Her Majestic Battle Cry

Chapter 1139

After dinner, Rafael and Carissa cornered Kyle and dragged him into the study, one on each side, leaving him no chance to escape. He was pushed into a chair without ceremony,

“This is undignified–utterly undignified!” Kyle complained, his tone reeking of scholarly pretension now that he was a teacher. “Stop all this pushing and shoving,”

Despite his protests, he was soon seated, pinned down by the eager, curious gazes of his junior guild members. novelbin

He sighed and grumbled, “If you have questions, just ask them already,”

Rafael spoke first, “First question: We’ve noticed Isaac has been spending a lot of time around Silverstone Estate lately. Is this because Sage Adrian or Sage Everett has given him an assignment? Is it something to do with Marshal Prince?”

Carissa asked more seriously, “Second question: I noticed that Isaac was looking at Vivi strangely tonight, and he’s not opposing her anymore. It’s a bit unusual. Do you know what’s going on?”

As usual, Kyle knew when to speak and when to hold back. It was fine to hide Isaac’s background from others, but it wasn’t necessary to keep it from the two people in front of

him now.

Adrian had told Kyle about Isaac’s past a long time ago and suggested he occasionally give some advice. Life could be long or short; one never knew what might happen tomorrow. Some things should not be held on to too tightly.

He had talked to Isaac about it, but the latter said that everyone in the Pathfinders Guild was like family to him, and others didn’t matter.

“Isaac is the youngest brother of Oliver and Caspian from the Earl of Silverstone’s family. Viola is his elder sister, and Zoey is his sister–in–law. Recently, he’s been going back and forth because there’s been trouble at the estate. Evelyn has fallen ill and needs Snowdrop Pills. He has some, so he’s likely just checking on how to deliver them,” Kyle explained.

Rafael and Carissa were left stunned. They had thought of countless possibilities, but never

this.

Carissa put both her hands to her mouth in shock. After a moment, she lowered them and asked, “How did he end up at the Pathfinders Guild then? Did his dad send him? Is Madam Prince his mom? Why hasn’t anyone come looking for him?”

Kyle said, “It’s a long story, but I’ll make it brief. His dad, David Prince, the previous Earl of Silverstone, was obsessed with spiritual practices. When Isaac was born, David had just earned military merit and returned to inherit his title.

“For Isaac’s Lunar Blessing Ceremony, David invited a spiritual master to read his fortune.

”

The spiritual master said the boy would bring great fortune to his parents, but the boy’s own life would suffer because of it. So, the spiritual master suggested naming him Seraphina and raising him as a girl to preserve his life and ensure long–lasting fortune.”

Frowning, Carissa interrupted, “If Isaac’s fate was supposed to be damaging to himself, why raise him like a girl?”

Kyle hesitated, his brow furrowing. “The spiritual master said girls were worthless and easier to care for.”

Carissa almost spat out a curse but caught herself, remembering this wasn’t the first time she had heard such a story. Back at the Pathfinders Guild, whenever they traveled to the nearby villages, it wasn’t uncommon to see young boys dressed as girls and given feminine names.

She didn’t understand at first, so she asked the elders in the village. They explained that boys‘ lives were precious, so people pretended they were girls to avoid jealousy and bad luck. It was like how women hid their pregnancies for the first three months to avoid attracting the attention of jealous spirits.

The common folk believed it, and even the Earl of Silverstone’s family followed it.

Just how worthless could a girl be?

Kyle continued, “When Isaac was four or five, he still wasn’t in good health. No matter how many physicians they brought, none could cure him. The spiritual master was really just a charlatan. He claimed Isaac needed to be raised in a temple, where the gods would bless him and his health would improve.

“So, at five years old, Isaac was taken to the remote temple the charlatan was from. That delicate child was suddenly taken away from home and forced to work like a laborer. His fragile health couldn’t handle it. After only a few months, they threw him out, but the charlatan still collected money from the Prince family every year.

“Later, Evelyn missed him dearly and insisted on visiting him. The charlatan realized he couldn’t hide the truth any longer. But when Evelyn arrived, she found that the temple had caught fire. A novice priest ran out, claiming it was Isaac who had set the temple ablaze. He couldn’t escape, and a few other novice priests died in the fire with him.”

Kyle had left out a lot of details in his story. The few months Isaac spent at the temple were some of the most painful and unforgettable memories of his life.