By the end of the same day...
Liam had been at the Mazzanti estate since the day before, having already organized his things in the dormitory and started training in the indoor areas set up for that purpose.
Having already made an agreement with Vicente, he could already be considered a member of the family, someone who had a duty to help the group but also an obligation to keep secrets and respect the family hierarchy.
He was anxiously awaiting Vicente's return so that he could take his second pentagram and begin working with the 3rd-stage herb. However, he was in no hurry because he knew how complicated it would be to safely do what he had planned.
Vicente was supposed to be preparing for his move over the next few days, so Liam wasn't in a hurry even though he'd been there for several hours.
In the middle of his wait, he met Rory, who was taking care of the family's affairs in Vicente's absence.
After handing over some resources and orders to the family's professionals earlier in the afternoon, Rory returned to continue the investments necessary for the family's continued development.
With the recent change in shifts for his men and the resources Vicente had brought from The Rocky Gorge, it was time to increase the strength of virtually every family member.
No one in Millfall would find it strange if they were to increase their strength quickly in the short term, so it was finally time for them to increase their strength without any worries.
Considering the problems Vicente was facing and how they would need to increase their numbers to take advantage of more opportunities locally, growth was a must!
So, it was not just Liam who was meditating in the training room of the Mazzanti estate. Next to him were several of the family soldiers who were meditating in their spare time.
Meanwhile, Rory was in Vicente's office.
...
In Vicente's office, Rory sat in the leader's chair while three soldiers stood in front of him, each wearing the same type of armor and masks on their heads.
The only thing distinguishing these men was their height, as even their hair was covered.
Rory, on the other hand, wasn't wearing the family 'uniform' at the moment, as he was wearing a suit with nothing protecting his face.
He ordered the three while he had some notes on the table before him. "I want you to post a group of soldiers to watch the inn where Jasmine and Layla are. Our enemies looking for the pink-haired woman could arrive in town at any moment. So be prepared to kill anyone who shows suspicious behavior near them.
The three of them accepted this order without a problem.
"Also, alert the rest of the family and the Scarlet Syndicate about the royal army soldiers from outside the city who have come here because of the basilisk. I want to know where their leaders are and how their men are moving in real time!"
"Yes, Deputy!" The men said in unison before heading off to take care of these matters.
Alone in Vicente's office, Rory leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply. 'Bart is powerful, but it alone won't be able to stop the local Mages from invading our home...' He looked to the side of the building where Liam should be. 'If we follow this risky plan, I'll have to fight alongside Bart and the soldiers!'
There weren't many Mages in Millfall. In addition to the 3rd-stage blacksmiths, there were 2 alchemists, 1 engineer, and 1 3rd-stage poison master living in the city. The Viscount and Commander Hogan were the other Mages living in Millfall, warrior-type magicians.
As for doctors and other 3rd-stage professionals, such people would occasionally pass through the city and stay for a few days. But there were no other full-time Mages living there.
Although the number of Mages was small, it was enough to make Rory worry about Vicente's plans, especially since there was no guarantee that Viscount Symons would join the army's Mages in pursuit of Cesar.
If the Viscount stayed behind, it was almost sure Bart wouldn't be able to protect the Mazzanti estate!
'I have to assume that the Viscount won't go. Then, we'll have to face up to 6 Mages on the day Liam begins his absorption of the herb.' The red-haired man thought, imagining Liam's master and Vicente's master wouldn't move on that day.
"This is going to be difficult." He muttered. Even though 5 of the 6 Mages were people without much combat experience, Mages were Mages. They're stronger than ordinary low-level warriors.
With that in mind, Rory got up and went to the training room in the basement of the building.
When he arrived, he found 20 men meditating and 5 in training, all Acolytes, with 3 people at level 2 and all the rest at level 1.
The Mazzanti family now had over 90 members. Most of them were still Apprentices, but the number of Acolytes had been steadily increasing, with 6 men, in addition to Rory and Vicente, who had already passed level 1, being at levels 2 and 3.
But when it came to the Apprentices, there was practically no one below the Senior Apprentice level, the highest rank in the first stage.
With the family's current resources, all 1st stage magicians who entered the family were soon given pills and potions to reach the top of that stage quickly.
The Mazzanti family's current problem wasn't the resources for 1st stage magicians but the resources for 2nd stage people, as these resources were more expensive and rarer and harder to find in towns like Millfall.
"Sigh..."
'We will soon need to find suppliers of resources to meet the needs of our professionals.' He planned to distribute some extra resources to the family's most talented Acolytes and Apprentices.
With little time to build up the strength of his men, he could only rely on the many resources currently at his disposal!
...
As Rory prepared for the next challenge, the 3rd-stage soldiers at the royal army headquarters began to grow nervous.
After not hearing from Cesar for almost a whole day, these soldiers were getting nervous about the possibility of losing sight of the one who had a precious medicinal herb in his possession.
On the other hand, they couldn't move against the Mazzanti estate without that group having committed some crime or suspicious act.
So back at headquarters, the magicians interested in robbing Vicente tried to figure out a way to catch Cesar off guard.
"Why don't we use the death of the leader of the Scarlet Syndicate to invade the Mazzanti estate? If we can get the Martial Court to at least authorize our visit to gather evidence, we can scare Cesar into showing himself." One of them suggested to his colleagues.
