CHAPTER 436: A LAST WILL? (1/2)

‘All of it?! Are you sure it’s okay… it is her own treasure room after all…’

Unlike my reticence however, Ferti’nier was even more assertive than ever as she immediately cut me off, “you’re the godson of Lolthe, their entire race’s master. If there’s anything you want, you can just take it, none of them would dare say a word.”

So what she’s saying is that it’s their honor to be robbed by me then…

‘Well, you do make sense and all… but… how about this, taking it all sounds a little crass, I’ll just take half of it…’

My conversation with Ferti’nier was completely shut off from the outside world. Naturally, that also meant that Paliseth had no way of knowing that we were currently discussing how to rob her blind. Yet just as I was mulling over how much to rob her of, Paliseth suddenly said something that I would have never expected to come out of her mouth, at least not in that order anyway. “Jez, if there’s anything you want, you can just take it. Once you take over the Shadowhunter Clan, it’s all going to be yours anyway.”

Is this her way of leaving a will behind? But wait… according to their Dark Elf lifespan, she should still be in her prime.

So those words were meant for me then…

Paliseth’s casual appointment of her successor came as an even greater shock to Jezsere who was hungrily eyeing a particularly elegant mage robe. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect her mother, Paliseth, to ever say that to her. After all, her personality wasn’t suited to Dark Elf society, let alone leadership. By handing over the reins to someone timid like her, Paliseth was basically pushing their entire clan down the proverbial spider cliff.

“Err? Ummm? Huh?”

Besides this news was too much of a shock for the poor girl, her brain short circuited itself to protect her from any further harm. No matter how much she tried to express herself, anything that came out right now was a garbled mess. Her recently recovered legs promptly slumped to the floor as well, and back into my embrace once more… I guess she can’t even speak anymore. Hold on, she’s fainted?! Did the excitement of becoming Matriarch get to her? Or maybe she’s just scared…

“I think she’s out cold?”

Just like that, Jezsere was knocked out for the time being. Honestly, I could totally understand her anxiety, given how timid she usually was. At this point, I didn’t even have any words left for that timidness of hers. Yet it was that very personality that made me want to protect her even more.

For an Occultist that gets bullied even by the Imps she summons to suddenly become the head of the Shadowhunter Clan… now that’s just wrong…

“Sigh… Jezsere’s personality is just too…” Paliseth’s eyes had a mix of affection and disappointment as she stared at her unconscious daughter. However, this bit of tenderness would be forever lost on the poor girl.

I could tell that the affection in her eyes wasn’t false. As a Devil, deception was like second nature to us, that meant trying to deceive us was basically impossible as well. Especially when the other party wasn’t guarding against me.

“You seem to love her, but I also heard that you wanted to send her off to Arachne Cavern as well…” I pulled up a nearby treasure chest to sit on then laid Jezsere on my lap in a more comfortable position. “Honestly, I don’t get you.”

Rather than saying that Paliseth really loved her, I was more inclined to believe that she changed her attitude because of the affection I showed towards Jezsere first. The love she showed right now was probably real, but it was also laced with a tinge of materialism.

At least… that was how I interpreted the situation.

“Your holiness, I see my children enjoy a good relationship with your esteemed self. I’m sure your holiness would know of my past then…” Paliseth first nodded at me then proceeded to explain.

“I had always intended to transfer the seat of Matriarch to Jezsere. Reyage and her are the two children I love the most after all. But I also know that Jezsere’s personality isn’t suited to living in Dark Elf Society. Reyage isn’t a bad choice, but customs dictate that a male can’t take over the position of clan leader. In that case, there’s only Jezsere left since she’s…”