Uge's arrival broke the deadlock and gave Horace Loux a new idea.
He remembered the rescued shamans who had come with the westward migration.
They were "Numen," and the Carian Family seemed to be descended from Nokron or Nokstella, the "Eternal Cities"?
Although that blood connection might have grown so thin as to be negligible, and dated back an absurdly long time, at this moment it might serve as an excellent "opening topic," a "way down" offered to Rellana that would let her back down gracefully.
Of course, he did not expect this distant kinship alone to make the Carian Family accept them.
But Rellana was no fool. After a night to cool down, she should have been able to work out a few things: although Horace Loux and the tribe behind him had suspicious origins, they were a large group traveling with their families, making it extremely unlikely that they were "spies" or a "raiding force";
The power of Dragon Communion Horace Loux had displayed showed that they came from a region with powerful dragons. Having crossed such a distance to reach Liurnia, they would not normally be a direct extension of any force currently hostile to the Academy or Caria;
Most importantly, with relations between the Academy and Caria strained, any new outside force was worth courting, or at least treating with caution.
For the sake of the Carian Family, for the sake of her sister Rennala, reason should have told her that rather than continuing this pointless hostility and stalemate, she should try making contact and assessing them, to see whether this force could be steered in a direction favorable to Caria.
That tenuous "Numen" kinship, then, was just the "excuse" needed to break the awkwardness and open a dialogue.
A reason for Rellana to set aside her personal feelings for the moment and make formal contact in her capacity as a Carian knight and noble.
Horace Loux gathered his words and turned toward the stone platform again, his tone much more formal this time. "Lady Knight, besides our tribe's warriors, there are some special members among our party. They are shamans who were imprisoned and tortured by the Hornsent, and nearly became ritual sacrifices. We were fortunate enough to rescue them and bring them here with us."
He paused, watching the figure beneath the blanket for a reaction. Although Rellana still did not move, her breathing seemed to catch for a moment as she listened closely.
"As far as I know," Horace Loux said slowly, with just the right trace of curiosity.
"The Carian Family, descendants of the Astrologers, seems to be able to trace its bloodline back to the ancient Eternal Cities? And those shamans call themselves 'Numen'..."
He left the thought unfinished, leaving room for interpretation and imagination.
The church fell silent for several seconds.
Then the blanket was slowly pulled down, revealing Rellana's face. Her expression was still far from pleasant, but now held a measure of complicated thought.
She did not look at Horace Loux, instead staring at a relief somewhere on the church wall, her voice still rather stiff:
"...Numen?" She seemed to mull over the word.
"Those legends are far too ancient. Caria's glory comes from stargazing, from exploring the moon and the stars. Its connection to the subterranean past... has long since grown obscure."
Her tone still sounded cold, even carrying a hint of distancing herself, but Horace Loux heard a shift.
She had not flatly denied it or dismissed it as nonsense, instead responding in the official tone of "it was long ago, and the connection is slight." That in itself was a softening of her attitude.
"The ties of blood may be faint, but as peoples persecuted upon this land, perhaps we share the desire to watch over and help one another," Horace Loux followed up.
"My tribe has no intention of becoming embroiled in the dispute between your lands and the Academy. We seek only a patch of land where our people can rest and recover. If the Carian Family could accommodate us, my tribe would also be willing to show our gratitude and sincerity."
The meaning was already quite clear: we were not here to cause trouble; we wanted somewhere to live. If Caria was willing to help, we could help with certain things in return.
Rellana was silent for a moment. She was indeed thinking calmly.
She had had no time to consider the points Horace Loux had analyzed while she was angry last night, but that morning, amid the turtle's silence and her own tossing and turning, she had actually thought through most of them.
This barbarian tribe had strange origins but considerable numbers, and its leader was formidable. They really did not seem like mere spies or marauders.
At this moment of confrontation with the Academy, it was better to try making contact with such an outside force than to push them toward the Academy. Even if they merely remained neutral, that would benefit Caria.
That "Numen" pretext gave her just the reason she needed to back down-not for personal grievances, but for her family's interests, and for those sufferers who might share a distant kinship with them.
At last, she turned her gaze toward Horace Loux. Although there was still little warmth in it, at least she was formally "meeting his eyes" now.
"Hmph." She gave a soft snort and raised her chin slightly, striving to maintain the pride and reserve of a Carian noble knight.
"The legends of the Eternal Cities have long since scattered on the wind. However... since there are suffering shamans among your party... as fellow beings who pursue the mysteries of True Magic and the stars, the Carian Family naturally cannot stand idly by and leave them to fend for themselves in the wilderness."
She phrased it beautifully, attributing their acceptance to sympathy for distant kin and noble responsibility, rather than that tenuous blood connection or a desire for the tribe's strength.
"In that case, I thank you, Lady Knight, and the Carian Family for your generosity and goodwill." Horace Loux readily took his cue and followed her words.
As for her little reluctance to admit her feelings, he did not care at all, so long as his goal was achieved.
"However!" Rellana stressed, her gaze sharpening again.
"Caria must still verify your origins and your specific intentions. You may stay near the church for now, but you are not to enter the heartlands under Carian control at will, and your movements must be subject to restrictions. The details... will be decided after I return to the manor and speak with my sister."
She left herself plenty of room to maneuver and made her businesslike attitude clear.
"As it should be." Horace Loux nodded.
At that moment, Miriel's gentle voice, tinged with a smile, interjected, "Since the misunderstanding is gradually fading and an initial understanding has been reached, why not take this opportunity, here in this place where good bonds are forged, to set aside the small frictions of the past for now and look upon each other with fresh eyes?"
Horace Loux immediately understood and held out his hand to Rellana. "My tribe wishes to make a friendly beginning with the Carian Family, and with you personally. Let last night's unpleasantness remain in last night."
Rellana looked at the battle-marked hand extended before her, then at Horace Loux's face, which bore no particular expression, though his eyes looked reasonably earnest. The blush that had only just faded a little seemed on the verge of returning.
She hesitated, but finally reached out ever so lightly and touched Horace Loux's hand, withdrawing the instant they made contact, as though afraid of being burned.
"This is only... temporarily, for my family's interests." She turned her face away and added quietly, whether for Horace Loux's benefit or her own was unclear.
Since she was still lying down, this ceremony of "shaking hands and making peace" looked rather comical, but at least it was done.
The equipment description for Azur's robe contained this passage: [After Azur and Lusat-the two highest-ranking masters-were expelled from the Academy, no sorcerer ever attained the same standing.]
Master Sellen had also been expelled from the Academy, and their greatest commonality was their pursuit of the primeval current.
Judging by this, the queen forbade research into the primeval current.
Why?
Queen Yadira knew it too, which showed that the queen's research into Glintstone Sorcery was no less accomplished than the masters'.
If it were simply a dispute between stars and moon, research into sorcery outside the primeval current school had not been affected at all.
Before you continue