Chapter 98

Etra’s sharp glare towards the two maids also got harsher. It was asking them how they could let Ilyin do something for them. Two maids, albeit scared, felt that it was unfair. Even though their madam was so kind, how could they have expected her to order them to sit down and grab chairs on top of that.

“Can you tell me more about Elo?” Ilyin asked.

“Ah, yes!” This time the two maids talked freely since Ilyin herself had ordered them to talk about it more, they didn’t have to worry about Etra shooting daggers from her eyes.

“Great! You’re Mary, and you’re Jean, right?” smiled Ilyin

The two Delrose maids, Mary and Jean looked at each other in shock. There was no greater honor than for their master to know their names before introducing themselves.

“You’re right, madam!” Two of them bowed repeatedly with joy. Etra sat down observing the two maid’s movements for anything disrespectful. Mary and Jean also sat down as she did.

“I heard that Elo’s territory is near the monsters’ territory, is that right?” Ilyin continued.

Mary nodded, “Yes. If it was Mille or North, they wouldn’t have survived.”

“They’re able to hold on because of the Bright Elo’s ‘Wall of Light’ right?” Ilyin asked.

This time, Etra answered, “Yes. The Wall of Light surrounds their main stronghold. If anyone has any intention of harming them, the wall does not let them through.”

“What an envious divine object,” Jean gathered her hands as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Ilyin tilted her head, “Is the ‘Wall of Light’ the ability of a divine object?”

Just like how the Blue North’s cloth blocked the cold?

Jean nodded, “That’s what I heard.”

“Then Delrose’s divine object is…?”

Etra gestured to the necklace around Ilyin’s neck and told her, “It can start an everlasting fire.”

A fire that won’t extinguish until its master wants it to. Ilyin’s eyes widened.

“Wow.”

It was a beautiful ability and absolutely befitting of Red Delrose. While the Bright Elo’s wall was also a very charming ability for a place with many monsters, Ilyin couldn’t help but find the Red Delrose’s everlasting fire seemed more charming.

“This mansion’s fireplace was lit with the divine object brought by the first bride.”

Wow, the fire in the fireplace was an everlasting fire. Ilyin thought as she stared at the fireplace.

As she thought about it, she realized that if the fire went out while Aden, who held the divine power, wasn’t there, the mansion would freeze instantly. Considering that, it was very odd that there was no one who was guarding the fire. As it was a very important fire, they could have had someone maintaining it.

“They don’t have to maintain it because it’s everlasting.”

Ilyin’s hand instinctively went to the divine object around her neck at that.

“Do you perhaps know how to use it?” Mary asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“The divine object ability?”

Mary and Jean shook their heads simultaneously.

“I heard that the brides knew.”

Was it a secret passed down by the elders of each family? Many Biflten’s brides were probably from the winter region so that was likely but what about brides from the warm region? Ilyin remembered the  Duchess before her who couldn’t get used to the winter. Perhaps, warm region people couldn’t use it then? Ilyin couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed at that.

“Can I tell you about Elo’s other stronghold?” Jean spoke brightly as if she noticed the disappointment Ilyin felt and was trying to cheer her up. Ilyin smiled.

“The second stronghold is hidden deeply. It doesn’t have the Wall of Light, but it doesn’t need it because it is so secretive that no one knows where it is.”

“Only some of the people at Elo know. The location and the army,” Mary chimed in.

Ilyin had a guess of where it could be, but it was only a guess.

She was never at a battlefield, but logically she knew that it was strategically smarter to surround the enemy’s stronghold to completely take over. To be able to send someone while being attacked if they were not surrounded, was impossible unless they had a spy.

“That’s how Elo was able to deliver the message to us, because there are Elo’s people outside of Elo’s ‘Wall of Light.” Ilyin said as she felt as if a mystery that had been bothering her was finally solved.

“That’s right,” Mary and Jean said in awe and respect at how quickly she was able to put everything together.

“So that’s why all of Elo’s knights left the mansion…”

And that’s why the atmosphere of the other families was uneasy. As Ilyin raised her tea to her lips, she realized it was now cold. Etra swiftly handed Ilyin a warm tea she just poured.

“Then when Den is back, I’ll have to help him not be so tired. Let’s clean the mansion first,” Ilyin smiled.

***

The atmosphere in the mansion was certainly different with Ilyin there. The attendees of each family felt it. The Duchess before her was longing for the warm region and contributed to the depressed atmosphere, but this one was curious about the winter region.

“At your service, madam,” they bowed deeply to her.

As Aden left for Elo’s territory, the Delrose knights had forbidden outsiders, but there was a guest. Had it been someone from a different family, they would’ve turned them away, but this was someone they could not as he was a Delrose.

“I’m waiting for your order.”