"Thirty-two…" Armand heard Gregoire mumble under his breath before he added in a louder voice, "And they all occurred in the Bastia region?"

"No," it was their father who spoke this time, "So far, we know of three affected areas. The eastern side of Bastia, southern Magrepoint and a couple of towns in the outskirts of Rouvin."

"All of them neighboring areas…" Gregoire mumbled again.

"Wait, Rouvin? Is Count Allaire aware of this?" Armand asked since the Rouvin region was part of Allaire's territory.

His father sighed in response, "Perhaps, I'm not certain. I must ask, however, that you refrain from speaking of this matter outside of this room until further notice."

"Are you saying we shouldn't inform him?" Armand inquired at once. At his father's nod, he frowned, "But why? It's his land and his people. If he doesn't know, then-" he closed his mouth when his father raised a hand.

"I understand what you're saying. If it were anyone but Count Allaire I would agree with your reasoning, but I know the man. He is… a bit prideful. He takes offense from the slightest things. Regardless if he knows or not, if we tell him, he would see it as an insult to his ability to gather information," his father explained.

"Wouldn't he take offense if we withhold the information from him as well?" Armand said, still not convinced that this was the best course of action.

"Perhaps," his father said, leaning back on his chair with a troubled expression. Armand knew what was coming and his eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance, "But I don't want to deal with his temperament again. I've had more than enough this past week. I'd rather have him leave and let my future self deal with the consequences."

He couldn't believe it. His father had really said that. The Count of Besson, Lou Besson, his father, had said that. He already knew he would say something along those lines, but actually hearing it left him flabbergasted. Silence followed and everyone in the room had a different reaction to his words.

Gregoire snorted, unable to keep his laughter in check; Achilles shrugged, already used to the Count's antics; old man Theo began to reprimand him, whispering quite harshly into his ear; most of the room groaned at the same time and the messenger boy seemed lost in thought.

"Father!" Armand exclaimed, "We're talking about Count Allaire here! He's an important and loyal ally to our House, and most importantly to the Crown! You cannot- we cannot afford to mock him!"

"I'm not mocking him, no, never," his father said with a grin, "I'm just speaking the truth-"

"Father!" Armand interrupted.

"Alright, that's enough. I know how to deal with him, I've been dealing with him for twenty years. Have some faith in your old man," his father said while he played with the tip of his white mustache.

Armand took a deep breath and sent pointy looks to the bystanders. If Count Allaire were to hear of this, they would be in an atrocious situation. After all, what would the fair and delicate Henriette do if she found out his father was belittling hers? She would be extremely disappointed. No, he couldn't even handle visualizing the hurt in her eyes! Unacceptable.

Achilles cleared his throat to get their attention, "Back to the reason we're here in the first place, this is something we cannot take lightly. We don't know what could possibly compel so many monsters to leave their habitat, and we're already having trouble with the refugees at central towns. We're losing territory."

The knight's last statement sobered the room instantly. Their expressions grew serious.

"Before we discuss the topic, allow me to ask a question," Gregoire said in his usual monotone voice, "Father, why did you request our presence for this?"

"That's simple. I want to hear your takes on the situation," his father said, his face turning more severe. As Armand called it, he was putting on his Count's mask. His features hardened and sharpened, and his eyes turned calculative, "Armand. Soon, you'll be sitting at this very desk, making sure that our territory is taken care of and that our people feel safe and happy. That is your duty and I must know whether you're ready or not to assume the position. Gregoire. You will aid your brother in his responsibilities. It doesn't matter if you sit in this chair or not, you're also my son and part of House Besson. You must be worthy of that."

The brothers stood firmer at their father's words. They understood.

Count Lou relaxed a bit and smiled at them, "I decided that this was a good opportunity to get you two involved. I want to hear your thoughts. What do you think we should do about it?"

'Tell Count Allaire,' Armand thought but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he said, "We should send our men to investigate and deal with the monsters. Once they're dealt with, the townsfolk can return to their homes... Maybe we can even give them a bit of spoils from the hunt, to make it up for the trouble. It isn't so complicated."

"What about the garrisons?" Gregoire asked. Armand's eyes widened. That's right, didn't they have men stationed near those regions? Why didn't they deal with the situation? The letters and messengers should've arrived there before they got here.

Achilles placed a hand on the messenger boy's shoulder and he yelped in surprise, "This is Lucas. He was stationed in Montsier, a town in Magrepoint and was sent here to ask for reinforcements," the boy looked down at the floor, his straight black hair covering his eyes. He was shaking slightly.

Armand felt a pang of guilt as he put two and two together. To think they were laughing a few minutes prior… why didn't his father say anything sooner? He glared at the man, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and approached the kid. Lucas. He was a few inches taller than the boy. How old could he possibly be? Around Gregoire's age? Fourteen? He was about to lean in when Gregoire stuck a hand in front of him and shook his head. What-

"Hey Lucas," Gregoire said roughly and the kid flinched, "Are you a knight?"

"N-No… my lord," he spoke while staring at the carpet, "I'm… j-just an a-apprentice, my l-lord."

What was Gregoire trying to do? Didn't he see that the kid was extremely distraught? Didn't he realize what must've happened? His younger brother was way too smart, obviously he had realized. Then what was he trying to do?

"An apprentice knight?" Gregoire said and Lucas nodded faintly, "Good. I suppose you've already fulfilled your duty and delivered the message your superior entrusted you with," Achilles and Count Lou nodded in confirmation, "Then, allow me to ask of you Lucas, relay that information to my brother and I."

Armand was about to protest, but a cold glare from Gregoire stopped him in his tracks. What was he thinking? He watched as the kid struggled to even open his mouth, his dark eyes full of fear. Begrudgingly, Armand decided to wait. He trusted his brother.

"We… we were ambushed. I was on night patrol, waiting for the other team to return, but they were taking too long. We had heard of the monster attacks, so we were short on men. I… I had a bad feeling when the other team took too long to report back. I told my superior and he sent me back to camp, just in case. As soon as I arrived, I… before I even had the chance to get off my horse… it was already upon us. A Grissonante. The biggest one I've ever seen, it was at least twenty feet tall, maybe more. We tried to… we tried to fight back, but it overpowered us easily. Gilles, our captain, he… he commanded me to alert the villages nearby and then to inform the main garrison in Montsier. When I got to the nearest villages, however, they were completely empty and littered with… littered with… there was... no one alive- I… I was too late," the kid's voice broke and his fists shook.

"I see now. There's more to deal with than just a bunch of Cerves and Vrelies or even Grissonantes. Who knows what else could be lurking around," Gregoire said while biting his thumb. That was a sign that he was taking this seriously, "Lucas. You did well. It is thanks to you and your haste that we are able to make our move so quickly. This, in turn, will no doubt save countless lives."

Armand could only watch in amazement as his brother's words reignited a flame within Lucas' eyes and an endless stream of tears fell down his cheeks. To think that Gregoire was such a shy and mellow kid a few years ago. He had changed. He had grown. When did that happen? Regardless, he felt proud of the man his little brother was becoming, and that only meant that he needed to push himself harder. They were all depending on him.

"I promise you, everything you went through was not in vain," Gregoire said, an intensity behind his voice that he had never heard before, "The lives that were lost did not die in vain. As a member of House Besson and as the second son of Count Besson, I, Gregoire Gael, will take charge and deal with this matter personally. Father, brother, please lend me your strength."

Lucas' sobs were the only noises that remained.

Armand wasn't expecting that at all. An expedition? To the outskirts of their territory? But… what about Henriette? And in ten days Viscount Rouzet would visit, along with another beautiful maiden, Bianca? Blanche? He didn't recall her name, but he heard she had a gorgeous body. He couldn't leave- at that moment, he noticed the ferocity and determination behind Gregoire's eyes as he stared at his father's own piercing gaze. Armand sighed in defeat and stepped up to stand next to his younger brother.

"That's a very high-stake promise you just made, brother," Armand said, "I don't think you fully grasp the meaning behind those words, but I'll support you and help you understand. Father, we will assemble multiple groups to investigate the cause of this phenomenon as well as recover our lost territory and clear out the monsters that forced our people to flee their homes. Allow us to show you that we're worthy of our name," as soon as he finished talking, he bowed deeply and forced his brother down with him.

"I didn't expect less from you two. We'll continue our conversation after the feast. Achilles, I want to know how many of our men can depart this week by the time I return. Also, give me a list of the ten strongest knights," Count Besson said and stood up.

"At once, my lord," Achilles nodded and left.

"Lucien, send a request to the Guild for veteran adventurers that are familiar with the affected regions of Bastia and Magrepoint," the Count commanded and a man with long black hair began to search for paper, "Emeric, grab a map and pinpoint the location of the towns that have been attacked. Theo, read through our emergency plans for refugees. We will decide on a course of action tonight, send the birds tomorrow at dawn." Their father stood next to them. Armand, despite having a growth spurt, still had to look up to him. The Count made for an imposing figure, "Lucas," he said in a softer voice, "Go and get some sleep. You'll be our guest for the time being, so don't worry, I'll have a maid prepare a room for you."

Lucas wiped his tears with the back of his hand and stood straight, sniffing a couple of times.

The Count smiled, "You did good, kid. You will be a good knight," he then motioned to his two children, "Come, or do you want to be late to the feast? There's much to do. And remember, not a word to Count Allaire."

Alexander opened his eyes and revealed two purple orbs. He sat down, trying to rub the sleep away. He was… in the cave. He had fallen asleep. When- oh, he remembered. He studied his body, which was working perfectly. His hand was fixed, his leg worked fine and the wounds on his stomach had disappeared. However, his white shirt was now completely useless. It barely covered anything and it reeked of dried blood, sweat and-

"About time you woke up," he heard a voice speak to his right and he froze. No way. He turned. A sharp grin welcomed him, "I mean, seriously, when was the last time you slept?"