"Absolutely not!" a voice roared.
The doors then slammed open to reveal Protector Avin, whose face was dark as charcoal, and Shirley's mother, who showed a painful face. Their arrival created enormous storms in everyone's heart, as they momentarily went quiet. Little needed to be said about Avin. His vast and titanic aura exploded out with divine strength, weighing down on everyone like an ocean! His very presence suffocated people and their minds drew blanks. This was the heavenly power of a Rank 3 King! He was thoroughly enraged! And beside him, Shirley's mother, Adel, was equally upset. She appealed differently from Avin with her subtle, gut-wrenching, and distraught emotions. If Avin represented strength and fury, then Adel represented sadness and regret. The dichotomy made the impact more oppressive, preventing anyone from doing anything.
"Shirley, I'm forbidding you from going," Adel said emotionally. Once upon a time, her husband was killed, and Shirley was taken from her. Those nightmarish scenes stayed fresh in her memory, and even if she closed her eyes and tried to forget, it continued to haunt her! Why did she fall into a coma? This was why! Therefore, how could she let her go?
"Freon, I'm also not letting you go. What is this nonsense about helping Princess Elizabeth?" Avin snorted. "Do you realize how weak you are? Add a thousand of you together, and it would still be inconsequential! You'll just die a dog's death over there." The time of the Arcellius Family's grand revival was so close, and Freon wanted to run off and die? Not happening!
"I thought you were resting, mother!" Shirley anxiously asked.
Her mother was recovering from years of inactivity, and the boat trip from Lour Island took a heavy toll. Due to this, she was not in the greatest state of health and required medication periodically to stabilize her condition. As if on cue, her mother started coughing violently and slid down the doorframe. Shirley and her brothers were about to charge over when Protector Avin unexpectedly helped her. This proud and obstinate man helping outsiders? This renewed everyone's view of him. After everyone calmed down, the tension in the room visibly decreased.
Adel coughed again while saying, "Shirley… You're a young girl, my daughter! You don't belong on any battlefield. You should stay home, find a good man, get married, and create a family instead. I won't hear anything else!"
"But mother!"
"No buts! Your mother knows what's best!" she shouted, forcing Shirley silent.
"As for you, Freon," Protector Avin fumed. "I trained you because I wanted you to revive the Arcellius Family! That was our promise! I won't allow you to kill yourself on some stupid battlefield because of a 'friend' you met for a month or two. If you actually thought you'd contribute something over there, then you're far more arrogant and ignorant than I thought!"
Freon grew angry. "What crap are you talking about? I didn't promise anything about the Arcellius Family! That was your delusion!"
"Why you! Who do you think you're talking to?" the man stepped forward menacingly, his aura surging out like an ocean.
"You? Hehe," Freon mocked. "Of course, I know who you are! You're the person who left my family to die, and my sister and I to beg on the streets! Make no mistake, I never forgot. I know all about you, Protector Avin Arcellius!" These buried grudges came pouring out again in full force! His fury consumed him! "What? Are you tongue-tied because I said the truth? You keep going on about Arcellius this, Arcellius that… But when did I care about the Arcellius Family? Never!"
"How dare you? You, who inherited the family bloodline, how dare you say such presumptuous things? It's your duty to revive the Arcellius Family!" Avin was infinitely close to exploding now. Veins pulsed on his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. Even his skin was reddening from rage!
"I didn't choose my heritage," the boy sneered. "But I will choose my own path. Who are you to decide what I will or will not do?"
"It seems that you need discipline!" the Rank 3 King narrowed his eyes. He raised his hand and conjured a Magic Circle by free-casting! Magic Energy swirled around him in liquid form, intensifying his presence several times over!
Freon fearlessly and coldly responded, "You would?" Should his uncle attack, then they would drop all pretenses of family! He would never acknowledge him henceforth!
"Stop!" Nassandra screamed, raising her wand and instantly materializing several barriers between the two.
Shirley followed as she stood against the man. "Please calm down, you two!"
"Who are you to intervene in our family matters?" Avin snorted, but he still retracted his hand, dispelling the magic. He was not about to do something as self-destructive as attacking Freon. Instead, it was meant to give the boy a little scare. Except whom would have thought that Freon would stand tall, boldly and courageously, and refuse to back down? Avin was only slightly surprised. The more pressing thing was how to proceed…
"Alright, let's sit down and have a nice chat," Shirley felt relieved. She called for servants to bring refreshments in. When they finally arrived, it felt like the tense, almost hostile, atmosphere was lifted, allowing everyone to breath again.
Protector Avin sat down, as did the rest, to which he immediately said, "Freon, I don't understand. This isn't a game, nor is it a joke. This is war! This isn't something that children can play in. I am sure that the Alzar Kingdom has their own measures in place to support Princess Elizabeth. There's no need for you to personally go." He took a softer approach after his hardhanded methods failed.
"Lord Korogin failed, even though he was supported by the full power of the kingdom," Freon said bitterly. "It is specifically because it is so random and chaotic that all kinds of possibilities can appear. Elizabeth's treading on a dangerous path, which is intricately tied to both our kingdom's wellbeing and our livelihood. I'm not treating it like a joke. I'm completely serious here."
"What could you hope to achieve with your presence alone?"
"It's not about what we hope to achieve," Shirley added. "We want to help our friend. It's that simple. Although our time together with Elizabeth was short, many things happened, things that we won't forget! We talked, cried, laughed, fought, struggled, and travelled together. We became friends for life! As they say, betray your friends, betray yourself. In her time of need, how could I not step up? I would regret it and loathe myself for life if I looked away. If nothing happens, then that's fine. I would want nothing more than that to happen! However… if somehow, something unexpected happens, then I hope that I can stand there, alongside Elizabeth, to face her enemies together. If I don't do this, I wouldn't be Shirley Adonina!"
Much less Protector Avin, Freon, Nassandra, or Yuna, but even her family was stunned by her powerful resolve! These were her fundamental principles, her bottom line! She would never violate them! She radiated an aura of righteousness and justice, as if her word were divine gospel! It was the infallible, inviolable truth of the world! That overwhelming charisma and determination made her brothers see her in a new light. This was the first time they saw her this way. Their sister was normally so kind and gentle, as harmless as a butterfly. That was specifically why this strong contrast created heavy waves in their mind, repeating and amplifying her words over and over again! And this shock was a thousand times greater in their mother's mind!
Shirley… you changed, Adel thought quietly with a sigh filled with complex emotions. Originally, she thought that Shirley remained the same happy-go-lucky daughter, but time worked in cruel ways. She had been asleep for too long and Shirley was no longer a young girl needing her protection, but a mature young woman! Shirley's declaration made that abundantly clear! For a second, she felt she were facing her husband once more.
As such, her hesitations vanished, and her brow relaxed. Adel wore a graceful smile, a mother seeing her daughter off, and said, "Shirley, go ahead and do what you think is best. It's your life and you can decide yourself! Your mother will support you!"
"Mother?" her three children reflexively blurted out, astonished at her abrupt change in attitude.
"But mother…" Charles tried to say.
However, he was interrupted. "Charles, I know what you want to say, but… Shirley is a grown woman now. I can't decide for her. She must live her own life! Of course, I have my own misgivings. Although it's dangerous and nobody would want their little girl to go… I shouldn't hold her back. She needs to leave the nest at some point. Only by giving her room can she flex her wings and take flight!"
"Thank you, mother! I won't let you down!" Shirley vowed.
"You don't have to worry about me. Just keep yourself safe and happy then your mother will be happy too. That's my only wish for you."