Vol 2 Chapter 5: Tense-Fertility

In a massive room, a sizable circular table was placed. Everything in the room was made of fine marble except for the chairs around the table. They were made of the most luxurious materials one could ever hope to have.

There were four chairs in total currently, but more could be placed around the table. By each chair stood a maid, and on the table, there were four cups of fine tea; each was still steaming and had a beautiful red colour.

In total, in the room, there were twelve people. The maids looked nearly identical in every aspect, while the other people were distinguishable. Each of them seemed human-like, but in reality, none of them were human.

Among the four people sitting, Aier was also present, and next to her, her faithful companion, Felfey, was hovering a few steps from her. This time, she was wearing an entirely different attire. Compared to her previous self, one would barely be able to recognise her. Now, she was wearing some fine black and purple fabric.

The one sitting on the opposite side of her was a young boy. He seemed just a kid; he was quite short, but his gaze was something else. It was intense and filled with fire. He was the only one not dressed well enough for the occasion, as he was wearing nothing but some old pyjamas which were not even straight. It was clearly seen that he had already used it without ironing it.

The one sitting on Aier's left side was a kind-looking elderly man. He had long grey hair and a slight beard. He was wearing a fine black shirt with a metal emblem pinned to his chest, which depicted a fist. The man was smiling and was probably the most laid-back among the people. His kind, dark grey-coloured eyes were just idly staring at the tea before him.

And last but not least, a younger man. He was wearing a white shirt with a dark blue overcoat, the elegance of which was further enhanced by some golden wavings around his shoulder. The man also wore fine white gloves, which he deliberately showed by putting his hands together as he slightly leaned onto the table. He also had quite long hair, but it was nowhere near as long as the older man's hair, as he only reached a bit below his shoulder.

The other three individuals present in the room were creatures similar to Felfey and just like her; they were floating not far from whom they followed.

The atmosphere in the room was quite tense. Two of the individuals were all glaring at Aier. She could only return the glare to a single person; however, since she had a grudge against the man sitting in front of her, she was glaring at him. Only the older man was peaceful; the others seemed to be ready to engage in a conflict, verbal or physical.

Due to their current predicament, none wanted to make a move, and the entire room was enveloped in a devastating and annoying silence. It was so quiet that the people present could hear their own heartbeats. However, as all things come to an end, this stalemate and quiet end is not how any of them expected.

Seeing and assessing the situation, the older man grabbed the cup of tea, which at that point had cooled down slightly, and took a sip. He deliberately did it as loudly as possible to ease the situation.

"It appears everyone is apprehensive. However, we still have pre-set rules we should adhere to. Otherwise, we would be nothing more than wild beasts. Seeing how no one is capable of opening this dissension, I will do so in your stead."

The older man stated and once again took a sip of tea. This time, he not only made it loud but prolonged it as long as he was capable of.

"Now that I have your attention, let us begin... Lady Aier, it has come to our attention that you have been endowed by sumptuous good serendipity, which might have caused some border friction between the four of us."

"That territory Used to be under my control, so I have the right to claim that land!"

Suddenly, the young boy burst out; he was angry to the point that he almost slammed the table with his fists but managed to stop just before impact.

"So uncivilised, as always, Majnor..."

The well-dressed man spoke mocked, though deep down, he was glad that the boy spoke up first, as he was about to burst out as well.

"Majnor, need I remind you where you are? This is not an assemblage for plebs; this is no barroom where you can holler whatever and whenever you desire... We are civilised people. Also, without tangible evidence, you are nothing but a usurper."

The elderly man exclaimed, and for a brief moment, he glared at the young boy. For that brief moment, his usual kind outlook completely vanished, and his glare was so cold and frightening that the boy started sweating.

"Now that everyone apprehends where we are, I do hope that there will be no more undue interruption, and we can continue our conference, right?"

With a long pause, the older man scrutinised the other three individuals present. He was curious to see their reaction. He noticed that the boy raised his hand and was about to say something but then decided against it and lowered his hand. The other man only smiled, while Aier, the only woman, just sighed and kept looking at the older man.

"Marvellous! Our topic is the phenomena which had arisen in Lady Aier's territory, the appearance of a blessed land. Since our soil is exhausted, I can comprehend that everyone wants to gain that land; however, without basis and evidence, that is impossible."

And thus, the conference commenced. Everyone had their own ulterior motives as to why they needed the land, so the greatest question everyone was wondering about was none other but: Who would get to grab the land?