41 Chapter 40

Lord Kan is not really a magic-user. He does not have a strong affinity for magic. However, the old guy is certainly a businessman.

And a great one at that.

During the Cold War between The Church and The Red God, he saw an opportunity in Mana Steel manufacturing. Everyone was looking to be better than the others, yet the industry was still very primal.

Fusing mana into the materials was done not by machines like the modern days, but mostly by hands. It took longer and was less accurate to produce.

At that point, he knew what needed to be done.

Automation.

He needed to turn it into an industry.

This was the reason why he gathered the best engineers he could think of to create the technology. Many before him also did try, but only Kan succeeded. The Economy Miracle was jumpstarted by Kan's brain. Thanks to that, he had money.

Tons of them.

He knew that luck was on his side. The Goddess was on his side.

Lord Kan was a religious person. After his success, he was even more zealous.

That is why when there was news of an Apostle of the Goddess, he was thrilled and devised a plan.

Being at the top for so long already, Kan wanted to spread out his influence. Money to him became a number. What he needed was power. Actual power, and time. The old man is reaching the end of his journey. He needs more time. That thing is priceless. It can not be measured by any means by human standards.

For power, there is Hero.

Hero's family, Neumann, was from the military. They did not have the amount of wealth he possessed. Nonetheless, they had power.

The people of that family are all great magic users. The head of the household, Hero's father, was rumored to be a level 7.

Hero himself had tremendous potential. More than anyone could ever see. He could even be the first man ever to achieve Godhood.

So, to make his thirst for power come to fruition, it was obvious that he had to find a way to make Hero his son-in-law. Then, and only then, that the most powerful family Nohin has ever seen could be established.

That family would be Bianca's.

Setting it up was easy for the old man.

Kan only needed to search for a rival in the area, and he only needed to lessen the security around his own daughter. The rival would take care of the rest.

After that, 'out of pure chance', the Hero knew of the abduction. Everything went perfectly according to his plan.

With the Hero's strength, he did not even need to ask his family for help. At first met, the man did appear to have muscles for brain. If things could have been done without thinking, he would not use his head at all. Nevertheless, that did not matter to Kan. That would be even better.

He could control Hero easier that way.

Lord Kan has been feeling all nice and happy since then. He was more delighted hearing the maids reporting to him that they were having sexual intercourse, and Bianca was not using contraceptives.

It was just going so well, Kan could not be more satisfied.

Then he heard the news about the video clip.

Lord Kan does not think of it as an embarrassment. On the contrary, this to him is another chance.

If he could do this well enough, Lord Kan would become a better father-in-law, someone that could give Hero his advice, and someone who can ask Hero to help him with...certain things, such as inviting him to power circles, to those with real power.

To the Goddess.

Being the Apostle, Hero definitely has a way to communicate with her. He must have.

Gods and Goddesses would occasionally manifest in front of their followers. So there must be a communication method.

Because of his devotion, Kan wants to see the Goddess for himself. He wants to be able to bow down to her graciousness.

And more than anything in this world, Kan wants to be reborn.

He wants to live another life with his soul untouched. That is something only the Manaborn can do.

How he managed to get this kind of information is hidden away from everyone, even his own family. The number of people he sacrificed just for the confirmation of this info is simply unfathomable. What he currently knows is that it seems like Hero was also reborn as well.

If Hero holds that secret, then he wants to know.

So now, he needs to help Hero in any way he can, that one day, he can achieve his actual purpose.

"Why aren't you talking, Hero?" He asks calmly. "Is there something bothering you?"

Cold sweats appear on Hero's forehead. For some reason, he feels extremely heavy.

"There...maybe something that I am looking for some...consultation."

He laughs at Hero's answer: "Hahaha! Don't put it in such a formal way, my boy! We're family, aren't we?"

"Yes...yes we are..."

"Then, go on. Ask me anything you like, son!"

"Umm...How should I put it into words?... Our...intimate video, the video of me doing some activities with the girls was leaked online."

What about the two bodies in the mansion? Lord Kan almost asked. He was able to stop himself at the right time.

The maids called him immediately right after the first incident. At that point, he was in another part of the country and had to put everything aside to return. After all, an assassination attempt was made. He must be present.

The Hero, however, seems to not care about it at all. He simply thinks about his dignity being lost by the publication of the video.

Kan thinks: "How did this guy get everything? Being reborn with power, fame, and girls. And a huge ego. It should have been given to me!"

Keeping his feelings aside, Lord Kan continues his questions: "I have heard about it. What is it that you want me to help you with, my son?"

"I have been meaning to get it removed from the internet for good but it did not work. Could you please help me with that?"

"It is impossible at this point. We simply can not take it down anymore."

"Really? Is this really the case?" Hero pleads.

What a letdown. Kan thinks. On the contrary to his inner feelings, outside on his face, he just shows a warm smile.

"Now now. Don't be down like that. It's not like there is nothing that we can do at all! The simplest way that we can start is to deny everything."

"Lord Kan, sorry but I can't follow you...How does denying help?"

The corner of his mouth twitches. Inside his head is: "How much do I need to explain to you?"

"Hero, there is one thing that you need to learn about humans. That is they are doubtful creatures. I am not telling you to have a press conference to tell everyone that the video is fake. I don't need you to do anything at all."

"Then how is that going to help?"

"By sending our people to spread doubt. Do you know deepfake AI programs?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Our people will say that the video is a deepfake. We will keep on posting it over and over again on many other sites, with the title of deepfake.

As I know right now the account of the original has been deleted. That is a very good move of you and is also beneficial to us. No need for us to do anything drastic.

This world, my son, craves social justice. But it also craves chaos. Reposting is a normal thing to do now. Everyone likes fame and everyone likes money. The way any video posting sites work promotes reposting and recycling materials.

As long as people can not distinguish between the old post and the new one, we are winning this round. The more you do, the less you will get.

Don't be the farmers, be the seeds. They will take care of the rest for us."

Hero's mouth is wide open.

He could only understand half of what Kan was saying.

Yet he feels like this plan would work. There is still one more question.

"The believers, those who think it is real, what should I do if they confront me? People have been saying things like I battled the other guy because I wanted to have sex with the girls."

"Easy. Say you helped the girl because she begged you to, but never had sex with her and has no intention of being her boyfriend."

"But...but..."

"You have to ignore the weakest link, Hero. It is your weakness. Being kind is a good thing, that I am sure of. I do charity all the time! Still, you need to have clear boundaries sometimes. This is one of those."

"I don't think I can, Sir..."

Kan sighs. He makes it look like he is a thoughtful person as he shakes his head.

"This girl is a poor girl. She was harassed by that guy. You just happened to be around her to protect her. You are the Hero, you have that kind of duty, no?"

"Yeah. Yeah! I do!" The lights start to come back into his eyes.

"Then just stay away from her for a while. Ask her to lay low until things have blown away. After that, you can have all the fun you want together. Easy as that. I will start telling people to send her back to her place as soon as possible if you go with my plan."

"Please, Sir. Let's get it done."

"Certainly, my son!" He smiles merrily but stops all of a sudden: "As for the culprit of the assassination..."

"Ah?" The Hero looks puzzled.

"Don't worry. Go! Rest!" Kan pats Hero on the back.