Chapter 622: Troublesome Growth

"Grace."

Count Everard Evergrey called out his daughter’s name.

Grace flinched slightly before turning to look at her father.

The Count sat with his usual composed expression, his grey eyes resting on her without showing much emotion. It was difficult to tell whether he was disappointed with her result or simply thinking about something else, and that uncertainty made Grace more nervous than a direct reprimand would have.

"You have done your best."

The Count spoke without raising his voice. He did not sound particularly pleased, but neither did he appear angry with her.

Beside him, Countess Henriette Evergrey nodded with a gentle smile.

She had been watching her daughter since the conversation began, and her expression remained warm as she tried to ease the tension in the room.

"Your luck was facing the child from Ashenlocke. You could say it was because she used a firearm that we knew nothing about."

The Countess spoke in much the same calm tone as her husband, as though Grace’s defeat could be explained by the unfamiliar weapon alone.

"Maybe if we had known about it, things would have ended differently."

She finished with a helpless expression, as if the result had been unfortunate but understandable.

Grace, however, thought differently.

Even now, remembering the moment Vera Ashenlocke had beaten her was enough to make her shiver.

She could still recall the helplessness of that encounter, when her body had been subjected to something she had never expected to experience during a match at the Royal Academy.

The memory was unpleasant enough that she would rather not think about it, yet the conversation had brought it back without warning.

Her mother was treating the defeat as an unfortunate result of facing an opponent with an unfamiliar firearm.

For Grace, it had been much worse than that.

She had remained in the hospital for a while, even though her body had already healed by the following day. The physical injuries were no longer the problem, but that did not mean she had recovered from the experience. Whenever she thought about leaving the hospital, the memory of what Vera Ashenlocke had done to her returned, and Grace found herself hesitating.

She had refused to step outside for some time, unable to shake off the shock and fear that had settled in her mind. Eventually, she had needed mental health treatment before she could properly regain her composure and return to her usual life.

By the time she finally came out of the hospital and resumed following the Royal Academy’s Combat Festival, Vera was already approaching her Tenth Match against Diane Bergwyn.

Grace had missed a considerable portion of the event while dealing with her recovery.

And throughout that period, the thought of having to face a monster like Vera Ashenlocke again had frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

She did not complain when she heard her mother’s explanation.

Instead, she lowered her gaze slightly and remained quiet, trying to keep her expression under control.

There was little point in arguing with her parents when they did not know how deeply the encounter had affected her.

Still, her silence did not go unnoticed.

Louis Evergrey had been watching his younger sister for some time.

He knew Grace well enough to recognize when she was forcing herself to remain composed, and her reaction made it clear that the match had left a deeper impression on her than their parents seemed to understand.

He shifted his attention away from Grace and spoke.

"This is hopeless, to be honest."

His words were plain, without any attempt to soften their meaning.

Several Elders and members of the High Board turned toward him.

A few of the Second-Year and Third-Year Royal Academy students who were present also looked over, their expressions showing confusion at the sudden remark.

They had been following the conversation, but Louis had spoken as though he had reached a conclusion that the others had yet to consider.

Count Everard Evergrey turned to face his eldest son. His grey eyes remained as calm as before.

"What does your word mean?"

"The Ashenlocke rise is coming at an irregular speed."

Louis answered with a relaxed expression, as though he were discussing an ordinary business matter. However, the seriousness of his words soon became apparent as he continued.

"They have already entered a period of much higher sales for the Colt 1911 and the E-V 26 MK.II. That is without even mentioning the demand for the .45 Ashenlocke Caliber drill rounds and the extended magazine for the Colt 1911. Their yearly revenue has risen considerably since last year, and their earnings this year are already bringing them close to the highest-earning Duke Houses in Britannia."

He paused briefly, allowing the people around him to consider the figures he had mentioned.

"And soon, they might even surpass the Derlis Duke House, which currently earns the most among the Duke Houses every year."

Louis did not need to raise his voice to make his point.

The adults listening to him had already begun to take his words more seriously, and a few of the Elders exchanged glances as they considered the implications.

The Ashenlocke family’s growth was not simply a matter of selling more firearms.

Their products were reaching a wider market, and the continued demand for their ammunition and weapon accessories meant that their income was no longer dependent on a single successful invention.

The Colt 1911 was one thing. The E-V 26 MK.II was another.

Together with the .45 Ashenlocke Caliber drill rounds and the extended magazine designed for the Colt 1911, these products had helped the Ashenlockes establish a stronger position in the firearm market. Each new sale strengthened their influence, and their growing revenue gave them more resources to invest in further development.

A few years ago, however, the situation had been very different.

Back then, the Ashenlocke family had earned the least among the Duke Houses in Britannia. Their standing as a noble family had never been in question, but their yearly revenue had placed them behind their competitors.

The Evergrey family had managed to take advantage of that gap.

Their circumstances changed after Count Everard Evergrey signed a contract with the German hierarchy to acquire the Mauser Tankgewehr M1918.

The agreement had been made during a trip to Germany, where the Count had travelled alongside the second Commanding Captain of the Darkens of Drakes, a War Alchemist.

The purpose of the journey had been to export Blacksteel and Limestone to the Germans in exchange for Tungsten ore, a trade arrangement that benefited both sides.

It was during that visit that Everard had the opportunity to witness the power of the Mauser Tankgewehr M1918.

The weapon had left enough of an impression on him to pursue a deal.

He eventually secured an agreement for the anti-tank rifle, allowing the Evergrey family to bring it into their business and increase their earnings.

The sales revenue from that year proved particularly successful, and the family managed to surpass the yearly earnings of the Ashenlocke Duke House.

That achievement had been an important step forward.

Their increased revenue pushed them above even the Count House of Casper, which has always been known as the leading Count House among the ruling Counts and Countesses of the Kingdom. For the Evergreys, it was proof that their position could improve through the right business decisions and continued investment in firearms.

The Duke House of Drakes had also helped them advance their firearms development, strengthening their contribution to the military power of the Kingdom. With the support of the Drakes and the success of their own business ventures, the Evergrey family had begun to close the gap between themselves and the Ashenlockes.

For a time, their growth had even suggested that they might eventually pull ahead.

Not to mention the growth of their children.

At the Royal Academy, the Evergrey children had outperformed the Ashenlocke children.

And even outside the Royal Academy, their influence was beginning to show.

Many of the Evergrey children who couldn’t make it into the Royal Academy attended Drake Academy, where the Drake Academy students had also outperformed those of Ash Academy during combined Academy tournaments.

And those achievements had strengthened the Evergrey family’s confidence in its younger generation.

The power of the Evergrey family was beginning to rival that of the Ashenlockes in more areas than before, but the gap between the two Houses had not disappeared. If anything, the recent performance of the Ashenlocke children had introduced another problem for them to consider.

Their concern was no longer limited to the older generation.

It extended to the future.

Before the present time...

The only reason the Evergrey family hadn’t been able to keep the Ashenlockes in check for so long was that three powerful Gun Alchemists stood as the principal pillars of the Duke House of Ash.

The first was Valentine Ashenlocke, the current Duke of Ash.

The second was his younger brother, Val Ashenlocke, who was regarded as one of Britannia’s top War Alchemists.

And the third was Astraea Ashenlocke, a Royal Alchemist who was also serving as a War Alchemist and leading one of the Kingdom’s naval armies.

Their positions and abilities gave the Ashenlocke family considerable influence.

In terms of overall power, the three of them had been enough to keep the Evergrey House from gaining an overwhelming advantage, even as the latter advanced its firearm business and strengthened its position within the Kingdom.

Count Everard Evergrey was still a Grand Alchemist, making him one of the strongest Counts among Britannia’s ruling nobility.

His strength and authority were not insignificant, and the Evergrey family had spent years building its influence through business, military cooperation, and the development of firearms.

Yet, when it came to the Ashenlockes, the presence of Valentine, Val, and Astraea had always been a major consideration.

Now, the situation was changing.

The three pillars no longer needed to be the only reason people took the Ashenlocke family seriously.

Two children had appeared within the House, and both had demonstrated abilities that were far beyond what people had expected.

The same was for the other new children of Ash.

They were not merely promising young nobles. They were already capable of influencing how people viewed the future of their family.

And that was what made their growth troublesome.

"What do we do now?"

One of the people present finally voiced the question that had been on several minds.

"Young Lord Louis is right. The Ashenlockes are on the rise."

Another member of the group nodded, his expression growing more serious.

"Four of the Top Ten among the First-Year students were all children of Ash."

"Even Lady Vera Ashenlocke displayed another rifle that possessed so much power."

"Not only that, but that child, Ezra Ashenlocke, used the Law of Inversion to coat his bullets."

"And those gadgets..."

The last speaker trailed off, but the words were enough to remind everyone of the unfamiliar devices Ezra had used during the festival.

The observation room, which had been relatively quiet apart from the occasional conversation, gradually filled with voices.

The discussion spread from one group to another, and the worried expressions on several faces became more noticeable.

The results had given them plenty to think about.

Four of the First-Year students in the Top Ten belonged to the Ashenlocke family.

Vera had revealed a powerful new rifle, while Ezra had demonstrated a way to apply the Law of Inversion to his bullets.

His inventions had also introduced unfamiliar tools and techniques that the other students had struggled to understand.

It was difficult to dismiss any of those achievements as a matter of luck.

The more they considered them together, the harder it became to treat the Ashenlocke children’s performances as isolated incidents.

Each achievement pointed toward another area in which the family might continue to develop, and nobody in the room could say with certainty what they would reveal next.

Count Everard listened to the growing discussion before raising his voice just enough to bring the conversation back under control.

"The House of Drakes also failed to produce a Top Ten student in the First Year, but that does not affect them as much. Many of their students in the other years are already among the Top Ten, and they also have the Young Lord of Drakes."

His statement was calm and measured.

The Drakes had their own advantages, and their position was not determined by the results of a single year.

Their students across the other years had already established themselves, while the Young Lord of Drakes remained another factor that could not be overlooked.

The Evergrey family could not afford to judge its rivals by one set of results alone.

Nevertheless, the comparison did little to remove the concern surrounding the Ashenlockes.

The children of Ash had already drawn attention to themselves, and their performance suggested that the family’s next generation might become just as troublesome as its elders.

Everard let the discussion settle before turning his attention back to Grace.

"What is the progress with Ezra Ashenlocke, Grace?"

He looked directly at his daughter.

Grace raised her head slightly, seemingly relieved that the conversation had moved away from the Combat Festival. However, that relief did not last long once she understood what her father was asking.

"We are on speaking terms."

Her reply came lightly, and she tried to make it sound like an ordinary matter.

"Only speaking terms?"

Countess Henriette Evergrey interrupted, raising one eyebrow as she looked at her daughter.

"Shouldn’t you already have his contact?"

The Countess narrowed her eyes slightly, studying Grace’s face as she waited for an answer.

Grace hesitated.

"Well, I didn’t see the reason to have it before, but now..."

Her voice was no longer as steady as it had been earlier.

The change was small, but it was enough to catch the attention of the people closest to her.

Grace had always been the sort of person who could keep her emotions under control, especially when speaking about matters she considered unimportant.

She rarely fidgeted in front of others, and she certainly did not usually struggle to answer a simple question from her mother.

Grant, who was standing beside his sister, noticed the difference immediately.

He glanced at Grace, then looked at their mother, trying to understand why his sister was suddenly behaving this way.

Only a short while ago, she had been standing quietly while their parents discussed her defeat. Now, she was having trouble responding to a question about Ezra Ashenlocke.

That was strange.

Grace had previously claimed that she did not like Ezra. She had said it with enough certainty that Grant had not thought there was any reason to question her words.

Yet her current reaction did not match that claim.

His gaze returned to his sister, and his expression slowly changed as the pieces began to fall into place.

Wait, don’t tell me.

Grant’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him.