Chapter Volume 7, The Tenth Step Toward the End: Messiah，Please Save Me… (2/2)

“I… how should I describe it? ‘Took drugs’?”

“You touched narcotics?” Curtis asked in astonishment.

“Painkillers. It was not of my own volition. Someone else injected them into me.”

“Young Master Ri did mention last time that painkillers allowed you act with fewer apprehensions.” Curtis inquired in confusion, “However, even if you have been injected with painkillers, why must you jump down?”

“I simply do not want to return with you.” As I answered, I secretly tested the strength of the bands. They could likely be destroyed using my blood ability, and just as I was planning to sever them— “The bands are specially designed and cannot be easily cut. In addition, I will immediately call your young master to notify him if you jump off.”

“Do not threaten me!” I furiously declared, “I must return. The Sun Emperor has threatened me; if I refuse to betray the young master, then he will give information regarding E.X. to the Church!”

Curtis narrowed his eyes dangerously. “He threatened you?”

His expression forced me to recall the words that the Sun Emperor had spoken, and I could not restrain myself from uttering, “The Sun Emperor said that if he killed me, you would at most fight against him for several years, and that you would absolutely never drag the entire family to their graves to avenge me. Is that true?”

Curtis’s whole body stiffened upon hearing this. However, he still calmly answered, “Yes. If you died, I would not use the entire family to avenge you.”

So that is the truth after all? Although this was the inevitable and expected result, I felt slight disappointment. Was it also the result of the painkillers? Had I become pettier because of the painkillers, turning irate and lashing out fiercely, or had I simply become more honest?

Curtis’s gaze remained locked on me, with a somewhat strange look.

“Is there something wrong?”

“This is the first time you have not agreed.” Curtis said in astonishment, “Do you not typically respond with answers such as ‘That is only proper, there is no need for you to protect me,’ or the like?”

“…You still do not need to look after me.”

Curtis’s expression turned even stranger as he looked at me and said, “This is also the first time I have ever heard you speak so unwillingly.”

How else should I be saying this?

Curtis smiled. “Family Head, I think you misunderstood. I would not use the entire family to avenge you because I care more about the living. Therefore, I can promise you that, as long as you are still alive, I will protect you to the end, even if it requires the strength of the entire family!”

“Even if the opponent is the Sun Emperor?” After receiving such an answer, I instead felt angrier. “Do you not fear that the Sun Emperor will eradicate the Elysees family? For my sake alone, you plan on endangering the entire family?”

“We are the Elysees family, an influential family of butlers that has existed for many generations. We will forever retain the role of support, even in the business world.”

Curtis calmly recounted, completely unrelated to my question, “Our subsidies have assisted many companies in establishing themselves. Family Head, you should know this the best, since this had first been developed and carried forward by you.”

Of course, I knew this well. At the time, I had been reproached countless times by my honorable father for lending money and technology to help businesses that were just starting. If it had not been for the fact that quite a few of those businesses did finally establish themselves in the end, giving greater returns than losses, my father would have truly forbidden me from touching the family assets ever again.

“You have good foresight, Family Head.” Curtis said in a praising tone, “Now, up to seventy percent of all companies have current or past relations with us in the business world. Even the Sun Emperor’s Sun Alliance is no exception. In reality, the Sun Alliance had originally received quite a bit of financial aid from you when it first started, am I correct? However, that was when the Sun Alliance had not yet fallen completely to the Ri family.”

Hm? Now that it is mentioned, that does seem to be the case. No wonder the “Sun Alliance” sounded somewhat familiar.

“Ever since I was young, my grandmother had repeatedly told me of the business you had made. As a result of your actions in the beginning, the Elysees family transformed into an unusual existence in the business world, involved in the existence and deaths of many companies.

“If the Sun Emperor wants to attack the Elysees, it would likely place him in a position where he would injure ten thousand enemies and lose five thousand of his own. If his plan is to ‘completely eradicate’ the Elysees family, he will have to knock down thousands of companies, regardless of their size.”

Curtis leaned forward and earnestly pleaded, “As a result, you should never feel threatened by the Sun Emperor. The Elysees do not fear him. Moreover, you are our family head, so you should not need to be afraid of ‘anything’!”

“I am your family head?” From the beginning, I had never understood why Curtis could regard Sadina’s will so seriously. Sadina and I had always shared a deep bond since I was young, but Curtis never had one.

“Yes, ‘for eternity,’ Family Head.” Curtis smiled as he said, “The family assets are yours for eternity. The Elysees will never land in any property disputes, even if it suffers a severe split.”

“…I see, that was the idea you had come up with.”

“This idea was actually thought of by your father.” Curtis leaned back on the chair while calmly saying, “I am simply continuing the tradition. But do not worry, you will never be a mere figurehead.”

I lowered my head to look down at the bands around my body, then smiled at Curtis.

Curtis coughed and swiftly used another button to loosen the bands. “Please forgive me for my lack of manners, Family Head.”

I slightly moved my legs that had grown stiff from being bound by the bands for so long. I then ordered, “Curtis, have the helicopter fly slightly lower. I wish to jump down.”

Curtis immediately stood up to look at me with wide eyes. “After I spent so much time telling you all those words, you still wish to jump off?”

“Indeed. However, the reason is now entirely different.”

I bent over to walk to the helicopter door. However, it was locked, so I ordered without any room for rebuttal, “Open the door! I wish to return and assist the young master.”