“I look like a penguin…” No matter from which angle or position I look at myself in the mirror, my outfit reminds me a lot of a penguin.
I have the image of a baby emperor penguin engraved in my mind. My suit is white with certain black tones, I’d only need to be padded to feel like a complete penguin.
“What’s a penguin?” Brendu asks me from behind.
“I read about it in a book a long time ago, supposedly it’s a type of animal that the first Marquis Timal described.” I make up a quick excuse, there are many animals that share names with my old world, but there are others that don’t exist here.
I still think that someone reincarnated in this world started naming certain animals with the same names. It’s the only explanation I can come up with, I don’t see any other way they could share names in such different worlds.
“It suits you very well, those colors highlight your eyes and hair.” She adjusts the collar and observes me for a few more seconds until she’s satisfied.
“My head hurts a bit… do you think I could stay and rest?” I grab my head with both hands and try to make my best expression of pain.
Brendu gently pulls my hair and gives me a small tap on the back. “Don’t try to make excuses not to go, you’re already ready and everyone is waiting for my arrival with you. People will make a lot of comments if I show up alone.” She looks at me seriously.
“Do you want people to speak badly about me? And think of a better excuse next time, any headache would be cured instantly with that magnificent healing ability of yours.” Brendu turns around to finish her makeup.
I let out a defeated grunt. I don’t really mind going to these types of events, no one would dare cause trouble against me with so many powerful people behind me, and my own strength would make them think twice before acting. I just don’t want to go because it’s boring, I’d rather be reading news or simply walking around the fair incognito.
“Susan will probably be at the party, cheer up a bit.” She smiles, my reaction must have amused her.
“You should’ve mentioned that earlier, that changes things a bit.” I feel slightly better, if Susan will be there, the situation improves.
We’re riding in Brendu’s elegant carriage on the way to a large castle meant for these kinds of events. No matter how many castles I see in my life, I’m always amazed by them, those massive constructions are worthy of admiration. They all share a similar style and at the same time each one has something that makes it stand out.
We are received by an elderly man, he’s dressed very elegantly and his movements are subtle and perfect. I can tell the importance of this event because it’s not normal to see a Ruby rank receiving guests.
“You’re a magnet for attention, all the women on the way have turned to look at you.” Brendu whispers through her teeth, she’s smiling subtly. I couldn’t see her lips move, she spoke perfectly without making any gesture.
“I don’t think they’re looking at me, they’re admiring the beauty of a princess.” I respond as best as I can while continuing to smile and greet all the other participants who greet us.
We arrive at our table located at a strategic point where anyone could see us from the entrance, but far enough to not be disturbed by the noise of people coming in.
Some people have already approached our table to greet us, many are sons or guests of noble houses, powerful guilds or influential clans. Many guilds and clans have military power very similar to noble houses, these people can’t be taken lightly.
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Everyone looks very kind and friendly all the time, well-practiced smiles, carefully trained movements and perfect questions and answers to avoid awkwardness or killing the conversation.
The compliments never stop coming, there are always good comments about our clothes or our performance in the tournament. My family and the four girls have trained me well enough to keep up with these conversations, I don’t want to mess up at any moment.
There is one person who caught my attention in a different way, she was quite refined and subtle when speaking with us, but her words didn’t sound as empty as the rest, there was something genuine in her tone.
What stands out the most is her strength, she looks very young, under 25, and she’s very close to Diamond rank. It’s hard to tell exactly, but my instincts are screaming that, I consider myself quite good at measuring people’s strength.
“Pretty, right?” Brendu speaks when everyone has returned to their tables. “Not only is she beautiful, she’s the greatest talent produced by her clan, she’s a genius among geniuses, she could reach Diamond rank before 25, very few people can boast something like that.” She has an ability to read my mind.
“Which clan does she belong to? She’s very dangerous.” My answer is sincere, we need to keep an eye on her.
“The Indig clan, they’re known for being neutral in disputes, but very aggressive if provoked, it’s better to have them as allies than enemies. Shibit is the second daughter of the clan leader, she has a position very similar to a marquis’ daughter.” A surprised expression forms on my face as I hear that.
Shibit. I’ll remember that name, I can’t ignore strong people. Strong people are destined to cross paths with other strong people, it’s part of life.
I’ve heard a lot about clans lately, apparently they have very large territories, close to 80% of a kingdom. There are many overall, but the most important are five, which have never been moved from their position, they are the founders and the strongest. The Indig clan is one of them.
The party continues without many issues for me, people keep approaching our table all the time, Brendu’s status is still above everyone else here. We also go from table to table greeting others and having short conversations.
Some performances happen in between, and a lot of delicious food keeps coming constantly.
Susan appears several hours later, she greets everyone in general and personally approaches the tables of the most important people, eventually ending up sitting next to Brendu and me.
“How are you doing with merits? Do you already feel ready to rank up?” Susan asks after we had been talking about general topics.
Merits? What is that? Are they necessary to rank up? I stay confused for a moment. I haven’t looked deeply into everything required to reach Ruby rank, I didn’t see the need to, all this time I thought it would be just as easy.
“I feel ready, I’ll just need a couple more trials to reach the perfect point.” Brendu answers. “This tournament and a few more dungeons will probably be enough.” She continues after thinking for a few seconds.
“That’s wonderful, I expected nothing less from you.” Susan raises her wine glass and Brendu does the same, both clink their glasses.
“What are merits? Are they necessary to rank up? Do I need to get some too?” I hesitated at first, I didn’t want to look like an idiot, but I quickly realized both of them are people I trust.
“You don’t know what they are?” Susan looks at me with some doubt and confusion. I shake my head from side to side, she lets out a sigh.
“Merits are the achievements you accumulate through combat experiences. You need to push your body and mind to a certain level to gain merits and ascend to Ruby rank, the omnipresent voice has a way of measuring it through everything stored in your cube.” Susan explains.
“It’s usually measured through your understanding in battle, having faced people equal or stronger than you, killing monsters, and so on. There’s a minimum threshold you must reach to rank up, though it’s better to accumulate more for greater benefits.” I’m left a bit stunned by her explanation.
“Should I worry about gaining some merits?” I ask with some doubt.
“I don’t think it’s necessary, you’ve slaughtered hundreds of monsters a grade above you, fought people one or two ranks above, and your fighting style is very refined. You must’ve reached the limit a long time ago or maybe even surpassed it.” This time Brendu answers.
I let out a sigh of relief, which makes both women laugh. Honestly, I feel a bit dumb.
“You’ll most likely get the best options available for your path when you reach Ruby rank. Your Banner will evolve into a Dominion before becoming a Jurisdiction, you must choose wisely.” Susan winks at me.
They continue talking about other topics while I remain deeply lost in my thoughts. I already knew about Dominion, it’s the foundation to generate your Jurisdiction upon ascending. The strength of the Dominion depends on how strong your Banner is.
The options always depend on your lifestyle and combat style, your Laws, how you use magic and Imra, it’s the starting point based on everything you’ve done in the first three ranks.