The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1249

Davey had gotten the gist of things from Josiah. However, given how drained he was from everything that had happened with Evangeline, it wasn’t something he cared much about.

“So, Count Chyde turned a blind eye to it?”

“Once Lady Berah accepted it, the engagement was considered settled. While there’s still a way to call it off even now, if the Chyde family breaks off the engagement unilaterally without a valid reason, they won’t be able to refuse any future requests from the royal family.”

“That’s a pretty common story. The family that cultivates Scared Grass has to maintain strict neutrality.”

The Chyde family didn’t have political influence, but still held enough authority within the kingdom that no one could ignore them.

“But isn’t the Count being a bit ridiculous? Either way, Prince Vasilion is going to use his engagement to Berah Chyde to put pressure on the family. Besides, since her acceptance of the engagement wasn’t based on the family’s decision, they could still reject it.”

Davey nodded calmly. “Valid.”

“You used to say that kind of thing on Eva’s broadcasts, too.”

Facing Aeria’s teasing, Davey closed his eyes, resting his head on her thigh.

“Hey, Josiah. From your point of view, why do you think the Count went along with it?”

Josiah’s head tilted in wonder. “Is there a need for a reason? Well, I would guess it’s because calling off the engagement would leave the Chyde family indebted to the royal family. The royal family probably planned that from the start, using Prince Vasilion as bait.”

“That’s right,” Davey agreed.

“Then what about the other two reasons? They could’ve just said the decision wasn’t made by the family and rejected it. I still don’t get it.”

“First of all, like you said, Vasilion is originally a powerless prince of the royal family. The only reason a prince like that can act so boldly is most likely because the royal family is backing him.”

That jogged Josiah's memory. “Oh! I remember. He did say something like that. He gave off the vibe that he had someone big behind him.”

Even if things went wrong, Vasilion was just the youngest prince. He was easily disposable, from their perspective.

Yet if he succeeded, it’d bring them massive benefits. That was why the royal family would never accept any attempt at calling off the engagement.

“There’s no real justification to cut things off. After all, it’s not like Vasilion has any disqualifying flaws. Plus, there’s probably a desire to respect the daughter’s decision.”

On top of that, since Berah Chyde wasn’t set to inherit the family, the Count likely judged that the engagement wouldn’t actually threaten the family, regardless of whatever Vasilion had in mind.

Calling off an already-set engagement would cost the family too much. Marrying into the royal family wouldn’t give them any power over him either. That much was clear.

So, the Count chose to simply observe the engagement, since it didn’t conflict with the principles and beliefs of the Chyde family.

“What kind of father does something like that?”

“In noble families, political marriages aren’t about feelings. Even now, there are countless people on the continent getting into loveless marriages for political gain.”

That said, a house like the Chyde family had enough privilege to allow their children to marry whoever they wanted. Even so, they hadn't exercised that privilege, likely because the Count was obsessively principled.

Davey couldn't help but admire it. “Uncompromising integrity, refusing to use the family’s privileges for personal gain. It’s maddeningly frustrating, but that’s exactly why their reputation has remained spotless all this time.”

“But there’s no way the royal family doesn’t know that. Vasilion may be sly, but he’s not stupid.”

Events had truly proved as much.

Forcing a huge debt onto the Chyde family and shaking the foundation of the house, then pretending to offer them grace to control them. While they were definitely viable tactics, it didn't seem like the current strategy could achieve any of that.

“Using that maid Isera to manipulate Mit, or forming an engagement with Lady Berah Chyde to use her... Neither approach can shake the Chyde family.”

However...

“Josiah, if you were the royal family, how would you go about dominating the Chyde family beyond any doubt?”

She paused in thought. Seconds later, her face went pale. “Don’t tell me...”

“In the worst-case scenario, I could see the Bosta Kingdom truly going that far.”

Looking at the current situation, eliminating every heir to the Chyde family except Berah would be the simplest solution. Even though Berah Chyde would technically have been married out of the family, the house itself still had to be maintained. As a result, Berah Chyde would inevitably become the one to inherit the role of family head.

“That’s insane! There's no way that even the royal family would do something like that.”

“Why not? It’s totally possible, and that's only the worst-case scenario. There are other ways, too.” 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Like what?”

Davey handed over a folder of documents he had compiled about the Chyde family. “If Berah Chyde is abused, the next head of the house will most likely not be able to just stand by and watch. Instead, they’d be shaken to the core. So from Vasilion’s perspective, threatening Mit Chyde was just a means to an end. The key to the backup plan is Berah Chyde.”

No matter how one looked at it, Vasilion was pure evil, demonstrating the worst of human nature.

Perhaps the Count already knew. Even so, if to preserve the perfection of the Chyde family, he’d be willing to give up his daughter. The next head of the house would have to be someone who could let go, or be made into someone who could.

If not, in the absolute worst case, the Count might even be willing to end his own daughter’s life personally.

Josiah could hardly imagine it. “Who could do that to their own child?”

“Josiah, there are a lot of people in this world, especially ones who have things they have to protect, but not enough power to protect them. Not everything in regular life goes the way it does for someone like me.”

Using the maid Isera to sabotage Mit Chyde’s future was just one method, and Berah had ultimately given in and accepted the engagement. Yet, even if Mit hadn’t held complicated feelings towards Isera, the royal family would’ve still had plenty of ways to pressure Berah into sealing the engagement.

The choices forced onto the powerless were nothing short of brutal.

“You know a lot more about this than I expected.”

“Some of it’s from research. Most of all, there was someone like that around me in the past, too.”

“Who?”

Krianes O'Rowane had immediately come to Davey’s mind. That man was the father he couldn’t bring himself to forgive, no matter how much the man tried to repent. Unlike Baris or Winley, he never forgave their father.

He didn’t say the name out loud, though.

Josiah subtly tried to fish for an answer. “Then let’s say you were planning to fix all this—what would you do?”

“There is a way.”

She was excited to hear what he had to say. “Yeah? What is it?”

“Not telling you.”

‘Trying to get a freebie, huh?’

Davey gave a smirk. “O Great Sage, try using the truth you saw during your breakthrough!”

“Oh, come on! Don’t tease me like that!” It was beyond frustrating for her to be reminded of her past conduct.

“Why not, O Great Sage? One who beholds truth must, of course—”

“Aaaargh!!” Overwhelmed with embarrassment, she screamed and lunged at him.

* * *

The Chyde household was in an uproar thanks to Berah Chyde’s political marriage.

However, Mit Chyde showed no sign of softening.

None of the elder brothers, the ones who should’ve been the ones to speak to Count Chyde about it and talk some sense into him, were home.

The eldest Taph had been dispatched with a major royal investigation team, and the second son Batem had left, saying he couldn’t stand the state of the family.

The only other one left in the house was Mit Chyde.

“Father, it’s Mit.” He arrived at Count Chyde’s office and looked at the approaching attendant.

“The Lord is not meeting anyone at the moment. You should return, young master,” the man politely informed him.

His face twisted sharply with hostility. “Open the door.”

“Young master!”

“I said open it! Or do you want me to rough you up, just like the old days?”

The attendant’s expression hardened at the threat. “Even if you say that, what’s not allowed is still not allowed. Young master, if you insist, the knights of the house will—”

A cold voice came from within the office, saying, “Enough. Let him in.”

Startled, the attendant looked toward the door and solemnly bowed his head. “As you command.”

He slowly opened the door. Mit stepped inside, taking in the sight of his father seated behind the desk, calmly organizing documents.

“You’ve heard about it, haven’t you?”

The Count didn’t respond.

“You’re just going to sit back and let Berah marry that bastard?”

“The engagement has already been informally settled by Berah’s agreement. There’s no justification for us to now refuse it. We could forcefully call it off, but that would become the very thing that shakes the foundation of House Chyde.”

Hearing his father speak so coldly, Mit felt sick to his stomach. “Father, I’ve always hated you.”

The Count said nothing.

“Even so, I still acknowledged you. I thought that, at the very least with your obsessive principles, you’d keep this damned noble house running.” His brows furrowed as he glared at the powerful man before him. “Is the house really more important to you than your own daughter?”

“Watch your mouth, Mit Chyde. Everything you’ve been offered in life has come from this house,” he responded.

“Then what if I give all of it back? Will you stop the engagement then?”

“A man who ignores his duties but clings to his rights is no noble. That just makes him useless trash.”

Mit Chyde’s patience began to crack. Even if he’d learned to weigh things more wisely, his temper hadn’t gone anywhere. He had simply been suppressing it, and was never the kind to stay quiet in the face of injustice.

“Because of this damned noble house—”

“Mit Chyde! I told you to watch it.”

“Thanks to your precious principles isolating us from the world—!”

“Mit!!” his father shouted.

“My sister, your only daughter, is about to be sold off! Whatever the reason may be, you’re not supposed to let that happen. You can’t!”

Thud!

The count threw a heavy object that struck Mit in the head.

Blood trickled down from his forehead. “Prince Vasilion is a cunning bastard. He’ll use every trick in the book to shake this house by using Berah.”

His father didn't have a response.

“I won’t watch my sister be sacrificed like that. You have power, and yet you cling to those damned principles!!” Letting out a heavy sigh, Mit looked his father straight in the eye with a renewed icy stare. “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s being naive. But now, seeing the reality right in front of me... If you’re still bound by those almighty rules of yours...”

He ripped the family insignia from his chest and threw it aside. “I will no longer remain a member of this house.”

He turned and walked away.

“You insolent brat...” the Count growled through clenched teeth, barely containing his rage. “Mit Chyde, is this how you repay the house that raised you?!”

Still fuming, Mit’s head tilted slightly. Yet sometimes, once anger reached a boiling point, it turned ice cold.

“Even when you slapped me and shouted at me because of a false accusation, I didn’t say a word. It was because I thought I had something to prove. But now... things are different. If you, the lord of this house, choose to remain trapped in your precious principles while looking at the reality and future ahead—” He took a breath, his expression that of disgust. “You don’t deserve a shred of my respect. Don’t call my name again—it makes me sick.”

“Mit Chyde. Mit Chyde!! I’m not finished! Get back here!!”

Having discarded every symbol of the family, the young man turned his back on his noble house.

Naturally, the noise from the commotion echoed throughout the entire estate.

Just as he passed through the front gates, someone ran up to him. Her face unnaturally pale, Berah Chyde scolded him, “Mit! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Go back and apologize to Father right now!”

He couldn’t tell if her paleness was because of makeup or something else. “Don’t you have any pride at all, Berah?”

“What?”

“Why did you accept that bastard prince’s engagement?”

“That’s—” She didn't know what to say.

“Can I be honest? I know you were probably threatened, whether it was about me, our brothers, or the family itself. I don’t know what exactly, and it doesn't matter.” Mit spoke with deductive clarity even he didn’t understand. The scope of what was going on was far too vast to piece together from the limited clues he had. “But judging from how you ran out like this to stop me... I guess you don’t hate me quite as much as you like to make it seem.”

She was left speechless.

“You should hate me, by all means. Yet, even after throwing your life into ruin for a worthless little brother like me, you’re still worried about me?”

Her eyes began to well up with tears. “Mit... Just listen to me, okay? If you apologize to Father, he’ll forgive you. Just like he always has, he’ll treat it as nothing more than a moment of rebellion—”

Mit coldly cut her off. “No. As of this moment, I’ve abandoned the Chyde name. Even so, I can’t stand by and watch you tie yourself to that bastard. So, to atone for all the disgraceful things I’ve done to you...”

He firmly continued, “I’ll do everything I can.”

With that, he turned his back on Berah Chyde and left the estate behind.

She collapsed in tears, sobbing as she watched him go.

Count Chyde stood silently, his expression icy as he watched his son walk away from their house.

* * *

Josiah Frances hadn’t made a deal with Count Chyde—she had made a deal with Mit Chyde himself.

“Well, well, well. I told you to keep that impulsiveness of yours in check, didn't it?” she teased.

“I don’t regret it.”

Sporting a bitter expression, he pulled his robe tighter around himself. “You’d be better off not getting involved any further, either.”

“Teacher said the same thing. He told me not to step in where I didn’t belong.”

The situation didn’t look good for them. Frankly speaking, unless Prince Vasilion suddenly lost his mind and poked at Davey, there wouldn’t be any easy solution they could use.

‘Actually... Since he’s in an extremely foul mood because of what had happened with Evangeline, even the slightest provocation might set him off...’

Josiah glanced at Mit, who had now even cast aside the Chyde name, and came up with a single thought.