"That's it? You just want me to tell you if any of the young nobles have ideals of running the country themselves?" Caedus felt like that was too easy.
"Exactly, and you are the perfect candidate because you have no idea who these people are, and you have no allegiance with them otherwise. You're a clean slate." Umbra sat back in his chair while crossing one leg over the other. "It also aligns with your goal of becoming stronger."
Caedus thought to himself without responding. 'There has to be more to this. I don't mind letting Umbra know if someone starts a war, but... Caedus had an odd feeling.
"What's the catch? Why doesn't your family just keep an eye on them? It has to be more than perfect timing on my being new to Iridia." Caedus sat forward a bit, trying to put the pressure on Umbra, which didn't work.
"You really forget what my original form is?" Umbra asked.
"..."
"..."
"It may have slipped my mind…" Caedus felt his face turn red. How could he forget that Umbra was a giant crow? His clan is literally called the Nightmare Crow Clan.
"Anyhow, His Majesty did ask us not to interfere with anyone who enters the Ironwood Crown Initiative, including spying.. Which my grandfather, the patriarch of the whole Nightmare Crow Clan, not just the Corvane family, has abided by and instructed us to do the same." Umbra's relaxed tone shot down an octave.
'Did the room just get a bit darker?' Caedus' surroundings seemed to be swallowed in a dark shadow.
"Will I get in trouble if I get caught?"
Umbra shook his head. "Unfortunately for me, when trying to slip your sponsorship through, my father caught wind of it. You won't be in trouble, but I am sure I'll hear about it later today."
Caedus didn't respond. He was thinking about Umbra's proposal.
He turned his head to look out the window of the carriage. Watching the buildings and people pass by.
'The positives are that I get higher-quality training, which can lead me to be stronger. I am tired of being weak. I will be getting paid for the military. I can meet new people. I might even be able to travel a bit. The negatives, though… I don't know what I am getting myself into.'
A few minutes went by in silence. Umbra stared at Caedus expectantly, while Caedus was immersed in his thoughts.
*sigh*
Caedus let out a long, defeated sigh. "If I say no, I'm guessing I will just be joining the regular military? Which means a lower quality of life?"
"Now you're getting it," Umbra responded with a smile.
"Fine. But I want to know your reasoning for all of this. Why go against your family's and the King's wishes?" It was something that bugged Caedus when he was contemplating. Why risk making enemies?
This time, Umbra went silent. A somber expression was on his face.
"Caedus, I love my country. This is my clan's ancestral home. The Nightmare Crow Clan is one of the three clans that were originally here during the time when the Great Ironwood Tree was still piercing the sky. This is all my clan has ever known. This is my home, and I love the citizens. I don't want to see the Kingdom fall into civil war or get invaded by another country when we are divided amongst each other. I just need you to report to me if anyone is trying to oppose the King. And I will take care of the rest."
"I see. Patriotism then, huh?" Caedus mumbled under his breath. "Ok. I will report to you if anyone has any ideas."
Umbra smiled at that response. "I'm sure it will be a while before anyone gets any crazy ideas to try something like that. You just need to be friendly, so if there are any ideas, they might ask you to join."
"How long is a long time?" Caedus asked curiously.
"Till you or someone else amongst the group is strong enough to rival the King. Who is at the peak of the 4th realm? The Dawning realm." Umbra bragged, as if he were proud of the King he served.
"How strong are you then, Umbra?"
"I am in the middle of the 3rd realm, the Core Formation realm. However, my powers are less about combat and more about reconnaissance. So I am not useful in a battle as much as some others. But I still have the body of a Core Formation expert, so I am definitely stronger than anyone in the 1st and 2nd realms."
Caedus raised an eyebrow. "So what determines powers? And how do you know I am able to even be useful enough to join the Ironwood Crown Intiative?"
"It is one of my talents; once you break through every realm, you get an additional talent related to your power. One of mine is kind of like an animal instinct, considering my family is mythical beasts. My instinct is screaming at me that you have great potential. So I am betting you won't be outshone by the nobles' children." Umbra said, looking Caedus up and down.
A chill ran up Caedus' spine. 'Is he?..'
"As for what determines powers, I semi-mentioned it to you yesterday as we were approaching the gate, but to be honest, it's about eighty percent genetics. Everything else is how you were raised, your mentality, physical capability, a number of factors."
"So my parents could have had similar powers to me if not the same?" Caedus wondered.
"More than likely, occasionally, there are black sheep of families who have a mutation in genes or recessive traits, which can drastically change how their power manifests. But I won't bore you with the details." Umbra waved him off.
'What are recessive traits?'
Suddenly, before Caedus could ask, the carriage came to a halt.
Caedus lurched forward slightly and immediately looked outside the window. "What's going on?"
Umbra stood up and reached for the handle of the door. "We have arrived at my family's estate. You'll stay here tonight before you head off tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?! I am going tomorrow?" Caedus was shocked; he didn't even have a proper amount of time to really let his new reality sink in.
Umbra grinned slightly, then stepped out the door. "I told you it was good timing you came when you did."
Caedus followed him out of the carriage. What stood before him shocked him. What Umbra called his 'family estate' could only be described as a palace in Caedus's eyes.
The structure sprawled out across Caedus's view; its architecture was elegant. Dark gray stone rose up tens of meters. Veins of silver ran through the stone, giving it a cold, shimmering feeling in the light.
Caedus could spot people moving with purpose in the home through the dozens of windows.
Lowering his gaze to his surroundings, Caedus observed the multiple gardens with workers attending each one.
But Caedus couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Like there were eyes on him. He was being watched.
He quickly ignored the sights and turned around, expecting someone to be standing there. But all he saw was the retreating carriage, revealing that they were higher on the dead tree stump of the Ironwood Kingdom, revealing an endless city below.
Still, Caedus took a deep breath and tried to ignore the gorgeous view.
"Umbra." Caedus turned back towards the estate, his eyes glancing between all the windows. Seeing if someone was staring.
"Mm? What is it, Caedus?"
"Are we being watched?" Caedus was still on edge. Who was watching and from where?
Umbra laughed. "Oh, you can feel that? You're pretty interesting, Caedus. Don't worry. My family guards are just inspecting us. We can carry on."
Almost immediately after Umbra said that, the feeling of being watched disappeared from Caedus' instincts.
"Really not a fan of that." Caedus frowned, shaking off the feeling.
"You'll have to get used to it. If you go anywhere important, you will definitely be inspected by prying eyes. Now come inside. I'll show you to your room, then we will eat dinner. You've got a big day tomorrow."
Caedus followed Umbra inside, and the inside was even more impressive than the outside. For a family of spies, the Corvane family lived quite lavishly.
Caedus clicked his tongue in jealousy.
"Young Master Umbra." An old man wearing a suit was standing at the entrance as if he were waiting there for hours.
"Hello Jim. This is my friend Caedus, he'll be staying with us tonight." Umbra gestured to Caedus. "Caedus, this is my butler, Jim."
"Hello, young sir." Jim slightly bent down in a polite bow before addressing the 'Young Master Umbra' again.
"Young Master. Master Damaros has instructed me to tell you that your guest and you will be present for a family dinner tonight."
Umbra stiffened at that.
'Uh oh.' Why did he react like that?
"Umm, that's not necessary, Jim, we will just eat separately." Umbra seemed a bit nervous.
Umbra tried to walk away towards the stairs, dragging Caedus with him.
"Unfortunately, Young Master, your father insists. And he said, I quote, 'If you are not present at the family dinner with your guest, I will speak to your guest alone."
This made Umbra pause in his steps. He looked at Caedus with pity before sighing in resignation. "Fine. But we won't be dressing up. Caedus doesn't have any nice clothes."
"Understood, Young Master, your father will be pleased. I will relay your message now." Jim turned on his heel and walked away.
Umbra let go of Caedus and slowly walked up the stairs ribbing his forehead.
"So what is happening?" Caedus asked. There was so much going on in the past twenty-four hours that he wasn't able to follow properly.
"I guess you're meeting my father, mother, and siblings later, Caedus." Umbra sighed. "Why is my life too exhausting?"