“The walls and columns of your cube have become more resilient. Breaking and repairing them has served a purpose. They’re also more flexible now—you can withstand more tension than before.” Glia sounds quite happy and satisfied.
“But it’s still a Sapphire-rank cube in the end. It doesn’t matter if it has grown a bit or strengthened; there is a limit to what it can withstand. If you keep forcing it like that or loading it with more skills and Laws, it could become counterproductive.” I can feel the seriousness in her words.
Glia has far greater knowledge about the cube than I do. The difference between our understanding isn’t small. She has gradually been unlocking hidden memories from her mother inside her consciousness. She’s using most of the mana she absorbs to break small locks and release chains.
“Should I evolve as soon as possible?” I ask her. It’s something I’ve been questioning for a long time.
“Not necessarily. Your cube should withstand the evolution of the last two skills, but I don’t know if it could handle a third—or one of Rank V.” I’m not sure how to feel about her answer. I like the idea of not needing to evolve so soon, but I’m also afraid of exceeding my limit and breaking myself.
I’ll decide what to do later. Ritmo should already be Ruby rank, and Sers must be very close. The same goes for my friends—they’re all nearing Ruby rank as well. Maybe I’ll talk to them and decide to advance at the same time, especially with Brendu, since the other girls are still quite far from reaching the next rank.
“Can I fight without problems?” I more or less know the answer, I just want confirmation from someone with more knowledge. It still feels a little strange asking advice from someone younger than me.
“There shouldn’t be many issues as long as you don’t push yourself like you did in your last fight.” She seems to share the same opinion as me.
“Thanks for the help, and sorry for interrupting your work.” I thank Glia. She’s currently stuck with her mother’s knowledge and with restrictions placed on her advancement. She needs to find a path to overcome them.
“You don’t have to thank me for such small things. Just get me some good cores.” Glia smiles mentally and returns to her matters. She seems deeply immersed in her state of self-discovery.
All the troublesome matters have been buried. It’s time to enjoy the day a little. After thinking about it for a moment, I decide to walk around the area. Brendu is attending some tea meetings with other nobles and will go to more events later. Many nobles and influential people have taken advantage of this week to strengthen ties or build friendships.
Brendu almost forced me to attend many events with her. I refused because I was injured. She didn’t believe me for a second and punched me for my obvious lie. In the end she gave up and went with some friends.
The atmosphere outside has become lively again. The tournament should resume tomorrow with the final event, and people are very excited. To everyone’s surprise, the crowd hasn’t decreased at all. In fact, the number of people has even grown.
I feel a bit embarrassed seeing my face on several posters pasted around the city. The cameraman did a great job capturing a good angle. Thankfully I’m not the only one—Areci shares most of the covers with me.
I sit on a bench, watching people enjoy themselves with their families or partners. It’s very pleasant to witness these kinds of moments.
I turn my gaze toward an alley behind me. Thanks to my Personal World, I detect six people inside—three girls and three guys. The men seem to be trying to force them, and the girls are slowly backing toward the wall of the alley.
A layer of mana? I feel something blocking my senses slightly. My Personal World detected it before it fully activated. At this moment my brain is trying to completely ignore that place, as if there were no relevant information there.
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I gather spatial mana to teleport to the roof of a house. It takes more time and mana than usual. Several enchantments must be protecting the city, but they didn’t detect me as a threat, so I was able to use it.
Once I enter the bubble of that strange ability or object, I can clearly feel something different, as if it were a private space. At least I had no trouble entering.
“Why don’t you want to come with us? We’re nobles—you should take advantage of our generosity.” One of the three says to the girls.
“Yeah. We can give you some coins after your company. You’ll be well paid.” Another continues.
“It’s better if you gain something out of it… otherwise we’ll just have to use force.” The last one to speak seems to be their leader. He’s the only Ruby rank among them. The girls tremble slightly when he finishes speaking, their faces turning even paler.
Haven’t these three idiots noticed my presence? How miserable do you have to be to abuse someone like this?
“They’re coming with me.” I shout when the Ruby rank tries to approach them again.
The six people immediately look up toward the sky. They see me sitting with my face resting on the palm of my hand, my elbow supported on my knee.
I release killing intent in my next words. “Leave.” I’m direct. I won’t be polite with people who don’t deserve it.
“Shut up, idiot. Who do you think you are?” one of the Sapphire ranks shouts.
“Don’t you know who we are? We could make you rot in prison for the rest of your life just for talking to us like that.” the other idiot yells.
The Ruby rank seems to have more than two brain cells. He appears to be analyzing the situation carefully. Apparently he reaches a conclusion because his brow tightens. At that moment I realize something—he must have seen through my disguise.
“Both of you shut up. We’re leaving.” The Ruby rank’s words leave his friends stunned. They look at each other in confusion. When they try to protest, he stops them with a burst of his Imra.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t know these young ladies were with you. Please forgive the disturbance. Is there any way we can compensate you?” His words even surprise me. I didn’t expect him to change his attitude so quickly.
Boring… I was ready to beat them up.
“Just leave. I’ll let this go this time. If I find you again, it’ll be different.” My voice is cold and direct. They’re nobles too. I don’t want to create unnecessary problems. I have justification if I’m attacked first or if they cross the line.
They didn’t actually touch the girls, and none of them attacked me. Causing a conflict now would bring me more trouble than benefits. Their leader also seems quite intelligent—he probably won’t do anything while he remains in this city.
The two Sapphire ranks grind their teeth in anger. They can’t say or do anything because the Ruby rank has already warned them.
“We’re leaving. Sorry for the disturbance, and good luck in the finals.” The Ruby rank gives a noble gesture of respect. His friends look confused, but he pressures them with his Imra and they reluctantly imitate the same gesture.
“That idiot did recognize me. Maybe with a better disguise this would have been more fun.” I murmur to myself.
I let my body drop down to the ground. The three girls still look confused about everything that just happened. “It’s all right now. Don’t worry.” I remove my cap to show them who I am.
I can see the shock on their faces. Their eyes widen so much that for a moment I’m afraid they’ll pop out of their sockets. Two of them are completely speechless, and the third tries to speak but can’t find the words.
Several seconds pass before one of them finally manages to talk—the same girl who tried earlier and got stuck mid-sentence. “Thank you for helping us, Lord Maki.” Her words are simple. She bows forward in an attempt at a noble greeting, and her friends quickly follow her example.
I have to hold back laughter at the end. They almost fall forward because they bow too deeply, but they manage to stop themselves just in time. That doesn’t stop their faces from turning bright red like tomatoes.
“I’m glad I noticed in time.” I smile at them. They avoid looking me in the face at all costs. “If something like this ever happens again and I’m not around, come look for me at the academy. I promise I’ll do everything I can to help you.” I toss two coins. One has my family’s insignia and the other is actual money. The girl who spoke catches them clumsily.
That coin is more symbolic than anything. It doesn’t give them real authority to use my name or anything like that, but it will at least give them some priority or a voice if they try to find me later. At the very least, the guards won’t deliberately ignore them. It’s the lowest symbol granted by a noble family.
“Thank you…” she murmurs, staring at both coins while her mind processes everything that just happened.
“Go eat something and have a drink. You deserve to relax after this.” They look at me for a moment and then lower their heads again. I turn around and start leaving. I don’t want to make the situation any more awkward.
“Brendu is going to hit me…” My mind focuses only on that thought.