Chapter 181 A Two-Sided Game
Chapter 181 A Two-Sided Game
At dusk, the gilded gates of the Valois Manor slowly swung open.
Erwin, dressed in a sharp charcoal-gray suit, stepped onto the marble-lined avenue with Pierre at his side.
The autumn wind swept through, rustling the French plane trees lining the path. Leaves fell like withered butterflies, drifting to the ground.
"Erwin..."
Pierre's voice trembled. "Are you absolutely sure about this? I just feel that—"
"Pierre."
Erwin took a deep breath, forcing the bone-deep hatred back down. "Trust Mr. Ashford. If he's letting us walk in here, he must be absolutely certain."
With that, accompanied by Pierre, he strode forward with steady steps, crossing into the "home" he'd been exiled from for twenty-five years.
The main building's doors stood wide open.
As Erwin and Pierre stepped through the heavy oak entrance, a deafening bang echoed behind them—the doors slammed shut from the inside. The heavy alloy bolt dropped into place with a sickening click.
Inside the opulent sitting room, crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow.
Louis sat dead center on the leather sofa, a wine glass in hand, his face twisted into a triumphant, unhinged grin.
"Erwin, my dear 'nephew.'"
Louis swirled his glass leisurely, the crimson liquid rippling. "Did you really think a few reporters and that lunatic Leo backing you up would be enough to drag me down from this seat? To judge me?"
"Naive! Utterly foolish!"
"Is that so?"
Erwin's expression remained unchanged as he calmly faced the man who'd slaughtered his entire family. "With those pathetic little tricks of yours?"
"Little tricks?"
Louis suddenly threw his head back and laughed, the sound laced with hysterical madness. "You think those cops and reporters outside can protect you? Too naive! This is my territory! I make the rules here!"
He snapped his fingers sharply.
Instantly, heavy alloy shutters slammed down over the floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the room, sealing the hall in an oppressive, airtight enclosure.
"I paid a fortune on the Eastern European black market for nerve gas."
Louis rose to his feet, gloating. "Colorless, odorless. Three minutes of exposure and you'll be completely paralyzed. Even with that bastard Leo backing you, you can't touch me!"
Yet faced with this lethal threat, neither Erwin nor Pierre showed the slightest hint of panic.
"Louis, you're wrong."
Erwin even smiled faintly, that expression carrying an unfathomable depth. "I never counted on Leo to be my savior. I dared to walk through that door because I know exactly what you're really relying on in this manor."
The moment those words left his mouth—
"Oh? Seems you know more than I thought."
A voice dripping with divine superiority drifted down from the spiral staircase on the second floor. "A stray dog who's been hiding for twenty-five years, yet you can still stay this calm. I see that Reaper backing you has given you quite a bit of courage."
At the appearance of this man, Erwin's heartbeat quickened despite himself.
Though Leo had thoroughly analyzed Ashfall's personality and weaknesses, actually facing this legendary Templar Knight in person, Erwin felt a suffocating pressure.
So this is the power of the Evernight Order?
Erwin silently recited the lines Leo had taught him, taking a deep breath to appear even more composed.
Seeing Ashfall emerge, Louis's confidence swelled to its peak.
"Ha ha ha! Erwin, see that? This is my real trump card!"
Louis spread his arms wide, laughing maniacally like a drowning man clutching his last lifeline. "With Ashfall here, even if that bastard Leo came himself, he'd have to kneel before me! You're all dead today!"
However, Erwin's next words left everyone in the room stunned.
"Ashfall."
Erwin suddenly dropped to one knee, his right hand placed over his heart in a textbook-perfect knight's pledge of loyalty. "I, Erwin Valois, wish to represent the Valois family in swearing allegiance to you and the great Evernight Order behind you."
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
Louis's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe his own ears.
"What are you saying?"
Louis pointed at Erwin, laughing hysterically as if he'd heard the joke of the century. "You bastard, you think that'll save your life? Ashfall would never believe such nonsense!"
But Ashfall didn't immediately speak.
Because he knew full well that Erwin's gesture wasn't some panicked, impulsive move.
A man who'd endured the slums for twenty-five years, who'd seized the perfect moment to strike back amid the storm of public opinion—he was no simple-minded brute.
More importantly, Ashfall had absolute confidence in his understanding of human nature.
In his view, there was no one who couldn't be bought—only transactions where the price wasn't high enough.
A man hungry for revenge, hungry for power, choosing to throw in his lot with a stronger patron when cornered—that made perfect sense.
In fact, Ashfall had been waiting for this moment all along.
"Continue."
Ashfall approached Erwin, looking down at him from above, his eyes examining him like an intriguing piece of art. "Give me one reason not to kill you."
Erwin lifted his head. In those eyes was no fear—only extreme calculation and calm.
"Simple. Because I'm far better suited than Louis to be The Evernight Order's representative in the Valois family."
"The Evernight Order needs a proxy who can perfectly control France's political and business resources—not a disgraced fool on the national wanted list who only brings endless trouble to the organization!"
"Louis right now is a ticking time bomb. As long as he stays in this position, the French government and public's fury won't die down, and The Evernight Order's interests will keep hemorrhaging."
"But me? I'm the rightful Valois bloodline. Right now, all of France's public opinion sympathizes with me, supports me."
"If I take over the family, all the scandals and chaos will vanish overnight! The Valois family's massive business empire and political resources won't just get back on track immediately—under my control, they'll serve The Evernight Order far more efficiently than they ever did under Louis!"
Every sentence, every pause from Erwin had been rehearsed dozens of times with Leo last night.
Leo understood exactly how arrogant these self-proclaimed "gods" were.
To The Evernight Order, there were no emotions or principles—only absolute calculations of interest.
As long as Erwin demonstrated ten times more value than Louis and proactively extended the olive branch, these conceited monsters would never suspect a mortal groveling for survival.
At these words, Louis's expression completely changed.
A man capable of brutally assassinating his own brother, usurping his position, and controlling the Valois family's influence across French politics and business for twenty-five years was no fool.
On the contrary, he understood The Evernight Order's ruthless law of the jungle all too well.
When Erwin laid out those irrefutable bargaining chips, Louis knew—he was finished.
The Evernight Order didn't need loyal dogs. They needed clean, maximum-value tools.
And right now, he was a filthy, scandal-ridden piece of trash drawing nationwide condemnation.
He knew better than anyone that Ashfall's paused gas release and that brief silence had already pronounced an irrevocable death sentence in his mind.
"Bullshit! You're talking complete bullshit!"
Louis roared maniacally. "Ashfall! Don't listen to his nonsense! This is Leo's scheme! They're working together!"
"He's stalling for time! Kill him now! Release the gas and kill him!"
But Ashfall didn't press the gas control terminal in his hand. Nor did he acknowledge Louis's screaming.
Because what Erwin said was the truth.
The Evernight Order never cared about a proxy's loyalty—only their utility.
And right now, Louis's value had dropped to zero.
Louis's heart sank completely.
Twenty-five years ago, he'd used this exact method—with The Evernight Order's tacit approval—to kill his own brother and seize the family head position.
And now, history was repeating itself.
Only this time, the one lying on the ground was him.