Chapter 301 Equivalent Exchange

"Anyway, you all should have more than enough people to help you rule territories of that size," Aion added. "With that in mind, no one will complain if I become the real owner of the fallen capital."

"I see… so you asked that while you were talking with His Majesty," Lexus said and then crossed his eyes since bringing that up when the life of his sisters was at risk had been pretty… egotistical.

"Well, from the very beginning, we both knew that things would end up with me killing the perpetrators and those involved, so he agreed with that," Aion explained. "Besides, by making me the owner of that land, it would make people understand that those who tried to head there would face me, and Vangel wouldn't need to lift a single finger to help. Besides, only someone like me and mon would be able to understand what the enemies were doing or what they wanted there."

"What did you learn so far?" Lexus asked after he opened his eyes.

"... They found a dungeon with the spirits of the fallen Millerians and were using them to travel safely in the desert and to some other things that I am not fully aware of," Aion replied, thinking that revealing that much would be fine. "I managed to deal with those who had the knowledge and the tools that they used for that, but apparently, the souls can't be destroyed that easily since they belong to people that have a lot of mana. Hence, I am keeping them until I find a way to deal with them since letting them free might cause issues."

"I have heard of that… in the past, a country tried to use the spirits of the monsters inside a dungeon, and they became cursed or something," George said. It seemed that he had become quite the bookworm since the time Aion helped him learn how to read and write.

"Since you have their blood, it must be possible, but… aren't they affecting you in any shape or form?" Lexus asked while showing some concern.

"They are a noisy bunch, but it is fine," Aion shrugged.

"... Did anyone particularly troublesome try to talk with you?" Lexus asked hesitantly.

"I was hoping to hear the voice of my grandfather, grandmother, and uncle, but until now… they didn't try to talk with me, and it is rather difficult to separate them from each other," Aion replied. "so, finding them will be quite the task."

Lexus took some time to think about it. Aion already did that… the Millerians' souls could keep their individuality because of their magic powers. So, it was only natural that the royal family would be able to recognize and talk with Aion, but they didn't want to. The reasons could be many. They truly despised him since he had their blood and the blood of the enemies that caused their downfall or because he didn't want to avenge them. Aion will have to talk with Artemisia about it.

"We will work hard to select the personnel to run that country as fast as possible, but we will need two weeks at least. Traveling to that country will take two more weeks," Henri said while scratching the back of his head.

"I can bring some people to those places in a single day. While you select those people, I will deal with other groups that might cause problems," Aion declared while trying hard to avoid a sigh.

Artemisia probably already knew about Aion's return, but she couldn't confirm his safety until he finished his work.

"I will talk with His Majesty and sort out the fine details about this," Laxus declared, and then the meeting ended.

Everyone left the room, but Maisie and Darina stayed behind, and so did Aion since he could tell that they wanted to talk with him. Things were a bit awkward, but he solved that by opening his arms.

"Come on, we are already adults," Aion said while smiling. "No need to fret so much over the mistakes of the youth. Kids will be kids, and we can only learn from our mistakes and move on."

In the end, those two hugged him tightly. Aion felt that they finally accepted him as their brother and forgot about all the things that happened in the past. Maybe forgetting was a bit too much, but they moved on from it since the past can determine how a person is in the present, but it doesn't mean that they can't change forever.

"Why are you so reliable when you are the youngest?" Maisie asked while sniffing.

"That is very cocky of you when you are still single," Darina added, and Aion realized that he had forgotten about that issue. "Do you have someone you love? We have some good friends that probably are a good match for you, Aion."

"Err, about that… I am going to be busy for a while, so that will have to wait," Aion forced a smile.

Those two looked dumbfounded, he had just spent one year away, and he was going to be busy as soon as he returned… life can be grueling sometimes, but it couldn't be helped. Aion enjoyed many things thanks to his bloodline, and now he had to deal with the downsides as well. It was part of the package.

Aion moved from the fortress to work since he couldn't give time for his enemies to move. He wanted to ask for some people to help him find the bandit guild and the assassins guilds, and all those related to him. Still, he was too famous for him to be able to do that without being noticed. So, he used other tactics.

First of all, Aion went to the prisons of that country. They actually had it since they needed somewhere to put the criminals that they couldn't trust, and he offered them some money and freedom if he helped them find all those dangerous groups.