The young lady went to bed right after dinner. Unbeknown to her, another group has converged below and opened a discussion. Duke Aldebrand Nachtwald called a meeting with the captains along with the household staff to determine what is going to become of Sterne's future from here on.
Vice Commander Gorgon Hayes repeated what he had oathed earlier.
"If it is for Lady Sterne's safety I will not hesitate cutting down any enemy whoever they might be."
"There is no way I will betray her confidence, she's our benefactor after all. If it weren't for that medicine we wouldn't be alive by now, the rest of my squad agrees as well. Surprisingly even our most stubborn members swore their allegiance to Lady Sterne." Captain of the Blue Falcon, Count Heinrich Aquila said.
Viktor the junior mage nodded his head seemingly satisfied. "The only problem we have now is the spies from the Magic Bureau. My [Presence Detection] has shown no one within a hundred-kilometre radius but I do not want to be too confident. They're a sneaky lot."
The Magic Bureau hasn't changed their methods over the years. They still love to eavesdrop on places they shouldn't get involved with in search for potential talents that may challenge their authority.
"I have taken care of the three." Sir Ahmose said suddenly. "Before the commotion, I sensed four Shadow Beings lurking near the estate. I haven't touched them to avoid alerting their master at the bureau but since they started to move suspiciously during the rain I had to dispose of them."
Especially now that Sterne used the Regen Solution.
Lord Duke nodded his head. "Thank you Sir Ahmose."
The old butler bowed solemnly.
"What happened to the fourth one?" Dio asked quickly.
Everyone in the hall strained their ears. Tension warped their faces for a moment.
"Emilia has taken care of it much earlier." Sir Thais revealed.
"The lady's maid?" Men who knew the seemingly quiet handmaid who followed the young lady around voiced the question.
Sir Thais who was at the scene when she shot the crow dead confirmed it with an amused face. "To think she found out earlier than I, that child is something. Milady sure is surrounded by talented people. Lady Sterne thought the hybrid crows were just ordinary birds but Miss Emilia sensed some ill-intent and quickly neutralized it. It will take a full week for them to send another batch. For now, her secret is safe."
"But still, for the Magic Bureau to send a spy on Nachtwald. Isn't that too much?" Captain Heinrich reacted strongly.
He and his squad, the Blue Falcon are knights stationed at the royal capital. They joined up with the Obsidian for an exercise to enhance their mental and fighting skills. After this, they will return and resume their duties as the city's perimeter guards. The Magic Bureau is a huge organization that nurtures mages, along with the Royal Academy, the church of Heraldic Order, they make up the pillars that support the Aurum kingdom.
"It goes without saying that they are wary of us causing a rebellion. The Obsidian Knight is one of the biggest assemblies of knights in Aurum. It wouldn't hurt to be cautious, though they do it discreetly." His Grace said calmly.
"Are they out of their minds? Was it not enough that they have recalled almost all of your forces? Being in the front line of the most dangerous place on earth is already a hard job, to think they would even come up with such…" Heinrich ground his teeth in frustration.
Everyone in the room fell silent. There was no tension, just silence. It was as if they had accepted that fact a long time ago.
And Heinrich realized the bitter truth slowly. If those wretches discover the young lady's ability, only suffering awaits her. The Magic Bureau will not take it lightly that a mere child has completed their hundreds of years research in just a few days.
Sir Ahmose, however, has another troubling thought, The Heraldic Order. Those zealots might tag her as a heretic. Atrocious vindictive snakes… they will do anything within their capability to acquire her power. Maybe even chain her down to submission to obey their will.
The men inside the hall looked at each other with grim faces.
Unfortunately for them, she is not someone they can easily touch. If they so try hurting the child, the Blue Falcons will raise their flag and rally along with the Obsidian.
With the Lord Commander at the end of the long table, the meeting is comprised of his two sons, Vice Commander Gorgon, Captain of Grand Crux Silver Knights, Captain Heinrich of Blue Falcon, Sterne's escort guard Sir Thais, the able butler Sir Ahmose, the twelve-year-old Junior Mage Viktor and several other men who joined the month-long expedition to the Sleeping Forest.
As the meeting concluded at 3:00 am, the issue about the Regen Solution was settled…
Later inside Sterne's chambers.
Duke Al Nachtwald sat at the edge of the bed of his little girl. She's sleeping deeply, the blanket has been kicked mercilessly off her feet and one of her pillows has made its way under the chair for some reason. Her study table also did not escape the mess so he went ahead to rearrange them.
What did the little girl do?
Walking back to her bedside, the duke fingers traced the outline of his daughter's little face. Sterne's profile is very much like his late duchess Alice. Her character is becoming more and more like her as well. Curious, adventurous and cheerful. However, he hoped she wouldn't inherit Alice's sharp tongue. That woman made a lot of people cry during their youth.
The duke smiled at the memory.
Looking at their child's disposition, she seems to be on the road to femininity...?
His Grace's mouth twitched. His baby girl is sprawled on the bed like a drunk man falling after three night's partying and brawling. Not a sign of her etiquette lessons remained.
One of his biggest regrets apart from losing his wife is not being able to raise his children in a normal environment. His fief handed onto him by his forefathers is akin to a dying man on his last fit to hold on to life. The grey soil that is either muddy or dry is deprived of essential nutrients to nourish crops.
Long exposure to the negative aura of the Sleeping Forest has diminished the life vein of the land, slowly killing it as the years pass. Duke Al believes that it won't take long until Nachtwald becomes a complete wasteland. What will happen to his descendants then?
He gripped his hand tightly on his side. The duke lamented his lack of power. Thousands of strong men are nothing against the kingdom.
What would become of Sterne's future from here on?
They cannot keep her ability for too long. He knew the gravity of the situation. The news of the Herald's arrival in Nachtwald will eventually spread, it would only be a matter of time before they learn of her blessing.
For the time being, before danger closes in, Sterne needs to grow because he knows he will not always be there to look out for her.
