Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 115: A Fury Family Meeting

CH115 A Fury Family Meeting

***

Although Alex had expected Kurt’s faction to make a move, he was genuinely caught off guard by the particular card they played.

His eyes flicked to the old man who had raised the accusation—clearly acting as the spokesperson for the group.

Narrowing his eyes, Alex studied the man’s cane more closely.

It wasn’t just a walking stick.

It was a magic staff, cleverly disguised.

’A mage?’

That was unexpected.

While the Fury family was primarily made up of warriors, it didn’t mean every member followed that path. A fair number had become warlocks, and a rare few were mages.

Mages, however, were scarce—particularly among the pureblood Furor lineage.

Even when a mage was born into the family, the innate magic talent was usually poor or average at best.

That was precisely why mages were often looked down upon in the Fury household. It wasn’t just blind martial arrogance, but a practical judgement rooted in generations of underwhelming results.

This old man was one of those rare mage members—

But unlike Alex, he lacked the second bloodline that bolstered magical talent. His magic talent must’ve been unimpressive.

”I agree!”

”I concur!”

”So do I!”

One by one, voices rang out, supporting the old man’s motion.

Alex took a slow breath, casting his gaze over each person who raised their voice.

He memorised every face.

Unsurprisingly, the support for the motion snowballed.

Once Kurt’s faction took the lead, others began to hesitantly join in.

It was difficult to tell whether they were simply succumbing to peer pressure, or if they were trying to avoid attracting too much attention from Earl Drake while aligning with the majority.

Within minutes, nearly a third of the attendees had seconded the motion—including half of the family’s barons and viscounts.

It was absurd.

Alex couldn’t fathom what these men had been fed to make them think they could challenge the decisions of a man like Earl Drake... and attempt to use that as grounds to punish his heir apparent.

Then his gaze turned to Kurt, who now wore a smug, contented smile.

Clearly, he was enjoying the moments.

Alex’s eyes shifted once again—to his father.

Earl Drake’s face was as stoic and impassive as ever.

But deep within those eyes...

Alex caught it.

Amusement.

And it wasn’t just Earl Drake.

Both Count Gordon and Countess Megan had turned their heads to look directly at him.

Alex schooled his expression at once, adopting the calm, indifferent look he’d mastered over time. But inside, his mind raced.

He sifted through layers of possibilities.

’The ringleaders are the family’s lower nobles...

They can’t possibly think they’ll succeed in opposing my father’s will outright.

’Unless...’

His eyes narrowed.

’Unless that’s exactly what they want.’

Rapid-fire thoughts coursed through Alex’s mind.

Drawing from both the analytical instincts of a former systems engineer and the experience of reading political drama in his past life, True_Sage kicked into high gear.

’Too many variables. I need to start narrowing things down...’

He began to mentally outline the conditions:

First, the Fury family isn’t like other noble houses. It functions more like a military warband than a structured aristocracy.

Second, from what Alex had observed so far, these nobles were cunning, yes—but the fact that they had allowed an outsider, a woman, to influence them so deeply in such a patriarchal, militant structure...

...showed they weren’t particularly smart.

Third, their assessment of him must still be based on the original Alex Fury—the boy who was a known failure.

Which meant only one thing—

’They underestimate me.’

A subtle, almost imperceptible twitch of his lips betrayed the faintest flicker of a smile.

’They think I’m the weak link. That’s why I’m the linchpin of their entire scheme.’

Like feeding parameters into a complex algorithm, Alex plugged these three insights into his mental matrix.

And just like that—

The sea of vague possibilities narrowed into a focused list.

Then, his eyes landed on Kurt’s necklace—a curious, enchanted piece he hadn’t paid attention to before.

Everything clicked.

He got it.

Suddenly, the calm indifference Alex had only been faking until now became genuine—so subtle yet so complete that even Earl Drake, who had come to understand Alex through weeks of close observation, noticed the shift instantly.

”Alex,” Earl Drake spoke, his voice cutting through the growing murmurs in the hall like a blade.

Silence fell immediately.

”You have heard the charge levied against you, and the proposed punishment. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Alex gave a lazy shrug.

”With all due respect, I’ve got nothing to say. It was... an interesting show, I suppose. The acting could use some work, though. Bit too stiff for my taste. I’ve seen better.”

Gasps.

Snickers.

Outrage.

The room reacted in all directions.

Faces flushed with anger. Those aligned with Kurt and his faction looked ready to explode.

Meanwhile, others—either neutral or quietly opposed—couldn’t help but smirk discreetly.

”Alex Fury!” Viscount Lars thundered, slamming his cane onto the floor. ”Even if you are the son of the Family Head, that gives you no right to mock the Family Council!”

”Oh... Viscount Lars?” Alex looked genuinely surprised. ”Wait, you were serious?”

”Pffft—HA!” Count Gordon roared with laughter, slapping his seat’s armrest with glee.

Even Countess Megan’s lips twitched faintly.

Kurt cut in before his faction could spiral further.

”This is no joke, brother. The entire upper echelon of the Fury family wouldn’t have gathered over something trivial.”

His words reignited hope in his camp. Faces lit up. Chests puffed with pride.

Finally, someone with authority was asserting order in their favour.

Alex tilted his head slightly, expression thoughtful.

”Oh, I see...”

Then, his eyes turned cold.

”You say I have no right to dismiss your words? Fine. I won’t dismiss them.”

He leaned forward ever so slightly.

”I’ll return them to you. With interest.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

”What right do you have to say those words to me?”

Before anyone could respond, Alex smoothly turned his gaze to the five seated at the high table.

”The last I checked, only the Family Head and the Elders have judicial or administrative power in this family. Am I wrong?”

He spoke clearly, his voice carrying weight.

”Family Head. Elders. Has that changed?”

Before any of the main seat members could reply, Kurt jumped in again.

”The Family Council is a concerned body of House Fury. They are simply echoing the dissatisfaction of our members,” he said coolly.

Alex gave another slow, mocking nod of false understanding.

And then, he dropped the hammer.

”Who asked you?”

Kurt blinked.

Caught completely off guard.

”Since when were you an Elder of the family?” Alex continued, tone frigid. ”Or better yet—when did you become Family Head?”

The younger nobles gasped. A few tried to hide it. Others stared, wide-eyed.

Alex stood from his seat, his voice a sharp whip.

”It seems the lesson I gave you last time didn’t quite sink into your thick skull.”

He paused.

”Know. Your. Place... brat.”

Kurt’s face twisted with rage and humiliation.

Alex had used no magic, no Aura, no compulsion this time.

But those words...

They landed harder than any blow.

And this time, they slapped not just Kurt, but every one of his supporters across the face.

**