Chapter 207: 207. Ambers of Unrest – 1

2.5 months later….

Riverdale Empire, capital city, Draconis mansion…

“305 deaths from the academy’s side; total casualties on demon lord Bellial’s side are unreported; mass mobilization of celestial army soldiers from different bases had already been happening from a week, several counter formations and surprise attacks were already prepared from the academy’s side.”

“The academy was already hoarding health potions and all the light stones from the dwarven empire for the past few months under the guise of increased consumption rate”

Adam stood in front of Duke Rizwell and reported the recent attack on the World Academy initiated by demon lord Bellial and his forces.

“How many days has it been?” Rizwell asked with a deep, thoughtful expression; his brows were creased from tension.

“My lord, the attack reportedly started 3 days ago, although the information is still unverified,” Adam answered.

“They knew about it from the start, yet instead of sending children back home, they just relocated them to undisclosed locations, and now we can’t even contact them!!” Rizwell gritted his teeth in anger.

Alfred had informed him about the change of premises a few months ago, and at that time, Rizwell had simply dismissed the reason behind the shift and had linked it to the recent supply shortage of light stones from the church’s side.

His hand slammed on the table in frustration.

Before he could curse more about it, suddenly, Rizwell’s senses were nudged by something, and he sensed a third presence in his study.

Before he could initiate an attack on the intruder, an outline appeared from the corner, the same place he sensed the man.

The silhouette of a black-robed assassin-type warrior appeared. Rizwell immediately identified the man as one of the emperor’s hounds.

“Pardon the intrusion,” the man said in a low, hoarse voice.

Under Rizwell’s piercing gaze, the man quietly came forward and handed a scroll to Adam before disappearing.

Rizwell’s already bad mood worsened; he did not like the way the hound had intruded. His gaze turned to look at Adam, who had the scroll in his hand.

Looking at Adam’s alarmed expression, Rizwell asked him to hand the scroll over.

Rizwell stretched the scroll in front of him and read the message.

Rizwell’s eyes sharpened. “So Aurelius wants to move at this time.”

Adam looked at his lord. “My lord, isn’t the timing too strange? A clash is already going on between the academy and a demon lord.”

Rizwell looked lost; at this point, he could not understand what pushed Emperor Aurelius towards making such a decision.

Moreover, a big question loomed over him: “What should he do now? Should he assist the emperor with full force or just fulfill a formal obligation by sending a few troops and support?”

Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind. He stood up and looked at Adam. “Let’s go.”

“Where to, my lord?” Adam asked in confusion.

“There might be someone who can give us better advice; let’s go to Miss Delta’s mansion,” Rizwell said.

Adam nodded and followed him. This sudden respect hadn’t sprung up from nowhere. Over these months, Rizwell himself had seen Emily go from a slum dweller to a business mastermind.

Emily had helped Duke Rizwell stabilize his multiple loss-making businesses like a miracle, making Rizwell finally understand the terrifying value Emily brought to the table, and also, even more terrifying, was the foresight of Eternal Sovereign, who picked a talent like Emily from the slums and polished her into a gem.

Rizwell, who had once underestimated recruiting from the slums, was himself thinking about finding a way to recognize such talented individuals from the slums. Alas, he did not have the same means as the enigmatic eternal sovereign.

But one thing was clear for Rizwell: he had to maintain good relations with his organization no matter what.

Their carriage stopped in front of a big mansion, which seemed humble compared to the draconian mansion, but for housing two people, this was definitely an overkill.

The gates opened, and a female butler bowed to Rizwell. “My lord, Lady Delta has been informed about your arrival; please follow me.”

Rizwell nodded and walked into the mansion through the central gate, followed by Adam. What came to his sight made his eyes soften yet twitch in annoyance.

He saw Jaden, his son, at the corner of the hall holding a one-year-old baby in his embrace, patting its back and feeding it milk from a sippy cup like a nanny; even a nanny scarf was worn over his noble uniform.

The small baby cried and kicked in his arms, but Jaden seemed like he had already mastered babysitting; he made funny expressions and kidish sounds to make the baby laugh.

Meanwhile, Rizwell, who witnessed it, couldn’t hide his embarrassment and finally coughed loudly to alert Jaden.

While at the same time, Emily, who had already been informed of the Duke’s arrival, rushed to her mini classroom where she was being tutored by Maris.

She came forward to take back the baby as she looked embarrassed by how the duke saw his unaware son making funny sounds to make the baby laugh.

“Oh, Emily, when did you start coughing like that?? The baby is terrified; don’t do that again!!” Jaden looked at her, but before he could add something, his gaze followed hers, and he saw his father standing near the entrance.

His eyes widened, and he straightened, handing the baby to Emily like passing a ball.

“Ahem!! Father.” He just greeted with a nod and wanted to bury himself; he had nothing to say. The embarrassing sounds he’d been making made him far more embarrassed than even Duke Rizwell.

Emily simply nodded to the duke and left for her room with her baby.

Normally, she would have knelt in front of a noble out of her instincts as a commoner, but that habit had been strictly reshaped to just a nod by Maris.

After all, Emily was part of the Eternal Sovereign’s cult; she represented them, and that was also a part of her identity now.

Footsteps sounded, and Maris arrived in her usual clothes and mask. She maintained her facade always; after all, even the servants and butlers were technically working under the duke.

Rizwell and Maris exchanged a nod, and Maris led them to a silent meeting room where no one would intrude. Jaden remained standing there; it seemed he was not needed in the meeting, but the earlier embarrassment still lingered in his mind.

Maris, Rizwell, and Adam settled in the room, and several sound barriers were erected by the duke around them.

Maris sat on the central chair while the duke sat opposite to her; the setup was similar to the duke’s meeting room.

“So, how can I help you, Lord Rizwell?” Maris asked with a smile. She was now much more confident and secure, and, like earlier, she did not need to use her natural actor talent.

“We need your help to contact the eternal sovereign Miss Delta?” Rizwell spoke in a grim tone.

“May I ask the reason?” Delta’s smile disappeared; she couldn’t bother her lord without a solid reason; she needed to assess the situation first.

Rizwell sighed and finally spoke.

“The emperor wants to go to war against the Clayman cult in two days.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep