'Shit, will I have to deal with this nonsense from now on?' Atticus thought, feeling annoyed about the current situation.

A few minutes had passed, and Atticus found himself sitting inside his room. In front of him were Dario and Yotad, each holding a tray of food.

Atticus had gone through the trouble of setting up a table big enough for the three of them with exactly three chairs.

They both stood stiffly, holding their trays, looking lost and wondering what they were supposed to do next. Yotad was completely confused; not even in his wildest dreams would he ever think of sitting down and eating with his master.

Dario's thoughts were different. He was more versed in politics, which largely depended on one's ability to read others and predict their thoughts.

However, this was the first time he was experiencing something like this. Even some of the young masters in the Ravenstein family, who weren't nearly as important as Atticus, wouldn't act the way he was acting. He felt he was at a crossroads: was this a test, or was Atticus genuinely okay with this?

Atticus sighed once more, waving his hand and indicating that they should take a seat. Seeing them hesitate, he spoke firmly, "Have your seats."

They both had no choice and ultimately sat down.

Atticus grabbed a spoon and started eating his food, but after a minute, another large sigh escaped his lips. Without bothering to ask why, he said, "Be free and eat your food as you normally would; it's an order."

Dario and Yotad turned and looked at each other, unsure of what to do. However, they couldn't disobey Atticus's words.

The occasional sounds of utensils clinking filled the room as they ate. After a few minutes, silence once again enveloped the room. Dario and Yotad faced downward, not knowing what to do next.

"The main reason I called you both here is because I have some questions," Atticus began.

Dario's eyes lit up. Finally! Atticus was going to ask him questions. However, his excitement was shattered in the next instant.

"I'll start with you, Yotad."

Yotad abruptly stood up and bowed. "Anything you wish, master!" he responded with deference.

Atticus's lips twitched in response, but he didn't let it stop his speech.

"Ravenblades. Tell me about them. You all are obviously not Ravensteins, so why are you given such an important role and serving the family?"

Yotad paused for a moment, seemingly trying to understand Atticus's question. He turned towards Dario for help, but saw him with a brooding expression on his face. Dario had been planning on answering Atticus's question before Yotad could, but unfortunately, no one in the family except a select few knew about the origin of the Ravenblades.

After a few seconds, Yotad answered, "I'm sorry, young master, but what I know is limited."

Seeing Atticus nod, he continued, "We Ravenblades were once part of one of the few tier-2 families in the human domain, with bloodlines related to shadow. Due to an incident that I unfortunately know nothing of, we were almost eradicated. The Ravenstein family found and rescued the rest of us, raising us and molding us into what we are today."

Atticus was truly flabbergasted. It wasn't because of the sad sob story, no. He was shocked because of one reason, 'Why do I feel like the family is somehow the villains here?'

Everything seemed as though there was some kind of hidden twist in the story suggesting the Ravensteins were the villains.

Atticus cleared his head. 'Looks like that's all he knows.' Yotad had finished speaking, and Atticus knew well enough that he couldn't lie to him even if he wanted to.

Nodding his head, Atticus decided to leave that matter for another day. He at least had an idea of who the Ravenblades were now.

Atticus turned towards Dario. "Tell me the current situation of the human domain," he asked.

Dario seemed momentarily lost in thought, but his eyes blinked in surprise as he saw Atticus and Yotad looking at him.

"Are you talking to me?" he muttered under his breath. Seeing Atticus nod, his eyes lit up with palpable excitement at finally being useful.

"What do you want to know, young master? The families? The economic condition? Just name it…"

"Let's start with the war."

Dario's enthusiastic demeanor abruptly disappeared at the mention of the war.

"Young master, the war is a no-go area. Only those high enough or directly involved in the front lines know about it. All I can say is, we're still gradually losing," he said somberly.

Atticus showed no surprise at Dario's words. He already knew how dire the condition of the human domain was; he just wanted to hear it from another's perspective.

"Alright, tell me about the families next. During the one year I was away, what has happened? The important bits, please."

Dario thought for a moment. "You've been gone for one year, young master. That's a long time, and many things have happened since then. But I'll focus on the most important parts for now."

"During this one year, for some reason I still don't understand, there has been an incredible amount of tension between our family and a few tier-one families."

"Usually, it's normal for some tension to exist between tier-one families, but I can't help but think this time is odd. There have been multiple skirmishes between us and threats of war, and it wasn't just one family—it was multiple families, though at different intervals."

"What families?" Atticus's gaze had long since turned cold. He had an idea of what was going on but decided to wait for Dario to finish.

"It was first the Alverians and Nebulon, almost at the same time frame, after which the Stellaris joined at a later time. The businesses and houses of many of our family members in their sectors were burned down overnight. There have been some missing cases related to our family members all over, but none of the families have openly attacked us. Regardless, the perpetrators were obvious."

"And how did our family respond?"

"An eye for an eye, young master. Lord Avalon, Lord Sirius, and Lady Lyanna responded in kind. Sector 3 was purged without any warning," Dario responded coldly.