In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 257

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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

 

Side Story Episode 0

 

Chapter 1.

 

Cicada- Cicada.

 

Summer, when cicadas cry noisily.

 

Cleribane Pellet, the guild master of the Lombardi Guild, was walking along the wide corridor of the Lombardi manor.

 

Each time he moved with his long strides, his clothes fluttered at length, and his blonde hair and blue eyes sparkled in the midday sunlight.

 

Several employees working around the manor were captivated and stared at him blankly at this sight.

 

Cleribane himself didn’t notice such things and merely walked on, lost in thought.

 

“Coming to see the Master without any notice. What an ignorant fool…”

 

Thinking of the uninvited guest who had come without prior arrangement, wrinkles formed on Cleribane’s straight brow.

 

“Well, this too must be flowing according to the Master’s will.”

 

There had been advance notice.

 

If ‘that person’ comes unexpectedly, don’t turn him away but inform me.

 

“There must be a plan.”

 

Thinking of that person who was the light and pillar of Lombardi, a smile finally appeared on Cleribane’s face.

 

Without stopping his steps, he looked around the interior of the manor and outside the windows.

 

The heat was at its peak, so things should have been disheveled and loose somewhere.

 

Yet everywhere his gaze reached, there wasn’t a single imperfect spot.

 

Of course, it had always been so, but in Cleribane Pellet’s rather subjective opinion, Lombardi had become even more perfect since about a year and three months ago.

 

It was when the current Lombardi family head, Pirenthia Lombardi, had inherited the position of family head.

 

“Exactly 447 days.”

 

Cleribane muttered proudly.

 

It was a number he had calculated precisely, adding one day each morning when he woke up.

 

Initially, it was true that there had been anxious looks both inside and outside Lombardi regarding the new family head.

 

The person called Pirenthia Lombardi was in many ways not a ‘conventional’ choice.

 

However, upon hearing this story, the new Lombardi family head smiled with her characteristic confidence and said:

 

“Everyone will naturally come to understand in time. Why I became the Lombardi family head.”

 

And it was exactly as she said.

 

Making the concerns seem pointless, she quickly began to establish herself as the family head.

 

As if she had been born from the beginning to become the head of Lombardi.

 

She handled complex matters efficiently without help from others, and made difficult decisions smoothly, always making the right choices.

 

Truly, every single day was one where everyone who had been watching Lombardi’s new family head couldn’t help but be amazed.

 

The year and three months that passed went by quickly.

 

Just as Pirenthia had promised, and as Cleribane had expected.

 

Now there was no longer anyone who dared to question the new Lombardi family head’s actions.

 

Anyone could see that Lombardi was becoming stronger than at any other time in the family’s history.

 

With pride in serving such a person right by her side, and pride in being her closest aide, Cleribane’s shoulders naturally straightened.

 

“Ah, Lord Beit.”

 

Cleribane spotted Beit walking out of the manor’s gallery and approached him.

 

“It’s been a while, Lord Cleribane.”

 

Beit, the guild master of the Information Guild, greeted him with his mysterious amber eyes widening in circles.

 

As he always thought, it was a warm smile that brought to mind caramel, like the name of the dessert shop he operated.

 

“The Master is inside. She’s admiring Alfeo Zan’s work.”

 

“You mean the one that was newly presented this time?”

 

“Yes. She seemed to like it very much, as she’s been in particularly good spirits today.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Cleribane thought of the person currently waiting for her in the family head’s study and nodded.

 

“Shall we go in?”

 

“Yes, then.”

 

Although they were people who worked closely enough with the family head to consider themselves Pirenthia Lombardi’s left and right arms, the two didn’t discuss work matters at all.

 

This was because what each of them knew was far too sensitive.

 

Thud, thud.

 

As he entered the gallery with its high ceiling and open space, Cleribane’s footsteps echoed even louder.

 

A space covered in white marble where all kinds of precious artworks displayed their individual beauty.

 

In the deepest and widest spot, Alfeo Zan’s work that Beit had mentioned was positioned.

 

The work’s title was ‘World Tree’.

 

It was a massive sculpture made by connecting several pieces, implementing the World Tree, symbol of the Lombardi family, through his specialty of woodcraft.

 

It was an artwork created by burning his soul without resting a single day for over a year, to celebrate Pirenthia Lombardi becoming family head – she who had recognized his talent when he was young.

 

A massive wooden pillar that would require three adult men holding hands to barely embrace, and countless branches extending in all directions from it.

 

It was both majestic as if supporting not just the gallery’s ceiling but the world itself, and also blazing as if it might devour everything at any moment.

 

And beneath it.

 

A person with a presence that wasn’t overshadowed even by the aura emanating from the sculpture.

 

The head of Lombardi, Pirenthia Lombardi, turned to look at Cleribane and smiled.

 

“Welcome, Head Pellet.”

 

* * *

 

“You’re calling me that again.”

 

Cleribane spoke in an uncharacteristically sulky voice.

 

“Please call me casually like before.”

 

“But now you’re the Lombardi guild master…”

 

Though I trailed off, Cleribane didn’t budge.

 

Really stubborn about the strangest things.

 

“Alright, Cleribane.”

 

“Master, the honorifics…”

 

“You want me to speak casually while calling your name? I really can’t do that.”

 

This time I firmly shook my head.

 

Then Cleribane sighed lightly and smiled as if he had no choice.

 

I smiled back at Cleribane, then turned my head to look up at the World Tree sculpture again.

 

I felt like a fortunate human who had witnessed the World Tree that exists in legends.

 

As I stood quietly like that for a moment, Cleribane informed me from behind in a low voice.

 

“Um, Master.”

 

“Tell me.”

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt your appreciation, but Chanton Sersheu is currently waiting in the study.”

 

Cleribane’s tone was quite rough when mentioning the name of the Sersheu Marquis, the great lord of the south.

 

That meant he didn’t like him that much.

 

However, I didn’t respond to those words.

 

He just came when it was time to come.

 

Besides, the one in a hurry right now is him, not me.

 

Instead, I reached out one hand and stroked the solid surface of the World Tree.

 

Originally, artworks are meant to be appreciated only with the eyes, but this World Tree sculpture was made by Alfeo Zan with even the sense of touch in mind.

 

Solely for me.

 

“Cleribane.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

“What do you think it would have been like if the branches of this World Tree hadn’t extended in that shape?”

 

“…Yes?”

 

“What if there were no flowers blooming on that World Tree? No, what if this statue had been just a little smaller than this?”

 

I looked directly into Cleribane’s blue eyes that were staring intently at me, trying to read my intentions, and smiled.

 

“It still would have been quite a magnificent statue, don’t you think?”

 

Just like that statue I had seen in my previous life.

 

With my help, Alfeo Zan had begun sculpting in earnest at a much younger age than in my previous life.

 

And with the full support of Lombardi at that.

 

It was like a genius gaining wings, so naturally Alfeo Zan succeeded faster and gained much more fame.

 

And he had already presented one statue to the Lombardi family.

 

‘The Woman Tending a Sapling’ that was unveiled at the Lombardi Scholarship Association banquet held to secretly bring Lord Brown.

 

So I thought that would be the end of it.

 

But Alfeo Zan eventually created his masterpiece, the ‘World Tree,’ and presented it to me, the new family head.

 

As if creating that masterpiece was his destiny.

 

“What I want to say is that what’s meant to happen will eventually happen.”

 

But there were things that had changed too.

 

This ‘World Tree’ was slightly different from the one in my previous life.

 

Flowers that weren’t there before had been added, and the branches stretched out in an even more dynamic shape.

 

And above all, the scale had become even more magnificent.

 

“However, how one escapes that fate and how one uses it ultimately depends on the person.”

 

Just like Alfeo Zan, who with his superior skills compared to my previous life, created a more beautiful ‘World Tree.’

 

Then I patted Cleribane’s shoulder lightly with affection and said.

 

“You said a guest is waiting, right? Let’s go now.”

 

Considering how he had been interfering with me all this time, I’d like to make them wait longer.

 

With that feeling in mind, I took very leisurely steps from the gallery to my study.

 

I deliberately stopped in the middle to admire flowers and even had a conversation with the Hering Patriarch from the scholarship foundation who happened to be passing by.

 

And when I finally entered the study.

 

“Lord Lombardi.”

 

Chanton Seosseou, who had been sitting, stood up from his seat and called out to me.

 

He was originally a man without much expression, but today his face looked even more rigidly hardened.

 

So much so that he looked like someone who was extremely angry.

 

However, I knew all too well that beneath that thick expressionless facade, there was an anxious look flowing.

 

I stood still for a moment without saying anything and admired Chanton Seosseou’s face like that.

 

Eventually, Chanton Seosseou could no longer hold back and asked.

 

“What was written in the letter… is it true?”

 

Yes, you should have come out like that from the start.

 

With a heart full of delight, I smiled toward Chanton Seosseou and said.

 

“It’s been a month since we last met, Sercheu Marquis.”

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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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