Reincarnated and Regressed Villain - Make heroines beg for forgiveness - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Chapter 71- Branch Families (pt1)
Unlike Night, which darkens the lands of Heindal, Ardoros was still shining at its peak.

And this glimmer inside the Devereaux family increased even more.

The entire architecture of that expanse was stretched to an enormous size, with the land being filled with amber-like circuit structures embedded in the ground.

Each of these lines originated from several towers of the Flagbearers’ Spires, mostly reserved for them when they reached the final years of Battle.

It was given to them as a gift from the Devereaux family to form support from branch families by supplying them with free Ether, using these crystals’ Energy to power their battleships.

After returning from their respective achieved goals prior to two years of ending, Flagbearers stayed in Ardoros for a given time until all of them came together in one place before the political battle started.

The one with more strength and hold on a branch family indirectly stayed ahead of the others, and after that, branch families participated in battle with their Flagbearer.

Meaning, the last remaining Flagbearers didn’t fight alone but with a whole army; battleships and cannons were just mere decorations in front of hundreds of powerhouses.

The Devereaux Family’s Flagbearer Battle was not just something that occurred, and individuals fought against each other; the real game started the moment the previous battle ended.

The lost branch families suffer clashes in their standings, prompting them to prepare for the upcoming battle, which will occur in fifteen years, well in advance.

It may seem that the head of the Devereaux family changes every fifteen years, but in truth, the current head has held his position for more than 300 years now.

After all, in the end, the top Flagbearer needs to go against the Head himself.

This is a complicated system based on a hierarchy of power, the best method for a race known for its growth.

Battles outside Ardoros make Flagbearers grow strong from both mind and strength, while inside battles help them get a hold on the political system, and finally, with all these elements combined, they go against the current Family Head.

However, branch families play a vital role in everything, making candidates align with them even before their battle starts.

Inside one of the branch family’s expanses, standing hundreds of miles away from the Direct Family’s Citadel, lies a huge land accommodating a population of 12,000 people, stretched on one part of the expanse of Ardoros belonging to a branch family, the Devereaux-Crawfords.

The Crawfords were the leading family in the previous Heir Battle, thanks to their candidate, Alisia Devereaux, who was ahead of others, flattening everything in her way and even rumoured of holding the strength to rival the Head of the Family.

After the Battle of Twilight, where Alisia Devereaux eradicated an entire clan—the Bloodmoon Clan of vampires—her position rose to an unprecedented level.

At the center of the Crawford Family’s land existed a huge castle, its glow outside its walls shimmering less than any other around it, a proof of the lack of energy provided to it.

Inside the hall at the center of the castle, seven people were seated on regal thrones, each with the rank of 〖LEGENDARY〗, a proof of their might.

The strength possessed by each one of them could easily threaten other races, yet they were immersed in deep thoughts today.

Bam!

“You can’t be a fool, brother!” A woman with gray hair and slightly orange pupils slammed on the table, which would have easily broken if not for her controlled force and the ether-infused material it was made from.

“Aunt!?” Noah’s eyes widened, seeing his aunt’s harsh words towards the family head.

“It’s fine, child,” Adrian Crawford stopped his son, who had stood up from his seat, feeling perplexed due to the present situation.

“It is not fine, brother. You should leave that position if you are going to be stubborn,” another middle-aged man sitting while folding his hands, kept his gaze fixed towards the head of the seat, a visible frown present seeing the stupidity of the current head and his brother’s.

WHOOSH!

An aura burst out of Noah, his light-amber eyes burning with an intense aura, looking at all these people who were trying to backstab the person who brought the family to its current status.

“Heh, you just reached your ranks today, kid. Don’t test our patience,” another old man seated on the chair grinned at the young man, the surrounding air around his body falling into a haze, showing his absolute control over his energy.

“Stop it, Noah. Don’t meddle in elders’ affairs,” seeing the situation becoming intense, Adrian glared towards his son, prioritizing peacefully soothing the matter before turning towards other family members. “So, you all want me to leave Lady Alisia’s side?”

“Yes, don’t be stupid and stick with that coward—” the woman tried to complete her sentence but suddenly stopped midway due to feeling all six of the figures present inside the hall giving her a death glare.

“I-I mean, why not leave Lady Alisia’s side? We are the only remaining branch family on her side. Even others are just in name, only joined hands with her to use her energy reactors,” correcting herself after using a title that was definitely unwanted in this room, the woman added how only the Crawfords were truly on the side of Alisia Devereaux until the end, while others who secretly changed sides were still using her spire’s energy source while Crawfords were ridiculed for supporting a coward.

“Sigh, let’s wait for the young master to wake,” Adrian lowered his gaze, feeling somewhat lost due to the reality behind his sister’s words.

They had been supporting Alisia Devereaux for 30 years now, even after her withdrawal, they stayed at her side, but with time, they became ridiculed in the eyes of other branch families.

When news about the arrival of Alisia Devereaux five years ago reached Ardoros, the Crawfords once again started to gain their old strength back, but it was just temporary.

Everyone realized that the era of Alisia Devereaux ended with her, since her son was crippled by a rumor about him killing two 〖LEGENDARY〗ranked powerhouses—an absolute lie.

After all, how could an eleven-year-old child kill two such powerhouses?

“He will not wake up, brother,” the woman gritted her teeth, clenching her fist, her eyes turning crimson due to the anger that was slowly becoming visible, remembering the yesterday’s events.

“What are you saying, Sister? We have provided three items from our side for healing the Young Master. So, there still have to be some chances,” Adrian expressed his confusion.

When Alisia commanded all other branch families under her to provide her with the ingredients for a healing solution, only two families came forward.

The first was the Crawfords, who gave all their achievements to prove their loyalty: Unicorn Tears, Phoenix Feather, and Dragon Scale Powder.

Acquiring these items had cost the life of the previous Head of the Family, proving the value these items held for the Crawfords, but they still followed through with everything.

The second was the Devereaux-Chandler family, which had provided Starlight Essence.

Even though the Crawfords provided raw items, giving whatever was left in them, the Chandlers provided a refined version while keeping more than 75% for themselves.

But it was good, at least now there were chances for the Young Master to heal completely.

“They betrayed us, Brother,” the woman stated, biting her lips, feeling overwhelmed while revealing this fact but unable to hide it any longer. “There was Arcane Poison mixed in that Essence.”

‘!?!’

Thud

“What are you saying!”

All of the six figures stood from their seats, their eyes widened, unable to believe something like this could happen, looking at the woman whose gaze was fixed on the table. Parting her quivering lips, she revealed, “I heard it myself. Yesterday, that bitch Mia mocked me while revealing how they Tampered with starlight to kill a Cripple.”