Chapter 1072

〈 Chapter 1072 〉 1072. The Spirit’s Atlantis

Elena, having returned to the Valderth household, was busying herself with hectic days.

In her brief absence from the head of the house, the family had descended into chaos far worse than she anticipated.

More than half of their competent and capable talents had already departed. Fortunately, news of Elena’s return was slowly bringing them back, though at an agonizingly slow pace. It seemed rest was a luxury she could ill afford.

‘Annoying. But there’s nothing I can do. Not when even I indulged in a vacation… If they leave now, it would be catastrophic.’

There were major issues both within and outside the household.

The external problem was the political attacks by the nobility aimed at the Valderth family. This wasn’t much of a concern—since one of the Five Great Empire Warriors had returned safely, slow retribution would suffice. Crushing the nobles and securing compensation for damages was almost enjoyable to contemplate.

The internal issue was far more severe.

The Valderth household had assumed Elena was dead. After all, many witnesses saw her fall into the hellish zone—it was only natural.

Her relatives, seizing the opportunity of an empty seat, revealed their greed. Those who dared not utter a peep while she was around, now schemed and plotted against each other for the throne.

‘And they did so brazenly. Poisoning, assassinations—these were just the basics. They even reached out to external forces. There’s more than one matter that needs cleaning up.’

The Ustia Royal Family had facilitated the downfall of the Valderth household. Other nobles were strategizing how best to carve them up. Enemies surrounded her on all sides.

‘Had I returned just a month later… it’s terrifying to think about.’

She worked tirelessly day and night, purging those who needed purging, and meticulously checking every business tied to the household. Without her [Full Recovery] skill restoring both body and mind, she’d have collapsed from overwork long ago.

“Lady Head!”

The door opened, and a middle-aged man entered.

He was one of Elena’s trusted vassals. His once-prized gray beard, usually well-groomed, had lost its luster due to neglect. Behind his glasses, his eyes bore dark circles so pronounced he could pass for a panda.

“Is the task I assigned completed?”

“…I’ve sent an inspection team to the Feroid Trading Company. You should be able to see the chairman’s head by noon tomorrow.”

“I’ve seen thirty heads today alone. I’m tired of looking at them. You confirm and handle it as you see fit.”

“Yes, Lady Head.”

“I will not approve this.”

“…Pardon?”

“Didn’t you come here to resign?”

“It’s useless. A guest has arrived at the mansion.”

“Who?”

Elena straightened her slouched posture. She had previously given strict orders: turn away any random visitors. Most of these “randoms” were barons or lower-ranking nobles.

“It’s Eiflan Legion. The Legion you restarted support for after your return.”

“I see. The reception room is bothersome. Bring them here.”

“As you wish.”

As Elena returned her gaze to the documents, she realized he hadn’t left and looked up again.

“Is there something else?”

“Well… forgive me for my insolence…”

“Speak freely. Right now, I can’t kill you—you dying would only double my workload.”

“I’ll stake my old life on this. Lady Head… the execution of the retainers…”


“Hold it right there.”

“Because they’re family? You expect me to show mercy? You know full well what atrocities they’ve committed!”

“That’s true, but isn’t this punishment a bit excessive?”

“The children have already been sent to the monastery. I’ve shown more than enough mercy. I’ve even made generous donations in their name… Hmm, now I’m starting to suspect your loyalty.”

“I haven’t taken any bribes. It’s for the sake of our house. We have no heir. Leaving only two survivors… If anything were to happen to you, my lord…”

Elena couldn’t ignore the elder’s concern. After all, one reason their house had fallen into chaos was precisely because of the lack of an heir.

The elder must be worried about history repeating itself. Closing her eyes briefly, she thought:

‘In the past, I would’ve dismissed such words. With this world unlikely to last another 30 years, why bother? But now…’

An image came to mind – a man with powers that made gods seem ordinary.

He could change the fate of this world. No, he could rewrite it entirely and still have energy to spare.

Opening her eyes, Elena declared:

“I’ll produce an heir within ten years. Wait just ten years. That’s being generous. Who knows, it might happen as early as next year.”

“…What?! You don’t mean… creating artificial humans?!”

“Don’t push your luck. Normally, you’d be running 30 laps around the training grounds for speaking so rashly.”

“So who is this person? What lineage? Does he possess the dignity worthy of House Valdert?”

The elder asked seriously.

“Lineage? High noble birth. Youngest of three brothers who seized the position of heir. As for dignity… He’s an excellent actor. If instructed properly, he could convincingly impersonate even a king. In fact, I heard he once played emperor.”

The elder furrowed his brow, trying desperately to think who this could be.

“Could it be… someone from the royal family?!”

“Do you want to die?”

“My apologies. Still, whoever this mysterious person may be, I trust them.”

“Trust? For what exactly?”

“It feels like this person would dive headfirst into hell itself for you, my lady.”

“…Hmm.”

“To think this person has given you such peace of mind.”

“Peace of mind? Me? Can’t you see how busy I am?”

“Inner peace. While you did occasionally make jokes in the past, there was always a clear boundary.”

“Is that boundary gone now?”

“No, it’s still there. Just distant and blurry. This is a positive change. Allow me to summon the A-Plan Legion members.”

The elder left. Elena stared blankly at the void for a moment.

‘Have I changed?’

Furrowing her brows, she soon smirked.

‘Not bad.’

Soon after, members of the A-Plan Legion arrived at her office. Led by Kang Myung-Jin, surrounded by beautiful women. However, the atmosphere was far from spring-like. Their faces were as serious as if attending a funeral.

“Your Grace Valdert. It’s been a while. I’m relieved to see you unharmed.”

“Greetings are unnecessary, Kang Myung-Jin. We’re short on time, so get straight to the point. I assume this is about Sung Yoo-Jin?”

At the mention of Sung Yoo-Jin’s name, the women shifted uncomfortably. Elena’s sharp mind immediately recalled their names and information: Joo Seo-Hyun, Yoo Seo-Hee, Rilsne, Lee Min-Jung.

She used to ignore such things, but now these women were getting under her skin.

‘That guy definitely made a move on them…’

Elena felt an unexpected tightness in her chest.

“Yes, we know he’s alive. Likely escaped the Hell Zone with you. Where is he now?”

“I have no idea.”

She lied without hesitation. If they found Sung Yoo-Jin now, while he was dealing with the Black Bamboo Sect, it would cause him trouble. She silently suppressed her rising irritation.

“We parted ways immediately after escaping the Hell Zone. I’ve been too busy cleaning up the mess here to know anything about him.”

“Is that so…”

Their disappointment was evident. Especially…


The women looked incredibly downcast. Irritation reared its ugly head once more. However, the target had changed.

“Do you not trust him? To come to me instead of believing in your comrade… How disappointing. If I were you, I’d have trusted him until the end.”

“We do trust him! But we couldn’t just sit still worrying about him, which is why we came to you, Duke.”

“Your actions prove otherwise. There’s a lack of trust between comrades. If I were you, I’d trust and wait for him until the very end.”

“Ugh…”

The members of Eiplane Legion swallowed their groans.

Elena then asked the women, “Do any of you know the name ‘Yuria’?”

“No, I’ve never heard that name before…”

Both Gang Myeong-Jin and the women reacted the same way. Elena slightly curled her lips upward.

“Ahh, I see. Well, I thought as much.”

“May I inquire who this person is?”

“She’s a woman far more competent than myself. And… a rival? Or something akin to that. Someone unrelated to you all.”

Perhaps sensing the peculiar undertone in Elena’s words, the women didn’t look pleased. In particular, a tall woman with long black hair and sharp eyes frowned openly as she approached Elena.

Joo Seo-Hyun.

Elena recalled her name. Glancing briefly at Joo Seo-Hyun, she noticed her chest was about the same size as Yuria’s. Elena felt a slight twinge of annoyance.

“Duke, may I ask directly—what kind of relationship do you have with him?”

“You’re awfully cheeky. But since you’re part of his legion, I’ll let it slide. My relationship with him… is deeper than what you might think.”

“…Do you know what I’m thinking and are making these remarks accordingly?”

“…”

Elena chuckled quietly. Her condescending smile made Joo Seo-Hyun’s hands tremble with anger. Nevertheless, Joo Seo-Hyun didn’t cross the line. Retreating backward, she acted as if she didn’t want to deal with Elena anymore. Instinctively, Joo Seo-Hyun knew Elena was absurdly strong.

“Let me ask this time: What kind of relationship do you have with him?”

“…We’re enemies.”

“Hmm. I thought it was more like master and pet.”

“WHAT!”

Joo Seo-Hyun’s face turned bright red. Elena chuckled again. It seemed her comment, meant to provoke, hit closer to home than intended.

“Mr. Gang Myeong-Jin, our business here is concluded. I’d appreciate it if you left now.”

“I apologize for taking up your time, Your Grace.”

“It’s fine. Regarding him… trust and wait. Would he really abandon you?”

After bowing, they departed from her office.

Elena waved her hand through the air, summoning a conch shell from subspace into her palm. She pondered over it briefly before putting it back.

‘Since this mess is his doing, he can handle it himself.’

…

I moved alongside Li Mei while wearing my clown mask, acting as a high-ranking officer of Helten, known as Cheonma. We sought out each officer of Heukjumang one by one—not so much persuasion but rather coercion.

‘More like intimidation than actual persuasion.’

I stared at the Chinese man in front of us. Li Mei had cast both fascination and enchantment on him. With three stacked layers of enchantment, he became a loyal slave, spilling every detail of his secrets and misdeeds.

Li Mei claims that by casting fascination daily for an hour over 30 days, she could alter someone’s subconscious, turning them into a complete slave. But we lacked the time, so we resorted to threats. If threats failed, we killed without hesitation.

“Mr. Yoo Jin, it seems the Heukjumang leader has caught on. Not because of the officers we’ve recruited, but likely due to recognizing my inherent abilities.”

What we were doing was merely laying groundwork for smoother control of Heukjumang operations.

If the leader has already figured it out, things will get tougher from here. This is where the real challenge begins.

“It’s time for an exhilarating conversation with the Heukjumang boss.”

We plan to kill the leader, take their place, and clean house. Adjusting Heukjumang’s size to fit Li Mei’s leadership capabilities, we’ll revamp the organization entirely.

“Let’s go.”

Tearing open a space-time scroll, we teleported to the area where the Heukjumang boss was located.