"Did you just call me tiresome?" she grimaced, pulling on his ear. "I'll have you know that women hold long grudges! I'll remember that!"
"What part of you is womanly?" he snorted. "Let go of me, you barbarian."
"Why you…"
"What's all the racket out here for, sis?" Charles shouted while walking out with Robert close behind. The two brothers eyed Freon and his group curiously but failed to recognize them. Charles grew antsy and added, "Is there trouble?"
"No, no…" Shirley waved her hand. "I was only kidding around. Don't take it to heart. Remember I told you about Freon? He's that person."
Sweeping her jokes aside, he introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Freon Adnire. Pleased to make your acquaintance… is what I would normally say but Shirley… you still haven't explained why or how you're in Firecast? This isn't your home."
"Who says it's not my home?" she arrogantly harrumphed.
Freon nearly failed to restrain his anger. "Last time I met you, you came to Firecast from some faraway place for your mother's medicine. Now… you're saying you live here? Who are you trying to fool?"
Shirley stuck out her tongue as Yuna stepped out to mediate. The girl then patiently explained everything to Freon, who grew increasingly stunned. To be personally gifted a residence by Princess Samanthie! How grand was that! One had to remember that the Zino Kingdom was subservient to the Alzar Kingdom, so Princess Samanthie stood on a high pedestal. Even the Conquestian could not compare to the Royal Family! Her Highness was the type of person that lowly figures, such as themselves, could only look up to in admiration, but never meet. To begin with, they were in entirely different worlds! Well… then again, there was Elizabeth, who turned out to be the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom, so… it was not too strange after all?
"Her Highness gifted this residence to you because of our services in protecting Elizabeth?" Freon realized. "That's…"
He did not continue; however, his suspicions were obvious. On paper, it sounded like a perfectly logical and normal reason. Elizabeth was genuinely the last hope for the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Family! She was the lynchpin that held everything together! Without her, the situation would have rapidly degraded beyond repair, and following Lord Korogin's crushing defeat, the Xingyuu Empire would have ultimately prevailed! Hence, their contributions in protecting the realm were definite. The problem came with the strange timing… For Princess Samanthie to delay bestowing the rewards until now, there had to be a reason behind it. Unfortunately, to slander the princess, even in private company, was equivalent to suicide. He would never say these words aloud!
Meanwhile, Protector Avin wrinkled his brow. His suspicions were greater than Freon. As a Rank 3 King, his gut instincts were unusually strong, so he could faintly associate Her Highness's appearance with himself. That was not too surprising though, considering how big of a commotion he caused in Firecast. Anyone would grow wary under such an unpredictable and uncontrollable power living in their borders! Whether it be in the human world or the greater world beyond, a Rank 3 King was worthy of fear and respect! That was why they were titled as Kings!
"We should continue talking inside," Freon concluded, feeling uncomfortable all the sudden.
Shirley frowned, not because of Freon's words, but because she felt the same. They were being watched! Previously, after moving in, she had that faint notion already. Although she might be far from reaching the Perception Realm standard, that did not mean everything. Her experiences grew immensely following her training in the Mordrigan Peaks! Her instincts were already monstrous, and with her training, she was like a bird taking flight. Her instincts had reached an unbelievable level! That was why she could sense people monitoring her every day. Naturally, this made her upset and she initially wanted to vent her frustrations on them but Inari stopped her.
However, compared to before, the feeling now was two worlds apart! Previously, it was only the slightest notion of someone watching her. It was so faint and sporadic that Shirley wondered if she were imagining it. But now, she could clearly feel the presence of countless people, all pointing their hostility towards her! They practically leapt out of the shadows and brazenly announced their presence! Of course, this was to her. To normal folk like Shirley's brothers, they noticed nothing. Even Yuna, and to some degree Nassandra, were unaware. Freon was a bit better having sensed something amiss while Shirley was the one who understood the true source of this feeling!
"You should go ahead. I have some business to take care of," Protector Avin said unhurriedly. "Sit still until I'm done." Without explaining further or hearing their responses, the man walked away and vanished.
"This…" Shirley was confused and lost.
Freon had a bad feeling, thinking that the situation was more complicated than it seemed. "Let's do as he says for now and head inside. I'm sure he'll be back soon."
Not long after, Protector Avin arrived in front of another mansion. From the surface, it was normal, embodying the definition of standard. People would pass it by without thinking a second thought. The only strange thing was the complete lack of guards or servants. It looked abandoned and desolate! Despite that, Protector Avin knew better than to see with his eyes. He instantly released his True Perception! Since he was still working on progressing into Perception Realm and his Magic Perception was unsuited for the task at hand, he needed his True Perception. But there was no need to envelope the entire capital city in its embrace. He just needed to focus on the mansion and its surrounding area. This task was much simpler than the former and the risks were nearly negligible.
Once he finished his investigation, his mouth curved into a slight smirk. There were around one hundred people lying in ambush! Twelve of them were Perception Realms, with two of them faintly possessing the same strength as Perception Realm Experts! They might fall short when facing those apex warriors from the Alzar Kingdom, such as Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina, those famous three strongest knights. And yet, their strength would match against Sir Roland, Benedict's father, patriarch of the Hawken Household, and master of the Hawken Style! They could not be underestimated. It was possible that they were the strongest warriors in the Zino Kingdom! And besides them, there were also four of the Ten Dawns. Together, they were the greatest concentration of military power the kingdom could show!
But that was nothing too impressive. The difference between Rank 1 and Rank 2 appeared great and unbridgeable. After all, Perception Realms and Condensed Drops could unleash unbelievable power! Their feats were transcendental! Although they seemed invincible, there were cases of a Rank 1 transcending ranks and defeating a Rank 2! Was Elizabeth, Benedict, Shirley, and Freon defeating Emperor Lianghu not one of them? That was exactly one of those rare cases, albeit shrouded in many uncertainties and factors. The difference between Rank 2 and Rank 3 though… was much, much greater! If the Rank 1 and Rank 2 were likened to a wide river, then Rank 2 and Rank 3 were equivalent to a deep chasm! Bridging that gap was impossible!
The Sword King was the best example. Without exerting himself much at all, with one strike from the Cloud Sea Style, he effortlessly annihilated the First Hand! The situation now had fewer people on par with the First Hand, so how could Protector Avin view them as threats? He regained his peak strength as a Rank 3 King! The man walked into the mansion while keeping half of attention focused on these people. If they showed any suspicious behavior, then he would immediately know. The remainder of his focus was placed on the person ahead. It was the only High Condensed Drop Arcanist in the Zino Kingdom, the Conquestian himself!
Protector Avin entered a plain and ascetic room with a simple table and chairs. A simmering pot of tea released its amorous scent into the air, filling the space with a sweet smell. An elderly man stood in front of the windows, looking out with an unknown expression. His white hair was tidy and touched his waist, showed his advanced age. His straight posture, akin to a peerless sword, showed his youthful energy. These two contradicted one another and created a peculiar sight. In a crowd, he could absolutely stand out amongst all others. Everyone would instinctively feel awe and respect! This was the ruler of the Zino Kingdom, one of the three civilizations in the human world!
The Conquestian said nothing, as if he were too engrossed in his reverie to notice Protector Avin's arrival. His view happened to coincide perfectly with Shirley's mansion! Through the reflection on the glass, Avin could see the Conquestian's face as well as wariness, fear, amazement, regret, and even… killing intent. Avin snorted lightly. This was because the Conquestian wanted to reveal these emotions, and in doing so, subtly expose his motives and thoughts. As soon as Avin entered the room, the battle had already begun! The Conquestian wanted to gauge the man's reactions and understand the attitude of Avin toward the Zino Kingdom. Even the tiniest fluctuation would be realized, magnified, and tied into an ever-increasing framework of the person known as Avin Arcellius! Unfortunately… Protector Avin showed no weaknesses and presented an indifferent expression.