Somewhere in the ErstMensch Theocracy territory.

Luke, the new Duke of Beaumont, with, at his side, Sebastian, Ferdinand, and Emilien, who were, respectively, the heads of the Faucher family and the head of the Bartholomeo family of Beaumont, entered an immense assembly room in which countless nobles from various corners of the world were already installed.

The room could clearly be seen divided into two parts, but these two parts too could be divided into several parts.

The first part of the room was where the most noble were installed. This part of the room represented the three powerhouses ruling over the Human Continent territory, the Altaira Kingdom, the Empire, and the Erstemensch theocracy.

As such, to respect the territorial origin of each noble present, that part of the room was divided into three, depending on where the nobles came from. Yet, despite that fact, the room was divided yet again. Depending on the importance of the nobles present, Luke and his comrades' seats would be placed in a much higher position than his lower-ranked counterpart.

The royal family sat on the highest seat of the Altaira Kingdom compartiment, and just a few feet lower than them, each on their individual podium, were the Dukes of the eight Duchies of Altaira and their vassals, and finally seated below them were the nobles from all corners of the Altaira kingdom.

Next to the corner dedicated to the Altaira Kingdom’s people was the corner dedicated to those of the Empire. With a disposition similar to those of the Kingdom, the Empire quartier had at its top a podium for those of the imperial family and the one and only Empress of the Empire, Anne-Lorie Meilen. Below the imperial podium were the 21 podiums belonging to the 21 archducal families of the Empire.

Last but not least, in the right corner of the room next to the empire corner were those of the Theocracy. Here, quite different from the Empire and the Kingdom dispositions, seven podiums were disposed in perfect alignment. Those belonged to those of the seven factions in charge of the ruling of the theocracy.

The second part of the room, on the other hand, was standing facing the first part, belonging to those of the ruling family. That corner solely belonged to the church. Just like its counterpart, several podiums could be seen, 15 to be exact. Of those, 14 belonged to the Seven Archbishops and Seven Holy Paladins of the church. The last one, more revered than the others, belonged to the Pontifex, supreme leader of the Cult of the Seven Apostles.

Below the fifteen thrones standing in the middle of the room was a podium made so that the orator leading the assembly could speak.

Luke and his comrades made their way to their podium; they got here quite early today, so many of the higher-ranking seats were still empty and awaiting their owners.

Upon reaching their podium, Luke caught sight of a fellow Duke who, like him, had come earlier than everyone.

Luke, followed by his comrade, made his way toward the nearby podium to greet his fellow Ducal leader.

"May the dazzling blessing of Kine, the flamboyant, be upon us, Duke Jovian." wished Luke with a genuine smile on his face.

"May it," Duke Jovian retorted silently, holding out his hand to Luke, for a handshake; "It has been a while, Duke Luke."The man teasingly smiled.

"It has been a while indeed, Lord Jovian. More than almost fourty years, I think. "

"To think that that small shrimp would be a Duke while I am still alive, I’m afraid time is running faster than I assumed I was."

"You jest Lord Jovian, you look almost as healthy as you used to."

"Oh, that’s only in appearance. I’m getting older with each passing second. "

"Just as we all are." This time the voice came from Emilien.

As if suddenly noticing the person who spoke, a silence took place.

"Thinking that I would be the only one from the old generation, it is a pleasure to meet you here old friend." the man said, shaking Emilien’s hand. "It has been a long time."

"Indeed, my friend."

"So how is she doing?" Jovian asked.

"She’s fine. Just as usual. " Instead of Emilien, it was Luke who responded.

"I see, that’s a good thing. And your father? "

"He's fine too. With me taking over, they finally rest, and spend more time together, but that being said, I must admit that it is very complicated to spend a healthy time with everything going around lately. "

"I think I can understand that."

At Jovian’s side, a woman who has been silent so far, appeared and greeted each one of them.

Luke knew who she was. She was Lady Miana Constance, the Duchess of the Duchy of Felicité. "With how our Duchy is, I once thought I had lost everything and everyone." Hiding shyly behind his mother’s skirt, a young boy emerged and came to her father's side.

"But thank God, it turned out I was wrong." He said, patting the boy’s head as he looked over the room filling up. "Let’s just hope that we will all be able to overcome those hard and harsh times."

***

Half an hour later.

With the conference room’s seats filled,

The fourteen: The Archbishops and the Holy Paladins were already present, each seated with the banner representing their family and their authority behind them.

Standing ontop of the podium in the middle of the room, a tall man announced

"I hereby declare open the Emergency First Grand Noble Assembly of the Human Continent's ruling and sovereign faction. At the convening of the First Grand Assembly, the Cult of the Seven Apostles has announced that I Rodrick Raegor will serve as a voice and ears for each party involved, at the request of both sovereign rulers of the Meilen Empire and the Altaira Kingdom."

"Before proceeding any further, it incomb to me, to remind and enumerate the topics of Grand Meeting forgathering nobles representing every corner of the continent."

"This meeting will first discuss: the damage caused by the known event, which will be referred to as the Seven Great Calamities in this case. We, too, will review the proposed proposal and submissions received from nobles during this Grand Assembly. Last but not least, we will discuss the concessions and endorsements that have been requested as a result of this catastrophic event known as the Seven Great Calamity, whether they are financial, logistical, or humanitarian. "

"Without any further ado, let us begin this grand assembly."

With those words, the meeting involving the most notable powerhouse in the human continent started.

As previously stated, it started with a discussion on the matter of the damage, both logistical and casualty-wise, caused by the apocalyptic event.

If one were to sum up the situation in one word, it would be catastrophic. The number of casualties is in the millions, and the material destruction is unprecedented.

Among the seven calamities, the wind, lightning, water, and light calamities were the ones responsible for the majority of deaths and destruction on the continent.Though the other dragons were in no way less responsible, they, to some extent, appeared to be avoiding inflicting damage to the best of their ability. The majority of the casualties reported for the other dragons were caused by earthquakes and other cataclysms caused by their colossal size.The three worst ones, on the other hand, were openly destructive, burning and ravaging everything in their path like an evil and sentient tornado.

The Altaira Kingdom, like the Empire and the Theocracy, had suffered their fair share of hell, for all the seven dragons behind the seven qualities were progressing south, which the Altaira Kingdom happened to be.

Among the eight duchies of the Altaira Kingdom, three of the eight duchies had their capital and their source of income partially wiped out of the map,

Timbencourt, Florence, and Viermont, those three Duchys, had the misfortune to be where the three worst paths converged.

The duchy of Beaumont, led by Luke, happened to be where the seven Calamities' paths ultimately converged, before they made their way toward the Iharana forest.

Due to the crescent shape of the Duchy of Beaumont, Luke’s Duchy capital, Beaufort, was lucky enough to not be in the path of the seven calamities. Though there was no direct confrontation between the capital and the disasters, the earthquakes that they brought with them did not fail to destroy everything in their path.Furthermore, numerous cities and towns scattered across the territory in their path were completely engulfed.

Luke has not been Duke for long, but the destruction of his duchy and the continent was like nothing having been seen before. A few years ago, their duchy did face a crisis of this sort involving the barrier being breached, but this was like nothing seen before.

Having finished summarizing the damage sustained by every duchy and archduchy of each of the three states, the man leading the speech started to tackle the second topic.

It took the man several hours to abord the first topic. That was just how collosal it was to not even hold within the summary of one hour straight. The second one, too, went on in the same fashion, for hours straight.

Luke knew the importance of this meeting, but he couldn’t help but feel sleepy for him, just like most around him felt something was amiss, as if things were dragged on purpose. Sighs could be heard across the room. To them, the orator seemed to ramble on indefinitely, and if they were focused enough, they could hear tongue clicks reverberating across the room from time to time.

Deep down, almost everyone present was hoping that someone would put an end to this, but thus far, nothing has happened yet. But just as some had lost hope of that happening, it did.

"In regard of the demand of propositi-"

A ringing bell sound cut the man's speech short, but it also somehow woke everyone out of their slumber. Following where the ring bell came from, all fell upon a woman.

There was a reason, for everyone's silence. It was not that they had nothing to say. Deep down, everyone, especially, those who suffered the most from the calamity, was waiting for the opportunity to vent out what they had to say, but they knew that they, as the hierarchical order was expecting of them, couldn’t simply interrupt this gathering, so they waited.

--Waited for the Empress Anne-Lorie or King Charle to speak so that they would be able to voice their honest opinion.

But quite unexpectedly, the one ringing the bell wasn’t the Empress nor the king, but rather someone at the lower podiums.

Though the seats below those of the ducal representative were quite mixed, there was a certain hierarchical order to them.

The one ringing the bell was on the upper part of the seat in the Theocracy corner of the room.

Many eyes in the room recognized at a glance whose emblem that person wore.

Standing up, the woman spoke clearly and loudly so that everyone in the room could hear, "Mathilda, representing the Conglomerate Douglas, may I briefly interrupt this speech, to voice my clear and honest opinion."

A wave of laughter reverberates across the room.

The man, upon the sudden interruption, was quite lost as to what to do since he did expect to be cut short by either the King or the Empress but not by that person, so he wasn’t sure as to whether or not he was to allow that person to voice her opinion.

The orator, hesitating, glanced back toward the archbishops' podium in search of an answer, but found none.

"Since no protest has been voted, then allow me to voice out what I do think."

Just as she was about to speak out, someone from the Archbishop interrupted her.

"Lady Mathilda, was it? There is a time to speak one’s opinion and one when one shall not. "

The one who spoke was Gregor Medvedick, the Archbishop in charge of Djeem the Accursed authority and a member of the Whitely family of the Seven Great Noble families.

"So, your Grace Archbishop Medvedik, should I conclude that I am refused this oration?"

A wave of muffled whining, along with an eruption of "Oooh," reverberated across the room.

Everyone in the room knew who that woman represented and what nickname her family went by, which is probably why some in the crowd were surprised to see her interrupting this reunion so abruptly.

"There is-'' just as the Archbishop was about to say something, he was interrupted by another voice.

"As my fellow Medvedik, Lady Mathilda there is a time to voice one's opinion and there is one that is not, but since you already interpreted the course of this meeting, please do proceed. I am highly curious as to what the representative of the very estimated Douglas Family has to say that is worth interrupting a meeting of this caliber. "

"I’m highly grateful for your Grace, the Archbishop Ezekiel’s solicitude." "I shall make it quick then. Being a noble in name only and of commoner origins, I would like, since I'm allowed to, to give today my perspective on what is going on with this meeting, and what I expect of it," the woman announced as she stood up.

"It's been two months since the dragons, or the Great Calamities, as the Church calls them, left the human continent. I am grateful to King Charles Altair and Empress Anne-Lorie for their assistance in organizing this grand meeting, as the catastrophe is beyond the capabilities of a duchy or simply a kingdom to handle. This is not a problem to be solved individually, but rather as a group effort. The victim of these events is not an organization or an individual, but humanity itself. As such, I deem it is natural that we gather today in the darkest hours to talk about that. As a representative of the Douglas family and a citizen of the human continent, I am grateful and appreciate the effort and the intent behind this Grand Gathering. "

She took a long pause before continuing, "But, I as an individual, have a few complaints concerning this assembly."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

A wave of reaction rippled across the room.

As a result, I will only discuss what bothers me as an individual, emphasizing that this is merely my personal opinion and does not reflect the position of my Douglas family.

"My complaint is to be directed to an organization in particular," Looking up toward the Church’s highest-ranking executive, then to the representative of the seven Great Families, she announced boldly, "It has been two months since those events that shook the continent in its entirety, two months since we were freed of the dragon’s tyranny, but though some of you might perceive these two months as a long period for those who experienced those events directly or indirectly, these two months aren’t perceived as a long period, or at least, not long enough for people to have forgotten. The lack of communication from the Church, who is supposedly the shield and the armed hand of humanity, is concerning for the little men. "

"Our family has branches throughout the human continent, and so far, since the first minutes after the event's conclusion, our Douglas family has been involved in many humanitarian, logistical, and even financial aid throughout the continent; I will admit proudly and loudly here, there was no selfless intention behind those actions; we simply believe that our greatest asset is people's trust."

"As such, considering this thrust as my family's most valuable asset, I deem it fair that today, I expose my most sincere and unwavered opinion to this assembly."

"Five years and four months ago, the event of the Night Ecarlate took place, causing a massive exodus from the southern part of the human continent, the Beaumont Duchy, causing hundreds of thousand people to exod toward the capital, in search of safety. That day, during that event, no explanation whatsoever was provided, therefore rumors. The only reason the situation didn’t get out of hand that day was due to the presence of the Holy Paladin Aubrecht in the capital Duchy of Beaumont, and the active effort from each of the five great families of Beaumont when it came to the territory and population management. "

"This time, not to sound very judgemental, but the same thing is happening once again. Two months have passed, people, nobles and commoners alike, are licking their wounds. What people need the most right now is to be reassured; I’m sure that among nobles present there are many who can agree with me."

Rumbling, many among the crowd, if not the entire majority, agreed.

"Right now some, —No, many are still unsure whether or not the dragons will return. This thought of that happening is seeping rampant among both my fellow commoners and my fellow nobles. What I’m asking you, gentlemen of the Church, to understand how low one’s morale can be when trying to rebuild in these conditions. It feels halfly pointless, for it gives the impression that what one is rebuilding can be swayed to smithereens like it was once swayed on that day these dragons breached your barrier. "

"In these darkest ages, what people need the most is hope, a torch, a bonfire to rally around." Whether it is truth or lies, I do sincerely hope my point got across. "

I don't want to appear impolite by interrupting this grand gathering, but I felt it was necessary to make my point.If my words, in any form, did offend some people, then consider me sorry, but I still hope you got my point rightfully across. That’s going to be all for me. "

A wave of applause rippled across the room, even from the upper layer of the room where the Ducal and royal members were.

Surprisingly, there was applause from one of the Highbishop's seats.

Once it had calmed down, the Archbishop Ezekiel was about to give a speech in answer to Mathilda’s, only to be outstripped by yet another ringing bell.

This time, the bell ringing came from somewhere in the upper layer of the Empire Podium.

"If there is someone in this room from my empire, who feels offended by the point you brought on today, then I shall personally set him on the right path, for there is no doubt that person isn’t in his right mind. "

"I believe I have no need to introduce myself. First and foremost, I’d like to address my thanks to Lady Mathilda for the help your Douglas family has dispatched throughout our territory in response to the event of the seven calamities. Your help was most valuable, but you also have my thanks for having stepped forward during this "assembly." You may consider yourself a noble in name only, but in my empire you and your family will always be considered the highest-ranking nobles more than anyone who I thought was worthy to be called noble in this room.``

A long and heavy silence filled the room.

With a small child of merely one year old on her lap, the one who spoke was the sole ruler of the Empire, Anne-Lorie Meilen.

"Does the Empress have, just like Lady Mathilda, anything to comment on too?" The Archbishop Ezekiel commented with a grin on his face, since the Empress didn’t let go of the bell in her hand.

"Of course, I do. Since no one has dared so far to point it out, I find myself with no choice but to do it myself. Allowing myself to, I must ask how come the one that is the most expected when we requested this assembly is nowhere to be seen? "

These words fell like glass onto the ground.

Many of the eyes in the room went from an empty seat placed on the top of the church’s podium to Mathilda. Her previous words about the world needing someone to act as a lantern couldn’t be more true, making more than a sense. Yet, the one that was the most suited to act as that lantern was missing.

The Pontifex.

It has been decades since that person has made his last appearance. With the recent events unfolding, it should’ve forced him to make a public appearance, yet it has been 2 months since no words came out, not even an announcement of any kind.

The Empress and the King weren’t even notified specifically that person would be absent.

To the empress's question, many faces among the Fourteen turned grim. Only four or five had managed to keep a somewhat indifferent face.

"So Dear, Church executives, may we, the people, receive a semblance of answers or is it an inappropriate time to ask that question?"

To the empress's insistence, Archbishop Ezekiel, stood up to announce something important, immediately followed by the other fourteen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, to answer Lady Anne-Lorie's question, I have the regret to announce that the Pontifex of the Church, 40th of the name, went to eternal sleep."

An uproar raged in the room.

Eternal sleep is for nobles the equivalent of a natural death for commoners, with the only difference being that a noble body doesn’t decay as a commoner would, so to differentiate the two, the noble refer to it as an eternal sleep rather than a death.

Though the announcement caused some uproar at the lower levels, it came as no surprise to many, including the Empress, the King, and even many of the Ducal representatives.

"I see. Then may I ask, when exactly did the Pontifex go to eternal sleep?" The empress said.

"It was less than a decade and a half ago."

This time, chaos completely erupted in the room.

Even the empress, who wasn’t particularly surprised at the pontiff's death announcement, was taken aback by what she just heard.

"That’s more... May I ask when exactly did you plan to announce this news to the continent?"

"Just with each generation, it has been planned that the Pontiff's death would be announced upon the next one, chosen."

How is the pontiff chosen? That’s a very complicated question to answer, as little to no one knows how the pontiff election is made. In fact, it is not even confirmed whether a pontiff is chosen, voted, or even appointed. This has always been the greatest secret of the Church. The little that is known about each Pontiff is that he is always someone emerging from the Seven Great Families. It was the same case with the now deceased Pontiff, who was born into the Ezekiel family, became pontiff, then gave birth to two children, who are now, respectively, an Archbishop and a Holy Paladin of the Church.

"So you’re telling me that after more than one decade after his Eternal Sleep, no one has been chosen yet to be the next pontiff."

"Yes."

"Then, may I ask one final question, regarding this matter. When exactly do you think a new pontiff is to be appointed? "

"We have no precise date, but I believe that a new pontiff is to be nominated in the next five upcoming years. During that time frame, it is I, Earl Ezekiel, who will take over the role of honorary Pontiff of the Church. If you do have anything to address to the pontiff, it is to me that his duty will imcomb. "

With these words, each of the fourteen returned to their seats.

What happened suddenly and transgressed was so fast-paced that some couldn’t quite fathom what happened. Many among the people present didn’t like the turn things had suddenly taken. Some even felt insulted, but they had no say in how the leaderboard of the church was made or chosen.

"I see, I suppose this matter is settled then." The empress said she did not want to continue any further on this topic. "Then allow me to voice my second, let’s say, complaint."

"Please, do let us hear it?"

"In the announcement, you did earlier mention "submission" and "proposals" and planned to finally end the assembly with a talk about "concession" and "endorsement" that is to be made, right?" The empress directed her words not to the fourteen but rather to the orator.

"Yes, your grace," the man mumbled, not expecting to be the center of attention again.

"As I thought, but before me and my fellow Mellanian waste another several hours in this room, I must ask who exactly is supposed to make the endorsement, and concession? Us from the leading faction? The Empire? The Kingdom? Or are those gentlemen from the council of Seven." Anyone present could feel the difference in tone in the empress's voice.

"That is something to discuss at... this assembly…" The man responded shyly, unsure of what to say.

"My earlier question is still standing." Standing up from her chair, she said, "I can understand the concept of endorsement and concession in those hard times, but to whom is the church expecting to make concessions? Will it be me, my empire, my people? Or who? I think we do have the right to an answer. Don’t you think, King Charles? "

The man who had been silent since the beginning, who also happened to be the most important person in the Kingdom of Altair, finally said, "I do agree with Lady Anne-Lorie on this matter. I do not expect a say from the gentlemen of the council of seven, but as the main investigators of the Grand Assembly, Lady Anne-Lorie and myself deems it right that our questions are to be answered. "

A heavy silence took place before Archbishop Durant Sunniva gave the speech.

"If I were to respond to Lady Anne-Lorie's question, the endorsement and concession we're referring to are of a logistical and financial nature. For the time being, the most pressing need is to rebuild what has been destroyed, for lives lost cannot be replaced. "

"You did not answer my question, Archbishop Sunniva. Who is going to pay for this?"

"With this incident involving humanity as a whole, it is natural that this matter is discussed jointly, as it is expected today during this assembly together, and responsibility is shared. It goes without saying that the church intends to play a significant role in the upcoming rebuilding."

"Significant role, huh?" Holding her child in her hand, she said, "Dear, nobles from every corner of the continent, especially those who were victims of the calamities, today I have a question for you."

"Was the event of the seven calamities your fault?"

For several seconds straight, no one answered, but then someone from the Ducal podium of Tibencourt answered with a strong and faintly angered voice, "No."

Prompted by the first "declaration," a torrent of other strong "No" flooded the room.

Satisfied with the answers following, the Empress continued, "Then whose responsibility is it?"

"Empress Anne-Lorie, It is not time to point fingers at each other. " A voice from the Fourteenth's seat said.

Oblivious to the voice, the Empress went on, "Is there any noble here whose land was burned, flooded because they didn’t accomplish his duty? Let me answer for you, No, there weren’t. We all present here are victims. Every human of the human continent is a victim. That is a fact. "

"But the fact that we are all victims doesn’t mean that there aren’t people to be held accountable."

"Empress Anne-Lorie!"

"Allow me to finish, where I rule. If someone is caught stealing, he is to be relieved of his hand. But if that person is caught stealing beyond the guard's surveillance, then the guard, whose job it is to guard one’s property, is to be relieved of one of his fingers. It is each individual's duty to uphold the obligation he settled upon, and anyone deserves to be held accountable for failing to do so.

"Two months ago, the barrier held to protect us from monsters was breached, by, let’s call it by its true name, dragons, not once or twice, but seven times, causing ravage never seen before across all the continent."

"If you are wondering what my point is, then let me expose it clearly as both the Empress of the Meilen and as a parent. We are all noble. We pay tribute to the church because we believe the church represents what we truly believe in. Not even once did we fail. If someone did, he would’ve paid the price for it. Our tribute, all the sacrifices we made throughout the years, was because we, just like our forefathers before us, believed that your barrier was inviolable and trustworthy. This has been proven true until two months ago. Today you have before your eyes nobles who have lost families, brothers, sisters, and even maybe children. Though I didn’t lose them, I was close to losing two children in the Holy Capital, children I peed and shat blood to give birth to.

"Language please, your highness!"

"-because someone was not able to uphold his duty. Believe me, I’m a ruler as much as I am a human, I understand that holding those monstruosities was beyond our capability, but I expect more than you, who are supposed to represent us nobility in the common people’s eyes, rather than a bunch of flashy people running away from their responsibility. "

"We are not running away from our responsibility."

"Indeed, perhaps you aren't, but the fact that some of you refuse to call these dragons breaching the barrier and wreaking havoc on the continent by their true name and refer to them as "calamities" implies, at least to me, an attempt to bury your responsibility under the pretense that, like a calamity, a natural disaster, there was nothing you could've done about it."

"So now, you are saying that we are dodging our responsibility?"

"The interpretation is up to you, I do not intend to elaborate any further in that regard. But if I were to explain things in simpler terms, it is not about you not being able to uphold your duty, it’s about you failing to uphold your duty and refusing to take full accountence of the matter. From here I rest my case, hoping that my point went across."

The Empress was about to take back her seat when the voice called her out.

"So do the Empress have a suggestion she would have for us?"

"I do not. But if I were to voice one random thought that comes to mind, it would be for you to take full responsibility for the destruction brought upon the continent. After all, the financial aspect of this won’t be too much of a problem for you all. If I were to voice a second suggestion, it would be for you to make a public apology addressed to every human on the human continent. That would certainly address the situation on several aspects. For we of the leading faction are currently buried with work while trying to keep the populace’s wrath in check. Of course, if you think you can’t afford it, which I believe is the case, given how missing the only person who should’ve been the most suitable for this. "

"If I were to voice a third and last suggestion, it would be to give a meaning to people’s sacrifice. Those who witnessed the dragon's might saw something beyond us nobles, beyond you the Fourteen, and, as proven seven times, beyond your holy barrier itself.The day would come when the people would be tired of mourning their deaths and would search for a way to give their loved ones' deaths meaning through chaos, that day, believe me, the situation would be out of hand. Do it yourself before they start looking for a meaning for their loved one's death elsewhere. As Lady Mathilda previously stated, whether it is a pile of lies or not, so long as it serves its purpose. Anyway, this is all for me. I do not intend to partake any further in this gathering, but I will remain because it is my duty and my responsibility. "

A rumble of applause reverberated across the room, some of which came quite unexpectedly from several seats among the fourteen.

With these words, the empress returned to her seat along with her child. She was done saying what she had to say. The rest was up to the others.

Needless to say, after both women’s interventions, the rest of the ambiance of the assembly was completely different.

The assembly was about to return to normal when suddenly another ringing bell interrupted. This time it came from the podium of the Royal Family.

A man took speech. That man was the King of Altaira, Charle Altair.

"Not that the Empress had touched on the matter that I wished to tackle on myself, I think, that now, it dawned upon me to ask about the last subject that I would like to bring upon this assembly myself, a subject that I am quite frustratedly missing from the main subject that is to be approached on during this meeting."

"Now that the Empress has addressed the subject to which I had wished to speak, I believe I am left with the duty of addressing the last subject that I found, quite frustratingly, absent from the main subject that will be discussed during this Grand Assembly."

Mumbling to themselves and their neighbors, many were wondering as to what it could be, missing the dark and grim face taken by the majority among those present in the Archbishop's Seat.

"The subject I wish to discuss is the Children of Light, or more specifically, where they all went, because as far as I know, my nation has not even taken a single one in custody for years now; what about you, what about yours, Emperess Anne-Lorie?"

"None, my dear. Just like the Altaira Kingdom, my Meilein Empire never received custody of a single child of light in years. "

These words hit like thunder on a cloudless day.

It marked the true beginning of a long, very long Grand Assembly that gathered nobles representing every corner of the continent.

***

At the end of the grand assembly, Luke, trying to catch up with a certain someone, hurried himself toward the exit.

It was someone he had no opportunity to talk with since that night of the incident. This was the first time he had seen her since then. That person was Mathilda, the one who raised him along with his cousins like her own child, but most importantly, she was the one who raised that child like her own. And since then, when the child was taken away from her, no matter how many letters Luke sent, not even once did she reply back.

Luke knew that it would be wise to not have any contact with her anymore, but to him she was still a mother figure.

Reaching the exit veranda, Luke saw Mathilda boarding a carriage. He was about to call out, but then he froze in place the moment his eyes stumbled upon a familiar face which even despite the distance, he instantly recognized.

It was a woman.

The woman welcomed Mathilda in the carriage, before, looking in Luke's direction. At that moment, Luke was sure and certain about that person's identity.

The hair color was different, but no doubt it was her.

The woman looked at him curiously from inside the same carriage, soon followed by Mathilda, who was next to take notice of Luke's presence.

Luke, who wanted to have a word with Mathilda, ultimately chose to do nothing till their carriage left.

After a while, a hand reached out for his shoulder and said, "Luke, what happened?" The one asking was his Uncle Emilien, who, along with the head family of the Bartholomeo and the Faucher, were talking with several other people.

"You’re okay, Luke? You look pale." the head of the Faucher family asked.

"Yes, everyone. I’m fine."

"Is that so? Anyway, Luke, there are people I would like to introduce personally to you. Since both of you just rose to each of your respective Ducal thrones, this must be the first time for you two to meet as Dukes. My friend and I were talking about a certain something that person would like to discuss with you."

A glance at the people whom they talked to, an instant earlier, Luke realized who the head of the Faucher family was talking about.

These people were from Tibencourt, so the one who he most likely was referring to was Lord Victor Lawrence, the Duke of Tibencourt.