SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant-Chapter 434: The Fall of the Thal’zar [XLVIII]

Chapter 434: Chapter 434: The Fall of the Thal’zar [XLVIII]

Lady Seris was the next to speak.

Her posture did not shift as she addressed the table, but the direction of her gaze sharpened.

"What will happen to House Thal’zar now? Does this mean their house will be removed from the Eight Great Families, and that there is now a vacant seat?" she asked.

The question settled heavily.

Valttair’s eyes moved first. Elenara’s followed a breath later. Neither reacted, yet the room understood immediately that the line had been crossed into structural territory. This was no longer about battle aftermath or escaped entities. This was about power distribution.

Stonehearth’s matriarch leaned back slightly. The Watercaller patriarch remained silent, though the condensation along his cup thickened faintly. Thaleon did not look away from the center of the table.

Elenara answered.

"Lady Seris, regarding that matter, Lord Valttair and I will ensure that the stability of the world does not change, just as it has not until now," she said.

Her tone was calm, neither dismissive nor inviting further elaboration.

The message was precise.

The balance would remain intact.

No new house would ascend.

The structure that had governed the Eight would not fracture in the wake of Thal’zar’s fall.

Valttair did not contradict her. He did not reinforce it either. His silence functioned as confirmation enough.

The vacant seat existed in name only.

Power would not diffuse. It would consolidate.

Thaleon shifted slightly forward before speaking, his gaze steady as it moved between Valttair and the rest of the table. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Valttair, no, all of you, the matter of the Void creature cannot be left unresolved like this. It is a danger to the entire world, and it must be addressed properly. I hope none of you intend to dismiss it. As Lord Vaelith said, this is not a light matter. In fact, it could become a global threat. We do not know what Icarus told that monster, which places us in a delicate position."

He did not raise his voice, yet the weight of the statement was unmistakable.

The dwarven matriarch of Stonehearth gave a slow nod. The patriarch of Watercaller inclined his head as well, silent agreement evident without further elaboration.

Thaleon continued.

"It has been a long time since we have seen a Rift outbreak of this magnitude. This was not coincidence. How long has it been—centuries? Rifts normally open when something that should not exist disturbs the balance. Yet that creature appeared capable of opening them on its own. That alone makes it a threat beyond conventional containment. And we have no reliable information regarding its capabilities."

The chamber grew still again, the implications settling across each of them.

Valttair answered without delay.

"I agree, Thaleon. It is an important matter. The Eight Great Families will need to discuss it formally. A Council will have to be called again."

Elenara inclined her head slightly.

"Indeed. It appears we will have to convene once more."

Elenara allowed a brief pause to settle after the confirmation of a new Council. Then she shifted the direction of the discussion without warning.

"There is something else that caught my attention during this battle," she said, her tone measured yet distinctly pointed. "Several figures distinguished themselves beyond what was expected. They have made names for themselves among all who were present."

Her gaze moved subtly around the table as she continued.

"Karon of my house," she began, "secured positions that would have otherwise collapsed and, more importantly, saved his brother when the situation turned critical."

She did not linger before continuing.

"Aubrelle au Rosenthal demonstrated remarkable impact. Her familiar accounted for an exceptional number of enemy casualties."

Her eyes moved briefly toward Thaleon.

"Lysandra du Morgain stood at the front when it mattered most, protecting the heirs when the structure was on the verge of breaking. Helgar du Morgain reinforced multiple sectors and maintained command cohesion under sustained pressure."

Each name carried weight.

Then her gaze settled on Valttair.

"But there is one name that stood above the rest," she said. "I believe none of us expected that you had a son like that, Valttair."

Silence spread across the chamber.

No one asked who she meant.

No one needed to ask because they all knew who it was.

Trafalgar du Morgain.

The name did not need repetition.

Its weight was already present in the room.

Trafalgar du Morgain.

What he had done on the battlefield was not a matter of rumor or partial report. Too many witnesses had seen it unfold in real time.

He had taken command when sectors faltered.

He had assessed collapsing fronts without hesitation and repositioned forces where they were needed most.

He had moved alongside his sister to extract the Thal’zar heirs from the upper levels when the structure itself threatened to fall.

He had stepped into the abyss of void creatures that flooded the courtyard and held it.

He had engaged the intelligent Void creature directly despite the disparity in power.

He had endured long enough for the field to reorganize.

In doing so, he had preserved lives that would otherwise have been lost and shifted the morale of the entire battlefield at its lowest point.

Around the table, reactions were restrained but not absent.

Stonehearth’s matriarch observed without visible comment, though the faint narrowing of her eyes suggested recalculation. The patriarch of Watercaller regarded the table surface thoughtfully, as if measuring currents beyond the immediate moment. Vaelith’s expression did not change, yet interest sharpened beneath the calm. Thaleon’s posture remained steady, though something reflective moved behind his gaze.

Valttair remained still.

If there was pride, it did not surface openly. If there was calculation, it was buried beneath composure that did not fracture.

He looked at Elenara.

"Are you implying something, Elenara?" he asked.

Elenara’s lips curved faintly.

"No. Only that someone like him should be made known to the world, don’t you think?" she replied.

Valttair did not respond aloud.

His gaze remained on Elenara for a moment longer before shifting away, unreadable.

’It seems the world will soon learn who Trafalgar truly is,’ he thought, the conclusion settling without resistance. ’This next Council of the Eight Great Families will not be a quiet one.’

His eyes lowered slightly, mind already moving ahead of the room.

’But before that... I need to speak with Elenara about the matter of the Thal’zar.’