The Rehinar estate was in an uproar due to the appearance of two new buildings.
Even Daniel, who was diligently working at the upper office, showed curiosity.
"Overnight, a small temple has turned into a grand temple…"
"It's said that the first place Young Master visited after returning from the capital was here."
"Does that mean the Young Master expanded it with construction magic?"
"That must be it, don't you think?"
Everyone in the estate knew that Kane could use high-level construction magic.
Though it wasn't a surprising fact, the grand temple was different.
Expanding or reducing a temple carelessly could anger the gods.
Therefore, expanding a temple was usually decided only after receiving divine will, even if it was the lord making the decision.
"In a way, isn't this a blessing from the gods?"
"They say that if a sick person prays earnestly, they are completely healed."
Another old man nearby chimed in.
"Not just that. They say even people who couldn't use their arms or legs are completely cured."
"Is it true that their bodies were regenerated…?"
Body regeneration.
A high-level healing technique that only apostles or bishops of the gods could perform.
The cost of regeneration was around tens of millions of gold.
Moreover, only selected individuals were treated.
Because of this, people with little faith weren't even considered as candidates.
It was a treatment that ordinary people couldn't even dream of.
But they say that just visiting that temple makes disabled people return to normal.
It was hard to believe.
"But there's something strange."
"What is it?"
Daniel's eyes sparkled.
He had a face full of suspicion.
"Most of those who come out of that temple are grateful to Young Master Kane."
"It's natural to be thankful since he expanded the temple."
"No, they even worship him."
"Worship? You mean the act of venerating?"
"Yes."
"That's quite dangerous…"
Expressing gratitude and worshipping are different.
Faith towards a human could easily be seen as a cult.
"I think so too."
"One of us needs to go there."
The old man who was temporarily in charge of the weapon shop readily volunteered at Daniel's suggestion.
"I'll go."
"It could be dangerous, so be careful."
"Actually, it's good for me since my body aches due to old age."
The old man used to be a successful knight in his prime.
However, he overused his mana during a war, which damaged his mana circuits.
Because of that, he had to retire from active duty.
That's why, having nothing to fear, he stepped forward willingly.
"If anything happens, be sure to send a signal."
"Don't worry, I'll return safely."
A day and a half had passed since the old man entered the temple.
Suddenly, the door of the Blue Guild swung open.
The old man entered with a look of astonishment.
"Sir Daniel!"
"What happened?"
"The rumors were true."
"Tell me in detail."
"Look at this."
A small but significant amount of water mana appeared in the old man's hand.
Daniel's eyes widened at the sight.
"H-How is this possible? Your mana circuits were damaged, and you couldn't use mana anymore, right?"
"I was so shocked that I ran straight here. Though it's a small amount, my mana circuits have been repaired."
"Tell me everything in detail."
The old man recounted his experience in the grand temple.
Inside, there was a sculpture of an archangel with six wings. He prayed for his mana circuits to be restored, and a warm energy enveloped him.
"But the real change happened when I met Priest Yoshua."
Daniel swallowed hard, eagerly awaiting the old man's next words.
"People called him their master, overwhelmed with tears of joy."
"Priest Yoshua Brandt is their master? Did he come from the capital's grand temple when Young Master Kane arrived from the capital?"
"I don't know about that, but Yoshua, the head priest, healed everyone irrespective of their social class."
"So, you've healed now?"
"Yes."
"Well, this is shocking…".
"Since there are no traces of dark mana, it seems unrelated to black magic."
"If you say so, I believe it."
Daniel trusted the old man completely. He was Daniel's most reliable companion.
"How about you verify it yourself, Master? If you still have doubts, you can ask the Young Master directly."
Daniel nodded. All matters of the estate were his responsibility. Seeing things with his own eyes was part of his duty.
"Let's go. We need to see what's happening at that temple."
Daniel headed towards Blata Temple.
* * *
Around that time, Kane was deep in thought in his room.
"The Count of Dyer should be arriving in Philaec soon, right?"
Kane had caused chaos in Philaec.
Seeing the mess would surely infuriate Count Dyer, who would be furious that the heir of a fallen duke family had taken advantage of his absence.
"They'll attack soon."
"They're out of luck. This place is a tiger's den," Blata said.
Indeed, this was no longer the old Rehinar.
In the past, it was just Cedric, the Guardian Knights, and the ghost, Anna Werner.
But now?
Mikhail Pervartz was here.
Additionally, Yoshua Brandt had risen to the position of high priest, and Joseph Grohl was expected to arrive in Rehinar soon.
Even if Count Dyer brought all his elite forces, they wouldn't be able to conquer Rehinar.
Count Dyer was no longer a concern.
"With the Blata Temple, even those who were disabled will fully recover. The strength here will be unimaginable."
Blata spoke with pride. It was all thanks to him, implying that Kane should quickly pat his head in appreciation.
"Are you love-deprived or something?"
"What's that?"
"Don't you know?"
"Of course, I know. Just pretending I don't."
"Fine, then."
"Hey! There's nothing I don't know!"
As Kane and Blata bickered, Camilla knocked and entered the room.
"I've brought them, Young Master."
They were the slaves he received from Princess Wendy.
"Let's go. There's someone I want you to meet."
Kane led them somewhere.
* * *
Sara's Residence
At one side of the residence, Anna was busy leading the maids in cleaning.
Kane called out to her.
"Anna, where's Sara?"
"Miss Sara is training in the magic field."
"Alone?"
"Didn't you ask for her to be trained rigorously?"
"I did."
"The magic field is the best place for that."
Blata then drooped his ears and lamented.
"Aww, poor Sara, training all alone."
Kane ignored Blata's comment. However, Anna, not wanting Kane to worry, added reassuringly.
"I check on her constantly, so don't worry."
"I know. I'm here to see you for another reason."
"You're not going to ask me for another favor, are you?"
"I am. I want you to train these girls as maids."
"As Miss Sara's guard unit?"
"Yes. They have considerable potential."
The girls ranged in age from 13 to 19. Anna glanced over the slaves.
Her gaze was not that of a head maid but of the Ghost Anna Werner.
The female slaves flinched and avoided her gaze.
"As you said, they have potential... but why are they all so pretty?"
"They were a bribe from the First Princess to win me over."
Anna's eyebrows twitched.
"You're not... siding with the First Princess, are you?"
"I haven't made my intentions clear yet."
"That's a relief. The First Princess doesn't view our lord favorably. It's best to keep your distance."
"Weren't you someone who didn't care about political situations?"
"Then you shouldn't treat me as a ghost. And you shouldn't ask me to train anyone."
"I was joking."
"So was I."
"So, will you take care of them?"
"They have top-notch looks and near-top potential. With effort, they can become an elite maid unit."
This was nearly high praise. Along with Cedric, Anna was one of the most discerning individuals in Rehinar.
Receiving such an evaluation from her indicated a promising future.
Then Anna added a stern note.
"But I won't be responsible if any of them die during training."
"They'll manage just fine."
* * *
A few days later
A group entered the trading city of Philaec.
At the forefront, a middle-aged man with green hair spoke.
"Report."
"Philaec has been attacked."
"By whom?" the green-haired man shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. His rage was palpable, and his subordinates barely dared to breathe as they watched him.
"Kane Rehinar launched a sudden attack…."
"How many men?"
"He was alone…."
"You want me to believe that?"
The green-haired middle-aged man, Count Dyer, struck down the reporting subordinate with his bare hands.
"I could believe it when I heard that he killed Mateo in the capital. Why? Because no one would commit murder in the capital unless they were utterly mad. I thought Mateo had been caught off guard and killed in a surprise attack."
Now, Count Dyer's voice was full of hostility.
"But Kane Rehinar, all by himself, laid waste to an entire territory? Does that even make sense?"
"He must have used some trick," said a green-haired young man who was the spitting image of Count Dyer.
Jeron Dyer ground his teeth. Kane Rehinar was his age, but he was widely considered a complete idiot, infamous as a dunce. Yet, this same Kane supposedly devastated Philaec alone? It seemed too exaggerated. The sudden assault likely threw the residents into confusion, leading them to mistake a lone attacker for many.
"Father, why don't we take this opportunity to annihilate Rehinar? We showed them mercy by allowing them to survive, and they repay us with treachery."
Count Dyer responded to Jeron's suggestion with approval.
"We must avenge your brothers."
"I will follow you."
"Not a single one bearing the Rehinar name will be left alive! I will show everyone that I am the one who's worthy of being one of the Twelve Star Lords, not that sick old man in his death bed!"
Count Dyer's true goal wasn't just avenging his sons. He aimed to destroy Rehinar and take Duke Carl's place among the Twelve Lords. This was his real ambition.
He turned to his subordinates.
"Will you join me in conquering Rehinar?"
"Of course!"
"Just give us the order, and I'll sever the enemy's heads without leaving a single one behind."
The morale of Dyer's troops soared.
With this, Count Dyer drew his great sword and shouted high into the sky.
"March towards Rehinar!"
"Yaaahhh!"
Dyer's troops, filled with murderous intent, surged out of Philaec.
Meanwhile, Gillip, who was secretly watching them, grew more and more troubled.
"Little brother, what do we do now?"
"Big brother, what's there to worry about? You've seen that monster's power. Even if Count Dyer moves personally, it won't be enough."
"I know, but I'm worried about those guys behind Dyer."
"Hatzfeld?"
"Yeah, they're a kingdom, but their national strength rivals that of Fresia empire. If Hatzfeld gets involved, even that monster might struggle."
It was time to make a clear decision.
"Big brother, I think now is the time to go all in."
"On whom?"
"Shouldn't we bet on Rehinar?"
"This is a matter that concerns the lives of everyone in the Black Crow exchange. We can't decide lightly like it's a gamble."
"Where's that sharp intuition of yours gone? If it were me, I'd bet everything on Rehinar's monster."
The third brother's confident expression.
Despite suffering at Kane's hands, he harbored no personal feelings in deciding the future of the Black Crow exchange.
After much deliberation, Gillip spoke.
"Damn it, let's bet everything on Rehinar."
"What should we prepare?"
"Pack up everything we need. We're abandoning this place and moving to Rehinar."
"I'll contact second brother first."
Gillip decided to stake everything on Rehinar.
If, by chance, Dyer won the war...
Black Crow exchange would lose everything.