Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

"Lady Navarre, it wasn't me who led Navarre Commerce into the river." Mr. Leo's round, chubby face showed a hint of helpless smile, as he softly corrected Lady Navarre: "It was Miss Anna."

Lady Navarre's tightly clasped fingers turned even paler.

Mr. Leo lowered his head and bent over, sincerely advising: "Please stop deceiving yourself. Can you really sever ties with Miss Anna? Can Navarre Commerce truly distance itself from Miss Anna?"

The hall was silent.

Suddenly, from beside the dining table came the sound of a burp.

Dan Ora, the elderly man, leisurely let out a long breath, put down his spoon, and wiped his mouth.

Lady Navarre and Fernando Leo unconsciously straightened up, directing their gaze towards the former head of the family, waiting for him to speak.

"When Anna was little, you all praised her for her keen insight." Dan Ora raised his eyelids and sighed: "Looking at it now, her insight was almost too good."

Lady Navarre lowered her gaze and remained silent; Mr. Leo wanted to say something but held back in the end.

"Power is a filthy and dangerous thing, and political speculation is a high-risk business. A competent merchant should wisely avoid them." Dan Ora's gaze was so intimidating that Leo didn't dare to lift his head. He paused for a moment and turned to his daughter, saying hoarsely: "But precisely because of that, in fact, you no longer have a choice. Fernando only got one thing right—can you really let go of your daughter?"

Lady Navarre bit her silver teeth and her eyes reddened. She did not say a word in response to her father's question.

Dan Ora, rather than taking up the helm as the family's former leader, spoke more like a father to his daughter: "If you can truly abandon Anna, that child, then you can follow through with your thoughts. Nothing else matters, it's all about carving roads through mountains and building bridges over water. But if you can't do that, then you can't continue to deceive yourself."

Upon hearing the former head of the family set the tone for the matter, Mr. Leo completely relaxed. On the contrary, Lady Navarre's face became increasingly pale.

Dan Ora sighed deeply and, with effort, pushed himself up from the table, came to his daughter's side, and wrapped his aged, thin arms around her.

Lady Navarre understood the outcome could no longer change. The strong woman who had led the family for twenty years finally couldn't hold back, and collapsed into her father's embrace, gently sobbing.

Dan Ora softly patted his daughter's back, saying with compassion: "In this world, where are the parents who can surpass their children? When you wanted to marry Paganino Navarre back then, I couldn't surpass you either. Now, it's your turn to be heartbroken over your daughter."

After a long while, Lady Navarre finally stopped sobbing. Then Dan Ora let her go, returning to his seat.

Lady Navarre wiped away her tears and tidied her make-up, while Mr. Leo kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with his plate.

After a short time, Lady Navarre resumed her usual elegant demeanor, only her bloodshot eyes bore evidence of the tears that once existed.

"Proceed as you wish." Lady Navarre's voice was as melodious as ever: "Mr. Leo."

Fernando Leo immediately stood up: "Yes, ma'am."

The hall plunged into silence once more.

After a while, Lady Navarre gazed at the night outside the window, suddenly let out a mournful smile, and murmured: "Can children always surpass their parents?"