Unedited chapter. It will be edited soon.

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Although Aster Mane was afraid to open it, he acted decisively and began to unwrap it.

No one would imagine that the king of the underworld was actually afraid to open a scroll with a drawing on it.

Even so, only he understood the strength he had to muster to open it, and as he did so, her long white hair and albino features struck him.

It was impossible for him to forget what his daughter looked like, even though her loss had occurred many years ago.

When she disappeared, she was barely two years old. A baby in her mother's arms who still played with her mother's hair and liked to throw things on the floor.

Despite that, her albino features were already well established, having been inherited from her mother. She was beautiful from a young age, and although there was a noticeable difference between her age then and now, he could recognize her.

She was his daughter.

Or at least that's what his daughter should be right now.

For a brief moment, his hands trembled as he held the poster and squeezed it tightly, wrinkling it at the edges. Realizing his mistake, he quickly let go and smoothed out the edges, not wanting to damage such a beautiful work of art.

It took him a long time to process what he was seeing. It wasn't just the mental shock he suffered, the disbelief that his beautiful lost daughter was still alive.

He had used all his power to search for her for many years and had men who were still looking for her to this day. But there was nothing.

Where was she hiding? Who had her?

As the years passed, although he still had some hope deep in his heart, he had accepted that she was dead.

But now he was seeing her, and the emotional shock was so great that it left him paralyzed for quite some time.

When a cold breeze hit him, he finally reacted and placed the document on the table with great care, then looked up and gazed at his old friend.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Even if she's in another kingdom, I'll go find her."

"You won't have to travel far, old friend. She's here in Velharthe," he replied.

"Oh?" Aster frowned and stared at him. "Are you mocking me?" he asked.

"Why would I do that?" Evan asked back.

"Many of my men are here, looking for her. I have men in every organization you can imagine, and they are all there to seek information about her. Her white hair is impossible to miss, you know?"

"Well, she's here. She's a student at the Royal Academy and..." Evan smiled at the irony. "She's very close to the Habsburg boy I told you about earlier."

"At the Royal Academy? I have many men there... Why hasn't anyone told me anything?" He frowned.

Had he been betrayed?

He didn't think it was possible...

He was lost in thought until he understood what she had said next.

"What did you say? Is she involved with the mafia?" he asked, slamming his fist on the table.

"I don't know if she's involved with the mafia, but she's very close friends with that guy. She even seems to have recently participated in an event for the creation of a fashion company that is causing quite a stir, which belongs to that guy's ambassador."

"Damn it, why does he want to drag her into that mafia mess?" Aster complained and suddenly stood up.

"Let's go to the Royal Academy. Some bastards are going to have to answer to me today," he said, clearly angry.

But Evan quickly grabbed him before he could leave. "Sit down, this won't be easy," he said.

"What won't be easy? I can shake this city if I feel like it and make the birds fly away in terror."

"The issue is more complex than that. If it weren't, I would have brought her to you myself," he said, causing Aster to frown. Remembering the many powerful people in the city right now, he sat back down.

"Speak," he said.

"Miss Laura..."

"Who is Laura?"

"It's your daughter's name."

"Hm? Who gave her that name?"

"I don't know. Don't ask me questions that are impossible to trace. I don't even know who kidnapped her back then, nor do I know what happened for her to now be alive and in such a conspicuous place."

Aster nodded. "I understand. That makes sense. Anyway, it's a good name. Continue."

"Right. The thing is, Miss Laura is a student of Professor Hardrial, remember? The Armamentalist from back then."

"That man?" Aster was surprised. "Is that what he does now?"

"Since his teacher died, he replaced him. He's been dedicating himself to it and now only teaches Armamentalists," he replied.

Aster then realized what he meant. "Is she an Armamentalist too?" he asked.

"She is, a sniper. I don't know her results, but she must be very good because she's been in the Top 10 at the academy."

"Good." He smiled, satisfied. "A worthy daughter of her father."

He was proud of her.

"Go on," he said.

"Hardrial is currently one of the most powerful people in the Empire, holding the title of Armament Pioneer, and in my territory he is often considered a true god, even though his power is not equal. Even so, all this power in the hands of an Armamentist brings problems, and he is at odds with most of the academic circle. Even the emperor, although he respects him, has problems with him."

"In addition, he has gotten himself into trouble for protecting Miss Laura, and recently it seems that they want to force him out of the academy. That's why I came here. If we don't act quickly and together, these guys are going to destroy him academically and could take her away."

Aster nodded coldly. "And where did the boy meet Laura?"

"They are classmates. He is also an Armamentalist."

"Right... So you came here to inform me of the presence of all those groups in the city, so that I would do something about it, correct? Since they are here, what they want is to take control of the Academy, which will give them absolute power in time."

"You're as sharp as ever."

"Tsk. So the trash is gathering again and threatening the south, huh." Aster sneered. "Have the Lockwards done anything?"

"No."

"They haven't made a move?"

"Not even a sign. Lord Dan... must be having trouble. Perhaps the Lockwards aren't as united as we initially thought."

"Wow." This time Aster was genuinely surprised. "That's more amazing than the fact that the enemies have finally united in such a large alliance."

"I know. That's why I came to help you. I'm not as powerful as you, but I carry weight. I'm still a Duke, and my region, although not as developed, is still a whole region where mafias proliferate and chaos reigns."

"Haha, and they fear chaos," said Aster. "All right. Then we'll have to go see those guys."

"At dawn is the last day of the Ascended Tournament at the academy; it will be the perfect time to show up."

Aster nodded. "Will she be there?" he asked carefully.

"I'm sure she will. She and that boy have easily advanced to the next phase, and they won't stop until they knock everyone else down."

Aster smiled. "Could she compete for first place?" he asked as he poured coffee once more.

"I don't have much information about her strength, but if she went with the current three stars, she should be able to compete for first place," he said.

Aster raised his eyebrows, curious to understand something he had said. "You mean he doesn't just have those three guys you mentioned as rivals?" he asked.

"If I had to bet with you on who would win this tournament, I'd bet on that guy from the Habsburgs, and I think he'd win for sure," Evan replied.

"Is he that good?"

"Dominating the South Industrial District by force is something only he can do. Besides, he has made enemies in the north, and they are plotting against him, not daring to attack him head-on. I don't know if they know something I don't, but what I am sure of is that his strength is remarkable to achieve that."

"Getting dirty in the underworld and standing out always requires an impressive level of strength. Besides, since I retired into anonymity, powerful people have surely arrived in those parts, right?"

"It's surprising that you know that, but no. There are Ascended in the north who stand out and are like guardians, and the rest are low-level. In the south, there have always been low-level ones, until that guy arrived a few months ago. Although there are more Ascended there, they belong to the church's armed forces, they don't get too involved in the politics of the area, and even less so since he arrived."

"Why?" asked Aster, puzzled. "No castle was interested in dominating that district? Even though it has never moved much money, it is still the third most powerful district in the city."

"Haha, that's where it gets amazing, old friend. They fear you, and that's why they're afraid to get involved in what they consider your territory. But that guy didn't care, he went in and did what he wanted with the mafias there. So he's a guy with guts."

Aster Mane finally understood why Evan told him to support him. A person with guts is always worth cultivating, especially if they oppose the big bosses or at least their tyrannical rule.

At least among the mafia, that's always the case.

As he drank his coffee, he thought about it. "Since you say all that, then I must meet him. I hope tomorrow he lives up to your expectations of him."

"Haha, I'm sure he will," Evan replied.

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