Chapter 58: Three tables.
-Tap. Tap. Tap.
-Bhum!
-Tap. Tap. Tap.
-Bhm-bha-bhum!
-Tap. Tap.
-Bham!
"For lord’s sake, you two. Stop that!" Elder Lady Testerosa banged the table as she glared at the two elders with a furious look in her eyes.
She was used to this play of these old men, but this was too much.
They were playing tunes with their wine glasses when they needed to discuss something serious right now.
"What are you two? Young boys?!" She really seemed annoyed right now, so, the two elders stopped their play and fearfully placed their utensils away.
"Apologies."
They apologised to her, but she wasn’t paying attention to the two anymore. She looked around herself, the three long tables, placed in a triangular formation with six chairs behind each of them, were still not yet completely occupied.
Some of the elders in their respective colored robes were here, while some had yet to make their appearance even though the agreed time for the meeting was almost upon them.
"It seems like Lord Hume was asked by the Lord for his council. He may be late for the discussion." The elder in the crimson red robe informed her in a low voice.
He was sitting on his left side, at the edge of a different table. His voice was old as well, and, from spending too much time in the family’s treasury, he seemed to have gotten dusty like the items there as well.
"Yes, I am aware of that. It seems like the people of Topaz have found out about their emperor’s condition." Lady Testerosa sighed when she heard the news as well.
The fact that a rebellion was underway meant the truth about the old emperor’s health had been leaked to the people who did not like the claim of the emperor’s official heir.
Many things were still shrouded in mystery right now, but the first lady and the first young master of the house were returning tomorrow morning.
And once they get back, they will know all that had happened in that gathering.
Still, as the elders of Sungrade, they were not supposed to get involved with the matters of the country so long as they did not affect their families directly.
"Where are the rest of them? Are they testing my patience right now?" She was angry, but right as she spoke those words, certain flashes of light exploded in the room and older figures in colorful robes appeared out of nowhere.
"Apologies, everyone."
"We were occupied with something."
Of the eighteen seats belonging to the elders, only two had remained now that the five that appeared just now had taken their place.
"What could be more important than this, fellow elders? Were you helping the Lord as well? Or were you engaged with something of your own that took so much of your time?"
She was smiling at them warmly.
And it wasn’t a smile even these old elders wanted to face on a good day like this.
"We... we were helping out Elder Valor with a few things."
"Him again?"
Lady Testerosa did not like the method Elder Valor had used to teach the boy.
His method may be effective, but he did not know how much the boy could have endured in the first place.
She needed him to be in a good condition when he went to the sanctuary, and yet that bear of an old man put the young boy through unparalleled hardships.
"Where even is he?" She wanted to know where the man who asked the other elders for help was right now when they were supposed to organise this meeting.
-Zuuup!
She was going to be angrier, but in that very moment, a new light sparked in the room, and from it, the elder with the largest frame emerged, taking his seat at the exact opposite side from Elder Testerosa.
"What?" She was glaring at him since he just walked around her and sat down without any words.
Her sharp eyes were scary even to him, but he did not understand why she was like that.
"Don’t you have anything to say?" Elder Test asked with a new smile that had suddenly bloomed on her face.
"..."
A smile that scared a [Level-7] Assimilator along with every other elder that saw her like that.
"I..."
He was going to answer with the most broken voice he would have used in the past few decades.
-Zuuup.
But, when the last elder appeared in the room and looked around, his confusion gave the rest of them a moment to breathe and get their thoughts together.
"Ahem."
Elder Hume did not understand what was going on, but from how Lady Testerosa was glaring at the other elder, he concluded that not asking anything was the best.
"Apologies for the delay."
He just took his place on the other side of the table, in the last empty chair, and looked around him at the others.
"I apologise for the delay as well, Elder Testerosa." He was using her given name even when apologising.
She really didn’t like this one.
"I was helping young master Prism collect some materials in the demon forest and needed help from the other elders."
The reason he was late in the first place was all due to that boy.
"He asked you for help? Right after you almost killed him?"
It hasn’t been long since he was allowed to leave the clinic. The elder had already received a long letter from all three ladies, scolding him over his ways of the things.
They all complained to the patriarch as well, and there was some commotion for a few days. But, things are calmer now.
The news of the first Lady’s return had made things easier for the rest of them.
"He seems to believe he can grow the Hyperumbric Lily. At least, the phoenix does." The elder was shocked as well.
But then again, it was the phoenix that claimed to have figured out the solution. And helping that being was going to help the house as well.
"Hmmm..." Elder Testerosa thought about the situation while glaring at him.
A minute passed between her thoughts and her eyes that stayed on the bulky elder.
Then, she nodded calmly, looking around the room, and taking a deep breath.
"Fine then. Now that everyone has arrived, we shall discuss the matters..."