Chapter 83: Round-Table Conference 02 (Dean’s POV)

Even though it was called a round-table, we were actually gathered around a large rectangular table. The King sat with his back to the wall, while the two princes sat on both sides of him, the Four Marquises sat to the King’s right, the nine Earls to his left, and there were also two old men from the supervision department.

“Dean.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Stan rebuked me again. Remington smiled a little when he looked at me and Molesey raised his eyebrow. Angie is almost 40, but her milk tea-coloured hair is as beautiful as ever.

“Dean.”

“Fine. What’s wrong with wanting to see something beautiful?”

“Just about everything.”

We planned on talking in hushed whispers.

“I’ve heard that we were summoned because of something closely related to Albans and Lisburn. I can tell this meeting is going to be hard from their attitudes.”

“Look, I got involved because of you.”

“Shut up, Stan. Blaze, this is bullshyt that has nothing to do with the meeting. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Blaze is Diana’s family. They are located on the south side of the capital, Gardestar. In other words, the fief that calmly overlooked Lei’s kidnappers. He snarled at me straight away. 1)

It’s a waste of time to compete with each other. Besides, their eyes tend to land on me, but it’s Stan who’s making fun of me in such a serious place. And, His Highness, the First Prince Lambert, quickly ignored everyone and began to speak, “Now, I know this is sudden but…”

“The agenda for this meeting, as we have told you in advance, is about the request from the Wester royal family. They want to reactivate the old barrier box, so they want us to dispatch people to make up for the magic they are lacking.”

“We don’t need to do that, do we?” The person who shot it down was Blaze from earlier. The Four Marquises were only listening quietly. One’s status didn’t matter at the round-table. Everyone had the right to express their opinion. Moreover, power can’t be measured simply with court title because the role allotment is different.

We, the Four Marquises, and the royal family are unique because we maintain the barrier. However, Earls and those with lower rank are given fiefs to rule. It was pointless to fight for power.

“There are currently no problems with Kingdom, itself. It doesn’t matter to us if Wester activates their barrier box or not.”

Several people agreed.

“We have no reason to stop them if they want to active it. They’re free to do so.”

“I wonder about that,” it was Tucker who objected. Tucker is one of the Five Earls whose fief borders Frontier. Also, his fief is located closest to Wester’s capital, where the barrier box will be used. He was in a position where he couldn’t help but be concerned.

“You might not know this because your fief doesn’t touch Frontier, Lord Blaze, but we are located in a place where we’re always in conflict with people from Frontier who are trying to enter Kingdom’s barrier. Of course, we also communicate with them a lot. Blackley and I will be the ones who are directly affected if Wester is offended. Don’t shoot it down lightly when it doesn’t involve you.”

He is right.

“What bothers me is that if we accept once, then other areas might also ask for our help. I haven’t heard about this from Farland, but as a Neville, our territory is in contact with Farland, so I can’t easily agree to this.”

“Me too,” Dutton, whose fief also bordered Farland, agreed with Earl Neville. Everyone’s gaze went to Ruddock. He is the only one whose fief borders Easter.

“I don’t care either way. I will follow the royal family’s decision,” Ruddock shrugged and said. It was evident that he thought it had nothing to do with him. It’s true that Easter had few Hollows and was considered Kingdom’s grain-producing area. Easter probably wouldn’t bring up talks about old barrier boxes.

“Those in favour: Tucker and Blackley, and those who oppose: Blaze, Neville, Dutton, and the other fiefs holders are neutral?” The First Prince summarised.

“Fief holders you say, Your Highness? What about the Four Marquises. They haven’t said anything at all. Do they think it doesn’t matter because they can’t leave Kingdom?” It was Tucker who raised his voice.

The Prince nodded, placidly, “I’ll make it clear now since the letters didn’t go to this in detail. Apparently, the lost child of the Lisburns and the Albans baby is there.” Everyone fell into silence in surprise. Earl Neville looked at me in confirmation, and I nodded lightly.

“The Albans baby. The one that went missing a few months ago. That one?” Blackley confirmed unpleasantly. Blackley has Kaylie. In short, the fief that Lei went through to get to Wester.

“That’s right. She didn’t go missing, she was abducted.”

I’ll be troubled if they think of it as an unfortunate accident.

“You found her alive?” This rude man is Blaze.

“And the lost child of the Lisburns?”

“As you know, my father loved women. He dropped his seeds everywhere, but only my younger brother, who inherited the summery-blue eyes, hasn’t been found. Apparently, he’s in Wester.”

“Summer-blue, you say…”

They didn’t hide their surprise at Stan’s words.

“Apparently, they were both at Lentforce in Wester. Wester’s royal family is going to pick them up, so they want us to send people with magic in exchange for those two,” Prince Lambert spoke indifferently.

“Is that a threat?”

“If we yield, then Kingdom’s dignity…”

“But, if we leave someone of the Four Marquises’ blood out of Kingdom…”

The round-table suddenly got noisy.

“What is the supervision department’s plan?” Blaze asked the two old men. Of course, the supervision department also had an equal right to speak.

“The supervision department’s only concern is returning those of the Four Marquis lines back to Kingdom.”

“What do you think about dispatching magic users?”

“We don’t mind if magic users who aren’t needed to maintain the barrier are sent.”

“In short, the supervision department agrees…?”

For better or for worse, the supervision department thinks about maintaining the barrier.

“But, isn’t Wester being cowardly? In short, they’re holding young children from the Four Marquis lines as ransom and are asking us to send magic users in exchange for them. Comprise once, and it will happen again and again. Accepting their request easily won’t do for the future of Kingdom,” Earl Neville said. I know. Claire’s father, Neville, thinks of the big picture. Family is important to him, but so are the fief’s people, and the citizens of Kingdom. He is someone who will say what he has to say, even if he sympathises with me and feels pained over it.

Coulter, who had been silent until now, spoke. He governs the fief to the northwest of the capital, a fief bordering a lake and the Wellington Mountains. “And even if you send magic users, who are you going to send? Did you forget what happened 20 years ago? The Remington head would know since she was the one this incident concerned, but young heads, there aren’t many nobles who can channel their magic into barrier magic stones.”

I folded my arms and agreed with him in my head. There aren’t that many in the Albans family either. Instead, magic tool artisans had more magic powers.

“We don’t want anyone from the Four Marquises going out of Kingdom, no matter who they are,” a person from the supervision department said something unnecessary.

“In other words, to protect the Four Marquis lines, you want to send some other nobles who have magic?” Tucker muttered with anger.

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