Chapter 566: Negotiation

Two weeks had passed since the attack George dealt with had happened.

During these two weeks, many things happened in the Kingdom of Eastshire, which had become a hot topic to all the students in the academy.

Langston's father, Zack Kerr, had been demoted from Duke to a Marquess. Some of their lands and properties were also confiscated by the Kingdom, forcing Langston to keep a very low profile in the academy.

Since Noble Households had several factions, those who opposed the faction of Langston's family were happy to hear about Zack Kerr's downfall.

Several other nobles had also been demoted in Rank.

Those who held the titles of Marquess were demoted to Earl, and Earls were demoted into Viscounts.

Viscounts became Barons, and Barons had lost their hereditary title. This meant that after the current Baron died, his family would no longer be part of the Nobility and would have no choice but to live as members of the common folk.

The series of demotion was a terrible blow for the Nobles of Eastshire because downgrading in rank was equivalent to being shamed.

Those who had lost their hereditary titles were having the worst time of them all. After a generation, they would become one of those Former Nobles, whose Noble houses had fallen into ruin.

King Austen's move was swift and deadly, making everyone remember that he wasn't a pushover and that he could punish the High-Ranking Nobles who had dared to defy him.

The only one who escaped this series of demotions was the Asta Family.

Although Oscar had declared that the one who would be able to capture or kill Ethan would become the next Patriarch or Matriarch of the Asta Family, none of his family members had yet to make a move.

Also, the King could understand Oscar's current situation, so he was more lenient to him compared to others.

The Asta Family was one of the staunchest allies of the Royal Family.

The Heir Wars was also something that the King had approved, forcing the members of the Knight Family to become Super Soldiers, who would become the next pillars of the Kingdom.

Unfortunately, two of their Seeds, Vladimir and Constantine, had died, making the Asta Family lose their prestige and, to a certain extent, power.

An uneasy peace washed over the entirety of Eastshire as those who harbored ill will against Ethan were forced to retract their claws and take a step back in fear of angering the King once more.

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Somewhere in Eatshire…

"It's good that all of you have finally arrived," Enzo said as he looked at the members of the Protector Clans who had just arrived in Eastshire. "With this, we can better protect the Young Master from those who wish him harm."

Since the Old Catkin was chosen as the leader of the group, everyone listened to him, despite the fact that they came from different families.

"I have already sent a message to Emma, telling her about our situation," Enzo explained. "Her reply came a day ago, and according to her, Ethan asked the Headmaster of Brynhildr Academy for a favor.

"I am supposed to meet with Rinehart Eques tonight to discuss several important things with him. Although I am not certain if I can take some of you into the academy as their temporary staff, I will do my best to put as many of our people inside the academy as possible.

"Also, the Meredith Clan will station themselves in Limeburgh Town. I will ask Professor Rinehart if the Elves of the Argus Clan can live inside the Great Eagle Forest. As for the Dwarves of the Oddfrid Clan, I have bought a smithy, two shops, and a warehouse in Limeburgh Town.

"All of you will act as Shopkeepers. Do whatever you can to assimilate with the locals," Enzo stated. "All of you, alongside my Clan, will gather as much information as we can about the Shire Continent. The current trends, fashion, politics, news, and any important information must be studied properly. Do I make myself clear?"

""Yes, Sir!""

"Good." Enzo nodded. "Now, follow me."

Enzo brought the members of the Protector Clans to Limeburgh Town because it was the closest town to the academy. Searᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Of course, they didn't come at the same time. If a big group of Dwarves, Elves, and Catkins were to appear all of a sudden, people would find it suspicious.

Because of this, Enzo made sure that they arrived at different times of the day, preventing anyone from paying too much attention to them.

Once this was done, he went ahead to the academy to meet with the Headmaster, who was looking forward to their meeting.

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Headmaster's Office…

"Thank you for allowing me to meet with you, Headmaster," Enzo said respectfully. "My name is Enzo Orpheus, and I am one of the caretakers of the Young Master's family in Midgard."

"I see." Professor Rinehart nodded. "Since you are being honest, let's get to the reason why you asked to meet with me."

Aside from Professor Rinehart, there was one more person in the room, and that was none other than Professor Barret.

Ethan had asked the Headmaster to talk to one of the people who had come to Eastshire in order to serve as his personal guards.

Thinking that Ethan had merely hired a Mercenary Group to protect him, the Headmaster initially didn't want to approve it.

Ethan was one of his prized students, so he would not allow some random strangers to ensure his safety.

But after seeing Enzo, he and Professor Barret understood that the person standing in front of them was a true expert. They were even quite interested in the Old Catkin.

"I believe that you already know of my granddaughter?" Enzo asked. "She's the one currently protecting Ethan from the shadows.

"Due to what happened in Queen Celestia's Domain, he asked for our help to protect his grandparents and his cousin's parents from those who planned to use them as hostages against him."

Professor Rinehart nodded in understanding.

"So, you are the people who have kept his grandparents safe from the mercenaries who tried to kidnap them several weeks ago?" Professor Rinehart asked.

"Yes and no," Enzo replied. "I arrived in Eastshire earlier than everyone else because the others needed to make preparations for the journey. But when I arrived to watch over the Young Master's grandparents, someone else had already dealt with the Mercenary Group, Pale Veil. As much as I want to have the credit, it is beneath me to take other people's credit."

Professor Rinehart smiled faintly because everything that Enzo told him was the truth. He had a unique ability that allowed him to know if someone was lying to him or not. From beginning to end, Enzo hadn't told him a single lie, which gave him a very good impression of the Old Catkin.

"What do you want from me?" Professor Rinehart asked.

"Employment," Enzo answered. "If possible, a few of my people and I wish to be employed here in the academy to ensure Young Master Ethan's safety."

"Hmm…" Professor Rinehart pondered for a minute before glancing at Professor Barret, who was leaning on the wall.

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance because having trusted people in the academy was a good thing.

"Very well," Professor Rinehart said. "I will employ a few of your people. Can you tell me what they are capable of?"

Enzo smiled faintly and explained the composition of the forces that they currently had in Eastshire.

Ethan had firmly declared his complete trust on Professor Rinehart and Professor Barret and even asked Enzo to trust them as well.

Since they were all on the same side, the Old Catkin didn't hide anything and told them that there were twenty Humans, twenty Elves, twenty Dwarves, and twenty Catkins who had come to Eastshire from Midgard.

After discussing for two hours, Professor Rinehart and Enzo shook hands as they finalized their deal.

With this, not only would the security in the academy increase, but it would also allow the two sides to have a beneficial relationship with each other.

It was a relationship that would only strengthen through time, allowing Professor Rinehart and Professor Barret to have more leeway to act outside of the academy.

With Enzo's strength, they would be able to rest a little easier, knowing that they had a powerhouse that they could count on if some kind of problem arose.