KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 43

Count Albrecht, the head of the pharmaceutical company, denied that 'Morel' caused the illnesses. However, as the number of noble patients grew daily, Imperial chemists launched an investigation.

They soon discovered the source of the problem: a common weed had replaced a core medicinal herb. Those seeds were the ones Ferdinand had brought home two years ago.

The seeds he provided to replace the herbs lost in the laboratory fire lacked the volume for immediate distribution. Instead of using them right away, the Count chose to cultivate them for two years to build a reserve. If the company had functioned normally, the chemists would have realized the seeds were wrong.

The issue only surfaced six months into the cultivation process. This period coincided with the moment the Albrecht family began to crumble. Odette's death, the renewed legal battles over Ferdinand's immunity, the divorce trial with Sasha, and a relentless wave of public hatred hammered the house. The family's wealth drained away with terrifying speed.

To survive, the Count ordered drastic cost-cutting. He focused specifically on reducing labor costs. The company fired the highest-paid chemists first. Using their age and long experience as excuses, the Count stripped veterans of their positions and replaced them with young, cheap labor.

That choice guaranteed his defeat. No matter how talented the young chemists were, they lacked the years of practical experience needed to distinguish similar herbs. The number of people capable of spotting the difference dropped to zero.

Furthermore, the Count himself had handed down the seeds, calling them "precious" and demanding "strict management." Even if a new hire suspected a mistake, they lacked the status to voice a concern.

The brutal nature of the mass layoffs also played a role. The company had literally kicked out elderly chemists who begged on the floor, claiming they would starve without a transition period.

Every employee watched that humiliation. A heavy silence settled over the staff. No matter how much a person sacrificed for the company, management treated them with cold cruelty at the end.

Fear for their own jobs forced the remaining chemists into silence. Because of this, the tainted medicine reached the market.

Eventually, a patient died. The death was a mere coincidence; the individual had died at the same time in the previous life without taking the drug. However, the Count had no way of knowing that.

[Ulrich] "You useless brat!"

He huffed, throwing a punch into Ferdinand's face. A heavy thud echoed through the room.

[Ulrich] "How can you do nothing right?! Did you even check the seeds?!"

Ferdinand had lived under house arrest, missing every bit of fun during the festival. Trapped in his room and suffering from drug withdrawal, he was already on edge. Being beaten over an old mistake pushed him over the limit. Fury consumed him.

[Ferdinand] "What do you mean I didn't check? I checked everything!"

[Ulrich] "And this is the result?! I knew you were worthless, but I never thought you would fail this miserably!"

Ferdinand felt a burning sense of injustice. He had studied the herb guides multiple times. The seeds looked identical. Moreover, the farmer he visited was famous among the lab staff for handling only expensive seeds. Since the entire staff recommended the same farmer, he saw no reason to doubt the man.

Is this even my fault?

He had paid a massive sum for the wrong seeds, and he accepted blame for that. But that wasn't the core issue facing House Albrecht. The real problem was selling bad drugs to the central nobility. Those people were as expensive as they were high-born. The compensation required was astronomical.

That isn't my fault. It's Father's fault!

He might have brought the wrong seeds, but he never ordered them to be put into production. The final cause of the disaster was the management of Count Albrecht.

So why does he blame me? He's just avoiding responsibility!

The Count punched again, harder this time. Even with Ferdinand's Transcendent physiology—which granted him a stronger skeletal structure than a normal human—his cheek began to swell. The Count was hitting with intent to kill.

Ferdinand had grown up pampered; no one had ever struck him. He never imagined he would suffer such a humiliating assault.

He glared at his father with eyes full of rage. His breathing came in heavy, ragged bursts. The Count looked at his son's face and saw a ghost.

Those spiteful eyes. He looks exactly like his mother.

Ferdinand's brown eyes were identical to Sasha's. They were the eyes of Sasha, and the eyes of Shylock. It felt as if a disgusting bloodline continued to haunt the Count. Enraged, he raised his fist again to strike the snake-like face staring back at him.

Ferdinand caught the Count's hand mid-air.

[Ulrich] "Let go."

[Ferdinand] "No. Are you not ashamed to blame your child for your own mistakes?"

He swung his fist into the Count's face.

CRACK.

A sound far more violent than the Count's punches exploded in the room.

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