Tellier.

In front of the Battle Hall Pub, Shane and Mouth were waiting for a horse-drawn carriage to arrive.

Inside the carriage, Lucidy had already been interrogated by Emma throughout the entire trip.

After setting off from Finklan, Emma quickly became quite bored and began to dig up information from Lucidy. To her surprise, there were very few forms of entertainment that Lucidy had engaged in during his life. Aside from the normal extravagance when it came to eating, drinking, and recreation expected of someone from a wealthy family like him, there was nothing else interesting about that facet of his life. What was also rather surprising to Emma was that ever since he met Onean, he had turned over a new leaf and gone down a righteous path, cutting off all ties with his lovers and dedicating all of his time to studying poetry and oil painting.

Despite all of his flaws, his feelings for Onean were very pure and genuine.

At this moment, Lucidy's eyes were a little glazed over. It looked like he was driving the carriage, but in reality, he was spacing out. He had already died at the hands of Erwin that night, and there was only a wisp of his soul that remained in his body, but for some reason, that wisp of his soul was carrying severe feelings of guilt and unease.

That was what was most perplexing to Emma.

"Why are you always so glum and sad?" Emma asked with a puzzled expression.

"I'm already dead. Why did you go out of your way to resurrect me?" Lucidy asked in an expressionless manner, and there was a hint of displeasure in his voice.

Emma had already heard this many times on this trip.

"Let me say this once again: I didn't resurrect you. You are still a dead person right now," Emma said with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "All I'm doing is making your soul live for a while longer."

"I have committed the greatest of sins! My soul is unworthy to return to this world," Lucidy said.

"You're being way too hard on yourself. What sin could you possibly have committed that can't be compensated for by your death?" Emma asked.

"I tried to desecrate my goddess. That is the ultimate sin that is punishable by countless deaths," Lucidy replied as he lowered his head. In his heart, ever since he had first set his eyes on Onean back in the Holy Jade Cathedral, he had become convinced that she was a goddess that had descended into this world.

"But you didn't get to desecrate her, did you? You didn't commit the sin," Emma said.

The scenes of that night resurfaced in Lucidy's mind, and the thought of his animalistic self was so abhorrent to him that he hurriedly shut out the memories, unable to bear recollecting them.

"Do you want revenge?" Emma asked. "That brother of yours really screwed you over. Are you just going to forgive and forget?"

"We may have had our differences, but never did I think that my own blood brother would do this to me! Even if I'm just some undead abomination right now, I'm going to hunt him down to the ends of this world!" Lucidy said through tightly gritted teeth, and there were veins bulging on his cheeks.

"My only question is, why are you helping Erwin?" Lucidy suddenly asked out of the blue.

Emma faltered slightly upon hearing this, not expecting Lucidy to suddenly become smarter after his death.

"You resurrected me because you want me to return and seize control of Tellier so that the City of Freedom wouldn't come under attack from Tellier, isn't that right?" Lucidy asked.

Emma nodded in response, then jibed, "I didn't think you had the brainpower to figure that out. My father naturally wouldn't want to see Prince Xar's faction seize control over the entire western side of the empire."

"Back when I was alive, I didn't understand, but now that I'm dead, I'm able to think from the perspective of a pawn, and many things suddenly make sense to me," Lucidy said.

"Looks like you didn't die in vain," Emma chuckled.

As the two of them were chatting with one another, the carriage drew to a halt in front of the Battle Hall Pub.

"Why are you? Why are you standing in the way of our carriage?" Emma asked as she cast her gaze toward Shane and Mouth.

The two men made their way over to her, following which Shane said in a quiet voice, "We've been waiting here for you on Master Erwin's orders."

"Oh? I suppose I'm surprised that he knew I would come," Emma said with a faint smile. "How did you know that I would pass through this place? Surely you wouldn't just wait here aimlessly without knowing in advance that I would pass through here?"

"Master Erwin told us that if Mr. Lucidy is accompanying you, then you'll definitely choose to stay at our pub," Shane explained.

Emma cast his gaze toward Lucidy upon hearing this, and Lucidy lowered his head as he sighed, "He was right. He really does know everything..."

Emma turned back to Shane as he asked, "How long has it been since John's group returned from Finklan?"

"John's group arrived two days ago," Shane replied.

Emma nodded in response with a pleased expression, and it was unclear whether she was happy with the arrangements that Erwin had made, or if she was pleased with herself for scheduling her journey so that she would arrive right at the perfect time.

"Let's go. It's time we gave your brother a surprise," Emma said as she patted Lucidy on the shoulder.

"You are Erwin are birds of a feather," Lucidy said in a disdainful voice. "All you two think about is how to plot against others."

"I don't expect someone like you to understand the purpose of our actions. After all, you're just a dead man," Emma said in a nonchalant voice, paying no heed to Lucidy's attitude.

"Master Erwin has instructed me to tell you that all of the people he has set up in the Farody Family's vineyards can be activated in a very short time to seize control over the entire production line," Shane said.

"Ha! You see that? You were right, we really are birds of a feather," Emma said with an amused expression. "Looks like Erwin's set his sights on your family's business long ago."

Lucidy was furious to hear this.

It seems like that Erwin only acts like a fool when it comes to women, but he's quite rational and calculating when it comes to everything else, Emma thought to herself.

Shane was actually saying this especially for Emma to hear. Essentially, Erwin was informing her through Shane that he wanted the Farody Family's wine business, and he was telling her not to interfere.

...

As Lucidy Farody appeared in the courtyard of the Farody Family manor, everyone there was completely rooted to the spot.

Isn't Young Master Lucidy supposed to be dead? All of the servants were staring at him with incredulous expressions.

John just so happened to be emerging from the manor, and he immediately looked as if he had seen a ghost. He was about to go and contact the Striking Salamander mercenary legion, but it was as if his feet had plunged into quicksand, and he was completely unable to move.

Lucidy's face was completely devoid of color, and he looked like a ghost, so it was a rather apt analogy to say that John looked as if he had seen a ghost.

John was naturally absolutely terrified at the sight of the deathly Lucidy, and his face turned so pale that his complexion matched his brother's.

"You really went and did it, John. You got what you wanted," Lucidy said with a sinister grin as he glowered intently at John.

"Im... Impossible... How... How are you still alive?" John stammered in a horrified voice as he stumbled back, tripping over his own feet before falling onto his backside.

"Indeed, how am I still alive?" Lucidy's eyes narrowed slightly as a murderous look appeared on his face.

"I'm so glad to see you're safe, Lucidy!" John immediately put on a fawning expression, and he began to shuffle backward as he spoke. Looking at Lucidy's expression, he could instinctively sense that his life was in danger, much like an animal that could sense it was being hunted.

However, Lucidy didn't give him the chance to sneak away. He lunged toward John in one swift motion, dragging him up from the ground before slamming his back against the wall.

His current body had been modified by Emma so that it was several times more powerful than before, so just this single blow was enough to inflict severe injuries onto John, causing blood to gush out of his mouth.

"Don't kill me... Please... Don't kill me..." John implored in a pathetic voice as blood continued to gush out of his mouth.

At this point, Mackney had already heard the commotion, and he hurriedly ran down from the upstairs study. Upon catching sight of his two sons locked in a physical altercation, his immediate reaction was to pull the two of them apart.

However, he was stopped cold in his tracks by a vicious glare from Lucidy.

At this moment, Mackney found his son to be completely unfamiliar. The violent ferocity in Lucidy's eyes was something that he had never seen before, and a hint of fear well up involuntarily in his heart, overriding the joy of seeing his son still alive and well.

Mackney couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't his son, that this was some ghost that had come out of the underworld instead.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Mackney asked in an angry voice.

"What am I doing? Why don't you ask him what he did to me?" Lucidy asked.

At this point, Mackney had already guessed that there were most likely some suspicious circumstances involved in John's story of how Erwin had plotted against Lucidy in Finklan.

"You two are brothers, surely there's a way to settle this peacefully! Just sit down and talk things over." Mackney was telling Lucidy to consider the image of the family. After all, there were many servants watching, and this was certainly not a good look.

"He had no intention of talking things over with me when he was plotting against me!" Lucidy countered with a vicious expression as he caught John's neck in a vice-like grip.

John's face was turning purple from asphyxiation, and he desperately clawed at Lucidy's hand, trying to pry it away from his own throat.

"Save me... Father..." John turned to his father with an imploring expression.

"Let him go right now! He is your brother!" Mackney naturally wasn't just going to stand by and watch as his two sons killed one another, so he hurriedly tried to pull Lucidy away.

"He wanted me dead, so why should I spare his life?" A hint of vindictive joy flashed through Lucidy's eyes as he cast his gaze toward his father, and with one violent squeeze of his hand, he put an end to John's life.

Mackney's eyes were filled with shock and horror upon seeing this, and all of the rage in his heart was instantly snuffed out like a dying candle in the wind.

However, Lucidy had no intention of stopping there, and he turned to his father with fierce killing intent in his eyes.

However, a hint of sympathy welled up in his heart in the end, and he didn't end his father's life the same way he had put an end to John. Instead, he pulled out a dagger and slashed it gracefully through the air to grant his father a relatively painless death.

Makcney's eyes widened with shock, unable to believe that the blood spurting out of his neck was his own. Never had he anticipated that this would be his final day in this world.

Lucidy was almost overcome with sorrow and guilt over what he had done, but he was just a hollow puppet that was completely unable to control his own fate.

Right at this moment, Emma strolled casually into the room, and Lucidy turned to her with a displeased expression. "Why did you make me kill my father as well?"

All of the servants in the courtyard who had just witnessed the double murder were frantically rushing out in horror.

After confirming that Mackney and John were indeed dead, Emma explained, "It's just more convenient that way."

"When are you going to let me go?" Mackney asked with a painted expression. "Can't you just let me rest in peace?"

Emma shook her head in response. "Now's still not the right time. Your brother encouraged your father to mobilize an army, and I don't want things in Tellier to get out of hand, so I'll have to trouble you to disband the army."

"What about after that? When can I go die?" Lucidy asked in an imploring voice. He was asking to be put out of his misery, and his emotional state was one that the average person couldn't comprehend.

"Why are you so eager to die? Aren't you happy to be alive?" Emma asked.

"Alive? Am I living right now? This is countless times worse than death!" Lucidy roared in a furious voice.

Emma paid no heed to his outburst and made his way deeper into the Farody Family manor.

Lucidy had no choice but to follow along behind her.

"I recall you once said that Erwin was going to give you 30% shares in his Ubiquitous Firm, right?" Emma asked.

Lucidy nodded in response. At this moment, he was still reeling from the fact that he had just killed his own brother and father, so he was only instinctively reacting to Emma's questions.

"Is there a written agreement, or was there only an oral agreement?" Emma asked.

"I recall that he signed a contract with my father," Lucidy replied. "Why do you ask?"

"The recipient of the 30% shares that your father wrote down on the agreement should be the Farody Family, right?"

"That should be the case," Lucidy replied with a nod.

"Seeing as your father and brother are both dead, those shares belong to you now, right?" Emma suddenly stopped in her tracks before turning to Lucidy.

"So you want those shares from me," Lucidy said with an enlightened expression, and a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes as he looked at Emma. "I didn't think that the daughter of the prime minister would be so greedy..."

"You're such a simple-minded buffoon, it's no wonder you met such a tragic fate," Emma sighed.

Lucidy finally understood Emma's true intentions upon hearing this. "You want to use these shares to control Erwin? It looks like the foundation of your alliance isn't all that solid, after all."

"I didn't say anything, you're just making up a story for yourself," Emma said in an indifferent voice before continuing to make her way upstairs.

"Seeing as you're already dead, I need you to write a will immediately, giving me the 30% shares in the Ubiquitous Firm owned by the Farody Family." Even Emma couldn't help but be amused by what she had just said. The idea of a dead person writing a will was quite amusing to her.

"Is it possible for me to refuse when you have control over my consciousness?" Lucidy asked.

"Does a dead person still have a consciousness?" Emma countered.