Keenda’s POV:
“What an unexpected alliance! The inheritor of the eternal next to an elf princess!” The challenge commentator bellowed atop the stage. His voice was filled with enthusiasm and excitement, unlike the Noblesse, who remained stoic as ever.
Are they even enjoying the show?
I was trying to understand these overlords’ metalities by observing their behaviour, but… nothing.
They sipped their beverages as servants delivered different delicacies, everything hidden behind a facade of obscurity and nonchalant calmness. It was as if they were disconnected from reality, or like… they were above reality.
The Noblesse barely conversed, and when a conversation popped up, it was magically muted from any prying ears.
I felt disconnected as I stood in the back, protecting these translucent-skinned, morally ambiguous, and entitled humans.
No, they’re not human. They’re something worse.
Glancing at Pomus, the fat man was twirling a golden coin between his fingers as he stared absent-mindedly into dozens of projected scenes of the contestants.
Following his gaze… Wollom—the haughty, Eternal class wielder that was going around butchering other contestants.
“I didn’t expect to see someone more pompous than you here,” I teased, trying to alleviate some of the tension I was feeling.
The fat man glared at me. “Hush. If they were to hear you…”
I rolled my eyes.
I feared the Noblesse, too, but a little fun wouldn’t hurt, right?
“They’re impressive. The eternal weilders, I mean,” I added, and unexpectantly got a response.
“Outstanding.”
Being at our rank, Pomus and I were among the most talented individuals from our generation, but facing such monsters while being tierless… that’s unprecedented.
“The other contestants are not half bad, too. That Samitarian with his acrobatical class, and that Lizard Kin with the Extingusher class. The Elf, too. Complex Mage. I wonder what the highest Node spell she could cast is,” I said.
Pomus flipped his coin. It twirled a few times before hitting his open palm.
The man then went back to staring at Wollolm
What is he concocting?
But before I could inquire, our brief conversation was cut short.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Your Nobleness!”
Oh, no.
A servant had spilt a drink on a noble.
The Noblesse slowly observed his stained clothes as the room turned even more silent, not even the commentator spoke.
Looking at the Noblesse—a taboo in and of itself—the servant’s reflection could be seen on the golden mask; it was horror-stricken.
“Guards, rid me of this filth,” The Noblesse spoke, his voice filled with discontent.
It was the most emotion I had heard in their voices.
This is bad…
Pomus, the loyal dog he was, approached the man without hesitation. He drew his sword, then placed it against the kneeling servant’s neck, whose tears had formed lakes while his nose became wicked from being tightly pressed against the ground.
I felt sick, but did nothing, which in turn made me sicker.
“What are you waiting for—“
The Noblesse stopped mid-sentence, his face jerking to the biggest screen. All the others followed suit.
Their synchronised and sudden behaviour sent shivers down my spine, and I wasn’t sure what was happening until my mind caught up to me, and I replayed the sentence I had just heard.
“I’m Somani, the one who’ll end the Noblesse’s rule.”
The only sound left was the whimper of the doomed and the shallow breaths of the other fear-stricken servants, until…
Clunk.
A Noblesse hit his table with a goblet.
Clunk.
Clunk.
Another Noblesse joined, then another, and another.
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Clunk.
Clunk.
Clunk!
Clunk!
CLUNK!
Wooden tables broke while brass goblets bent as the clunks grew to a crescendo, then…
“All hail the Emperor!” The Noblesse shouted in usion.
“May his reign never end!” The servants, Pomus, and I responded naturally, having been ingrained with this slogan since birth.
It was a bit surreal to hear the Noblesse shout such because of a child’s words, but it didn’t end there.
“Kill the one who defies the Emperor!”
“Kill the one who defies the Emperor!”
“Kill the one who defies the Emperor!”
The Noblesse started to shout over and over.
The commentator was baffled, while the servants covered their ears as they dropped to the ground from such loud shouts—no normal human could survive this.
Even the room was reverberating, and I thought the ceiling would fall upon us, until…
Ra’ara took to the stage and, with a hand gesture, she made all those present silent.
“Gentle women and men, I understand your frustration. I really do, but killing a Supreme class wielder will only lead to the class finding a new host, one that’s not under our domain.”
But the gathered weren’t convinced.
“The guillotine!”
“The guillotine!”
“The guillotine!”
Ra’ara raised her hand for the crowd to fall silent again.
“Honoured Guests, what you suggest is impossible, as it’d go against the wishes of his majesty, the Emperor, who has ordered the safekeeping of the eternal wielder. I’ll say it again, killing Somani isn’t an option, unfortunately.”
The crowd erupted again the moment Ra’ara stopped talking, but this time with lower demands.
“Punishment!”
“Punishment!”
“Punishment!”
I was surprised by the way these seemingly highly individualistic beings agreed on certain phrases so easily, while patiently stopping before resuming whenever Ra’ara talked.
They were indeed unique.
“Of course, there’ll be punishment. Earus.”
The commentator stepped forward.
“Yes, Your Nobleness.”
“Increase the monster aggro to those who have defamed the Empire.”
Earus bowed.
“Of course, Your Nobleness.”
But the Noblesse weren’t satisfied.
“More! More! More!”
Ra’ara raised her hand, and as expected, the voices went silent.
What kind of protest is this?
“If Somani were about to die, I’d have to interfere, breaking the game rules. With the Emperor’s will, all the placed bets and hefty rewards, I’m sure no one wants such a result. Still, I promise you this. When we get all the information we want off the kid… he’ll live a life worse than death.”
This time, the crowd didn’t argue.
Swish!
The whimpering man was put out of his misery by a spear of Supreme Mana through the heart.
The Noblesse had personally killed him.
Such ruthless beings.
***
It turned out to be a long night.
The servants could be seen shivering from now and then, while the Noblesse stopped their small chit-chat in favour of a vehement focus on the revolting kid.
Somani fought valiantly, managing to find a secret exit. Still, due to his breaking of the rules, he was banned from the reward list and instead, after a compromise between the gathered Noblesse and Ra’ara, the kid and his group were allowed to get randomised rewards—dungeon drops.
Expectedly but still impressive, Wollom managed to defeat the dungeon boss, a tier two monster, securing the number one spot.
I couldn’t figure out if the Noblesse were pleased or disappointed by the result, nor could I guess which of them had won the bets, but as the last of them exited the hall, I felt my shoulders slump.
I was delighted that this farce was coming to an end.
Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived.
A servant approached me.
“My lady,” The man said with an elegant bow.
“I’m no lady. Commoner birth.”
The man nodded.
“His Nobleness, Emperor Knighted and Child Dispenser, Ser Grigor, has—My heart dropped—taken a liking to you. If you’d be so kind as to follow me to his abode.”
Pfft!
Pomus snickered. “Have a good night,” he said.
Rage boiled inside of me.
This… it can’t be!
Noblesse interacted only with their kind or a right-hand appointed at their birth through a soul contract—they acted as their servant-masters and handled their worldly matters, so being directly abused by them was never seen.
And nothing below them would ever dare to bother me.
This can’t be!
Rage turned into pride, and before I could think of the consequences, I blurted out.
“I refuse!”
The servant’s respectful expression turned into one of worry. “But your—“
“You heard me, I refuse!”
I turned around, catching Pomus’s smug face before exiting the corridor towards my quarters.
Maybe death is better than the life of a slave.
***
Hambara’s POV:
“This… Yes!” Tamara shouted. She was a dwarf woman to heart, with long braided hair, a moustache that would put most men to shame, and a broad build.
I was standing in a tent surrounded by a dozen or so elite agents.
Our mission was to rescue the Supreme class wielder, but I, from speculation, knew that we were just a diversion.
The highest-tiered person in the camp was at the third tier, nowhere near enough to rescue such an important individual.
Our unspoken purpose probably was to catch the enemy’s attention while the heavy hitters did the real work, breaking into Cervita’s dungeons.
That was until this great news arrived through an encrypted message. Denial, one of the Emperor’s eldest sons, had been spotted on his way to Cervita by the real elite group.
He was currently hiding in a deep hole of his own creation, surrounded by the elites as he awaited rescue.
“But why are we privy to such knowledge?” Yetk asked, a dwarf almost the height of a human, but with double the width. He was the tallest dwarf, apart from some nobles, I knew.
“You aren’t but I decided to share,” Simisim, the squad leader, said. “Our mission is to rescue Somani, at least that's what they told you. The real purpose of our presence is to divert the enemy’s attention.”
Simisim revealed the unspoken truth. Seeing no surprised faces, the man continued.
“With the elite squad held back by Denial, the mission has fallen upon us. Really, this time.”
Silence fell on the tent as all faces turned solemn.
Ehuk, cheeky as ever, took this chance to jump in. “So nothing has changed.”
Simism shook his head.
“We’re now working against the clock. If Denial were to escape before the rescue succeeds, that spells the mission’s doom. From now on, no more sleeping. Ready the Catioms, we’ll fly non-stop on Cervita!”
“Yes, sir!”
I went back to my tent to ready my equipment.
I’ll rescue you, kid, even if it’s the last thing I do.
***
Shraider’s POV:
Watching them torture the kid daily in his sleep… it made me reconsider everything—my standing, my position, and especially my loyalty.
…Monsters.
Unfortunately, abandoning my duty, especially on such a sensitive mission, would be considered desertion and would certainly lead to my execution for treason.
As Rahoon lay on the ground, torturing the kid in his dream, Toread was aggressively scribbling something in a notebook.
Sneaking on him, I took a peek over his shoulder.
‘Estimated Stats:
Mana Capacity at 56 Zephyx/
Wave Limit: 89 Nods/
Magical Sensitivity: Supreme, maybe higher/
Spectrum width: All colours.
Test 45: Bewildering Snail.
The subject managed’
“What are you doing?” The mad scientist asked, looking squarely at me.
I jerked back.
“What? Ah… nothing. I was just wondering if you needed any help, sir.”
“Unprofessional! Unprofessional~tsk tsk tsk~this is your last warning, Detective. Keep your eyes where they belong, or I’ll make sure you no longer have them.”
Raising my palms, I shook them as I slowly backed away.
“Of course, sir.”
I entered the corridor, intending to head back to my room for some peace of mind, only to bump into…
“I’m terribly sorry, Lady Keenda. I’m—“
But the woman didn’t seem bothered as she walked with an absent expression on her face.
What has gotten into her?
Ever since a tournament about a month ago, the woman had been terribly out of character. Gone were her ever-present smiles or easy-going personality.
I shrugged.
A few more weeks of this, and I’ll be out and with a promotion, no need to worry about such matters.
But then a ting of guilt came across my heart, reminding me of the horrible tortures I’ve been causing the kid.
I had seen my fair share of torture, even inflicted some upon the nastier ones, but to this degree… it was insane.
Sorry, kid. Nothing personal.
Unlocking my room’s door, I activated the light, walked the short entrance corridor, and passed by the bathroom door, only to…
Ahhh!
I screamed, more femininely than I preferred, upon seeing the black eyes staring at me from the bed.
“What the heck, Shamoni! What are you doing in my room and how in dark hell did you enter?!”
Shamoni looked unperturbed by my rebuke.
The bathroom’s door creaked open, sending me jumping in surprise.
It was Bell.
“Are you guys trying to give me a heart attack?!”
Bell bowed clumsily.
“I’m sorry, sir. I heard you enter the room, so I quickly finished my business and came out to greet you.”
It was then that Shamoni decided to speak.
“You’re getting worse. The Shraider I knew would’ve seen the intrusion.”
“The Shraider you knew wouldn’t have had his guard so high in such an impenetrable institution,” I shot back.
Shamoni stood up before slowly walking towards me.
I gulped. I hated to admit it, but the man really scared me sometimes.
“What is it, Shamoni?”
But Shamoni didn’t say anything; instead, he looked at Bell, who was shivering more than usual.
The kid looked between both of us before pointing at himself.
“Spit it out, kid!”
“U-uncle has s-sent to me a letter, urging me to lay down.”
I looked at Shamoni.
“Although his uncle is a hotshot, that’s the reason I took the kid in the first place, no offence, kid, but I don’t see a correlation here.”
Shamoni passed me a letter, on which a seal with his house sigil was broken.
I opened and skimmed through it quickly.
“Oh, lord.”
Denial, the Minister of Interior and the Emperor’s second son, had been captured.