Nora Xeclyde glanced at the devastated body of the black-haired boy behind her with a conflicted look on her face. She spoke words only she and Roel could hear.
"I do want to see you troubled and helpless, but seeing you reveal such an expression toward another person really does displease me."
"Just what kind of eccentric possessiveness is it that you have there?"
"Probably loathing toward those who fiddle with my toy?"
"… Tsk, you are beyond cure."
"Beyond cure? Perhaps so, but now…"
Nora's lips had inched upward a little out of amusement from the short conversation she had with Roel, but in the next moment, as she turned her head around, all that was left was chilling displeasure.
"Is there anything else that you need here?"
"… Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness, but this is a personal affair between us and him."
The boy leading the pack glanced at the pitiful state that Bron was in, and the fear rising from the depths of his heart told him that he had to at least attempt something here. Otherwise, he would be caught by Bron's wrath in the aftermath of this incident.
There's a common saying amongst those trapped in bureaucracy, 'my subordinate's subordinate is not my subordinate'. As high as Nora's standing was, as formidable as the royal family was, they were not the ones in direct command of the young nobles gathered here.
"We don't have any intention of disrespecting you. We just wish to exact vengeance for our friends."
"Yes, that's right. We are only looking for that boy behind you!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Nora coldly eyed the noisy bunch of misfits standing before her before glancing at the other ten incapacitated children and Bron. Then, she nodded empathetically and smiled.
"I see. It's a really touching friendship that you have over here. Bron Elric sure has a lot of friends around. Unknowingly, he has already befriended so many young nobles in our Theocracy."
The brighter Nora's smile grew, the more hostile her gaze became. This bunch of fools thought that they were discreet in amassing a bit of clout and building up their faction, but Nora had already long found out about this so-called 'Elric Youth Faction' from the royal intelligence reports.
There was no royal family that could possibly tolerate their subordinates building up their own large factions and amassing great influence, let alone something that aimed to involve an entire generation of noble subjects.
Nora turned around, bent over, and looked Roel in the eye.
"In contrast, Mister Roel Ascart over here appears to be quite miserable by comparison. It seems like I'm the only friend that you have here."
"… But you aren't my wuuu—!"
Roel's attempted rejection was thwarted by a palm covering his mouth.
"Even though it's adorable to see you talking tough, I don't think that you're in a good position to refuse my help. After all, you aren't alone right now."
"!!!"
Nora's words made the muffled Roel stop his little act of rebellion, and his eyes slid over to glance at the unconscious Alicia lying beside him. With a solemn look on his face, he slowly fell silent.
Nora slowly removed her hand before turning to look at Alicia, who was still being protected by Roel despite the horrendous state he was in. She couldn't help feeling a little envious.
"Just like how you feel obliged to exact vengeance for your friends, I am also obliged to protect my own friend."
Nora quickly readjusted her mood before turning back to look at the dumbfounded crowd standing before her.
"As the master of this manor, I'm formally requesting that you leave this place."
"…"
Nora's words caused the noble rabble in the room to fall silent. They looked at one another for support. Their relationship with and fear of the Elric House made them hesitate, but their hesitation only served to further infuriate Nora.
"What's the matter? Are you intending to disregard the authority of a Xeclyde? I see… Make your move then."
"Ah? No, we are…"
Coming to the limit of her patience, Nora finally dropped her smile. Rampaging mana burst forth from her skin and a shimmering pair of wings formed from light coalesced behind her. A powerful pressure crushed down on the surroundings.
Roel felt as if his blood had frozen in place, making him shudder. The atmosphere suddenly grew so heavy that he felt like oxygen was being squeezed out of his lungs.
Fortunately, this terrifying sensation only lasted for an instant. The pressure quickly receded after.
It was likely that Nora was taking care of him. As the feeling disappeared, his breathing swiftly reverted to normal.
Roel gazed upon the silhouette of the angel who bore a pair of light wings standing before him with a look of disbelief in his eyes.
Origin Level 5.
The ability to materialize the disorderly and corrupted mana into the form of one's imagination could only be achieved through an Origin Attribute, and the minimum requirement for that was to reach Origin Level 5. This was the hallmark of a true transcendent.
The problem here was that Nora was only 10 years old…
"Gahh!"
"What's your decision?"
Under Nora's cold gaze, the young nobles, who were still thinking of making a move a moment ago, fell to the ground like crops being reaped by a scythe. Their natural instincts compelled them to submit to the higher being standing before them. Even the few Origin Level 6s amongst them were shaking like feeble hamsters standing in the face of a lion.
"If you wish to make a move, do it quick. This is the first time I'm dealing with someone of my own age group, but I should tell you that I don't have the habit of holding back."
Nora raised her hand as she gathered a cluster of mana so dense that it actually felt nauseating. Everyone present, with the exception of Roel, couldn't stop themselves from screaming out of sheer fright.
However, halfway through her motion, Nora suddenly seemed to have noticed something. She turned her sight toward the doorway before sighing in disappointment.
"It looks like we'll have to stop here."
Nora dispelled her mana, causing her light wings to dissipate. Everything became calm and peaceful once more. An elegant and tranquil smile, reminiscent of a lady strolling in a flower garden, returned to her face.
A moment later, the door burst open, and a group of adults dashed in.
"Roel! Alicia!"
Carter was the first one to barge in while shouting the names of his children. The first thing that he saw was the tragic state that Bron was in, and he immediately knew that something was amiss. So, he began searching around the room frantically for his two children.
It was utter pandemonium afterward.
Carter found the severely injured Roel and the unconscious Alicia leaning at the foot of the wall and dashed right over. Prince Kane walked over to Nora and enquired about the happenings from her. A huge following of nobles that entered afterward stumbled upon the horrendous sight in the room. The men gasped in shock, while the women shrieked in horror. Even the servants were flustered.
Many of the young nobles present had been scared out of their wits by Nora, such that it wasn't too hard to get the truth out of them. It also happened that Alicia woke up at this moment. The scene before her made her realize that they had been saved. While trying her best to hold back her tears, she quickly recounted the situation to everyone present.
Alicia's story raised a huge uproar amongst the nobles present. The noblewomen rushed over to give Alicia a hug while berating Bron and his posse, as if venting their rage for similar miseries they had gone through when they were younger.
The next ones to step forward were the military men. Alicia's father, Larthe, was a soldier who had died on the battlefield, which made them treasure Alicia as one of their own too. Hearing that the orphaned Alicia had been put through such torture and humiliation left the military officials deeply enraged. It was made plain that they wouldn't let this matter slide easily.
"We beseech you to resolve this matter appropriately, commander."
The members of the Holy Knight Order had a livid look on their faces, and the commander they were addressing, Prince Kane, was no better either. His eyes were burning with murderous intent as he stared at the unconscious Bron on the table.
However, there was one person who beat him to it.
In the face of public outrage, the man who was viewed by everyone in enmity, Count Bryan Elric, stepped forth and struck bron in his face