Adelaide hurriedly said, “No, no, no. What I mean is that I want to become the sole investor of the Federal Academy! What I mean is that other than me, no one else can invest in the academy!”
“Oh! That doesn’t matter. I’ll stick to what I said. Anyway, that old man won’t let you make money. You can go directly and he’ll gladly take as much as you provide! As such, I won’t be accepting this money.”
Locke could already see the results of Adelaide’s investment. Since he knew that the other party would definitely suffer losses, he could not bring himself to take this gratitude fee.
Löw said, “Mr. Locke, please don’t misunderstand. My master is well aware of Principal Hobrick’s style. This money is a gratitude fee for another thing that you’ve done…”
This made Locke somewhat surprised!
What kind of thing could make the other party thank him with such a huge sum of money?
Seeing Locke’s puzzled face, Löw continued, “I wonder if you still remember the matter that transpired in the city center, the one which the White family was wiped out?”
Locke nodded and signaled the other party to continue.
“We never thought that Old Man White would be so ruthless! In order to dominate the Holy City, he was even willing to wipe out the important figures among the nobles.”
“Had the White family actually came out victorious in the duels, the Estelle family would definitely be massacred! So, this is to thank you for your righteous action, please accept it!”
‘As expected of the butler of a big family, his words are well phrased!’
“Oh, then why didn’t you go that day?” Locke quickly put the cheque into his pocket.
Upon hearing the question, Löw’s face was filled with fear and trepidation, but he immediately responded with a cheery expression, “That day, the right sleeve of the new clothes that the tailor sent over was 0.01 centimeters shorter. This is absolutely unacceptable to my master! In a fit of anger, he did not go out to watch the battle!”
‘Holy sh*t! OCD can actually save a person’s life? How rare!” Locke ridiculed in his heart.
However, on second thought, he felt that something was not right. Based on how extravagant the manor was, the Estelle should rank above the White family in finances!
‘They can definitely hatch many powerful Battle Beasts with their finances, so, why were they afraid of the White family in the first place?’
Locke immediately voiced out his doubts.
This question made Adelaide, who was maintaining a smiling face, look a little worried, causing him to sigh repeatedly.
Löw spoke again, “Perhaps you’re unaware of the situation of the Estelle family. My master doesn’t like to meddle in governmental affairs, and instead, he focuses on managing the family’s business. They are the largest jeweler in the Federation.”
‘The largest jeweler? No wonder they’re so rich!’ Locke felt that the Estelle family’s members had a net worth that was grossed over tens of billions of federal coins. The one billion coins they handed him earlier was pocket change in comparison!
“Despite that, the Estelle family cannot find a voice within the Holy City. We could only manage the family business quietly because…”
Löw was about to continue, when suddenly, he was interrupted by Adelaide.
“I’ll take it from here..” Adelaide finished more than half of the glass of red wine in one gulp. With a purse of his lips, he added on, “Because our family suffers from a terrible curse…”
Upon hearing Adelaide’s words, the other waiters in the hall lowered their heads and sighed. All of them had sad expressions on their faces.
“First of all, our family members won’t live past 40 years old. When the time comes, they will die sudden deaths. My parents were among the less fortunate, as they had both perished from a serious illness 15 years ago…”
Locke cast a sympathetic look. Adelaide looked no more than 26 years old[1]. ‘Doesn’t this mean that he has been taking on the family business since he was around the age of 10?’
‘There’s more to Adelaide than meets the eye!’
“But why can’t the Estelle family live past 40 years old? Who was the one who cast the curse on the Estelle family?” Locke asked curiously.
Locke suddenly recalled the eerie lack of other family members ever since he arrived at the Estelle family’s manor!
‘As a noble family, it is only proper etiquette for all the family members to meet their guests!’
‘Just how much did the person who cast the curse hate the Estelle family?’
‘Or rather, what sins did their ancestors commit?’
Adelaide nodded and continued, “This curse has already troubled my family for six whole generations… “We only know that it was done by a Beastmaster named ‘Flying Blood Wizard King’. Other than that, we have no other clues! We don’t even know if they’re a man or a woman!’
“We also don’t know how we offended him. For many years, breaking this curse has been our family’s number one mission. However, even though we’re as rich as a country and have sought the help of many renowned figures throughout the generations, we still can’t find a way to break it!”
As he said this, Butler Löw and the servants began to sob softly.
Locke understood his plight well. After all, no one would want their life to end at their forties!
Moreover, Adelaide was powerless to change it. His fate was dictated since birth.
It was as if there was a sword hanging over his head forever. His life was akin to torture!
“But… This isn’t the most depressing thing. What’s even more terrifying is that this curse has a second effect. Our family members are all ‘insulators’…”
Naturally, if there was a chosen one like Locke, then it was only normal for someone who possessed the opposite of his luck!
Locke had learned this knowledge in class.
Simply put, a person’s ability to hatch Battle Beasts, as well as their magical aptitude, was determined since birth.
In this world of Battle Beasts, the Estelle family were like cripples!
All of them were “insulators”!
If it was not for the fact that the Estelle family extravagant finances, Adelaide would definitely be working some menial tasks elsewhere.
At this point, the sobs in the dining hall had become even louder.
Locke mentally sighed, ‘Damn… This is quite tragic. Wouldn’t this family perish sooner or later?”
“So… I want to ask Mr. Locke for a favor…”
Adelaide was about to continue when Locke immediately interrupted him. “Don’t! I don’t know anything about curses. I can’t help you in this aspect! After your investment succeeds, I’ll get that damned old man to think of a way for you!”
“Oh! Please don’t misunderstand. I’ll think of other ways to deal with this curse. What I mean is, I’d like to ask Mr. Locke to be our family’s protector…”
“Protector?”
Löw, who was serving dessert, continued to explain, “Although my master has invited a number of Beastmasters before this, none of them can match your strength! Of course! You’re not working as a bodyguard. We only need your presence during important matters!”
[1] The raws say 16 years old, but that doesn’t make sense, so I bumped his age by ten.