"Let's not talk about this anymore." Mut waved his hand, his gaze turning to Hafka and Sola, who were deliberately sitting in a corner of the room to minimize their presence.
The siblings noticed they were being watched, and habits formed through years of noble etiquette training made them unconsciously adjust their posture to appear more dignified in front of others.
However, this extremely subtle movement was all caught by Mut, who was deliberately observing.
After inwardly confirming his suspicions, Mut signaled to several servants in the room.
Under the tacit understanding formed through long service, the servants instantly grasped their young master's meaning and withdrew from the room one by one.
The head butler, walking last, didn't forget to tightly close the room's door when leaving, creating a private discussion setting for the young master and his guests.
Inside the room.
Mut stood up from his chair, confirmed once more that no one was outside the door, then walked directly toward Hafka and Sola's position.
Walking unhurriedly to the siblings, Mut first placed one hand on his chest and performed an extremely standard greeting commonly used among nobles of the Northern Nations, then gazed at the two with a smile, waiting for their response.
"Sigh..."
Hafka, as the elder brother, sighed. The identity he wanted to conceal was ultimately exposed.
Helplessly, the siblings had to stand and return a completely different etiquette to Mut.
"As I thought."
Seeing this noble etiquette popular in the Central Nations region, Mut understood completely.
"Both guests are nobles from the Royal Capital, aren't you? May I know your family names?"
"That... let's forget about it."
Hafka somewhat stiffly refused this topic, saying in a bland tone: "We're merely travelers accompanying Lady Serie on her journey."
"To witness the pinnacle of magic, and to start new lives in new places."
"As for past families and origins... please forgive me for not wanting further contact with them."
"I see." Mut pursed his lips and nodded, somewhat at a loss for words.
The direction of the conversation seemed to deviate considerably from his expectations.
Logically, even noble family members who were ostracized within their families should show some pride when mentioning their family names.
Even in the worst circumstances, there should still be a few topics to discuss.
But someone like Hafka who completely refused to mention this exceeded Mut's expectations, leaving him uncertain how to continue the conversation.
After thinking for a moment, Mut first apologized: "Sorry, I didn't know you were unwilling to mention the past."
"No problem, this is my issue, not your fault." Hafka wasn't displeased, but his reply remained cold.
At this moment, although no one had erupted into verbal conflict, the atmosphere in the room was oppressively gloomy.
Mut's throat moved several times, probably wanting to say something but not knowing how to start. Helplessly, he could only turn to Gut for help.
Gut nodded in agreement, stood up and moved Mut's chair over, saying: "Whatever you want to say, you might as well sit down first."
After seating all three people, the atmosphere on the scene warmed somewhat, no longer as tense and confrontational as before.
After sitting down, Gut first looked at host Mut and spoke:
"You deliberately dismissed others earlier before revealing their noble status. Do you have something important to tell these siblings?"
"Yes, exactly." Mut said with certainty.
"It's just that what I want to say is somewhat... mm... somewhat difficult to express, so I thought I'd first get acquainted with you two before discussing details."
"But perhaps I'm not eloquent enough. The acquaintance process didn't go as smoothly as expected..."
After hearing this, Gut turned to the other side and asked for Hafka's opinion: "Do you siblings want to listen?"
"Mr. Mut, whatever you want to say, please tell us directly. No need for concern."
This time with his senior brother mediating, Hafka's reply was much better than before.
Gut could understand this.
After all, the Hafka siblings, unlike himself and his teacher, hadn't spent much time with Mut.
Therefore, when facing this stranger who revealed their and his sister's noble status upon first meeting, it was inevitable they'd feel some hostility and resistance.
On the side, Mut, having received permission from the principals, no longer needed to hold back and directly expressed what he wanted to say.
"Mr. Hafka, Miss Sola, I just want to specifically remind you of one thing."
"Once you two pass through the fortress city Vorig guarded by our family and continue north, for the sake of your lives' safety, please completely abandon and forget your former Central Nations noble status."
"Remember, don't reveal your past to anyone; don't display any noble actions or etiquette; and don't even show too much wealth."
"Why?" Hafka frowned deeply, completely puzzled.
Sola beside him, after hearing about "life safety," first opened her mouth in shock, then immediately covered it with her hand to hide this impropriety.
However, the girl suddenly realized that covering one's mouth to hide impropriety seemed to be etiquette required only of noble members, so she quietly withdrew her hand.
Hafka questioned this: "If I remember correctly, although there are conflicts between the Kingdom and Empire, they're still within controllable limits below the surface."
"Aren't they afraid that behavior like killing noble members from opposing territories would escalate conflicts?"
"And there's no necessity to go to such extremes, right? At least, I can't see what benefits such actions would bring?"
"Who knows?" Mut shrugged. "But this is the reality."
"Maybe the commanders of those intelligence agencies like the Shadow Warriors have lost their minds. Anyway, from what I know, over a dozen foreign nobles have mysteriously disappeared in their hands."
"If you two were going north representing your families' names, your journey might be safer."
"But if you're truly going north for personal reasons, once those intelligence agencies target you, what awaits you will probably be a series of successive 'accidents.'"
"They would really... go to such extremes?" Girl Sola still found it hard to believe even now.
"Perhaps." Mut was noncommittal. "Anyway, there are already many examples."
Hafka/Sola: ...
After the siblings fell silent for a long time, Hafka suddenly stood and bowed deeply to Mut, expressing his sincere gratitude.
After sitting back down, Hafka felt his palm tighten. Looking down, he found his sister's small hand had grasped his at some point.
From Sola's hand, Hafka could sense her inner anxiety.
For a moment, Hafka also felt somewhat guilty, wondering whether his willful decision to take his sister away had been correct.
"You needn't think so pessimistically."
In the distance, the elf who had been steadily consuming refreshments stopped, took a satisfying sip of tea as a finish, wiped her lips with a napkin and said:
"Whether it's the Empire's Shadow Forces, Magical Intelligence Corps, or other miscellaneous intelligence agencies."
"At least, their tentacles cannot gain a foothold in Äußerst."
"This, I guarantee."
The next day, morning.
Gut's group politely declined Mut's attempts to make them stay and set out on their journey again.
However, the elf specifically went to find Mut on the day of departure, "robbing" him of all the remaining imperial tea that had been used for hospitality, and commissioning Mut to convey her regards to his father, Knight Orden, along with a message.
Noon, inside Fortress City Vorig.
Mut nervously knocked on the door of an inconspicuous private house in the family garrison. Sitting inside was the city lord who should have been out hunting monsters for several days before returning—namely, Mut's father, Knight Orden.
"Serie and the others left?"
"Yes, father." Mut knelt on one knee and answered. "Following your instructions, I warned those two nobles from the Central Nations. Lady Serie specifically asked me to give you her regards when she left, and to relay a message."
"Specifically giving me regards?"
"As expected, hiding here still didn't escape that person's notice." The city lord shook his head somewhat helplessly, looking at his second son crouching by the door. "Tell me, what else did she have you convey to me?"
"Lady Serie said she hopes you can make a good choice between the Empire and Äußerst."
"Still wanting me to choose sides..." City Lord Orden rubbed his temples with some distress. "On one side is the Empire, on the other is the Continental Magic Association. It's not so easy to determine a position."
"Sigh..." The city lord closed his eyes and waved his hand, signaling Mut to stand up. "Go brew me a pot of that good imperial tea. Besides that, did their group do anything else?"
"There... there was something." Mut stood in place, speaking somewhat nervously.
Hearing his second son's lack of confidence, the city lord immediately felt something was wrong and quickly opened his eyes to ask: "What happened?"
"Lady Serie... before leaving, she packed up all of father's remaining imperial tea."
"Pfft—"
The city lord lost his composure, unconsciously sliding off his reclining chair and sitting on the ground, clutching his chest in heartache.
"No—"
However, what had already happened wouldn't change no matter how sad he felt about it. On the contrary, Mut, who didn't understand tea, appeared much calmer.
Only after seeing his father's expression gradually stabilize did Mut step forward to ask about the question he couldn't understand.
"Father, why would His Majesty instruct intelligence departments to harm noble members from other countries? The disadvantages of doing so... far outweigh the benefits."
"Because as that person has aged, the Empire's political landscape has also changed."
"The Shadow Warriors, once the Empire's sharpest blade, have become increasingly difficult for His Majesty to wield."
"Father, you mean to say..."
"Mm, this once sharp weapon now has its own ideas."
"What it does will no longer benefit the Empire, or rather, the current Empire that they're dissatisfied with..."
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Powerstones?
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