Meanwhile, inside the meeting room of the Frenzel main residence.
This was a huge room located on the top floor of the central building in the Frenzel main residence.
The layout of the room was simple, but the decor was quite luxurious. The furniture and carpets placed within were all high-end items of considerable value. Especially notable was a round table situated in the middle. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, and the quality was superb. The wooden tabletop was so polished that it was almost shining, capable of reflecting clear images like a mirror, making it highly ornamental.
"Excuse me."
"Ex-Excuse me."
Mediste's polite voice and Isaac's timid voice resounded at the same time from outside the meeting room's door.
*Creak—*
The door was pushed open by two knights standing outside, allowing the two to enter.
Upon entering, ignoring Isaac who kept his head low, Mediste was the first to notice the people right next to the round table.
Among them, two were seated, and one was standing, clearly indicating their status.
Mediste's gaze primarily fell on the two seated men.
Seated on the left was a young man around twenty years old, with dazzling golden hair tied into a small ponytail. Despite his handsome appearance, he had a careless demeanor, constantly glancing around, giving off an air of frivolity.
He was Mediste's elder brother, the eldest son of the Frenzel family—Sefaz Frenzel.
Seated beside Sefaz, occupying the main position at the round table, was a man with hair as golden as Sefaz's, aged over forty and in his middle years. Yet, traces of his youthful charm remained evident, as there wasn't a single wrinkle on his face, and his noble attire lacked any creases.
He was Mediste's father, the oldest of the Frenzel family in this generation, and the former family head—Alderman Frenzel.
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Elder Brother." Mediste greeted, solemnly bowing her head, seemingly trying to conceal her emotions
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Elder Brother..." Isaac also followed suit, finally coming to his senses and hastily joining his elder sister in the courtesy.
"Mediste and Isaac, huh?" Alderman lightly uttered.
"Well, well, Little Brother, Little Sister, how have you been?" Sefaz exclaimed warmly as if it had been ages since he last saw his younger siblings, enthusiastically greeting them.
In truth, he had indeed been away for a long time.
He often stayed out all night, disliking staying at home and preferring to stay at his so-called friends' houses, his whereabouts highly suspicious.
He once claimed he was out doing business and couldn't return home due to inconvenience, but Mediste knew he was lying; otherwise, their paths wouldn't have crossed on the street the last time she went out.
At that time, his carriage seemed to be heading toward the city gate, and later on, she learned that he would often leave Undine without knowing where he was going. Of course, she had no intention of revealing these things.
"We've been doing well." Mediste replied politely. "Isaac has been obedient, and everything at home has been peaceful. Thank you for your concern, Elder Brother."
"That's good, that's good." Sefaz smiled, seeming quite content, and repeatedly nodded.
However, Mediste, who was adept at reading people, could sense the insincerity and perfunctory nature of his words.
Needless to say, his warmth was faked and his concern nonexistent. His face was like a mask, making her hesitant to trust his every word and action.
Compared to her elder brother, her father, Alderman, always maintained a stern demeanor, appearing awe-inspiring.
"What about Yuri?" Alderman coldly asked. "Calling us back in such a manner, only to be absent herself. It seems like becoming the family head has really boosted her confidence, completely disregarding my exist—"
Before his words could finish, however, a voice interrupted from outside the door.
"I'm here."
With the arrival of the voice, the doors of the meeting room were once again opened.
Yuri arrived, accompanied by Marilyn, entering the meeting room together.
"Elder Sister..."
"Elder Sister!"
Mediste felt a sense of relief and quickly bowed her head to Yuri, while Isaac seemed to find his backbone and let out a joyful shout.
"Mediste, Isaac, you're already here?"
Yuri didn't even glance at Alderman or Sefaz, only focusing on Mediste and Isaac. As she glanced at her two younger siblings, a faint smile finally appeared on her cold face.
At this moment, Yuri seemed to have returned home, seeing her own family. Mediste and Isaac were equally delighted to see their admired elder sister. In contrast, Alderman and Sefaz seemed like outsiders.
The relationships among the Frenzel family members, who got along well and who didn't, were evident from this scene.
Alderman simply looked on with indifference and spoke up.
"Since everyone is here, let's all take a seat."
Upon hearing her father's words, Mediste wanted to remind him that the seat her elder sister should be in right now was the one he was currently occupying. As the family head, her elder sister should be the one sitting in the main seat, not her father.
Unfortunately, Mediste knew that even if she said so, it would be useless.
Many who knew the inside story of the Frenzel family understood that, in fact, although Alderman passed the position of family head to Yuri, he himself never completely relinquished the authority that came with it.
Regardless of the situation in the royal capital, here in the Frenzel territory, Alderman was the one who held control, wielding the authority of the territory's lord.
No one in the meeting room found this abnormal.
The reason was simple.
When Yuri became the head of the Frenzel family, she was only twelve years old, not even an adult. At that age, she became a Tactical-Class Magician and was thus summoned by the king.
However, instead of being granted a noble title and forming her own noble family, since she had already assumed the position of the Frenzel family's head passed down by Alderman, she was unable to establish her independence.
During that period, as a declining noble family, the Frenzel family was merely a baron family, and their territory was gradually being reclaimed by the kingdom. Only Undine remained under them, deemed the primary territory of their family.
In the end, after Yuri assumed the position of the Frenzel family's head and became the new Baron Frenzel, she went to the royal capital to receive her award as a Tactical-Class Magician.
Considering she was technically already a noble with baron status, the king promoted her from baron to viscount, thus elevating the Frenzel family's status to that of a viscount family.
It wasn't until three years later when she was fifteen years old and became a Strategic-Class Magician that she suddenly gained overnight fame, causing a commotion throughout the kingdom and even across the entire Akasha Continent. As a result, she was summoned by the king again and skipped the title of count, being directly promoted to marquis.
Despite being regarded as the foremost talent in Jinas, Yuri was, after all, still young. Moreover, after being appointed as a Chief Court Magician, she often had to stay in the royal capital to handle kingdom affairs, leaving all matters within her territory to others.
With such understanding, people believed that Alderman took on the role of Frenzel territory's acting lord for the sake of his still-young daughter.
Only those like Mediste, who knew the inside story, knew that Alderman was never entrusted with the role of acting lord at all, as he never relinquished the authority of the territory's lord in the first place and always maintained a firm grip over the territory from beginning to end.
People believed Yuri Frenzel was the head of the Frenzel family, but they didn't know that the territory of the family had always been under her father's control behind the scenes, never actually passing into her hands as the current family head.
In other words, within the Frenzel territory, the one making decisions was Alderman, not Yuri.
Even Riezel was unaware of this hidden truth since Yuri had never mentioned it.
Yuri herself didn't even care about it in general, paying no attention to her father occupying the main seat, nor did she follow his order to sit down.
"I need an explanation."
As Yuri faced Alderman and spoke those words, the faint smile on her face when facing Mediste and Isaac vanished completely, leaving her with an expressionless face.
The atmosphere in the meeting room plummeted instantly because of her words.
Mediste remained silent.
Isaac didn't dare to even breathe heavily.
Marilyn, like the man standing behind Alderman, watched silently.
Sefaz wore a nonchalant expression, almost ready to put his legs up on the table if it weren't for the tense atmosphere.
Only Alderman and Yuri remained—one with a stern face, the other expressionless, confronting each other.
"I haven't even asked you for an explanation yet, and you dare to demand one from me?" Alderman said coldly. "Look at what you've done in the royal capital. Now the relationship between our family and the Basolo family is completely ruined. Do you realize that?"
"I need an explanation."
Yuri ignored his words and just stared at him, repeating her words, seemingly calmer than before. But behind this calmness lay a terrifying sense of oppression.
"...Is this how you talk to your own father?" Alderman's composed face was starting to look unpleasant.
Yet, she repeated the same words.
"I need an explanation."
Her cold words sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
"Mind your manners, Yuri Frenzel!" Alderman yelled with veins bulging on his forehead, clearly enraged.
To his yell, Yuri didn't say another word, simply turning and walking away, heading toward the exit.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the meeting room had an instant realization.
Once she walked out of that door, things would be irreparable.
Yuri was definitely capable of causing a major incident without blinking since her status as a Strategic-Class Magician granted her that privilege.
"Return at once, Yuri Frenzel!" Alderman couldn't contain himself, abruptly standing up, emanating tremendous magical energy from his body.
At this moment, the entire meeting room shook.