"Then send those in Arqin to Etrida. Perhaps they can still get there before the successor is noticed by others" the great elders voice appeared in the room.
"Great elder, Arqin has just gone through the beast tide. The Emperor has ordered the branch to assist the new city lord, so they can't leave the city at the moment" one of the elders in charge of communication said. His tone full of dissatisfaction for the emperor's decision.
"The Emperor, huh. Ever since his predecessor became a great power of the obsidian rank, he has become more and more blatant with his actions. Does he think the Drenswicks have no obsidian ranks to contend with him?" the great elder asked rhetorically.
[A/N: I've been thinking about it for the past few chapters, but these ranks really are getting more difficult to try and make sense, when I've shown no table to understand it with. I really should have just numbered the ranks. Like gold being 3rd rank, and such. Obsidian is the 9th rank, the current highest rank that has been achieved. I think I should go back and change it, but fck that's a lot of chapters to redo.]
The patriarch heard the meaning in the great elders words, and his eyes lit up, "Indeed. Just as the great elder said, the Emperor has started interfering in what should be family matters. Send all available members from Arqin's branch to Etrida. Make sure there are people that had contact with that lost girl, to see if they can find anyone with any resemblance".
"Yes, patriarch!" the elder of communications said, rushing out of the room to send the orders to Arqin.
So the movement of the Drenswicks in Arqin, alerted Regis and Eris who had been forced to station here, while waiting for the reserve force of the academy.
The Drenswicks are an ancient noble clan that has been around for as long as the current royal family. In fact the first ancestor of the Drenswicks family and the royal family both fought side by side against the terrifying onslaught of monsters, before the cities that brought hope to civilisation existed. They were the founders of the empire, but like all things, time and distance breeds suspicion.
The two families have intermarried many times, which leaves the relations of blood very murky. And since then, many other noble families have sprung up over the thousands of years since. Gradually the two ancestors that were as close as brothers, have become two families that fight each other for interests and hegemony.
Of course not every noble family can afford to disobey the Emperor, but the Drenswick clan just happens to be one of them. With resources no lower than the royal family, many of the ancestors that have lived for centuries have managed to achieve high ranks in either magic or aura. In the fiefdom of the Drenswick family, where the ancestral estate is located, there are countless high ranking members. Opal ranks are a dime a dozen, diamonds above them still have at least a dozen. Obsidian however, there are only two.
But don't underestimate two obsidian ranks. One would be enough to level the capital itself. However these two ancestors rarely show up in person. Focusing on their practice, they are more a deterrent than anything.
The reason the Emperor has become more blatant in his dealings with the Drenswick, is simply because his grandfather, an exceptionally talented magician has recently achieved the obsidian rank, becoming the third of the royal family tk reach the obsidian rank.
Of course the Emperor wouldn't be so ignorant as to break the delicate peace with the Drenswick, but he will definitely test the boundaries. Which is why he ordered the branch family in Arqin to assist the new city lord.
Now, only leaving some of the older generations to continue assisting, many of the younger generations were sent out, with the help of the twins mother's generation to look for anyone that bares resemblance to her.
Isla and Sila who had no idea that their involuntary absorption of the aura in Etrida had lead their mothers natal family to search for them, even at the cost of disobeying the royal family; heard the news from the mouths of some of the students who were speaking to each other. And thought nothing of it.
They didn't know the Drenswick family. They only felt lucky that the academy had already left there. So they wouldn't get innocently involved in whatever situation the noble family was dealing with.
The twins had long since healed from those injuries they had sustained from the beast tide, thankfully the push was worthwhile, as they learned what had come from Etrida.
Feeling the extremely potent aura coursing slowly through their bodies, they were obviously shocked. The two of them were a little wary of this 'gift' at first, but seeing as it seemed to have no intention of harming them, they absorbed the aura, turning it into their own strength.
If others bothered to check the twins, they'd feel the level of their strength had been growing at a steady pace ever since they returned from the battle.
The two were aware of their situation, but why would they bother to tell anyone else. They both began to consciously restrain their strength, after all they had already been tested by the academy in Rusvil. If they showed that their strength had risen from the gold rank, all the way to Purple gold so quickly, who knows what kind of trouble they'd encounter.
As they were walking away from the senior students that had moved onto other gossip, Isla asked suspiciously, "You don't think what happened to us in Etrida has anything to do with that noble family do you?"
"Who knows? But maybe it's best not to show up, just in case" Sila replied a little worriedly.
The two of them remained silent as they went back to there tent. With the loss of the majority of guards, the grounds that had originally been full of tents, was now desolate. There were more than enough rooms for everyone to have their own now, but Isla and Sila had no intention of changing. The slightly hidden area, surrounded by flowers made them feel very comfortable. Especially when no one would come around. The two could keep to themselves, enjoying each other's company. Training against one another without disturbance. A perfect situation.