Chapter 144
The next day, Natalie sat dejectedly on a bench.
It was a secluded bench that she often sought out when she needed to clear her mind. And, of course, Han Siha knew where to find her.
“Natalie!”
Given everything that had happened, it was no surprise that Natalie was feeling down.
Despite her generally optimistic outlook—even when she had been kidnapped—there were some things that really shook her confidence.
“Han Siha?”
Han Siha approached with his hands in his pockets, his tone suggesting that he already knew why Natalie was sitting there.
“Why are you here today…?”
“Just… I keep thinking about what happened yesterday.”
Natalie’s expression darkened for a moment.
Watching Han Siha knock the supervisor around with the water bottles had been incredibly satisfying. But on the other hand, she felt ashamed that she couldn’t do the same.
She hadn’t wanted to let herself get walked over again, yet she ended up feeling foolish for letting it happen.
Natalie was curious about Han Siha.
She envied the unwavering confidence he seemed to carry with him no matter where he went or what situation he faced.
She admired his certainty in knowing he was right.
She wanted to be like that.
So she gathered her courage and asked,
“How do you manage to… do what you did yesterday so…?”
“Are you asking how to cause such a ruckus like that?”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t that what you were wondering? How do I manage to stir up trouble everywhere I go?”
“Th-that’s not it! Absolutely not!”
Natalie’s initial denial was so vehement that she waved her hands frantically, but after a moment, she stopped and blinked.
“I don’t want to just stand there and take it anymore.”
Then, as if coming to a decision, she added,
“I don’t want to live my life always getting the short end of the stick.”
For Natalie, even saying that took a lot of courage.
Han Siha, seeing her resolve, chuckled warmly, almost like he was watching a child take a big step.
“Life is full of situations where you’ll get the short end of the stick.”
“Really?”
It might seem amusing to hear something like that from a sixteen-year-old, but Natalie didn’t laugh.
Han Siha sometimes seemed much older than his years, and Natalie always took his words seriously.
“Barging headfirst into every problem isn’t always the best solution, you know.”
“If a tree grows too straight, it’s more likely to break.”
“You’re a soft, kind person—so kind that no one would ever want to hurt you. That’s what makes you ‘Natalie.’”
“That’s… ‘Natalie’?”
It was a hard concept for her to grasp, but somehow, she felt like she understood.
Han Siha grinned and continued, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
“Natalie is at her best when she’s being herself.”
“Really?”
At an academy filled with monsters like Adela, Lee Han, and Solia, Natalie might seem weak.
But Han Siha remembered what Natalie had achieved at the Smart Academy.
When everyone else had fallen into despair, barely surviving each day through anger and determination…
Her cheerful nature had become the only shield that helped them all keep going.
That was what made Natalie, well, Natalie, and Han Siha wanted her to stay that way forever.
He looked directly at Natalie and spoke firmly.
“So don’t go to weird places like that anymore.”
“You mean the life water division process?”
“Anywhere, really.”
To be honest, Natalie didn’t have to put herself through that.
“Natalie, you’re living a good life.”
Natalie Willow.
The only daughter of the immensely wealthy Willow family, who would one day inherit an entire artifact business empire.
Han Siha stated a simple truth.
“When you have a lot of money… you don’t have to do anything.”
“You don’t have to force yourself to do something. It’s even better if you don’t have to do anything at all.”
Natalie started to nod along with Han Siha’s words but then hesitated.
It was true that, if she wanted to, she could rely on her family’s wealth and never need to enter the Magic Tower or do anything particularly challenging.
So, graduating from the academy and leading a comfortable life would be an entirely realistic goal.
However…
“Han Siha, you’re richer than me.”
“…!”
No matter how much wealth the Willow family had amassed through artifact development and business, they couldn’t compare to the Blood Count.
Han Taesu wasn’t just the lord of the Castica estate; he owned land all across the Ardel Empire and was wealthy enough to buy an entire island as a vacation home.
Natalie tilted her head and trailed off.
“But you’re always busy….”
“You’re always working….”
“Han Siha?”
Han Siha froze, as if in a trance, at Natalie’s words.
“Damn.”
If he really thought about it, there was no need for him to push himself so hard to graduate from the academy, join the Magic Tower, or become a top-tier Tamer just to survive in this world.
That had been the right approach when he was on the verge of being disowned, but now that he had a good relationship with his family, none of that was necessary.
He was Han Taesu’s only legitimate heir, destined to inherit the Castica estate.
There were no other children to compete with, so naturally, everything would eventually be his.
He had completely forgotten his status.
“Right.”
Han Siha looked as if he had been hit over the head, stunned by the realization.
But only for a moment.
A wide, instinctive grin spread across his face.
“Hahaha….”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Hahaha….”
Han Siha clasped his hands together, his eyes sparkling with gratitude.
“I’m filthy rich….”
—
The next day, Han Si-hyuk’s office in the Magic Investigation Department was unusually quiet.
“….”
The silence was almost suffocating.
It was strange.
Ever since Han Siha had started working there as a field assistant, there hadn’t been a single peaceful day in the office.
Han Siha had a natural talent for getting on Han Si-hyuk’s nerves, and Han Si-hyuk wasn’t the type to let things slide.
The office, which had seen daily arguments, was now eerily calm.
Adela peeked into the hallway, feeling something was off.
Han Siha, who should have been at work, was nowhere to be seen.
Adela set down the mop she had been using and walked over to where Han Si-hyuk was flipping through some paperwork.
“Where’s Han Siha today?”
“He went home.”
Han Si-hyuk’s voice was flat, almost dismissive.
Home?
For someone like Adela, who had no place to return to, others taking a day or two to visit their family homes wasn’t anything unusual.
So Han Siha taking some time off wasn’t that strange.
However, the reason was quite unexpected.
“He said… he’s going to rest.”
“W-What?”
Adela asked, visibly startled.
Han Si-hyuk’s eyes glinted dangerously as he spoke, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.
“Rest, he said….”
Just when there was a mountain of work to do, Han Siha decided to return to the family estate under the pretense of taking a break.
“Where does he get the nerve to take it easy?”
Han Si-hyuk clenched his fist tightly.
“Should I just kill him?”
“…!”
“I knew I should have killed him back then….”
Han Si-hyuk ground his teeth together in frustration.
—
Meanwhile, Han Siha, blissfully unaware of Han Si-hyuk’s rage, arrived at the Castica estate with a cheerful smile.
It was his second time visiting this vast territory.
The first time, he had dragged Seymour along and almost got turned away at the door. But now, things were different.
“Oh… oh! It’s the young master…!”
A servant who had been tending the lawn noticed Han Siha and shouted.
“Oh my gosh!”
The gardener, who clearly remembered the young Han Siha from years ago, turned pale as a ghost.
The sole heir, who had been sent to Ardel Academy and nearly disowned by the family, had returned.
It should have been a cause for celebration, but… most of the servants weren’t so thrilled.
‘Young master! You can’t do that…!’
‘This is my land. Do you want to die?’
‘No, please, nooo!’
Snap.
Han Siha had a habit of uprooting the flowers the gardener had painstakingly planted and running off.
‘Don’t you have a pig’s head? A human head will do too.’
‘H-Human head?’
‘Your head would work.’
‘Why… Why do you seek such ghastly things?’
When he got a bit older, he claimed to have learned some creepy magic and used the servants as test subjects.
Rumors even spread that people had died because of his curses.
In short, young Han Siha had been…
To put it simply, he was the neighborhood menace.
The return of such a young master was a source of fear and dread.
The servants collectively panicked and vanished from sight.
“Where did everyone go?”
Rustle, rustle.
There had been signs of people just a moment ago, but now, not a soul was in sight.
Han Siha scratched his head, mumbling to himself.
“They all ran off.”
Not that he really cared; they’d just be a nuisance anyway.
After all, he didn’t plan on staying long.
Han Siha had only come here for one reason.
He stood before the large front door and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Father?”
The truth was, he had come to fulfill his filial duties.
—
“Eat.”
A feast so extravagant it looked like the table might collapse under its weight was laid out before him.
Even though what was already there seemed impossible to finish, more and more dishes kept arriving.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Good.”
Although Han Taesu didn’t show it openly, the hospitality was clear.
Han Siha cut into a steak with a knife and took a bite.
The highest quality meat practically melted in his mouth.
It was a far cry from the experimental dormitory meals at the academy, a taste so wonderful it almost made him want to stay here permanently.
Munch, munch.
As Han Siha ate the steak, Han Taesu, who had been watching him intently, casually placed a grilled lobster on his plate.
“Eat this too.”
“Thank you.”
“…And this.”
His tone was cold and indifferent, showing no warmth.
Yet Han Taesu continued to pile more and more food onto Han Siha’s plate.
I’m going to explode at this rate.
Han Siha scratched his head, feeling like he was being overfed, but he couldn’t stop eating since the food was so delicious.
As he watched Han Siha eat steadily, Han Taesu finally spoke with a hint of satisfaction.
“You eat well.”
Then, in a calm voice, he asked,
“Are the meals at the academy not good?”
“To be honest… the taste is a bit… lacking, but I eat to survive.”
Han Taesu frowned at that.
After a moment of contemplation, he muttered to himself,
“I suppose we’ll have to replace the nutritionist.”
Huh?
Wait… What?
Is he saying he can just change the school’s nutritionist like that?
“Feeding growing children food that doesn’t taste good? We’ll have to replace them all….”
“No! That’s not necessary!”
It felt like someone had just lost their job.
I had forgotten that the man sitting in front of me was the academy’s largest benefactor.
Han Taesu, still looking serious, asked again,
“What’s the name of that nutritionist?”
“….”
“Should I fire the entire staff?”
Realizing that continuing this conversation might lead to a mass layoff, Han Siha quickly changed the subject.
“Actually, I’ve been curious about something.”
“What is it?”
As Natalie had mentioned, I knew the Castica family was wealthy and held extensive lands.
But I didn’t know exactly how vast those lands were.
Carefully gauging Han Taesu’s reaction, I asked,
“Where does the Castica estate begin and end?”
“It’s over there.”
Han Taesu pointed behind him, where a massive map covered an entire wall.
It was a map of the entire Ardel Empire.
In a matter-of-fact tone, Han Taesu spoke.
“The areas marked in red are the Castica lands.”
“Red…?”
Holy…
Even on a map of the entire empire, the red-marked areas took up a substantial portion.
All of that is the Castica estate?
“Yes. All of that is the Castica estate.”
“And, uh… what about my share…?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Han Taesu replied.
“It’s all yours.”
Wow.
I was speechless.
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