Elizabeth noticed how distressed Nassandra and Yuna were and felt the need to start a conversation. She asked Freon, "Did you find anywhere permanent to live?"
He shook his head and laughed. "No, we've been looking since we were kicked out, but no matter how hard we search, nobody would accept us. Somebody must be pulling strings behind our backs to stop us. We've only found a small inn to stay at for now."
"I looked into it, and your landlord filled everything out correctly. There were no problems. That said, they said they would have to detain him for longer to properly investigate everything."
"I expected as much," Freon snorted.
"Why don't you move back with me? We haven't cleaned your rooms yet," Shirley suggested.
"I would, except our uncle… Our uncle is too proud for that."
"But what about Nassandra?" Shirley felt bad for the young girl.
"Don't worry, Shirley. As long as I'm with my brother, I don't mind," the girl answered with a smile.
Freon sighed. "We can't even find a place to stay, but our uncle thinks we can revive the Arcellius Family. If that happens, we might be the saddest Engelsheft Family in history."
Elizabeth's eyes squinted. "I've been meaning to ask, what is Protector Avin planning to do?"
"You waited until we left the city and our uncle's perception range before asking?" he asked with a sly smirk.
She nodded. "It's better to be safe than sorry."
"You're not wrong. I can tell you what I know. Our uncle has allied with many Hochlaegen Families. He intends to challenge the Engelsheft Families, to restore the status of the Arcellius Family, with their help."
"The Hochlaegen Families are one step below the Engelsheft Families. There are over fifty of them, all aspiring to leap from a carp to a dragon, to become the next Engelsheft Family," Benedict analyzed. "However, the Engelsheft Families don't want to see the rise of another family. It would infringe on their benefits. That's why there hasn't been another Engelsheft Family in a long time."
"The Zino Kingdom is more antiquated than the Alzar Kingdom and Xingyuu Empire at times," Elizabeth noted. "Although many of the Hochlaegen Families have the qualifications, and even the Bloodlines necessary, they're not allowed to become an Engelsheft. This behavior breeds resentment and anger in their hearts. Protector Avin's act in allying with them is quite ingenious. He can gain their wealth, influence, and manpower to rebuild the Arcellius Family. At the same time, the Hochlaegen Families can use his great strength, and affiliation with a former Engelsheft Family to become Engelsheft themselves. It's a win-win situation."
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Benedict exclaimed. "It's much easier to convince everyone that a former Engelsheft Family should return than a new Engelsheft Family should emerge from nothing. The Hochlaegen Families can then join the new Arcellius Family and become founding members. But… this would significantly weaken the position of the main family. Protector Avin won't have control over everyone. This kind of imbalance won't survive long."
He had grown up in the main family of the Hawken Household, as the family head's son, so he knew more. Although the Hawken Household was a martial family with a deep history of Perception Realms and Royal Guards, they were still a Grand Nobility Household, one of the twenty-five greatest nobility families in the Alzar Kingdom! They had immeasurable power and influence, far greater than the Engelsheft Families in the Zino Kingdom. And beneath the surface, acting as their arms and legs, were tens of Great Nobility Households, and countless High Nobility Households.
Where there were people, there was bound to be conflict. Everyone had their own goals and ambitions, after all. Nobody wanted to stay under the Hawken's banner forever. This birthed a constant battle between the Hawken Household, who wanted to restrain and control them, and their subordinate families, who wanted to rise and break free. Benedict's father, Sir Roland, was a Royal Guard, so he could not address these problems himself. That role fell upon Benedict's mother, who worked day and night to stabilize the situation. It was very difficult! Benedict had seen it, heard it, and even experienced it. The cohesion of every family was paramount to its longevity! How would Protector Avin resolve this, given how disorganized the Hochlaegen Families were? That was the big question.
"Maybe he plans to control them through force," Shirley said. "He's a Blue Depth Core Arcanist, a mighty Rank 3 King. He could easily do that."
Benedict quickly denied it. "People can't be forced. It would only lead to scheming and backstabbing. He needs a soft approach to appease the other families."
"Did Protector Avin say when he would start his plans?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nope. I asked him for more details, but he's keeping a tight lid. He might have expected I would tell you everything," Freon answered straightforwardly.
In this regard, his uncle was correct, because Freon trusted Elizabeth, Benedict, and Shirley far more than he did his uncle. That was the result of having many near-death experiences together! Besides, his uncle was not actually his blood-related uncle. He and Nassandra called him uncle due to his age and friendly relation to their parents. Their relationship was absolutely not as deep as it seemed.
Elizabeth pondered. "I'm probably not the first to learn about this. The Engelsheft Families must sense something is wrong with the Hochlaegen Families. They must be preparing their sides too. Since neither side has shown their hand yet, the clash won't happen for some time. We can rest assured."
"This happened because of my inability. I couldn't stop him. I'm sorry!" Nassandra bowed her head, ashamed that their uncle was the one causing this mess. In a sense, she could be blamed for worrying Elizabeth and the others.
"It isn't your or Freon's fault," Elizabeth said, helping her up.
"That's right. It's because of your stupid uncle," Shirley spat, anger welled up in her eyes. She defended Nassandra, like an older sister.
"Let's talk about something else," Freon expressed his disgust. "About this upcoming hunt, what do we know?"
"Nothing beyond what I've said. We'll need to find this villager who sold the Nebulous Star Core and learn where they found it. The issue is that it was sold over thirty years ago. There's a chance that nobody remembers where it is anymore."
"Speaking of which, there's something I don't understand. You said that the Nebulous Star Root forms in extremely cold environments. There's nowhere like that in the Zino Kingdom, so…" Shirley trailed her words. Evidently, she was not very optimistic about their trip.
"Hm… It's possible that thousands of years ago, it was cold here, and the rock formed then. Or maybe it was brought from somewhere else, and the person selling didn't know that. If we can't find anything for three days, then we will quit."
"This is still a good chance to flex our muscles and train our coordination. In the wilderness, we can fight to our heart's content. Nobody would mind," Benedict pointed out. Their powers had already grown beyond what the city could handle. A casual spell from Freon blew out a hole in the Imperial Court. Without practice, they could not develop their combat systems. Theory needed application. The only way to test their new spells and techniques was to use them! Only then could they determine the strengths and weaknesses, gradually perfecting them. He asked curiously, "Did anyone make any improvements recently?"
Elizabeth laughed bitterly. "I've been too busy with my duties that I haven't had the chance. I needed to plan ahead, so I could make the trip this time." Although being the Royal Ambassador was considerably easier than vying for the Alzar Kingdom's throne or fighting on the frontlines, it did not leave her much time to practice, especially with the flurry of events previously. This trip was a rare break in her responsibilities.
Benedict nodded. "I tried to refine my combat system, and I even had some inspiration after sparring with Lady Kalasena, but… I'm not sure." Towards the end, he revealed a vexed face. These past few days, he had been thinking about it and many ideas popped up, coming and going like the wind. That was the troublesome thing with inspiration. He felt so close to making progress, yet he also felt incomparably far away. How could it be simple to develop a combat system? He was beginning to understand the immense challenge in doing so!