Aurelion

As Havent walked towards the conference room, he kept replaying his conversation with his teacher in his mind.

The conflict between the nobility and the church had been intertwined since the founding of the Ingis Empire, and even the most seasoned historians would struggle to unravel their complex history of love and hate.

During times of peace, they could jointly launch wars against mages, leading to countless mages perishing in purges.

When relations soured, they could even engage in religious wars lasting for a century.

"The church is quite pleased to see the current situation. After a few days of assessment, the recent turmoil caused by the Church of Death has dealt a heavy blow to the North."

Havent couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought of Solis's gloating expression when he mentioned this.

Clap, clap, clap~~~

As he reached the door, Havent heard the sound of furious table-banging.

"You maggots of the empire, running dogs of the gods, don't even think about extending your reach into the North.

We Northerners can handle our own problems."

He pushed the door open and saw a young man in red noble attire yelling at the clergy seated at one end of the table.

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

A middle-aged man in a pure white robe sat calmly, observing the agitated young noble before him.

"Baron Raven, please mind your words. You must show reverence towards the gods, or I will report your misconduct to the Noble Committee."

With that, he took off his gold-rimmed glasses, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and began cleaning the lenses, looking at the young noble with amusement.

Seeing the other man's expression, Raven felt greatly provoked. Havent, standing at the doorway, felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

"To hell with..."

Thump~~~~

"Ouch~ My knee~ Which bastard spilled wine on the floor."

Knocked to the ground by the sudden impact, Baron Raven was momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, he looked back to see who had been so clumsy.

"Young Master Havent? What is this?"

Seeing the son of the Count lying on him and showing no signs of getting up, Raven's brain momentarily short-circuited.

As Raven's expression returned to normal, Havent immediately stood up and extended a hand to Baron Raven.

"Sorry, sorry, Lord Raven. I don't know whose wine spilled on the floor, I didn't see it and slipped.

Ancut! Ancut! Have the maids clean this up. If any of the lords were to slip and fall, the Hailan Family would be a laughingstock for a long time."

Raven, now calm, wiped the sweat from his back and quickly took Havent's hand to stand up.

"It's alright, it's alright, Young Master Havent, as long as you're not hurt~"

Seeing their disheveled state, everyone at the table burst into laughter. Ancut seized the opportunity to direct the maids to come in and tidy up, refilling drinks.

"Hehehehehe~ Kevin~ Your son has a sharp mind. In the future, I might even hand over my position to him."

Hearing his old friend's teasing, Count Havent chuckled faintly.

"He still has a long way to go. The Inspector General of the Montelot Province in the empire isn't a position one can attain with mere cleverness."

Count Mori watched Havent's performance with a smile.

"Ultimately, it's still good. They are all the hope of our North. Speaking of which, my daughter is fourteen this year, and she resembles Wendy. Young people should have plenty to talk about."

Seeing his friend's beaming smile, Count Havent cursed him inwardly as an old fox. He then looked at the five people seated opposite him and said in a deep voice, "Let's deal with the immediate trouble first. It's clear that their hurried arrival means their request won't be simple."

"Oh~ Right, how could they give up before their objective is achieved."

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

This is a conference room, not a place for your foolishness."

Hearing the old man's scolding, Havent's eyes nearly rolled out of his head.

Old man, still putting on an act.

"Ah~ My apologies, I didn't mean to. You know, that battle with the Dark Church was truly perilous.

I'm still feeling dizzy from it. When I heard that the Dawn Guard had arrived, I hadn't seen them before and rushed over to get a look.

However, the Dark Cult was no match for us, so I didn't get to witness the Dawn Guard's prowess. What a shame."

He then bowed towards the church members seated at the side of the table.

The middle-aged man sitting in the center of the five watched the unfolding events with interest. He placed his glasses back on his nose and smiled as he greeted Havent:

"Ah~

Hello there. You must be Count Havent's child, right?

Truly accomplished at such a young age.

My name is Aurelion Iseramar, it's a pleasure to meet you.

May the Holy Flame light your path, and may glory bless you."

Seeing the other person's formal introduction, Havent immediately adjusted his flippant expression, stood up straight, and replied seriously.

"Hello, esteemed Bishop, my name is Havent Hailan, an ordinary person. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hehehe~ I'm not a bishop, I'm just an enforcer for the Church of Light. And you're not an ordinary person either, Havent."

Upon closer inspection, he realized the priest who called himself an enforcer was very young, looking no older than his mid-thirties at most.

Sunlight streamed in through the window to Aurelion's side, illuminating his light blonde hair and making him appear incredibly warm. His amber eyes watched himself with interest.

"Ah~ Sir, you are truly humble. I believe the Eternal Sun will always shine upon you.

Father, esteemed lords, the castle has prepared a banquet. I believe we can discuss matters tomorrow.

The Dawn Guard has traveled a great distance to offer support, and the Hailan Territory must host you well to show our gratitude."

Hearing this, Count Havent stood up and bowed to Aurelion.

"Lord Aurelion, indeed, we have been remiss. What are your thoughts?"

Aurelion stood and performed a divine gesture towards everyone.

"That would be most excellent. I apologize for the intrusion. I will first go to the camp to arrange the guards. We shall meet later."

With that, he and the other four left the conference room.

Watching the Dawn Guard depart, Count Havent breathed a sigh of relief and took a large gulp of Blackthorn Wine from the table.

"Damn these lackeys of the gods, damn these vampires.

We absolutely cannot agree. They shouldn't even think about it..."

"Enough!"

With a roar from Count Mori, the nobles quieted down.

"You've all worked hard. Go back and rest. You can attend the banquet later if you wish. If you can't control your emotions, just rest well."

Hearing Count Mori's words, the nobles in the conference room left in twos and threes.

"Son, when did you wake up?"

With everyone gone, Havent pulled over a chair and sat down.

"About an hour ago. I went to see my teacher first. He said you might be in trouble, so I came to check."

Mori picked up his crystal glass and swirled it, filled with his favorite honey wine.

"Hehehehehe~ There is indeed some trouble."

"So, what exactly is it? Teacher didn't explain it very clearly."