Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

The three of them continued eating in silence, with Adrian’s focus on the chalice placed at the table for most of that duration.

Soon, his mother finished eating and cleared her throat, as if to get their attention.

"Today is the day of the Fiducia festival as well as the day of the banquet we have organised. I know I have mentioned this several times already, but the two of you should behave properly and in a manner befitting your status, especially you, El. I am not too worried about Adi, but you worry me a bit."

She paused and looked at the two of them. She looked more serious than usual.

"Although few would even dare to attempt something like this, do not give anyone a chance to humiliate you during the banquet."

As she finished speaking, the dining hall turned silent as Andrian and Elias looked at her quietly. But that silence was soon broken as Elias tilted his head and asked innocently.

"Um... Mother, you didn’t warn us like this before brother’s engagement, so why this time?"

She sighed.

"Because this banquet is different, El. Unlike the engagement, where only our vassals were present, this event is open to all nobles of the empire. This means that imperial nobles will also be present, as well as the nobles who are hostile toward us. Although most of them should know better than to provoke us, fools who do not know their place are everywhere."

The young boy looked into space with a thoughtful expression on his innocent, childlike face. But after a few moments, he tilted his head once again and turned back to her. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Mother, if you know that they might cause trouble, then why did you even invite those nobles?"

Instead of answering his question, she shifted her gaze to Adrian, looking at him expectantly. He knew what that look meant, causing him to sigh and turn toward Elias.

"It’s not that simple. Even though we may have a hostile relationship, we are all nobles of the empire. And among the nobility, every action is interpreted and analyzed for some meaning. So if we are selective of the guests we invite to the celebration of a festival that is celebrated by everyone in the empire, we would be sending the wrong kind of message."

But even after Adrian’s long explanation, the boy still looked confused as he spoke.

"Brother, I didn’t understand half of what you said. Wrong kind of message? Like what?"

Adrian sighed once again, this one heavier.

"If we don’t invite everyone and be selective, it would send the message that we are increasing our hostility towards the ones we have not invited. This could cause their hostility to escalate as well, because they will look like cowards otherwise."

In noble society, reputation was everything. Through the years, nobles had learned to use this reputation as a weapon against other nobles, forcing them to act in a desired manner due to social pressure.

This was the true nature of noble society, where battles and confrontations were illusive, yet the consequences of those battles were very real.

His younger brother nodded while the corners of his mother’s lips curled upward as she smiled in satisfaction. She then spoke, addressing him.

"The Florivelles are obviously going to attend as well, so in the event that your fiancée is with you, try to make sure she also acts in a manner befitting her position. Honestly, I would like it quite a bit if Countess Florivelle taught the girl proper etiquette."

Adrian nodded.

’That’s another headache I’ll have to deal with.’

He had basically been tasked with babysitting the girl throughout the banquet.

With that, his mother wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up, leaving the dining hall.

With the two of them now alone in the vast hall, he felt a pull on his sleeve from the side. As he turned his head, he was met with the twinkling eyes of his younger brother.

"Brother, brother, are you excited for today?!"

Adrian stared at the boy, who looked back at him while smiling brightly with his eyes twinkling in excitement.

After a while, Adrian turned his gaze away as he, too, stood up.

’He looks too excited for his own good.’

After one last glance at the chalice on the table, Adrian left the dining hall as well.

Then he once again began reading through the compendium as soon as he returned to his room.

He was close to finishing reading the book, and it wouldn’t take more than two or three days. In all honesty, he had learned quite a bit about the sheer vastness of the types of Origin abilities and things they were capable of.

Some of the abilities recorded in this book had genuinely left him speechless. It was hard to believe that such powers could even exist and be wielded by people.

And after reading up to this point, there was one large question that had occupied Adrian’s mind for quite a while now.

’What will happen if two opposing Origin Abilities clash?’

He had first had this thought while looking at the fragment relic he had bought from the shop, The Curse of Nortos. It was a rusted nail that could kill any creature as long as it remained stuck in their flesh for twenty-four hours.

Of course, it was also mentioned that this effect is not absolute and could fail if the target is too strong. He was assuming that ’strong’ was referring to the Phase they were on.

But what if there was an Origin ability with a similar function of granting certain death to the target after certain conditions were fulfilled, but with this one being absolute, unlike the Curse of Nortos? And what if that Origin ability was used against the current bearer of immortality?

One Origin ability had the function of making the bearer immortal, while the other Origin ability had the function of granting absolute death to the target.

So what would happen if these two powers were to clash? Would the bearer of immortality die due to absolute death, or would the absolute death fail because of immortality?

Of course, Adrian was now aware that Origin abilities were not absolute and could be countered after a strong enough force was used against them.

But in this case, both of these powers were Origin abilities.

’I feel like I am at the cusp of grasping something here. I just don’t know what...’

Adrian closed the book and stretched a bit, then he stood up from his chair and left the room. It was time for today’s lesson.

He reached the clearing, where Sir Avalon was sitting under the shade of the tree as usual. He sat down in front of him, and the lesson began.

And after a while, it ended as Sir Avalon stood up to leave.

Today’s lesson ended earlier than usual. He was assuming that it was because of the banquet.

Before Sir Afalon could walk away, Adrian called out to him and asked.

"Sir Avalon, what’s the deal with those silver chalices that I see everywhere? I am aware that they have something to do with today’s festival, but I have never known about them before, even though the festival comes every year."