Aurelion

Walking toward the meeting room, Havent kept replaying his conversation with his teacher.

The problems between the nobility and the Church had been intertwined ever since the Ingis Empire was founded. Even the most seasoned historians found it difficult to explain the love-hate relationship between the two.

When things were sweet, they could jointly wage war against mages, and countless spellcasters had died in the mage-purging campaigns.

When their relationship soured, the two sides could even wage religious wars that lasted for centuries.

"The Church would be delighted to see the current situation. After several days of tallying, the Church of Death's chaos has dealt a severe blow to the Northern Frontier."

Whenever Havent recalled Solis's gloating expression as he said that, he could not help rolling his eyes.

Bang bang bang~~~

As he reached the door, Havent heard a furious pounding on the table.

"You parasites of the Empire, lackeys of the gods, don't you dare reach into the Northern Frontier.

"We Northerners can handle the problems on our own land."

Pushing open the door, he saw a young man in red noble attire roaring at the clergymen seated at one end of the table.

Count Havent and Count Mori sat at the other end with dark expressions, watching the farce unfold.

The middle-aged man in pristine white robes sat calmly in his chair, looking at the emotionally agitated young nobleman before him.

"Baron Raven, please mind your language. You must show reverence toward the gods, or I will file a complaint with the Noble Council regarding your improper conduct."

With that, he removed his gold-rimmed glasses, took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the lenses, and looked at the young nobleman with an amused expression.

Raven seemed deeply provoked by that look. Havent, standing at the doorway, saw a flush of hot blood rush from his neck to his head.

"Fuck you..."

Thud~~~~

"Ow~ my knee~ which bastard spilled wine on the floor?"

Baron Raven, who had been knocked abruptly to the floor, was a little dazed. After a moment, he turned around to see who had been so reckless.

"Young Master Havent? What is this?"

Seeing the count's son sprawled on top of him with no intention of getting up, Raven's mind momentarily froze.

Once he saw Raven's expression return to normal, Havent immediately stood and extended a hand to Baron Raven.

"My apologies, Lord Raven. I don't know who spilled wine on the floor. I didn't see it, slipped, and dragged you down with me.

"Ankut! Ankut! Have the maids clean this up. If any of the lords slip and fall, the Hailan Family will be laughed at for a long time."

After calming down, Raven broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly grabbed Havent's hand and got to his feet.

"It's fine, it's fine, Young Master Havent. It's good that you weren't hurt~"

Seeing the pair's bedraggled appearance, everyone present laughed. Ankut took the opportunity to direct the maids inside to clean up and refill their drinks.

"Hehehehe~ Kevin~ your son is quite sharp. I think I should hand my position over to him someday."

Hearing his old friend's teasing, Count Hailan gave a faint smile.

"He still has a long way to go. The Chief Inspector of the Empire's Montelot Province isn't a position one can hold with mere cleverness."

Count Mori watched Havent's performance with a cheerful smile.

"Still, he's not bad. He is one of the Northern Frontier's hopes. Speaking of which, my daughter is fourteen this year. She takes after Wendy, and I'm sure young people have plenty of common topics to discuss."

Seeing his old friend's smiling face, Count Hailan silently cursed the old fox. Then he looked at the five people seated across from him and said gravely,

"Let's resolve the problem before us first. Clearly, they rushed here in such a hurry because what they want is not something simple."

"Well~ exactly. How could they possibly let it go before achieving their goal?"

"Havent, what are you doing? So rash and reckless, not at all like a noble.

"This is a meeting room, not a place for you to fool around."

At the old man's scolding, Havent nearly rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

You old bastard, putting on an act now, are you?

"Ah~ sorry, I didn't mean to. As you know, that battle with the Dark Church was truly perilous.

"I'm still feeling dizzy even now. I heard the lords of the Dawn Guard had arrived, and since I had never seen them before, I hurried over to broaden my horizons.

"But the Dark Cult was too weak to let us witness the Dawn Guard's heroic bearing. What a pity."

After saying that, he bowed to the Church members seated along one side of the table.

The middle-aged man seated in the middle of the five watched the development with great interest. He put his glasses back on the bridge of his nose, smiled, and greeted Havent.

"Ah~

"Hello there. You must be Count Hailan's child.

"What an outstanding young man.

"I am Aurelion Iseramar. It is a pleasure to meet you.

"May the Holy Flame light your path forward, and may its radiance bless you."

Seeing that the other party had offered such a formal introduction, Havent immediately shed his frivolous expression. Standing straight, he replied seriously,

"Greetings, esteemed Bishop. My name is Havent Hailan, an ordinary man. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hehehe~ I am not a bishop. I am merely an enforcer of the Church of Light, and you are no ordinary man either, dear Havent."

Only at close range did Havent realize that this cleric who called himself an enforcer was very young, appearing to be at most in his thirties.

Sunlight streamed in through the window beside Aurelion. Framed by his pale golden hair, he looked incomparably warm, while his amber eyes regarded Havent with great interest.

"Ah~ sir, you are truly humble. I am sure the Eternal Sun will always shine upon you.

"Father, my lords, the castle has prepared a banquet. I think whatever business there is can wait until tomorrow.

"The Dawn Guard came from afar to support us. Hailan Territory must properly entertain you as a sign of gratitude."

Hearing this, Count Hailan stood and bowed to Aurelion.

"Lord Aurelion, we have indeed been discourteous. What do you think?"

Aurelion rose and gave everyone a ceremonial bow.

"That would be wonderful. We have imposed on you greatly, so please forgive us. I will first return to the camp to make arrangements for the guards. We shall meet again shortly."

With that, he led the other four out of the meeting room.

Watching the Dawn Guard leave, Count Hailan breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the Blackthorn Wine on the table and took a large gulp.

"Damn it, those lackeys of the gods, those damned leeches.

"We absolutely cannot agree. They can forget about it.

"..."

"Enough!"

At Count Mori's angry shout, the nobles fell silent.

"You have all worked hard as well. Go back and rest first. Attend the banquet later if you wish, but anyone who cannot control their emotions should get some proper rest."

Once Count Mori had spoken, the nobles in the meeting room left in groups of two and three.

"Son, when did you wake up?"

After everyone had departed, Havent pulled over a chair and sat down.

"About an hour ago. I went to see my teacher first. He said you might have run into some trouble, so I came to take a look."

Mori lifted his crystal glass and swirled it. Inside was his favorite mead.

"Hehehehe~ there is indeed a bit of a problem."

"So what exactly is it? My teacher didn't explain it very clearly."