Unedited chapter. It will be edited soon.

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Once the greatest man in the empire, Aster Mane, the most powerful man in his own right, was simply throwing away all his power for his daughter.

In the streets, cities, and everywhere else, he is respected and admired by many. Anyone who wants to reach the top, receive his approval, and surely achieve it.

Money, businesses, mafias, nobility, military power... he came to control everything at some point. Mafias exist today because castles are afraid to provoke him by messing with his creations.

But here he was, throwing away everything he had for fear of losing a daughter.

Could anyone blame him? Could anyone point the finger at him? Could anyone say he was being selfish?

No one could.

Because he is a father.

A worthy father.

Evan understood this perfectly. He also had a daughter and tried to give her the best, despite the difficulties.

So he really didn't want to make his old soulmate, whom he treated like his real brother and with whom he grew up on the streets, return to the world he didn't want to return to.

But the world is generally not kind to those who once acted immorally, and sometimes forces them to tread the mud they don't want to tread again.

"I understand, old friend," Evan said. "But this time, a youngster has appeared who could replace you. Maybe he'll be the next Aster Mane, or maybe even bigger."

"Hm?" He frowned, but as he prepared to speak, a beautiful woman emerged from the mansion next door.

The most peculiar thing about her was the beautiful albinism she enjoyed, which was everywhere on her body, even in her eyes, which were bright white. Her long white hair waved in the wind, although she looked a little older.

"My love. Come say hello," Aster said as soon as he saw her, smiling gently and softening his frown.

The woman nodded and brought them tea and coffee in case either of them wanted some, as well as some sweet snacks.

"Long time no see, Evan. You seem to be doing well after all these years. I've heard the news," she said, smiling calmly.

"Haha, you're just the same as the last time I saw you, Madison. I hope my old friend hasn't given you a hard time."

"Haha, Aster's been on his best behavior lately." She then looked at Aster. "Melanie woke up and wants to go out and play in the garden with her friends for a while, so I'll be going with her," she said softly.

"All right, go ahead. I'll join you as soon as I'm done here," he said.

With that, Madison left, her hair blowing in the wind.

Aster poured coffee for both of them, knowing it was his friend's favorite, and after the first sip, they resumed their conversation.

"You mentioned a youngster who could replace me," he said.

"Yes," Evan replied. "He's 16."

"Oh? Is he from the streets?"

"No, he's the son of nobles."

Aster stared at him. "A son of nobles, getting his hands dirty in the mafia?"

"His surname is Habsburg."

"Cough, cough... Habsburg?" Aster was surprised. "Does he really belong to the House of Habsburg?"

"They say he's the youngest son of the Habsburgs. But that's not the surprising part. He arrived in the Empire recently after being raised abroad and took control of the southern zone of the Velharthe Industrial District in a week... maybe a month."

"That's amazing. Is he an Ascended?"

"Not only is he a powerful rising star at the age of 16, he also has enviable wealth. He has invested more than 50 billion yen in recent months and has transformed the concept of wealth among the mafia."

"Wow, this is the birth of a new legend, isn't it? And one that will be great in the future," Aster acknowledged. "But what does that have to do with me?" he asked.

"A lot," he said.

"Go on, don't be mysterious," Aster said, urging him to stop making unnecessary pauses.

"The mafias that are there are all following in your footsteps. In fact, they are the remnants of what once belonged to you. Do you remember Grandpa Jackson?"

"The businessman grandfather, of course I remember him. He helped us a lot in our early days."

"Yes." Evan nodded. "All his children are subordinates to this boy. And although his wealth has been divided among several people, the Jackson family has been strengthened by heavy investments from the boy."

Aster narrowed his eyes slightly. Everything they were telling him was astonishing; he found it hard to believe that a 16-year-old boy had done it.

It took him until he was 20 to take his big steps, and they weren't of that magnitude.

Seeing that Aster wasn't speaking, Evan continued.

"But there's a problem," he said. "He's attracting a lot of attention." He threw several documents on the table.

"Neville, Priestley, and Evergreen have contacted him. Lockward... seems to be looking for him."

"Lockward? Why?" Aster could understand why the first three would be looking for him, but Lockward?

The beings who cared least about worldly matters, what were they doing taking an interest in this kid?

"I don't know." Evan shook his head. "But they seem to be looking for him. You may not know this, but the Lockwards had recently wanted to take control of the Industrial District, and his arrival ruined their plans."

"The world has changed, hasn't it? Those guys didn't care when I almost destroyed the northern capital, and now they want to control a small district of the city?" Aster seemed to scoff at this unbelievable situation, but if his friend said so, then he had to believe it.

"But since you mention all that, what you fear is that the little one won't be able to develop, right?" He asked and continued. "With so many powers interested in him, if he doesn't have strong backing, they'll betray him and kill him from behind. Without good management, they can easily cause his investments to fail. So he faces threats from all sides if he doesn't succumb to the interests of all of them," said Aster.

"Just as I expected of you." Evan smiled.

"Why don't you offer him your support, then? The Duke of Sackville surely has something to say against those castles," he said.

"No, it has to be you," Evan replied.

"Why? I told you I've retired and lost much of my strength."

"That will come back when you return."

"I still don't understand why I should return to a place I don't want to return to," Aster remarked, this time harshly.

"Sigh. Fine." Evan sighed and grabbed the documents he had thrown on the table. Just as he was about to leave, he stared intently at Aster.

"Tell me one thing, old friend. What if I told you that I found your daughter, but that in order to get her back, you would have to fight all the guys I mentioned at the beginning?" he asked suddenly.

A question that left Aster speechless for several seconds, until he reacted fiercely.

"What did you just say?" he asked, smashing the glass in his hand and moving closer to Evan. "Did you just say you found my daughter?" he asked harshly, grabbing Evan's arm, making him tremble.

"Retired... but still the king," Evan thought, feeling his muscles twist with fear just from his strong voice.

Evan forced a smile. "Old friend, don't be impatient or desperate. It was just a hypothetical case. An example," he said.

Aster frowned and backed away, letting go of him. He closed his eyes to calm himself. Seconds later, he opened them again.

"What was your question, old friend?" he asked.

Evan then repeated it: "If I had found your daughter, but you had to face all the aforementioned powers to get her back, what would you do?"

Aster didn't respond immediately. He suddenly began taking things out of his inventory.

Medals, grimoires, firearms, even stranger weapons, gunpowder...

Suddenly, the table where they were talking was filled with a pile of things that revealed tremendous power. They revealed that he still had the power.

When all these things came out of his inventory, some even fell to the floor, but he didn't even bother to pick them up.

Finally, he took out a special token.

Aster Mane's special token, the one that represented him, and placed it on top of all the others.

Then he looked at Evan and smiled.

"You know me, old friend," he said. "If I have to destroy this empire and its foundations, I will gladly do so if it means getting her back."

"I have lost power, but I still have power. Aster Mane is not dead, old friend."

"So if you know where my daughter is... tell me. Tomorrow my name will be back on every news program in the empire. Not even the Emperor or Lord Dan will prevent my return."

The firmness and serenity of his words showed that he was speaking with all the honesty he could muster.

"The king is not dead, he just stepped aside to see the world." Evan swallowed hard.

If he were to calculate the kind of power his old friend had, he would realize that his current power as the Duke of Sackville was insignificant.

It didn't matter where you looked. Wealth, political power, power in the nobility, power in the armed forces...

Secret organizations.

Aster Mane had it all.

Evan couldn't help but smile a little; he was proud.

But now he had to answer him.

He took out a poster he had gotten earlier. He first checked what he saw and then wrapped it up before handing it over.

"I know where she is," he said.

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