Hooch The Three-Tailed Falcon finally arrived in the Oakdale City cutting through the skies.
From a high altitude, Albaer spotted the Lord's manor and the herbal garden around It; he pointed towards it and Hooch shot forward once again.
The knights of Count Stout were ready to welcome him—all of them looked up in awe seeing the Majestic Falcon dive down straight at the manor.
And before they knew it; Hooch had already landed inside the manor in the outer square where there was a large open space. Of course, no one obstructed him in any way.
Hooch slumped down on the ground after Albaer got off him. He was very exhausted from flying at high speed and in harsh weather without rest day and night.
Albaer stroked his back gently and said, "Well done friend. Have some rest now."
Albaer finally caught his breath and heaved a sigh as he looked around the manner. The square was quite spacious and adorned with beautiful flowers. It was located between the first gate of the estate and the main building of the manner where the Lord lived. The square was usually used for celebrations or gatherings.
Albaer turned around after observing the peaceful and nature-adorned manner and saw around ten iron-clad armored knights with their capes fluttering approach him with cautious and perplexed faces.
It was understandable as the Duke himself had suddenly come knocking on their door without any prior notice. Not only that but he also looked like as if he had fought a war from the way his hair was so messy and his armor dirty—one of the knights peaked behind Albaer and saw just how beat up Hooch was.
Albaer looked quite fierce and intimidating in the full-body armor that covered his entire body. Only his sharp eyes were visible from the slit of the helmet.
"Your Grace, My Lord Welcomes you... This way." One of the knights said as he stepped forward and bowed with the utmost respect and sincerity.
These knights had already heard how Albaer easily destroyed a 'Shul' and as Knights and men, they simply respected his strength. And other than that, there was also the factor of hierarchy and the huge difference in status.
"Feed him some fresh meat," Albaer nodded and said as he pointed at Hooch.
Albaer was then guided to the inside of the manner to the main hall of the manor. Everyone else was excused and only the Stout Family was present to meet the Duke.
The door opened with a creak and Albaer saw Count Stout, his wife, and his daughter in the large empty hall. He was offered to rest and change clothes but refused—without wasting any time he asked to meet the count.
Anicia saw the gallant figure of the Duke as he entered, he was still wearing the full-body armor but his charming face was now visible as he was walking while holding his helmet.
Anicia looked at him with curiosity as her mouth turned into an 'O' shape. But she soon started feeling anxious once again seeing how domineering and confident his demeanor was.
"Your Grace, Welcome to Stout County. But might I ask the reason for your abrupt visit?" Yunugiv asked right away. He was a clever man and immediately realized that Albaer had come in a great hurry.
"Long story short, my son Ethan's life is in danger and I have come to ask for your assistance," Albaer replied as he looked straight into Yunugiv's eyes.
Yunugiv was relieved to know that Albaer did not mean any trouble by coming so abruptly but at the same time, he was very surprised to know the reason.
"What happened?" He asked with a serious tone.
Albaer hesitated for a moment but then with a sigh, he said, "It's... Ancestral Awakening."
Both Yunugiv and his wife's eyes widened. Yunugiv said, "But Your Grace... Isn't your son just about Seven Years old?"
"Yes," Albaer replied, "We don't have much time. There's something wrong with his Early Ancestral Awakening as he hasn't woken up for five days."
"You mean he's still in the cocoon?" Yunugiv asked in bewilderment and Albaer nodded.
Yunugiv could finally understand why the Duke himself would travel so far on a Falcon back and barge into his territory like this.
'It's true what they say... That the Duke of Whitesburg has one weakness which is his family.' Yunugiv muttered inwardly.
Yunugiv's face turned apologetic as he said, "Your Grace, while it is true that we have the blessings of the Goddess of Healing and that we make healing potions; however this is different. Young Master Ethan will need a 'Ritual of Vitality Giving' to keep him alive until the cocoon finally hatches."
"And?" Albaer said with a straight face.
"And... Your Grace... This ritual can only be performed by someone who has mastery over healing and life force—the Royal Physicist for example. And I do not have such ability to perform this ritual" Yunugiv replied awkwardly with an apologetic tone.
Anicia twitched for just a second and sneaked a suspicious glance at her father.
Everything became silent as Albaer did not speak but simply stared at Yunugiv. After a few seconds, he sighed deeply in resignation and looked straight into Yunugiv's eyes with a sharp look as he slowly raised his hand and pointed at Anicia, and said,
"Count Stout, This little Lady must be your daughter, yes? She has the Blessings of Light... Or do you deny it?"
"You... How do you know this?" Yunugiv stood up from his seat and said. He was flaggerblasted.
Anicia was startled when Albaer suddenly pointed at her and even more nervous now that she had become the center of attention all of a sudden. Her mother seemed to have noticed as she walked up to her.
"That's not important. I don't know why you are hiding this fact and I don't care either but do me this favor and I will forever be grateful." Albaer said with the utmost sincerity.
Yunugiv thought for a second and shook his head firmly with resolve in his eyes and said, "Forgive me Your Grace, but I cannot accept your request."
This time it was Albaer who became dumbstruck. He never expected to be rejected so blatantly like this and could not think of a single reason why Count Stout was refusing.
Time was ticking and Albaer was getting more and more annoyed by the minute. His brows twitched and a cold atmosphere began enveloping the hall.