"You should come back to stay at our place, boy. It's not safe to stay here." Ignis suggested, but actually it was non-negotiable. He was taking Leon back, whether he was willing or not.
With their strength, the Duke and his wife did not fear anyone in the kingdom, but that didn't mean it was the same for those around them.
...
In the past, nobility was bestowed upon those that made great contributions for the prosperity of the kingdom and the survival of humanity. However, things gradually changed after the introduction of the annual Nobility Assessment Tournament.
On paper, the Nobility Assessment Tournament is held annually to welcome new awakeners into the ranks of nobility and for existing nobles to compete for higher status, but secretly it was the royal family's way of keeping track of their vassal's strength.
Generally, 4th step awakeners are eligible to compete for the Baron rank, 5th for Viscount rank, 6th step for Earl rank and 7th step for Marquis rank respectively. Those below the 4th step did not have the right nor the strength to participate.
However, the last Noble Assessment Tournament held was 18 years ago. With the increasing numbers of awakeners growing in the kingdom, the King sought to abolish the tournament before scraping the nobility system entirely.
There was a fixed quota for each noble rank and increasing it would only invite instability to the kingdom. Additionally, the nobility system was outdated and did not support the current development of the kingdom.
Nobles single-mindedly chase strength and profits, but what the kingdom needed was not strength, but talents. Strength without discipline invites chaos.
The discovery of ancient ruins and advanced tech from a bygone civilization required the talents of many, who are able to study and understand the tech. Such talents can only come from the commoners, which are many in numbers and working in various professions.
More nobles would only mean more commoners being exploited and talents being buried. This wasn't something the King wished to see, thus the attempt to abolish the nobility system and create equality among his subjects.
Ultimately, this was just the king's wishful thinking in a world dominated by strength. It wasn't by coincidence that the rebellion occurred in the following year under Duke Agni's lead.
...
Having finished his words, the Duke waved his hand and a large blanket of fiery hot flames descended from the skies, blocking out the rain and incinerated the pile of bodies. The flames were weakened by the rain, but it did not stop Ignis from reducing the bodies to ashes in a matter of seconds.
This was a feat Leon currently could not accomplish. There was no need for comparison between the two. They were not even on the same level. The Duke's flames also appeared to be of higher quality than his own and not just the power brought by the difference in their cultivation levels.
Leon wondered if the other noble families lusted after the Duke's and Royal family training methods that was fast, powerful and not dependent on pills.
"I wish to pick up my parents along the way. Is that alright?" Leon nodded towards the Duke's suggestion.
"There is no problem... in fact, I can't wait to meet them."
The foster parents, who raised Leon into such an outstanding youth cant possibly be ordinary, the Duke thought. But he was bound to be disappointed.
"If you're both done then get in the car. Do you both like soaking in the rain? Robert hollered at them. Everyone had returned to the car except them and the servants waiting on the Duke's next order.
"Let's go." The Duke issues his command.
Making their way back to the car, Leon borrowed an umbrella to stop further rain from falling on him before he utilized his fire ability to quickly dry clothes.
"Oh? That is pretty handy. Let me try." The Duke took the umbrella after Leon entered the car. He had never thought of using his fire ability in such a manner before. It was always used for combat purposes only. Who knew it could also be used as such a convenient lifestyle skill? His son-in-law sure had an interesting mind for thinking of it.
Pft* A part of the Duke's clothes lit on fire after the majority had been dried.
"Sh*t$&@#%!" Ignis spewed a string of curses as he patted the fire out.
Everyone in the car looked at him incredulously.
"Cough* I have made a joke of myself." The Duke entered and sat down faking a stoic face in hopes that no one lingers on the topic.
Evidently, he didn't possess the same level of control over his ability compared to Leon and was secretly surprised by Leon's capability. It might have looked simple, but it shows that Leon had demonstrated absolute control over his flames.
"Hahaha! it's rare to see the Duke lose his bearing and panic." Robert laughed without restraint. Although he hadn't seen his old friend in years and didn't know how he usually presented himself, it didn't stop Robert from trying to embarrass him.
Ignis's expression darkened. "Do you want to walk?"
Cough* "Hahaha... really? Wait... no... it was a joke... a joke..." Robert chuckled awkwardly when he realized what Ignis meant by walking. He was comfortable in the car, why would he want to walk back?
Suddenly, his expression quickly turned serious. "Jokes aside, we need to be careful on the way back after picking up the boy's parents."
"You're tagging along all the way, eh? Not a bad idea, we have a lot of catching up to do." The Duke did not take Robert's warning seriously as he shifted the topic. His biggest concern was Leon's safety. But now that Leon was secured, he did not have to worry about anything.
Albert Grey was only a 7th step earth-user. The Duke did not put him in his eyes. Even Leon was able to decimated his group of servants.
"Speaking of which, those Grey family servants were so arrogant, weren't they? Actually came out unarmed." Ignis recalled how each of the servants have died. Leon admitted to the deed, but he did not see any weapon despite there clearly signs of one being used.
Leon mouth inadvertently twitched. He had stowed away all the weapons. He should have at least kept his sword out. He wouldn't be able to explain how he cut the last five servants up otherwise.
Ignis noticed Leon's small action but made no further comment seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it.
Everyone was entitled to their own secrets. He wouldn't try to pry if the other party was unwilling to talk.
"Listen to me! Take them lightly and you will pay a painful price! You must know that the four great families must have something to rely on if they dare to rebel." Robert stressed his words for them to understand. It was plain obvious to him that they were going to rebel sooner or later considering how wanton and vile they acted on the lower districts.
Lina and Rachel thought it was going to be a smooth and pleasant ride back, but who knew shits would suddenly get so seriously. They sat upright and listened attentively.
"Listen to him. His words are very reasonably." Amelia said with some displeasure. Her husband was taking things too lightly.
"Alright, alright. I'll listen to you, okay? Ignis tried to placate his wife before ordering Sebastian. "Inform everyone to keep a look out and be battle ready when we are heading back."
"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian answered.
Robert felt his eye twitched when Ignis didn't listen to him but listens to his wife. He could see clearly, who wears the pants in their relationship.
"I've been wondering for a while now, Old friend. You really want to follow us, despite knowing we stand on the same side as the royal family? Don't you hate the Queen for that she had done?" Ignis gave sideway glances at Leon while he was voicing his doubts at Robert.
Robert was taken aback by the sudden question, but it was to be expected when he thought about it.
"What can I say? We did felt great grievance for having our ability sealed, but all is well now." Robert said as he gave Leon a grateful look. Although a lot was lost, there were also gains. Besides, the Greene family had always been loyal to the crown. Robert just hope that one day, the Queen would recover to her former self and formally apologized to them. That would be enough for him.
"I see. It's very admirable." Ignis complimented his loyalty. Most of the innocent noble families that was implicated and had their abilities sealed, had long left to a neighboring kingdom. Those that did stay are most likely supporting the Four Great Family Alliance now.
Being the closest to Elizabeth, Amelia had always found it strange that Elizabeth could be so extreme. She felt like her sister was not in her right state of mind at the time and that someone had been manipulating the course of event from the shadows.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's go." Robert didn't want to continue on the topic. It wasn't something fond to talk about.
It didn't take long for the group to arrive in front of Leon's home and picked up his parents under their surprise.
The couple had been extremely anxious and concerned about him. They were finally able to laid down their worries and gave him a big family hug. They had spun him several times to check if he had sustained any injuries. They had been frightened silly by the numerous gunshots earlier.
"Mom, Dad. Everything's fine. I don't have have a single scratch on me, see?" Leon said helplessly as his parents weren't assured even after checking several rounds of his body.. He felt warm in his heart from their care and love.