable back then, the Emperor’s was simply more astonishing. Thus, Gaia, quite logically, did not side with him.
One thing after another, these incidents deepened the conflict between them until it reached today’s irreconcilable state.
For Isaac, however, two other points in the letter were of greater concern. First, the Emperor, who held the title of Demigod, was actually from the same generation as his father!
’This is incredible. Either the Terra Royal Family has a stable method of passing down power, ensuring that every reigning Emperor is a Demigod, or the current Emperor’s talent is so astonishing that he reached this Level in just a few short decades.’
Isaac believed it was a combination of both.
’The Terra Royal Family must have a method for stably passing down power, but its efficiency is likely imperfect. Not all reigning Emperors of the Terra Empire have been Demigods, after all. Besides, if such a method truly existed, the Terra Royal Family wouldn’t be in such a panic over the Emperor’s death.’
’The current Emperor’s talent is probably exceptional, but it can’t be *that* outstanding. After all, even with my own cheats, I couldn’t guarantee I could become a Demigod in the same amount of time!’
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