Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 374: See you soon

Chapter 374: See you soon

"Damn it all!... First, the Night Kindred decided to start moving after several hundred years of peace all because of some bastard parading as the Dark Lord, then we have the situation with the Supreme Order, and now this?... Who the hell is in charge of border security to allow a Daemon to enter Zion?" Charles bellowed, causing the already tense air in the Octagon to get even worse.

Godric sighed. "Could you calm down?... I feel like you’re the only one that always has to make things sound worse than they are."

"Just shut your mouth!" Charles shot back in annoyance.

"Tch, though I don’t like it, I have to agree with Charles. The situation is getting worse and if we let it devolve further, we might lose the many years of hard work our ancestors have built." Ethan remarked at the side.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur turned to Veronica standing at the side.

"Any news from Lionel about Ana’s whereabouts?"

Veronica shook her head. "None yet."

"And the situation in Cance?... Did the Mouthpiece give any specifics as to who might have attacked?"

"An organization calling itself the Shadowless. They seem to have caused Aragon to go back on the thousand-year dust agreement."

"Tch, those stupid wolves. Give them some leeway and they bite back without hesitation. Acting like the fucking animals they are." Charles snorted derisively, earning side eyes from most present.

"Any investigations into the situation at Aragon?... Is it an all-out war or just a skirmish?" Arthur inquired calmly with Veronica replying.

"The latter."

"Then we can leave that aside. In any case, if these Shadowless people are really after Ashtyx as is stated in the report then their death day shouldn’t be far away. I’m sure His Imperial Majesty would be happy to have some new toys to play with."

All seemed to agree as they quickly moved on to the next matter, almost like they had no desire to dwell on the talk about the Emperor.

"What about the Daemon?... We can’t just let her run around the Empire doing as she pleases?" Charles inquired.

Arthur calmly replied. "Though I am unsure why Judah would be so bold as to send a Daemon into our territory, I believe it best to send her back as soon as possible to avoid further damage. Perhaps, you would like to do the honors, Charles?... Do not worry, Robert is already moving as well so you both should coordinate to handle the threat."

"I thought you wouldn’t ask," Charles remarked with a grin as he got to his feet.

"Considering I have my task, I believe there’s no longer a need for me to remain?"

"The council grants your leave." The family heads said unanimously.

Charles turned to leave only for Arthur to call out to him.

"What?" He answered gruffly.

Arthur calmly warned. "This is a Devil Wheel Mystic at the 8th Lock, Charles, a living, breathing Demoness. Even with you and Robert, the danger level is still ridiculously high. I understand your hubris is warranted but do not let down your guard for a second. We cannot risk losing a family head at such a time."

Pausing for a moment to have the words sink in before nodding in response, Charles left the hall with a noticeably calmer gait with his attendant Homunculi following closely behind.

With him gone, Ethan commented. "Tch, I thought that loudmouth would never leave."

Privy to the conflict between the two, none tried to follow up his comment as they returned to the situation at hand.

"According to Veronica’s calculations, the Eastern Highlands might make a move during the Month of Astra," Arthur remarked with the other family heads nodding in agreement.

Noah intoned. "Considering how much yin permeates the world during that period, coupled with the absence of the Lightbringer, it would be the perfect stage for them to act."

"Do we carry out a preemptive strike?" Maximilian inquired.

Veronica shook her head. "The Eastern Highlands is even more guarded than BlackWatch. Any attempt at an attack would lead to an untold number of casualties."

"There’s a reason those bastards chose that place as their stronghold," Ethan muttered, shifting his annoyance from Charles to the Night Kindred.

Godric nodded. "I agree. An attack would be too dangerous. They’ve had several hundred years to create an impenetrable defense."

"So do we just wait?... You do realize that it’s not assured that they would attack head-on, right?... Their Spiritomancers could just help them get through the back door so what happens then?" Henry finally remarked, breaking his perpetual silence thus far.

His words succeeded in stomping all those present causing the Octagon to once again plunge into silence as the family heads pondered on how best to resolve the war which was sure to come.

For now, the situation seemed as dire as when the news of movement in the Eastern Highlands first reached their ears.

***

Alex stood over Albus with his hands in his jacket pocket, watching the old man carefully administer the concoction they’d created after two weeks of ardent research, to his wife.

Once the vial contents were completely emptied into Rose’s mouth, Albus placed it aside and then gently placed her head back on the pillow before taking a step back to regard her in full.

Rose’s expression had always been twisted in agony every time she slept since she got the Blight but perhaps due to the effects of the cure they’d made, her expression seemed rather peaceful at this moment, with what looked like a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"Now we wait," Albus muttered, feeling rather hopeful though the worry underneath was unmistakable.

"Don’t overthink it. She’ll be fine." Alex remarked as he came closer and patted Albus on the shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Albus placed his hand on Alex’s own as he replied. "I hope so."

With a warm smile dancing on his lips, Alex calmly intoned. "Watch over her for now. I’ll return to Evernight to check on the situation there."

"Mn, alright."

As Alex turned to leave, Albus called out to him.

"Yeah?"

"Once again, thank you. You gave me the hope I needed to keep going."

"Glad to help."

With those words, Alex snapped and disappeared in a flash of black and white leaving Albus to watch over his wife.

***

On his return to Evernight, Alex thought to check up on Ana, considering she’d been bedridden since their operation in Cance but paused for a brief moment, his gaze drifting to the night sky above.

Staring at the familiar silver moon accompanied by the twinkling stars brought a sense of peace to Alex’s otherwise troubled mind as he recalled the beautiful faces of his wife and child.

Time with Albus had reaffirmed his desire to return to them, come what may and perhaps, he needed that now more than ever.

Taking a deep breath, he muttered softly. "See you soon, my love."