The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son' Chapter 342 - Stealing First Generational Wealth… And Looks

The eting of Yecine elders continued...

"You say you want to use her fa. Do you believe you can still direct her actions? After she’s defied your guidance at every turn these last four years?"

"Not through direct command. For I refuse to hide my opinion of my own daughter in an effort to trick her into this. Nor would she believe I’ve had a change of heart. But through carefully constructed circumstances, I think we can succeed."

"What do you propose?"

The man’s lips curved, ever so slightly, into the *barest* smile. That they were following him so far gave him plenty of satisfaction - especially after, like they claim about his own first child...

’They had refused to follow my simple guidance about the witch’s danger.’

"I have it on good authority that the Continental Army is already discussing specialized deploynt with the Order. A strike force, moving between disturbance zones, with Qatrand at the helm. This will separate her from the Goltbred girl’s influence for the ti being."

His smile widened a fraction. That part made him very happy as well, in the sa sort of spiteful way. Twisted joy at the people who ’wronged’ him not getting what they wanted... after so long of not getting what he wanted.

"How does that help us with our plan?"

"We arrange evidence suggesting the Goltbreds have been misappropriating Guild resources during warti. There were already baseless rumors of Ondua recovering items from abandoned areas and failing to report them after the last Descent."

A dark chuckle ca from the forr friend of the man, who had watched him have to defend himself from those claims. Investigators grilled him alongside the Crystal Elent cultivator, rely because he had stayed on assignnt in his group throughout the war.

They never did figure out the main culprit of that set of lies... but it didn’t matter. Whether it was a jealous woman as an enemy to Yatrel, or a jealous man as an enemy to Ondua - all that mattered was that a history of accusation was there.

"Now with another war active, who is to say what might be found in their possession? Perhaps sothing that really should have been turned over to the defensive effort?"

Understanding dawned in the heavy-set elder’s eyes as the implication that they should plant evidence began to take hold.

"Warti resource hoarding carries severe penalties. Including forfeiture of holdings."

"Assets that would be held in trust by the closest blood relative not implicated in the scandal. But the codex of laws states that the head of a household must be seventeen years of age."

"So to Elua, and then Qatrand for safekeeping until she ca of age..."

"And as Qatrand’s father, a senior mber of the Order, and an elder of the Yecine council... you would naturally assu administrative control until after the war."

Watching all of them simply co to the conclusions he wanted felt good. Ever since the wedding, when the heiress had sohow *prevented* him from moving, he had tried to get various things through their thick skulls. But it was like they were not seeing the sa reality as him.

"Our ’heir’ would object. She’s grown... clearly attached to her wife’s family."

The gold bangle scraped on the table as the man who pointed out a small flaw in the plan finally took a sip of the dicinal tea. Anper of course had an answer to that.

"That’s why the timing is crucial. With Qatrand deployed away from the Goltbreds, she can’t interfere in this directly. And by the ti she returns, the process will be well underway."

"She would still oppose it eventually."

The youngest elder insisted. While he was glad that they had moved away from the ’crude’ tactics that he expected the one who called them there was going to push for, it still needed said that this route had flaws.

"Possibly. But she’ll be faced with a choice if she does so. Publicly support her wife’s ’criminal’ family and risk her new hero status - or reluctantly accept the legal proceedings to save everything while privately disagreeing."

"And if she chooses the forr?"

The hard-faced elder asked and Anper’s expression hardened just as much. His steely gray eyes caught the lantern glow, but barely shined at all.

"Then... she would be publicly defying Yecine family authority during warti. Grounds for temporary removal from succession rights - placing control of any assets directly under council authority regardless, even if not to ."

A calculating silence fell over the group as they processed the full plan. Finally, the oldest mber there opened his mouth.

"Either way, the Goltbred holdings co under our control. That has always been the point of our plot."

"And what of Teovar? His apprentice... that forr body double might know details that could expose our earlier plans and paint everything else in a bad light."

"A boy with no standing or credibility. But as a precaution, we’ll need to find a way to ensure he remains... unavailable for questioning."

"This plan requires far more pieces to align perfectly. The artifact was simpler."

"Simpler, but now impossible. Focusing on a destroyed path will not lead us anywhere."

Anper responded flatly and one by one, the elders nodded their agreent - the youngest going last. His reluctance was more evident than the others who still had reservations - but outweighed easily by family loyalty. He never would have joined them if he didn’t think it needed to be done.

"Good. Then let us begin laying the groundwork. First, we need allies placed near key Continental Army decision-makers to influence more of Qatrand’s assignnts."

"And the fabrication of evidence against the Goltbreds?"

"Leave that to . I’ve been collecting potential... inconsistencies in Ondua’s affairs for years."

Anper er Yecine replied, his eyes cold with old determination. When the eting concluded and the elders departed the fort through separate exit paths, one remained seated in the dimly lit chamber. His fingers drumd on the stone table a while before falling still.

"The Goltbred wealth will finally serve a worthier purpose than the founding of a half-hearted dynasty. And with this way, you’ll even get to witness it..."

Raven black hair leaned into the headrest as he spoke to the empty room while looking up toward the dark ceiling. The father of three was feeling light and much less cornered. Best of all...

"My foolish daughter will also lose her heirship and this farce will end completely. Because the claws in her heart from that witch are just that deep."

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

A shrill call from above drew Qatrand’s attention upward. One of the five Skydancers circled overhead before diving down toward her position with rapid wing beats. The bird landed on her shoulder, chirping with an unusual animation.

"What is it now? El didn’t send you with another note this ti?"

The bird pecked lightly at her cheek once before taking off again, flitting ten paces ahead before landing on a sapling and looking back expectantly.

"You want to follow you?"

Another chirp, unmistakably affirmative. At least... it was even more clear that it *intended* it as such, with her stronger spirit. The swordswoman sighed while checking the straps of the blade on her back before following the excitable bird through the dense underbrush.

Qat maintained a vigilance despite being in a relatively secure area. Traveling from fort to fort had taken its toll even on cultivators. They’d been given a rare day of respite between assignnts. But still, she’d used it to patrol a bit into the hillside... just to get out of the fort.

The scent hit the swordswoman first - mineral-rich water with a hint of sulfur. Then ca the gentle gurgling sound of water bubbling up from underground. Steaming hot spring water was nestled in a natural stone basin. The water glead with an inviting turquoise clarity.

A figure already occupied the far edge, subrged to her shoulders. Silver dress folded neatly on a nearby rock. Her brunette hair wet and slicked back, revealing her entire face without the usual framing strands.

"You found it."

"Your little ssenger showed ."

"Mm. I sent all five out looking earlier. The fox found it first, actually. But I needed to be sure it was a safe location before telling you."

Qat moved closer while looking around, noticing the fox curled up on a sun-ward stone nearby. One eye opened and lazily tracked her movents after she looked its way.

"No dangerous creatures. Excellent for muscle recovery. And I’ve set up a small periter alert and privacy screen."

Mint eyes sparkled brightly with invitation as her hand waved beckoningly. Tendrils of spirit felt the ’mischief’, ’urge’, and ’joke’ all at once, even before the heiress spoke.

"Join ? The water feels amazing."

Pigeon blues lingered on Elua’s bare shoulders rising out from the steaming water. The healing wound on her own shoulder ca to mind and the raven-haired teenager shook her head.

"I should keep watch."

"You can watch while I’m in, then we’ll switch. We’re both taking turns soaking, however. I will check your wound again and make sure of things."

The ancient cultivator’s voice carried a tone that brooked no argunt, despite its youthful lilt. Conceded to her little wife with a nod, the taller cultivator settled on another large flat stone at the spring’s edge. Removing her harness and boots, she dangled her bare feet in the warm water and sighed.

"How does it feel now?"

"Better. The ointnt you applied that evening outside the fort worked wonders."

"Yes, but you tore it again by fighting the second one so hard. Don’t hide it."

Elua swam closer, water rippling around her as she approached. A little reluctantly, the muscular girl turned her head away before the cute girl stood. With careful hands, wet fingers unbuttoned the clothes and pulled both blazer and black shirt aside to look.

Fingers traced the healing gash where the leader Voidling’s talon had struck. While she could not ’heal’ like Nohre one day would, she could still resonate her own energy a bit to ’scan’ the body of another. There would always be more accumulation around a wound to aid its recovery as the body naturally wanted to be whole.

"The black has faded completely. No signs of residual essence poisoning."

If there had been even after her work on it, Elua might have considered *really* delving back into being a healer once again just so that she’d never make such an amatuer mistake!