Gunmage-Chapter 254: A wrench in the machine

"Now that my father was also in bed with House D’Aramitz, you people could finally get what you always wanted."

Cassius shifted uncomfortably, his nervousness palpable, while Lord Vaire flashed Lugh a chilling smile.

"Hold on, hold on..."

Someone finally broke the silence.

"I need more context here,"

A voice said. It was Sela.

"What did they want?"

She asked, her curiosity cutting through the tension.

Lugh’s gray eyes turned toward her, unfazed.

"Support."

"Support?"

She repeated, clearly confused. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

"Yes,"

Lugh confirmed, his tone flat.

"How? Wasn’t he already a general?"

Another voice interjected.

Lugh gave a small nod.

"Yes, he was a general. But have you forgotten his other position?"

"Err... a weak magician?"

The words came from one of the nobles who hadn’t been paying full attention. The rest of the room shot them a flat look.

"Sorry,"

The person mumbled.

Lugh, undeterred, continued, now addressing the larger group.

"He was also the patriarch of the Von Heim family."

A ripple of understanding passed through some.

Lugh’s words hung in the air for a moment before he added more details.

"This meant that he could openly, and in sensitive cases, discreetly bring in resources and funding for research, development, and enhancements of our military—something House D’Aramitz had always shouldered alone."

He turned to Vaire, his gaze unwavering.

"Am I right, Lord Vaire?"

Vaire simply nodded in acknowledgment, his face betraying a moment of discomfort.

The room collectively murmured, the pieces of the puzzle beginning to fit together.

It wasn’t exactly groundbreaking—more like an enhanced money-laundering scheme, where funds and resources were being siphoned from the Von Heim family to support House D’Aramitz’s agenda.

The nobles present looked both fascinated and uneasy at the revelation.

Lord Vaire broke the silence, his voice tight with forced admiration.

"Quite impressive, Lugh. I must say, well done."

He even clapped his hands in applause.

"Your intelligence matches your prowess, does—"

Lugh cut him off sharply.

"Don’t change the subject, Mr. D’Aramitz. There’s still more."

"There is?"

Someone asked skeptically.

"Yes, there is,"

Lugh responded without missing a beat.

"Namely, what followed after, and the reason this man wanted to talk to me in the first place."

A strange tension settled over the room as Vaire’s body stiffened, his usual calm demeanor faltering. Lugh noticed it immediately, though no one else dared acknowledge it.

The atmosphere was certainly strange.

Lugh had just unraveled a decades-long scheme in front of everyone, and yet, the room remained eerily silent—as if they were hearing a regular tale on an ordinary Tuesday.

"So... get on with it,"

Drey piped up impatiently, clearly eager for more.

Lugh’s gaze flickered toward her for a brief moment before he spoke again.

"What followed after is that my father died."

The room went still. The weight of those words bore down on everyone.

Lugh, however, didn’t falter. His voice was tinged with something close to detachment.

"With him dead, the benefits House D’Aramitz had been enjoying came to a halt. This was unwelcome news—possibly disastrous. The extra funding and resources were cut off, returning to the coffers of my family."

Everyone listened with rapt attention.

"What would House D’Aramitz do now?"

Lugh asked, his tone colder.

"If a new patriarch arose, they wouldn’t be as elite as the dead general. They would focus on themselves and their magic—as they always have—failing to recognize the encroaching dangers until it was too late."

Cassius and Vaire exchanged a brief, intense look, their eyes flickered with surprise. The others, however, were left confused, unsure of what danger Lugh was speaking of.

"I’m sorry, what danger?"

One of the nobles asked, voice thick with uncertainty.

"We’ll get to that later,"

Lugh replied, cutting through the rising murmur with an unsettling calm.

"But there’s still a silver lining for House D’Aramitz."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"This silver lining,"

Lugh continued,

"Was that the Von Heim family had no male heir to inherit the position."

A few people shifted uncomfortably. This was crossing into dangerous territory—the realm of family politics.

It was a subject most nobles would rather avoid, but no one could pull themselves away now. The story had become too intriguing, too close to a secret they weren’t sure they wanted to know.

More than a few of them glanced at Isolde’s daughters, gathered in the room. Aveline, as usual, was in a corner, with her pack.

Were they... dancing? Lugh blinked, momentarily distracted, but quickly regained his composure, refocusing on the matter at hand.

He continued, his voice steady.

"Say what you will to deny it,"

He said, looking around the room, his eyes sharp.

"I’m pretty sure most of your families are involved in the stakes."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Anna spoke up, looking puzzled.

Lugh turned to her, his gaze unwavering, his tone dry.

"Are you telling me that your house hasn’t picked at least one of my cousins to back, hoping they’ll emerge victorious as the new patriarch, so you can reap the benefits?"

A stunned silence fell over the room.

Anna smiled nervously.

"I-I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Lugh arched an eyebrow, a touch of sarcasm entering his voice.

"Deny first, huh?"

He turned back to the others, his tone slightly lighter.

"This is not really a serious matter. It happens all the time. I’m pretty sure House D’Aramitz has picked someone they think is suitable, offering him resources and support.

A promise that he will take over from what my dead father was doing... Am I right, Mr. Vaire?"

Vaire remained silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. He didn’t confirm nor deny, but his silence spoke volumes.

Lugh pushed forward.

"They must have gone through extensive planning for this, but my arrival threw a wrench in all of it."

He paused, his eyes scanning the room.

"Not just for House D’Aramitz."

Drey quipped.

"Not exactly,"

Lugh turned to her sharply, his face tightening.

"What does that mean?"

"Huh? What does what mean?"

Lugh exhaled ignoring her, his focus unbroken.

"As I was saying,"

He continued, his voice turning serious again.

"My arrival threw a wrench in their plans, but it was more than that for House D’Aramitz. This was because the newly arrived heir, unlike his father, was very, very skilled in magic... on top of being extremely handsome, which I am. None of you can deny it."

A chorus of mocking "boos" mixed with laughter filled the room, and Lugh took it in stride, keeping his tone light. But there was something else behind his words, a sense of inevitability.

"Someone like that becoming the Head of the family will be a nightmare for the more desperate people in House D’Aramitz,"

Lugh continued, his voice suddenly taking on the chilling quality it always had when he was serious.

"What do you think their next course of action will be?"

Vaire’s gaze darkened, his face drained of all amusement. The deadlock continued as both men locked eyes, the tension spiked

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