*BOOM!
His overflowing anger caused Sergei to grip the armrest of his chair so tightly that it crumbled into dust. Artur and Rini stared with gaping mouths, once again not sensing any mana being used by Sergei. The chair turned to pure dust solely due to Sergei's gripping strength.
With a heavy breath, Sergei continued his story, "Of course, such an insult could never be accepted by any man, let alone me, the heir of House of Valya. Instantly, a divorce occurred, and I almost killed Ling and that man if it weren't for my desire to spare Cila from losing her mother at the hands of her father.
The alliance between our families shattered, but the Wuhan Clan still demanded that Cila be returned to them. Returned to what? Cila is my daughter!! Even if that foolish man dyed his hair white, his black eyebrows only made him look even more foolish!!!
There would have been no need for a war if both families hadn't wanted other parties to take advantage of our conflict. Discussions were held again, and I was forced to take Cila to a secluded villa to protect her from the hands of Wuhan Clan agents who sought to abduct her.
Little did I know that the servants I assigned to accompany her were also infiltrators from the Wuhan Clan. They whispered words into Cila's ears, leading her to misunderstand what was truly happening.
Cila believed she was a bastard child resulting from her mother's affair. I was accused of mistreating Cila because I wanted to kill her in revenge against Ling.
They said I wanted to kill my own daughter!!!
My own daughter!!!
My daughter born from my own flesh and blood!!!
I beheaded those servants after subjecting them to unforgettable torture. I pray every night for their souls to burn and rot in eternal damnation.
My anger boiled over, and war was on the brink of erupting once again. Until finally, my father decided to find a middle ground in this dispute. He conceded the Mana Field Miners to the Wuhan Clan on the condition that they would never disturb Cila again.
The Wuhan Clan knew that they had no strong justification, and morally, they were inferior to the House of Valya. The debate would only lead to a war between the two families, and currently, the human alliance prohibits noble family wars.
If that were to happen, the world would blame them. That's why the Wuhan Clan decided to take a step back and reap the benefits of the perfectly developed Mana Field Miners under the auspices of the House of Valya.
Under the control of the Wuhan Clan, the Mana Field Miners changed their name to the Guild. They also transformed the recruitment system to be open, allowing even non-mages to enter the mana field. Eventually, the Miners took on a new name, Adventure.
And that's how everything changed to what you know today." Sergei regained his composure at this point.
He walked over to a new chair since the old one had turned to dust. Sitting down casually, he glanced at Rini. Rini promptly handed him a fresh cup, and Sergei nodded expressionlessly. After pouring tea into the cup, he continued his story.
"It took a long time for the dispute between the two families to be resolved. During that time, I never had the chance to visit Cila. She had to stay alone in a secluded villa with only one servant as her companion. I didn't want a repeat of what happened with the previous servants, so I entrusted Cila to my personal attendant.
I don't know how Cila managed for all those years, living by herself. I also don't know how she found out the true reasons behind my divorce from Ling, but Cila realized that she was the cause of it all.
Perhaps she feared ending up as a mere breeding machine, tasked with giving birth to Mana Children for the House of Valya. Until now, I don't even know how Cila managed to escape from that villa.
Eventually, I learned that she had started a new life in Heles." Sergei paused and turned to Artur.
"My grandson, tell your mother that she can live peacefully with her family. As long as I'm alive, no one from the Wuhan Clan or the House of Valya will disturb her. I swear on my own name and that of my father!"
His clear eyes stared at Artur without a hint of doubt or falsehood. Artur could only lower his head and, on behalf of his mother and the Morris family, say, "Thank you, Grandpa."
He knew that what Sergei said was extremely difficult to do. The House of Valya had already paid a high price to protect Cila. The painstakingly built Mana Field Miners had been seized and now became one of the largest organizations in the human alliance under a new name.
Sergei nodded as if his oath was no problem for him. "As for your joining the House of Valya, it can be easily done. From now on, you are a member of the House of Valya. That's settled," he said nonchalantly.
Artur, Rini, and Zalya stared at Sergei, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Artur had thought that he would have to pass a test to join the House of Valya, but Sergei had effortlessly resolved everything with a single word.
Zalya shook her head, trying to recover from her astonishment. "Father! You can't just do it that easily! The elders are already furious with you because of the issues with Sister Cila. If you act as you please again, your position as the head of the family will be at risk!" she said with frustration.
Sergei snorted. "Furious? Let those old farts be as angry as they want until their heads explode! What can they do to me? Strip me of my position as the head of the family? Heh! I became the head of the family because I'm the strongest mage in the House of Valya! If anyone wants to replace me, come forward! I'll show them that ice is blue!"
Zalya stared again, not knowing where to begin in explaining the real problems to her stubborn father. She finally spoke in a nervous voice, "Father, haven't you heard the saying, 'With great power comes great responsibility'?"
"HUH? What kind of fool says something like that? The truth is, with great power comes—ah, whatever, I'm the head of this family! I can do whatever I please!" Sergei said, without a trace of shame in his absurd words.
Artur glanced at Rini, who was giving a thumbs-up to Sergei. With a nodding head, Rini said, "You're absolutely right, Grandpa."
Artur became suspicious, wondering if Sergei was actually having an affair with another woman and fathered a child who would eventually have a daughter named Rini Djarum. Otherwise, how could they both answer the same question in exactly the same way?
"Sigh... How many times have I told you, you must consider this issue from others' perspectives before deciding to do something. Have you easily forgotten my words, dear?"
A gentle voice of a woman was heard from beside them. They all turned and saw a beautiful woman with white hair approaching. She casually sat next to Sergei and smiled at Zalya.
"Mother, didn't you say you wanted to rest?" Zalya asked.
"If I rest, this foolish husband of mine will once again create problems for us," the woman scoffed.
Sergei glanced at the woman with one eye. "Irina, this is none of your business. You'd better go and sleep!" he said, sounding gruff, but his eyes showed concern.
Irina Valya, Sergei Valya's second wife after his divorce from Ling Wuhan, was a beautiful woman with white hair. She was also Zalya Valya's mother and was currently known as Lady Valya. Her elegance and intelligence had earned her a special place in the House of Valya, even though she had started as a servant.
"This is my concern because it involves Cila's child. I am more suitable to be her mother than Ling. Even though I didn't give birth to her, I have been the one taking care of her for years while you left her in that secluded villa," she said.
The reason she, a former servant, was able to marry into a prestigious family was because Sergei owed her a debt of gratitude for looking after Cila in the secluded villa. She was the only personal servant trusted by Sergei to care for his daughter.
However, there was something Sergei didn't know—Cila and Irina's relationship was much closer than that. Irina was the one who helped Cila escape to Heles City. She had been watching over her from a distance until Sergei managed to find his daughter again.
Although Sergei was unaware of this, the former head of the House of Valya knew. That's why he supported Irina's rise in status and her marriage to his son.
"My husband, imagine what would happen if Artur simply became a part of the House of Valya. Perhaps the elders wouldn't be able to oppose you due to your power, but they would surely take it out on Artur. They would block every path for Artur's growth just to seek revenge against you..."
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