In Azur Lane lore, Laffey was famous for being a little drunkard. Every now and then she would pull out a bottle of Château Lafite and drink without a care in the world. It was an official running gag—one Jason Kin found mildly astonishing to see in person.
This Laffey, too, loved Lafite as though it were her lifeblood.
…Amusing, in its own way.
Jason could only give a helpless smile. He didn't interrupt her quiet drinking, letting her savor it in peace. Instead, he turned toward the door and called:
"Effie, come in."
At his voice, a tall, mature beauty stepped through—gold-rimmed glasses, sleek black hair, and long legs wrapped in black silk stockings.
"Young Master, what are your orders?" Effie asked respectfully.
Effie was twenty-six, a confidante raised by the Roland family since childhood. She had grown up at Jason's side and was one of the few people he could trust completely. Now, she served as the estate's head housekeeper, managing everything within its walls—everything, including matters in the bedroom.
Effie was both his steward… and one of his women.
"How's the investigation? Have you found proof?" Jason asked lazily, reclining on the sofa.
Effie moved behind him with natural ease, her hands settling on his shoulders and kneading with practiced skill.
"As you foresaw, Young Master—your father's death and your own poisoning were indeed tied to your uncle. Our people uncovered conclusive evidence and sent me the recordings. But… they were discovered. They're dead."
Her tone was as calm as if she were discussing the weather. In the vast Roland family, losing one operative was hardly worth a pause.
Jason Kin had crossed into the Marvel universe a month ago. The reason? Pure misfortune—at least for the body's original owner.
Caught in a vicious inheritance struggle, the man had been poisoned and killed. Only then had Jason's soul taken over. He might not have been born of this world, but he had inherited the man's life, debts… and enemies.
Revenge was only natural.
For the past month, he had quietly investigated. The deeper he dug, the clearer it became: there were no innocents in the Roland family.
A ruthless uncle.
A cunning aunt.
Every one of them suspicious.
The Roland family empire had been built from the ground up by Roland Phils' father over fifty years, spanning technology, arms manufacturing, entertainment, and film. They owned the largest shipyard in the world, producing not just naval carriers but even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarriers.
It was a capital empire powerful enough to sway the course of the United States itself. Whoever became the family head would hold a fragment of national destiny in their hands. The temptation was irresistible—and Jason's uncle and aunt were no exceptions.
Months ago, Phils' father had been hospitalized. The doctor claimed it was nothing serious—a few days' rest and he could go home. Yet before his discharge, he was found dead in his bed. Cause of death: cardiac arrest.
An absurd conclusion.
Phils ordered an investigation, but before he could learn the truth, he himself was poisoned. That was when Jason arrived.
From the moment he crossed over, Jason suspected an inside job. Feigning recovery at home, he began digging into his two closest relatives—and the clues surfaced quickly.
His uncle had coveted the position for years, waiting patiently for over a decade. When the opportunity came, he conspired with Phils' trusted aunt to poison the patriarch in the hospital, then moved to eliminate the heir.
By rights, the title of family head should now rest in his uncle's hands. But fate had other plans.
With Jason Kin's arrival, the man they thought gone forever now stood before them again—different in soul, but alive nonetheless. And because U.S. law granted the son full inheritance rights, their meticulously plotted scheme had collapsed.
They could not accept that.
A second attempt was inevitable.
But Jason had no intention of playing along. For a demigod, crushing such petty intrigues was child's play. The only reason he had waited was twofold:
First, he had been occupied with building his divine realm.
Second, he wanted proof before he acted.
Before, he'd had only suspicion.
Now, with undeniable evidence in hand…
Their death sentence was sealed.