Volume 8 Chapter 8: Those With High Aspirations

"Keith, may I speak with you?" Edmund called out to Keith as he walked down the hallway with Krystal. Krystal tilted her head, "What's the matter, Father? What do you need Keith for?"

"I need him for something. It's something about the merchant group."

"Ah, then I will go." Krystal walked away.

Keith asked, "Is there something wrong with the group?" The group was going strong as there were plans to rent a store. Edmund was assisting them in finding a suitable area for it.

"No, there's nothing wrong with them. Actually, there's something else I want to talk about."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to speak with Rodrick. I want you to be there." Edmund explained.

Keith's eyes widened, "You want me to be there?"

"Mmhmm, my father suggested this, and I agree." Edmund felt having the child there would be the correct choice.

"Understood." Keith nodded as he followed Edmund. The two have arrived in a place a little far from the estate. There were two guards in front of them; Sterling and Cedric were also there.

"Kid, you're here." "Mmhmm."

"Let's go to the dungeon now." Since everyone was here, they entered the cellar. Going down, Keith commented, "You guys have something here?" It was a jail.

"Mmhmm."

"I think every noble house has that." Sterling laughed.

"By the way, is it alright not to have Krystal or Aunty Violet here?" It was only them. It was sort of weird.

"Violet is staying in the duchy to watch it. And I don't want Krystal to see what's going on. She's still young." Edmund sighed. No father wanted their child to see something like this.

"..." What about me? Did he forget about him being the same age as his daughter?

"Kid, you're different from others." Cedric scoffed.

"How-" "Your eyes said everything." Keith's eyes were saying he was the same age as her.

Cedric explained, "Unlike the others, you're actually ruthless."

"Hey, I'm not ruthless."

"Oh, please. If someone angers you, that's a different story." Cedric knew long ago that Keith's anger switch was long; not many things could make him furious. However, that didn't mean he didn't have one.

Once that switch turned on, everything was off the table. That incident with Todd was a clear sign.

"..."

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"You have the ability to do things without any hesitation. Krystal isn't like that." Once Cedric said this, Edmund and Sterling nodded. The girl would mull around before deciding. Keith was a decision-maker who accepted the consequences of the outcome.

"I see."

"Having you here will bring a different perspective." They needed an outsider for this.

"We're here," Edmund muttered as the four arrived with rows of jail cells. Once they had seen the four,

"Grand Duke! Please! We're sorry!"

"We apologize!"

"Oh, you brought the knight here as well." Some of the knights who betrayed them were kept here as well.

"Of course, we can't have them roam after what they did."

"We need to go speak with him." The four arrived before a particular jail cell. Inside the cell was Rodrick. These last few days had changed him by a mile. Rodrick's expression was wry and dark as he looked up.

A slight smirk formed, "Well if it isn't the Grand Duke. What do you need from a lowly count?"

"Brother, are you still going to be like this?"

"Brother? Do you still call me your brother?!" Rodrick laughed.

"Even though you tried to ruin me, we're still brothers." It didn't matter what he did; the two were still related by blood. It was something that tied them even if Edmund didn't want it.

"Son, stop acting like this. It's unbecoming." Cedric shook his head.

"Heh, have you ever treated me like your son?!" Rodrick scoffed, "You have given Edmund everything! You even taught him everything, yet with me, you left me all alone!" That was what occurred. Cedric had prioritized everything on Edmund.

"That's because you were too ambitious." Cedric scoffed. That was the difference between the two. One was ambitious, while the other was calm. When deciding on who to lead, Cedric understood the answer.

"I-"

"You wanted to expand the Rustchil territory?"

"?!"

"Do you think I wouldn't realize it? You have always wanted to become the strongest Rustchil." Even as a child, Rodrick had high expectations of becoming the best. However, there was a thing called biting off more than you could chew.

Rodrick gritted his teeth as he shouted, "What's wrong with wanting our household to be the strongest?! What is wrong with that!" Only by becoming the strongest would the household flourish and be successful.

"And that's exactly why I didn't choose you. What you're thinking would only break the balance we have with the other households." The others wouldn't stand still; they would attack when they saw it.

"Plus, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"How can you not?!"

"Just you controlling the land for a few weeks already showed you weren't capable." Cedric sighed, "Instead of bolstering the land, you chose to fire the people who went against you and hire incompetence instead."

"..."

"Those with high aspirations should have the abilities to back it up. Those who have it but are foolish will only send everything to ruin." Rodrick was the latter.

"Rodrick, I will give you two options," Edmund stated.

"Hmm?"

"I can let you go."

"?!" Rodrick scoffed, "Are you kidding me? You're really going to let me go after what I did?" Who was he kidding? Edmund and the others would probably end him once he left.

"No, I will leave you alone."

"!" Rodrick frowned, "...What are the conditions?" He was tempted now.

"I want you to tell me who the mastermind is?" That was something Edmund had realized. For Rodrick to do all this so quickly meant that there had to be a backer to all of this.

"I refuse. I will not say anything." Rodrick shook his head, refusing to say anything.

"Do you understand that person had left you to die?"

"?!"

"We had left the jail cell unguarded for a few days, purposely letting anyone enter." Edmund took a gamble to let this place be unguarded. He wanted to see whether or not the culprit would come and show himself. However,

"He never did. He chose to leave you here to die." That meant Rodrick was disposable.

"..."

"So tell us who the culprit is."

"I-" Before Rodrick could say anything, his body went stiff like a statue. Without anything left to be said, his body dropped to the ground!

"Rodrick!" Edmund quickly entered the cell. When he checked the pulse,

"Is he?" Sterling frowned.

"No, he's breathing. But he's unconscious."

"…" There was silence between everyone. There was one thing on Cedric's mind, "He must have signed a curse."

"But a curse that makes a person like this? Why would he sign something like that?" Sterling questioned. Signing a curse was a mutual thing. The person had to sign the paper for it to activate. That also meant the person could read over the effects.

"Either Rodrick did it willingly without knowing, or he was forced."

"It should be the first option. It seemed Rodrick didn't know about it." Edmund muttered. Rodrick was about to reveal everything to them.

"Dammit, who could it be?"

“…”

"What's the matter with you?" Cedric noticed how Keith was silent throughout all of this. Keith commented, "If Edmund can't tell us what's going on, then we'll have to get it from another source."

"Eh?"

Cedric's eyes widened, "Kid, you don't mean-"

"Yes." Keith nodded his head.