Hearing his sons echo the response of his eldest, the old man sighed — how foolish they were, were these children really his?
Why could not they even surpass their younger brother? Why were they all so eager to rush to their deaths?
"Our collaboration with Lord Malin will be bonded through Lulu, who will marry Lord Malin. Her child with Malin will be the next patriarch of our family,"
the old man decided to speak plainly.
"Father! How can you do this!"
"How can the future of the family be entrusted to an outsider!"
"Have you gone mad?!"
The old man sighed deeply, withdrew his hand, and took a report from his butler that the man who had just plastered his fourth son into the wall was holding: "Malin Gaiate, yesterday at dusk, beheaded the fearsome God-chosen champion Mendelson outside Sim Port. According to the intel, he himself is the God-chosen champion of the Lord of Justice and... seems also to be the God-chosen champion of the fearsome, for he wields two weapons at once."
"Impossible! Father! If he truly is a double God-chosen! How can we let Lulu become the bond! Such great power!" The old man’s eldest son bellowed loudly, looking at his father with a fervent gaze.
"Fools, are you still thinking about what benefits you can get from Lord Malin at this point? Was it his excessive benevolence shown before humans that gave you thoughts beyond your capabilities?" Withdrawing his hand and not looking at the son hanging on the wall, their father addressed his children: "Remember, the Hagelberrys need a powerful bloodline, and the bloodline of such a God-chosen champion is essential for us to acquire. If the Hagelberrys can have such a child, and he is able to survive the coming Tide of the Dead, then he can lead the Hagelberry family to a more splendid future. I have never minded whether my descendants inherited the Hagelberry family, I only wish that the next patriarch sitting under me will be a young person of immense strength. And you? You cannot even defeat me, yet you think about controlling Lord Malin’s will. If I do not stop you, that would be a true disaster for the Hagelberry family."
"What if it is a daughter?"
"Your children can try to pursue her," the old man dangled a bait.
In his view, even if the strong bloodline produced a daughter as the first-born, that was an even better outcome. Lord Malin would clearly be more willing to give his daughter to the Hagelberrys. Although having a female as the leader was a rare occurrence in the Northern Kingdom, for the Hagelberrys, it could be an opportunity to acquire another exceptional male bloodline through the daughter of Lord Malin.
In the coming Tide of the Dead, there will surely be gifted young men who, despite their talents, lacked the opportunity to stand out and gain recognition. By selecting exceptional males from among them, for the Hagelberrys, having Malin’s daughter as the family’s matriarch and then choosing a sufficiently excellent male to marry into the family would be the superior choice.
After all, it was a daughter, not a son.
As for giving his sons any hope... that was merely to placate these fools.
When necessary, the old man would solve any and all troubles hindering the growth of Lulu’s child, sparing no effort.