I'm pretty sure 'denigrate' still fits better. They're fundamentally similar in meaning, but to denigrate someone is to do something to them, whereas 'degrading their class/character/smell/etc' refers to the quality of HOW you interact with them. You can be a degrading noble by denigrating your perceived lessers. And with the example in the text...Lucy is talking (joking) about WHAT she'll do in the future as a noble, not HOW she'll do it.
It's subtle, but I really don't think it fits the sentence you've used it in. Although there may also be a hint of American Vs British English going on.
Not that surprising. I know when I had exams I'd end up pushing myself hard. Combine that with everyone doing that and more mingling since online courses could have in person exams. Perfect conditions for a common cold.
Fun random fact, the common cold includes some strains of Coronavirus!
As a native US English speaker, I agree that "degrade" is the correct word there.
The 2nd definition is weird, and makes me wonder if AI was involved in that answer. Who thought the "chemically" modifier was appropriate when the example used isn't even normally considered a chemical process.
Edit:
Another option is to just change the sentence to "looking down on," or similar.
I also think degrade is really odd there. It had me pause when I was first reading it, thinking I had misread denigrate. Degrade has pretty strong implications of making something worse/less by one's actions, and I don't think that entirely fits the mood of the surrounding phrase. Really, the surrounding context seems to be about Lucy fearing she'll lose touch with her common roots and begin not only presenting the facade of nobility but internalizing noble-esque mentalities as well. My perception as a reader was that that section was primarily focused on Lucy's worries about her own self changing. Thus, rather than worrying about the effects that change might have on others, her foremost concern would be her changing thoughts towards others. In this sense, denigrate has always seemed to me to be something that has stronger implications for the subject rather than the object, which is why I think there is a general sense it would fit better. Beyond that, I think even other choices like 'disdain' 'disparage' or 'demean' would work better than degrade in that context because they all lean towards saying a bit more about the subject. There are probably words that don't start with d that would fit even better.
Largely, though, I think a not-insignifigant component of the out-of-placedness we feel due to this comes from this line of thought seeming really sudden. I feel Lucy hasn't really changed in this regard - definitely not to a degree this introspection feels warranted. Indeed, her strict adherences to certain outwards presentation have given me the image of someone who is more static in their beliefs and mentality, to the point of understanding both how to affect an image of nobility and how that effects the surrounding world. I dont think this someone with this soet of understanding could get swept away by their acting nor would they think it would. Like, is a year of life meant to be meaningfully affecting the 200 years of accumulated experience?
It's my opinion at least that we only caught so much on degrade because the entire paragraph felt weird and that's just the nail that stuck out particularly far.
"Count Goldcroft, my lady, I must say, that I am undeniably impressed." The haughty noble in his mid-thirties gestured to her with a gloved hand and then placed it on his chin with a smirk. "For one rumoured to have been born into the common caste, you are shockingly well-accustomed to the ways of our nobles. Why, I almost thought you were a high-born member of the Empire such as myself!"
Lucy masked her boredom behind a bright smile that suggested not a word of the degrading hidden meanings of the man before her had been realised. "I'm honoured that you find my performance satisfactory, sir. My aide has been a great deal of help when finding adequate tutors for me."
"I see," he replied with a polite smile.
As if I'd ever let the Counties give me 'tutors'. All they did was pay off a few educators so they would provide fall statements that they taught me. They were willing to do so for the credit they'd receive anyway.
"I apologise sir, but I must go back to my aide's side," she stated cheerily. "I'm not allowed to be away from him for more than half an hour."
"Hmm… Count Goldcroft." The main with greyish-red hair smirked slightly as she tried to move away. "I'll commend your aide for being so protective of his young superior, but… don't you think that's a bit strict? You are his superior, not the other way around." He winked at her. "As a descendant of a March myself, I'll give you a tip on how to act as a true noble. You must command your subordinates, not the other way around."
She blinked at him.
What does this idiot think he's doing? Is he seriously trying to start trouble here?
…no, I don't think that's it. He must be one of those types who like seeing chaos and drama.
Well, the easiest way to deal with him is to use my default plan: brush off his words with cheerful ignorance.
"Sir Evisenhardt is my friend and I trust him," she stated brightly. "I really must go now, sir. Thank you for the pleasant conversation."
Then she walked off, leaving the man gazing at her like she was a few cards short of a deck.
Now, I need to actually go find Vincent because that man will cause trouble if he sees me talking to someone so soon after I left him. Where is- ah.
Conveniently, Vincent seemed to be finishing up his conversation and smiled politely at the Barons who bowed to him and backed away. She sped up to meet with him before another noble met with him first.
Vincent looked up to see her approaching and almost looked slightly relieved. She could tell by how the polite smile he used for all nobles became more sincere. Then when he saw eyes on them his smile returned to being the fake one.
He picked up a glass of weak liquor of some kind from a nearby servant's tray and sipped it as he walked towards her. "We'll be heading to the dining hall soon. I suggest you stay beside me until then."
Lucy nodded and then with a quick glance to see who was watching, she tapped a finger on the top of her cane. A sound-cancelling arcane barrier spread out within her 'Field of Transmutational Mastery', but with her ability to disguise all her mana as external atmospheric mana, nobody would suspect she did it. They would assume Vincent used an item with that kind of spell himself, as it was a common thing for nobility to do when anyone at Rank-1 had heightened senses.
"A wise idea, but most of the nobility here have keen observation skills when it comes to lip reading," Vincent warned.
Normally she would've raised an eyebrow, but to keep up her image she just smiled. "Not to worry. I mixed a little bit of illusion nana into that so anyone watching the o much won't be able to guess what we're saying."
"Cautious as always." Vincent pushed up his glasses and tilted his head in the direction of the man she had been talking to. "And him?"
"Someone who only came along to see what the fuss was about," she stated flatly. "He's the representative of a March but not a main descendant, so he's just enjoying the party and trying to start drama."
Vincent nodded and Lucy smirked. "And how have you been enjoying yourself, sir 'Puppet master'?"
"I haven't." He nearly sighed but caught himself before any of their onlookers could notice and just crossed his arms with a fake smile on his face. "If another noble brings up that darned Dungeon of yours…"
Lucille blinked. "Ah. Yes, I suppose that would be something of interest for them. Who in particular?"
Vincent glanced over his shoulder and pointed at them with a vague gesture. "Citadel allies, including Light Tower wizards. I've heard that the Light Tower is no longer pushing for them to take over the Dark Tower's role on that plane you mentioned. As if that would do anything."
"Hmm…" Lucy observed them for a moment and turned back to her aide. "Even if they hadn't been confrontational with the Dark Tower, I still never would've gave them an offer to form a Tower in the City of New Syna."
"Oh?" Vincent asked curiously.
Lucy shrugged. "The Dark Tower and Black Order have necromancers. The Light Tower doesn't. Death mana is the best for eradicating monsters."
Vincent looked surprised but nodded. "So, it was for mostly practical reasons. That makes sense. I have to admit that most nobles are rather biased to using necromancers purely because of their close ties with the Tartarus Realm, but considering the Ancient Dungeon is a resource source and not something to increase military might like other Dungeons, using their strength would be best."
Lucy adjusted her shoulder cloak. "In the end, one of the most common gemstones I spotted in that Dungeon had been onyx, a dark element gem. The Dark Tower and their adjacent factions were best suited for the place."
"I see… oh." Vincent saw something and quickly put a hand on her shoulder to hurry her away. "It's a bit early, but I think we should head to the dining hall. I see someone that I don't want to have to deal with."
Lucille noticed a dark-haired man in his early 50s looking rather frustrated as he failed to catch up to them. "A member of the Valenzest March?"
"First born son of the Marquess," Vincent replied in a low voice. "He's a member of the neutral faction, so I can't just dismiss him, but his reasons for approaching are about marriage talks involving a child of his."
Lucy, now out of sight of the rest of the nobles as they walked down a hallway of the Gilded Dome Hall, raised an eyebrow at her aide. "Who? Is it a woman? Does the March want to give one of their daughters to you?"
"Ha, no, it's not about me, it's…" His voice trailed off and he shot her a very panicked look. "Wait- that's a possibility now, isn't it? Women wanting my hand in marriage? And my ambitious mother would even encourage it to happen." He pressed a hand to his temples and then coughed into his fist as he shook his head. "No, it was actually about his second son to you."
Lucy stared at him as he smirked. But when she continued to stare at him, Vincent gained a strange expression. "Lucille? You're not acting quite how I expected."
She stopped walking and let out a short laugh. "His second son? The one who will run away next year with his commoner lover and become a famous general of the army? Look, if he wants to marry me to his second son, he can try, but the love struck fool would rather abandon his title than ditch the love of his life for someone he had never met."
It was now Vincent's turn to stare at her. "Carfen Valenzest hasn't had… any lovers…" He sounded slightly unsure.
Lucy smirked and shook her head as she walked over to the stairs that would take them to the next floor. "I was never involved with nobility at this time originally, but I recall hearing how he and his lover had been courting for over three years before he ran away with her to elope. That man kept such a pristine reputation that nobody expected it and could respond when it happened."
She turned around to shrug at her dumbfounded aide, her new cane still gripped in one hand. "Eventually, the Marquess decided to allow one of the March's vassals to adopt the woman, and so they lived a happy life afterwards while being accepted back into the family. The only reason I know this was because it was discussed for many years to come."
Vincent stayed silent but then walked up the steps to catch up to her. "Lucille, you have perfect memory, don't you?" he asked with suspicion.
"Yes," she replied with a wry smile.
"How many secrets of nobles here do you remember that got revealed in the… past," he said slowly.
"Curious, are you?" She gained a slightly evil grin and walked over to the balcony so they could see a view of the entire ballroom below. She pointed at one young noble off in the distance. "That man there? The heir of one of the Counts attending this event? He's an illegitimate son. The Count claims that his son is the offspring of his deceased first wife, but he's actually just a replacement. The Count doesn't want his other wives knowing that the son of his first wife died."
"…huh."
Lucille moved her finger to point at a woman off to the sidelines. "That granddaughter of a Marquess will be married to a descendant of the Duchies and get a divorce two years later." She shifted her finger again, this time to point at a burly solemn man in gleaming armour, someone affiliated with Glory Pantheon. "That man's title is the 'Undefeatable', but eventually the truth about how he bribed or killed all the people who saw him be defeated by any other warriors will be revealed."
She placed a gloved hand on her chin. "Those of Glory Pantheon tend to comfort themselves with the idea that they're 'better' than the common noble because of their adherence to the honour codes of the Pantheon, but in truth, they're still nobles like any other."
"Maybe it wasn't all talk when you said you'd be capable of leading this Faction," Vincent muttered, coming up beside her. "You certainly have enough blackmail to masquerade as a true noble."
"Ah, but blackmail is only useful if the event has already occurred. I can't blackmail someone based on a future that might never come to pass." She ran a hand along the banister as she looked down and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Although, I suppose it's a benefit to me that you believe my 'time traveller' status because you're willing to act on my unfounded knowledge."
Vincent glanced at her and placed his hands behind his back. "Do you know any important details about the Aurelian Commission?"
She considered it and observed him for a slight moment.
It would probably be detrimental if I revealed that he eventually became the Count of Evisenhardt. Not because he'd abandon his position as my aide, but because he'd panic over the responsibility he might end up with.
"Your eldest brother, Lysander, became the next Count," she informed him.
Vincent rolled his eyes. "I could expect that much. No matter how much my other siblings might desire the position, Lysander is still the most favoured descendant among the vassals. But… not my father?" he asked seriously, likely worrying about what could've caused his father to refuse the title and pass it down.
"Haraldus stayed healthy until the time of my passing, from what I recall," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I believe it was a personal decision of his to let Lysander instead of himself become the next Count. Likely due to his three wives."
"…ah." Vincent gained a strange expression. "Yes, I could imagine the hostility between my mother and Genevieve becoming stronger if my mother became the Countess. Lysander is commendably firm on only having one wife."
Lucy nodded and tapped the banister. "But… knowing what I do now about the influence of Olden and Radical within the Commission, it may have also been a way to prevent the forces backing his wives from taking over Evisenhardt," she stated quietly.
His expression became solemn, but Lucille shook her head and continued walking. "Regardless, the Counties always stayed on good terms and remained successful until the end. Their only fault was perhaps that they didn't involve themselves with the Heavenly Realm sooner, so they failed to play a major role in the times after the Millennium Chapter."
"Then I assume you're here to correct that," he said with amusement. He blinked and looked down at the ballroom below, just before they took another side exit to make their way to the dining hall. "That reminds me. Tonight will be the time for you to greet the visitors from the other realms and lesser empires."
She nodded and they walked into the new hall, where a long table sat overlooking several other round tables set out for the guests. "Any of particular importance?"
"Well, a few of the weaker 1st Rate Sects came to visit, there are a couple of half-demons from a clan that is allied with Ravimoux, an elven and dwarven representative from each of those two empires and…" He hesitated and shot her an odd look. "Did you know a Vigil of Tartarus that you wanted to invite?"
"Hm?" She blinked and walked over to the tall, wide window that overlooked the ballroom. "Where?"
Vincent gestured in the direction of a man with long hair tied behind his head, stubbornly ignoring the attempts of the nobility nearby to make conversation with him.
Lucy smirked. "Is his name Nares Raislef?"
Or 'Kozzozan', to be more accurate.
"So you do know him," Vincent replied.
"In passing." She took another look at the phantom, dressed in the standard black and silver uniform of the Tartarus Vigils, then turned away from the window. "Remember that organisation, the 'House of Wordless Observers' I mentioned? He's part of them."
"Oh, so now you finally tell me that this organisation you negotiated with is connected to Tartarus," her aide stated flatly.
Lucille didn't bother to show a reaction to his words as she walked over to the long table and took up a seat in the very centre. He pulled up a seat on her right.
"The Vigils are far more pleasant to deal with than undead because they're technically more similar to elementals, just elementals composed of death mana," she explained. "Don't feel pressured to give that phantom too much attention. I can assure you he's only here due to the commands of his superiors, and that he'd much rather be at home right now."
"Well… if you say so." The sound of the doors opening to show a couple of people filing into the room, along with servants ready to wait on them, showed that it was time for dinner to begin. Vincent straightened up and fixed his polite smile on his face. "It seems our break from the frivolities of nobility has come to an end."
…
"-and this beautiful silk has been handcrafted by the finest of my artisans!" Viscount Naram Eil-Mlimar, the rotund and jovial dark-skinned man from the Tua'Cethla Kingdom Lucy and Vincent had crossed paths with several times before, bowed before the long table Lucille sat at with the Counts. His fingers adorned with precious stones gestured to the boxes overflowing with silks.
Lucille was receiving the gifts given to her as a congratulations for her debut. The majority of the gifts were attempts to flatter the Counts and Vincent rather than her, but there were still quite a few interesting trinkets.
One item Lucy did not find appealing, however, was a set of embroidery needles, magical thread and cloth for her to practice haberdashery. She didn't know a single noble woman who did that as a hobby, but apparently one old-fashioned wife of a noble thought it a good gift for a 'young noble' such as her. As a Count, Lucy would not be sitting there doing normal 'ladylike' things.
Scytale was in his serpent form and coiled up on the chair to her left. He seemed like he was basking in the attention. Several exotic natural treasures cultivated in the private gardens of nobles had been given to him. Truthfully, there wasn't much besides natural treasures that a magical beast needed as gifts.
One thing that was valuable was the gift of the dwarven representative of Rocht'guardes. He had brought along one of their chief craftsmen and were willing to let him remain in her employ for the next ten years. She presumed that word about her locomotive transport had been leaked somehow, and because the Aurelian Commission was the centre for commerce and many craftsmen, many dwarf clans wanted to build closer relations with the Faction.
Vincent put a hand on her shoulder. "Count Goldcroft, are you pleased with all these gifts?" he asked.
Lucy nodded. "Oh, definitely. This is more than I ever imagined I would be given. I thank you all for the splendid gifts."
The Viscount bowed and backed away as servants came forward to collect the chests of silks and transport them to where the other gifts were held. Vincent rose from his seat and raised a glass in the air, a smile fixed on his face. "On behalf of my lady, I would like to thank you all for attending, as I thanked you one the day you arrived. But I cannot leave this meal here without calling to your attention the visitors from the other realms who have graced us with their presence. While the Empire might be a mighty power in the Tower, these realms have their powers to rule them."
He sat down, and the doors at the end of the dining hall opened to reveal a man in his late thirties with flowing green-gold robes and an ornamental hairpiece in his topknot. He walked forward as servants behind him carried a platform covered in treasures that released the unique auras of spiritual qi.
"It is my honour to meet the new Head of the Aurelian Commission," the man began haughtily. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly. "I am Sect Elder Guo Jiang of the Seven Earthly Instruments Sect. I come with gifts for your prosperity and to share with you some of the many wonders of the Heavenly Realm." He gestured to the front of the platform, which was covered in an assortment of unique instruments. He selected a long, narrow tube of bamboo with a delicate tassel hanging off of it and bowed again while holding it out.
"As is in our name, our Sect is well known for their craftsmanship of fine tools of melody," he continued calmly. "This one here has been named the Spring Wind Dao Jade Bamboo Dizi, a five-star Dao Treasure."
The audience began to whisper, while Lucy made a show of widening her eyes. Vincent held his chin. "A Dao Artifact… one of your craftsmen imbued the power of their Dao into this item?"
Guo Jiang bowed again, still holding the item. "It is the most valuable of our gifts. If we could be so honoured, may the Aurelian Commission Head wish to test this item herself?"
Lucille pretended to open her mouth to reply, but then hesitated and looked at Vincent. Vincent nodded and she got up from her chair to walk down from the raised platform of the dining table and stand before the man. Sect Elder Guo Jiang passed it to her, looking calm and indifferent.
Lucy studied the exquisitely carved instrument. It may look like a normal gift, but she knew why they had given her a Dao Treasure as a present.
All I need to do is scan it briefly with my spiritual energy and… there.
As someone who didn't have a spiritual root, she couldn't analyse the power of the Dao imbued within to discover the effects of the item. They claimed it had the power of the 'Spring Wind Dao', a Minor Dao that reflected the power of a seasonal wind, but the purpose of the Dao had yet to be identified.
Lucille sped up her thoughts to use a copy of the treasure in her Simulacrum Realm and inwardly smirked once she discovered its effects.
Playing this treasure pacifies the emotions of the user and listeners… a normal-sounding effect, if it weren't for the fact that the traces of the Dao linger in the listener's soul. A skilled manipulator of the Dao could utilise the remnants of their qi in unprotected souls and influence their actions.
And a wood-element First Rate Sect? They no doubt have connections with the Profound Emergent Jade Lotus Sect. I might need to look into this.
"How… do I play it?" she asked expectantly.
Guo Jiang walked closer and gestured to the holes along the dizi. "This is a wind instrument. You blow lightly into the largest opening and cover the holes along its length to influence the notes."
She put it up to her mouth and closed her eyes as she pretended to struggle with producing a sound. Then after a second, a low breathy note came out. She lowered it and looked at it with wonder.
Guo Jiang bowed. "It appears you must be naturally talented, Count Goldcroft. I'm sure a tutor in the art of playing the Dizi would allow your talent to flourish."
"It's a beautiful instrument." She placed it back onto the platform and ran up the stairs to sit next to Vincent again.
Her aide adjusted his glasses and nodded to the Sect Elder. "Guo Jiang of the Seven Earthly Instruments Sect, this is a wonderful gift. Perhaps the Commission should purchase several instruments from your Sect for the orchestras of the Counties."
"It is only a small gift." The Sect Elder bowed one last time and backed away. Lucy's eyes were narrowed slightly as she watched him leave.
While the Heavenly Realm flute equivalent had the ability to influence people's actions, it wasn't an innately harmful gift. Dao Treasures were usually crafted to become the Life Treasure of the cultivator who used it, a way for them to use their learned Daos more frequently and reduce the strain on their cultivation bases. In the event that another obtained the Dao Treasure crafted by someone else, they'd use the treasure to attempt to comprehend the Dao of its crafter as well as glean insights to further their own comprehension.
If this was the Heavenly Realm, it would actually be a very valuable gift, because a senior cultivator had bestowed their Dao in a way that could allow a young cultivator to make quick progress from following their footsteps. But this was the Mystical Realm, where none of them had a way to comprehend the Dao, and few had the powerful souls that could protect against the qi's effect.
If the item's effect gets revealed, they can claim it was a small misstep on their behalf due to the normal value of the item, and if I ended up using it more frequently they have a possible way of influencing me and the people around me. What makes this complicated is that this could possibly have connections to Leng Xiuying. She's one of the few outside the Aurelian Commission who know my soul age. She also knows I have an incredibly powerful soul for someone who came from the Mystical Realm.
If this was a result of the Sect Leader's machinations, was she trying to send Lucille a message, or search out more information about her? It could be that she was suspicious that Lucy might've been a reincarnated cultivator. Reincarnation was certainly a more frequent occurrence for cultivators than mages and wizards. And if Lucy had somehow found a way to use magic and the abilities of the Heavenly Realm at the same time… she'd be the most valuable asset for either realm, and a reason for war between them.
What I don't get is why Leng Xiuying would be interested in me that much. Their Sect is the fifth-ranked Heavenly Sect, the weakest of the five. Their Sect is known for being the most peaceable and non-competitive of the five, with a focus on pill alchemy, music and the Four Great Arts for comprehending the Daos.
Lucy had never had much interaction with the Heavenly Sects. She had spent her fair share of time in the Heavenly Realm, but it was because of her curiosity about its past and why they had demon beasts when demons were supposed to be native to only the Demon Realm. She had also been curious about its cosmological structure, as the Heavenly Realm has structurally segmented into one large realm, the true 'Heavenly Realm', with the Earthly and Mortal Realms below that for cultivators to ascend through.
She idly tapped a finger on the table and ignored Vincent's strange looks as others came forward to present their gifts.
Someone has been spreading my image throughout a Minor Plane. The Profound Emergent Jade Lotus Sect owns many tea houses, auction houses and restaurants. They have the most control over propaganda and social image control.
…it seems things are getting complicated. I might end up advancing my plans for the Heavenly Realm sooner than I thought.
But not before the debut was over and she could meet with Efratel, Marellen, Garthe and Larena again. And meet the future Sovereign Sorceress of Frostfire in person for the first time.
Chapter 77 (1 of 2) How to thwart a plot to seek attention.
"…so now I'd like to invite Marvin Goldcroft the CEO of the largest corporation in the world, Medallion, to come up to the podium and give his words on this tragedy that has afflicted us."
Harold McGuire stepped away from the podium and walked over to the row of seats to the side. A large crowd of journalists and news reporters were spread out before their stage, but none of the individuals on the stage let it phase them. As he saw down, he patted the CEO on the shoulder and sent him a serious look.
Marvin nodded slightly and walked up to the podium. He adjusted his tie and coughed into his fist before placing two hands on the podium. "These past few months have been the hardest time of my life," he began solemnly. "I am known for being the founder of Medallion. I've been called a miracle-working entrepreneur, some places have even cited me as a genius. But while building up my business has had its fair share of problems… it is nothing compared to the fear of what unknown fate one of my few remaining family members has received."
Mutters began to break out among the reporters, but Marvin coughed again and straightened up. "Lucille is my great niece. She's the daughter of my brother's son, and we have raised her since she's been five. There have been many rumours spread among the business world that she is not up to standard to follow in my footsteps, but let me tell you now." He narrowed his eyes at the journalists and broadcast crew. "Never have I considered letting anyone else take over Medallion when I retire." He shook his head sadly. "I only wish that I said this to the world before her disappearance. She is family, someone with incredible intellect, and I can only say that I believe in my great niece that she will be found-"
'It's rare to hear you praising me, Marvin. Please, do it more.'
Shut up.
He stopped himself from rubbing his temples when the dryly sarcastic voice of his niece echoed in his head. Her ability or 'Origin Skill' as she called it seemed to be very versatile and allowed her to establish a mental communication channel with him, but even if she couldn't actually see his thoughts, he didn't appreciate her frequent comments on his decisions regarding the spreading of the Simulacrum Realm access throughout Earth.
"-whether it be because she finds a way to send a message, or the capable forces of the Esper Union that are working tirelessly to find out how a thousand members of the biodomes disappeared without notice." He sent Harold a polite nod for good measure and turned back to the crowd. "I will spare no expense to find my niece and the missing members of our youthful generation. It is due to this fact that I am here to announce that the search for the missing thousand will be fully funded by me!"
An uproar sounded throughout the crowd and the journalists and reporters tried to push forward to send their hovering drone microphones closer to him, attached with speakers to shout their questions louder than the competition. An electric blue hexagonal energy shield rebuffed them all, causing them to be pushed back several metres.
"That is what I wanted to say," Marvin finished solemnly. "But before I step away from the podium, I would like to present to you our most honoured guest here today, the one in the centre of all of the World Government's actions: The World Government President, Edison Williams."
Whispers broke out as a man walked onto the stage, flanked on each side by two well-built bodyguards fully armoured in Exosuits, cores of power glowing in their centres. The man appearing in his early 40s was wearing a black suit and his dark hair combed back. Edison Williams smiled calmly and took Marvin's outstretched hand to shake.
"I would like to discuss a few things with you later," Edison said in a low voice near Marvin's ear, in a way that prevented any camera from getting a clear recording of his mouth.
"…yes, as would I," Marvin replied, but he imperceptibly gripped the President's hand tighter before they let go. He felt the strangely cool rush of what his great niece called spiritual power' as he saw the mark briefly appear on the man's hand, invisible to anyone but him. Marvin pulled away and stood beside the President as Edison William walked forward.
Is it done?
'Yes. Edison Williams has been given access to the Simulacrum Realm. Very soon you'll be having a meeting in the realm between you, him and Harold to discuss the implications of my ability and the proof of the coming of the Tower.'
"Marvin Goldcroft's actions will be a support for many grieving families over the coming days, I'm sure," Williams said as he glanced at Marvin. He smiled at the audience and spread his hands. "I'm honoured to be invited to such an important event. Before I give my speech, however, I would like to request for you, Marvin Goldcroft, to open the Missing Thousand Charity Event."
Marvin walked forward with a nod and placed his hands flat on the podium. "As the owner of Medallion and one of the many affected by the disappearance of a thousand of our young adults," he shouted grandly. "I thank you all for coming, and-"
"-wish you all enjoy yourselves at this spectacular event to honour this new era of the Aurelian Commission," Lucille finished, holding out a glass of wine and smiling brightly at the guests. Polite claps resounded from the people sitting at the long table and she sat down, placing her glass back in its spot.
After she had said that, the important guests at the private luncheon event began to have discussions. As she was the 'central' figure of the debut, she had to sit at the end of most importance with Vincent and the three Counts on her right. Opposite them were the highest-ranked guests who had come to the debut – distant Duchy relatives, Marquesses, and such. Of course, as Vincent was the 'true' Commission Head, it meant none of them wanted to talk to her because clearly she had nothing important to say.
Vincent wasn't actually placed directly on her right, however. That spot was reserved for her ungrateful bond. Scytale seemed to be enjoying his food, although looks of distaste were sent his way by the 'sophisticated' nobles opposite him. Scytale had never cared about anyone else's opinions, whether it be racial discrimination or judgment of his nonexistent eating manners.
When he had finished eating the entirety of his apple-shaped natural treasure, including the core – she was disgusted by that fact – he crossed his arms and glanced at her.
'I'm bored. Can I leave?'
No.
'But nobody is even talking to us! Vincent's doing fine on his own, so let's just retire for the day and head back to the Headquarters-'
Not happening. I'm the 'host' of this event. I can't leave a table filled with the most important allies of the Commission.
'But what about meeee-'
You're my bond so you stay here.
'I bet you only want me to stay so I suffer along with you.'
Well…
'I knew it!'
She hid a smirk when she heard her bond's mental cries of injustice behind a sip of her drink and absentmindedly scanned the guests at the table, using the 'Shard' to pay extra close attention to the several who had connections to the Malediction Society. She wouldn't be able to kill them and she was sure Lucius's subordinates already knew of their identities, but the aim was to weaken the Malediction Society's connections to Olden and any other major political faction so that when it finally went under, it wouldn't affect the Empire too drastically.
Now that Lucille had officially had her first debut in front of the entire Empire, then the nobles would finally start either supporting her or directly confronting her. The Commission was a neutral force with major financial power that they could wield more freely compared to other forces like the Duchies and Marches. She had expected some to begin acting on their plots already, but it was nearing the end of the month and the guests were set to leave in three days.
'Is Annaliese going to come next month?'
I believe so. I haven't sent her any letters due to the possibility of it getting intercepted while this event is ongoing, and for that same reason I think Jasten Albrecht hasn't allowed Annaliese to send any letters to us. But it's been two months since Annaliese saw us and she'll want to complain about it to us.
'Yay, at least things will be entertaining around here.'
Entertaining… you could say that. The fortieth floor will be very busy next week.
'?'
Lucy politely nodded when Vincent gestured to her for some reason relating to the discussion he was having with the noble opposite him and placed a forkful of food in her mouth as she considered how many people were going to be there.
Me, Scytale, Sedric, Hargrave, Annaliese, Sir Albrecht, Raegan, Marellen, Trisroa, Larena, Garthe… and Vincent if you ignore the fact he lives in his estate in the evenings. A full twelve people. Will I be able to get a break?
Maybe she should do a Hargrave and run off to another plane to slaughter monsters and avoid socialising. Unfortunately, she had more responsibilities than the wanted ex-mercenary. Which included the luncheon she was currently participating in.
The luncheon would be a meal with all the most important nobles, but during afternoon tea, Lucy would be having her first formal meal without Vincent by her side during the debut. The reason for that was because, for her plans to work, Vincent needed an opportunity to talk with the titled nobles alone. That left her in charge of running afternoon tea in the Pavilion for all the untitled nobles of 'her age'.
So she would be stuck with a bunch of hormonal teenagers and haughty young noble brats in the afternoon. Her only comfort was that Scytale would always be worse than any of them. Which wasn't much of a comfort when she thought about it.
Her great-uncle was doing well with the charity event. He always was one to take advantage of any opportunity to increase his reputation and influence. The fact he knew where she was and could control how much effort to put into the event was extremely beneficial for him.
As Harold McGuire and Stephen Lawrence had also attended, many people had been branded with spiritual energy and given access to the Simulacrum Realm due to the copious amounts of hand-shaking that occurred. The Simulacrum Realm was like a type of highly infectious spiritual disease or virus, spreading through physical contact and utterly invulnerable to any kind of medicine.
And my ultimate goal will be to infect all the realms, allowing me to create an omnipresent communication system that will only be noticed by the people infected when it's already too late.
'Wow, evil much?'
How is it evil? I'm going to be providing free internet access to every sapient thing in existence.
'Knowledge corrupts!'
Ah, so you must be completely incorrupt as you're the most unknowledgeable creature to ever live.
'Yeah- no, wait.'
Why are we discussing this again?
'Because we're both bored!'
She quietly clicked her tongue in a way that wouldn't be heard by anybody nearby and leaned back in her chair. Count Ravimoux shot her a smirk and a knowing look, likely feeling the same as her about the entire situation. Lucille finished the rest of her glass and held it out to a nearby servant for them to top it out.
The sooner this debut is over, the sooner I can visit the Counties and do something interesting for a change.
…
"Lady Goldcroft."
Lucille ignored the call and instead watched the other young nobility seated at the circular tables of the Gilded Dome Hall's gardens. She knew that someone had said her name, obviously, but the way they had chosen to go about irritated her.
"Lady Goldcroft? Lady Goldcroft, can you hear me?"
Lucy prevented herself from sighing and instead turned to blink innocently at the young blonde-haired woman in her early twenties. A luxurious scarlet dress adorned the woman's figure and she held a fancy fan.
"I apologise, I didn't register you speaking to me due to the unfamiliar title," Lucy replied pleasantly.
"Ah, of course." The woman hid her smirk behind her fan. "You haven't been among the noble class for very long now, so of course you'd be unaccustomed to the title of 'Lady'."
"Hm? Oh no, it wasn't that." Lucille shook her head and returned to watching an animated conversation another table was having about the estimated winners of the upcoming Glory Pantheon Championship.
"Then would you care to enlighten me?" The woman casually sat in the seat next to Lucy – a stupid decision considering who it belonged to – and closed her fan.
Lucy glanced back. "I'm a titled noble, so my title would be 'Count Goldcroft' before being called 'Lady Goldcroft'." She pretended to hesitate. "Or am I allowed to refer to other titled nobles as 'lady' or 'lord'? I'm still not sure about noble etiquette…"
The woman narrowed her eyes while smiling. "Oh no, you mustn't do that. I sincerely apologise for confusing you. Referring to you as 'Lady Goldcroft' was a mistake on my part."
"Ah." Lucy nodded once, then blinked and turned back to the lady. "Excuse me, but I don't recall who you are. What family were you part of again?"
A look of mild irritation crossed the blonde-haired woman's face but she still replied, "I am the fourth daughter of the Weatherby Dukedom of the 16th Major Kingdom, Sheralis Weatherby, Count Goldcroft."
"A pleasure to talk to you." Lucille glanced at the chair the woman was sitting on. "But that seat is taken, so you may have to stand if you wish to continue this conversat-"
"Hey, Lucy! Have you tried the raspberry pie yet? It tastes great with a truckload of cream on- wait, who are you?"
Scytale stared at the random noble sitting in his seat. A piece of half-eaten pie was still in his bare hand, earning him a look of contempt from the noblewoman.
"And who might you be?" Lady Weatherby tapped on her chin with the fan and narrowed her eyes at Lucy's bond, not knowing she was making a mistake. "Clearly you're one of the lower nobles the Count here has gracefully allowed to attend this event. Eating in such a vulgar manner…" She studied Scytale and then smirked slightly. She leant forward to see Scytale's eyes better. "However, now that I see you closer… you seem to have a high affinity for the light element. If you're a member of the Citadel then I give you my deepest apologies."
"Uh… no, not a member of the Citadel, sorry. Just someone who wants his seat back, which you are sitting on." Scytale signalled to Lucy with his eyes sending across a message vaguely equivalent to 'Who the heck is this delusional crackpot?' .
"Ha. Your seat." Lady Weatherby smirked derisively and turned to Lucy. "Count Goldcroft, could I request that you enlighten us both as to who this seat belongs to?"
Lucille took one look at the chair and pointed at the noblewoman. "Lady Weatherby, please get off his seat."
She stared at Lucy in astonishment which quickly turned to anger. She pointed her fan at Scytale. "My apologies, your ladyship, but I should get off for him?"
"Yep. That's my seat. Shove off old woman," Scytale said with a yawn, standing next to Lucy after putting his pie on Lucy's empty plate on the small table in front of her.
The blonde-haired woman's face tinged pink. "Excuse me?!"
Scytale winked at her and then morphed into his serpent form with the glow of his golden aura. He slithered onto Lucille's shoulders and tilted his feathered head at the woman while Lucy gave him a side eye.
"You'd think that by being your compeer bond that I'd get better treatment, but nooo, I'm still just a common pleb with poor manners," he complained.
Lucy decided to take advantage of the moment to frown at the woman. "Lady Weatherby, I don't like seeing my bond be treated with such disrespect. It might be best for you to leave now."
With a huff, the noblewoman stood up and walked off. Scytale flew onto his chair and returned to his human form to stuff the remnants of his pie into his pie hole. "So, was I good pest control? Do I get a pay rise?"
"A pay rise from what?" Lucy asked dryly. "We haven't established any wages for you."
Scytale pressed his index finger and thumb together in the 'OK' sign. "I accept incentives in the form of food."
She rolled her eyes but sighed wryly and leaned back in her chair. "It's clear that the only discussions people wish to have with me are related to their parents' political wishes and a desire to know my weaknesses and political alignments. I can tell that they're all begging to know why the Counties didn't just replace me with someone else to be a puppet head and allowed the actual inheritor of the pocket watch to stay in power."
"Huh. Well, good luck sorting that out," her bond replied with the sort of nonchalance that could only come from taking no responsibility whatsoever for anything. "Anyway, while I haven't met them yet, I spotted those two Alichanteu brat- I mean heirs over on the other side of the garden clearing. Might want to check that out."
"Hmm…" Lucy glanced at the other nearby tables, but all of those conversations were pleasant, for the most part. She nodded and grabbed her cane from where it was leaning against the table. "Let's go see what petty arguments those half-brothers have decided to begin."
They walked over to the other side of the clearing and lo and behold, Artair and Arwen were facing each other. Many nobles were watching the confrontation, and they cleared out of the way when they saw her coming. The two half-brothers didn't seem to notice and kept gazing at each other.
Arwen, the younger of the two with brown hair, had a smirk on his face with his arms crossed. "It has been a while since we've seen each other, dear brother. You've been busy holing yourself up in our father's study these last few months."
"As the oldest heir of Alichanteu, it is my duty to take up part of our father's responsibilities," Artair calmly replied.
"Yes, well…" Arwen's smirk grew wider. "I'm sure if one of us was acknowledged as the successor, Count Goldcroft would be able to provide our County aid. As it is, we're facing significant losses by being at this standstill."
"…our County still remains prosperous." Artair eyed his brother with suspicion. "Is there a reason why you want to bring this up, Arwen?"
"The County vassals are getting tired of waiting." Arwen narrowed his eyes and approached his taller older brother. "External influence might be the deciding factor that can allow a new successor to be chosen."
Artair frowned even more. "Arwen, this is not a conversation to be held in this sitting. Even more importantly, the Aurelian Commission is part of the neutral faction. We will not let 'external influences' affect the inheritance processes we've carried over millennia," he stated solemnly.
Lucille walked closer and the sound of her footsteps alerted the two half-brothers to her arrival. She smiled and leaned heavily on her cane as Scytale observed them curiously next to her. "Yes, this talk of 'outside influences' feels very arbitrary. What need does the Commission have for others to control what we do?"
Artair looked slightly apprehensive to see her again and bowed stiffly. Arwen gave her a flattering bow. "Count Goldcroft. What an honour it is to see you again. I have been waiting patiently for the day an invitation to visit you would come my way, and I was delighted to receive your invitation to this marvellous…" His words died off as he saw her bright, very fake smile.
"It's a pleasure to see you both again. We haven't seen each other since the last debut," she replied calmly.
Arwen smirked and glanced at Scytale next to her. "You seem to be very close to the individual beside you, Count Goldcroft. Would you care to introduce him to me?"
"You mean introduce him to you both," she stressed with another fake smile.
"…yes, that's what I meant."
Lucy placed a hand on Scytale's shoulder. "Well, this here is-"
Scytale walked forward and raised a palm. "Yo. My name's Scytale. I'm her snake," he said while pointing to Lucy. Once he had done that he placed his hands behind his head and walked off. "Alright, I'm going off to have more snacks. The food here is great."
Lucille gave her bond a dull look as he left the crowd of nobles, all sporting strange expressions. "…he would be my compeer bond," she finished dryly.
Arwen smiled. "I see. Then I'll have to endeavour to talk with your bond more frequently."
"Yeah, sure, whatever!" Scytale called back.
Lucille checked her gloves and glanced at Arwen. "The reason why I came over here was because I was curious, Sir Arwen. Who exactly where these 'external influences' you mentioned?"
Artair grimaced as Arwen gained a confident grin and straightened up. It was clear he was becoming cocky due to the attention he was receiving. "As, well, I was thinking that because we have so many prestigious personnel here today, that it may be worthwhile to hear their statements about the competence of my brother and I-"
Arwen droned on but he didn't notice the way Lucy stiffened up for a brief moment as a strange, uninvited individual entered her perception field and watched them all from a nearby hedge.
'Uh, Lucy-'
I can sense them. Hostility level?
'No killing intent at all.'
A plot for reputation or distraction then. But who for? ….ah.
One of the youngest sons of a Major Kingdom Duke had withdrawn a hidden dagger from his sleeve and had it carefully hidden from view. A quick message from Scytale informed her that he had no killing intent towards her or the intruder.
'What do you think their plan is?'
A test to see if I'm hiding anything, and a way to make the Commission owe them a favour. They're going to stage an attack against me and 'save' me.
'Do we let them?'
No. If they want to see if I'm hiding anything, then I just need to reveal something to side track them. When the intruder launches their attack, we retaliate with full force. Bonus points for making the dukedom descendant admit to their plot.
'Got it. I'll change into my serpent form now. He seems pretty close to attacking, so just give me the go ahead.'
Lucille focused intently on the body language of the ducal young lord and some of his vassals, who were clearly aware of the plot. As the intruder in the back shifted on the spot slightly, Lucy slowly put a hand to where Ouroboros was.
"-so I'm sure this will be the motivation Alichanteu needs to appoint a successor. Don't you agree, Count Goldcroft?" Arwen blinked. "Count Goldcroft? Is something wro-"
Now!
Instead of responding she whirled around and unsheathed her spirit weapon. The silvery-white blade activated its shield skill and cured into a dome around her. The black-cloaked intruder's longsword bounced off the shield with a loud clang and pushed them back. Her sudden reaction made the ducal young lord behind her hesitate as he hadn't been as quick as her to defend.
Lucy didn't stop at just defending and pulled out Apophis. The demonic snake-sword crackled with violent power above her head and shattered the ground in front of the attacker's feet. They hastily backpedalled and she saw them make brief eye contact with the ducal young lord. Some message must've been passed because the attacker turned around and activated some sort of speed skill to escape, clearly abandoning the scheme.
30-metres of magically armoured winged snake slammed into him and bowled him over as Scytale's Lightspeed Sky Predator Aspect enhanced his speed drastically. Scytale hissed and wrapped his tail around the intruder as they struggled futilely to escape his coils. Scytale covered the attacker with his wings to keep them enclosed.
"I have them, Lucy!"
Lucy stayed silent for a couple of seconds, acting as if she was frozen. Then she whirled around with a mock look of panic on her face and looked to the stunned young nobles for help. "Someone get a servant, quick! There has just been an attack at the event, and we need to inform the Counties!" She ran up to a nearby waiter and shook him, trying to look as nervous as possible. "Can you go find Vincent for me? He needs to come here as fast as possible. Preferably with Count Chavaret and Count Ravimoux too. They're in charge of the security for this event."
"I- uh, Sir Evisenhardt?" the servant asked, still shocked by what had happened. "Yes, I'll go get him. Stay safe, Commission Head."
He ran away, leaving Lucy to breath out a sigh of relief. She turned around and blinked when she saw the stares of the nobles, who were still looking at the ominous Apophis next to the oscillating Ouroboros near her. "Ah." She scratched her cheek and tried to look sheepish. "Did the Counties never tell anyone I could fight? They should've. It's the only reason why I'm still the Commission Head, after all…"
Patreon (x10 chapters!):
Discord (Come get your Qualified Scytale Feeder role!):
Yeah, that probably is going to make everyone revalue everything. It's no longer a nobody as the figurehead. Instead it's an adventurer that's way over her head in politics.
She probably froze not because she's scared, but because her normal reaction would have been to kill the guy. Is probably what some of the smarter guests are thinking. Someone like that, their reaction to an outside party like Arwen mentioned isn't going to be confusion or apathy. It's to be to try and destroy them and the person who invented them in. Just as an instinctive thing.
Which incidentally absolutely shows someone smart enough to read the tea leaves exactly who she's never going to support. Of course, Arwen isn't that smart.
Chapter 77 (2 of 2) How to thwart a plot to seek attention.
Lucille leaned out of her living room window, watching the last noble who had come for the event leave the Headquarters. Many of them met with her afterwards for business and other matters, but it was now time for the last of them to leave. As soon as they took their first step out of the garden gates…
Lucille slammed the shutters of the window closed and whirled around. "And good riddance! I intend to avoid all nobles for the next month as best as I can!"
Vincent, who was sitting on a couch, raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself. "I'm a noble too."
"Yes. So please vacate my living quarters and stay away from the Commission for the following month, Vincent," she replied cheerily.
He rolled his eyes as she walked forward to sit down on the couch with a smirk. Scytale was nearby, fiddling with some strange puzzle box toy a noble had gifted her as a present. She didn't know why he bothered. It would be a fruitless endeavour for someone of Scytale's brain size to attempt the puzzle.
As she expected, he scowled and threw the puzzle box against the opposite side of the room. It bounced back and he ducked to dodge the flying object. "Those things are stupid. 'Amazing treasure inside', yeah right." He stood up and leaned his arms on the back of Lucy's couch. "Anyway, Annaliese coming tomorrow?"
"She should be," Lucy said as she checked her pocket watch. "Ideally, I would've told her to come slightly later so I have time to discuss things with the sponsored party, but…" She sighed and snapped the watch shut. "I assumed she would find a way to visit me anyway. I'll just have to tell her to not bother the party members."
"Oh, right…" Scytale jumped over the couch and landed next to her. "Lucy, what are you going to do about Trisroa?"
She opened her mouth to reply but Vincent interrupted with a hand on his chin. "The elf you're sponsoring who has dual affinities? Is there something important about…" He paused as he recalled the first conversation they had about the elven mage and stared at Lucy. "Don't tell me that she's another figure like Hargrave that you wanted to make a connection with?"
"She was never wanted or a criminal, if that is what you're asking." Lucille picked up a cup to sip some coffee she poured for herself. "But she was a highly powerful figure, yes. She became a sorceress later in life, but if she chooses to remain a mage this time, then I won't interfere."
"Why do you even need to 'gather' these sorts of people?" Vincent asked with a bemused look on his face. "You saved Raegan, organised a contract with Hargrave, and you've also sponsored someone who has the potential to become an amazing magic wielder?"
Lucy hummed and studied the depths of her drink "To keep them away from certain… people."
Vincent narrowed his eyes. "People?"
"Yes, people." She closed her eyes and took another sip. "I'm not just supporting those with amazing talent, Vincent. If I wanted to do that, then there is a whole host of individuals I could support, from successors who became the future lords of their fiefdoms, to cultivators who have hidden Physiques that only get revealed later. The people I'm supporting now, however, are those who can reach even greater heights if the events of their past pay out differently."
Vincent crossed his arms and thought about it. "Does that include Marellen Vadel? Was he an impressive mage last time?"
"Hm? Marellen?" She looked up from her coffee and blinked. "Oh, no. I had never heard of him before I met him in this timeline. I'm almost certain he died before he could reach Rank-3."
"I- then why are you sponsoring him?" Vincent asked with mild exasperation. It seemed like he felt her answers conflicted.
Lucille smirked and rested her chin on her hand. "Vincent, I've long accepted the fact that not everything I knew in the past will be the same. If I sponsor one talent, then it's possible that someone with greater talent that I've been expecting won't reach their full potential. Sometimes, people just need the right opportunities, and what I'm doing right now is changing the opportunities."
Vincent pinched his nose bridge. "Fine. I'll just accept that I can't understand your mental processes as I always do." He sighed and adjusted his tie as he stood up from the couch, then glanced at her. "I need to talk the Gilded Dome Hall curator about the clean up measures. I'll see you in a bit."
She nodded and raised an eyebrow at her bond, who had walked over to pick up the puzzle cube. "And what are you doing, Scytale?"
"Going to see if Sedric knows his way around this stupid thing," he muttered sourly.
"You may end up feeling more irritated in the event he solves it," she remarked dryly.
"Nah, I'm smarter than that." he pointed at his head and grinned. "See, if Sedric doesn't get it to open, I can gloat about how he can't do it either, but if he does open it, I get whatever is inside because I'm not going to tell him there's something in here. Win-win, see?"
She shook her head and finished the rest of her coffee. "Suit yourself. Don't annoy him if he's crafting, however."
"Yeah, yeah, later, goodbye."
He changed into his serpent form and flew out the door with the box in his mouth, leaving Lucille in peace. She hummed and stood up to walk over to the window, looking out.
It seems our ex-mercenary friend has returned. Should I greet him?
…
Lucille walked into the side lobby that she knew Hargrave had entered, waiting for him. Then something about him caught her notice and she turned to stare down the hall he was walking.
Honestly, I should've expected this, but…
Hargrave appeared around the corner, scratching his head. He looked up and blinked when he saw her. "Oh, hello, Lucille."
"…yes, welcome back Hargrave. You look…" She didn't finished her sentence and tilted her head.
Hargrave gained a confused look. "Has something about me changed?"
Has he not seen a mirror yet?
Hargrave's haircut, courtesy of Annaliese, was still the same, and nothing about his facial features had changed. His hair and eyes though…
Several thick sections of his formerly blood-red hair had turned to a deep blue, and fragments of the same colouration had appeared in his amber eyes like splinters of other gems were mixed in. She could detect the powerful draconic bestial presence cloaking him like a suit of armour, but she couldn't draw her attention away from his new hair colour.
He looked like a parrot. Specifically, a macaw.
"…nothing of consequence," she eventually replied. "Was your trip successful?"
Hargrave looked down at his hand and clenched his fist. "I feel… much more powerful. And my race has changed," he told her. "Although, the System has kept my original race as a human on my Status. It's tagged dragon beast onto the end of it."
"I see," she replied with a smile. "I already received notice from the people stationed at the outpost that they'll be sending the bounty of the fallen draconic monster over, but I'd like to check the Source and Bloodline Containment and Purifier to see if damage has been done to its internal mana circuits."
He nodded and opened up his dimensional skill to pass her the source container sphere and the bloodline canister. Lucille held up the canister to inspect the lingering traces of purified blood still on it, and then she glanced at him. "No complications with the purification of the bloodline and dragon heart?"
Hargrave shook his head. "I overcame the residual will of the monster."
So, in other words, he struggled fiercely and managed to erase the will of the monster after a long trying time, because he's not someone who would ever admit to facing difficulty.
"Very good. Once you've had some time to rest, I might ask to see the new draconic bloodline magic you can use." Lucille smiled at him. "That was one of the reasons for me to form a contract with you in the first place."
He blinked, surprised, but Lucy waved the canister as she turned around. "I'll take these to the vault for safekeeping. We never know what might happen if word somehow managed to leak out that you have successfully gained a bloodline using this device."
"…right." He nodded solemnly, Eolith still gripped in his left hand.
"Ah." Lucy paused as a thought came to mind and she turned around. "Five unique individuals will be arriving at the Commission tomorrow. I intend to allow them to stay for a while. They consist of two mercenaries and two mages that I've been sponsoring, as well as their manager."
Hargrave hesitated. "…mercenaries?"
"Larena Barbosas and her brother, Garthe," she informed him. "Larena is a member of the Black Hand's Shadow Blade Division, known as the Raven's Wing. She wields a longsword and has affinities for dark and water."
He thought about it for a while and shook his head. "I don't recall ever meeting her."
Lucy nodded. "Good. She won't have any reason to suspect who you are either, because you're now a 'magical beast' – or at least virtually indistinguishable from one. Just avoid using any abilities you've learnt from Glory Pantheon and you'll be fine." She glanced over her shoulder and then smirked at him. "I think Scytale wants to meet up with you. He wants to know what it's like for you to become a magical beast, and he's been itching to fight someone for a while. Use him as your training dummy when you need to test out your bloodline magic."
"Ha…" Hargrave wryly shook his head, making Lucy blink as she realised he seemed to be amused by that. "Sure, I'll go help him loosen up in a few hours."
She smiled and turned back around to walk off. "Anyway, the reason why I was informing you of those guests is just so you know not to be too awkward around them. They're all pretty easy people to be around, even the elven mage. You can relax."
…
Once Hargrave had stored Eolith and his armour away, he ended up heading to Lucille's living room because that was where Scytale most likely was. Scytale had been lounging sideways on one of the couches and raised a hand with his eyes closed to point at Hargrave.
"Let me guess… judging from the footsteps and the draconic presence I feel… it's Hargrave, right?"
"Lucille would've told you that," Hargrave stated, not fooled for one second.
Scytale clicked his tongue and sat up as he opened his eyes. "Come on, you don't believe that I might've guessed that on my-" He stared at Hargrave when he saw the man's new appearance.
Hargrave frowned. "What are you doing? Lucille reacted like that too. Is there something on my face?"
Scytale stood up with wide eyes and leaned to the side to shout out the door. "Hey, Vincent! Who let the tropical bird in?!"
"…tropical bird?"
Scytale turned back to Hargrave and jabbed a finger at him. "I'm talking about you, of course! You already had this horrendously uneven haircut, to begin with, and now you look like you're ready to sprout feathers at any second. Never did I imagine you'd end up with blue hair!"
"I- what? Blue hair? Excuse me?" Hargrave was utterly bewildered.
"Are you blind?" Scytale asked, stunned. "Did you not see yourself in a mirror or reflection in a shop or something on the way here?"
"I didn't… wait." The ex-mercenary turned magical beast hastily looked around. "Is there a mirror or something around here?"
"I can do better than that." Scytale smirked and snapped his fingers. His illusion mana appeared and turned into a reflective surface for the man, just as Lucy could do. "Come take a look at your new makeover, future dragon guy."
Hargrave frowned and bent slightly to see himself in the illusory mirror. He stared when he saw the sections of his hair that had turned solid blue, giving his hair a patchy look reminiscent of the plumage of parrots. "What in the realms…?"
"I mean, as magical beasts our appearances are strongly affected by our affinities," Scytale said, walking around Hargrave to see the man as he looked into the mirror. "So I get why you've got blue hair and blue in your eyes now. It's because of your new water affinity. But wow." Scytale burst out laughing and doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Red and blue hair? Really? Hey Hargrave, can you make a bird noise?" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Like this – Caw Caw!"
Hargrave scowled and lifted up part of his freshly dyed hair, only to drop it again. "I- but I don't want this!"
Scytale blinked and straightened up. "What, you actually care what you look like? I didn't expect you to have much opinion about that, looking at how long you left your hair before Annaliese finally fixed it."
"It's not so much the colour, it's just…" Hargrave squinted at the mirror and then sighed, crossing his arms.
"It's just…?" Scytale prompted.
Hargrave scratched the back of his neck. "This… will make me… stand out more."
Scytale gazed blankly at Hargrave. "You're kidding me," he stated flatly. "You're worried about standing out more?"
Hargrave frowned. "I don't see a problem with that. I have a bounty on my head."
"No, it's not the fact that you don't want to be noticed that's the issue, but…" Scytale continued staring at him for a moment longer and then quickly shook his head and gestured to Hargrave. "Hargrave, buddy, not standing out for you was a lost cause from the very beginning! You're a six-foot-six built-like-a-titan mercenary with a shocking hairstyle the colour of fresh blood and you wield a spear that anyone can tell with just a glance that it's straight from the depths of hell itself! A bit of blue in your hair is the least of your problems."
Hargrave hesitated. "…okay, but…" He scowled as he glanced at the mirror again. "I still don't like this."
"Welp, time to toughen up." Scytale patted him on the shoulder and disintegrated the mirror as he sat back down. "The more draconic bloodlines and affinities you collect, the more your appearance will change. You're going to end up with bona fide rainbow hair by the end of this!"
Hargrave buried his head in his hands. "…dammit."
Scytale shrugged with a cheeky grin on his face. "A small price to pay for the power you want."
The scarlet – and now blue-haired man ran a hand down his face. "This is why Lucille was staring at me when we met today, wasn't it? And she told me this was 'nothing of consequence'."
"Hargrave, I highly doubt that you would've chosen to abandon the power of a dragon just because you discovered that your hair colour would change," a woman's wry voice spoke up.
Scytale and Hargrave glanced back to see Lucy walking into the room with a smirk on her face. She sat down on the opposite end of Hargrave's couch, and soon a silver-haired aide walked in.
Vincent paused and gained a strange expression when he saw Hargrave. "Hargrave, you look… different."
Hargrave could only give him a resentful look and then sighed as he rested his head in his hands again.
Vincent eyed the man with bemusement as he sat down next to Scytale. He studied Hargrave. "So, you really did become a magical beast instead of a dragon-blooded?"
"It's… complicated," Hargrave replied slowly. "I think I'm technically still a 'human', but I can become a magical beast at will."
"Hmm…" Vincent observed his new appearance for a moment longer and then shook his head. "Well, at least this is another confirmation that Lucille hasn't gone senile in her old-" He shut his mouth when faced with Lucy's cold smile.
"I forgot to mention this to you, Vincent, but unfortunately you'll have to stay here overnight to finish some work for me," she informed him sweetly. "I hope you don't mind the late notice."
Hargrave glanced between them both with incomprehension. "How can Lucille be going senile when she's younger than both of us?"
Lucy narrowed her eyes at her aide as Vincent chuckled and shook his head. The silver-haired man took off his glasses to clean them with a cloth. "You still have a lot to learn about this Commission Head here. I recall hearing that you intended to break off contact when seven years were up?"
Hargrave fell silent as a strange look crossed his face. "…around then, yes. Six and a half years left now, I guess."
"Time will go by quicker than you expect," Lucy stated. "Don't rush to gain more bloodlines too soon."
Scytale snorted. "Lucy, you're really sounding your age right now."
She shot her bond a glare as Vincent muffled his chuckles. Lucy sighed and rested her chin on her hand. "Well, for what it's worth, I hope you've been enjoying your stay here," she said to Hargrave. "I think the new hair colour suits you. You look less like a hardened murderer out for blood at all times of the day and more like a talented warrior of Glory Pantheon."
"I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment," Hargrave said, looking bemused.
"Sure it was." Scytale stuck his thumbs up. "And you'll look ten times as good when you get your rainbow hair!"
"That's-" Hargrave glared at the snake. "I'm going to end up with rainbow hair."
"You will."
"I will not."
"Hey, I've been a magical beast for my whole life, and you've been a magical beast look-a-like for what, twelve hours? As a magical beast I'm positive that you're going to end up with rainbow hair."
Hargrave groaned and rubbed his temples. He was saved from having to deal with anything else out of Scytale's mouth by a fifth member walking into the room.
"I came to see what all the fuss was about, but-" Sedric took one look at Hargrave's hair and then turned to the others. "Has Annaliese snuck in here and dyed that guy's hair when I haven't noticed? That or he caught some strange disease that colours people's hair. Is that a thing?"
Hargrave seemed to give up as he rested the back of his head against the couch, to Luc, Scytale and Vincent's amusement. Lucy smirked and stood up. "No, Annaliese will be coming tomorrow. You should hear what happened from the mouth of the man himself. But I need to take my leave for a while."
Scytale cocked an eyebrow as he watched her walk past Sedric. "Where are you going?"
She gained a slightly evil grin. "Oh, just to meet some acquaintances of mine. I'll introduce you to them soon."
A group of five people stood before the intimidating marble and gold mansion. Two of the individuals were feeling much more overwhelmed than the other three.
"I feel nervous," Marellen muttered as he brought his staff closer. "I still remember that the Commission Head knew about Archmage Merkenia. What do they want from us?"
"Eh~ I don't know. Probably just chat, catch a drink-" Garthe casually replied.
Marellen gave him an incredulous look. "The Aurelian Commission Head would want to 'catch a drink' with us?"
"I for one am ready to meet our mysterious sponsor," Roa announced. "She sounds like an intriguing individual and I wish to know her plans for us."
Marellen turned to stare at the elf. "She?"
Roa quickly looked away and began walking forward. "Please lead us to them, if you would, Efratel."
The blonde-haired manager grinned and stepped out in front. "Of course. Right this way, everyone! We'll all be going straight up to the fortieth floor, the living quarters of the Commission Head."
They walked into the side lobby until they found a lift and Efratel took out a black card embedded with a purple gemstone. Access was quickly verified and the lift shot up, taking them to the highest floor. He pocketed the card as they stepped out of the lift.
"Now, while you'd be unfamiliar with them, Roa, you don't need to worry too much about formalities," Efratel began cheerily. "I've had them tell me that they prefer for their first name to be used and as at least four of us are familiar with them before they became the Aurelian Commission Head, there is no need to stand on ceremony."
"What do you mean, 'four of us'?" Marellen stressed.
The other four turned to stare at him, and then swiftly turned away. "Are we close yet, Efratel?" Larena asked.
"We should be right about… there we go. Here." Efratel knocked on the door of the study. "Count Goldcroft, this is Efratel Vadel. I have brought your sponsored party."
"Come in," the woman's voice replied.
Marellen gained a strange expression, but Efratel pushed open the doors. They entered and then took in the appearance of the young girl sitting behind the desk with her boots kicked up on top. In her white-gloved hands was a gold-tipped cane, and her suit pants were as violently violet as her one visible eye. Her black hair reached halfway down her back and her fringe obscured her eyebrows, while a leather-like mask covered the right side of her face.
The woman took her boots off the desk and stood up, still holding her cane. She gestured broadly to them with a wide smile on her face. "It's been a while, Larena, Garthe, and Marellen. You too, Efratel. And…" She dipped her head in the surprised Roa's direction. "A pleasure to meet you, Roa Winteridge."
There was silence for a few seconds as Garthe gained a broad grin and Larena smirked, but Marellen simply raised his hand and pointed while staring at her. "You!"
"That's right." Lucille smirked and pointed at herself. "Me."
Patreon (x10 chapters!):
Discord (Come get your Qualified Scytale Feeder role!):
The room stayed silent after Lucille had said that. They all took in Marellen's reaction with amusement. The navy-haired mage was wide-eyed with gold glasses askew, looking utterly flabbergasted.
Then Marellen hesitated. "Uh… what was your name again?"
Lucy blinked as Efratel ran a hand down his face and the others let out wry sighs. Trisroa watched Lucy with curiosity but didn't look like she wanted to talk yet.
Lucille shook her head with a smirk and held up her pocket watch. "My name is Lucille Adrienne Goldcroft, the new Head of the Aurelian Commission. Also, the individual you met before your trip to the Permafrost Glacial Abode Region." She placed the watch on her desk and leaned on her cane as her smirk grew wider. "Your cousin has been informing me of all your interesting worries about who has been sponsoring you and your group."
"B-But- no, wait- uh…" Marellen placed two fingers to his temples and closed his eyes as he frowned. "So… you sent Efratel that letter, you were the one who arranged for me to have an unlimited budget in the Athenaeum… and the one who sent me that skill book?"
Lucy grinned and leaned against her desk. "Yes. And just so you know, the only reason why I know what happened between you and Archmage Merkenia was because I was suspicious of why you two were in such a backwater region of the Beast Realm. Out of curiosity, I ended up using Ravimoux's forces to discover your ordeal, and, well…" She shrugged. "The rest is history."
Marellen gazed dully at her for a couple of seconds and then slumped while letting out a long sigh. "I feel like the months I've spent worrying about this have all been wasted."
"They have," Lucy calmly replied. She spread her arms and gestured to them all. "But now that we have finally reached this point, I suggest we sit down to discuss all of our past ventures." She nodded to Trisroa. "And I want to talk more with the one member of your party I'm unfamiliar with."
"Yet I hear you're well informed about my affinities and family," Roa replied, marginally raising an eyebrow at Lucille. It seemed she was searching for something.
Lucy tilted her head. "Shouldn't I be well informed about those I intend to sponsor? If you wish to ask something I will oblige, but for now…" She turned back to the others and grinned. "Let's head to one of my sitting rooms."
…
"-and that was how I ended up deciding to sponsor Efratel and Marellen," Lucille finished, looking at her gloves. She had just told them her side of the story after she became Commission Head and met with Efratel.
Larena raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms as she sat next to her brother, who was enjoying a muffin that had been brought out as a snack. "That's a high amount of coincidences leading up to this point."
"It is what it is." Lucy shrugged. "Becoming the Aurelian Commission Head suited my purposes, so that's the path I chose."
Marellen gained a confused look on his face. "Purposes?"
"That is…" Lucy placed a gloved finger on her lips. "A secret."
"So, around a quarter to zero per cent of all that made sense to me," Garthe interjected, licking his fingers free of muffin crumbs. "But you're now Rank-1, right? You were only Rank-0 when we met. And that…" He pointed at the sheath sticking out from under her suit jacket. "Is a weapon."
"Ah, yes. Another two little things I picked up during the Inheritance Trials." Lucille took out the disguised snake-swords, letting her visitors watch curiously as the daggers levitated. "Twin spirit and demonic weapons. The black one is Apophis and the white one is Ouroboros."
Garthe squinted at the blades and Larena let out a hum. "So… you're not a mage?"
Lucy opened her mouth to reply but Marellen looked at Larena. "She has to be though, right? Efratel told me she made quite a few suggestions about how I could improve my understanding of the elements. It was because of her we went to an Old Era plane."
"No, no, no, at the very start when we first met her she was able to avoid the pursuit of an entire city's guards for five minutes," Garthe argued. "No mage I know could do that."
Lucy cocked an eyebrow. "I-"
"I was considering the possibility of her being a unique variant of the sorcerer class," Roa mused. "Granted, I've never seen a sorcerer capable of contracting both a spirit and a demon due to the two races being so oppositional in nature, but it would explain the high quantity of spiritual energy you described her as having. Perhaps weapon souls operate on different mechanisms. Ah, perhaps she's a summoner?"
"The person you're theorising about the abilities of is sitting right before you," Lucille interrupted, feeling slightly amused. "To a certain extent, all of you are right. As of right now, I'm a spellblade. I know magic but have no runic model and my combat abilities consist of a mixture of spell casting and physical combat. And I don't have any contracts with either of my two weapon souls, only 'bonds', so no, I'm not a sorcerer or summoner." She looked down at Apophis, who appeared to be trying to sever one of Garthe's bootlaces. "My high spiritual energy is what enables me to bond to both weapons, however."
"I remember now," Larena smirked and gestured to Roa. "We found out you lied to us about your spiritual energy. That's a bit mean of you."
Lucy blinked. "Lied? In what way?"
Roa spoke up, "I only informed Larena after the tale of their meeting with you had been shared that the number of SPRT points you suggested to be able to manipulate that quantity of objects was false. To manipulate so many objects, your SPRT power must have been far higher."
"Ah." Lucille nodded and raised a finger. "Technically speaking, I never intended to lie. You all know I had spiritual energy manipulation before Rank-1, let alone Rank-3, which is when I'm supposed to access it. You could say I obtained a benefit regarding my spiritual energy density due to my innate talent, so one point of my SPRT equates to more than a point of one of yours."
"I'm… somewhat curious as to why you ever chose a path of increased spiritual energy," Roa replied. "It isn't standard for anyone except possibly sorcerers outside of cultivators."
"Well, perfect memory is always a boon," Lucy said with a grin. "But I'm excellent at multitasking."
"Hmm…"
"Oh, Lucille. Now that our first meeting has been mentioned…" Efratel gestured to her, looking curious. "I recall you said you were in the Violet Luminosity Jungle Region to meet an acquaintance?"
Lucille gained a wide smile. "Right. I did say that. Well, if you're curious, he's-"
"Why do I smell food? Aha! Lucy! You're eating without m- oh." Scytale blinked when he saw the gazes of the others on him and turned to leave the room. "Never mind, do your thing."
"I can't tell if your moments of entrance are opportune or disadvantageous." With a flick of her finger, a gust of wind mana shut the door in front of him and pushed him over to her couch. He fell onto it with a grunt and ran a hand through his ruffled hair, looking disgruntled.
"This here…" Lucille gestured to him for the others. "…is my bond, Scytale. He's also a descendant of the Supreme Enclave of the Violet Luminosity Jungle Region."
Scytale immediately grinned when he realised he was receiving attention. He raised a hand. "Yo." He turned to Lucy. "Who are these guys?"
Lucille frowned at the humanoid snake. "Do you have the memory of a goldfish? I told you before breakfast that I'd be meeting with the group I met before I bonded you."
"Huh." Scytale waved to them again. "Yeah, anyway, I'm her bond. I'm a winged snake. You guys got names?"
Efratel placed a hand on his chin. "I vaguely recall the rumours about the Aurelian Commission Head's bond… regardless, I am Efratel Vadel." He placed a hand on Marellen's shoulder and pointed to the snow elf beside the mage. "My younger cousin, Marellen Vadel, and Roa Winteridge. And these two…"
"I'm Larena," the woman with dark hair replied with a smile. Garthe grinned and pointed at himself. "Garthe here. The old crone's brother."
Larena turned to stare at her brother. "Excuse me?!"
He whistled and pretended to ignore her as the others shot him mildly amused looks. Scytale nodded and kicked his feet up on the small table in the middle of them all. "Cool. Anyway, if you couldn't tell, I'm the real brains behind this whole operation. Telling nobles what to do, organising events, making more money than I can use, all that sort of thing? Lucy did none of it."
Lucy gazed silently at her bond for one second and slapped the back of his head. He let out a pained shout when his forehead slammed into the table and he glared at her.
"Ignore him," she continued dryly. "He's irrelevant. What we should be discussing is what you plan to do while staying here."
The others exchanged glances. "Is it something important?" Marellen asked.
"On the contrary, it's nothing important. I never made any specific plans for what you'll be doing in the first place." Lucille spread her palms. "I wanted to discuss your visit to the Sundown Continent plane shard, yes, and inspect the artifacts, but besides that, I can't say I ever intended for there to be much. The Aurelian Commission Headquarters is just the safest place for you to consolidate what you received from your trip out of the gaze of other Commission nobility, including Archmage Merkenia."
Lucille gestured to the door. "Feel free to use what we have here, however. Getting custom equipment might be a worthwhile endeavour, and there's a training facility in this building. I'm sure my… other guests will keep you entertained at least."
"You have others here?" Larena said with curiosity.
"My private crafter, another singular individual I'm sponsoring, and…" She hesitated for a second. "A group of three with strong connections to the Citadel. A girl and her brother, with their guard. They're harmless for the most part. She'll only be here for five days, starting tomorrow."
"I'm sure we'll all enjoy having some time to relax," Efratel replied with a smile. "We'll introduce ourselves to your other guests. We're the newcomers here."
"You can do that, but don't feel too pressured. My crafter and my other sponsored individual like to keep to themselves," Lucy explained. "They'll just be surprised to see you all."
"Uh…" They all looked at Marellen as he raised a hand. "Do you possibly have stuff like… books on magic, and… alchemical supplies?"
Lucy leaned her chin on her hand and smiled. "You have free access to every book in the Commission's Library. Just make sure to return them before Ashale'viaf – the Headquarters' guardian spirit – becomes annoyed. And all you have to do is show one of these-" She held up her black access card embedded with an amethyst. "-to buy whatever you wish in Gilded Seat."
They stared at her as she pulled out four of the cards and threw them across the room to each of them. She narrowed her eyes and smirked as she pointed at the two mercenaries. "Also, Larena and Garthe – you need to return your cards when you leave my employ."
"But why?!" Garthe exclaimed, making Larena shoot him a dirty look.
Lucy smiled brightly. "Because you will only have access to all my finances during the duration of your exclusive employment under me. Just like Marellen, Efratel and Tris- I mean, Roa will have access to these cards as long as I sponsor them."
Garthe clicked his tongue, looking annoyed, but cheered up when he studied the gemstone sparkling in the card. "So… we can buy whatever we want here? Hmm…."
Lucille narrowed her eyes at him again. "The more you spend, the harder I'll make you work for it, Garthe Barbosas. I'll ignore anything you spend this week as additional payment for your aid when exploring the Sundown Continent plane shard, but after this week I'll be requiring you to do tasks if I consider the amount excessive."
He flinched and pocketed the card. "I'll be on my best behaviour, oh honourable Count Goldcroft! You have nothing to worry about!"
Larena stretched her arms above her head and looked at Lucy. "I don't want to be rude, but could we check out our rooms soon? I'd like to put my stuff away before we do anything else."
Lucille nodded and checked the time on her pocket watch. "Not a problem. I have work to do as well, so I won't keep you five any longer. Scytale, do you want to show them where they'll be staying?"
"I guess. I want to know about this 'Old Era' plane they visited too." He jumped up and pointed over his shoulder. "Alright, folks! Follow me to your new suites, where you can feast your eyes on the most luxury you'd have ever seen in your entire lives!"
"…that's probably true," Marellen muttered as he stood up. The others did the same, and Lucy walked over to a side door.
"I'll see you all for dinner. I don't think my other two guests will be eating with us, but you can at least meet my aide." Lucille waved goodbye to them and walked out.
Her attention, however, was on Trisroa Vel-Winteridge and her deathly pale look as she left the room. Lucille smirked and placed her hands behind her back.
I never intended to hide my soul age from her, because I can't. A prodigy in both spiritual energy manipulation and magic, she would easily be able to tell my soul is distinctly different from anyone else's. However, I hope that my soul will pique her curiosity enough that she'll want to stay beside me just to know who I am.
We're both researchers of magic, after all. I know how she thinks.
Trisroa continued staring at the place where Lucy had been and then turned to face Efratel. "How old is Lucille Goldcroft supposed to be?"
"Hm? Oh." Efratel blinked and looked at her. "Late teens I think? I know her demeanour isn't that of a normal young adult, but it's not entirely impossible for a member of the nobility."
"…late teens." Roa took a deep breath and shook her head as she walked past the blonde-haired man. "It seems I'll have to observe our enigmatic sponsor a bit longer, then. She is certainly… not what she appears."
…
"Hmm…" Lucille looked up at the roof as she absent-mindedly held her hands behind her head, with her black boots kicked up onto her lacquered desk. "Vincent."
"I've been waiting for you to talk to me." Vincent pushed aside his pages and looked at his superior as she sat behind her desk. "You're acting like something is on your mind. What is it?"
"Well…" Lucy dropped a hand from behind her head to pick up a pen and spin it between her fingertips. "It occurred to me that today, the 2nd of July, is the day I turn nineteen. Additionally, my soul is turning two-hundred-and-fifty years old."
"Oh…" Vincent blinked, slightly taken aback by her nonchalant attitude. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "I suppose your own birthdays aren't as important when you've lived through over two centuries of them."
"Correct. But what has actually been on my mind is that it's been exactly 365 days since I was teleported into the Tutorial." The pen abruptly stopped spinning and she dropped it back on her desk. Lucille clicked her tongue, feeling slightly irritated. "Why did I have to die only fifteen months away from my 250th? Now I'll forever be annoyed at dying at such a stupid age. If I was going to be killed, the other person should at least show common decency and give me a meaningful date to die on."
"…I'm not sure I understand why that is a priority, but I feel like not dying at all should be preferred," Vincent commented in a dry tone. He raised a silver eyebrow at her. "You tend to speak of yourself dying very lightly, Lucille. I understand as an Ascendant you would've died a few times before, but… even when you knew your last death would be 'permanent', regardless of you returning to the past afterwards?"
She considered it and gained a slight smirk. "To a certain extent, when you have people trying to kill you, it becomes a game of who can cause the most damage to the other person and their goals before one of you dies. I had long accepted that I would eventually die in the past, with the path I was treading. The fact I'm in my young body again just means I've resolved myself to die less stupidly."
Vincent gave her a strange look. "Why do you think your death was 'stupid'?"
"Maybe 'pathetic' would be the more correct term." Lucille tapped her fingers against her desk in a rhythmic pattern. "The person who killed me couldn't even manage to give me a clean and quick end because of my accelerated thoughts and own strength, so I took matters into my own hands. It was a bonus that I was able to kill him at the same time." Before Vincent could register what she actually meant, she clapped her hands and stood up from her desk. "But Vincent, discussing my death is a rather morbid topic to speak of when it's my birthday, isn't it?"
"…right, Sorr- no, wait." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You brought it up first."
"No I didn't, and if I did, you can't prove it." Lucille pulled on her violet suit jacket and grabbed her cane as she walked towards the door of the study. "Anyway, I'm going to see why all my guests on the fortieth floor seem to have assembled in my living room. In fact, I don't recall ever showing my five new guests where my living room is."
"Wait, Sedric and Hargrave are with Efratel Vadel's group?" Vincent asked as he stood up and followed her out of the study. "Why?"
"Scytale is there too. He'd likely be the culprit," she replied in a dull voice. Then she paused for a second and sighed as three new presences were felt in her perception field as they arrived on the fortieth floor. "Oh great. The Prophetess and her company are now here too."
…
Two men were standing side-by-side with their arms crossed. One was shorter than the other, with dark hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck, and the other with blood-red uneven hair with sections of deep royal blue spread throughout.
Sedric and Hargrave exchanged bewildered looks.
"Hargrave, was it?" Larena asked as she observed the man. "Is it possible you were a mercenary? Your movements belong to someone who's been trained. But… no, I feel a draconic presence from you… a draconic magical beast? Who wields a weapon?"
"…that's right," Hargrave replied slowly, looking like he wanted to step back from the overly interested woman.
Meanwhile, Sedric was having his own issues.
"Are you sure you're not cursed?" Marellen asked seriously as he walked around the crafter, studying him.
Sedric placed his hands on his head and groaned. "I'm telling you that no, I'm not cursed! Why do you think I'm cursed in the first place?!"
"I've never seen someone who causes this type of response in my skill before," Marellen replied, watching the elements on his palm disintegrate and disperse with interest. "It's like cause and effect has been rewritten to ensure only the unlucky outcomes occur. But this trait needs to recharge so it's not constant. Have you had more accidents lately? Like tripping over objects more often or making mistakes with your crafting?"
"Now that I think about it…" Sedric frowned but quickly shook his head. "I- no, this is ridiculous. Next, you'll be like one of those blighted members of Prosperity, telling me I have to pay a fee of seven hundred rose crowns just to temporarily revert my bad luck."
Marellen blinked. "What? No, it's nothing like that-"
"Did you say Sedric has been… 'cursed' to have bad luck?"
Everyone else in the room looked back to see Lucille walking in with Vincent. Lucy came up to Sedric and Marellen and tilted her head curiously as she saw the elemental mana shifting about on the navy-haired mage's palm. "Somehow he occasionally faces periods of bad luck?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying!" Marellen nodded enthusiastically when he realised he found someone else who was accepting of the idea. "Using the skill book you gave me- ah, do you know how the skill works?"
Lucille nodded. "I'm familiar with the principles. It tracks pathways of cause and effect by analysing changes in the elements. These changes are being influenced while around Sedric, I presume?"
Marellen seemed to become excited as he moved his hand to let her have a closer look. "Yes, see here: I've worked out the standard for elemental abnormalities around people can be anywhere from 0.0007-0.0091% depending on their connection to the Citadel of Fate, but it's the first time I've ever seen someone who faces so many detrimental elemental abnormalities in a short time. It was only this morning that your crafter seemed to be fine, but two hours later his bad luck had activated. And then only five minutes later his luck was completely normal again. The cycle has repeated multiple times today."
"You've been spying on me?!" Sedric asked with incredulity.
Marellen didn't hear him at all and continued explaining to Lucy, "If this is how the elements are acting around him, then I can only guess how badly affected by mundane forces he is. The only explanation I have for this is that someone can do this, but if so, who, and how? It's unlike any ability I've ever seen before. This can't belong to the Sages."
Lucille briefly inserted mana into the Shard of Totality to see the spiritual realm and analyse the concepts and spiritual energies near Sedric, and then she gained a slight smirk as her suspicions were proven correct. "You're in luck then. You'll get to meet the culprit very, very soon." Scytale, having interest in her thoughts for a rare moment, seemed to start internally laughing to himself after he saw her thoughts.
"You know who did this to your crafter?" Marellen asked with surprise.
"Stop discussing me like I'm not here!" Sedric angrily exclaimed.
Any response was delayed by the opening of the living room door by a certain blonde-haired boisterous Prophetess who dashed into the room, to both her brother and her guard's frustration. "Lucy! The Sages are so mean! I was stuck granting Fate essence to hundreds of stinking old nobles for weeks and- who are you guys?"
Annaliese stopped on the spot as she realised five individuals unfamiliar to her were in the room. Sir Jasten Albrecht and Raegan walked in, eyeing the five figures with suspicion.
"Let me introduce you to Marellen and Efratel Vadel, Larena and Garthe Barbosas, and Roa Vel-Winteridge," Lucy said with a smile, walking forward. "They're a party of talented people I've been sponsoring and have recently returned from a trip to an Old Era plane. They'll be staying here for a couple of weeks."
"Oh!" Annaliese smiled and came forward to curtsey, showing off the new etiquette skills she had learnt. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Annaliese Verdon, and this is my brother Raegan and guard, Jasten Albrecht-"
"Huh?" Marellen looked down at his disassembling elemental spell, then between Sedric and Raegan. His eyes widened. "Wait a second…"
Raegan squinted at the mage when Marellen pointed at him and then Sedric. "Is it possible that… you put the bad luck curse on him?"
Raegan glanced at Sedric and then smirked as he crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bad luck curse?" Annaliese and Sir Albrecht turned to look at the boy, but Sedric, his mind was ticking away and connecting the dots.
"Wait… I tripped over a lot when you visited for the first time… and I've been having this problem ever since I met you…" He paused as he recalled something. "Didn't Scytale say you had some weird 'anti-Fate' thing going on? Something like… bad luck?"
The room went silent as most of them exchanged confused looks, while Sir Albrecht clued on and gave Raegan a dull look. Sedric's eyes widened with anger. "Hey! Raegan! Did you curse me?!?"
Scytale walked up to Lucy as Raegan and Sedric began to bicker and nudged her with his elbow. "Looks like the next five days will be pretty exciting, huh?"
"It seems so," she said with amusement. She thought back to the most recent letter she received from Efratel.
And I'm very curious to know more about this 'stalker artifact' Efratel claims can consume stats…
Two shinies! What to do with Patreon money made from writing a book? Buy more books!
Patreon (x10 chapters!):
Discord (Come get your Qualified Scytale Feeder role!):
"So." Sedric slammed his cup of water down on the table they were sitting at for lunch. He glared at Raegan. "You going to tell me what you did to me or just sit there acting innocent forever?"
"If I never did anything…" Raegan spun his fork and stabbed it into his steak. "Then I don't need to tell you anything, do I? I'm not sure why you happen to believe Scytale's nonsense claims of me being able to grant bad luck all of a sudden, but-"
"Even as I watch you now, it's so fascinating," the mage next to him mused as he studied the boy.
Raegan gave Marellen an irritated look and tried to ignore him. "As I was saying, Scytale is a liar so-"
"Are you doing this intentionally? Or is this a passive effect of your presence?" Marellen continued, eyes wide as he watched Raegan do something as simple as raise his fork. "No, I don't believe you're granting people ill fortune. But what is it that you're doing? It's clear you're not using any element I'm familiar with and certainly not the light element."
Raegan scowled and turned to look at Lucy. "Hey! Lucille! Can you do something about this creep? I'm not an object to be studied!"
"His name is Marellen," Lucy replied calmly. She smiled. "When we first met, Marellen had been gambling on which event would become the Millennium Chapter this millennium to study Fate and fortune. Did anything come from that, Marellen?"
Marellen tried to cast a spell to analyse the properties of one of Raegan's hairs and the boy quickly swatted away the mage's hand with a scowl. "Quit it!"
Efratel clapped his hands to grab the navy-haired mage's attention. "Marellen! Lucille is talking to you!"
"Hm?" Marellen looked up and blinked.
Garthe pointed at Lucy. "She wants to know if you made money from gambling back when she met you, Marellen."
"Ah, that." Marellen nodded. "Yes, I did. I placed my bets on your choices and ended up receiving part of the prize the next day. I ended up spending it all on alchemical reagents the next day…"
Efratel rolled his eyes as Larena smirked and crossed her arms. "I heard you told the Vadel cousins you were a time traveller, Lucille. Supposedly, that was how you knew what to bet on."
Roa turned to gaze seriously at Lucy, looking interested to know her answer. At the same time, Vincent broke into a coughing fit as his water went down the wrong pipe and Annaliese and Raegan exchanged looks. Jasten Albrecht had raised a bushy eyebrow, looking very sceptical.
Scytale laughed until Lucille elbowed him and then shrugged. "Just call me Lucy. And I may have told them that, yes. Is there something you want to know?"
Larena grinned and propped her chin up. "Does the time traveling Count Goldcroft have any pieces of wisdom to share with us?"
It's clear she's not taking me seriously, which is good. I should play into her expectation of it being a joke. I never exactly expected so many people to be here to learn what I jokingly told Marellen and Efratel.
Lucy hummed and raised her eyes to the roof in mock thought. After a moment, she nodded and steepled her fingers on the table as she gazed solemnly at Larena. "Within five years, the Duchies will be usurped as the most powerful fiefdoms in the Empire."
Larena narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Oh? And who will usurp them?"
"The Aurelian Commission. Headed by me," Lucille stated calmly. She raised a gloved finger. "Also, invest in shops that sell fire element goods. The demand for them is going to increase."
The others stared at her for a few seconds and then Garthe laughed. "Right, right. We'll be sure to do that," he said through chuckles.
"I am still waiting for an answer about how Raegan managed to make me unlucky," Sedric said grumpily.
"Oh, fine!" Raegan said, suddenly standing up. "You want to know how I made you unlucky?" He smirked and pointed to his heart as Sir Albrecht buried his head in his hands. "Because I'm Annaliese's nemesis, okay! If she can make people lucky and change their Fate as the Prophetess, then I can reverse everything she and the Sages can do."
"…Prophetess?"
Lucy sighed and shot Scytale a flat look as he gained a broad grin, most likely because this time it wasn't him who got anyone in trouble. The mercenaries, Trisroa, Marellen and Efratel turned to stare at Annaliese.
The blonde-haired girl smiled and waved. "Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm the Prophetess."
Everyone but Marellen stared at her, disbelievingly, but the navy-haired mage sprung up and grabbed her hands. "Prophetess Verdon, as a friend of Lucille's, I'm sure you're willing to do many favours for her, right? My interests lie in studying the effect of magic on cause and effect and as Lucille's sponsored mage, I'm sure she'd love an opportunity to help me strengthen my abilities. If you could offer me the chance to study-"
"I may be your sponsor, but stop using my name for your personal interests," Lucy said with mild exasperation.
Sir Albrecht got up and dragged Marellen away by his collar with a flat look on his face, then plonked the mage back onto his seat. "Do not approach the Prophetess without her and my explicit permission," he warned.
Raegan groaned and kicked his feet onto his chair. "Look, this is what always happens when anyone finds out my sister is the Prophetess. I thought this discussion was supposed to be about me and my abilities. She can get all the attention she wants from other nobles. I'd even say yes to your request to study my abilities if you just ask me!"
Marellen froze and turned to stare at the dark-haired boy. "Really?"
"Er…" Raegan hesitated when he saw the mage's excited expression. "You know what, maybe I've changed my mind…"
"I have to admit, I'm very curious about your abilities myself," Lucy said with a hand on her chin. "I have my doubts that your ability purely grants people bad luck, especially if you're supposed to have powers on par with the Prophetess. That has to be a reason why the Citadel branded you as their 'antithesis' for all these years."
Garthe screwed up his face and leaned to the side to whisper into his sister's ear, "Do you have any idea what they're on about? Antithesis? Abilities on par with the Prophetess?"
Larena shook her head. "No clue." She turned to look at Sir Albrecht, who had sat back down next to Annaliese across from them. "Are we allowed to be hearing this?"
Jasten Albrecht gazed down at his empty plate, his expression twitching. The cup in his armoured hand shattered and then he just ran a gauntleted hand down his face. "Raegan's position in the Citadel is… ambiguous. The Sages haven't come to a consensus, so I'll just have to assume everyone at this table has enough motivation to live that words won't be spilt." He shot Lucy a disgruntled look. "It doesn't help that I've received an order from the Great Sage to accept all of Count Goldcroft's requests that do not harm the Prophetess or her brother…"
Lucille paused when she overheard that and then smiled. She rested her chin on her steepled hands. "Really? Interesting. It seems that granting the Citadel permission to build a branch of Protection in Gilded Seat made them see me favourably… or maybe as just a pushover." She gained a slightly evil grin. "After all, to them, I'm just a naïve girl barely two years older than Annaliese, aren't I?"
"Oh! Lucy!" Annaliese interjected with cheerfulness, not caring that she was completely diverting the conversation topic. "When is your birthday?"
"Me?" Lucy blinked. "Today."
Annaliese glared at her. "I'm trying to ask a serious question."
"Uh, Miss Verdon, I feel mandated to inform you…" Vincent lowered his raised hand when eyes were on him and removed his glasses with a sigh. "…that prior to your arrival, Lucille told me that this morning she had, in fact, turned nineteen and that her birthday was the 2nd of July."
"…huh," Annaliese said, stunned. Then her eyes widened with panic. "Wait, I didn't get a birthday present!"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Why bother with a present? I can buy anything I want. Unless your gift is unlimited access to all of the Citadel of Fate's secret records, then I don't feel inclined to accept anything."
Annaliese paused and her expression fell. "I… don't think I can give you that."
Lucy smirked and shook her head. "I was only joking. Sir Albrecht knows I've already read all their secret records, anyway."
They all turned to stare at Sir Albrecht who sent her a weary look. "I never claimed I believed you."
"Believe it or not, I have nothing to prove to you." Lucille rested one hand over the other and directed a grin to Raegan. "Raegan, how much do you know about your own abilities?"
Raegan looked at her with suspicion, but answered reluctantly, "Only as much as I've seen when I use it sometimes. I won't get to see my Status until I'm sixteen."
"I see. Well then." Lucille leaned forward and smirked as she tapped on the table in front of him. "Would you be willing to give Marellen and me two hours of your time today to do some experiments? We only need to record some basic data and then you'll be free to go."
Raegan gave the excited mage next to him a disgusted look. "…him too?"
"I believe this will be the first time Marellen will have first-hand experience with Fate and fortune abilities, and I'm sure it will be… enlightening." Lucille spread her palms and leaned back in her chair at the head of the table. "You're free to decline, but considering you've expressed interest in being a more active participant in the politics around your sister, this may be worthwhile."
The dark-haired boy swept aside his fringe and frowned. A second later he jabbed a thumb of his shoulder in the direction of the Paladin at their table. "What about that?"
"I have a name, Raegan," Jasten Albrecht stated flatly. "And it is not 'that'."
Raegan blew the armoured man a raspberry as Lucy nodded. "Anything Marellen or I discover will be shared with your ward… if you permit it."
Raegan crossed his arms and could clearly be seen thinking about it as his nose screwed up. He looked between Marellen, his guard and Lucille, before throwing his arms up and then digging into the rest of his lunch. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Only two hours though and you will tell me what you find out."
"Of course, Young Master Verdon," Lucy said with a bright smile.
He shuddered and gave her an aghast look while his sister next to him clapped her hands together. "Isn't this great, Raegan?" Annaliese asked. "Lucy's the smartest person I know!"
The boy rolled his eyes. "You only know Sir Albrecht and myself outside of those in the Commission, so the bar for being 'smart' isn't very high."
Lucy cocked an eyebrow but Raegan wordlessly pointed to the humanoid snake next to her. She turned her eyes to her bond to see Scytale sitting upside down in his chair with his legs hanging over the back, throwing knives into the ceiling where they lodged themselves. She swiftly pushed Scytale's chair over and he yelped as he fell to the ground next to Garthe.
"This is all cool and all, but I still have this blighted 'bad luck curse' on me!" Sedric exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table.
"It's not a curse, it's a hex," Raegan argued.
Sedric glared at the boy. "All I hear is a confession of guilt."
"Okay then, please remove the 'hex', Raegan," Lucille interjected. "He is my private crafter and it will be an issue if his work quality is impacted by his bad luck."
Raegan rolled his eyes and poked Sedric's shoulder. "Fine. There, it's done."
Sedric frowned as he looked down at his hands. "I don't feel any different."
"Hmm…" A mana-circle spun above Marellen's palm and he blinked as he shifted his gold-framed circular glasses. "I'm not sensing the same instability in my elemental harmony model. I would guess that this means you're no longer affected."
"An ability to cause bad luck without using fortune or Fate essence…" Vincent mused with a strange expression. "I feel like my worldview was never this large before I met you, Lucille."
"Hopefully, any changes in your worldview will be taken as a benefit by you," she replied with a smile.
"Speaking of changes… what happened to him?"
They all glanced at the Prophetess at their table, who was pointing to the man directly opposite her.
Hargrave stilled and hesitated when he saw the attention on him – attention he had so far managed to avoid by remaining silent. "…me?"
"I worked so hard to give you a decent haircut and then you go and dye your hair blue," Annaliese replied, grumpily crossing her arms. "If you were going to change your hair colour, then you should've dyed it all blue! Why is it still mostly red?"
"This… wasn't intentional." Hargrave grimaced as he picked up a lock of his hair and then dropped it with a sigh. "It's an effect of… gaining a water affinity."
"I see… Sir Albrecht?" Annaliese blinked at the blonde-haired Paladin. "Is something wrong?"
Lucy quietly sipped her tea as the Paladin studied Hargrave, who was plainly emitting draconic presence, a stark difference from when they last met.
Well, Hargrave's change wouldn't have been able to get by Jasten Albrecht. He did become one of the twelve Templars.
"Hargrave… did you become a dragon-blooded?" Sir Albrecht asked, his tone unsure.
Something about the word 'dragon-blooded' made a dark look briefly pass across Hargrave's face, but he caught himself when he glanced at Lucy, who was slowly shaking her head. Hargrave scratched the back of his neck with a frown. "I… yes. I gained a water-element draconic beast bloodline."
Sedric raised an eyebrow. "Hold on a moment. I definitely heard Scytale say you were-" He yelped when a white-gloved hand pinched him and twisted to the side to see Lucy pull back her hand. She looked away as he glared at her.
Lucille glanced at the mercenaries and two mages, who were exchanging looks. Larena shook her head, which seemed to silence any remarks from the rest of them as they all nodded.
Larena was quick to notice me warning Sedric and they all followed her lead. It seems she has a well-honed habit of avoiding trouble when she can. She's smart.
Annaliese had wide eyes as she stared at Hargrave, clearly waiting for him to explain. Hargrave awkwardly looked away and avoided eye contact.
The conversation lapped into silence until they all finished the rest of their meals and then Marellen blinked as something occurred to him. He reached into the satchel under his dark blue cloak. "Oh, right. Efratel said that he told you about the strange artifact we found on the Sundown Continent plane shard, Lucy. I brought it along to show-"
"No, what are you doing, Marellen?!" Larena growled, getting up from the seat. "Don't carry cursed items on you! What if Lucy and the others got hurt?!"
Cursed items couldn't affect me due to the spells contained within, but Larena wouldn't know that.
"But I-"
"No buts!" Larena threatened.
"Uh… okay…" Marellen slowly placed the golden casket on the table and slid its ruby key next to it. "But I just wanted to show Lucy this…"
Lucille stood up from the table, looking at the casket with curiosity as she walked around to Marellen's side of the table. Marellen stood up and gestured to the artifact.
"This artifact kept following us around but none of us wanted to test it due to the System warnings that came with it," he explained. The navy-haired mage held up a finger. "Stay here and watch the casket. You'll see what I mean."
Marellen walked over to the door of the dining room and exited. They all watched to see when the casket would move. It didn't. A couple of minutes later, Marellen re-entered the room with a frown. "Why didn't anything happen? It's been following me around ever since we first found it. Roa even tried to melt it with fire and it still turned up on my table unharmed only a few seconds later."
Lucy tapped a finger on the top of the casket and then picked up the ruby-studded key to inspect it. She glanced at Marellen. "I want to try a little experiment. Just wait a few minutes. I'll return with a dimensional artifact to test if it can escape dimensional boundaries as well."
They watched as Lucy left the room, but then they all jumped and turned to stare as Lucy entered, holding the finery-covered casket in her white-gloved hands. "Ah, so this was the phenomenon you were referring to. Indeed, I saw it reappear in my spiritual perception on the shelf closest to me as soon as I rounded a corner."
"Why did it work for you and not me?" Marellen asked, dumbfounded.
Lucille hummed as she turned the casket in her hands, then sat it on the dining table. "Were there any details about this artifact in the records of the Institute for Nomological Augmentation?"
"There were no details supplied with the artifact," Roa interjected as she approached. "Even the label for the artifact had been wiped away in the destruction of the protective cases."
"Hmm… well, if this artifact was held in a secret facility on the plane, and the Allbright empire had the capabilities to explore other planes…" Lucille smirked and placed a hand on the lid of the casket. "Then the possibility exists that this is far older than any of the other artifacts you brought back from the Sundown Continent plane shard. Potentially as old to the plane shard as that Old Era plane is to us." She shrugged. "With access to plenty of mana and hundreds of millennia, the powers of artifact can only be imagined."
Lucy straightened out her glove sleeves and picked up the key. "But I'm curious to know what this System message is, so I think I might test it."
Roa tried to hold out a hand to stop her. "Count Goldcroft, I don't believe that would be the wisest idea. We still have yet to discover what this artifact uses stat points for and-"
The words died in her mouth as the notification sprang up.
[Warning: This object consumes Stats when used. Do you want to proceed? Yes/No]
Lucille only glanced at the notification for a second and then a click sounded when the key turned in the lock. The top of the casket opened to reveal inky black darkness with no bottom in sight within the jewellery box.
"Artifacts require a minute input of mana to activate regardless of buttons and the like, so I knew nothing would occur," Lucy explained to all the observers. She leaned against the table and crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her forearm. "An artifact that consumes stat points, however… I have to say that I've never heard of such a thing. Stat points are a refined form of System 'Influence', the energy that composes our skills and few forces ever learnt to manipulate spiritual information… this lends support to my theory that this is an artifact from at least the era before last. Only such a long-lived artifact could have developed the abilities to adjust to its new environments as time goes by."
Lucy tilted her head and remained silent for a minute, thinking about what to do, but then she smirked and put a hand up to the right side of her face. She took off her black half-mask and ignored the stares of her guests as she gazed at the artifact on the table with her 'Shard of Totality'.
[Artifact – Type: Jewellery Box ]
Name: ???'s Casket of Boons
Rarity: Legendary - Forbidden
MP: ∞/∞
Desc: An indestructible box of mysteries. Nobody knows where this artifact came from or who created it, but it was surely not made for the purpose it now holds. Time has left it utterly removed from whatever its original form was. This casket allows the Keyholder to make an exchange – The Keyholder will sacrifice a portion of their strength in return for a 'boon'. This boon will take on a fixed form of becoming whatever the Keyholder needs the most from the time they first use the artifact. The detriment of this is that once a Keyholder has been chosen, any who use this artifact, including the Keyholder themselves, may no longer obtain a boon of any other form until a new Keyholder is chosen.
Abilities:
Exchange of Needs – Originally a magical item crafted only for one individual who needed it most, it has kept this trait over its lifetime. It will forever search out the Keyholder that can wield it to its fullest potential.
Artifact is incapable of becoming lost. The artifact will always appear on people's personage or within their luggage to meet with the Keyholder it has selected. As the key is a component of the artifact, the casket can teleport to wherever the key is and vice-versa.
Keyholder will be selected. The Keyholder cannot be changed unless willingly be the Keyholder themselves, or the Keyholder dies. Other individuals may still use the artifact to gain a 'boon' in the form of the Keyholder's need if given the key by the Keyholder.
Law of Equivalent Exchange – This artifact may grant you what you require the most yet it will always demand a sacrifice worthy of its boon.
The artifact will take from the Keyholder a form of power to exchange it for another ability or enhancement the Keyholder needs. Requirements are that the matter or energy of the boon is composed of the same matter or energy of the sacrifice, that the Keyholder can provide the artifact with the sacrifice at the time of its first usage, and that the Keyholder can provide enough sacrifice to either obtain portions of the boon dependent on the quantity of sacrifice, or a large amount of the boon if a large amount is provided.
Grants the artifact the ability to activate when the key is rotated 360 degrees.
Forbidden Artifact – A rarity granted to only the most dangerous of items. The System warns the User that this artifact can potentially affect the User's Status and abilities in ways outside of its control. Be careful that you do not ruin yourself with it.
Grants the artifact immunity to the abilities of any other artifact or ability of a member of the races. It is impossible to alter the boons granted by this artifact without using the artifact itself.
[ ]
Lucy stared at the description of the artifact, and then her face split into a broad grin. She twisted the key in the lock another semi-circle until it returned to its original position, and then she let go. The others watched warily as a metallic tune reminiscent of a music box sounded, and then a plate rose up from the depths of the inky hole inside. It clicked into place as a small figure the length of Lucille's index finger slowed its rotation on the plate.
Lucy leaned close to the casket with Marellen watching curiously by her side, and they both studied the figure of a hooded, masked man holding up a pair of miniature scales. Two flattened bowls sat on either side of the plate, making it clear that they were supposed to represent the sides of the scales.
"How fascinating…" Marellen murmured.
"The 'boon' is something I need the most," Lucy mused. She smirked and placed a finger on one of the empty bowls. "Then I need to see what this artifact deems an ability I need the most."
As soon as she touched the bowl, incredibly small particles that appeared like glowing white dust flowed into the dish and sat on the bottom. She watched her Status as five free stat points were taken away.
The particles disappeared, sinking into the bowl. And then, with the sound of a chime, the scales held by the figure tilted to the opposite side. A small glowing orb similar to the unattributed Influence that Ouroboros had generated formed for her, and she picked up the crystalised form of pure Influence. Her eyes widened when the Shard of Totality activated to give her its description.
[Aspect Bestowment]
Info: A unique Status modifier that grants one stack of 'Bestowment' to an Aspect, multiplying its effects by x1.25. Each additional stack of Bestowment adds +1.25 to the enhancement. A maximum of ten stacks can be granted per Aspect. Multiple Aspect Bestowments are needed to upgrade to a 2nd grade Bestowment Enhancement]
…if only there was a way to give her sponsored party a pay rise when they already had unlimited budgets.
Patreon (x10 chapters!):
Discord (Come get your Qualified Scytale Feeder role!):
[Aspect Bestowment]
Info: A unique Status modifier that grants one stack of 'Bestowment' to an Aspect, multiplying its effects by x1.25. Each additional stack of Bestowment adds +1.25 to the enhancement. A maximum of ten stacks can be granted per Aspect. Multiple Aspect Bestowments are needed to upgrade to a 2nd grade Bestowment Enhancement]
So the Stat Points that were building up can now be converted into something useful.
I kind of want to hunt through past chapters to find the current Aspects Lucille and Scytale have, but I strongly suspect that the next chapter will include their current character sheets. So the effort would just be wasted.
So the Stat Points that were building up can now be converted into something useful.
I kind of want to hunt through past chapters to find the current Aspects Lucille and Scytale have, but I strongly suspect that the next chapter will include their current character sheets. So the effort would just be wasted.
Same thought as well. This just turned an otherwise unused resource into something incredibly useful.
Of course, to everyone else it looked like Lucy just went and used a cursed artifact with less care than Marellen had.
That she knew how it worked that quickly also probably is a freak out worthy moment.
Poor Sir Albrecht. His job is to protect two teenagers who have associated themselves with powerful and crazy people. Worse, those people regularly do things which should be impossible, and make impossible claims.
His only saving grace is its clear they don't actually want to hurt them. Except for Sedric being reasonably upset about being cursed, of course.
Aspect Bestowment]
Info: A unique Status modifier that grants one stack of 'Bestowment' to an Aspect, multiplying its effects by x1.25. Each additional stack of Bestowment adds +1.25 to the enhancement. A maximum of ten stacks can be granted per Aspect. Multiple Aspect Bestowments are needed to upgrade to a 2nd grade Bestowment Enhancement]
So, I'm reading this to say that the second stack multiplies by 2.5, and the max is 12.5? And getting a second stack on something requires you to have multiple Aspects with one stack?
The exact numbers are obviously not something we should know yet, but what I stated above is only one interpretation of what it actually says. The most obvious one to me, but it could also mean that each stack goes *1.25 *1.5 *1.75 etc instead of *1.25 *2.5 *3.75 etc; the second grade Enchancement is something after having ten stacks instead of the second stack, since it only refers to a single upgrade; and getting higher levels of Bestowment takes multiple of the orbs that grant it.
So, I'm reading this to say that the second stack multiplies by 2.5, and the max is 12.5? And getting a second stack on something requires you to have multiple Aspects with one stack?
I had that question asked on Patreon. A 2nd grade enhancement is x2.5, so the max would actually be x15. If it was 12.5 I'd be worried because it's not a nice easy number to do calculations with 😅.
In this situation, stacks and Bestowment Enhancements are interchangeable. Sorry, I should've made that clearer. When it says multiple Bestowments are required to upgrade to a 2nd grade enhancement, it means the quantity of Bestowments required per grade exponentially increases.
Say that for a 2nd grade enhancement, as in a 2.5 multiplier, it takes the equivalent of two Bestowments to go from 1st grade to 2nd grade or 2^1, and from 9th grade to 10th grade it takes 2^9.
I had that question asked on Patreon. A 2nd grade enhancement is x2.5, so the max would actually be x15. If it was 12.5 I'd be worried because it's not a nice easy number to do calculations with 😅.
In this situation, stacks and Bestowment Enhancements are interchangeable. Sorry, I should've made that clearer. When it says multiple Bestowments are required to upgrade to a 2nd grade enhancement, it means the quantity of Bestowments required per grade exponentially increases.
Say that for a 2nd grade enhancement, as in a 2.5 multiplier, it takes the equivalent of two Bestowments to go from 1st grade to 2nd grade or 2^1, and from 9th grade to 10th grade it takes 2^9.
Um. Well, the information on how many Bestowments are needed per stack is nice to know, and the top levels are going to take a while to reach, but the first four to get a nice even *5 is fairly simple. But the multipliers:
"Are you sure that artifact is safe?" a blonde-haired girl asked worriedly.
Lucille smiled and closed the lid of the casket. The 'Aspect Bestowment' disappeared in her hands and appeared in a list next to her Status, stored for her to use later. "For some people, it would be very beneficial. I believe I'm going to be using this artifact a few times if…" She turned to look at the members of her sponsored party. "Do you mind if I keep this?"
Marellen looked hesitant but Roa shook her head and swiftly backed away. "All artifacts we collected during our expedition that the Athenaeum has not taken away are yours, Count Goldcroft. I'm sure you will be far more responsible with the artifact than Marellen."
"Er… Lucille…" the navy-haired mage spoke up, getting her attention. "Do you know what the artifact is?"
"Yes, I do," Lucy replied with a smile. She tapped her cheek underneath her right eye. "In a way, you could say that I've become an appraiser due to the shard of an object within my eye. I'm capable of viewing the Item Sheet."
Marellen's eyes widened. "Does that mean you could appraise all the artifacts we have? No, wait." He approached the casket and gestured to it. "What does it do?"
Lucille placed a hand on top of the casket. "This 'Forbidden' Legendary artifact consumes a small portion of my power and exchanges it for another form of power that it deems I 'need' the most. It's likely that due to the arrival of the System, it has accommodated our Statuses and arranged for stat points to be the 'power' it takes."
Lucy pulled out the ruby key and the casket locked shut by itself. "And it seems to select a 'Keyholder' whenever it loses its former Keyholder. This Keyholder is the individual who needs this artifact the most. I can only assume that I have been selected as its Keyholder because it teleported to my side and not yours today. I can give up ownership, but I don't think I can select its next owner."
The others stared at her. Lucy blinked and then let out a small 'Ah' when she realised what was wrong. She held the casket up. "Have you all never seen a Legendary artifact before?"
"I'm more shocked by the casualness you're treating that artifact with," Efratel replied.
"Legendary artifacts are supposed to be… uncommon, Lucille," Hargrave said.
Vincent eyed the casket slightly warily and pushed up his glasses. "You also said it carries the 'Forbidden' rarity prefix – It might not be a cursed item but it is certainly dangerous."
"It's only dangerous if I use it the wrong way. I'm intelligent enough to refrain from abusing it." Lucille placed the casket in her dimensional bag and looked at Annaliese, Raegan and Sir Albrecht. "The fact that the Aurelian Commission Head has obtained a Legendary Forbidden artifact is something that needs to be kept secret, so… please don't inform the Citadel of this."
"We won't!" Annaliese replied confidently. Then she hesitated as she realised she wasn't the one in control of the situation and looked at the blonde-haired Paladin next to her. "Uh… right, Sir Albrecht?"
"Ahhh…" Jasten Albrecht let out a long sigh as he covered his face with a hand, leaning against the table. He threw his hands up. "If the Sages don't ask, they don't get told. Fine. I'm nothing if not good at skirting around their lie-detection skills."
"Good." Lucy grinned and leaned on the table. "Life will be less difficult for you if you keep your mouth shut, Sir Paladin."
Albrecht frowned at her. "I don't need you to tell me that."
"True." Lucille spun around and pointed at both Raegan and Marellen. "But you two… I think it's time we begin our research, don't you think?"
…
Raegan narrowed his eyes at the coin on his palm. "Is this really it?"
"We need to calculate the standard probabilities with and without your ability to influence things," Lucy commented as she scrawled things down on a piece of paper. Marellen was looking over her shoulder and reading what she was writing with interest.
She stepped back and pointed to a glowing ring on the floor of the training hall that she had drawn out with illusion mana. "Stand there please."
"…okay?" Raegan walked over and turned the coin over. His face screwed up. "Are you seriously treating a rose crown as pocket change?"
Lucille looked up. "What? That was all I had on hand."
The boy rolled his eyes and Lucy pointed to him. "Okay, Raegan. Toss the coin on the count of three. One… two… three."
The reddish-gold piece of metal flew through the air and landed about a meter away from Raegan. Before he could say anything, Lucy had run over and begun to draw lines with illusion mana, calculating the exact distance the coin landed from him.
Marellen blinked when he looked at the symbols she was drawing. "Lucille, what are you drawing? I'm not familiar with these symbols."
Lucille glanced between the page and floating symbols, distracted. "Velocity and angular momentum, among other things. I need to gain a set of median values for Raegan's coin tosses to compare it with his actions when he intentionally affects the outcome with his ability. I intend to use myself as a control set of values because Annaliese has already explained that I'm immune to Fate and fortune essences." She blinked as an idea came to her and she snapped her fingers. "There. The symbols should now be in Imperial Common. It might take a bit of time to understand the formulas."
Lucy picked the coin up and threw it back at Raegan. "Alright, Raegan. Let's do this again. Ideally, we need to repeat this set about fifty times and then-" She realised something and then frowned at her scrawled pages. "Blight. I forgot to check the gravity acceleration constant for the plane. I've been working while basing it on my home world's standard."
The navy-haired mage's eyes widened and brown elemental earth mana swirled above his hand before arranging itself into a mana-circle. He shifted his gold glasses and showed the result to Lucy. "9.87 meters per second squared on this Gilded Dome plane, apparently."
She paused to look at his spell then glanced at him. Lucille put down her page and began writing words in the air with illusion mana. "Marellen, do you think you could cast these spells to check a few other variables for me while I work on analysing Raegan's coin tosses?"
The mage studied the new spell diagrams with intense curiosity and nodded excitedly. "I always welcome the chance to learn new spells."
"Good." Lucy nodded and checked the results of Raegan's newest coin toss. "We have a lot of calculations to make to work out what exactly is going on with Raegan's abilities."
They worked swiftly, documenting different details and factors with spells and calculations. When the two-hour mark ticked over, they only let Raegan go so they could continue discussing theories. The more time went by, the more it was clear that Marellen was in his element.
Meanwhile, the peanut gallery was staring at them like they were animals in a zoo.
"It's only when I'm seeing Lucille like this do I remember she's a mage," Vincent said with bemusement. He was standing with Sedric, Annaliese, Roa and Scytale. The others had gone to different places.
"Yeaaaap." Scytale leaned against the smooth stone wall with his arms crossed. "Probably best to leave them alone for a while… they'll snap out of their trance. Eventually."
Annaliese turned to look at Roa. "You don't want to join them?"
Roa gave the girl an odd look. "Not every mage is like Marellen. I certainly prefer to strengthen my spellcraft by applying it to battle. It is for that very reason that I have never entertained the possibility of joining the Athenaeum."
"If those two aren't finishing up soon, then I may as well leave." Sedric turned around and gave them a short wave. "Bye."
Vincent glanced at Scytale. "Is Lucille really not going to be done for a while?"
"She has no plans of finishing at the moment." The humanoid snake shrugged and followed Sedric out of the door. "I say just leave her and let her get it out of her system."
…
"I believe I know how Raegan's ability works," Lucy announced early the next morning.
Anyone interested was gathered in front of her in the training room because Raegan had said he didn't care who heard about his abilities. That meant everyone because someone who could cause bad luck was interesting to them all.
They were all staring at the mage sleeping on the fall, surrounded by pages, next to her. Lucy glanced down to see Marellen near her boot and nudged him awake. "Hey, Marellen. You don't want to tell them what we found out?"
Snoring was her only response. Lucille shrugged and pulled Raegan out in front of them. "Our conclusion was that Raegan doesn't have the ability to create bad luck at all," she claimed.
Raegan gave her a dull look. "I'm pretty sure that someone breaking their leg when I use my ability on them counts as 'bad luck'."
Lucy raised a finger. "Not if that was just an act of the realm reversing the influence of Fate and fortune essences."
"Lucy, what can Raegan do?" Annaliese asked. "I hope it's useful."
Lucille shrugged. "It's usefulness is what you make of it. Raegan here has made very good use of it by instinctually reverting the effects of Fate and fortune on those affected by it, but for others, it may seem a completely useless ability. That's because contrary to my prediction, Raegan doesn't have the power of a unique Higher element, but erases Higher elements when he chooses."
Raegan swatted her hand off his shoulder. "Get to the point and stop trying to sound mysterious, okay? We didn't do this just so you could get an ego boost."
"What Lucille is trying to say is that… you… have the ability to nullify Higher elements…"
They looked down to see Marellen pulling himself up with the help of a table. He let out a sigh as he leaned against it. "That means Fate."
Raegan squinted at him. "How does that help me trip people over?"
"I didn't quite understand it either until Lucille explained," Marellen said with a shake of his head.
Lucy gestured around them. "Nearly everyone who is part of the Eternal Empire knows of the Citadel of Fate. Due to the existence of Fate essence, entire kingdoms and planes can have Fate, as well as individuals. When an individual gains more Fate, greater opportunities become open to them. The Sages and members of Providence have the ability to 'limit' someone's Fate to ensure some outcomes are more probable."
She pointed at them each. "Because of the existence of the Higher element of Fate, each one of you has been affected by Fate at some point in your lives. Just being born into a powerful noble family could grant you higher Fate. But Raegan can 'delete' or 'erase' artificially gained Fate and luck." Lucille crossed her arms and looked at Raegan. "This manifests itself as bad luck in Raegan's case, as the opportunities he deletes are random. Big and small opportunities can be erased, so your bad luck is usually a mixture of not obtaining the winning numbers for a lottery, as well as accidentally stubbing your toe on a corner."
Sir Albrecht walked forward. "You claim this also impacts other Higher elements, yet we have yet to see evidence of this. What is your explanation?" he asked solemnly.
Marellen raised a hand to answer before Lucy could. "That would be because while the impact of his abilities on other Higher elements has not been tested, we believe it will have a lesser effect than it does on Fate essence. That's because we theorise it will disintegrate Higher elements such as Nature into its elements of wood, water, light and earth with not much reduction in strength of the attack. For Fate essence, which is only composed of light mana and concepts, the effect is much stronger."
"As for why Raegan can influence the fortune mid-level element… that's a separate issue." Lucille took out a strange orb-shaped crystal from her dimensional bag and held it out for Raegan. "If you would, Raegan. I know we've already done it, but just to show the others…"
The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes and placed a hand on the orb. It lit up with a glow that slowly faded until what could be seen within was a grey-coloured mote.
"While Raegan doesn't have an elemental affinity for fortune, his aptitude for fortune-affecting hexes and the fortune element is high," Lucy explained. "It's likely his undeveloped Origin Skill has been causing issues regarding his affinity."
Raegan raised an eyebrow. "So I can't gain an affinity? What, does that mean I have no affinity now?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, from what we could tell you have a Major affinity for the dark element, a Minor affinity for the earth element and varying low ratios of the other four. You're just innately talented at affecting fortune-altering effects, which is a different talent to your 'Fate nullification' ability."
Annaliese's face screwed up. "I don't get any of this."
Jasten Albrecht held his chin in contemplation. "Is there a way for him to prevent his Fate erasure abilities from occurring? All the Paladins around the Prophetess and her brother have to have their Fate refreshed by Prophetess Verdon on a regular basis."
"Why would I want to help those egotistical jerks?" Raegan argued with disdain.
Lucy ignored him as Sir Albrecht glared at the boy. "I doubt he will be able to do anything until the time of his Origin Skill awakening draws closer," she replied. "He has gained this ability as a contrasting force against the element of Fate to balance the energies of the realm. It's possible that when he awakens his Origin Skill, he'll be able to determine when and where his ability is needed most."
Annaliese glanced between Lucy and her brother. "Will it be… dangerous for him?" she asked with slight worry.
Lucille raised an eyebrow and glanced at the dark-haired boy. "Only if he's stupid with his abilities. His erasure abilities are nigh-on untraceable, so the only way he could find himself in danger is if he leaves obvious traces separate from his abilities. That, and he should avoid telling the Sages or any other noble who asks so they can't use him as a scapegoat."
The rest of them all looked at Raegan, looking pensive. Raegan glared at them all in return.
"You guys are one crazy pair of siblings," Scytale announced with his arms crossed. "What are the odds of you guys being related? The enemy of the Citadel and his sister as the Prophetess."
"I feel like it's more surprising that Lucille met up with these two," Marellen noted. "It seems she's been involved in all manner of interesting things since we split up last year."
Lucy smirked and pointed at him. "That's what time travel knowledge does."
Marellen's eyes widened as he stared at her while she walked off and out of the room. "Alright, I need to get back to work. I'll see you guys later."
…
"Show me your wings!" Annaliese exclaimed, sitting next to the flustered ex-mercenary with expectant eyes.
Hargrave choked on his water and stopped to cough as he placed the cup back down. "I'm sorry? Wings?" he asked weakly.
"You're a dragon-blooded, right?" the blonde-haired girl replied, leaning forward. "A first generation beastman. Your hair colour can't be the only thing that has changed!"
A winged snake snickered as he flapped his wings and landed on the couch opposite them. "Go on, Hargrave. Show her your fabulous new form. Not the big one though, I don't think you'd fit in this room."
Hargrave hesitated and looked up as if he only just realised that as a dragon beast, he had a beast body too. Lucy, who was in her study listening to their conversation, was 90% sure that the man only wanted to obtain the power of a dragon for physical enhancement and to show the General of Blazing Iron when he completed his revenge.
"Uh…" Hargrave looked down at his hands and then at Scytale. "How do I do this?"
Scytale shifted into his human form and then smirked as he pointed at himself. "Imagine yourself gaining the features of a dragon. Don't imagine what a dragon looks like, or else you'll… well, you know."
"…okay." Hargrave rubbed his temples, clearly attempting to do what the snake had said. He flinched when large scaly blue wings sprouted from his shoulder blades and he sprang up, with Annaliese barely managing to duck beneath the new appendages. Something hit the coffee table and he whirled around, then stared when he couldn't see what had made the noise.
"Hargrave! You have a tail!"
At the Prophetess's astonished outburst, his eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder to see the royal blue scaly limb swaying back and forth. He went to grab his hair and then froze as his hands touched something hard and heavy near his ears. Slowly running his calloused fingers against the rough surface, he realised that he was touching curled… horns.
Scytale burst out laughing at the man's apparent distress and struggled to wipe the tears from his eyes as he summoned illusion mana to be Hargrave's mirror.
Hargrave blanched when faced with his new appearance.
"I-If… you want to change back…" Scytale said, having collapsed to the floor. "Just… uh, think of them turning into mana and disappearing. It's close enough to what actually happens."
Hargrave didn't immediately register what the humanoid amphiptere had said as he remained staring at his reflection. It was only when the impromptu mirror disappeared that he regained awareness and let out a visible sigh of relief when the wings, horns and tail managed to disappear.
"I am never using the partial form ever again," he muttered quietly as he sat back down.
For some reason, Scytale began to laugh again. "O-Oh, this is amazing. Who'd ever think that the Prismat…" He stopped himself when a warning came through from Lucy, then he coughed and continued, "That you'd be most afraid of your own new appearance. Wouldn't it be a bonus for you? Normal members of the mortal races can't fly until Rank-4 anyway, and I'm sure you felt the strength boost."
"I am still never using it," Hargrave hissed.
"Yeah, yeah, sure." Scytale put his hands behind his head once he got back onto the couch and kicked his feet up. "Don't come running back to me asking for tips on being a magical beast when all your hundreds of enemies come chasing after you."
"Enemies? For who? Hargrave?" Annaliese looked at the man next to her. "Why would you have enemies Hargrave?"
Hargrave scowled at the snake who avoided eye contact and then scratched the back of his head when he noticed Annaliese's gaze. "I… no, I don't have any enemies. I was just a… normal adventurer."
Scytale raised an eyebrow and Lucy realised that Hargrave was trying to hide his past profession from the girl for some reason.
Lucille straightened the pages on her desk and spun her pen as she considered the man's motives.
He seems to attach importance to Annaliese in some way. I wonder why…
…is it because she was the first to introduce him to the rest of my friends? Another day in the Mystical Realm. My junior sisters would be shocked to hear the kind of work a successor of the Vast Longevity Glacier Sect is doing.
The girl with long dark hair and deep blue eyes straightened up, having completed her footwork practices for the morning. Zhang Mingxia sheathed her longsword and walked back inside the women's dormitories of the building allocated to the Dawnlight's crewmembers. When she found her room she picked up the Officer uniform on her bed and studied it uneasily.
She had never worn the uniform because, unlike her other crewmates, she was a temporary Officer and was there for political reasons. She was never required to wear the navy blue and black form-fitting uniform, so she continued wearing her dresses woven from spiritual Ice Silk. She had considered the protection from her Sect wear to be strong enough, but with the complications of mana in the Beast Realm…
Mingxia decided that she'd change into her uniform for the first time as Captain Riftmire had seemingly decided to make her a Squad Leader in the long term. When the pants, boots and outerwear were on, she plucked at the long-sleeved clothes, worried about their immodesty and how they clung tightly to her frame.
She picked up her longsword and twisted as she looked at herself, wondering where to tie the sash that acted as its sheath.
"Mingxia! Are you in?"
The Sect heir looked up when the call sounded out. She knew who it was and walked over to the door to open it. Liliana was standing in front and blinked when she saw her.
"You're trying the uniform on today?" the brown-haired woman asked curiously.
Mingxia coughed and looked away. "I saw it fitting to attempt to follow the customs of the Navy as the Captain has seen fit to bestow me with greater authority. I know I am ill-suited to these types of wear, but I-"
"You look great!" Liliana replied with a smile. "It makes you look more mature. I think it's a good idea to wear it now that you're going to become the leader of some of us whenever we explore islands and fight."
"I-I see…" Zhang Mingxia pushed past her friend and continued walking without looking back. "Where is our Captain? I have been told I must report to her today and she cannot be found within my spiritual sense."
"Hmmm…" Liliana thought about it and pointed up. "I think she's in her office on the top floor? I saw her there earlier this morning."
Zhang Mingxia nodded. "I thank you for this information."
"You don't need to be so formal," Liliana said with a grin. She grabbed Mingxia's wrist and pulled her along. "Let's go find Caspian – I think he's heading up there too."
…
"Here."
Zhang Mingxia and Palin Zoc'uraghets caught the small bronze objects sent their way and blinked when they saw they were badges with the title 'Squad Leader' on the front.
Adrianna crossed her arms and leaned her back against her desk. "That's all I needed you for. You're free to go."
"...is this all there is to our promotions?" Mingxia asked hesitantly.
The icy-blue eyed woman marginally raised an eyebrow. "Did you want me to stand on ceremony and pin that to your chest? Give you a pat on the shoulder too?"
Mingxia paused when the strange image came to mind and quickly shook her head. She saluted. "No, Captain. Thank you for this honour. I'll do my best to meet your expectations."
"Sure." Adrianna waved them off with a hand and walked behind her desk. "Go and finish your preparations for the departure at three today and meet your squads. I'll discuss your jobs in more detail tomorrow when we're on the boat and-"
"Captain Riftmire." The dark-skinned Palin Zoc'uraghets saluted and dipped his head respectfully. "I would like to decline this promotion to Squad Leader and give it to someone who desires it more than me."
Caspian, who was leaning against a wall behind them, gave the man a look of surprise, but Adrianna paused before she sat down and gave Zoc'uraghets an unreadable look. "And who would this person be?"
"Conlan Griffin, Captain," he replied. "In our team battle training drills, Griffin has shown greater leadership and combat ability than I. I believe he would be a better fit for the position if you granted him the opportunity to make up for his first mistake."
Adrianna tapped her fingers on the desk as she watched the man silently. "Is this his request to you?"
Zoc'uraghets shook his head. "No. But he has a variant of pseudo-battle aura and sword aura. I feel it would be a waste to not utilise his talents more."
Adrianna looked out the window and Zhang Mingxia stared as the cold woman's lips tilted up in a strange smirk. "I guess that to fail you need to have opportunities to make mistakes…" their Captain murmured. She sat down at her desk and waved to him. "I'll consider it and get back to you by the end of this month. If you're still willing to give up your position and Griffin has demonstrated his willingness to make up for his errors, then I'll transfer the position."
Adrianna looked between them both. "If that is all, then I'll continue my work. Please go down and check in with your squad members."
"Yes, Captain!" They both saluted and left her room, splitting up when they reached the first change in hallways.
Zhang Mingxia's brow creased slightly as she thought back to her experiences with Conlan Griffin.
It may be true that he is above average in strength among our crewmates, but my soul art always acts strangely around him. Not as if he has explicitly bad intentions, but… that his intentions are harmful to someone else on the ship.
Patreon (x10 chapters!):
Discord (Come get your Qualified Scytale Feeder role!):
