Although not much time had passed since the attack of the Holy Church, the mansion now looked completely different.

The many piles of rubble, ruins, and corpses had been moved away by the servants, while the splattered blood had also been cleaned up.

As Liora followed Eleanor and wandered through the mansion, she noticed that many of the servants were either anxious or overcome with sorrow—afraid for their future life and sad for their companions' death.

Liora keenly noticed that Eleanor's eyes flashed with a trace of pity as she looked at them, and from time to time, she would step forward to comfort them.

Liora didn't stop her or say anything, her expression unreadable.

Though the mansion was quite vast, it didn't take long for Liora and Eleanor to arrive at their destination.

It was a towering hall located near the mansion's main building, with a pair of white pillars standing on either side of its entrance.

As Liora and Eleanor walked into the hall, it immediately became obvious that they were the last people to come.

Throughout the hall, many people had gathered already, from whom Liora felt a quite familiar aura.

"Knight Apprentices...", she thought secretly as her eyes scanned the room, examining each and every individual on their way.

In the end, she discovered that there were a total of twenty-seven Knight Apprentices in the room, with some among them being strong and others weak.

Liora didn't hide her gaze. The people in the room easily noticed that she was sizing them up, most likely examining their strength.

However, they didn't speak.

Instead, their eyes shrank, and the least daring among them cowered in fear as if they were facing a legendary beast.

This was not because they recognized her identity as a Devil, but because they had heard from Eleanor that this was the person who had dealt with the holy knight and the other members of the Holy Church.

In their opinion, Liora was at least a True Knight, a Knight whose identity and strength they both feared and respected.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere in the room, Eleanor coughed lightly, attracting the attention of everyone.

Fortunately, she had already thought of a reasonable excuse and didn't find herself on the spot.

"Everyone, this is Lady Liora. She used to be a good friend of my father before his death, and just recently heard about his passing away. Fortunately, she arrived right in time. Otherwise, our family would have been destroyed.", Eleanor explained, her voice soft yet spreading throughout the room.

It was unknown whether they really believed her words or if they were simply unwilling to say anything, but several family members of the Black Tulip family nodded their heads, as if Eleanor's explanation had been impeccable.

Eleanor didn't speak any further. Walking to the center of the room, she pulled her brother off the main seat and gestured for Liora with a wave of her hands.

"Your Excellency, please take your seat."

Her words caught the audience off guard, but just like before, they didn't dare to utter a single word, afraid that they would offend the mysterious Knight.

As for Liora? She didn't care about their opinions.

Hearing Eleanor's words, she casually sat down on the main chair, not worried that someone would be dissatisfied.

Seeing that Liora sat down, Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief.

Holding her brother with her arm around his back, she led him to the seat next to Liora and sat him down.

Then, she took a step back and stood behind him, as if she were his subject or subordinate.

Staring at this scene, Liora had to admit that the two siblings were quite similar in appearance.

Both of them had blonde hair, blue eyes, and an overall short build, while the young Earl's face was almost as feminine as Eleanor's.

However, there was also a huge difference between them.

Although Eleanor appeared kind and pure, she still showed a sharp edge.

Thus, one would be impressed by her demeanor rather than seeing it as a weakness and thinking of her as weak.

On the other hand, although her brother carried the exact same kindness, he appeared to be far more timid and less decisive, like a child who was merely following his parents' commands.

While Liora was observing the two siblings, time didn't stop.

The moment the young Earl sat in his seat had already signaled the beginning of the family meeting.

"E—everyone. I'm tha—thankful that you ca—came here.", the young Earl shyly raised his head and spoke, his gaze never landing on the eyes of any person in the room.

Especially when his eyes passed by Liora's figure, they would instantly shy away, as if he was afraid that the mere glance of his would cause her to go berserk.

Instantly, a few low chuckles echoed throughout the room.

A few of the younger and hot-blooded Knights cast disdainful expressions at the young Earl, while those who were older shook their head in disappointment.

They understood that it would be difficult for such a cowardly person to lead their family to glory, especially at such a crucial period of time.

What these people understood, Eleanor did as well.

However, her love for her younger brother made it impossible for her to scold him.

Seeing that he was struggling to speak as if he was just now learning how to talk, Eleanor reached out and gently patted him on the shoulder, interrupting what could barely be considered a speech.

Then, she raised her head and scanned the room before opening her mouth and speaking:

"The Earl is a bit exhausted from the previous events, so I will be taking charge of the meeting for now.", she said, her solemn voice spreading throughout the room.

"First, I wish to talk about the casualties and the damages that the family suffered during the earlier attack. According to the investigation so far, one hundred and eight people have been found dead, of whom thirteen were Knight Apprentices."

"As for the damage to the property..."

When people saw Eleanor stop her brother and take it upon herself to lead the meeting, some people couldn't help but mock her for overestimating herself.

But when they actually heard the words coming out of her mouth, they couldn't help but listen attentively, like a bunch of students listening carefully to their teacher's lecture.

Eleanor's voice seemed to carry a strange power, making people not only pay attention to her but also believe her words more easily.

This was not a power related to her Knight rank, but a power that stemmed from her own being.

Seated not far away, Liora immediately noticed this happening.

With her current strength and her status as a Lesser Devil, Eleanor's demeanor and words would of course not affect her.

Yet, the changes of the people in the room let her know what had occurred.

Sensing the strange atmosphere and glancing at the family members whose initial disdain had turned into admiration, Liora's eyes couldn't help but flash with a hint of interest as her gaze shifted toward Eleanor.

She felt that she had to once again reevaluate this woman.

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