Arriving at the castle for the council meeting, Ponce noticed an unusual commotion and asked someone nearby what was happening.

"The Duke of Dalaria has presented a stuffed Red Dragon to His Majesty the King."

"A Red Dragon…?"

Ponce, shocked, grabbed the man by the collar.

“M-My Lord Duke...?”

“Damn it.”

Letting go, Ponce left in a hurry. His anger stemmed from the fact that the noble who had been working on presenting a Red Dragon to the king was one of his own allies. This noble had long been paying adventurers to hunt the Red Dragon, but years had passed without success due to the creature’s strength.

“That idiot!”

Thanks to this noble’s delays, his political rival, Duke Dalaria, had seized the opportunity to present the Red Dragon trophy. Enraged, Ponce returned home and summoned the noble.

“Pines! What happened with the Red Dragon? You assured me it was under control!”

Count Pines was a member of the Ardeck family’s extended household, a branch family. Now in his early thirties, he clenched his fists as he faced Ponce’s anger.

“That’s what I’d like to say, my lord.”

“What was that!?”

Taken aback by Pines’s unexpected retort, Ponce practically leaped from his chair.

“Are you not aware of the one who brought the Red Dragon to the Johnson Trading Company, my lord?”

“Wasn’t it an adventurer?”

Count Pines shook his head with a look of dismay, which Ponce took as a stinging insult.

“It seems you don’t know. I’ll tell you—it was Lord Saijar who brought the Red Dragon to the Johnson Company.”

“What?!”

“This will be raised in the family council, my lord.”

The family council was a gathering of Ardeck family members and their retainers to discuss crucial matters. As the head of the main branch of the family, Pines held the highest influence there.

“You and Lord Monoglok were the ones who ousted Lord Saijar. If Lord Monoglok cannot achieve something equally significant by the next council meeting, we will propose that Lord Monoglok be disinherited, and Lord Saijar reinstated.”

“Are you insane, Pines? Who do you think you are?!”

Ponce shouted, spitting with rage.

“I am Courtier Pines of the Ardeck branch family.”

Count Pines’s influence was formidable. As the family heir, Saijar’s disinheritance should have been brought before the family council. Ignoring this process had angered Pines, and Saijar’s Red Dragon feat only intensified his frustration.

Adding insult to injury, Saijar’s accomplishment had been used to benefit their archrival, the Dalaria family. While it was true that Count Pines had failed to acquire the Red Dragon himself, he felt far more resentment towards Ponce for banishing Saijar, who had a talent that could have brought the family great prestige.

“Are you threatening the head of House Ardeck?!”

“Threatening? I think you misunderstand, my lord.”

Pines sighed and paused before continuing.

“Whether it’s a threat or not, are you aware of the current financial state of our family?”

“Financial state?”

“Since you banished Lord Saijar, the Digo Trading Company has withdrawn its support.”

“...”

Seeing Ponce’s blank expression, Pines muttered to himself, “He never thought this through.”

“With Lord Saijar here, Digo’s financial support was constant and abundant.”

“N-No way…”

“This is not only an issue for House Ardeck. It has a significant impact on us as well. My lord, I trust you have plans to maintain the financial stability of the branch family?”

House Ardeck was once the wealthiest among the six dukedoms, largely thanks to the backing of Saijar’s maternal grandfather, Baron Indias Digo. With Saijar gone, they could no longer expect any support from Digo Trading.

“For now, Lord Monoglok must slay a beast of equal status to the Red Dragon, and as for you, my lord, you will need to prepare a financial plan before the next family council meeting.”

Count Pines’s frustration was palpable.

The financial loss overshadowed even the Red Dragon issue. Without Saijar, their past funds could turn into pressing debts that would demand repayment. The matter of the Red Dragon seemed trivial compared to the looming financial strain.

For Pines, having Saijar as the head of House Ardeck was only natural. Disinheritance and exile were absurdities in his view. Many of the family’s retainers felt the same way.

Facing Ponce now, Pines regretted not having deposed him sooner and establishing Saijar as head of the family.