Chapter 942: Count Ashtonâs First Target
As Luke said, he was planning to set everything straight by himself. Even though he had told them he would deal with the problem by himself, Duke Coline and Patriarch Zene still ended up offering him a few things.
And those few things were actually related to the first target.
Khalasia Merchant Group was a massive merchant in the Azilia Kingdom. That was because of the protection of an arcane level summoner who was hailed to be someone who had the potential to become a world class summoner.
Even though that person was no more, they still maintained a close relationship with the Count family.
However, there was one problem. Despite getting connected directly to the main family, there was not a single gold coin coming to support Selena.
That was why Count Ashtonâs first target was this merchant group.
That was the exact reason for a man who had such strength to be kneeling on the floor with his whole body shaking. He didnât even dare to look at the person who sat in his seat.
This old man was none other than the head of the merchant group. His daughter was the second wife of Count Ashton.
Count Ashton looked at him with a cold gaze, as though he wanted to murder him right away.
âFor the past 12 years, I heard you have been torturing my daughter.â Count Ashtonâs voice was even colder than the temperature outside.
The man opened his shaking mouth. âI⊠I didnâtâŠâ
âYou still donât plan to tell the truth?â Count Ashton just dropped a single paper. âThen what is this?â
The man raised his head slightly to see the paper before his heart sank. His body froze, as he couldnât believe what he had just seen. âThis⊠ThisâŠâ
âThis was all the money you had sent to the family, but none of it ever reached my daughter. And after a bit of investigation, your daughter manipulated my wife to take her own life and isolated my daughter.
âIt was clear you had known about it, but you simply didnât do anything.â
The man gulped down and said, âBut⊠But⊠The money was given to your son. Your son is⊠also the heir of the family⊠A male heir⊠is much more important than⊠a female heirâŠâ
âMale heir? Since when did I have a male heir?â Luke narrowed his eyes.
â!!!â That was the last bomb. The man couldnât believe what he had just heard. No, he didnât expect Luke would know about it.
âWhat? Do you think I donât know? Do you think Iâm so dumb that I donât realize Rana was not a daughter you planted to get closer to my younger brother?
âDo you think Iâm not aware of the fact that her child was the son of my brother? I have known it the whole timeâŠâ
âYouâŠâ The man gasped, looking at Luke in terror.
âI loved my wife. All the family members knew about it, which was the sole reason I didnât want to take a second wife.
âFrom the looks of it, you were the one who harmed my wife. You were the one ruining her body.
âTo get the strength of the Ashton family, you made Rana get closer to my younger brother before trying to get me. After knowing my wife was pregnant, you pushed her to me before poisoning my wife.
âOriginally, you intended to kill the child in her womb, but she was simply too strong⊠The only damage was in her body. In the end, your plan succeeded. Selena was a female heir, and you could push your grandchild to my seat.
âHowever, there was one miscalculation. I already knew the relationship between her and my brother. She was already pregnant. But I chose to endure it⊠Why do you think so?â
â!!!â The man widened his eyes in shock, finally seeing the bigger picture. âYou⊠You were using meâŠâ
Count Ashton smiled coldly. That was right. Just like how the man before him tried to use him to get more authority, Count Ashton endured it to use his wealth to find a resource for Selena. The information about the bloodstone came from using this wealth.
Of course, there were other reasons, such as his wifeâs condition. He was forced to take another wife by the elders in the family, who were incited by the man in front of him.
Even though the situation was complex, one thing was clear. His sole heir was Selena. No one other than Selena was the legal heir.
The moment he disappeared, his brother took his spot, which resulted in what happened in the last twelve years.
On the one hand, he looked like a bad husband as well, but as the patriarch of the Ashton family, he had no choice. In that case, he could only do it in a way that would benefit his daughter in the future. His biggest miscalculation was the fact that this tiger, who he had invited into his own house, would be the one causing all the mistreatment of his daughter.
âThatâsâŠâ The man tried to explain himself, but Count Ashton stood up. He lifted his hand and formed a magic circle.
âWith the authority of a count, I hereby sentence you, Randell, to a death penalty. For the next ten days, this magic circle will suck out the blood from your body and circulate it back, making you experience death many times every day. Once the magic circle is deactivated, you will die because of the blood loss.
âI now announce that Khalasia Merchant Group will be disbanded and your life is now forfeited.â
The manâs face turned pale. âNo! Anything but that⊠Please remember that I have helped you a lot of times in the past. NOOOOOOO!â
That was the only last word he said.
The people of the city would later find a naked old man whose body was suspended in front of her store. His body was extremely skinny because the blood kept circulating in and out of his body.
There was one announcement posted right at the door of the shop stating him to be punished for his treason against the Ashton family.
And the family he had⊠It collapsed completely, with not a single person remaining. Despite how easygoing he appeared in front of Nathan, Count Ashtonâs action was ruthless. He exterminated all three generations to make sure there wasnât a single person from this family who would go back to exact revenge.
Once the first target was finished, it was time for Count Ashton to set the Ashton family straight.