Chapter 197: Aetheldawn’s Token

"Whoa!!"

​"Who on earth are these people?"

​"Are these gorgeous women our new bosses?"

​"Who? All three of them?"

​A wave of low, murmuring whispers rippled through the gathered hospital staff as they craned their necks to stare at the three women walking into the central lobby.

​BAM!

​"...?!"

​Lord Daniel, Captain Zion, and every single person present froze in stunned silence, their eyes snapping toward the entrance as six heavily armored red Knights marched into the building. The figures moved with absolute, terrifying synchronicity, keeping their positions directly behind the three madams without drawing any visible weapons.

​"Are we somehow still living in the 21st century? Why on earth do they have knights in full plate armor?"

​"Something feels deeply unnatural here... Those knights—why is the visor space where their eyes should be glowing with that eerie crimson light?" Another staff member whispered in mounting confusion.

​"I’m completely lost as well. I can’t sense even a shred of internal aura coming off them." A young female healer added, shivering slightly.

​Daniel, Captain Zion, and the elderly Dean instinctively raised their eyebrows. Ordinary citizens and low-rank Awakened couldn’t possibly perceive the suffocating pressure radiating from the elite summons, but the three veterans immediately felt the terrifying weight.

​’These summoned guards... Their baseline presence is either overwhelmingly stronger than an SSS-RANK Awakened, or directly on par with the absolute peak of the rank.’ Daniel thought internally, a cold drop of sweat forming on his neck as genuine shock washed over him.

​"My apologies for the slight delay," Kelly stated calmly, bringing her steps to a halt directly before Daniel.

​"Lord Daniel," she acknowledged him with a polite nod, before turning her sharp eyes toward the elderly man beside him: "You must be the Chief Dean of this institution."

​"Um... Yes, I am," the old man stammered nervously, still completely dumbfounded by the grand entrance.

​"Splendid. I am Kelly Aetheldawn. The lady on my right is Sara Aetheldawn, and the one on my left is Juliana Aetheldawn... We have convened here today for two distinct operational reasons. I believe you were already briefed on at least one of them by Viper."

​"Aetheldawn? Oh, yes... I received the preliminary advisory, but..."

​The Dean stared straight at her, his professional skepticism kicking in: "In all my years running this institution, I have only ever caught glimpses of reports concerning the patriarch of the Honorable Aetheldawn family. I have never laid eyes on any of you personally. Can you please provide valid administrative documentation or concrete evidence proving your direct lineage and authority within the Aetheldawn house?" He asked politely, holding his ground.

​"I don’t carry physical paper identification around, but this should more than suffice." Kelly held out her open palm, revealing a masterfully crafted golden token, with a soaring Harpy Eagle engraved on both its surface.

​".....?!"

​The Dean stared at the metallic emblem, his mind momentarily blanking:

​’What sort of crest is this?’ he asked himself internally.

​It was the very first time in his life he had ever laid eyes on such a token, meaning it couldn’t serve as standard public identification.

​"If you wish to verify whether this is genuine," Kelly casually tossed the heavy golden token directly toward Daniel, who caught it instinctively out of the air.

​"Channel your internal energy and sense the core," she instructed smoothly.

​Daniel raised an eyebrow, deciding to humor the test. He closed his eyes for a split second, channeling a steady stream of his own spiritual energy directly into the golden token.

​"This is...?"

​His eyes flew wide open in utter disbelief: ’What the hell?!! How can an object possessing this level of structural integrity and density even exist in this world?! The concentrated energy pulsing inside this small token is simply too pure... I can distinctly feel that it transcends standard spirit energy by a terrifying margin!’ He snapped his gaze up toward Kelly, completely astounded:

​"Where on earth did you acquire a token of this caliber?"

​"My Husband personally forged it using his own raw energy," Kelly replied, a soft, immensely proud smile gracing her lips.

​’His own raw energy? Is Asher’s energy truly this unimaginably pure? That would imply his energy purity rating sits at an absolute, flawless 100%... But how is that physical feat even possible?’ Daniel lifted his gaze from the golden token, staring back and forth between Kelly, Juliana, and Sara.

​’These three women? Wait... Wasn’t Kelly supposed to be suffering from severe mental instability? What on earth happened here? She looks radiant, perfectly coherent, and... stunningly composed? And the other two? What the hell is actually happening behind the scenes in that estate? Did Asher somehow miraculously cure all three of his wives in one go?’ he thought, deeply rattled.

So many unanswered questions.

​"The token, please." Kelly said, extending her hand downward.

​"Ah! Right!"

​Daniel snapped instantly out of his daze, gently placing the golden back onto her open palm:

​"So, does every authorized member of the family carry this insignia now?" he asked cautiously.

​"Negative. Such an item can only be directly bestowed by our Husband... And once bound, it cannot be stolen or replicated by outsiders." She instructed, before casually tossing the priceless Token away to her side.

​WHOOSH!!

​Everyone in the lobby watched in stunned horror as the golden token zipped through the air like a bullet, slamming violently into the far concrete wall of the lobby and burying itself several inches deep into the solid masonry.

​"....?!"

​"That kind of impact could easily shatter a human skull on contact!" the blonde-haired doctor with the thick glasses gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth.

​Kelly snapped her fingers once.

​The embedded token vibrated violently against the stone, then effortlessly unseated itself, shooting backward through the air in a clean arc before landing as gently as a feather right back onto her open palm:

​"Do you believe my identity now?" she asked, fixing her cool, unwavering gaze on the Dean.

​The old man swallowed hard. He would have to be an absolute fool to maintain any doubt after witnessing that display. First, Lord Daniel was treating these young women with deep, unmasked deference; second, Daniel clearly recognized them, and his prior questioning regarding family tokens solidified the fact that these three were the undisputed Matriarchs of the rising Aetheldawn household.

​"The... The official corporate documents." The Dean stammered, holding his hand out to the junior assistant standing beside him. The lady nodded quickly, pulling a thick leather binder out of her bag and respectfully handing it over to the elderly man.

​"Boss, here is the complete master file containing every single active management contract, staff roster, and real estate asset belonging to the Grand Hospital." He said, offering a nervous, compliant smile.

​Kelly accepted the heavy file, flipping swiftly through the pristine pages as her sharp eyes scanned the financial logs. A slight, critical frown marred her otherwise beautiful face:

​"Hmm... There are an unacceptable number of administrative errors and bloated overhead expenses listed here. However, this is hardly the appropriate moment to stand around correcting lazy paperwork." She murmured, before a sleek, obsidian pen manifested seamlessly in her fingers.

​’I naturally assumed her husband would be the one to sign over the corporate acquisition documents.’ The old Dean thought to himself in quiet surprise.

​"From this exact moment onward, Kelly will be taking full operational command over every facet of this hospital. I sincerely expect all of you to support her unreservedly, understood?" Juliana stated clearly, stepping forward and locking her eyes onto the Dean.

​’Did she just directly answer my unspoken thought out loud? Or was that just an absurdly accurate coincidence?’ the old man thought, his eyes widening in alarm, completely unaware that Juliana’s could easily hear his thoughts.

​Kelly closed the thick binder with a sharp slap, handing it off to Juliana, before walking past both Daniel and the Dean to step directly toward the rows of waiting medical staff.

​"Let’s get straight to business." She announced, her voice echoing clearly across the hall.

_

​High above the lobby, perched gracefully upon an ornate architectural window ledge, Asher sat completely invisible in stealth, resting one elbow casually on his raised knee as he looked down at the scene below with an amused smile.

​"Watching her take charge like this... Honestly, this is far more entertaining than lounging around back at the villa."