Upon hearing Victor's answer, Alaric let out a heavy sigh. Holding his face in his palm, he felt his brain throbbing against the boundaries of his skull.
Right then, Marcus called out to all of them.
"Let's sit down, shall we? It's a lot to digest for everyone here."
Lilla and Victor nodded, moving towards the couch. Alaric followed behind them a few moments after. They sat down on the sofa, silence drowning the room.
Alaric stared at the floor for a few seconds, his arms resting on his knees. Then, he elevated his gaze and met Marcus's eyes.
"Did you call Dante?"
The head servant closed his eyes, nodded, and then opened them again.
"I did. He too, is most distraught."
Alaric exhaled heavily, leaning back on the soft cushion.
"How could this have even happened? The Empire wouldn't allow such a thing, Dante wouldn't allow something like this."
Lilla shook her head.
"That is exactly it, my lord. The mission to capture Sun Daishen was given on a whim by the Prime Minister and General of the Black Ops without permission from the Supreme Commander."
Alaric frowned.
"How dare they?! It is disrespectful to try to strain the balance Pangea made with such effort. Kedith will surely pay."
Victor chimed in just then.
"It appears not." He stated calmly. "I just got word from Henry that the General's taking the fall for Kedith."
Alaric turned towards Victor with a confused expression.
"Him? Why?"
Victor sighed, adjusting his glasses lazily.
"He knows he has immunity. Dante's a kind person. The General knows he'll get a second chance because he's been appointed so recently."
Alaric threw his hands in the air.
"Even then, why the hell isn't Kedith getting any backlash? I'm sure the internet can dig up something on him."
"Their focus is on Dick right now." Lilla's voice cut through the air. "More so, the death of ten enforcers from the first unit of the Special Ops division of the AEOC will surely draw attention away from Kedith."
Marcus groaned and then added in a grumpy voice.
"It seems he planned this out."
Turning towards the former patriarch, he drew a sharp breath.
"It doesn't make any sense, though. Kedith has always been a man of the people… Rome has seen more prosperity and peace with him than in the last fifty years… and the public seems to believe that."
He adjusted the crystal monocle on his left eye.
"Moreover, by ratting out one of his own Assemblymen and arresting him, the citizens have begun to trust him even more. I'm sure blind supporters will soon rise."
Alaric touched his nape, rubbing it as he lowered his head.
The room stayed silent for a minute, allowing the people to organize their thoughts.
It looked like this had been all a part of the Prime Minister's scheme all along.
He first built up the trust of the Roman citizens by arresting one of his own men, showing that he was willing to do anything for the sake of justice.
Then, he had the General of the Black Ops Division take the fall for the failed capture of Sun Daishen. He diverted the eyes of the internet onto the tragedy that had occurred in Ashland, forced the upcoming expedition to the Forbidden Continent to be paused and raised tension between Rome and Ashland.
It was an ingenious strategy.
A plan that had seemingly been developed over years of pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Now, no one would pay him any attention and once the Chaos died down, nobody would bother to look at him either.
Alaric finally lifted his head after the long silence. He locked eyes with Lilla and opened his mouth.
"…Where is Missio?"
Lilla blinked and then replied in an even tone.
"He's sleeping… in his room."
Alaric curled his lips, his brain throbbing as the Chaos around him danced the rhythm of his pain.
He sighed and uncurled his spine. Reaching into his pockets, he drew his phone and dialed his other son's number.
The rest watched him quietly.
After a few seconds, the call was picked up.
"Dante…?" Alaric called out.
"Dad." Dante greeted his father. "Are you fine?"
"I'm fine, son. How have you been?"
"I've been good… just having a headache from all the drama that's been going on recently."
"I see…" Alaric muttered. "Then, have you heard about your brother as well?"
Dante paused for a moment and then replied.
"Yes… yes, I have. I'm trying to get work as soon as possible to return home but… I think I'll be here for at least a month more."
"God…" Alaric lamented. "That much time? Can't you use your attribute to speed it up?"
"No…" Dante answered. "I've done that for all the paperwork but I can't do that for the rest. I can't control time, dad. I've gotta talk with Chris, and Nyx, and then I've gotta tell Albert about the delay as well and… It's just all over the place."
"… I can see that you're working very hard."
"I'm trying."
Alaric smiled, proud of his son's efforts.
"Anyways, I've gotta get back to work. I'll call you later."
The next second, Dante cut the call. Alaric chuckled slightly before putting his phone down.
Tucking it back into his pocket, he stood and gazed over Victor, Lilla and Marcus.
"I'll take my leave."
As he turned towards the exit, Victor called out to him.
"Do you want to see Missio?"
Alaric froze, a torrent of painful memories attacking. Then, with a raspy voice, he retorted.
"No."
The three then watched as the former patriarch left the property.