His best friends were Arcanists, and he possessed a Low Gaseous Fog Core, so he had no prejudice against Arcanists. Besides, even in his weakened state, as a Perception Realm, he was confident he could sense if Lord Aster had any ill will towards him. If he could not, then Lord Fredrick's guard could intervene. The final risk was that Lord Aster's spell failed or did something he did not intend; however, Benedict felt he could stop it in time, meaning he had no reason to decline Lord Aster's offer.
The Arcanist nodded and began his treatment. Healing spells could not heal injuries instantly. It was not a miraculous power that could defy death. What they did was accelerate the body's natural recovery rate. Little by little, Benedict felt one of his many wounds close. He felt it was a shame. More powerful people, such as his master or Protector Avin, had better healing methods. Had they stepped in, the matter of him being bedridden could have been solved. Sadly, his master was absent, and he was not close enough to ask Protector Avin. A healing method… As he gazed at Lord Aster's spell, he had a thought. Since Martial Energy and Magic Energy were two sides of the same coin, was it possible to create his own healing techniques by studying healing spells? It was worth a try!
The next day, Elizabeth laid in bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze. This seemed to happen a lot. She sighed. The crux of the problem was the same as always: strength or the lack therefore of. She wanted to do some work, since things had piled up in her absence. Most of it had to do with the Mordrigan Peaks. Only the Zino Kingdom's Celestial Court and Engelsheft Families knew what happened. The public were kept in the dark for now. One could imagine the panic it would cause knowing that not only was there a giant lair of monsters nearby, but also that Elizabeth's party had suffered a crushing defeat! It would undoubtedly throw the entire kingdom into chaos! As a result, the Celestial Court acted first and mobilized the army. Their goal was to establish a guard perimeter around the Mordrigan Peaks in hopes of preventing any beast hordes.
That said, the Mordrigan Peaks had four mountains that covered a vast area. The Celestial Court would have to send a large army led by the Ten Dawns. They could approve small-scale deployments on their own, but for something this large, it would have to go through the Alzar Kingdom's Royal Ambassador. In other words, Elizabeth. She had to review the documents, assess the purpose, approve or deny the mobilization, then write a formal report to the Alzar Kingdom. It was a long, contrived process. Of course, in the case of an emergency, she had the authority to act immediately. That was one of her key powers. Whether this constituted an emergency or not was up to her discretion. The army was still preparing, which gave her time to decide.
She wavered. On one hand, the beast hordes, Rank 2 Beast Lords, and potentially Rank 3 Beast Kings, threatened the safety of the entire Zino Kingdom. It could lead to an unprecedented tragedy, if left unchecked. However, the beasts had remained undiscovered for many years, making her believe they must be unwilling to leave the mountains. It was possible that sending an army could trigger the beasts' protective instincts. So, they had to tread very carefully. Her decision would have to wait until the scouting parties returned.
Although the Featherwind Sect did not say anything, she knew they reaped immense profits from pillaging the entire mountain. They might have even obtained the Nebulous Star Root already, which was their main goal from this trip. They were definitely the biggest winners. Since Elder Unvo knew about the One Summit Three Kings natural formation, she was inclined to ask for more details. It would help with the situation in the Mordrigan Peaks. She eventually tossed that idea though. The Featherwind Sect gained so many benefits already. Should she add a favor on top of that, it would ruin the power balance between them. She did not want to give them that leverage.
Lord Fredrick visited her earlier. It seemed he felt apologetic, since this trip happened because of him. He had indirectly harmed everyone. Elizabeth thought otherwise. It was nobody's fault. Rather than focusing on who to blame, it was better to look forward and decide what to do next. But this was a good opportunity to ask Lord Fredrick for a favor. One thing she wanted to do when she returned was to investigate the Arcellius Family, especially the incident fifty years ago. What Freon said in the carriage came to mind. Lord Avin was planning something, so she had to be prepared. Despite that, if she tried investigating herself, people would undoubtedly notice. They would make things harder for her. Therefore, the best option was to have someone else investigate in her place. Lord Fredrick agreed.
A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts. The maid outside reported that Shirley's mother was here to see her. Elizabeth was puzzled. She wondered why, while giving her permission. Ten minutes later, the meek woman entered the room under the close supervision of several armed guards. Her fists were clenched tight and her posture was stiff. She looked like a rabbit that entered a tiger's den. She was so pitiful that Elizabeth immediately squinted at her guards.
"You can leave us alone."
"But…"
"It's fine," she insisted. The guards exchanged glances and obediently stepped back. They did not leave the room though. Elizabeth shook her head and asked, "Lady Adel, is something wrong with Shirley?"
Adel straightened her back and gulped. She mustered her courage and spoke, "Yes, there is… I request Your Highness to remove my daughter from being Your Highness's Protector."
"Huh?"
"Is that a no?" Adel asked frightfully.
Elizabeth took some time to process what she said. "I don't mind if that's really what she wants. Did she give a reason?"
"That… She's always getting hurt and this time, she barely survived. I don't know how long her luck will last. I think it's better for her to quit now while she can."
"So, this is your idea?" She tilted her head.
Adel admitted, "Yes, it is. Please, I beg of you, Your Highness! As a mother, I can't stand to watch this anymore."
"I'm not forcing her to be my Protector. This is something she wants to do."
"Shirley isn't thinking straight. She might act mature, but she's still a child inside."
This put Elizabeth in a tough spot. She understood where Adel was coming from. The battle with Emperor Lianghu, the Whispering Shadow's attack, the Battle of Liguang, the Siege on Yongtein, and finally the skirmish in the Mordrigan Peaks… Every time, Shirley was pushed to the brink of death. The main reason she survived was due to luck or coincidence. It had little to do with skill. Therefore, even though Adel only knew half the story, she was right to be protective.
"How about this? I'll relieve Shirley of her duties for a month. She can choose to stay or quit after that," Elizabeth compromised.
"Thank you, Your Highness! I know she'll make the right choice!"
"I know it's too late to say this, but I apologize for endangering your daughter. She risked her life to save me many times. It's not an exaggeration to say I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. I'm grateful for everything she's done. Anything that your family needs, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'll help out any way I can."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Adel dropped to her knees and knocked her head on the floor. "Thank you!" she repeated.
"Please stop!" Elizabeth was startled. She tried to squirm out of bed, but her injuries proved too much. "It's fine! You don't have to do this."
"No, I insist! We're commoners yet the Royal Family has done so much for us. We can never repay this gratitude!"
"I understand your feelings, so please get up. Okay?"
"No, this is the least I should do!"
Elizabeth kept trying to convince her, but the woman refused to budge. Her stubbornness was admirable. No, it was rude to call it stubbornness. It was devotion to her family that pushed her this far. Although the guards wanted to intervene, Elizabeth raised a hand to stop them. To act forcefully against her friend's mother would be going too far. Elizabeth believed Adel would give up after a while. She was wrong. Thirty minutes passed, and then an hour. The woman stayed fixed to the ground like a statue. It got to the point that Elizabeth was embarrassed and exasperated. On the second hour, Adel was finally escorted out, not because she wanted to, but because she fell unconscious. The physicians treated her and called a carriage. A gloomy mood hung over Elizabeth.