Aurelia couldn't believe her ears as to what she had just heard her son utter with his own mouth. She was dumbfounded as she needed a few moments to fully understand what he had just said as her eyes widened in shock.
Being a member of the Dawnbringer Clan is a prestige and privilege that many wish for. Even being connected to the clan in a small manner was a great thing for others. Many wished to even marry into the clan due to the importance it holds to the kingdom and their race.
The Dawnbringers hold great pride over their connection to one of the heroes and largely care very much about it. The fact that they were born to the clan is a matter of great importance to them, and they wish above all else to uphold their duty to the clan and ensure its prosperity.
None of the Dawnbringers had even entertained the thought of relinquishing the name and connection to the clan. If they had committed some sin then they would act with all their might to absolve themselves of it so that they can stand proudly alongside the clan.
And now her son whom she had exiled has just admitted that he wished to relinquish the name and connection he has to the clan. A thought that was simply unimaginable to any Dawnbringer, which was why she was shocked to hear it.
Her daughters were the same as they looked at their brother with their jaws dropped and shocked and dumbfounded looks on their faces as they just heard their brothers words.
They would never even dream of severing their ties to the clan or relinquishing the great name of the Dawnbringers. And yet they just heard their brother proclaim that he wanted to relinquish the name of their clan, and they were too shocked at what he had said.
Armaros saw the expressions on his family's faces but he wasn't going to take back what he had said. Even if he had been returned to the clan, he would just be treated the same, especially since the elders don't like him very much.
And while he would be able to see Mary again, he didn't feel comfortable with going back to the mansion after having lived outside of it in the town for so long. Now it felt uncomfortable just thinking about the place due to how he was treated there.
Besides, Mary is safe and secure in the mansion and with her expertise as a maid, she will be able to live there without much problems anyways so he doesn't have to be worried about that.
"Why would you want to relinquish the name of our clan?" Aurelia asked him as she managed to get a hold of herself as she looked at her son.
"The same reason why I was exiled in the first place. Even if I were to return to the clan, it won't change the fact that I'm a child who doesn't have strength in comparison to normal Dawnbringers and I would still be seen as inferior by the elders. And the way the clan sees the lives of the people is something I do not agree with." Armaros said to her with a frown on his face.
"But I am the Matriarch. I hold the absolute power in the Clan. I can ensure that they won't be able to treat you like that, and you showed your mettle by fighting the demons." Aurelia said to him as she frowned at his words.
"I do not want them to treat me differently because of your orders. I have grown accustomed to living in the city, and I am far more at ease with being treated as a simple adventurer that as a child of the Dawnbringers." Armaros said to her as he crossed his arms as he looked at her.
"Armaros, being a member of our clan is a privilege that many consider to be a blessing of the Gods. This is more than just being exiled, you would be severing your ties to our clan." Claudia said to her brother as she managed to find her voice.
"As far as I am concerned sister, I didn't have much ties to the clan anyway. Other than Mary, mother and you my sisters, I didn't have much of a connection to anyone, and the others in the clan didn't care much about me either. To them, I just existed and was a disappointment for the clan." Armaros said to her as he wasn't about to budge in his decision.
"But you showed your worth in the battle and defeated many demons. Your use of mana was also accurate as well. It is more than enough for you to return to the clan." Aurelia said to him as she looked at him.
"Even so, I do not wish to be a member of the clan any longer. I've managed to find people outside the clan, who care about me, not because I am a Dawnbringer or because I am blessed by the Gods. But just because of who I am." Armaros said to her as he was able to calm himself.
"But they do not see you as anyone important. You would just be another person in their eyes." Aurelia said to her son as she looked at him.
"And what's wrong about being seen as just like everyone else? They would treat me as one of their own." Armaros said to her as he calmed himself enough that he can have this conversation without much anger.
"They won't give you the proper respect that you deserve as a member of the clan and if they think of you as someone they do not like, then they might kill you." Aurelia said to him as she knew about the fickle nature of humanity
"Then I was not skilled enough to protect myself. Besides, I've already dealt with people like that before." Armaros said to her which caught the attention of his family.
"What do you mean you dealt with them?" Solana asked as she looked at them.
"Some adventurers wanted to capture me and sell me as a slave after going for a commission. I killed them when they revealed their intentions, not that I wasn't already suspicious of them from the start since they were strangers." Armaros said calmly as he recalled the situation.
Aurelia and his sisters froze when they heard that as a mental image of Armaros captured and made a slave was formed in the minds of the six of them. Even the younger siblings knew about it since they were taught about these things from a young age to make them knowledgeable about it, as the clan didn't want them to be ignorant about such things.
"They what?" Aurelia asked in a dangerous tone as she looked at her son as her eyes glowed with power.
Armaros froze up when he saw the face of his mother, and to the size even his sisters had the same face as their eyes were glowing with mana. Though he wasn't able to see the faces of his sisters as his focus was on his mother.
"I killed them. So you don't have to worry about it." Armaros said to her with his arms raised to placate her.
That seemed to work as Aurelia's mana calmed down alongside her sisters, though she kept her eyes on him and it felt intense for him as he looked at them.
"And you still wish to continue with this decision? It's better if you come back to the clan." Aurelia said to him seriously as his sister nodded slightly at that.
"No. I would much rather be outside the clan. I have made my decision mother. I no longer wish to have ties to the clan. I'm sure the elders would be happy to learn that. I am already in exile, so this isn't a hard decision to make." Armaros said to her as he was pretty calm about it.
Aurelia was silent after he said that as she looked at the medallion in her hand before she looked back at him as he met her gaze.
"I can just take you back to the clan." Aurelia said to him as she looked at him.
Armaros's eyes widened at her response as he looked at her dumbfounded, as he couldn't believe that she would actually say something like that, or even think something like that to begin with.
Aurelia also understood that as she saw the dumbfounded face of her son, and she couldn't blame him. She knew how she had acted towards her son in the past and she knew that he would find her response to be different than how she would usually be.
"Why the sudden change? You never gave me much importance before, mother." Armaros said to her confused, as it can be inferred from his face and voice.
"You're a Dawnbringer, I should give you at least this much importance." Aurelia said to him as she looked at him.
She wasn't willing to tell him that she was feeling things that she had never felt before and that she wanted his presence back in the mansion, not when she didn't even know why she was like this.
Armaros looked at her and then sighed as he looked at her with a blank face as she looked at him.
"I am fine as I am mother. I do not wish to carry the name of the Dawnbringers anymore. You can remove me from the clan, and since my existence has probably been kept secret alongside my sisters, I'm sure you wouldn't have much problems with doing that. The elders will be more than happy about it, and one child being removed from the clan will not cause any problems." Armaros said to her as he didn't budge from his decision.
Aurelia looked at the eyes of her son to see any hesitation about the decision. But to her dismay, she didn't find any form of hesitation or nervousness in his eyes. She realised that he truly wished to relinquish the name of the Clan.
She wanted to say something to contradict his choice, but she wasn't able to come up with anything viable to say to him. So she could only look at his eyes as she realised that her words wouldn't have any effect on him.
"Understood. You will be removed from the clan." Aurelia said to him as she decided to concede.
Armaros was right about the fact that the elders would be happy if he was fully removed from the Clan. She still has five more children and they hold more potential and worth in comparison to her son as well.
'I can't bring myself to say anything to oppose him. Or rather, I do not know what I should say to refuse his choice.' Aurelia thought to herself as she didn't know what to do in such a situation.