"Hmph. You are always one to mince words, General Osborne. Not all of us have that silver tongue of yours. Either way, we need to remain vigilant during this coming week. It would be great for the ceremony to go without mishap, but strange things have been happening in our country as of late. And I'm not talking about the movement of those nobles.", Matteus responded without remorse. Amongst the commanding officers here, he had the most stern look out of them all. He was much more stern than Father is, but he had a lot of weight to carry.
After all, Matteus Vander here is the headmaster of the Vander School of Swordsmanship. Not only that, he is the current strongest swordsman in not only Erebonia, but the entire continent. I wouldn't mind learning a thing or two from him, given the opportunity. I doubt even Father can match up to Sir Vander here, if they held a one versus one duel. This guy was The Hulk in human form. Even Rean and Kurt during their training excursion in Reverie couldn't hold up against him. Rean had to use his entire party to fight on equal footing, and that was four against one!
And I'm pretty sure Lady Aurelia here also is learning swordsmanship from Matteus. Not only from him either, she's also learning from the guy beside Matteus, who was Victor Arseid, the second strongest current swordsman. Both of them often butted heads in duels. I saw a hint of worry in Sir Vander's eyes, and it isn't often you get to see that.
"You mean that beast that showed up on the outskirts of Roer yesterday? We've received several sighting reports already.", General Craig stated, only to shift his eyes toward Giliath. "And I saw it was already taken out by none other than you.", General Craig continued, rubbing his orange beard slightly.
"You mean that gigantic fiery wolf reported in the news? I've heard the nobles have already started to spin tales that it was slain by them, taking the reward for themselves. Are you saying it was killed by you, General Osborne?", Aurelia asked, gaining interest. The gigantic fiery wolf, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if the nobles in the surrounding area, which should be serving House Rogner, were trying to take the credit for themselves. They're referring to Agnagarn. There must have been a reporter or two from a far distance, taking some photos of the slain beast before it vanished. I'm not sure it captured the Witches, but Father likely made a headliner in the papers. I hadn't had a chance to read it, but just hearing their words here, I didn't need to.
"The very same wolf. After cross-referencing some documents and from a source I will refrain from identifying due to personal request, I found out that these beasts are called Cryptids. They manifest whenever the Septium Veins beneath the earth grow rampant. Most are out of our control, but they do serve a good challenge.", Giliath replied, still reminiscing of the fight he had just a day prior. I can't believe it's only been a day since Father had slain that Cryptid. It's already creating waves around Erebonia. "And I fear there may be more scenarios like this happening in our near future, we are entering a time unknown to us. It will be tumultuous, and in response, the land around us may react to it. I know you've gathered us here today, Your Highness. You did well by doing so.", Giliath continued.
"I've heard of the same. And on top of this surfacing, I've also heard rumors spreading through Western Zemuria of an organization hidden in the shadows. I do not know why they are gathering such individuals, but I was able to come across a name. They call themselves, Ouroboros.", Crown Prince Eugent stated, revealing a frown.
"Ouroboros...A group of individuals pretending to be snakes?", Giliath uttered to himself.
"I'm not so sure of them myself. I have people looking into their whereabouts right now. As long as they don't attempt anything funny, it won't be our main item of action. A lot of people are going to gather, it'll be hard enough keeping order within the capital while it happens. I don't know what would happen if something goes wrong during the ceremony. No one would be brazen enough to attempt such a thing, especially since the Septian Church will be present.", Crown Prince Eugent responded.
He was right, only an idiot would launch an attack where several powerful and influential figures gathered together. I won't lie, assassination attempts aren't a foreign concept to Zemuria. This land is wrought with political strife, some countries doing far more worse than Erebonia. Father ends up getting shot by Crow during Cold Steel One, Emperor Eugent gets shot by Ash in Cold Steel Three. A full blown coup d'état happens during the games in Trails in the Sky, and while it didn't directly involve any form of attack on Her Majesty the Queen, it had severe implications that brought turmoil to Liberl following it. This in particular won't take place until around late S1202.
"So we need to stay wary throughout this week until what is planned concludes. Now it's making sense as to why you've heightened the security level to its limits.", Giliath responded, acknowledging Crown Prince Eugent's words.
Just like that, everyone was in agreement causing the atmosphere to lessen, albeit ever so slightly. Heimdallr was in sight. The car ride wasn't that far, as Trista was directly neighboring the capital city. The ride didn't last an hour. I had interest in using Vermillion Eyes to observe everyone present here, especially Aurelia. But I've already come to learn how leveling works, since I had received some unexpected level ups from that Emergency Quest. I doubt anyone here was close to my level.
I saw Detection change again, and it only allows me to Detect my targets with a cap of ten level difference. I was Level 10 now, so that meant I could Detect up to a 10 level difference, which was Level 20. Since Father had re-adjusted his strength back to his normal level, if I used Detection on him now, I bet I'd just see a bunch of question marks. It's likely his true strength was already at the Level Cap, 250. I'm sure these folks around me were in a similar position. Perhaps not that high of a level, but powerful enough to make Detection be rendered useless.
So I opted to not use Vermillion Eyes here. It did upgrade to not make me feel that immense pressure placed on my eyes, but I turned them off after getting into the car after Matteus commented about them. I simply didn't see a need to use this skill right now. I don't want to constantly see my life from a game, haha! It's great having the ability to turn this on and off. It doesn't make you feel bound by this System, so I was truly grateful for that.
"Exactly. That is why I have gathered you all here today. What has transpired has already transpired, so it's more protection than anything. I do apologize if I am disturbing your ongoing schedules. It will only be for a couple of days, in return, you all will be allowed to stay in Valflame Palace. That also includes you, little one. I'm sure you and Olivert here can get along during the short visit. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to bring one of your kids, General Osborne. But with what His Majesty has requested, it does make sense. You will have your audience with him in due time, so please relax until then.", Crown Prince Eugent said to me, causing my eyes to light up.
"Really?", I replied with growing anticipation. I looked back at the golden-blonde haired boy seated beside me.
"Haha, I look forward to spending some time with you, young one.", Olivert said, nodding his head. The other commanding officers nodded their heads to our words. Aurelia's gaze grew interested, landing on me again. Now that I think about it, I haven't introduced myself, have I? Seeing everyone now looking my way, including Father, I figured this was the time to introduce myself to them.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I know I've met a couple of you already, but once again, it is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Naoto Osborne, firstborn of General Osborne. I turned three earlier this year. Father has already begun my training. I don't know if I will follow in his footsteps and become a soldier, but I hope to get along with you all like this for the time being. I'll try not to get in your way.", I said, introducing myself, and kept my tone formal. A few raised their eyes. After all, I was still just a little kid, I doubt they were expecting me to speak so fluently. Even Crown Prince Eugent smiled after regaining his composure from his surprise.
"Haha! I wasn't expecting you to be that young. Naoto, was it? You sure have stayed busy these last couple years, General.", Crown Prince Eugent said, revealing a smug grin on his lips. Even Olivert chimed in, nodding his head again.
"I know, right? What do they call this...Like father like son?", Olivert mused. And yet, as for Aurelia, her eyes grew cold, seeing how young I was. I saw this subtle change, and couldn't help but grow curious.
Aurelia was very proud of the strength she held. Seeing me step into the picture, did she feel threatened by my genius? I know normal kids can't speak like I can, let alone start training this early in martial arts. If I wasn't a genius, then what am I? Did Aurelia feel her current position as one of the most feared students in Thors Military Academy falter?
I wasn't sure, I simply smiled back at her.