It is severely plain, hell, even despite the immense acumen of the head butler, even the landscaping of the place is borderline above average, but still mediocre, at most, but if any resident of the Draconia Manor erected in the capital were to be asked what is the most remarkable thing within this plain old, boring manor, they will answer one and the same thing.
Structure made from the finest of null stone, an extremely odd object that gives off a faint, dirty white color, the same one that everyone can witness whenever they look at the manor, whether it's from afar or near, also the most major reason for the lacking appearance of this estate, housing a family of earls inside.
The peculiarity of this stone stems from the fact that it can never be affected by mana, or perhaps any sort of energy for that matter; it will only disperse all the force that comes into contact with it as if there's nothing that hits the object at all.
Of course, having this kind of property, the stone was once thought to be a strategic resource that can alter the course of war between mages, but of course, reality is often far different from one's expectations, and in this case, the thing that prevents the utilization of this the most is the fact that there's no way to make this material discriminate to who it will neutralize.
It can't even be built as a wall, as mages stationed to defend said walls will just be as useless as the mages trying to break through said walls given that both of their spells will be affected by the null stone, perhaps the effect will be weaker for the defending mages given that they aren't really attacking the walls, but they are still severely affected regardless.
Not to mention the fact that it is an extremely heavy material, meaning that one can't even use them as a practical weapon, not even tip for ballistae nor ammunition for catapults and trebuchets, as the weight itself will just compromise the entirety of the weapon.
So, what will be the greatest use of this material that just can't seem to live up to its full potential?
Residence.
Of course, it is still quite the rarity in the world, hence only those with immense amount of not only wealth, but also authority that is capable of acquiring enough null stone to build a perfectly defended residence, and one also has to take into account the fact that mana circulation itself will be weakened within the confines of the residence built by null stones, meaning only those who are not too much reliant on mana will find building such place the most useful.
The ones who end up benefiting the most from living within such residence? Perhaps it is those great merchants born not blessed with the talent to wield magic, or perhaps it is another completely different group.
A group of deranged swordsmen under the same leader, whose thoughts is the fact that their force shouldn't be, and wouldn't be restricted by the restrained flow of mana alone, and this very effect that null stone exudes should be a method for one to further temper oneself, sort of like constantly shackling oneself to a heavy weight, the release of said weight making one feel extremely light, like they just gained the ability to fly.
Said group of people is exactly the residents, maids, butlers, helpers, and guards alike, of the Draconia Manor.
Right now, standing in the courtyard of the manor still standing strong, but with its entire landscaping completely scorched into fine, white ash, is a father and son pair, the view quite odd as the father continues to nod to each word that his son is telling him, as if the role between the two of them are reversed, with the younger one advising the old.
"I won't go into detail, asking you just where in the world you learned this, Argus, but see to it that you keep this a secret for now, this is…"
"…yeah, I know it the most, old man, this secret is enough for everyone to wage war, after all."
Before his father could even finish his words of advice, the young man already replies, knowing full well the gravity of having others find out about cultivation, especially right now that even with the strength of their household, it still isn't a guarantee for them to fend off for themselves if extremely greedy hands want to get a hold of the methods of cultivation.
"Good that you know, let's move past that topic then… I have to report everything to his majesty now. I also have to make a believable story to conceal the source of this explosion."
"That's the easy part, isn't it, old man?"
"Hahaha, that's true."
As the two of them walks towards the undamaged corridor of the estate, well, only the corridor as the glass windows were shattered and the carpet on the ground is scorched, the father massages between his eyes until they eventually found a person walking towards them, the aide, seemingly already prepared for everything, bringing two sets of change, on for the master and one for the young master.
"Please get changed to this, Sir Arthur, Young Master."
Alaric said with a wry smile on his face knowing full well that the responsibility of renovating the completely ruined entirety of the Draconia Manor's premises will fall upon his shoulders, making his temples twitch in quite the frustration as it is not the first time that such a thing happened, only this time, it wasn't only his master's fault that everything is finely burned to the ground, but also the young master's as well.
'This is exactly why I don't use my landscaping talent in this place.'
He said to himself with a defeated sigh as he watched those two nobles, who appeared more like warriors walks towards their respective rooms to change themselves. After seeing their figures disappear, he immediately made a move and went out, intending to meet the people about to knock on their doorsteps sooner or later.
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"T-that's the Draconia Manor"
"T-to ruin the Sword Dragon's residence, j-just w-who is it that's so daring?"
"Wow, will we have a chance to meet that master?"
"Haha, dream on, he's like a living legend after all, it will be extremely hard to meet him, who knows if he's even in this manor right now?"
It is extremely easy to separate the young ones' inexperience with all sorts of antics and oddities the Draconia Manor is known for in the outsider's perspective, and the older, more informed people who know that a year, or perhaps even just a couple of months, won't pass that said manor won't have its entire landscape burned to the ground.
"Man, I feel pity for Head Butler Alaric."
"That's why he's no longer pouring everything into the landscaping."
"That's true, art is like a brainchild after all, imagine seeing your child being burned by your master every few months or so."
"Still, for the Sword Dragon to wield such power, it's truly impressive."
"Hemph! What impressive? It's just a show of brute, unrefined strength, our family is more tha—"
"Hahaha, there really are a lot of jealous people who just couldn't help but pull infamy for themselves."
"Wha— You dare t—"
It sounds like a fight is about to start any second from a remark criticizing the Sword Dragon ruining his residence again, but before it even happens the observers' attention were pulled towards a figure walking towards the entrance of the manor, the confidence in his gait, along with the unmistakable pressure of a veteran mage who's been to several battles and war, coming out of his very being, making the weaker-willed individual feel suffocated breathing the same air around him.
"H-head Butler Alaric"
The guards in front, seemingly the ones who need to know the situation the most, perform a slight bow of courtesy as they meet the man dressed in formal attire.