Altair spent the rest of the day recovering from his wounds, staying at home and being pampered an anxious Sia, much to his own exasperation and the amusement of Jace. According to the man, Sia had been in quite the state after hearing that Altai had been sent to the infirmary and had nearly barged in there but was stopped by the doctors. While her concern warmed his heart, Altair also found it overbearing-she insisted he stay still and refused to let him move about, fetching everything for him instead.
Being treated like a fragile vase was both annoying and pleasant, but the sensation started shifting towards the latter the longer it went on. Despite his pleading look, Jace merely smiled at him and kept his attention on his newspaper (a different one from this morning) and paid no attention to what the kids did. Altair himself wasn't brave enough to rebuke Sia, since he wouldn't have been injured in the first place if he actually tried from the start, so he was stuck playing patient.
While he had nothing else to do though, Altair found plenty of time to go over the recent developments in his mind. After Greta revealed her secret allegiance to House Atrazark, he had agreed to continue sparing with her for joint training and even became "friends" with the girl. He still had a phantom of apprehension towards her though, in both parts because of her sudden reveal and her previous actions.
'I nearly lost my little brother from her last attack...what the fuck was that?!'
Remembering the searing pain, he shivered and clenched his thighs. Turning his thoughts away from that, he instead focused on the information Greta had revealed. According to her, she belonged to a minor Noble House attached to Atrazark, called Falgan, which he had never heard of before. On that subject though, Altair realized he knew very little-almost nothing-about the Magi on the Gaia Continent. The Five Dukes, the Royal Family and secret organizations attached to them were as far as his knowledge extended.
Part of this was from his own laziness and disinterest, while the rest was because Raphanial had actively shielded him from the topic. And in his defence, the Gods and Churches seemed far more important than mere mortal adversaries so he hadn't spent much time on them.
Seeing this as good a time as any, he turned to Jace and decided to enlighten himself: "Jace, who are the vassal families under our Hose?"
Jace went still, while Sia beside him also froze. They looked at him together, his gaze guarded while Sia's was concerned. "Why do ask?" she queried with a tilted head, confused at the sudden question. Jace narrowed his eyes ever-so-slightly as his thoughts propagated, spinning his own theories. Seeing their strange reaction, Altair once again assumed his innocent façade and blinked with clear eyes.
"No reason really, I just heard Alexander mentioning a couple today, and I realized I don't actually know that much about the other Nobles in the country. We have some under us too, don't we?"
The two exchanged glances before Jace decided on a course to take. Shifting in his seat, he cleared his throat and began to speak: "We indeed have a few Nobles serving as our vassals. Houses Ilya, Raychem and Bornovio for example, but also others like Falgon and Holm. They are all Magi, but obviously not as powerful as us. The first three all have an Epic as their head, while the latter two are just Grandmasters. They help manage the dukedom for Raphanial and have limited autonomy in their own territory. They also all have scions in Sky Cross, and a few are even in Sia's class."
"Did Falgon and Holm also send children to Sky Cross this year?" Altair asked curiously.
"No, they didn't" Jace answered fluidly without any ripple in expression or tone. Altair nodded without showing any abnormalities, but inwardly he was engaged in a mental storm.
'Either Jace is lying here, or Greta is operating outside his knowledge. A personal appointment by Mother? But Jace is her most trusted confidant, would she really go behind his back like this? So one of them is lying here...'
"Are the other Houses older or younger than us?"
"Raychem has roots to before the Great War and served the Fernandez Royal Family alongside Atrazark and Augustus in the Fourth Era, though they were pretty minor back then, just holding one or two modern-day fiefdoms. Ilya and Bornovio sprung up during the Great War when their founders Ascended to Epic Tier, while Holm and Falgon only came into being in the last four centuries after accruing enough merit to achieve nobility from the Royal Family. They are at odds because Holm and Falgon are "new money" so to speak."
'I know Atrazark is plagued with internal struggle between it and its vassals, so if Falgon is hostile to the bigger three then it is likely they are on Mother's side. I can't be confidant though, I know too little to say for sure.'
"How many vassal families do the other Great Nobles have?" this question came from Sia, not Altair. Jace glanced at her: "According to Imperial Law, a Duke can only have up to five vassals under them, and only one can be a Count. Each Ducal House also has a unique motto exclusive to them, even on other Continents. This is because every motto is recognised by the Gods an spoken in Enochian, which can stir up the powers of nature. If anyone lacking permission tries to use the motto, they will suffer a backlash from Orvonia itself and be seriously injured or even killed."
This was Altair had initially dropped his guard against Greta after she revealed her supposed allegiances. If she had been someone else, she would have incurred a backlash from Mana itself for saying the Atrazark motto in Enochian. However, Altair refused to believe there was no way to dodge the consequences so that alone wasn't enough to get rid of his suspicions completely.
Altair leaned forward slightly as he observed Jace carefully. "Really? Then what's ours?" He knew their motto thanks to the System, but Raphanial and Sia had never mentioned it in front of him so he had to pretend to be ignorant. His reaction to Greta didn't mean he understood Enochian, but because the System had already translated it for him before and he recognised the words.
"Rȳ perzys se ānogar, īlon umbagon" Jace told Altair bluntly, remaining unaffected. Clearly, he had permission to speak it, but Sia jolted marginally in surprise, which told Altair she didn't know that. "Translated to Gaian, it roughly means 'through fire and blood, we remain.' There might be a bit of variation depending on who you ask, but that's the gist of it."
"Fire and blood huh...doesn't really fit Zephylte's style though, does it?" Altair pondered aloud, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He keenly noticed the look between his siter and guardian though, and a triumphant glint surfaced in his eyes. Pretending nothing happened, he asked Jace something else: "Are there any family mottos that can be freely spoken by people?"
"As far as I know, only those belonging to the Royal Families can be said. This is because for Mythical and above, just saying the words in Enochian won't give you any effect and you need, you must possess their Bloodline too. So even if you and I tried to use it, nothing would happen."
"As for the Augustus Family's motto? Order iksos īlva egros, valour iksos īlva sumby-order is our sword, valour is our shield."
Altair nodded but then hesitated slightly, something Jace noticed. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, I was just wondering...what motto does House Legendry possess?"
Jace's face hardened as he shook his head. "Prying into the mottos of other Great Houses is incredibly foolish-but I can still tell you it in Gaian. Don't ever try to translate it into Enochian-if it wasn't for the fact I know you're smart, I wouldn't even tell you this much. Promise me this, Altair."
"Alright, I promise in Zephylte's name not to try and speak it in Enochian."
"You too, Sia."
"I vow in Zephylte's name never to speak it in Enochian."
"Alright" Jace leaned back in his chair, assured and relaxed. "There's a fair bit of ambiguity in the Legendry motto, but the most simplified translation is as such-Amidst God and Men, we stand Divine."