352. The Immortal and the Mortal (21)
“Pop!”
“Oh my! Ana! Good heavens! This kid, he’s all grown up!!”
Partak was staring blankly at the scene, holding a teacup. For the first time, he realized that his lord, who always smiled sinisterly or threatened with arrogance, could smile so warmly at someone.
It was an unwanted realization. Partak, unsure of what to say, looked at Fernandez tickling the child.
“See, Partak Blackfang? This kid recognizes me.”
“Yeeees……. My lord. Truly a precious little one.”
“Haha, yes, yes. I wonder what he’ll become when he grows up, being so clever.”
“Yeeees…….”
What will he become? The Chieftain, of course. Partak maintained a perfect expression while grumbling internally. With Fernandez still strong and Kirhas’s reputation soaring, even if both were to die, that child would be hailed as the Chieftain.
The dove-faction tribes, including Golden Tooth, had already pledged their loyalty upon the child’s birth. At least half of the beastmen would willingly submit to the child’s future.
Perhaps, this child would become the symbol of a new era. Following his mother, the regent Duke of Bülrang, a symbol of the mingling of human and beastman bloodlines. Maybe in a generation or two, the beastmen would be integrated into the Empire or recognized as an equal nation.
Of course, he didn’t want to know these things. Partak needed to figure out why he was even here. His life was in Fernandez’s hands.
“By the way, my lord, I was on my way to the Elder Council…….”
“Ah, without you, the meeting wouldn’t proceed. They must be waiting.”
“Yes, indeed. Haha, of course. The Elder Council is moving as I intended.”
He had to emphasize his usefulness. He forced a smile as he spoke.
The recent turmoil had left the Elder Council on edge. Kirhas was still alive, and Partak hadn’t succeeded in his coup, yet a day passed without incident. The elders who had supported Partak and mobilized troops must have been restless, unable to sleep.
They were cowards. Without even the minimal courage to assess the situation and meet the Chieftain. Partak despised them, yet their cowardice pleased him. Cowardly beasts were easy to tame.
Regardless, it was time to show that he was still in control of the Federation of Beastmen. If he wasn’t going to purge the hawkish tribes, this was a necessary step for Kirhas’s rule.
That man must know it too……. Partak swallowed dryly as he watched the man shaking the child in front of him. To anyone, he just looked like an ordinary, somewhat young father.
“Um…….”
“I’ve been thinking, Partak. About what might happen when I’m not around.”
Fernandez spoke without even looking at Partak, still staring at the child with a foolish expression.
But his voice was chillingly cold. The dissonance made Partak flinch.
“What could possibly change in your absence, my lord……?”
“Considering what happened during my half-year absence, I fear that if I leave again for another half-year, others with different intentions might emerge.”
His voice showed no fear.
“Yeeees……. That…… couldn’t happen, right? If anyone dares to think such things, I’ll personally cut off their heads, my lord. Haha…….”
“Ana is listening, so watch your words, Elder Blackfang.”
“My apologies!!”
Feeling the hidden threat, Partak immediately slammed his head on the table and shouted. The teacup clattered loudly. The child laughed at the sight.
“Always be careful with your words, Partak. Your life hangs by a thread.”
“I will engrave your teachings into my bones, my lord.”
“So, should I not keep the Elder Council’s old beasts waiting? Would it be rude of me to hold you back?”
“If anyone dares to think that, I’ll personally…….”
“Speak.”
“Yeees…… I’ll give them a stern talking to…….”
Partak was utterly confused. He couldn’t comprehend the current situation. Fernandez threatening with a smile, himself listening to the threat, and a less-than-one-year-old child radiating the strongest presence in what seemed like a crucial moment.
What on earth is happening? Partak looked at Fernandez with trembling eyes.
“Anyway, about what happens after I’m gone. If Kirhas also leaves, problems will arise, right?”
“What problems could there be? The Chieftain has led no significant policies in the past half-year, merely secluding himself. It’s entirely my efforts that have kept this city and the beastmen in check.”
“……I know your worth, so stick to the necessary words, Partak. So, you’re saying that leaving young Ana alone would cause no issues?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm…….”
Fernandez fell into thought, staring at the child. Only then did Partak realize the significance of this moment.
Fernandez was worried. He had spared Partak for his usefulness, but now, leaving seemed risky for the child’s safety. Worried? No, that wasn’t quite the right word.
It was unsettling. That was more accurate. Partak’s face turned pale. When he looked at Fernandez with trembling eyes, Fernandez was already staring back.
“You’re quick to catch on.”
“Spare…… me, my lord. Truly…… truly, I…….”
“I know you well, Partak. What you can do, and what you will do.”
“I…… am not. My lord.”
“I don’t think you’re that foolish. If you dare touch Ana…… not even the gods of the Temple of the Gods or the depths of the abyss will save your soul.”
It wasn’t just a threat or exaggeration. Partak knew what this man was capable of, and to what extent.
If one day this man casually said—
‘Even gods and demons die eventually.’
If he said it, you’d have to believe him. Because he’d killed both. Fernandez wouldn’t flaunt his achievements so crudely, but Partak truly believed it.
And when it comes to one’s child, even the most rational person can make irrational decisions. Partak struggled to steady his trembling hands.
“You want to live, don’t you?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I know you, Partak. That you’re clever, that your ambitions are strong, and that you cling to life. So, if another critical moment comes, you might betray me again.”
“No…….”
“Don’t say no, Partak. It’s the truth. And I’m fine with it. As you said, I don’t need a puppet.”
To exert influence across the continent, what’s needed are not puppets but strategists.
It was necessary. He needed strategists who could interpret his commands and utilize them effectively.
The mid-level members of Maledika each had their own plans and ideals, swearing loyalty to him. Fernandez was a very generous ruler. As long as they were loyal to his goals, he didn’t care about their personal interests.
But not anymore. Partak’s goal was always ambition, and the one who would most conflict with his goals would be this child. Fernandez began to slowly tap the table.
Tap, tap. The sound resembled footsteps heading toward a guillotine, causing Partak to shrink his neck and clench his fists tightly.
“I will leave for Guir, Partak. Kirhas is essential for this task, so she will accompany me, but the journey is perilous, so I cannot take the child. After Guir, we’ll head to the Eastern Union, and then… well, it will take a long time before we return to the wilderness.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“However, if anything happens to Ana during that time. If even a speck of harm comes to this child, who should I blame? If such a thing happens, I might start thinking very, very foolish thoughts.”
Fernandez’s finger tapped the table.
“If the child chokes while eating? Partak. If the child trips and scrapes their knee? Partak.”
With each tap, Partak’s name was called. Tap. Tap.
“If they roll off the bed while sleeping. Even if they accidentally bite their tongue while laughing. Partak. I feel like I’ll be calling your name a lot. Partak Blackfang.”
“I will ensure the young lady’s safety no matter what.”
“Your words must carry weight. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes. If anything happens, I will find you and make you pay for it.”
Fernandez’s gaze brushed past Partak and landed on Ana. The child, startled by the tense atmosphere, rolled her eyes and fidgeted with her lips.
Fernandez smiled broadly again and began to soothe the child. The child immediately burst into laughter and flailed her arms.
“Now, go. Announce your presence at the Elder Council and declare that you still reign as the second-in-command of this union. Say that the position below one and above ten thousand will last forever, and you may do as you wish. As long as you don’t forget who stands above you.”
-Thud!!
“I will do so!”
Partak immediately bowed his head to the table and carefully left the room. With the child’s clear laughter behind him, Partak struggled to hide his still trembling hands.
A monster. Someone who could block the Chieftain’s sincere sword strike and, at the same time, shatter his magic with a simple gesture. A monster who single-handedly defeated a Great Demon and now maintains close ties with influential figures across the Material World.
How could such a being exist in the same era as him? How… Partak thought bitterly. Surviving was all that mattered.
As long as he rode on the monster’s back, at least the monster’s fangs wouldn’t be directed at him. Those who feared the monster would look at him with that level of terror. That wasn’t so bad.
* * *
“Your Majesty, Countess Everiz Lis de Tremule of the Tremule Palace requests an audience!”
“Let her in.”
Rene cleared a space on the table cluttered with petitions and reports. A servant hurriedly approached and placed a teacup in the empty spot. Rene waved her hand to stop the servant.
“Leave it. Do I not have hands?”
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“I said leave it. Go and fetch some refreshments. The Duke will need to be entertained.”
Although the Tremule family was in the same boat as the Carvellian Imperial Family, there was no need to show weakness. At Rene’s words, the servant bowed and quickly retreated.
The Imperial finances were in an extremely unstable state. Even the relief efforts near Paltennoia had drained the national treasury to the point of needing to dip into the Imperial coffers. Three wars, two of which ravaged the Empire’s interior for over fifty years. The fact that the Empire still stood was a miracle.
Rene decided to set an example. She disposed of almost all items that could be classified as luxuries. Refreshments, high-quality ingredients, jewelry, furniture, and numerous other expenses that could be cut.
The occasional strawberries were almost the only luxury she allowed herself. She sighed as she looked at the well-prepared strawberries in a glass bowl.
‘I ate and rested better than this even when I was a princess.’
It was a time when she missed her father dearly. She sighed and looked toward the opening door. Everiz entered with a cheerful face. Seeing this, anger surged within her.
“You seem quite happy, Countess Tremule?”
“Oh. Strawberries, Your Majesty?”
“They’re mine. Don’t touch them.”
“How stingy. Rene, the taxes paid from Guir alone could buy the entire Empire’s strawberry farms and still leave plenty.”
“That money was spent on feeding the hungry. I was already in a tight spot with so many creditors. These were bought with my personal funds, so strictly speaking, they’re my strawberries.”
Rene slapped Everiz’s hand as she spoke. Everiz chuckled and pulled a chair to sit across from her.
“I have one really good piece of news, one a bit unfortunate… and one that’ll make you angry. Which do you want to hear first?”
“If you’re going to be annoying, I’ll just have you submit written reports from now on.”
“You’re extra prickly today, huh? Fine. I’ll start with the good news. Rene Philippa, don’t be shocked. Put your cup down first.”
“What is it? Spit it out. I don’t have time.”
“Neither do I. Lord Sernerd is alive.”
“……”
Rene’s hand, reaching for the strawberry bowl, froze mid-air. Everiz had delivered the news with the tone of someone commenting on the weather. Rene was thrown into confusion, her hand flailing for a moment.
“Say that again.”
“Your Majesty, the Lord has returned. By the grace of the Temple of the Gods, the divine Tremule has personally received the Lord and brought him back.”
“Fernandez Sernerd… is alive?”
“Yes, that’s what I said. He’s perfectly fine.”
“Then why are you here alone?”
Rene’s eyes were sharp and trembling. She had thought he was dead, and too much time had passed to simply say that. She had even presided over his funeral.
This was no joke. She had cried enough, mourned enough, and struggled to move on. Those she loved always left before her, so she was quite familiar with the pain of loss.
But now, he’s alive? And she’s only hearing about it now? Half a year later?
“He said he’s going to meet his daughter.”
-Clang!
At Everiz’s words, Rene dropped the bowl. Her hands trembled with anger.
“Daughter, not son! You said son, son!”
“Huh? It’s a daughter, though? He has a daughter with the Hearttaker Chieftain. Even Iron Side didn’t know. It’s been hard to gather information since the Chieftain took over Bülrang, and there’s a capable elder there making things dangerous… and we’re short on manpower.”
“Countess Tremule.”
“Yes?”
“Inform the Burning Fortress Knights to prepare for deployment. This is my command. We will attack Bülrang!”
As Rene stood up and shouted, Everiz burst into laughter. She chuckled for a while before waving her hand.
“That won’t be necessary, Your Majesty. The Lord has announced he will soon visit Guir.”
“Guir, not Paltennoia? Why?”
“Who knows? He said to open the port and prepare trade ships. It seems the Lord has taken an interest in maritime trade… Huh? Rene? Where are you going?”
Before she could finish, Rene had already draped her cloak and was striding out of the audience hall. Servants hurriedly followed, opening the doors for her.
Without looking back, she barked out an order.
“To Guir!”
Chapter 354
![[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TS-Obsessed-Gamer-The-Ultimate-Return2.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return")
