Chapter 181: Joining an Engelsheft Family?
"As long as you understand…" she shrugged. "About Lady Yuna's condition, the physicians are working to stabilize her injuries. Thanks to your quick-thinking, her life should not be in danger."
Freon heaved a sigh of relief. He felt like a big weight had been lifted from his chest. Yuna's condition turned critical after she was attacked. She was originally a fragile girl that barely trained her body. Because the attacker was ruthless and intent on killing, his blade cut extremely deep. Her situation was too pitiful. However, Freon did not lose his cool.
His quick-thinking and ingenuity worked wonders here as he got his sister to use ice-type magic! Ice-type magic was a combination of two elemental-type magics, both water and wind, one of which was Nassandra's speciality. This was why her large-scale destruction spell, Torrential Blizzard, was an ice-type magic! Using this magic, Nassandra cooled Yuna's body temperature to stop the bleeding. This gave physicians enough time to act and heal her wounds, while Nassandra controlled thawing carefully. He likely saved Yuna's life!
"About the older gentleman you brought in… I cannot assess his condition."
The boy was dumbfounded. "Pardon me for asking, but what do you mean?"
"His physical condition is fine, so he should regain consciousness soon. But when I tried probing his Core, I found that I could not. He seems to have a magic set up that protects his Core."
"A magic that protects his Core?" Freon never heard of a spell like this.
"I haven't heard of one either," she added.
When she thought about it, she became more baffled. This type of magic was unheard of. Not because it was particularly difficult or new, but because its use was too specific. Why would someone willingly protect their Core? Arcania was a relatively new field and there were all sorts of spells being created every year. That said, she never heard of a magic that would directly target a Core. That seemed… roundabout? For example, say that you were fighting an Arcanist. Was it easier to kill them by attacking the body, or by attacking the Core? The answer was simple!
"Who is this gentleman?" Rosemary wondered with a smile. "I do not believe he is an ordinary character. How are you related to him?"
"He is my uncle Avin and an Arcanist. As for his Core Level, I'm afraid I don't know."
The woman restrained her urge to snort as that would be unladylike. Instead, she muttered, "Forget it. You can leave now. Don't worry, as long as they're here, no one will touch them."
Freon's face felt hot from the embarrassment. How could he not understand her words? Always knowing nothing… What use was he? But he was truly helpless here. He dressed an awkward smile and bowed before leaving. As soon as he stepped out, he saw his sister, Nassandra. The poor girl was obviously confused and concerned. She showed up right when their house collapsed and then she had to help keep Yuna alive through very delicate control of ice-type magic. If she said she was not exhausted, then she would be lying. Her head was already cutely drooping as she fought the urge to nap.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting," Freon smiled. "It took longer than I expected."
"Hmm?" Nassandra rubbed her eyes. "No problem, brother."
"Come on, I need to explain everything to you as well."
The two siblings sat down somewhere quiet, and Nassandra seemed hesitant. "Brother… Was that Uncle Avin I saw earlier?" She was too young when she last saw him, so it was understandable that she doubted her memory.
"No, it really is him," he said absentmindedly.
"Is he going to be alright?" Nassandra was worried.
"Ten Dawn Rosemary assured me that he would be fine. Remember to properly thank her later."
"That's great news!" Nassandra shouted excitedly. Having discovered another family member made her happy beyond belief. "I'll be sure to thank her!"
Suddenly, Freon turned solemn. "Nassandra, answer me honestly. Do you want to be stronger?"
Although he replied to Avin before, denying his attempt at unlocking Nassandra's Bloodline Ability, he realized it was overstepping his boundaries. He had to take into consideration her opinion as well. If she wanted to try, then he would do everything in his power to ensure she succeeded. If she did not, then no one in the world could make her! That was his pride as her older brother!
When she noticed her brother's stiff expression, she realized something was wrong. Thinking this, she became reflective. After some time, she whispered, "I don't know about the future me, but the current me doesn't want anything to change. I don't want to grow stronger. If I do, then I'll be forced to…" At the end, her voice became pin-drop quiet.
As her brother, his gaze turned eerily cold. The battle with the emperor left a deep trauma in Nassandra. She was forced to kill, not just one or two people, but hundreds on a massive scale to tip the scales of battle. Her magic became the focal point for a breakthrough! Yet not only did they eventually fail, but she and her partner faced a heavy backlash from overusing their magic. Because she fell unconscious at the key moment, most of the backlash was directed to Ten Dawn Tengon. Nassandra was not naïve. She knew that she doomed her partner and forced him to amputate his arm and quit being a Ten Dawn! She destroyed his future! That immense regret lodged itself deep into her heart. Indeed, as long as it existed, she might never progress any further!
Freon hugged her. "It's alright, Nassandra. I won't let anyone force you to do anything ever again."
Nassandra squeezed out a weak smile and wiped away her tears. Her brother always had a miraculous way of making her feel better.
"The reason why I ask is related to Uncle Avin," Freon sighed. "Do you remember the stories about the Arcellius Family, the one that disappeared decades ago?"
"You mean First Sage Serana Arcellius?"
"Good girl, you remembered your studies," the boy laughed while rubbing her cheeks. "To tell you the truth, our uncle is related to the Arcellius Family. He's… the Protector of the Arcellius Family!"
Her eyes and mouth widened exaggeratedly. "Really? How come? Why are we… Are we…?"
Freon nodded slowly. "Apparently, our father was one of the last remaining survivors of the Arcellius Family. That means that we're part of the Arcellius Family too. Because of that, our uncle tried to track us down in Firecast for quite some time. He wanted to nurture you properly, awaken your Bloodline, and make you become the next apex expert!"
Nassandra went into a daze. She did not know how to process this new information. After which, he narrated all the events from meeting Uncle Avin, to the Arcellius Family, to his triple-casting feat, to fending off the attackers, and finally to their house collapsing. Before he knew it, a lot of time had passed. Freon realized he may have been too hasty in telling his sister everything. But one had to admit, Nassandra was a strong girl. As a Ten Dawn, in a sense, she had long since matured into a fine adult. Her maturity was already leagues ahead of other girls her own age. She soon calmed down and took a deep breath.
She finally asked, "What are we going to do now?"
"That's a good question," Freon said plainly. Even he did not know what to do next. "Should we join one of those Engelsheft Families?"
To be honest, their status was unheard of. Nassandra was a Ten Dawn, but she was unaffiliated with any Engelsheft Family! Everyone understood that Magic Potential was a hereditary thing. It was intimately connected with the concept of Bloodlines. This was why an Engelsheft Family could consistently produce strong Arcanists and why their young descendants could dominate the First Celestial Magic University rankings! However, Nassandra was someone without any significant background. Despite that, she could command overwhelming Magic Potential that allowed her to reign supreme! On the other hand, Freon's case was far more normal and expected… Of course, now that their relationship with the Arcellius Family was revealed, this anomaly could be explained.
Before that though, many Engelsheft Families haggled Freon and Nassandra to join their families. These families valued bloodlines certainly, but Nassandra was like a unicorn, a prized piece of meat that anyone would fight over. Her future potential was too scary to imagine! In time, they might rise to become the premier family in the Zino Kingdom, taking that final vacancy among the Three Sages! If the rumors that she could become the future Conquestian were true, then their family would become the future rulers of the Zino Kingdom! While Gunther fought for scraps like Yuna, the top families fought for gold like Nassandra! If not for Freon's constantly declining any offer, and some subtle interference behind the scenes, then he might already belong to an Engelsheft Family!
Originally, he disliked the idea of joining a family. After all, they would be using her sister's status to elevate their own statuses. They would never really be treated as true members of the family and people would always look at them distantly. Who would willingly let themselves be used like that? He was not masochistic, and neither was his sister. He was content living his life as a commoner. He had no interest in the complex political power struggle over the capital! But Freon was no idiot because he realized the wisdom in Lady Rosemary's words. An Engelsheft Family offered protection as well! It made his head hurt, thinking about which was better.
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