Reinhardt stepped through the gates of Malfoy Manor, the ancient wards shivering as if sensing a predator. At his side, Dia (Grayfia) walked with a cold, silent elegance that made even the Malfoy house-elves tremble in fear.
Lucius Malfoy greeted them with a stiff bow, his face a mask of forced aristocratic calm. He led them to the main hall, where Evelyn Malfoy and a young Draco were waiting. Draco, seeing someone his own age, puffed out his chest, trying to match the sheer presence Reinhardt exuded—and failing miserably.
"Lord Sylveron," Lucius began, his voice smooth as silk. "Regarding the twenty million Galleons the Malfoys owe your esteemed house..."
"Mr. Malfoy," Reinhardt interrupted, his voice cutting through the air like a silver blade. "I need you to correct one thing before you speak further."
Lucius paused, his eyes narrowing. "Correct... what, precisely?"
"You believe the debt is twenty million because forty million was the principal and half was paid," Reinhardt said, leaning back into the velvet sofa. "You, and your wife, have conveniently forgotten the interest that has accrued since the debt was first signed."
The room went cold. Lucius and Evelyn exchanged a frantic, wide-eyed glance. In their arrogance, they had treated the debt like a stagnant number.
"You don't need to do the math," Reinhardt continued, his eyes glowing with a faint, predatory light. "With the ancient compounding interest of the Sylveron blood-contracts, the total amount currently owed is 120 million Galleons. So... where is my money?"
The Silence of the Grave
The hall fell into a pin-drop silence. Lucius felt his knees go weak, while Evelyn looked as though she might faint. 120 million was more than the entire Malfoy liquid fortune—it was a sum that would not just bankrupt them, it would erase their name from history.
"Now," Reinhardt prompted, "tell me what you were going to say."
"L-Lord Sylveron," Lucius stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. "I... we require a moment to confer. If you would excuse us to my study?"
"Take your time," Reinhardt replied dismissively.
The Heir's Boredom
As his parents scurried away like frightened mice, Draco Malfoy stepped forward. He hadn't quite grasped the gravity of his family's destruction yet.
"I am Draco Malfoy," he announced, trying to sound important. "I'm sure you've heard of me. My father buys me anything I want. I have two henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle—they do whatever I say. When we get to Hogwarts, I'll be the king of the school."
Reinhardt looked at him with an expression of profound boredom. To a child who possessed the Ope-Ope no Mi and Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, Draco's bragging was like the buzzing of a particularly annoying fly.
[Hey Darling,] the System's voice chimed in his head, sounding protective. [You can use the Mangekyou Sharingan to put this little brat into a trance. Just one glance and he'll stop talking for a century.]
No, Wifey, Reinhardt replied mentally, a smirk tugging at his lips. Let him brag. It gives me time to think. I want to see exactly how far Lucius is willing to go to pay off a 120-million-Galleon debt. I'm expecting something much more 'valuable' than gold.
Inside the secluded study, the atmosphere was thick with desperation. Evelyn turned to her husband, her voice a hurried whisper. "Honey, we can give him Narcissa Black, the 20 million Galleons we have, five of our ancestral properties, and those Black family assets we seized. That child won't know the difference—he'll think it's part of our own wealth. It should be enough to clear the debt."
Lucius wiped the sweat from his brow, nodding fervently. "Yes... I completely forgot about the interest. I suspect you did too, after I showed you the ledger that only listed the principal amount. Whoever that Malfoy ancestor was... I want to break his bones for gambling our future away."
"I thought so too," Evelyn hissed. "Let's just end this."
When Lucius and Evelyn returned to the main hall, the scene was almost comical. Draco was still mid-sentence, loudly bragging about the expensive gifts his father had bought him. Reinhardt simply sat there, his expression one of cold, detached disinterest, looking as though he were watching a particularly dull insect.
Lucius leaned toward his wife, murmuring under his breath, "Evelyn, can you make our son stop? He is embarrassing me, especially given the situation we are facing."
Evelyn nodded sharply. "Draco, come here and sit with mommy," she commanded. Draco, sensing the shift in the room's energy, immediately silenced himself and obeyed.
Lucius cleared his throat, standing as tall as his pride would allow. "Lord Sylveron, we have decided to pay the debt the Malfoys owe in full."
Reinhardt gave a slow, expectant nod.
"We offer the following," Lucius continued, "Several Malfoy assets, the person and contract of Narcissa Black, 20 million Galleons in cash, and five of our ancestral houses."
Lucius felt a flicker of smugness, believing Reinhardt was too young to realize that the "Malfoy assets" he was offering were actually the properties they had stolen from the House of Black years ago. He thought he was pulling a fast one on the young Lord.
Reinhardt, who knew exactly where those assets came from but simply didn't care as long as they were back in his sphere of influence, snapped his fingers. A heavy, glowing parchment appeared out of thin air, hovering between them.
"I am satisfied with the deal," Reinhardt replied, his silver eyes tracking the document. "Once you deliver the titles and the gold, I will hand you this debt paper, and the Malfoy line will be free of the Sylveron shadow."
Lucius nodded quickly, a look of immense relief washing over his face. "I will go to my study at once to gather the documents and the assets." He turned and hurried away, eager to burn that debt paper once and for all.
[System Notification: Darling, he really thinks he's being clever by giving you the Black assets. He has no idea you're just using him as a delivery service to reunite the Black and Sylveron fortunes.]