The nine heirs outside the door composed their expressions and stepped inside.
The Ancestral Hall Conference Room was more spacious than imagined.
Twelve stone pillars supported the dome, each one covered in ancient Runes.
Deep within the Runes, a faint golden Energy flowed slowly.
In the center of the hall stood a massive, circular stone table.
Five figures were seated around the edge of the stone table.
All were dressed in identical grayish-white Long Robes, their faces wizened and their eye sockets deep-set.
But when they opened their eyes, the very air in the conference room seemed to freeze for an instant.
Five Level Three Great Witches. A few of the Elders were not present.
They just sat there, motionless, yet a Spiritual Suppression as vast as an abyss already blanketed the entire hall.
Aidele’s breath hitched slightly.
She could feel the pulse of the Earth Vein beneath her feet... before these five, it actually grew faint and sluggish.
It was as if it had been forcibly severed by some higher level of Power.
This was the Domain suppression of a Level Three Wizard.
"Sit."
The leading Elder Wizard spoke. His voice was level, yet it reached every person’s ear with perfect clarity.
He pointed to three stone chairs opposite the table.
Aidele, Edwin, and Adrian sat down in order.
Ashia and the other heirs sat in the gallery.
The stone chairs were cold to the touch, their surfaces carved with simple patterns.
The moment Aidele sat, a gentle yet firm Energy seeped into her body from the back of the chair, forcibly calming all the turbulent fluctuations of her Magic Power.
"We are already aware of what happened last night."
Another Elder Wizard spoke slowly. His face was even more ancient, with wrinkles so deep they could hold a slip of paper.
But his eyes were as clear as a newborn’s.
"Five Level Two Wizards fell, and two were gravely injured."
"In the core combat zone, all buildings within a three-hundred-meter radius were completely destroyed."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
"Do you... have anything to say for yourselves?"
The air was dead silent.
Candlelight cast flickering shadows between the stone pillars, making the trio’s faces shift between light and dark.
Edwin was the first to speak, his voice low.
"Elders, I ask for your clear judgment. What happened last night... was truly unavoidable."
He lifted his head, a perfectly measured trace of anguish flashing in his eyes.
"Delia went to the East District on her own initiative to trade for forbidden Potions with an unknown party."
"I received a tip and was concerned about the family’s interests, so I sent Grover with some men to investigate."
"I never expected..." He sighed and shook his head.
"Seventh Sister’s subordinate overreacted."
Adrian picked up the thread, his voice as soft as a viper’s hiss.
"Morris was merely passing by. When he saw Grover in danger, he stepped in to help."
"Who knew... he would suffer such a grievous blow."
The two went back and forth, perfectly synchronized, pinning the entire blame for last night’s conflict on Aidele.
Aidele listened quietly, her face expressionless.
Only after they had both finished did she slowly raise her head to look at the five Elders.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, you’re both such good talkers. It’s a shame you didn’t become actors."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried clearly to everyone’s ears.
"I, too, am heartbroken by what happened last night. It truly should not have occurred."
Edwin and Adrian were both stunned, confusion flashing in their eyes.
They hadn’t expected Aidele to admit fault so readily.
But in the next second, Aidele’s tone shifted.
"But I would like to ask the Elders..."
She paused, silver patterns swirling in the depths of her deep cyan eyes.
"Since when did our family have a rule about ’privately ambushing and killing the confidants of other successive heirs’?"
"And since when... was it permissible to use a ’Hate Guidance Array’ and ’Bloodthirsty Grass’ against one’s own sister?"
Her voice remained calm, but every word was like an ice-cold nail.
Driving viciously into the eardrums of everyone present.
Beside them, Edmund’s pupils contracted slightly before quickly returning to normal.
Edwin shot to his feet, glaring at Aidele.
"You’re talking nonsense!"
"Sit down," the leading Elder Wizard said faintly.
A wave of pressure bore down heavily on Edwin’s shoulders.
His body stiffened, and he sat back down hard in the stone chair, his face ashen.
The Elder Wizard looked at Aidele, an inscrutable expression in his eyes.
"Continue."
Aidele took a deep breath, retrieved a roll of Parchment from her Dimension Ring, and spread it out on the stone table.
The Parchment was densely packed with records of every detail from last night’s conflict, including traces of the Witchcraft used by Grover and Morris.
And... the residual Guiding Runes from the underground area during her assessment, along with the "Bloodthirsty Grass" components detected on the fragments of the Magic Beast corpses.
The evidence was irrefutable and clearly presented.
The five Elders passed the Parchment around, their expressions growing progressively darker.
When the last Elder put the paper down, the atmosphere in the conference room had become heavy to the extreme.
"Edwin. Adrian."
The leading Elder Wizard spoke, his voice betraying no emotion.
"Do you... have anything to add?"
The two remained silent.
Some of it wasn’t even their doing, but they couldn’t say that.
Edwin stared fixedly at the edge of the stone table, his nails digging into his palms so hard they drew blood.
Adrian hung his head, his expression ugly.
"Since you have nothing..."
The Elder Wizard slowly rose, his grayish-white Long Robe stirring without any wind.
"Then I shall announce the Elder Council’s decision."
His gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on Aidele.
"All three parties bear responsibility for last night’s conflict."
"However, given that Edwin and Adrian used a Forbidden Technique and initiated the provocation..."
He paused.
"The two of you are penalized. You will each surrender one core enterprise under your name to be managed by the family for one year."
"At the same time, you are confined to your residences for three months and may not take a single step outside."
Edwin’s body trembled, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Adrian’s tapping fingers suddenly froze, his knuckles white from the force.
One core enterprise... that was a foundation they had spent over a decade building.
One year of family management was enough to make them lose control of those enterprises completely.
Not to mention three months of confinement... it was enough time for Aidele to do far too much.
"As for Aidele," the Elder Wizard said, turning to look at her.
"Although you were retaliating, your methods were excessive and caused a great loss to the family."
"You must understand that every Level Two Wizard is a valuable asset to the Justice Clan. They... should not die so senselessly."
"Your penalty... is to hand over all the Potions you acquired last night and to compensate for the repair costs of the damaged buildings."
Aidele lowered her head, a sense of relief washing over her.
"As you command."
’As for the Potions, that’s just talk to create a sense of balance. I’m not actually going to hand them over.’
The Elder Wizard nodded in satisfaction and sat back down in his stone chair.
"Furthermore..."
He paused, his gaze growing profound.
"Given that the recent internal strife in the family has become severe enough to affect the normal functioning of the city..."
"After deliberation, the Elder Council has decided... that from this day forward, there shall be no deaths or injuries of Level Two Wizards or above among the successive heirs."
"The final ruin assessment... is postponed for two years."
The moment the words fell, Edwin and Adrian both looked up, their pupils constricting.
Two years...
That was enough time for Aidele to shore up all the weaknesses she exposed last night.
Enough time for her to cultivate more core members like Carl and Coraline.
"Elder!"
Edwin couldn’t help but cry out, his voice hoarse.
"This..."
"This is the final decision."
The Elder Wizard cut him off, his eyes calm but carrying an authority that could not be questioned.
"Anyone with objections... may withdraw from the competition for succession."
Edwin’s throat worked, and he finally lowered his head heavily.
His nails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped from between his fingers, staining the stone chair with dark red dots.
Adrian closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling faintly.
After three breaths, he opened his eyes again, his face having returned to its calm state.
He even... managed a smile.
"I will humbly obey the Elder’s command."
The Elder Wizard nodded and waved his hand.
"In that case... you are dismissed."
"Remember, within these two years, if what happened last night occurs again..."
He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold.
"Regardless of who is right or wrong, both parties involved... will be stripped of their eligibility to inherit."
Those last few words not only pierced the hearts of the three, but even made Edmund, in the gallery, twitch at the corner of his eye.
Edwin’s body shuddered. Adrian’s smile froze on his face.
Aidele, too, felt a chill run up her spine.
Only Ashia was an exception; the news seemed to have nothing to do with her.
Her attention was focused entirely on Edmund.
By the time they walked out of the Ancestral Hall Conference Room, the sky had already darkened.
The setting sun stretched their shadows long, making them cross and overlap on the Stone Slabs.
Edwin stopped at the doorway, turned, and looked at Aidele.
The sunset cast one half of his face in a dark red glow, while the other half was buried in shadow.
"Seventh Sister..." he snarled, his smile ferocious.
"Two years... will pass quickly."
With that, he turned and strode away. The Thunder Eagle on his shoulder glanced back.
Aidele’s calm face was reflected in its scarlet pupils.
Adrian ambled over to her side, twirling a dead leaf he had picked from somewhere between his fingertips.
"Seventh Sister, what impressive methods you have."
he said softly, his voice devoid of emotion.
"But... a lot can change in two years."
He gently placed the dead leaf on Aidele’s shoulder, his movement as delicate as if he were placing a treasure.
"Be careful... don’t go and capsize halfway there."
Aidele raised her hand and brushed the dead leaf from her shoulder.
The leaf fell to the ground and was crushed under her foot with a faint, crisp sound.
"Thank you for the reminder, Third Brother."
She looked up, and in the depths of her deep cyan eyes, Dark Gold veins slowly swirled.
"I will... walk this path to the very end and clear away all obstacles."
Adrian’s smile didn’t change as he turned and left.
His dark green long robe swayed gently in the evening breeze, like a venomous snake sinking into deep water.
Aidele stood her ground, quietly watching their receding backs.
Only today, Edmund didn’t greet her, instead strolling away with a few of the other heirs.
Ashia nodded to Aidele before quickly departing.
Not until their figures had completely vanished around the corner of the street did Aidele slowly let out a breath.
The taut string in her chest finally loosened for a moment.
But she knew in her heart.
’The real storm... has only just begun.’
"My Lady."
Naseng emerged from the shadows, reporting in a low voice.
"According to the information we’ve gathered recently... First Brother Edmund’s estate... has been terrifyingly quiet."
Aidele’s brow furrowed slightly.
Throughout this whole conflict and mediation, her first brother hadn’t said a word, and even his previous false pleasantries were gone.
It was as if... he was completely detached from it all.
But the quieter it was, the more unsettling it became.
Like the dead-calm surface of the sea before a storm.
"Keep an eye on him,"
she said softly, turning to walk in the direction of Golden Oak Street.
The setting sun dyed her deep purple Wizard Robe a dark red, casting a long shadow across the Stone Slabs.
Like a behemoth slowly awakening in the depths of the Earth Vein.
She raised her head, looking at the stars that were beginning to brighten in the distance.
’Two years... That’s enough time.’
Suddenly, Gaga poked its small head out from the shadows, its silver-gray pupils shimmering slightly.
"Aidele, Ian says... he’s waiting for you in the Laboratory."
Aidele’s steps faltered for a moment, a trace of warmth flashing in her eyes.
"Good. I was just about to look for him."