"BERGAN'S BAND?!"
The Count's voice erupted inside of the Inanis mansion and shook everyone who heard it.
Countess Lita grimaced and though she had been furious when she learned it from Asher, it was incomparable to her husband's wrath.
Even Lucius was momentarily stunned by the Count's reaction, but before he could speak up and calm down the man, some individuals beat him to it.
While the servants originally left the Inanis family to reunite, some knights in dark armor stepped inside of the mansion and intercepted the Count.
"To Aisse territory at once!" Count Gabriel's voice bellowed towards the dark knights as he immediately turned towards the doors.
"Count Gabriel, please hold on. We know that you're agitated and furious, but take a moment to catch your breath."
"It will not do us any good to ride out at once. You're not going to win any battles at your current state."
"It's best to hold still for a moment, Count. Let us make better plans first before charging there heedlessly."
"Even if we all accompany you, the situation is still dire, Count Gabriel. Rushing is not good, especially at your state of mind."
The Count hadn't even caught his breath after traveling and meeting the King, but there was a torrent and rush of energy that coursed through the older man.
He wanted to depart and leave for the Bergan's Band at once.
And yet when he glanced at the knights and listened to their words, Count Gabriel clenched his fist and pounded the air but didn't take another step out of the mansion.
"They are right, father. It is better to think rationally, acting out like this would not be any good." Lucius added, though it was a little obvious to him that his words were unnecessary.
The Count of the Inanis family actually calmed down and paid attention to the words of the knights that were with him.
It was a surprising thing.
Normally, someone of his father's rank would be unstoppable without someone of a higher rank and mere knights wouldn't be able to make him pause from doing anything.
But somehow, they were able to do so.
Lucius glanced at the knights again, this time, giving them more attention to recognize them but his mind was blank for any answers.
They wore unique armors, clearly built by great smiths even at one look, each one fitted for the bearer of the armor instead of manufactured for everyone.
Not only that, their dark armor at least made Lucius feel like he had heard about them before or read about them.
It wasn't easy to see it at first due to the color of the armor, but there was a certain sigil imprinted on the armor.
They were no doubt an elite and special group.
Once Count Gabriel fully calmed himself down, he cleared his throat and shook his head. He noticed the curious look on Asher's face and gestured to the knights with him.
"These are some members of the Black Rose Knights." Count Gabriel introduced.
"They are a special group of knights that are directly under the command of the king. And as for the reason why they are here, the King has granted six warriors to company me on account of the recent war as well as the assassination attempt."
Lucius brows raised slightly at those words, but quickly cleared his features.
It was a strange thing that the king of the Grantz kingdom would personally offer this much support for a Count.
Even with Viscount Drew attacking Count Gabriel, he did not announce separation from the Grantz Kingdom but only the Etara Lands.
Not only that, the attempted assassination on 'Asher Inanis' was an unfortunate and unwanted incident… but that didn't take away the fact that nobility commonly faced incidents such as assassination, poisoning and the like.
Even if Asher performed valorous acts during the war against Gisir and Count Gabriel was a loyal servant to the king, it did not warrant for this much favor.
Lucius doubted that a king would be this generous with every noble, unless he wished to be taken advantage of by others and seen as a fool.
So what was the reason for this kind of treatment?
Lucius activated his Nexus and discreetly checked the gifts of the six warriors and discovered that they all had rare ranked gifts.
If all members of the Black Rose Knights had this rank of gifts, it was easy to understand why they were a special group for the king.
"Now that we've been introduced, shall we go to the dining hall?" Countess Lita clapped her hands and took the opportunity to intercede in the matter. "Everyone must be famished and tired. It will do us no good to discuss this whilst standing here."
However, Count Gabriel shook his head, unwilling to even sit down until now.
"I cannot rest until we actually take decisive actions against the Bergan's Band. Even if I'm not riding to Aisse territory at once, surely there is something to be done right now."
"We will look into this situation at once, rest assured, Count Gabriel." One of the knights said.
"This is actually quite an important matter and we will delve deeply into it. The situation in Grantz Kingdom will change if Bergan's Band actually dared to target a noble."
"In the past, the King has let them roam free because there was no legitimate reason to act against them, but if proved to be behind this, well, it is not only us six who will ride against Bergan's Band, Count Gabriel."
"However…" one of the knights hesitated and glanced at the other five. "Before we can act, it is truly vital to get solid proof that they are truly behind this. We cannot rush with just a mere statement."
It was Asher who told the Count that it was the Bergan's Band and he had faith in his son's words.
"Proof?" Count Gabriel seethed. "Go to Earl Aisse and demand the answers! Surely that man knows what the Bergan Band's up to since they reside in his lands!"