Already not good at socializing, dealing with the chatterbox Glelynt was truly an ordeal.
As the surrounding chatter gradually quieted, the black dot in the distant sky turned into a massive airship, with the Loen royal family's emblem being particularly conspicuous.
It was also Lucius's first time seeing an airship. To his current self, the airship was a backward product; he couldn't help but wonder if it would suddenly break and fall.
Ever since the King's family descended from the airship, the surrounding nobles had been constantly flocking toward them.
Seeing the behavior of those nobles, Lucius said directly, "Glelynt, aren't you going over?"
Hearing Lucius's words, Glelynt replied immediately, "Me? I haven't officially come of age yet; I don't have the qualifications to go over there."
"Besides, what about you? Why aren't you going over?"
Hearing Glelynt's response and question, Lucius said, "Do you feel like I've come of age?"
Hearing Lucius's reply, Glelynt said seriously, "I feel like you should be 'of age.' Just talking to you now, that deep and solemn manner of yours doesn't look like how a young person should be; it's more like you've entered adulthood prematurely."
Hearing Glelynt's words, Lucius thought to himself,
'...Perhaps so.'
...As the people nearby had mostly left, Lucius heard,
"Lucius Sheffield."
Hearing his name, Lucius looked directly toward the source of the voice and said,
"Yes, sir."
The man opposite him said directly,
"Please follow me. A friend of your father's needs to see you."
Hearing that someone was looking for him, Lucius politely said to Glelynt, "It seems I have other matters to attend to. See you later."
And Glelynt said directly,
"Alright, see you later."
...Following the officer out of this "outer area" and walking forward, seeing the obvious change in the attire of the people around him, Lucius knew roughly where he was likely going, but he still needed to inquire. He said,
"How should I address you, sir?"
The man in front, hearing Lucius's words, replied casually,
"Marin Westalia. Just call me Marin."
Hearing the man's reply, Lucius asked directly, "Mr. Marin, are we going toward the Army Gate?"
Marin didn't hide it and said directly,
"That's right, Mr. Lucius. You should know about your father's affairs. Most of the people wanting to see you this time are your father's comrades-in-arms, along with a few friends and superiors. Don't be afraid; although you are more or less a stranger to them, Lieutenant General Leif Strauss is also there."
Hearing Marin's words, Lucius thought back through his memories, 'Leif Strauss—the uncle of the original owner's father. In the original owner's memories, the two families were extremely close. Another reason was that he wanted a grandson to raise, but his own son had never married. When I was born, he doted on me very much.'
But according to the memories, the impression of him wasn't as simple as wanting a 'grandson'; it was more like he wanted a 'granddaughter.'
Because this 'Uncle-Grandfather Leif' had bought many 'dresses' for him when he was a child, saying he should wear such clothes, though his father was mostly at home then and didn't let him succeed.
While Lucius was still thinking, Marin said,
"We're here, Mr. Lucius. You can go in by yourself."
Lucius looked at the large door in front of him and said politely,
"Thank you, Mr. Marin."
Then, looking at the door, he helplessly opened it himself and went in.
"Lucius, over here."
As Lucius looked toward the source of the voice, he saw a tall, elderly male wearing the Loen Kingdom Army uniform. Perhaps because he was a soldier, this Uncle-Grandfather Leif was completely different from those elderly "gentlemen" outside. For example: 'He was more spirited than them and didn't have much of a belly.'
Looking at the person in front of him, Lucius said politely,
"Uncle-Grandfather Leif, good morning."
"Good morning, Lucius."
After the greetings, Lev directly pulled Lucius and said, "Come, let me introduce them to you. This is Colonel Karel Duarte, your father's direct superior."
Lucius could only greet him, "Colonel Karel Duarte, good morning."
"Lucius, good morning."
Then Karel said directly to Lucius, "Regarding your father's matter, I am truly very sorry..."
..."These people are Wyatt Pass, Bork Gilbert, Tim Macdonald... all of them were your father's comrades-in-arms."
"Good morning..."
"Good morning..."
...After the introductions, Uncle-Grandfather Leif said directly, "Lucius, the main reason for calling you here this time is to get to know these people. Most of them are the same as us—professional soldiers of the Kingdom."
"Colonel Karel Duarte, who was just introduced, took over your grandfather's position. Most of us have had a place in the Loen Kingdom's military since birth, so you need to know them more or less."
After saying that, he patted Lucius's shoulder and signaled, "Come, let's have a private chat."
"Lucius, do you have any plans for the future?"
At this moment, because Lucius didn't have any ideas yet, he said directly, "Not yet, Maternal Great-Uncle. My father's passing this time was too sudden; I haven't thought about my future plans yet."
Hearing Lucius's reply, Uncle-Grandfather Leif said helplessly, "True, you are still too young. Lucius, do not grieve excessively; your father was a great hero."
"This war happened too suddenly; no one expected it. You are now not only the orphaned son of a war hero but also the head of the Sheffield Family. Excessive grief will affect your judgment..."
Hearing Uncle-Grandfather Leif's advice, Lucius said directly, "I understand, Maternal Great-Uncle."
"For you, if you don't want the Sheffield Family to disappear completely, becoming a Beyonder is a necessary choice..."
"But your situation..."
Hearing the topic turn to himself, Lucius asked curiously, "Maternal Great-Uncle, my'situation'?"
Seeing Lucius's confusion, Uncle-Grandfather Leif explained directly, "Yes. Back then, when we discovered the matter between your father and her, it was already too late. Moreover, we found that she had already left a Beyonder characteristic on you. Later, we thought of ways to remove the Beyonder characteristic from your body, but without exception, they all failed."
"According to our subsequent investigation, the Beyonder characteristic left on you comes from at least a sequence five, and the Beyonders of that Pathway will..."
"Demoness!"
Hearing Lucius's words, Lev was surprised.
"? You know? Who told you? Did 'they' find you?"
Lucius explained, "No, I just happened to hear about it."
Hearing this, Lev was also relieved and said, "Well, it's good that you know. As long as they haven't contacted you, it's fine. Remember not to have any contact or cooperation with them. They are all a bit abnormal. After your incident happened back then, we originally wanted to secretly purge their members in Backlund, but for some reason, the royal family intervened, and the matter was eventually dropped."
"The high-ranking officers in the military are all Beyonders, as you know. Because of the influence of your characteristic and the fact that we don't have the subsequent formulas, there's a high probability you won't be able to advance to a high Sequence later. This means that if you enter the military, you likely won't be able to reach the position you should. However, you can choose to cultivate some confidants later, just like the Clayton Family, and let them develop in the military on your behalf. Wait until the next generation of Sheffields is born and grown, then take back what belongs to the Sheffield Family."
Lucius asked doubtfully, "? It can be done like that? Won't there be other complications, like..."
Before Lucius could finish, Uncle-Grandfather Leif spoke plainly: "Like the fledglings' wings growing strong and wanting to fly alone, or refusing to give up the position?"
Seeing Uncle-Grandfather Leif directly state his concerns, Lucius replied truthfully: "Yes, Maternal Great-Uncle."
For some reason, Leif Strauss laughed and spoke of a more realistic issue: "Hahaha... You don't need to worry about any of that. If things really turned out as you imagine, only one situation would have occurred: the people in this room would have suffered heavy losses. Unless it's a large-scale war that destroys the country, such a situation is basically impossible."
"Moreover, we protect each other; the things you're thinking of basically cannot happen. We aren't 'nobles' who became so by donating money."
"Of course, there is another situation, and that is if these families prepare to carve up 'your family' together."
"As for the length of time and the issue of them carving things up, don't worry. Your Great-Uncle Leif is about to prepare to advance to a Demigod. At that time, not only will my strength go a step further, but my lifespan will also increase significantly. With me watching over you, no accidents will happen."
Hearing this, Lucius gained a certain amount of confidence for his future life and said happily, "Won't this be too much trouble for you?"
"What's so troublesome about it? Your grandfather and I were life-and-death comrades who came out of the same trench. Later, your grandfather married my sister and had your father, whom I watched grow up. Now that you're the only one left in your family, if I don't look after you, how can I face them when I go to the Divine Kingdom of the god of storms later?"
However, because Lucius knew some hidden knowledge, he asked back, "Maternal Great-Uncle, are you sure about your advancement to Demigod? I remember the royal family once ordered that no one is allowed to advance to Demigod without 'their' consent. And I remember my father once said that because the royal family made everyone take an 'oath' and because of that 'Sealed Artifact,' no one has successfully advanced to 'Demigod' for many years."
"You're right, but some time ago, for some unknown reason, the royal family relaxed the requirements and allowed some people to become Demigods. But the 'quotas are limited,' and it even requires paying a certain price. I agreed to the royal family's conditions." Speaking of this, Leif also sighed:
"In recent years, the royal family's actions have become increasingly strange. But don't worry. If I didn't have the royal family's permission this time, I wouldn't be preparing to advance to Demigod. After all, your 'Maternal Great-Uncle' still wants to live a few more years. Over the years, there have been many people stuck in my realm by that 'Sealed Artifact'; quite a few people should agree to the royal family's conditions."
"...Let's go, this 'Memorial Service' is about to begin."