Chapter 197: The Crestfall Family

The Crestfall Family was one of the two main families in City B, having control of more than half of the city. The other family, Quinn, was new, earning them the short end of the stick.

One would think the Crestfalls would be living as kings in a huge, town-sized estate, or even a palace. That thought wasn’t wrong. They were powerful and rich after all. But reality told otherwise.

This also didn’t mean that they lived in a small house. That was just low. The Crestfalls lived in a quiet part of City B, in the Crestfall region. Their main family house was modest at best, only housing the mainline members of the family, thus, the nuclear family of the current head of the family.

The mansion stood at the end of a long, winding road surrounded by tall trees and carefully maintained gardens. Unlike many of the extravagant residences belonging to the major families of New Liberty, the Crestfall mansion did not try to announce its importance.

There were no enormous statues, no golden gates, no towers reaching toward the clouds, and no enormous walls decorated with the family crest every five meters.

Instead, it looked almost... peaceful.

The building itself was three stories tall, constructed from dark stone and reinforced glass. Its architecture combined an old-fashioned elegance with modern construction techniques. Large windows stretched across portions of the walls, allowing natural light to flood the interior during the day.

A wide staircase led toward the entrance, where two dark metallic doors stood beneath a simple crest, a silver raven surrounded by a violet ring.

The Crestfall emblem.

The gardens surrounding the mansion were considerably larger than the house itself. There was a small artificial lake behind the property, a greenhouse on the eastern side, and a training yard hidden behind several rows of trees.

The training yard was perhaps the most advanced part of the entire property.

Unlike the rest of the mansion, it looked nothing like something from a wealthy family’s residence. It was a fully automated combat facility.

The walls could generate barriers strong enough to withstand A-Rank attacks. The ground could transform into different environments, ranging from forests and deserts to urban landscapes. There was even a simulation chamber capable of producing monsters based on recorded data.

The Crestfalls might have preferred a modest lifestyle, but they weren’t stupid. They understood the world they lived in. Power was everything, and a powerful family needed powerful descendants.

Inside the mansion, however, things were considerably quieter. The halls were wide but not excessively decorated.

There were paintings on the walls, though most depicted members of the Crestfall Family rather than landscapes or expensive abstract art. Family photographs occupied several shelves, alongside old books and various artifacts collected over generations.

There was no unnecessary luxury. Everything had a purpose. Even the furniture seemed carefully chosen- comfortable, durable, and elegant. Nothing more.

At the center of the mansion was a large living room with a fireplace built into the wall. A massive television occupied one side of the room, while several comfortable sofas surrounded a low table.

Currently, three people occupied the room.

An elderly man sat in an armchair near the fireplace. His silver hair was neatly combed backward, and his dark violet eyes remained fixed on the television. Despite his age, his body remained remarkably well-built.

This was Victor Crestfall, the current patriarch of the Crestfall Family. He was a quiet man who rarely raised his voice.

He didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough to make most people straighten their backs.

Across from him sat a woman.

She looked considerably younger than Victor, though she was already well into adulthood. Her long silver hair fell over her shoulders, while her sharp eyes remained focused on a tablet in her hands. Her name was Seraphina Crestfall, Victor’s wife, and the current matriarch of the household.

The third person was a young woman sitting on the armrest of one of the sofas. She was reading a book. She occasionally glanced toward the television but otherwise paid little attention to what was happening around her.

This was the current generation of the Crestfall main family. There were, of course, other Crestfalls, quite a lot of them.

The family had branches scattered throughout City B and even beyond its borders. Some worked within the government, some controlled businesses, some served in Hunter Guilds, whilst others had awakened and become professional Hunters.

There were also members of the family involved in research, medicine, military affairs, politics, and various other industries.

The Crestfalls had spent generations establishing themselves. They weren’t simply powerful because they possessed money. They were powerful because they had people everywhere- information, connections, resources, influence, and, most importantly, awakened individuals.

Among the younger generation, however, one name had been receiving increasing attention... Ezra Crestfall, the current heir candidate.

The young man possessed purple hair and matching purple eyes, along with an unusually calm demeanor. He was currently enrolled at West Town Saints Academy in City AF, and unlike most heir candidates, Ezra wasn’t particularly interested in sitting around waiting for his inheritance.

He preferred rooftops, training grounds, quiet places, and, occasionally, a cold beer while watching the city below him.

His behavior had caused more than a few headaches for the Crestfall elders, but none of them could deny one thing. Ezra was talented, very talented.

He was one of the four S-Ranks of West Town Saints Academy, and that fact alone had placed an enormous amount of attention on him. Yet the Crestfall Family wasn’t the only family paying attention to Ezra’s progress.

The Quinn Family was watching too.

Their rise in City B had been relatively recent, and unlike the Crestfalls, they had not inherited centuries of influence. They had fought for their position.

They had expanded aggressively, and they had no intention of remaining second forever. For years, the relationship between the two families had remained civil, professional, polite, but everyone understood that there was a quiet competition underneath it.

Businesses, territory, Hunter Guild contracts, political influence, and awakened talent, the Crestfalls had the advantage. The Quinns wanted it.

And recently, something had begun changing. The Crestfall Family had received reports from several of its branches. Strange monster activity, unusual rift fluctuations, people disappearing from certain areas, and, most importantly... an increase in the number of awakened individuals appearing across New Liberty.

Something was happening. Something that had nothing to do with family politics. Victor slowly lowered the newspaper in his hands.

"City A."

Seraphina looked up from her tablet.

"What about it?"

"The tournament."

He glanced toward the television. The footage showed the aftermath of Blackridge Expanse. It showed the ruined forest, the destroyed observatory, military vehicles, emergency teams, and, most importantly, several images of a certain pink-haired eighteen-year-old.

Victor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"That boy."

Seraphina’s expression became thoughtful.

"Silas Ashard."

Victor nodded.

"The reports are becoming stranger every time I read them."

The young woman on the sofa finally looked up from her book.

"What did he do this time?"

Victor stared at the screen, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Apparently..." He paused. "...he kissed an S-Rank monster."

The young woman stared at him. Seraphina slowly lowered her tablet. The room fell silent.

"Excuse me?"

Victor leaned back in his chair.

"That’s what the report says."

The young woman closed her book.

"How?"

Victor shrugged.

"I don’t know."

Seraphina rubbed her temple.

"I already dislike where this is going."

Victor smiled faintly.

"Perhaps."

His eyes returned to the television.

"But I have a feeling, the Crestfall Family is going to hear a lot more about Silas Ashard."

Outside, the wind moved through the trees surrounding the mansion. The Crestfall Family remained quiet for now.

But beneath that quiet surface, something had begun moving, and before long, City B would find itself pulled into the same storm that had already begun gathering around City A.