It was already April 25th by then.

  In the basement of the villa, a secret door was opened, and behind it was a narrow passageway. Ellie Licoque had to feel her way forward with her hands.

  Inside, a large hall appeared. In the center of the hall, an idol emerged. The idol was that of a goddess. A candle in front of the goddess emitted a faint light.

  "Uncle George, I'm here," said Ellie, lighting another one to make it brighter inside.

  It was indeed George, the butler, who stood opposite her.

  George's hair had turned white, and he sat with some difficulty opposite me, without the deference of outdoors.

  "The message has been received, it's hard to imagine that he actually recovered our long-lost Taffy's Manor and killed George Verill and Cecilia Burkett, and even gained the support of Isadore Hagtwitch. Elly started speaking calmly at first, but later on, when mentioning the last two names, her voice began to tremble: "Back then, Hannet told me that there was something attached to him when we were intimate, now looking at what he's done, it must be it again. Uncle George, you're a wizard too, what do you think? Is it a demon or an angel?"

  "Hmph, I'm just a magician who learned some basic skills from Isado Hagtire. Whether it's a demon or an angel, I'm not sure. Although I can feel the immense light energy emanating from its body, demons can also be radiant, right? At least for now, it's a hero opposing the Dark Count and has gained Isado Hagtire's support. It would be unwise to oppose it."

  "Uncle George, you are the person I respect the most. If it weren't for your help all these years, I wouldn't have made it to where I am today. In my heart, I've never treated you as a servant." Ellie said respectfully: "I hope you can give me further guidance and tell me how to deal with this situation!"

  Elli's obedience, George waved his hand and said: "I say, if the news reaches the territory and nearby, you say, how will the lord look at it? How will the people of the territory look at it?"

  "If it were the lord, his feelings would probably be as complicated as mine. This powerful hero is unfavorable to the lord, but every lord knows that if there is no turning point again, we will thoroughly fail, and maybe in a few years, our castle will become a ruin, and this place will become a dark home. I believe that at this time, no lord would be reckless."

  "As for the people, their consideration is simple to say. For them, this hero is a beacon of hope, an existence like a savior. In the present where darkness has shrouded everything for hundreds of years, such power can overturn everything." Elly said, her voice trembling slightly.

  "Obviously, George understood her concerns and said in a low voice: 'Lord, we, the Likoque family, were originally viscounts, but due to constant wars, only a small piece of land was left. You have been trying to restore your former glory all along, but it has not been possible. Now, this is an opportunity!"

  "For most nobles, the emergence of a powerful non-family hero might be a distant worry, but for us, what do we have to lose? Now we only retain the most basic noble territory, can this existence satisfy with just that and not look towards more and greater territories?"

  "We have nothing to lose, but if we support it with all our might, its current strength can expand our territory several times over. Why not form an alliance then? In my opinion, this is a rare opportunity that comes once in a hundred years, and its flesh and blood is still our brother-in-law!"

  "Uncle George, please tell me what I should do now," Ellie said firmly.

  "Although we have now been reduced to the position of hereditary knights, after all, we were once viscounts and viscountesses. Take out our family crest, divide it in two, bestow it upon them, and let them establish a branch family of their own. Only then can they appear at the nobles' conference with dignity as members of the nobility, and strive for the position of commander-in-chief of the allied forces. And only then can we naturally obtain its spoils."

  "Can't it be now? Is it necessary to make so many sacrifices?" Elly, though prepared, was still shocked: "If we can control..."

  "Miss, can you control a person who can defeat a high-ranking dark knight? And it has the support of the great wizard Isado Hargti! If a mere family knight cannot obtain the qualification to speak at the noble conference, then with such a powerful hero, I'm afraid we will all be suspected by all the nobles. In that case, why not go further? With its strength as a hereditary knight and the support of Isado Hargti wizard, plus the reputation of the family and the hero, it is possible to dominate the conference. Of course, you still need to contact other knights, I believe the nobles will agree, after all, there are not many nobles left now."

  George said with a hint of sadness: "Moreover, no matter what, its physical body is still our family's brother-in-law, establishing a branch family is justified, who can say anything about it? And it won't be pulled by other nobles. In the future, its children will still be our family's descendants, and as the main house, we will naturally obtain part of its spoils."

  "Alright then, but if we're going to divide up the noble crest, we'll have to divide up the territory at the same time. How much do you think would be suitable for us to give?"

  "Let's give it all the land south of Apple Ridge, which is almost enough to meet the minimum area requirement for a hereditary knight. However, we must sign a branch family contract."

  Just then, a faint sound that was almost inaudible came from outside. This was the information transmission device, which should have been very noticeable, but now, due to years of neglect, it only had this little effect.

  "Then it's settled, I believe the news won't be kept secret for much longer, within three days, all the nobles will know. Since that's the case, let's hold the family division ceremony today and confirm the emergence of another noble family - Hanniet Adin Licoque! With her mind made up, Elly appeared very decisive: "And we'll spread the news to all the vassals, I believe they'll come from all over, even the lord can't stop them. So when the nobles arrive, we'll take advantage of the situation and secure our position as the leader of the alliance, who knows how far it will go!"

  At this point, George's expression became solemn and said that in fact, the one who killed Cecilia Burkhardt was one of the five dark high-ranking knights, who had been feared by the lord for 150 years. Killing him and annihilating his troops was the greatest victory in more than a hundred years of being suppressed, but this victory was also a scorching flame.

  "What's worrying you?" Ellie Lecoeur was very sensitive and immediately noticed the change in his expression.

  "An existence like that doesn't descend just for territory and noble positions, I'm worried now that it's obtained the title of hero and is being worshiped by all the people in the domain, what step will it take next? Which god's messenger is it, and what faith will it spread?" George sighed and said: "But actually, there's no need to worry too much, for hundreds of years, darkness has shrouded the land, and previous beliefs have become insignificant. It's said that 300 years ago, this land still had divine magic and holy knights, but now they're all gone, leaving only the simplest purification magic."

  "This issue can be discussed later and is not the most important one." Elly Lickorish heard this question, although she sighed, but didn't pay much attention to it.

  It's also true that the power of faith can no longer be felt now, and the persistence of faith passed down from previous generations as well as the cruel religious holy wars have all become elusive existences.

  If it cannot bring survival and hope, any belief will perish in this cruel world.