In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 118
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 118
The ripple effect of the stone Shannet threw was enormous.
In an instant, a quiet storm swept through the interior of the bedroom.
“Gasp…!”
Only the quiet sound of someone swallowing their breath echoed.
That was the moment.
Biejie’s face turned bright red as he exploded and shouted.
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
“Biejie!”
Rulak called out loudly as if warning him, but he couldn’t stop the exploding Biejie.
“Do you even realize what you’re saying right now, sister!”
“Yes, Biejie. I know exactly what I’m saying.”
Shannet’s calm voice contrasted even more with Biejie’s raging appearance.
“I’m saying that I will perform that role instead of you, who lacks the ability.”
Flames flared up once again in Biejie’s eyes.
Biejie strode forward and approached threateningly as if he would do something to Shannet right away.
“I lack ability?”
“Yes, it’s not such a surprising thing.”
“Listen here, sister!”
Biejie, who seemed about to scream, suddenly let out a hollow laugh and looked Shannet up and down.
And he spoke as if it was absurd.
“A woman trying to become deputy lord, even ambitious dreams have their limits.”
“It’s impossible because I’m a woman?”
Shannet also took half a step forward without backing down and looked Biejie straight in the eyes.
“Yes, then tell me if there’s even one thing I lack compared to you, other than being a woman, Biejie.”
Biejie opened and closed his mouth as if he would immediately retort, but no words came out.
Instead, his face turned even redder than before.
Until now, Biejie had never lost in this kind of verbal argument.
The name ‘Lombardi’ could crush anyone in an instant.
But Shannet was different.
Shannet was also a Lombardi.
Moreover, just as Shannet had said, Biejie wasn’t better than Shannet in any aspect.
So instead of answering, Biejie sneered once more with his reddened face.
“Acting like this, you’ll probably ask to be considered as Lombardi’s successor next?”
However, Shannet answered with a composed face.
“It seems you still haven’t realized what I’ve been doing all this time.”
It was a statement mixed with even a bit of mockery.
“Sister!”
Biejie finally couldn’t hold back and raised his voice again.
“There’s no family in the Lambru Empire where a woman has become the clan head!”
“It’s not forbidden by imperial law. It’s just a path no one has walked yet.”
“Grrr…!”
Biejie couldn’t find words to retort and ground his teeth.
That was when it happened.
Just one thing, the one point where Biejie was better than Shannet, came to his mind.
It was something that would pierce Shannet’s heart like a dagger more than any other words.
Biejie drew that sword without hesitation.
“A family with a woman as clan head? Not only were you played by a fool like Bestian and divorced, how far do you plan to make Lombardi the laughingstock of noble society, sister?”
The family heads who had been listening to their conversation were silently horrified.
“That bastard!”
Even Rulak, who was sitting on the bed, looked around for something to throw at Biejie immediately.
Shannet was silent for a moment.
Seeing her like that, Biejie thought he had touched her most painful wound and smiled triumphantly.
“Since when has our Lombardi lived while watching other nobles’ reactions?”
Until Shannet asked back calmly with a voice that didn’t waver at all.
“Did the nobles gossip about me? Then let them do so. I did nothing wrong, so I have nothing to be ashamed of. But don’t forget this, Biejie.”
An unprecedented hostility burned intensely in Shannet’s eyes.
“You knew about Bestian Shultz’s affair but overlooked it and even provided real estate for his mistress.”
Biejie’s body flinched greatly.
He hadn’t thought that Shannet would know that fact.
Shannet looked at such Biejie coldly and said.
“If I’m the family’s laughingstock, then what would you be?”
At that voice, Biejie felt chills run down his spine.
Shannet had known all of that but hadn’t shown even the slightest sign.
However, the deeply accumulated anger was enough to turn Biejie into a weasel standing before a lion.
Finally, Shannet looked Biejie up and down just as he had done and said.
“Lombardi doesn’t rub shoulders and play with the Empire’s nobles. We are a clan that reigns above them. But you seem to have forgotten that fact.”
Shannet’s appearance, even wearing a subtle smile, was stronger and more beautiful than ever.
Biejie couldn’t properly retort and looked around at others’ reactions.
Rulak and the heads of the vassal families were all looking at Biejie with cold eyes.
The atmosphere was flowing unfavorably for him.
“I don’t have time to deal with such nonsense right now! I don’t even have enough time to handle the clan head’s duties!”
Biejie shouted loudly and tried to leave his seat to escape this moment.
However, a voice that wasn’t loud but absolutely couldn’t be ignored caught his ankle.
“Biejie.”
It was Rulak.
“This time I’ll ask. What was the thing you put the most effort into as clan head in my place these past few days?”
“Are you also doubting my abilities now, Father?”
Biejie tried to appeal to emotions as if it was too much, but Rulak didn’t fall for it.
“…Biejie, you have been taking care of duties as deputy clan head. This means you must also take responsibility for me as clan head and the people who make up Lombardi. So answer me. What did you try to achieve as temporary clan head?”
“That is…”
Realizing he couldn’t escape, Biejie racked his brain hard.
At least Rulak was giving him a chance to answer.
Then there might still be a chance of winning.
Biejie brought out the most plausible answer that came to his mind.
“In my view, Lombardi already has enough money. But until now, the family’s businesses seemed to focus solely on increasing assets, so I tried to neutralize that aspect.”
“Explain in detail what you mean by neutralization.”
“Lombardi has too many enemies. I think what makes nobles noble is strong solidarity with other families. I tried to make Lombardi more noble.”
“So that’s why you told them to focus on loans to nobles close to you instead of the forged checks?”
At Rulak’s words, Biejie glared at Grodic Brey with sharp eyes.
“Answer my question, Biejie.”
“…Yes, that’s correct. And I didn’t completely ignore the forged check matter. I just told them to prioritize properly.”
Priorities.
Rulak let out a small sigh.
Those who don’t know can be taught.
The foolish can be enlightened.
“The forged check problem wasn’t even that serious!”
But there’s no way to deal with those who already hold wrong beliefs.
Rulak looked at Shannet and asked.
“What would you have done?”
“If it were me, I would have immediately stopped issuing existing checks and ordered new plates to be made. I would also have guided people who already had issued checks to quickly exchange them for new ones.”
“For example?”
“A method of adding a small amount of money to the amount specified on the check would be good.”
“Ooh….”
The family heads let out small exclamations.
With such a method, they might be able to minimize the damage for now.
However, Biejie smirked and spoke sarcastically.
“That’s not a solution for the forged checks, is it? In the end, the losses from the forged checks printed by the counterfeiter cannot be avoided.”
“Then what would you do, Biejie?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t exchange checks for cash immediately at the counter. I’d tell them to wait about a week until it could be confirmed in the ledger.”
“That won’t do.”
Shannet firmly opposed Biejie’s words.
“Lombardi Bank operates based on the trust that people can deposit their money with confidence. How could people trust a bank where they can’t immediately cash out the money they deposited?”
“Then what are we supposed to do? This won’t work, that won’t work. If that’s the case, then bring a method to identify fake checks right on the spot!”
Biejie shouted as if it were absurd.
It was a counterfeit so good that even bank employees who saw checks daily were momentarily fooled.
His sister wouldn’t be any different.
Biejie smiled leisurely.
However, that smile didn’t last long.
“I have a way to distinguish between real and fake.”
“That’s a lie!”
Biejie immediately shouted out, but Shannet didn’t look his way.
She was just waiting for Rulak’s words with a calm face.
“Is that really true, Shannet?”
“Yes, Father. If you give me one fake and one real check right now, I can show you immediately.”
“…Grodic.”
As soon as Rulak called his name, Grodic Brey hurriedly pulled out one forged check and one real check from his chest.
In fact, he had brought them today to report directly to Rulak about the forged checks.
“Here they are, Lady Shannet.”
“Thank you, Lord Brey.”
Shannet, holding one check in each hand, looked around and said.
“And I need matches….”
“I, I have some!”
The Head of the Heringga Family, who was usually a heavy smoker, quickly pulled matches from his pocket and hurriedly approached.
Then he looked at Shannet for a moment and asked.
“Shall I light them for you, Lady Shannet?”
“I would be even more grateful if you would.”
While the Head of the Heringga Family took out two matches, Shannet said to Rulak.
“Please watch the color of the flames burning each check, Father.”
Rulak nodded with a stern face.
Finally, the Head of the Heringga Family struck two matches to make fire, then carefully brought them to both ends of the checks.
Whoosh.
With a small sound of ignition, the checks began to burn.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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