A week had passed since Han Kyungyeong shook Wall Street.

The news crossed the Atlantic and spread all the way through Europe.

Xavier, the head of Baltiche, immediately convened a meeting.

One by one, people began gathering at the old palace where Xavier resided.

Nace Meyer Rothschild, the head of the Rothschild family, arrived first.

After him came Marx, the head of the Wallenberg family, and finally David Rockefeller of the Rockefeller family.

Even after the appointed time had passed, no one from the Medici family had arrived.

The three who had come first spent the time discussing the matter at hand.

Then the doors opened, and Xavier entered.

Everyone rose to their feet and paid their respects to him.

“The Medici family still hasn’t arrived?”

Muttering to himself, Xavier took his seat first, and only then did the others sit down.

Xavier called for the butler.

“Has there been any contact from the Medici family?”

“No, Your Grace. There has been no contact yet.”

“Hm.”

At that moment, Marx spoke.

“At this point, we should settle the matter. It’s not as if the Medici family acting separately from Baltiche is something new......”

“Marx.”

Nace tried to stop him, but he continued.

“To be honest, I can no longer trust the Medici family. Their behavior after losing the war against Dreamhigh has been strange. I think it’s time to clean things up.”

“Mm.”

Xavier sank into thought. David, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.

“Your Grace.”

Xavier, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in contemplation, opened them at David’s call.

“Let’s think carefully before moving against the Medici family. For today, I believe discussing Dreamhigh’s movements should come first.”

“That is your opinion?”

“Yes. We can decide on punishment later. And if they fail to appear today, we can add disciplinary measures on top of that.”

Apparently finding the suggestion reasonable, Xavier nodded and spoke to the butler.

“If someone from the Medici family arrives, notify me immediately. You may leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After the butler bowed and exited, Xavier slowly looked over the heads of each family.

“You’ve all heard the news already, I assume. What do you think?”

The first to speak was the impatient Marx.

“Well, I don’t understand why anyone would invest in CDOs loaded with subprime-grade MBS.”

Looking at the other two besides Xavier, Marx continued.

“We all know it, don’t we? American real estate is a bubble destined to collapse someday. That’s why everyone’s preparing shorts.”

The other two nodded.

Everyone gathered here knew American real estate was a sandcastle built atop a bubble.

Nace picked up where Marx left off.

“That’s right. Our analysis says the same thing. It’ll collapse within three years.”

David nodded as well, seemingly in agreement.

Xavier narrowed his eyes.

“Do you think Dreamhigh doesn’t know what we know?”

“Your Grace, aren’t you overestimating Dreamhigh? People say they’ve never failed, but they suffered major losses in Japan too. This will be the same.”

“The losses in Japan were intentional. They willingly accepted those losses to bring down the Japanese government. There’s no reason to compare that situation to this one.”

“Even so, I still don’t understand it. Everyone here overestimates Dreamhigh too much. If they continue making reckless investments like this, they’ll inevitably suffer a catastrophic collapse someday. I don’t think this is something we need to take so seriously.”

Letting out a low hum, Xavier turned to the other two.

“You two think the same?”

“Yes. I share that opinion.”

“My thoughts on Dreamhigh differ somewhat, but I also believe this will fail.”

After confirming everyone felt the same way, even Xavier could not help but waver.

‘Am I overestimating them too much?’

What mattered was that even the head of the Rothschild family shared the same opinion.

After all, no family exerted greater influence over Wall Street than the Rothschilds.

“So that’s how {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} it is......”

At that moment, the door opened and the butler entered.

Without making a single sound with his footsteps, the butler quietly approached Xavier and whispered into his ear.

“The Medici family has arrived.”

“They have? Tell them to come in immediately.”

“But... the elder himself has come.”

Xavier’s eyes widened.

“What? The elder himself?”

“Yes. What should we do?”

“What do you mean what should we do? Escort him in immediately.”

At Xavier’s low but urgent command, the butler hurried out.

A few moments later, the door opened again, and an old man in a wheelchair entered.

Age spots covered his face, and his sickly appearance was unmistakable.

Xavier rose and approached him.

“Elder, it’s been a long time.”

“Your Grace. It has indeed. I already heard that you became the leader of this gathering.”

“I feel the weight of this position deeply.”

Following Xavier’s lead, the other family heads all stood and greeted him as well.

Their eyes were filled with shock.

“Nace, David, and... Marx, was it?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“The little children I once knew have already become family heads? Hah......”

“......”

The old man treated the heads of the great families like children, yet not one of them dared object.

The current head of the Medici family, who had been pushing the wheelchair, spoke.

“Please sit down first, Grandfather.”

The old man in the wheelchair was Cosimo, the former former head of the Medici family.

He was a man so exceptional that he inherited the name Cosimo itself, the very name associated with the founder of the Medici family.

He was also the one who rebuilt the collapsed Medici family into one of the central powers of Italy once again.

Because he had also been his father’s closest friend, Xavier could not help but act cautiously around him.

Xavier took hold of the wheelchair from Lorenze and tried to guide him toward the seat of honor.

“Your Grace. The seat of honor has always belonged to Your Grace. It would be improper for me to sit there.”

“But Elder, even my father left behind instructions telling me to show you the utmost respect.”

“I would be uncomfortable. Are you trying to make this old man uncomfortable?”

“No, of course not. Then......” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Instead, Xavier guided him to the seat closest to the head position. Lorenze sat beside Cosimo as well.

Xavier returned to his own seat.

Everyone silently watched Cosimo.

“It seems my presence has made everyone uncomfortable.”

“That is not the case. We simply believe there must be a reason you came all the way here despite your condition, so we are waiting for you to speak.”

After giving a small cough, Cosimo opened his mouth.

“Hm. I heard the reason for today’s gathering is Dreamhigh.”

“That is correct, Elder.”

“So what exactly are you planning to do?”

“Everyone’s opinion is unanimous. Dreamhigh will fail. Investing in products carrying such enormous risk will eventually bring them down.”

“What? Hahaha!”

Despite his visibly frail condition, Cosimo burst into loud laughter.

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“What exactly are you so afraid of?”

“Pardon?”

“A high-risk investment, you say?”

“Yes. In most cases, subprime-grade securities are extremely difficult to recover.”

“And who bears the greatest risk?”

When Xavier failed to answer immediately, Cosimo continued.

“The ones who suffer the greatest losses are neither the banks issuing the MBS nor the investment banks packaging them into CDOs and selling them. In the end, it’s the ordinary investors who buy the CDOs who suffer the most.”

Cosimo swept his dissatisfied gaze across the other family heads as well.

“You all focus too much on safe investments, which is why you’re so obsessed with Dreamhigh in the first place. The former family heads in their graves would rise up weeping if they saw this.”

“Elder!”

Marx raised his voice.

“I heard the Wallenberg family’s standing rose while I was receiving treatment, but you dare raise your voice at me? Even the previous family head never once raised his voice to me!”

Cosimo’s sharp voice made Marx flinch.

His voice overflowed with overwhelming charisma.

As the atmosphere froze over, Xavier stepped in to mediate.

“Marx. Apologize.”

“......”

“Family Head!”

“...I apologize, Elder.”

“No matter. Such things happen.”

Though it was little more than a forced apology, Cosimo accepted it and turned the conversation elsewhere.

“We have endured far harsher times. There was even a moment when Hitler nearly destroyed our families. But we joined forces and survived in the end. It is not the strong who survive, but the survivors who are strong. Those of us who endured until the end came to control the world’s economy. Yet if Baltiche is going to be dragged around by a mere ten-year-old organization like Dreamhigh, then Baltiche should take down its signboard altogether.”

“......”

Having been struck directly where it hurt, no one could say a word.

Cosimo slowly looked around at the now-silent family heads before speaking again.

“To me, this is no different from Dreamhigh throwing down a challenge to us. They are provoking us, asking whether we can accept it. If that is the case, then shouldn’t we gladly accept the challenge? The idea that we would tremble before some mere Oriental is absurd. This useless grandson of mine told me the Medici family cannot defeat Dreamhigh.”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Lorenze.

But Lorenze simply remained silent.

“That is why I came here myself. Please grant this old man’s final request. I beg you, Your Grace.”

Xavier let out a bitter smile.

“Elder, no matter who you are, this oversteps your authority.”

“I know. But I do not have much time left. At this rate, I will not be able to close my eyes in peace. I cannot stand by and watch the Baltiche I built retreat in fear of a single Oriental. So I beg you.”

Xavier quietly stared into Cosimo’s eyes.

There was sincerity in them.

At last, Xavier let out a deep sigh and took a step back.

“...Very well. We will discuss it further among ourselves. I will do my best to guide the decision in the direction you wish.”

“Thank you. Thank you.”

At that moment, Cosimo suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit.

Startled, Lorenze hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth.

When the coughing finally stopped and Lorenze lowered his hand, the handkerchief was soaked in blood.

“Elder!”

Shocked, Xavier rose from his seat and hurried toward him.

Cosimo raised a hand to stop him.

“That’s enough. Don’t come closer. I don’t think I can stay any longer, so I’ll be leaving now. Lorenze.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“See me out, then return here and attend the meeting.”

“Understood.”

Cosimo wiped his mouth with a fresh handkerchief Lorenze had taken out and left behind one final request.

“Please, all of you, carve this old man’s advice deeply into your hearts. We are Baltiche. No one is allowed to challenge us.”

After speaking, Cosimo closed his eyes.

When Lorenze looked toward Xavier, he gave a silent nod.

Lorenze pushed the wheelchair out of the room.

After Cosimo and Lorenze left, silence hung over the room for a long while.

Outside, before getting into the car, Lorenze and Cosimo exchanged a final conversation.

“So this is enough?”

“Yes, Grandfather. I’m sorry.”

“I still do not understand you.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“But I do know this much about the Lorenze I know. You would give even your life for the Medici family. That’s why I granted this absurd request.”

“I truly am sorry.”

Cosimo quietly stared at Lorenze, who kept apologizing over and over, before finally speaking.

“I will believe this decision is for the sake of the Medici family. Do your utmost so that my final days are not stained with disgrace.”

“Yes, Grandfather. The Medici family will become the greatest family in Europe.”

Cosimo nodded and entered the car.

The sedan carrying him slowly departed.

Lorenze deeply bowed toward the vehicle.

— Family Head Lorenze. Please grant my request. Then even if every other family collapses, the Medici family alone will survive and become the greatest family in Europe. I swear it on my name.

Kim Muhyuk’s request from several days ago continued echoing endlessly inside his head.