Reborn As Noble

After the meal.

Garius remained seated at the head of the table while Rolland and Sylvia had already left for their room.

Francesca still sat beside him.

He reached for his wine glass after Erinette poured more and drank it slowly.

”Javier?”

”Yes, Esteemed Father?”

”After this, go and rest with your girls. Just as I said before, we’ll be busy tomorrow, so rest properly.”

”As you wish, Father.” Javier nodded and was about to stand before Garius continued.

”Remember, Javier. Once all of this is done, I expect detailed notes, manuals, and documentation on all the inventions and tools you used to heal Gracelle, especially those things you call the mana defibrillator, the advanced monitoring systems, and the specialized surgical tools. It will be beneficial for upgrading our healing facilities.”

He tapped the side of his head. ”I remember well from one of your notes mentioning something about... a hospital.”

Javier nodded and smiled.

”I’ll make sure to prepare it once everything is settled. If you excuse me, Father, Mother.” Javier said while bowing to both of them.

Francesca gave him a sly smile. ”Don’t be too overworked tonight~ And try not to be too loud~”

Javier’s face flushed red. ”M... Mother!” he hissed.

Garius shook his head and exhaled while Francesca let out a soft laugh.

After Javier left the dining room with Liana, Gloria, Felicia, Delya, and Mimi, Garius glanced over his shoulder.

”Alf?”

Alf stepped forward, placing his hand over his left chest while the other rested behind his back, leaning forward respectfully.

”Yes, Your Majesty?”

Garius leaned back in his chair. ”Have you contacted the Armand Estate?”

”I have already contacted the Armand Estate, Your Majesty.” Alf smiled and nodded.

”Mm... So Hesbeirn and Gilmon are already inside the estate?” Garius rubbed his chin.

”Yes, Your Majesty. Hesbeirn and Gilmon are on standby inside the Armand Estate.” Alf smirked. ”The main Armand barracks behind the estate have also been notified and are on high alert. I’ve also informed my House of Assassins to be vigilant, along with the Shadow Unit.”

”Mm...” Garius nodded. ”Good. Even though we know Armand’s security isn’t easy to breach, especially with our advancements and our strongest personnel, we still have to be careful. I know our enemies won’t be able to reach Armand anytime soon, since they’re slower than us, still relying on horses and outdated methods, but we can never be too certain.”

”You don’t have to worry too much about it, Your Majesty. I’m confident that Hesbeirn and Gilmon are more than capable of safeguarding the Armand Family. Besides, both Prince Marcellus and Prince Cedric have already taken precautions without needing to be told.”

Garius reached for his wine glass and leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine thoughtfully.

He let out a long exhale. ”So Marcellus and Cedric have already been informed, Alf?”

Alf nodded. ”Yes, Your Majesty. They are training their mage units and paladin units in preparation. Hesbeirn has also selected the best units, and Gilmon is assisting as well. Meanwhile, the Advisor, Jarman, and the Keeper of Law, Savran, are helping with recruiting and assessing talented individuals from Armand.”

”Mm...” Garius mused. ”It was a good move recruiting the Ex-Royal Advisor, Jarman, and the Ex-Royal Keeper of Noble Law, Savran, for their expertise in assessing talent. Klimar really didn’t know what he was losing when he stripped them of their ranks. He also doesn’t realize their real talent and that Gilmon is the second strongest, nearly on par with Hesbeirn.”

Garius exhaled and leaned back further in his chair. ”Looks like I really can’t prevent a civil war from happening, huh? Even if I could just send our army and have Javier deploy his knights to conquer the other regions, that step wouldn’t help unite the people. Force might bring temporary control, but it would also breed resentment and division.”

”Dear...” Francesca glanced at him. ”Is this about those three?”

”Mm... yes, Honey.” Garius smiled faintly. ”As we all know, this upcoming civil war, those things we call ’Celestial’, or more precisely, ’Terrestrial’, was their doing. They’re the ones who revealed the seal locations and manipulated the late Edmund, the late Gurdan, and Gumarak into claiming those Terrestrial powers.”

He shook his head. ”They’re also the ones spreading their belief, the Saints of the Three Gods, inciting the former summoned heroes to launch a war against Armand. They want to divide us and weaken our unity.”

He took out a cube and pressed it. A crisp, clear holographic map appeared, and Garius used his fingers to zoom out, revealing the full layout of the continent.

”Since the Amazarak Kingdom has already fallen, and after Gurdan died, his sons and nephews, along with his blood relatives, are now in a civil war. Their nation is divided into several factions, some supporting the eldest son, others the second, and some supporting the other faction.”

Garius focused his eyes on the map. ”Those three also know how the Human Kingdom operates, fractured, ambitious, and easily manipulated. They were waiting for any chance to exploit it. I’m sure they’ll send more of their agents to ensure the upcoming civil war within the Human Kingdom escalates, creating chaos and division.”

”The problem is... we don’t know how many of their summoned heroes there are, how strong they are, or how many troops they have.” He glanced at Alf. ”Any results from the surveillance by the mana satellites and Sky Eyes?”

Alf bowed. ”My apologies, Your Majesty, but the results remain the same. The three other continents far from ours are covered by dense, unnatural cloud cover or some kind of magical interference, which means no clear images or data can be obtained.”

Garius exhaled. ”Still nothing, huh?”

He leaned back in his chair. ”I was hoping there’d be some way for us to observe their continent, so we could have better understanding of their movements and prepare accordingly.”

He glanced at the holographic map again. ”And it’s been so long since I met the Dragon Nation’s King and Queen, Sroku and Fanzia. The last time we met was at the Ruler Summit years ago, before the Celestial War broke out. I wonder what’s happened to them.”

Garius exhaled and looked at the continent map. ”If only there were a way for us to check their current situation, perhaps it would help us plan for what’s to come.”

Alf nodded. ”Your Majesty?”

”Hmm?” Garius glanced back toward Alf. ”What is it, Alf?”

”You might want to take a look at this.” Alf handed him a ten-page report. ”This was sent by the command center through the Shadow Ghost unit.”

( End Of Chapter )