I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

In a quiet hall filled with well-arranged tables and chairs, five female figures were basking in their thoughts, their gazes aloof and their minds withdrawn.

The hall had an indoor aura of a large church, with ceramic tiles, and a narrow glass roofing that allowed the sunlight to permeate through and cause the interior to warm up.

While the five girls weren't the only individuals present, as some Year 1 students had already begun to discuss with their parents, their goal of visiting was quite different.

Thalia and Rebecca were in the Academy's uniform, the pristine red lines glistening with the sunlight, while Morganna was in a casual adventure outfit. With a lace black dress and long black stockings.

Gloria was in her armor, and Fiona was in her Mages outfit. A black and purple gown that accentuated her curves perfectly, and a purple robe of thick material, with the hoodie down.

Their attention lay elsewhere until a figure finally stepped in, his footsteps echoing on the pristine ceramic floors and gaining the attention of the people around.

"Finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Fiona teased with her lips curved up as he approached them, an awkward smile on his expression.

"Not funny, Sister Fiona" Raph replied, bowing curtly before taking a seat next to Morganna. "I apologize for my late coming, something…quite peculiar held me back".

His sisters stared at him for a brief moment, before life returned to their gazes as they laughed lightly.

"It had to be something REALLY peculiar for you to arrive this late". Gloria said, folding her hands while her sisters nodded in agreement.

Raph chuckled again, unable to keep the awkwardness he felt at the moment. It had almost been an hour before he arrived, and he was damn sure that he couldn't have waited if he was in his shoes.

'So lucky to have nice sisters' He thought, nodding in satisfaction as he relaxed a little

"So, I think I can guess why we're all here, but what's with the mood?" Raph asked, his tone returning to what it once was.

He had noticed the tense atmosphere the moment he stepped in, and he did not like it, to say the least.

'The king should not be a reason to stop us….or frighten us, though I am worried'.

His thoughts began to drift, but after remembering a few words from the Princess during their long conversation, he snapped back to reality.

'There is much to do'.

"We were just having a conversation on how to deal with our current predicament," Gloria explained. "for some reason, my sisters refuse to side with me".

"You said you wanted to lead a rebellion!" Fiona snapped at her, her cheeks flushed in exasperation. "How can you even say that?! If I hadn't put up a canceling barrier, then we could have been in more trouble!"

'Oh,' Raph thought, beginning to understand what had transpired. "Let me see….Fiona wants us to listen to the King's demands, but she's the kind of person who would give herself up first before anyone else.

Gloria wants a revolt.

Rebecca insists we ignore the King's plea and find allies within the King's court then stage a revolt.

Morganna insists we retreat and fight another day, and Thalia is neutral in her stance".

His sisters turned to him in unison, and just like that, all hell broke loose.

"It's exactly that! Can you imagine these two sword-muscle brains? Trying to fix everything with just strength won't solve the problem!" Fiona struck her palm on the table in annoyance.

"But Elder sister! The Imperial family will keep on doing this! Time and time again, generation after generation, we need to end him!"

"Yes! Yes! It's just as Rebecca has said. I refuse to give up anyone from my household to that King as a puppet!"

"I still don't get why we can't retreat"

His sisters snapped towards Morganna, their angered expressions palpable from the veins that bulged on their forehead.

"Why the fuck would we retreat?" Fiona muttered, her tone low. "Morganna, know this. Only weaklings retreat. When there is power, there is a way".

"....but we don't have an advantage right now" Morganna insisted, though her tone dropped by a few decibels.

A brief silence descended for a moment when a stifled laughter broke that silence.

Turning towards their brother, their gazes began to soften, and their moods improved as a smile formed on their faces.

"but we should decide how to act now," Fiona said, wiping a tear drop from her eyes as they slowly composed themselves.

"Yeah, you're right". Gloria said with a sigh. "a revolt at the moment would be difficult. Father wouldn't think of that even though we have the military advantage".

"Well, we can't just assume what Father would have planned when he isn't around anymore. We have to decide for ourselves" Thalia spoke up for the first time, as a sigh exuded from their lips in unison.

She turned towards Raph. "I'm sure you figured it out, but the King has issued a summon for us, it will be difficult for us to find a way out of this one without Father"

"...We don't have an idea of what he might target, and Mother is still bedridden" Gloria looked up, a solemn expression on her face. "Well, it's not like the King would have listened to her. He seems adamant this time in getting what he wants….but other than Raph, what else does he want"

They could come up with hypotheses or theories on what he could be after, but that wouldn't resolve the issue. They needed a clear vision of what he wanted. It would be far easier to find a way to counter him if they did so.

"...Well, I am aware of what he's after" Raph spoke up and a silence descended upon them as their gazes slowly shifted towards them.

He chuckled at their reactions, noticing their bulged eyes.

"I got this from the Princess. Let's say, we formed a pact? More like a contract…at least for now"

"The princess?" Rebecca repeated, turning towards Gloria. "Which one?".

From her knowledge, there were two of them, and one was particularly vicious.

"The second princess. Princess Meadow" Raph replied, easing their worries.

'The last thing I would do is ask that vixen for help' He thought, recalling how he lost his virginity.

"Oh….spill" Fiona urged, their faces laced with tension and suspense, and their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Raph sighed, recalling some of his conversation with the princess but he needed to tell them what mattered.

"He wants to reduce our funds, as well as prevent another Family head from arising" Raph said, his finger on his chin.

"Also, he's planning on putting a proxy to be in charge of Demon resources, so he could cut off our means of financial supply, and force us into a state of destruction".

Gloria sighed deeply. "That's worse than I thought. He plans on destroying our family, or more or less reduce the Great families by one".

"...Is this not something similar to the Arcanus household?" Fiona asked, her tone laced with curiosity.

"It was the Lucia family that headed their destruction, remember. They could not accept their ideals since they dealt with the occult". Morganna explained.

"though it is similar. They want to wipe us off, though he won't act directly and only let things fall in place after isolating us". Thalia said, her gaze on Raph. "And then he plans to take Raph as a puppet, cutting off our bloodline".

Their gazes widened in realization when Thalia was done with her statement.

Raph was a male, the only male of the direct lineage, and it would be a disaster if he became a puppet to the king and was prevented from bearing children.

This matter had just turned more complex than it needed to.

"....hmm…" Raph watched his sisters, his gaze lingering on their hardened expression, their thoughts else well and an unsettling silence descending.

He sighed, tapping the table. "Ladies, we are Jun's. Since when have we ever faltered?"

As they turned towards their brother, and digested his words, something began to swirl in them.

"As you have said, the King wants me, he wants our Source of revenue….though we have others….he wants to prevent another Patriarch to make things easier in conquering us, but He is missing one thing in accomplishing all this"

His sisters were left in contemplation, until Thalia's eyes sparkled.

"He may be greedy, but he has proven to not act with force, and so he can not force us.

What's more, he lacks validity, and although the twelve great families are United, they all have separate ideals.

Not everyone would agree to his decision". She said, adjusting her glasses as she did so.

"Of course, then what we must do is stand strong and not falter. We can bargain our things back from him" Gloria said, holding her chin as a smirk grew on her lips.

"Not just that alone, we will lose a few things, but we must keep what belongs to us.

Raph can not be used as a bargaining chip; we will use the Laws to our advantage in that regard; if he insists on seizing property, then we will invoke the freedom from arbitrary seizure," Thalia said.

"Why do that? Why not just change the name of the owner of the properties. He wants to claim our Father's ownership and control of Demon resources; why not change the name to someone he wouldn't expect?" Raph asked, and his sisters snapped at him, their eyes widened in delight, and a smile growing wild. Stay updated via empire

"We could do that! I will make the necessary procedures before we leave in an hour's time". Thalia stood up, while Ralph flinched.

"An hour?!" He cried out in shock.

His sisters giggled in excitement but their movements were filled with energy.

After assigning roles to her sisters, Gloria stood up as well, while Fiona began to work on a spell that creates a magic portal to hasten their movements.

A goal had been set, a glimpse of hope had been found, and a means of accomplishing it was being set forth.

Raph looked up to the ceiling, basking in the sunlight as he thought.

'Hah, what a nice day'.