The Ardagan Family was not a prosperous family even though it was a family with a long heritage. It was because of the current head of the family.
"You stupid low life!" The current head, Luke's father, kicked Laufey in the stomach. His hands were covered in bruises as he tried to protect himself from all this.
"Father!" Luke shouted in anger as he approached them.
"Hmph! Do you think you are good?" The current head snorted. Because of Luke, he didn't have the mood to beat anyone up anymore and simply left them.
Luke couldn't help but look at Laufey with a sad expression. "Sorry, Laufey."
"It's fine. I know that this is going to happen." Laufey shook his head helplessly.
"Please bear with me a bit longer. Even though my father is like that, he is very ill. Once I take over the family, I can finally reform everything."
"Yeah." Laufey nodded. "I've found a few names."
"Alright." Luke listened to him with a solemn expression.
The reason why the Ardagan Family became like this was related to the secret of the Ardagan Family, which could only produce a single heir.
However, due to his father's behavior, his grandfather decided not to tell him about it and only told Luke the secret of the family. That was why he was like this. All the wealth that the Ardagan Family possessed had been used to research medicine on how to produce an heir.
His father had even brought a lot of women into the mansion and had a lot of wives. Unfortunately, his grandfather couldn't do anything. With only a single heir, he couldn't really punish him and ended up cutting the bloodline of the Ardagan Family.
Knowing this, Luke was biding his time in the darkness for a reform.
The Ardagan Family was extremely poor. The taxes were high, the city's security was bad, and the food was scarce.
This was also the reason why Laufey ended up meeting Luke.
In that short period, Laufey realized this genius called Luke Ardagan. He had been preparing for the reform and had been recruiting people in the darkness like him.
And finally, the time they had been waiting for had arrived. Three years after the first time they met, Luke's father succumbed to his illness. The main wife, who was Luke's father, had cut off their relationship because the Ardagan Family had been reduced to a mere Count Family.
The other wives also did the same and pulled back, which was enough for Luke to make his move.
Luke succeeded the family when he was only fourteen years old. Everyone thought that the Ardagan Family would once again decline in Luke's hands.
Although they knew that Luke was different from his father, his achievement was never heard due to the nature of his work. That was why they were pessimistic about the Ardagan Family. There wasn't even a single engagement talk coming to the Ardagan Family.
It was at that time that Luke showed his might. He immediately reformed all sectors. All the funds he had been securing for the last four years covered everything.
Massive projects were all over the place, transforming the city. The security had increased, and the taxes were lowered.
At that time, Luke looked like the savior of the city. However, people still underestimated him, thinking that he wouldn't make it big as his funds were about to run out.
This was when Luke showed his prowess as a business genius. He turned this noble family into a merchant family and gained a massive amount of wealth.
When he was 18 years old, he actually managed to make the family stand on its feet again and it would only continue to rise from then on.
Seeing how the people began eyeing the family, Laufey realized that he couldn't be compared to him. At the same time, he also wanted to see the continuation of this rise.
Hence, Laufey expressed his intention of going to the Demon Banner Army.
"Are you sure about this, Laufey?" Luke asked with a frown.
"Yes. I have made up my mind. What the Ardagan Family lacks right now is the ability to protect itself. Hence, I am thinking about becoming a soldier there and making my way up before returning to the family. Once I return, I won't let the Ardagan Family get bullied anymore."
Luke's face turned grim as he said, "Laufey. You are like my brother. You have been on my side ever since the beginning of our reform. How could I…"
"Please trust me." Laufey had made up his mind.
Luke bit his lips. "You…"
Unfortunately, Luke couldn't stop Laufey from going to the Demon Banner Army. Although he was filled with grief, Luke still had to continue.
Luke rose to an even bigger stage. What most people didn't know was that the real reason he managed to do all this was because he managed to gain an ally.
She was the one making everything possible. Yes, she was Luke's wife, Leysha.
Luke accidentally met her in the past. Because of his charisma, Leysha ended up liking Luke and decided to help him.
For all those initial funds and other things, Leysha was the one managing them. Yes, the reform received help from the Greenwood Kingdom.
On the other hand, Laufey was struggling in the Demon Banner Army. He managed to go all the way up to the Zero Squad with his talent, but he was particularly not intelligent in other things.
And that was why he met the dark side of the kingdom, the Supreme Devil Organization.
Luke had everything. His wife was beautiful and came from a famous family in the Greenwood Kingdom. His wealth couldn't be counted anymore as he began his charity across the land, helping a lot of people. The Ardagan Family also had an ancient heritage.
It was under that condition that he met Qiel.
"What do you think, Laufey Ardagan? You, who was considered the brother of Luke Ardagan, actually had nothing. It seemed that your brother didn't care about you anymore." Qiel smirked.
"You're wrong. He is a good man!"
"If he is a good man, why does he leave you here? Just take a look around you, you have nothing. Is there even a letter from him? He has abandoned you, you just don't want to admit it."
"You…" Laufey gritted his teeth. It didn't take long for Laufey to come home, but that was when he saw the perfect life of his brother, Luke Ardagan.
His wife was already close to the Spirit Grandmaster, so there should be no more threat that could harm the Ardagan Family. Yet Luke never called him back. No, he didn't even send a message.
Without him realizing it, the seed of discord had been planted in his mind. At the same time, Laufey couldn't help but wonder. It was he who wanted to join the Demon Banner Army. He knew how strict the Demon Banner Army was.
If he continued working hard, he would sooner or later become an important person in that squad.
When was it again that his desire to help Luke started to waver? Was it really as simple as it seemed? Was his hatred as petty as his jealousy?
…
Laufey looked at Anna in front of her, reinforcing his opinion. The Ardagan Family had become even more powerful.
The Ardagan Family might have lost the wealth that Luke possessed, but there was something that the royal family couldn't seize. It was the heart of the people.
There were still a lot of pillars that would come to serve Noel even after Luke was gone. Noel, who didn't look like he could be something in the past, suddenly became the most favored person in the entire world, not just this kingdom. And his fiancee was the most talented woman in the world.
Noel had even received the heritage of his ancestor, which was the rune. Just like his father, Noel got everything for himself.
Laufey gritted his teeth while glaring at Anna. "You don't know anything about the Ardagan Family. You don't realize yet that you are only a chess piece that he can throw away at any time."
Anna couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows, not knowing what he was talking about.
"If you think you can mess up my mind with all your words, then no, I would never believe anything from your mouth." Anna raised her sword. "Besides, the winner and the loser have yet to be decided."
Laufey narrowed his eyes as he couldn't help but glance at Qiel. Dimitri's time was running out.
"Hmm?" Laufey seemed to know what he should do.
Anna hurriedly moved between them with lightning speed so that Dimitri couldn't do anything to them.
After that, Anna moved toward him while waving his blade.
"In the end, you will be like me. You will lose your desire to help the Ardagan Family because you are simply being used." Laufey smiled. He didn't know why he even recalled the past at this point, considering he was fighting someone with a True Spirit Body.
However, he felt like he saw himself in Anna.
