Chapter 18: Tri Alliance and war

Kane was not in the mood for any more drama, so he stood up and walked toward the gate, leaving the screaming Blake behind. Outside the chamber, a guard in white led him back to the long corridor. Crossing it, he found the old assistant waiting for him.

The old assistant bowed to him. "Young sir, you need to get ready to attend the family dinner."

"Click! Forget about that. Why don't you lead me to a quiet room instead and also—"

The old assistant cut in, "Young sir, that won't do. The first lady especially called for you to attend the meeting."

Kane looked dead into the old man's eyes. "Who are you to tell me what I can do or not?"

The old man did not back down. "Sir, it's not me but the First Lady. I am merely following orders."

Kane had this impulse to kick the guy, but he took some deep breaths to calm himself down. That was the problem. He was not like Drake, who could maintain a poker face during most of the meeting. Nay, it was already hard for him to control himself in the meeting and not smack Blake.

Then there was Drake's problem. He knew their souls would most probably change during the family dinner. Up till this point, Drake sure controlled his emotions, but at the family dinner, the 3 people directly responsible for his condition would be there. It was hard to say if Drake could control himself in front of them.

He did not want to create more complications for both of them before entering the Academy. He just walked ahead. "I have no plan to attend the dinner. Just lead me to my room."

The old man tried hard to convince him, but he did not budge at all. Finally, the old assistant backed down and showed him his room.

It was a bland room with a single bed. He jumped on the bed and said to the old assistant, "Collect all the books from the hall and also inform Alex to meet me here."

The old man bowed to him and hurriedly rushed out of the room.

Drake's voice came, [I thought you like drama. What happened now?]

Kane rubbed his forehead. <Nah, it's already too much for the day. It's better if we don't create any trouble before registering with the academy.>

[Hmm, good call there. It was shocking to see you controlling that craziness of yours in the meeting.]

[Sigh, so Kane, why don't you tell me about the mana art and academy? I don't know why, but I have this doubt that Alex might not come.]

<It's not a doubt. From the meeting, we know at least none in the family cares about us, and there's a high chance that they will ignore our existence altogether. It's temporarily better.>

[Why?]

[Yeah, you told me that anyone below copper potential will go to the soldier academy while those with copper or above will join the military academy.]

<Okay, but now I remember one more thing. The most important thing about joining the academy is the age. Remember, you told me that the mana test happened at the age of 13.>

[Yeah, but nothing happened after that test.]

<No, the thing is if your potential comes below copper, then you have to join the soldier academy that starts at the age of 13 and is for 10 years. While the military academy starts at 16 and is only for 5 years.>

[Oh, it's like that.]

[Yeah, once a teacher told me how wars are going on between the Alliance, vampires, and orcs.]

<That's not even the bare basics. In the novel, there's a mention of the history of the world, and it was said that the world became what it is today due to three calamities.>

[Three calamities! I never heard of them.]

[I know about them. From the gates, vampires, orcs, elves, dwarfs, and mana beasts came to Earth. From that point, all these creatures started fighting to get control over Earth's resources. Vampires and orcs are on the stronger side, and to defend against them, dwarfs and elves formed an alliance with the native species that were humans.]

<Correct. At the start, they form the alliance on the basis that Elves and dwarfs teach humans how to use mana. In return, humans will confront Orc and vampires. 1000 s of years passed and with time, the situation of the alliance changed. Right now, the leader of the Alliance is the Council.>

[Oh are you talking about TAC?]

<What's TAC?>

[Tri Alliance council. I only knew that a few very powerful people formed this council, and they controlled the whole alliance.]

[Ah, someone sure mentioned in the meeting something about seat holders. So Duisberg's family is a seat holder.]

Drake asked in a dread tone, [Don't tell me my father is part of TAC 12 members.]

He shook his head, <I don't know who is the member, but that person can't be your father. TAC members represent the pinnacle of power. Do you seriously think your father is that strong? Most of the TAC members never appeared in public for hundreds of years. That can't be your father.>

[Ah 100 of years. Can Humans live that long?]

[Okay, so what are you saying about Seat holders?]

<Yeah, so Seat holders are like lords of the land. TAC distributed most of the area in the alliance among 12 seat holders, giving them significant authority. But remember, they are not the only influential entities. There are a few powerful organizations capable of challenging the seat holders' influence, and one of those organizations is the Academies.>