"That's cheating! There is no such law for the Steele family to give you gifts! But there is what you call a son's desire to bestow gifts to her mother!" Diana shouted.
"I am the Patriarch, and I make the rules. I declare that rule now! First, I have a son who takes wives and hands them over to his brother, and now I have a grandchild! At first, he gave a daughter-in-law who was the top beauty and the most skilled knight suitable for my Force Paladin! And now, he brought a son of such great power that can defeat a pseudo-Paladin! Haven't you seen his speed? Not even you can keep up with it! What's next? Will Aron give a pet that is actually a god? So hear now, my decree! Henceforth shall new mbers of the Steele family bestow a gift to the Patriarch!" zal declared.
"Then I, as his mother, will tell him to give my family, the Redblade clan, one gift!" Diana argued.
"This item is ours!"
"No! It's mine! I an, it's the Steele families artifact! It will be our heritage artifact!"
The two started to argue.
Everyone had strange looks at the bickering two.
"I thought that lords of the Steele family are kind and gentlehearted," Avary whispered to Scarlet.
"Are we going to give them gifts too?"
"No... I think that's not how it works. At most, lord Kyros ought to be our representative, right?" Gregory guessed.
"I guess that's how it works." Scarlet agreed, recalling so similar procedures among nobles.
"This is really stupid. That Entropy core belongs to lord Kyros!" Martha hated the result of the battle.
"We have a lot of things we received from the raid in the fortress! Can't lord Kyros give those?" Hunter whispered to Martha.
"No. Nothing appeals to them more than that! Look! Even I was amazed when I saw it. Those were among the things that even swayed to serve the lord! I realized that Kyros is a good lord. He would bestow such powerful things to ! " Martha explained.
"Well, that's awfully selfish of you." Hems frowned.
"I was aiming for that core! But now those selfish jerks are getting it!" Martha cursed.
"Martha, that's the Patriarch and our lord's mother you're talking about." Hemsey reminded.
"Whatever! They took my dream! That power that can add devastating Entropy would have made the strongest archer in the Lowlands!"
"Maybe Kyros would give you sothing else of value. I an, didn't lord Kyros planned to give you as a wife to Lord Aron? That would make you his aunt, and he would probably remove you from the Coven and gift you a gift." Avary asked.
"That was also my plan! But now he can't give it to !"
"Lord Kyros knows where and when to maximize his power. Maybe he won't give that entropy to you. He knows that as an archer, you would benefit from it the most compared to the Patriarch and the mada." Hunter added.
"You think I didn't know that? That was why I would have accepted being married to lord Aron! But that core would be given! Nothing, and I say nothing can surpass the value of that core to those old farts!" Martha cursed.
While everyone began to argue and murmur at each other, Kyros had just finished writing on his notebook and sent it back to the Temple.
He waited a while, and finally, the items were there.
Kyros finally let out a loud sigh.
"Alright. I guess I can give my mother this." Kyros sighed.
"What?! Why?! Do you despise the will of your grandfather the Patriarch?"
"But I guess I should give the gift that father and I prepared to soone else..."
"Oh. Ok. I guess I'll keep this then." Kyros brought out one of the many things he nabbed from the golem. Before they left, Kyros asked his father what his mother's favorite jewel was. For so tsundere-related reason, Branze actually knew exactly what jewel Diana loved. And not just loved, but fanatically adored.
In fact, when Branze realized that an alliance had been struck with the golems, he was eyeing that jewel but was too shy to ask his son that he just t to grab that gem.
It was a bright diamond of brilliant light. It used to be attached to the Golem King. Kyros asked if he could take it. The golem happily gave it to Kyros and said that the diamond has so special properties if added on weapons. Kyrs promised the Golem King that he would give sothing of better value soon, and the Golem King agreed.
The diamond sparkled and shone a bright light that left Diana breathless.
"I guess mother loves eralds over a diamond. Martha, co here. I will gift this to you instead."
"Wow... What is that...?" Martha was srized at the stone.
"It's my gift to you. Mother prefers the erald, so I might as well give this to you on behalf of my uncle." Kyros smiled.
Martha quickly ran to grab the gem.
SWISH! SWISH!
Two sword slashes blocked Martha's approached as Diana swung her blade.
"Stop!"
"Lady Diana? Would you mind stepping aside and allowing to receive a gift from my master? Isn't the gem the one you want?"
Diana gritted her teeth. The gem was just too perfect! It moved her heart, and it would be given to this Bowheart!
"FINE! GIVE THE DIAMOND INSTEAD!" She cursed as her heart bled.
Kyros approached and gave the bright diamond to her mother, who trembled at the very touch of it.
"Dad told you loved diamonds. He really knows what to give you, mom. I think he likes you." Kyros chuckled as he gave and swiftly turned around.
"What?" Diana was surprised, but Kyros was already walking to his grandfather.
"Good grandson! You have done a good deed to our Steele family! By giving the Entropy-"
"I won't give it to you, Grandfather. I have much use for this." Kyros shook his head.
"What? I demand that item!"
"You can get other items instead of this."
"No! I want that!"
"You haven't even seen the other items I have!" Kyros frowned.
"I don't need to see it! If you think that whatever trinkets and objects that you have can move , you think too low of ! Do you think diamons will tempt ? You are such an idiotic, arrogant and-"
"Here is the Paladin Armor of Champion Drake Vestitude when he was still a Paladin. Here is the Black Massacre Greatsword of the Champion Berserker Emberwood. I also have the inscribed teachings of Paladin Legacy Rootworth of the Highland Planes, which has the teachings of the skills of a Paladin and a Champion." Kyros revealed the items that he managed to pilfer from the many Generals guarding the fort.
"And-and-and a heroic champion! You are flowing with grace, goodness, and righteousness! Such magnificence cannot be contained in this Planes World! May you live forever, oh Grandson of mine!"
"Alright. You'll accept these things? These are things that I got from the Temple." Kyros had stored the items in the Temple and retrieved them.
"Of course! I'll accept them!"
"Then... Won't you go after my Entropy core? Forgive , grandfather, but you already broke one of your promises."
"I stake my honor that I won't renege in my vow."
"Then grandfather, I hope you agree to going over to the orc region. I have an important mission to complete there."
"You do have shocking strength..." His grandfather nodded.
"I forbid you to use it."
"I know. Our trip's purpose is to search for clues regarding the Blood Calamity."
"I've heard of news regarding the events in Airom Vagat. I take it that the vampire threat is you? I assu you intentionally leaked it? Why so?"
"Because of Fate. Fate has sent a squad of three Viscounts to attack uncle and father."
"What?! Then why didn't you say so?! We have to make haste and chase after them!"
"They're already dead, grandfather. We killed them."
"..."
Diana and zal glanced at each other.
"You killed three viscounts?"
Kyros pointed to Martha to explain.
"Yes. Spearmaster Gradier Conquistar, Mage Esralda Toro and Querk Stonefist."
"All of which are worshipers of Necromancer Lorjdenheign. He should be a powerful Necromancer of the Dark Shine kingdom. Now, grandfather. I have a request to make. You have to spread the news that you were attacked. Since many have seen your departure from our kingdom, they know that you have brought a lot of our treasures. Report that a strange vampire squad is attacking the area under the orders of the Dark Shine Kingdom. They stole all our stuff. This will be further shown if they see you enter the fort without any caravans and items."
"The Dark Shine Kingdom?"
"They will be the primary kingdom that Fate will use outside of the humans. The earlier we make the human kingdoms suspicious of their actions, the better. This will also cause all the Steele clans enemies to laugh at us. With uncle and father's whereabouts unknown, and how you were prompted to take action to save them and found yourself in dire straits from being attacked by the Dark Shine kingdom, they will think we are finished. Haven't they been the ones chasing after us?"
"This is a rather interesting way to outsmart Fate... But it sounds logical."
"We can't just react to Fate, grandfather. If you do, the little victories that you have only an that Fate will cast another plan. We have to thoroughly defeat Fate and make sure none of its plans remain. That's how we overca the previous Fate and killed three Viscount teams that would have otherwise killed more than half of uncle and father's retainers."
"These vampires... They were turned because they nearly died?" zal asked as he turned to the three H brothers.
"Yes. I wouldn't have turned them if they weren't at death's doors." Kyros said as he moved towards the carts and carriages that brought all the items of the Steele family.
Kyros touched it, and it imdiately vanished. Only the horses which pulled the carriage remained.
"What? Where did it go?"
"I brought it inside the Temple storage place. It's a secret place inside the Temple. This may take a while. I need to drink a mana potion to send all of this. And we seed to have a lot of horses..." Kyros glanced at the caravan. This was the entirety of the Steele family's fortune.
"A dinsional storage space?! And how did it manage to cross great distances! Just what is this Temple?!"
"This is but the least of its capabilities. And there is possibly another object of this power occurring in Airom Logat. That is why I must go there. Only , who knows the secret of the Temple, could unravel the mystery of the Blood Calamity occurring."
"But it's still risky. I have no right to make your stay, so I can only ask how I could be of help."
"Now that you ntion it... There is a way to help! Grandfather, how many fighters do we have now?"
"We have all our forr vassals. Eleven warriors and seven archers. We also have a dozen servants, both n, and won that can wield a bow." His grandfather answered.
"That's enough! We can do it! If we create a commotion outside of their fortress, we could bolster the forces in the main forts but leave the rest of the mountain region without defenses."
"What do you an?"
"Grandfather, let's hunt and attack an orc army!"
"You want to what?"
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