"So… how many, and who will we be sending to the Shire Continent?" the red-haired Dwarf, Thorric, asked. "A sizable fighting force that can eliminate an entire noble household is ideal, right?"
"That sounds about right." Heleth nodded. "I think it's about time we take the Young Master's protection seriously. There are still a few months left before his First Year in the academy ends.
"Maybe we should also enroll our Seeds in Brynhildr Academy to increase his security inside the academy," Thorric commented. "In fact, I'll just do that. I'll enroll Bridget there next year. Since the Young Master already knows her, things will become easier."
"Oh dear. What a sly fox you are, Thorric." Heleth chuckled. "Sending your granddaughter? Well, I guess that's fine. I'll send Sefarina as well. As for you, Fortuna, why don't you send Ace and Archer as well?
The Young Master is already familiar with them, so that will be a good idea, no?"
"Indeed," Fortuna nodded before shifting his gaze to the Old Catkin, Enzo. "How about you, Lord Enzo? Will you send your people to the academy as well?"
"There's no need to do that," Enzo replied. "One of my people is already protecting the Young Master, so sending more would just be overkill. I'll just focus on dealing with those who are targeting him outside the academy."
The other Patriarchs nodded their heads in understanding.
"So, how many are we sending?" Fortuna inquired. "I can send twenty from my side."
"Twenty from my side as well," Thorric stated.
"Well, since you guys are sending twenty, I'll send twenty as well." Heleth winked.
Enzo nodded. "I will send nineteen people."
The other Patriarchs looked at Enzo in surprise, finding it odd that he was sending one less Catkin to help deal with the forces who wished to harm their Young Master.
However, the Old Catkin only grinned before pointing to himself.
"I'll be the twentieth member of the people who will handle things from the shadows," Enzo said. "One of us needs to be there to assess the overall situation, right?"
The other Patriarchs nodded their heads in understanding.
If Enzo were to personally move to protect their Young Master, they would be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing that the best Assassin in Midgard was there to take command of the situation. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
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Brynhildr Academy…
A week had passed since Ethan and Lilian took the next step in their relationship.
The days passed with rumors about the handsome young man being the Fairy Queen's puppet circulating everywhere in the academy.
Of course, the ones fanning the flames were the children from Noble Families who had teamed up to target Ethan, especially after their family members had perished inside the Legacy Domain.
Langston was more than happy to help spread these rumors, and he was even hoping that, if the situation escalated, Ethan might get expelled from the academy.
But to his dismay, Ethan didn't give a hoot to whatever nonsense they were spreading.
The young man went about his everyday routine without even bothering to deal with the rumors surrounding him.
Frankly, he didn't have the energy nor the will to care at all.
Since Professor Rinehart and Professor Barret were on his side, no one would be able to expel him from the academy, even if the High-Ranking Noble Houses started to make their voices known.
What Ethan didn't know was that the King of Eastshire, Austen Whitehall, and his Grand Archmage, Lord Edmond, was busy doing damage control in the background.
The other Noble Families weren't targeting only Ethan. He was mostly being vented on.
They were also doing their best to weaken the Asta Family and make them fall from grace.
However, since they were not an easy family to topple, and they were one of the staunchest supporters of the Royal Family, the King wouldn't allow their House to fall to ruin.
But, the King and the Grand Archmage made sure that Oscar understood that the moment he touched Ethan, all bets were off, and they would no longer support them.
Still, whether Oscar took their words to heart or not, only the Patriarch of the Asta Family knew.
For the time being, he ordered his family members, as well as the Branch Families, to be low key and not act alone.
An uneasy peace settled within the Eastshire Kingdom, but everyone knew that it would only take a small spark before everything blew up.
While everyone was having a hard time, Ethan found himself looking at a devilish-looking man, seated on his bed, when he entered his room.
"Sir Fortis," Ethan greeted the Will of the Founder of the Dud Manor and Brynhildr Academy. "What brings you here?"
"Ethan, my boy. Have you forgotten?" Fortis Dud arched an eyebrow. "We still have unfinished business from when you were still in the Epic Legacy Domain, right? Since everything seems to have settled down, I think that now is the perfect opportunity to continue our discussion from back then."
The corner of Ethan's lips twitched after remembering Fortis Dud's "impeccable" timing inside the Epic Legacy Domain.
He appeared just as he was about to escape from Queen Celestia's grasp, and the Founder's antics almost caused him a heart attack then and there.
"Okay, let's talk." Ethan nodded. "Back then was really not the opportune moment to discuss anything."
"Completely understandable." Fortis nodded. "If I were in your shoes, I might have even slapped myself silly for appearing at that precise moment. But, since that is already behind us, let's talk about the new feature that you have unlocked in Morgan's Ring."
Ethan glanced at the ring in his right hand before shifting his gaze back to the Founder of Brynhildr Academy.
"The ability you unlocked is that ability to store… Legacies," Fortis Dud said with a solemn expression on his face. "These stored Legacies will then be processed by Morgan's Ring, allowing them to be absorbed by other people.
"The benefit of storing them inside the ring is that these Legacies would become more obedient, allowing you to bestow them to others. Those whom you chose to acquire the Legacy would not suffer from any side effects, allowing them to use its power to the fullest."
Ethan narrowed his eyes because he had a feeling that Morgan's Ring did have this ability.
However, Fortis Dud wasn't finished yet.
"Getting Legacies from Legacy Domains or encountering them through a fortuitous encounter is all well and good," Fortis Dud stated. "But, do you know that there is also another method to acquire Legacies without having the need to look for them?"
Ethan shook his head.
Although he had a guess in mind, he didn't want to say it because he believed that doing so would just make this discussion turn dark.
However, Fortis Dud didn't care if the conversation would take a turn for the worst and directly told Ethan the answer.
"You can also acquire Legacies from people," Fortis Dud said. "Dead… People."
Fortis Dud then walked toward Ethan and only stopped a meter away from him.
"When a Legacy Holder dies, their Legacy remains inside their body for an hour before it disappears completely," Fortis Dud explained.
"These Legacies will then appear in some random place in the world, waiting patiently for their next Legacy Holder. But, with Morgan's Ring, you can easily harvest these Legacies and bestow them to your people.
"Of course, you can also use them for yourself. But, I don't recommend this route. You already possess two Legacies, and if my estimate is correct… you can still store two more inside your body."
Fortis Dud then crossed his arms over his chest, as his gaze became more solemn.
"The only question is, will it be worth it?"
Fortis Dud's voice echoed inside the room. A few minutes later, he disappeared, leaving Ethan alone with his thoughts.