"Let's begin."
The moment those words were uttered, everyone in the hall sat up straighter, except for the Grand Duke who seemed completely relaxed.
Well, despite the fact that he looked relaxed, the aura around him told a different story.
Magnus Ashbourne.
He was the definition of a true Ashbourne, one that represented true unbridled strength.
He was considered a genius not just within the Ashbourne family, but across the entire empire.
He was a monster who stood at the peak.
From a young age, Magnus had displayed talent that crushed even the most gifted of nobles. At ten, he formed a contract with a gold rank beast.
At fifteen, he had dominated the academy. And before he even reached adulthood, he had stepped into a realm most could only dream of touching in their entire lives.
Power, influence, authority.
He had it all, and more importantly, he had kept it.
Unlike many geniuses who burned bright and faded just as quickly, Magnus Ashbourne only grew stronger with time, solidifying his position as one of the pillars of the empire.
Which made one thing painfully clear.
If someone like him had personally called Orion here, then this wasn't going to be a simple conversation.
"Orion," Magnus spoke out, his voice wasn't loud but it was very clearly heard in the entire hall.
"Yes, Grand Duke," Orion answered respectfully, but there wasn't a bit of fear present in his voice.
That alone was already different from the usual Orion they knew.
Magnus' eyes narrowed ever so slightly, noticing the change immediately.
Interesting.
"Do you know why you've been summoned?" he asked calmly, resting his chin lightly against his knuckles.
Orion silently turned towards towards Seth before smiling a bit and shaking his head.
"No, Grand Duke," he said calmly, his tone almost innocent.
"You don't know?" Seth repeated, trying his hardest not to lash out..
Orion turned his head slightly, as if just noticing his presence.
"Oh," he blinked, "were you saying something?"
That did it.
"YOU—!"
"Enough."
Magnus didn't even look at Seth this time.
Yet the pressure behind that single word was enough to force him back into silence.
The hall fell quiet again, but now, the tension was even heavier.
Magnus' gaze returned to Orion, already aware of what the failure was doing and he must say, he was pretty surprised.
"You claim ignorance," he said slowly, "yet you were seen injuring your elder brother."
There was a small pause before he added.
"Severely."
Orion hummed lightly, as if thinking.
"…Ah," he said after a second, "that, yes, Grand Duke. That did happen."
Magnus tapped his finger lightly against the armrest.
"Explain."
Orion nodded as he said, "he attempted to take my summon by force."
This time, the reaction was immediate.
"That's absurd."
"As if he even has a summon."
"He failed his awakening."
Whispers spread quickly across the hall and seth clenched his jaw.
"He's lying," he said sharply, "father, he's trying to twist the situation to avoid punishment—"
Orion looked at him for a while.
"Do you want me to describe how you reached for her," he said calmly, "or should I also explain what you said right before that?"
Seth froze.
"…."
"…."
Magnus had an interested smile on his face as he watched the one that was supposed to be a failure shut Seth up.
Still, he couldn't judge from what he had seen so far, if the failure truly had awakened, then that would be surprising.
"Call it out."
Just before he stepped into the hall, he had sent Luna back into the beast inventory, to avoid any headaches.
"Luna," he said and a summoning circle appeared before him.
The moment Luna fully materialized, a heavy pressure fell on them all as she immediately clinged on to Orion's arm.
Unbothered by the other presences in the hall.
One of the elders' expressions stiffened as he was also affected by the pressure, "this…"
Another leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.
"That presence, it's not Bronze, not Silver."
"Gold?" someone whispered.
"No," another elder muttered, his voice tight, "not even close."
Seth's face immediately went pale, because now, he was also being hit by Luna's presence.
And unlike before, when he could dismiss it as shock or confusion, now there was no denying it.
That thing, no that monster was terrifyingly strong.
Magnus leaned forward, seemingly interested, genuinely.
"Then let me ask you this," he said, his gaze moving from Luna to Orion, "when did you awaken?"
Orion met his eyes without flinching.
"Yesterday."
Another wave of shock went through everyone in the hall. Someone awakening an Elite rank beast on their first summoning was unheard of.
That was also the reason why they couldn't be surprised that Luna was in a human form, after all, most high ranking beasts were capable of transformation.
"I see," Magnus nodded before asking again, "but that still doesn't explain why you hurt your brother."
Orion expected that question already, after all, that was the only reason why he was summoned here in the first place.
Then finding out he had awakened was a surprise to most in the hall, even Seth who had thought Luna was only a cute hooker.
"As an Ashbourne," he started, "I believe it you attempt to take something, you should be strong enough to actually take it."
"I believe I gave older brother a valuable lesson on this," Orion turned to Seth before smiling, "he should be thankful, after all, he could've lost his life in instead."
That was a very obvious threat and aimed at a member of the main family… right in front of the Grand Duke.
"…You dare—" Seth began, his face twisting with fury as he half-rose from his seat.
This time, Magnus didn't interfere, instead, he let Seth do whatever he wanted...and it wasn't much.
Before he could fully stand up, a heavy pressure fell on his shoulders as Luna looked at him.
Like a puppy, he tucked his tail between his legs and quietly sat back down without doing anything.
"Finish what you were about to say," Magnus said after Seth completely quieted down.
Orion didn't hesitate.
"If that had happened outside the estate," he continued, "he wouldn't have walked away with just a broken arm."
Magnus' fingers tapped once against the armrest.
"And you believe you were justified?"
"Yes," there was no hesitation in his voice as he answered.
Magnus leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"And if I say you were not?"
Orion met his gaze.
"Then I'll accept whatever punishment the Grand Duke sees fit."
A pause.
"But that won't change the fact that I'd do it again."
"Interesting," he muttered.
His gaze shifted slightly, briefly landing on Seth, then back to Orion.
"Very well," he straightened slightly in his seat, "your actions were excessive."
Seth's eyes lit up slightly at that, but before he could celebrate, the Grand Duke added.
"They were also justified."
Everyone froze and Seth's expression changed completely.
"F-Father—?!"
Magnus didn't even look at him.
"In this family," he said calmly, "power determines ownership."
His gaze moved briefly toward Luna.
"You defended what was yours."
And then, his eyes returned to Orion.
"And you proved you had the strength to do so, therefore, no punishment will be given."
The hall erupted into whispers.
Seth, however, went completely still.
"…No… punishment…?" he muttered, his voice hollow.
Magnus finally looked at him.
.
"If you are dissatisfied," he said coldly,
"then grow stronger."
Seth clenched his jaw so hard it almost cracked.
But he said nothing.
He couldn't.
Magnus moved his attention back to Orion, as if Seth no longer existed.
"However," he added, "do not mistake this for tolerance."
The pressure in the room increased slightly.
"Next time, control the extent of your actions."
"Understood." Orion nodded in understanding.
Magnus studied him for a moment longer.
Then he dropped another shocking news.
"From this day forward," he said,
"you are reinstated into the main estate."
Gasps spread across the hall.
"You will receive the resources appropriate to your standing," Magnus continued. "Do not waste them."
Orion didn't react much, though he was celebrating internally, "of course."
Magnus gave a small nod before saying.
"Dismissed."