《The Villainess Returns With a System (GameLit - Drama, Action)》 1: Nadia x Vivian My name is Nadia. Once upon a time, I used to work as a thief with the legendary Black Cobra unit, whose leader was my friend Shady. [MC of Relife System: The Unholy Mage] Always the face of success in our organization, the Medjay, we caused a huge stir in the world due to the incredible heists we pulled off together. In the end, I''ve come to like Shady but sadly, he was more interested in 2D girls. If the world knew that the man who caused many governments to chew fingers in agony was a Dating-Sims degenerate otaku then the whole planet would facepalm in unison. As my senpai never noticed me because of his harem of 2D waifus, I took the advice to try and appeal to him as approachable as possible and so I made up some stories about how experienced I am to get his attention, but somehow I still lost to the charms of the 2D girls. Funny thing is... I too started playing Otome Games and quite frankly enjoyed them. Unfortunately, those days didn¡¯t continue and it all went down on the day we were doing the heist of the century. We received intel that an Ancient Egyptian Artifact was going to be sold under the supervision of the UN. That artifact was rumored to be the most priceless thing ever discovered due to the strange nature of its location and power. It was said that it contained a strange energy that may cause the world to see things from a whole new perspective regarding nuclear applications and such. Moreover, its discoverer was forced to sell it in an International Auction. And we succeeded¡­ but we were betrayed. An old friend of ours who went off the grid for some time returned with enemies surrounding our hideout. The whole team was threatened and we had to escape but someone had to stay and hold the enemies back. Shady took that upon himself. As my superior, I was to follow his orders and evacuate the team out but as everyone was out safe and ready to run, something stopped me. I returned to find him confronted by agents from all nations at gunpoint. The situation escalated too fast when I tried to save him and we both were gunned together, however, Shady had no plans to escape from the beginning. As we fell, I could see him falling lifelessly with something falling from his hands. A detonator! The idiot... he... he wired the place. He wanted to end his legend in a blaze of glory after pulling off his biggest achievement and I was taken with him. Good grief! Still, I remember dying after the explosion and the feeling was shockingly scary but somehow, I came here. Where is "here"? The place looked like the gigantic fancy classic chambers of an aristocratic lady. My eyes moved around to see nothing but expensive furniture and antiques. There was a mirror on the side so I started moving my numb body to it and what I saw was a pretty face reflected instead of mine. Black straight hair, violet evil eyes, tall lean figure, slender arms and legs, fair healthy skin. "Who is this babe?" Move left, move right, dumb face, ugly face... yep, that''s my reflection alright. Am I... the babe? Look at that skin... so flawless like a supermodel. My afterlife is so blessed! I know, I know, most people should realize they got transmigrated by that time, yet I am a bit dumb and kept checking the gains I was so suddenly blessed with. This raven-black long hair, these strong beautiful violet eyes, these perfect full lips on a beautiful face. And those¡­ I''m such a simp, I know! ? Warning! You are being Poisoned! ? "What? People can get poisoned in Heaven?" ? The Poisoned Status is disturbing your memories. As a transmigration disturbing emergency, the item ''Antidote'' will be granted. ? "How very thoughtful... Hold on! Transmigration?" I was still realizing what kind of mess I am in but a strange small flask appeared in front of me floating in a faint aura of light. I want to believe I am still in heaven though I was mystified at first but I couldn''t help but take the flask. ? Common Universal Antidote - Counteracts all Common Poisons - Exclusive to the Host ? "All poisons? You''re kidding me, right?" Each poison has its own antidote but that thing just ignores the effects and expels any kind of poison just like that? Isn''t it too good to be true? I would normally be suspicious but I am currently poisoned judging by how numb my body is as if I overdosed some painkillers. "Well, here goes nothing." I could only swallow the bitter antidote and hope for the best. Sitting on a chair in front of the mirror, it felt like I was regaining parts of my head. Was I that tired? It felt like my senses were being regained one by one and the numb reality around me became more vivid and sensible. "I am alive?" Of course I am. Why am I asking this... Wait! Was it me asking? Was it Nadia or... was it Vivian? *** Once upon a time, a little commoner girl lived in Great Elgard with her loving family in a bustling city. On her tenth birthday, the family was informed by the Temple of Saints that the girl carries a talent to the Holy Arts and the Temple will pay for her education in the most esteemed academy in the kingdom, Elgard''s First Royal Academy. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As the girl turned sixteen, she was accompanied by a Temple Mentor to the Academy and was registered as a student in the Magic Department. She was trained in the Temple''s Holy Arts before entering the Academy and had the financial backing of the Temple so she wasn''t in any position lower than the aristocratic students in terms of anything except social status. Also, most girls were not allowed to practice Magic Arts or Martial Arts by ancient tradition, so her application in the Magic Arts put her above most of the females in the Academy. But here where things turned exciting for the girl. In the Academy, there were Seven Charming Princes from all the Great Houses of Elgard. Each one of them was a possible love interest to that girl, but it wasn''t all sunshine and rainbows. There were certain "obstacles" between the girl and the seven young men and these were the Three Villainesses. Obviously, three of the young men were engaged to the three villainesses while another three were their siblings and an extra target for the sake of number seven. It meant that one of the three villainesses will have three destruction routes while the other two only have two for each. To make things even worse, there is a hidden 8th love interest which also will be dumped on that certain villainess making 4 out of 8 chances to end with her destruction. That villainess is Vivian Moore, fiancee to the Crown Prince, daughter of the wealthiest house in Elgard, the House of Moore. Her four destruction paths are as follows¡­ The Prince''s Route: Poisoning herself for getting her engagement broken and for being forced to on another shameful engagement to a son of a Baron from the countryside. The Brother''s Route: Getting assassinated by her brother after putting all efforts into preventing her family''s heir from marrying a commoner. The Friend''s Route: Being imprisoned for acquiring sensitive information about the country by using her relationship with a member of the Prince''s entourage. The Secret Route: a DLC story that got leaked online but I avoided most of the Spoilers. All I know is the Target is too strong and Vivian will release something very dark in the kingdom then get killed in the end. Of course, this is all just a game that I miraculously got transmigrated in. My name is Vivian Moore and also Nadia. I am two people in one as far as I can tell right now. How is it possible? Don''t ask me. I was a secret agent in my previous life and a pampered child with astonishing beauty in this one. Both lives ended and somehow I got a second chance in one body resulting in a new version of me armed with the skillset of a secret agent and the beauty of an angel. Or I am just the third screw up in line... probably. Anyway, Nadia and Vivian... I''ll treasure the chance I was given and do my best to keep this beautiful face on those shoulders¡­ Seriously, I should stop simping. Now to the meat and potatoes of things. The world I am in right now is a magical one but it has advanced to the Industrial/Colonial Era from what I can tell. As well as swords and magic, there are firearms, cannons, war ships, and even steam engines in their early phases, as well as some applications of electricity. As for my transmigration, it came after the first destruction route with the Crown Prince. Right now, my engagement was broken and the Royal Family decided to beat the dead dog and forcibly arrange a new engagement for me with a son of a Baron from a rural town. It was a disgraceful banishment as no one can retort to an engagement arranged by the Royal Family, not even my father. This is a problem that must be solved. From what I know, Vivian swallowed poison after meeting her new fiancee, who is an ugly swine of a man with no talent, right to inheritance, or even a reputation. Someone who is doomed to be demoted to a commoner once his father''s title is inherited. The Royal Family was officially wedding a pig to a swan just to avenge a commoner girl, who was told off by an angry fianc¨¦e. It is as if the world has lost its sense and the fianc¨¦e, who tried to protect her future marriage, became a bad person in comparison to someone who has middled between the future most important couple in the Kingdom. Even though I, as Nadia, played the game myself, I, as Vivian, am infuriated by the lack of sense in this whole ordeal, and now I, as their successor, have to deal with this. ? The Poison was fully detoxified ? ? The System is fully functional ? ? New Trait: [Common Mithridatism] ? ? New Quest: [Avoid the Forced Marriage] ? And there is this System thing. It is as mysterious as my transmigration but as it helped me expel the poison, so it is a welcome addition. "What can I do with you, System?" I guess it is time to face my fate then. ========== ? Menu ? ========== Hmmm! Now that I look at it, this system looks awfully similar to the one from the game. I remember the game being a Dating Sim RPG with a cute turn-based combat system. Sometimes, the Heroine would do quests, help people, practice holy magic, and hunt pesky mobs with her party of friends to advance further in the main quest. I am not sure how things happened in reality but I am the one with the Game System now. Let''s see, Profile... ==================== ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª < Traits > ==================== As expected, nothing different from the game and even the SP, the in-game currency. These traits, on the other hand, are interesting. Adept Diplomat and Scholar are straight out of the game and are mostly there because of Vivian''s refined attitude and education. But Common Mithridatism and are new. Next is the Quests... ==================== ? Quests ? ¡ª Time Limit: 10 Hours ¡ª Reward: SP (Depending on your Method) + Random Reward ¡ª Fail: System Termination ==================== I am glad to see the System is so worried to the point where it will kill itself if I fail. Also the reward is delicious but this Time Limit is quite demanding. ==================== ? Shop ? < Weapons - Apparels - (Consumable) - Gadgets - Miscellaneous > - [Common Antidote] 500 SP - [Common Panacea] 300 SP - [Common En.... ... .. . ==================== That''s just a big list! After skimming through it, I found mostly everything a girl needs from weapons to clothing to medicine to even books and food. Everything is appealing and all but all items are ¡°Common-Grade¡± and set as "Exclusive to Host". Putting all that aside. Now, what should I do regarding my issue? *knock knock knock* And the door knocks. "... Yes?" I reluctantly answered. "My lady, you have been hiding in your chambers for an hour now. The Master wants you down at once." This voice... the Head Maid. I guess it is time to face my fate then. 2: Till death do us part! House Moore, while not one of the ancient founding houses, still holds a rather significant status due to the fruitful business of the late family lords and lately thanks to the expansion in the New World, the Isle of Avalon. But even with the House Lord holding the title of a Count, many felt threatened by the rise of the Moores to be the sixth of the Five Great Noble families and most notably with Vivian''s engagement to Prince Liam. With the breakup of the engagement, the Royal Family seemed to be trying to break the pride of House Moore and not create another behemoth of a House to add to their trouble, that''s the reason why the Royal Court let the actions of Prince Liam pass. And now that Vivian was to marry that ugly piggy son of a Baron, House Moore will be shamed and its constant rising will face a setback. I don''t know if I could understand all that political whatnot as Nadia but the Adept Diplomat of Vivian is making some serious analysis in my head. Anyway, I am now sitting in line with my father, Lord Julian Moore, my stepmother, Saskia Moore, and my half brother Robert, facing the other side where the Baron, his son, and young Lord Edmond Black, the Prince''s right hand, were seated. Both my brother Robert and Edmond Black are "Capture Targets" from the game. Their current aim for this event is to make it proceed smoothly despite the clear agitation on my father''s face. My brother, on the other hand, is clearly not on my side, judging by the way he leads the conversation instead of my father. "So, Baron Hewes. How do you like the capital so far?" "It is as magnificent as ever, young lord Robert. I have come here many times before back in the days of the campaign." "To Avalon?" "No, to Sauran, the Southern Continent. I was young back in the day and worked as a lieutenant in the Black League." "Ah... I see." Robert looked at the man with approval then looked at me with satisfaction. On the other hand, father''s face darkened. To explain things, the Kingdom of Elgard is in the northern continent, Albion. Prior to the industrial revolution, the kingdoms of Albion went out to colonize the southern continent Sauran and the Eastern Continent Longdi. The Black League is an organization that plays the role of an international mercenary company operating in the colonies, but their real fame comes from capturing and trading slaves. In other words, this Baron is a slaver, a job even frowned upon even by commoners. However, Robert seemed pleased with the fact that they found me such a shameful pairing. Just what did the Game Devs think when they added such a nasty person as a capture target. In the game, he is someone charitable and likes to encourage people but in reality, he is an envious person and rotten to the core. I had to stay silent during the boring conversation between Robert and the Baron. I also took the chance to try out opening the System in plain sight and closing it again to confirm that no one can see it except me. With that confirmed, I started browsing the System''s Shop for anything in the range of the SP I have to help with this dilemma. To be honest, I may have strayed a little bit browsing the shop... old habits, I suppose. "Vivian, Vivian." All of a sudden, it was Robert calling for me. Everyone was looking at me for some reason. "Sorry... I dozed off." I said without thinking until inspiration came by itself, "Guess I got bored. What is it, little brother?" Observing Robert''s facial expression contort was a curious experience. It was evident that he harbored a strong aversion to being addressed as "Little Brother," and any attempt to diminish his importance or belittle him in general was met with evident displeasure. However, his displeasure soon turned into a smile and he spoke calmly. "We were saying you should show young lord Hewes around the Mansion while we discuss the matters of your engagement, dear sister." Robert said making sure that the word engagement comes out as clear as possible. "Is that so, dear little brother? You haven''t talked about the important matters yet? I apologize on behalf of my brother, my Lord. He is quite the talkative Little Boy when he gets too excited." I spoke directly to the old pig. "Ohoho! It is okay, Young Miss. We all are excited." The old pig replied. "Sister." Robert seemed to be trying to sound intimidating. "Can you¡­ please¡­ show young lord Hewes around while we discuss the important matters?" "Dear little brother, is it by any chance you are saying that someone in the age of young lord Hewes is not competent enough to attend such an important matter and let it be discussed by others?" The reaction around the room was priceless. The old Vivian wasn''t the kind to talk back too much and me talking just now caused a bit of a tense atmosphere already. "No." Robert was already glaring as he answered my question. "Silly little brother, I was just teasing you." Getting rid of me right now means Robert and Edmond can arrange everything with the Baron hastily without my father being able to complain about it. An engagement with the blessing of the Royal Family is a bit of a hurdle even for a Count to stop. "Vivian, my dear. Will you please do as your brother asked and tour the young lord around? Get a chance for conversation." At that moment, the old hag Saskia (aka. Stepmother) butted in. She is what you can call an eternal source of trouble and an inexhaustible cesspool of unrest. "Dear stepmother, if you say so." I then turned at the little pig and spoke while pointing around. "The front garden, the back garden, the stables, the gun range, the servants quarters, the greenhouse, the bathroom, the kitchen, aaaaaaand... the Door." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "... pft!" An excellent tour even if I say so myself. Good job, me. Even Edmond is barely holding it while covering his mouth. His shoulder movements exposed him though. "Sir Edmond." I decided to evade the mood and speak directly to Edmond. "Ehem¡­ Young Lady Moore." He replied. "It is Lady Moore now. I''m over 18. The only youngster in our house is Robert." "Oh! I see. And when did Lady Moore become 18?" "Three days ago." "Three days... Oh! That day?" Edmond seemed to have realized it too. The same very day of my destruction. "Indeed. However, long time no see. Even though Sir Edmond is His Highness''s assistant, we don''t get the chance to see you that much in the Academy." "Oh! You know how it goes being an assistant to His Highness. Ever since I graduated last year, I have been involved in a lot of duties while his highness studies in the Academy." Stolen story; please report. "Oh! How marvelous, my Lord! Diligent indeed. And how is Highness doing, by the by?" I wanted to bring up this subject for some time. Looking at the Baron''s reaction to the sight of a former fiancee mentioning her ex-fiance with such longing in front of the supposedly new one, it surely made him frown. Edmond, however, smiled. "His Highness is doing well in his studies. This morning, he accompanied Miss Matilda to the De Clare gallery and bought her a marvelous gemstone that just arrived from Avalon." Somehow, Edmond''s mentioning of the matter caused my heart to tighten. This former Vivian is still like that... tsk! I felt that my expressions betrayed me for a second there and the ones around took note of it but all for the good. I put on a smile once again and took a breather. "Well, it is good to know that His Highness is still energetic. Please, deliver my best to His Highness and remind him that the finals are just two weeks from today." I said. Edmond looked at me with a cold glare. The son of House Black is truly fitting for his role as the protector of the Crown Prince and Heir to the Great House Black, the House that protects the Kingdom from the darkness. "I will." He said and looked away. His tone was cold and it gave me shivers. A Graduate Knight such as him can surely make a powerless person like me feel so weak. "Ehem... If you may Lord Moore, we were saying that we would like to set a date for the engagement. Say¡­ can it be by next week?" Baron Hewes spoke to my father. "..." Father only looked at him without putting up any expressions but before he could reply, Robert butted in. "Sure. Next week sounds perfect." "That would be impossible." I said as it seemed I had to fend for myself, "I have my final exams in two weeks from now." My interference caused another pause in the conversation. "Dear sister, in such conversation, women should not speak unless spoken to." Robert said in a stern voice. "And neither do kids." "You..." "Enough!" And at long last, father spoke. No one dared to utter a word after that. The lord of the house has finally spoken, almost for the first time this evening, and he seemed displeased. "Vivian." Father spoke to me. "Yes, father." "Are you still going to attend the Academy?" He asked. "Indeed, father. A noble''s true power comes from their wits and knowledge. I have spent a decade sharpening those skills to perfection, not to quit in the last two weeks." I replied. "Alright. But are you aware of the situation you are in right now?" "I''m very aware of it. From now on and while participating in social life, I will be the very soul of caution." "I see." Father replied then he made the announcement, "The engagement can''t be before the exams." "But Father..." "Lord Julian..." "Silence." Robert and the Baron were about to retort but father was already giving them the glares. Nice assist, pops! "Then, the engagement will be held after the exams?" At that time, Edmond spoke. Can I just go poke his eyes? "Yes, Lord Julian. If it can''t be in a week from now then let''s make it right after those exams." The Baron spoke along with Edmond. "..." Father decided not to reply or give any comment. "It... It would be best to move on about the marriage date and..." Robert wanted to affirm the opinion on our side but I can''t let him do what he wants. "Sadly, we can''t discuss that now." I spoke. "And why is that?" Edmond himself took me on realizing that I would roast Robert or Baron Hewes if they spoke. "If you haven''t noticed, Sir Edmond of the Great House Black, it is almost midnight by now. By our Noble customs and traditions, guests can''t stay till midnight unless they are invited to. The matter regarding that engagement can wait until tomorrow''s afternoon." I said and continued, "Also¡­ Robert should be in bed before midnight, kids need to sleep well in order to grow healthy." I just couldn''t help it with that last part. Robert was about to retort but so I continued anyway. "And Father, don''t you have that super important meeting tomorrow morning?" Another assist here, pops. "Yes¡­ Ehem¡­ The Chamber of Commerce has an¡­ emergency meeting tomorrow." Father willingly assisted. Yep, we''re rocking it here father and daughter duo. As the ringleader of this meeting was cornered, Edmond was left with no options but to withdraw till tomorrow. "It is as Lord Julian says." And so he said and stood up. *** As everyone was up, Vivian finally decided to make the purchase spending all the 100 SP she has on a single item. "Lord Hewes, this way." Edmond led the Baron out followed by Robert and finally the Baron''s son. Surprisingly, the one on their tail was Vivian. "Young Lord Hewes, you forgot this." Personally, Vivian was handing something to the young pig. "Isn''t this yours?" She said with a fast wink only the young boy could see. Flustered, the boy took it anyway. "Thank you." It was nothing but a wrapped piece of candy that she obviously picked up from the coffee table and used her feminine charms to pass it to the sweaty awkward young man. The ones ahead and behind paused to observe the situation and frowned. However, as soon as the boy turned around, the angelic smile on Vivian''s face turned demonic, devilish, and diabolical. Just like that, the little pig left through the door. Outside the mansion and as soon as the four passed enough distance to the carriage, Edmond opened his hands to the Baron''s son. "Give it." The Baron''s son handed over the wrapped candy to Edmond feeling the coldness of his tone. Edmond looked at the candy and kept it in his pocket. "That is..." The Baron muttered. "Obviously poison. We told you not to take anything they offer and she noticed you eyeing the candy on the table earlier. She then disappeared for some time upstairs and returned with a poisoned one. Just don''t trust every pretty face you see." Edmond said and turned around to the carriage waiting for him. The Baron and his son felt the chills from what Edmond said. It was indeed true, a weak woman can only kill with her charms and her poison. Edmond, Robert, the Baron, and his Son all went inside the carriage and left for the tightly secured mansion that was prepared to protect Baron Hewes and his son from any assassins sent by the Moores. *** An hour has passed, I am back at my room¡­ waiting. Patiently waiting. ==================== ? Quests ? ¡ª Time Limit: 10 Hours (7 Remaining) ¡ª Reward: SP (Amount depends on your method) + Random Gift ¡ª Fail: System Termination ==================== Things are just too slow when you wait for it to happen. Should I go out there and deliver the killing blow myself or what? Hundreds of ideas roamed my mind. It is my first time killing after all... as Vivian, I mean... Nadia surely killed a lot. I would rather distract myself. Standing off the bed I was lying on, I found myself in front of my clothing room. Funny! Noble kids have rooms for their clothes too. Nadia only had a dresser and a lousy locker. I wasn''t really interested in what''s in there but all that I found were those dresses... ridiculously big gowns, bloody tight corsets, heavy bulky multi-layered clothes, stupidly uncomfortable shoes. Hell is real... I suppose. "System Shop, please tell me you have some comfy undergarments." ? Searching¡­ 14 Results Found! ? "Bless you, son. Bless you." Look at those things... I never thought the sight of a bra could make me so tearful. Hellish as it may feel after a work day, it is still far better than a corset. But I need System Points now, these things are not cheap. I also need something different than those dresses or whatever. They look great and fun to wear and all but I can''t move well in them. Maybe, the old Vivian was okay with them but now as Nadia added her memories about comfy clothing, I would say we can just burn this whole collection down and replace it with jeans and t-shirts. While thinking of what to wear and browsing the system shop for a new outfit, my eyes were averted to the ''Push Dagger'' I bought with the 100 SP. This bad boy appeared to me right before I went down and met the so-called guests. Choosing between it and the Karambit Knife was hard but I assessed the situation and judged that the Push Dagger will be more concealed. ? Push Dagger - Common Grade ? Push Daggers are shaped like a ''T'' as the horizontal section is grip and the vertical section a leaf-shaped thin blade. This weapon was designed for the sole purpose of stabbing people to death. Now imagine this bad boy stabbing through a tight waist belt and layers of muscles and fat that were numb from sitting around for some time. Thanks to the tight waist belt, no wounds can open until the belt is removed. ? Mission Complete! ? ? 590 SP have been awarded! ? ? Rare Grade item [Storage Bag] has been awarded! ? ? The Dormant Record [Assassin] has reawakened. ? ? New Trait: [Novice Assassin?] ? About bloody time. 3: Beyond Love and Hate 590 SP? Aren''t you a bit stingy? Stabbing the little piggy through his tight waist belt to not cause any bleeding or pain is a brilliant idea no matter how I think about it. I would give myself 1000 SPs. I know the game would give so many points for just any quest and I wouldn''t really know how much a killing reward was worth as there was no killing in the game. The Quests were mostly ''Hunt'', ''Help'' or ''Score'' quests and they were the main source of SP. The other source, of course, is the micro transactions by buying Magic Crystals with real money. From Nadia''s memories, Magic Crystals were the premium game currency but from Vivian''s, they are a source of Magic Energy used by the Knights, Mages, and Alchemists. "So if I bring Magic Crystals to the System, will I get more SP?" If that''s the case then it is indeed a good idea to acquire magic crystals. But that''s not all, in this world exists Magic and it is a miraculous power to destroy, manipulate, and even conjure illusions. Sadly, the Noble traditions state that women must carry no weapons and study no magic. The only weapons they carry are daggers and its purpose is to stab themselves in case they get assaulted to not bring shame to the family. The women who grow muscles as a result of training are considered unsightly and the women who practice magic are seen as witches. No one in this place argues with that logic but that doesn''t mean not all women undergo the same treatment. The ones born with peerless talents are accepted to train in combat and practice magic. An example of that is the heroine, Matilda, who practices Holy Arts; the second Villainess who practices Martial Arts; and the third Villainess who practices Dark Arts. Such practices have been divided to levels of mastery which are four levels, starting with Apprentice, Graduate (or Adept), Expert, and Master. And so for example, a 17 year old runt like my brother Robert is an Apprentice Knight, whereas a 19 years old genius like Edmond Black is a Graduate Knight. The training methods are secret in each Noble household. Nobles become Nobles because of their talents in Magic throughout history and vice versa for commoners. Mostly, the major factor that manifests the Magic talent has to do much with genes. Now, I have one goal and it is to ¡°Avoid Destruction¡±. No matter what, the old Vivian¡¯s grudges are now mine and the ones after her happy ending are the ones after me. Also, the game is not over with the main route villainess destruction. For that, I must secure a survival method to keep this pretty head on those pretty shoulders. The System doesn''t appear to be forcing me to do combat but it has recorded my trait as an Assassin. With its unique functions, I will have a good edge at embedding my old skills in this body. I am not sure where to start but in the memories of the old Vivian, Knights would do physical training to the point where they can no longer stand, while the Mages train in secrecy, study the laws of the natural world, and refine their spells nonstop. It is all still mysterious to me but if I search the family''s library, I''m sure I''ll find some books around the topic. While I was figuring out my dilemma, a voice called for me from outside my room. "My Lady." A maid called. "What is it?" "The Master is inviting you to the Study, my Lady." ¡°I understand, you¡¯re dismissed." It seems that I am being summoned at last. I was waiting for pops to call me ever since it all ended. Fixing my appearance hastily, I took the way down to the study and knocked on the door to be allowed in. "Father." "Come, Vivian. Sit." He said pointing at the chair in front of his desk. In the study, the lofty seven-meter ceiling was adorned with elaborate decor, and books and bookshelves elegantly filled every nook. In the center of this lavish room, Father''s desk, a small and unassuming piece, took its place. Beside it, a petite tower of books stood sentinel, while on the desktop itself, an expansive ledger lay open alongside an array of exquisite writing tools that spoke of refinement and scholarly pursuits. My father himself is an interesting man. Nadia''s only father figure was her Mentor? and the old Vivian was stiff around her father for some old family secrets but in my opinion, I see him as a very interesting individual and potentially a valuable ally. As for the fact that I, despite being only half Vivian, accept myself easily as his daughter, it is because Nadia didn''t know her real father and Vivian was obsessed with her family and deeply respected her calculative and meticulous father. His appearance reflected his value of interest. His age should be around 45 but he looked like he was in his early mid 30s. Black hair, violet eyes, a van dyke goatee, and a well-built body. Sitting in front of him and facing his gaze gave a lot of pressure. He kept looking at me and I found no response but to stare back at him briefly until he decided to put down his glasses. "How are you faring so far?" He asked. "I am fine, father. I hope you are doing well too and thank you for asking." Boy, I feel like a robot! He rested his back to the chair and narrowed his eyes. "What has changed?" He asked. "A lot." I gave a vague answer to his vague question. "Is that so? I have to admit I almost thought you had given up. It reminded me of¡­ nothing¡­ I am glad you look well again." He said. He seemed to be trying to convey something that I failed to understand. "Thank you, father. But you thought I had given up?" I asked. His gaze became suddenly disturbed. "I mean the look on your face those past three days, you barely ate anything or left your room." "Oh, I see... It was nothing serious." I said as I remembered how the old Vivian felt these past three days. The sorrow and the shame that led to suicide. The humiliation, the insults, the look in their eyes. I know I am only half Vivian but the sorrow she felt made the other half of Nadia burn with anger. How could he do that to her? This is beyond what a simple game is, beyond forgiveness, beyond love and hate. It is a matter of pride and dignity. Crushing my¡­ crushing Vivan''s pride like that... No, it is my pride too. I inherited all she is, past and future. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I won''t forgive that Prince or his entourage. No matter what, revenge is the best medicine and I intend to take it. "... Vivian." "Father? Sorry, I spaced out." "Are you sure you''re okay?" "I¡­ may be a bit mentally exhausted but I''ll manage after a good night''s rest." "We can talk tomorrow if you are tired." "I think if it is something important, we should talk while we have time, father." I said, trying to get to him as his daughter before somebody else poisons his ears. "Very well." Father stood up and faced the window behind him. "Seeing you silent the past three days was heavy on me. If the Royal Family has given a blessing on such a disgraceful wedding, there is very little I can do if you don''t talk your mind first. I didn''t talk today so no word can be held against us." He said and continued. "As the Prince wants to humiliate us and your younger brother is being led like a dog, it is making the situation worse. After seeing you talk back to them today, I realized that there is still a chance." "A chance?" I questioned what he meant. "Do you think a mere Crown Prince can act as wild as he wants without backing? He just lost the support of our house. He can''t take you as a bargaining chip against me anymore and as long as you don''t play the tragic girl and talk the talk like you did today, then I can imagine ourselves getting rid of that disgraceful engagement soon." He said. "I am beginning to understand that you can take action as long as I retort at the wedding..." "You are right." "... But what do you mean by a bargaining chip?" I asked. Father turned and pointed at the world map hanging on the wall. "As you know, our Country has massive colonies all across the old world from the Niban Peninsula in the Longdi Continent in the east all the way to the Black Sahara in Sauran Continent in the south. Right now, there is a new world in the continent of Avalon, that large island to the West, filled to the brim with mystery and hidden wealth." "The Empire on which the sun never sets." I said. "A beautiful way to put it. Indeed, our Great Elgard is such an Empire. Now, where were we? Yes, the Kingdom has a massive colony there and our House has funded the expedition to the New World giving us a share of 35% of the Colonies, if not more." He said. "So¡­" "In the New World in the territory of Elgard, House Moore is the second most powerful force after the Crown. Do you understand your situation now?" He asked. Honestly, I was speechless and fell silent looking at the map. There are many things to take note of here. Elgard is in the west of the northern continent, Albion, and the nearest country to Avalon, a continent the size of my past world''s Australia. It was only discovered 15 years ago. From the old Vivan''s memories, I know I got engaged to Prince Liam so that the Kingdom rope House Moore closer but we grew too fast and too powerful. The Kingdom is now threatened and they didn''t know how to use me, who was going to be a future Queen, so they let Prince Liam destroy me instead to shame the family and lower its standing. Add Nadia''s memories to that, things started to go messy. As I know, the Game Events are not over by destroying the Main Route Villainess, the Heroine can still interact with the other six targets as secret affairs. Yes, she gets to make a Reverse Harem out of the Kingdom''s most powerful seven young men, who are the future ringleaders of an entire Empire. The Route that concerns House Moore the most is Robert''s Route. During the Prince''s Route, where Vivian and the Heroine clash, Vivian''s father interferes in one scene and offers the Heroine money if she stops getting between his Daughter and the Prince. Of course he is portrayed as the father of the Villainess who is also a Villain. After Vivian''s death, Robert will face the wrath of his father and gets kicked out of the mansion. The Heroine, the Prince, and their entourage move against Lord Julian Moore who ¡°fell to evil¡± and excommunicate him from the Noble Society then exile him from the country by a royal decree. A lot of Drama happens along Robert''s Route but in the end, he ends as the Lord of House Moore succeeding his father. To round things up, if they can''t use me as a bargaining chip, they are going directly after my father. If anything happens to my father, I am a goner as well. Hell, they may try to kill me to push my father into a tight situation. In a way, this perspective is more annoying and complicated than before. "What''s with the dangerous face?" Father asked. "... No, nothing. Just an idea crossed my mind." "Share it." "Do I really have to?" Father looked at me with eyes trying to see through me. "The reason I called you in my office today is to see if you are a chick or a hawk. I want to know whether I can rely on you from now on and that you won¡¯t bring shame to our family, or will you cower in your room mourning your first setback. Tell me, what can I expect from you?" He asked. I stood up in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "You can expect me to smile at them while they grind their teeth, you can expect me to shoot them not afraid of their bullets, you can expect me to sabotage each and every plan they hatch and turn it on them. You can expect a Hawk, Father." The Hawk, the symbol of House Moore, is a flying hawk carrying a sword and a musket. A Symbol of Pride and Power. Funny thing is... Nadia''s codename was Nighthawk. "Good! Well said. I was used to the prideful look in your eyes before the break up of your engagement but seeing you broken was a bit of a disappointment. Now this fire in your eyes is giving you a better appearance than before." He said and patted my shoulders, "Now, what was that on your mind?" "Very well... I was thinking that those who we are up against may go as far as targeting you." I said. "If that''s all, then there is nothing to say here." Father brushed it off and turned around. "What I was saying is that they will target you through me, father." I said it. At that moment, he paused. "Go on." He said. "If I am not usable as a bargaining chip, that doesn''t mean I am not a weakness to you. Tell me, dear Father. What would you do if I died to their schemes?" Maybe I got too comfortable with him and forgot how a Knight can be scary. His change of mood made the place cold in an instant and his eyes turned scary. It was all for a second before he got a hold of himself again. I was right, I am his weakness and he will slip up if something happens to me. "See what I meant... Father?" "I- I see..." He thought for a while before speaking again, "I will be pulling back that Knight of the Price family, your friend¡­ What''s his name?" My mind blanked out for a second, not sure why but the name appeared in a flash. "Logan?" I muttered. "Right, Knight Logan. I''ll pull him from where he is stationed and assign him to your protection." My head went numb, blacked out, and rebooted all in a few seconds. Logan... Why now? This is not what I was planning for¡­ frankly speaking, Logan was not in any plan. It doesn¡¯t mean he is not a welcome addition but¡­ Logan¡­ of all people. But my plans¡­ "Thank you very deeply, Father¡­ but I have a request regarding my security thing." I said. "Speak." "I was really hoping to get a handgun." "No! Too dangerous. Logan will be an excellent protection rather than a firearm." "Father, I understand but I''ll prefer to have Knight Logan as well as a handgun¡­ and a Knight Training Manual too." "V... Vivian, what are you saying?" Father seemed displeased with my request. "Father, you know very well who we are up against right now. Even though Knight Logan is an excellent Knight, he is just one Knight. If someone was able to distract Logan, I will be done for. Knights and Mages always say that Guns are the weapons of the weak and I am well aware of my weaknesses. A new model gun will be less dangerous and smaller than a usual model while the Knight Manual is for me to gain some power in my grip to handle a gun and enough speed to escape from danger, right?" "But..." Father wanted to retort. "Don''t worry father, I won''t grow into some manish muscle woman. I may as well lose weight in the process." I reassured him from whatever he was thinking. "Okay, okay. I get it!" He said and picked a small book from his desk''s drawer. "Here, copy the first chapter about agility and return it. Don''t you think of training any unnecessary things." "Of course, Father." I smiled while pulling the manual away from my father. Sorry, pops. I lied. I¡¯ll train the s**t out of that manual. I¡¯ll be Margie Marvelous if I can¡­ maybe not that much but I''ll train every necessary thing there is to train. "You can find Mr. Harry, our gunsmith, in the gun range tomorrow morning. Ask him for a suitable gun." "Thank you... daddy." "Girl! Ehem... Don''t say that in public, okay? Just between us." "Understood, daddy." With that, I secured my first and most important ally in the world. The road to regaining my social image with him will be smooth and easy. "You may go no..." "VIVIAAAAAAAN!" As my father was dismissing me, a certain voice came rushing in the mansion. I was wondering what took the little bastard so long! "Robert, wait! She is meeting with your father!" And my stepmother seemed to be trying to hold his reins. "With father? Those two!" Robert seemed frustrated as his footsteps sounded nearing the study. Father and I looked at each other and I decided to stand aside for now. Robert stormed in the study without knocking with blood shot eyes. "You! You have done it. How could you?" 4: Prince Liam The First Royal Academy The First Royal Academy of Elgard is a worldwide famed school that graduates the best Knights, Sorcerers, and Leaders of the high society. A place that requires not just influence but also talent, hard work, and a great deal of luck. Even a prince can''t advance in this school with some mediocre performance. That''s why none of the students there can be seen as incompetent in any way. Aristocratic children are homeschooled about the world and society for the first 16 years of their lives before applying to the Academy. The Academy teaches them the best knowledge possible for 3 years before sending them off as the new generation of leaders in Elgard at the age of 18. The subjects that the Academy teaches are many but the most important ones are Magic, Warfare, Alchemy, and Diplomacy. One must at least specialize in one of these four majors. Diplomacy is the busiest followed by Warfare, Magic, then Alchemy. Other classes serve around those four like the Martial Arts class which is very popular, History, Literature, Religion, Mathematics, Engineering, Technology, Music, Astronomy, and many more. This school of elites was a place of knowledge and a castle of youth under the leadership of the two representatives from each year. This year, it is Prince Liam and the other five elites. Three days ago, this Academy witnessed a confrontation that was the first of its kind when those elites, adding a seventh former student to them, confronted one of the top female students of the school, Vivian Moore. A disgraceful scene happened when a noble was forced to kneel down under the rough hand of a junior knight to a commoner. She didn''t bat an eyelid but kept a strong glare at the ringleader of the scene, Prince Liam, her fiance no longer. The air in the academy dorms was freezing. Now that the top nobles are at odds, things may turn ugly on all fronts if they were to escalate badly. Some felt it was strange judging by how Vivian Moore was treated so harshly and some thought it was alright as the third-year Vivian was clearly bullying the first-year Matilda and causing her trouble. Social status is important and all but under the judgment of the royal family, all necks are equal. No matter what''s right and what''s wrong, Vivian Moore is now at the short end of the stick. She was deemed guilty without trial and got her engagement broken only two weeks before the first day of the final exams. Some rumors went as far as saying that the Crown Prince had arranged a disgraceful engagement for her to a baron house from a rural countryside. However, the tides of the outside world rarely affected the inside of the academy at this time of year as the finals drew nearer. In a certain individual building beside the academy''s main building known as The Students Assembly, the top room was lit and two young men sat calmly inside staring at their books. The first was a silver-haired man with green eyes who undid his suit a bit loosely around the neck and discarded his necktie. His appearance gave off elegance and calmness despite his carefreeness while reading from his book, this young man was Prince Liam Harland of Elgard. The other man was a strong-built one with short hair and firm eyes, this young man was Richard Marshall, son of the knights'' commander. "Isn''t he here yet?" Prince Liam asked. "Edmond? I guess not, your Highness. He must have slept on his way back or something. So much for being diligent..." "Don''t be so stern with him, Richard. They were calling you the gentleman knight last I heard." The Prince replied lazily. "I''m trying my best to keep it at that, your Highness." "Well, I''m relying on Robert to keep Edmond from dozing off on the way back." "If that''s... I guess they are here, your Highness." As Richard said so, the door to the students assembly head office was opened for Edmond and Robert to come in. "What''s the news?" Richard asked. Edmond fully ignored him and headed to the nearest sofa spreading his body on it and falling asleep. "Hey!" Richard was almost triggered by that but Prince Liam stopped him. "Robert, how did it go?" Prince Liam asked. "We have faced some complications, your Highness." Robert said. "Elaborate." "It seems my father and sister are wishing for a pitiful last stand. My sister came down and spoke in a vulgar tone to us and the Baron then dragged the argument to midnight until we were sent off on the promise of continuing the next morning." Robert briefed. "Vivian spoke vulgarly?" Prince Liam was somehow finding it strange. "She roasted him¡­ through and through." The supposedly sleeping Edmond explained while lying down and closing his eyes. "Anyway, your Highness can rest assured that everything will be done by tomorrow. They won''t find a leeway." Robert covered up for the roasting story. "How was Lord Julian¡¯s reaction?" The Prince asked. "He kept silent unless it came to agreeing with Vivian." "I see. He doesn''t want any word he says to be held against him. That''s expected. Anything else interesting?" This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Eh... I think that was all." Robert said. "Vivian is going to attend the finals." Edmond said while sleeping. "Oh! She said that." Robert remembered. Prince Liam opened his eyes wide. "Attending the finals, is it? Well, that''s indeed interesting. Looks like we haven''t seen the last of Vivian." The Prince said and returned to his book while muttering, "Attending the finals, eh? Will see about that." Richard waved for Robert to end the report here and go for his business. The three young men; Prince Liam, Richard, and Robert returned to their studies while Edmond kept sleeping on the sofa without bothering or being bothered. Those were four of the "capture targets" from the game, the other three are also students at the academy but in the days before the finals, everyone has his favorite spot to study. Edmond Black, despite being no longer a student, would always hang around the Prince as his assistant and shadow. Known to be the youngest Graduate Knight, Edmond had a peculiar personality of being diligent and lazy at the same time. He may look sleeping right now, which is true, but his senses are heightened all the time. However, his mind was still concerned about Vivian''s matter, something was still not assuring him. At first, when he arrived with Baron Hewes and his son at the Moore mansion, the atmosphere around Vivian was heavy and her eyes looked devoid of their color. Yet for an hour she would disappear and return brighter than before, ready to pick a fight. It felt somewhat twisted even for his taste. He even thought she might have taken her own life when she disappeared for that long time. "That''s strange... you are not asleep yet." The Prince spoke. Edmond sat up on his sofa and looked at the prince. "I feel like... someone is coming." Edmond was about to say something but he turned to the door. By the next second, hurried footsteps were heard behind the door and someone started knocking on it. Edmond stood up and opened the door for one of his family''s agents to appear. "Report." Edmond felt that his gut feeling was right and something was not going as planned. The agent approached Edmond and whispered to him. Edmond''s face hardened as he kept listening then sent the agent away. "Edmond, what is it?" Richard asked. "... I''m afraid either we overestimated ourselves or underestimated Count Julian." Edmond said and turned to the Prince, "The Baron''s son was assassinated." Everyone was silent with visible shock on their faces. It was expected that Count Julian Moore would make a move but they were ready... or were supposed to be ready. "How?" The Prince asked. "Stabbed." "Where?" "In the safe house." "That''s..." Assassinating the Baron or his son was possible through poison or an accident but inside the safe house of all places! That place was a mini fortress! Forcing the way in is practically impossible let alone sneaking unnoticed. "The Assassin?" "Nowhere to be found." "The weapon?" "Nothing was left behind." "The exact location?" "Inside the Baron''s son''s quarters. Very secure. The agents heard nothing." "A traitor?" "Impossible. These are all agents from the main house. If our agents were compromised then the whole anti-espionage system in our country is compromised." The four young men looked grim. "Take us there." *** A dead body, a single stab to the back, death by excessive bleeding, the room was locked from the inside, no sign of entry or struggle, no sound was heard, the victim died while changing clothes, no traces of Magic used during the last twelve hours. Three probabilities. A suicide and the weapon used has magically vanished, a traitor among the agents of House Black, or an assassin that can walk through walls. Unimaginable, unthinkable, and impossible. The prime suspects? The wealthiest man in the Kingdom and his Daughter. The evidence? None. "It is safe to assume that it was an assassin. Then again, it is not safe at all.... the irony!" Said the Prince who was watching the corpse of the boy. Edmond kept looking around hoping to find a single clue, while Richard was moving around with a fork-like device. "No signal of any magic being used here indeed. With all due respect, your Highness, I think the safest choice is a traitor." Richard said his opinion. "That''s not a pleasant thing to think about, Richard, and the Agents here are all trustworthy. They even presented themselves for inspection once we arrived." The Prince lazily said, "Also, it would be very boring if it was a traitor. An unknown assassin that can walk through walls... now that''s something." Richard shook his head wryly with a sigh. The Prince''s bad habit of looking for the hard answers was as annoying as ever but little they could do about it. A moment later, a fourth young man entered the room. "I''ve spoken to the Baron, your Highness. The man is devastated by the loss of his son." Robert said. "Naturally." The Prince replied without much interest. "Your Highness, I suspect that my father and my sister are behind this." Robert said. "Your evidence?" "Who else would want the Baron''s son dead?" "Your hard evidence?" "... Nothing, your Highness. Just a hunch. I apologize." Robert retreated then remembered something, "Right, my sister tried to pass some poisoned candy to the Baron''s son. It can be used against them." The Prince raised his head with a blank expression. "Really?" Edmond put his hand in his pocket and retrieved the wrapped candy. "Vivian Moore tried to pass this to the boy with her... feminine charms." Edmond said. "Pfft! Seriously?" The Prince stood up and picked up the candy. "I never thought she would use her feminine charms for¡­ anything honestly." The Prince seemed highly interested in the case even more now. "Your Highness, if we confronted her with that..." Robert said. "With a wrapped candy? She will make fools out of us. The evidence was in our possession and we can''t convict her with something she can turn against us. Don''t bother." The Prince tossed the wrapped candy to Robert. "Let me at least try, your Highness. I will corner her and make her admit it." Robert said. "Do what you see fit at your own risk." Said the prince while turning around. A grin appeared on Robert''s face as withdrew from the safe house. "You will let that kid screw around, you Highness?" Asked Edmond. The Prince looked solemn for a second before nodding. "Let him go. The waters in House Moore may look calm for the time being. We can just give it a poke and see how the ripple moves. Keep a close watch on House Moore." The Prince said. "I will send an agent." Edmond nodded. A smile appeared on Prince Liam''s face. Sure as hell things should get more fun. "Just when did House Moore get such an interesting assassin?" He said while looking around and smiling uncontrollably. 5: Angelically Beautiful "You! You have done it. How could you?" Whoa there! What''s up with this Mr. Shit for Brain over here pointing fingers at me? "What is it, Robert?" Father said with an annoyed face. "Robert, don''t go in... Oh, no. I am sorry, I tried to stop him." Saskia appeared too. Now the whole circus is present. "What is wrong, little brother? Why aren''t you in bed this late?" I asked. "Don''t say ''little brother'', you wretched person! I know what you have done. Admit it at once!" Robert said with absolute anger. "Robert! No..." Stepmother acted concerned. "Robert! Behave yourself at once." Father was genuinely angry now. "... Father, please listen. This wretched daughter of our house has caused a mishap this night and I have evidence." Robert said as he put a piece of wrapped candy on Father''s desk. "Oh! How nice of you, brother, bringing candy to us. Sadly, little boys shouldn''t eat candy at night or candy will eat their teeth, it will give them a toothache, ouch ouch." I said an embarrassing thing I saw on a children''s program while acting all cute. "SHUT UP!" Robert lost to his anger and pushed me away. I wasn''t sure how such a kid possessed such power but I was launched from my place and crashed into the bookshelf behind me. It was painful but nothing serious. "YOU BASTARD!" Father roared at Robert and a thick book flew from his desk right to Robert''s face. The scene was comical from every angle as Robert flew with the book through the door. "No! Stop! Don''t hit him!" Stepmother kept screaming and ran to protect Robert. "Saskia, step aside." Father spoke coldly to her as he marched against them. "No, please wait!" She desperately tried to protect Robert but I had to end it here. "Father, it''s alright. I am not hurt." I stepped beside Father even though it was painful as hell and clung to him. Hurting Robert will be the first step in Father''s destruction. In the game, Robert runs to the Academy after being beaten by Father and the Heroine steps up for him with a series of accusations about the things Robert has on Father. "I''ll teach that ungrateful son how to act in front of me." Father was hell-bent on teaching Robert a lesson. "Now is not the right time, Father. Trust me." I whispered to him and he somehow listened. He kept glaring at Robert who averted his eyes from Father''s. Once Father looked away and returned to his seat, I was the one receiving Robert''s and Saskia''s glares. Good grief! This house is messed up. At least my father is my only Ally. I calmly collected the heavy book Father threw at Robert and returned it to the desk. It was titled "500 Tactics for Crushing Your Enemies". I guess they are 501 now¡­ if you catch my drift. "So, little brother. What is the horrible deed I committed this time? Did I perhaps bully another pretty maiden?" I asked Robert who was being helped up by his mother. His face looked swollen but his eyes were still glaring. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "You have given this poisoned candy to the Baron''s son." He said while pointing at me. "I did?" I tilted my head innocently. "This insolence..." Father slapped the desk once again. Robert and Saskia flenched, she tried to hold Robert back but his ego was driving him now. "Yes, you did. But when your plan to poison him failed, you sent an Assassin to finish the job for you." "An Assassin?!" Father became more grumpy now. Simply accusing me of sending an assassin is unthinkable, a little lady can''t send an assassin but a Lord can. Robert was accusing our father by accusing me as he didn''t dare to direct such charges to Father. "That''s right. An assassin broke into the Baron''s residence, killed the Baron''s son, and vanished." Robert said. ""What?"" Father and I were shocked. I was acting, of course. We both became silent for a while until Robert rudely interrupted. "There is no point in denying it. His Highness has inspected the scene himself and will pass judgment on you." Robert said. This idiot is still trying to scare me. "To be honest, little brother. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Poison Candy, Assassins, Evil Schemes... I enjoy a good murder mystery as much as the next young lady but that is too far-fetched. First of all, I was merely bullying the poor little piggy when I gave him candy, I am no killer. And as a sign of good faith, here goes nothing." I took the piece of candy, unwrapped it, and ate it in one go. "Vivian, wait!" Father tried to stop me but it was too late. "If there is poison in this then¡­ it is intoxicatingly delicious!" I said while keeping an eye on my Common Mithridatism at the System''s Profile. Thankfully, nothing happened. I made a confident face looking down on Robert. "And you said it yourself, little brother, the Assassin vanished from the scene. I doubt that such a capable assassin will leave a trace behind in whatever bunker His Highness kept Baron Hewes and his son in. Now, what makes you think that His Highness will even think of confronting me?" I said. "Hmph! Who else other than you would want him dead?" Robert retorted. "Is that so? I can think of a million people who would want him dead just off the top of my head." I said with extreme arrogance. "How so?" "Simple! As my little brother, I am pretty much offended that you haven''t figured that one out on your own." "Just say it." "Fufufu! Little brother, you disappoint me. Don''t you see, little brother? I, your Big Sister, am angelically beautiful." I said while shaking my long black hair. ""Huh?"" Even Saskia was having trouble understanding my point. Father, on the other hand, scratched his chin and then made an understanding nod. "If not for being engaged to His Highness in the past, Vivian''s suitors would have blocked out the mansion''s gate on every social occasion." Father said. Robert and Saskia made funny faces hearing the assist from Pops. "True. Also, what Father doesn''t know is how many knights have approached me lately willing to swear loyalty to me. Also, many Young Lords in the Academy took the chance to ask me for a dance in the past Winter Festival when Prince Liam accompanied the commoner girl instead of me." "Her name is Lady Matilda." "Whatever. The point is, little brother, how many young lords from these big families would be willing to take down an opponent like the little piggy? Simply all of them. It was just surprising how fast and skillful it happened." I said my piece and stood beside my father. "Indeed. Vivian is right¡­ You, get out of my sight at once." Father agreed with me and then kicked out Robert. I could see the envious look in Robert''s eyes. Me standing beside my father like that was something only one person could do before. Robert never got Father''s recognition despite being the most likely heir at the moment. However, Father clearly showed me his favor. I doubt Saskia or Robert will stand still and keep that going on. Robert left the room and his mother followed him. Father then let out a tired sigh and looked at me. "I''m only giving you enough backing in what you can''t face alone." "Thank you, Father." "I wanted to ask you something." "Yes." "Now that you are no longer going to be Princess Consort, what are your plans for the future?" He asked. Frankly speaking, I am concerned about that too. Neither I as Nadia nor I as Vivian had any knowledge on how to proceed in a Professional Life from now on. Still, I have a System and some otherworldly futuristic knowledge I can exploit, add the industrial era to the mix, and things may actually turn interesting in any professional field I pick. There is even a new continent that is fully undiscovered yet. The chances are everywhere. "I am still sorting many things out, Father. For a starter, I may be able to help in the Family Business or I may find my own way. I am still under the pressure of the situation at hand but I''ll make my head by the coming Spring Festival." "Good, I''ll wait for your answer. Go now." "Yes, Father." I walked out of the study and closed the door behind me. Today was a victory for Team Vivian. Barely 6 hours after transmigration and I am making this my bitch. ? New Quest: [Survive] ? Now that''s just some bad shit! 6: Good Morning, Princess The first night after transmigration, I slept like a baby. Tired? Yes, I was too tired to the point that I fainted once I rested on the bed in that suffocating dress. Waking up like that, my body was all stiff from the way I slept. "I really need some comfy oversized t-shirt to crash in." I spat out a sigh while regaining the memories of yesterday. I was still frustrated and that was mostly due to this. ==================== ? Quests ? ==================== It was just telling me to survive. The hell am I supposed to do? No time limit, no hint, no rewards, no penalty. Anyway, my worry wouldn''t solve it so I had to just go on and put it aside for now to focus on today, the second day since me as Nadia became me as Vivian. Hella confusing! But for all it''s worth, the sun was shining, and the birds were chirping¡­ then pooped at the window and flew away. "Perfect! Where was I?" Right! A new day and literally a new me. I should collect the Handgun I want from the family''s Gunsmith, go through the Knights Training Manual father gave me, prepare for the exams in two weeks, decide what career I will take after graduation, prepare some fancy dress for the Academy''s Spring Festival the fourth day of the finals where the grades will be revealed, and then I must survive a Heroine, a Prince, a Brother, a Friend, and a secret Hidden Destruction Route I idiotically avoided reading its spoilers. A completely normal day for a normal high-class lady. No stress whatsoever! Now, let''s just get rid of this dress and go into something comfy. "System Shop. Lady clothes, one set, a T-shirt, some shorts, underwear, you know the drill¡­ maybe no underwear¡­ I don''t know." ? Results Found! ? "Shoot! Fine, let''s see¡­ this, this and this." ==================== ? Shop ? ¡ª Plain Grey Cotton T-shirt ¡ª Plain Grey Cotton Shorts ¡­ .. . ==================== Good, 180 SP from my 590, this lady knows how to spend. I was about to purchase it but saw an option called "Customization". Curiously tabbing on it opened a bigger window where it showed the item I have and along with customization options. ==================== ? Customization ? ¡ª Style: ¡­ ¡ª Pattern: <1> <2> <3> <4> <5>¡­ ¡ª Base Color: ¡­ ¡ª Second Color: ¡­ ¡ª Print: ¡ª Armor: ¡ª Enchantment: ==================== Well, that is¡­ actually pretty awesome. I can do just about anything here. This is really something! I transformed the gray T-shirt into some green-looking thing with a chess pattern then returned it back to its default gray color when I realized that Customizing ups the price. A lady must know how to spend. Plain or whatever, I''ll go with what I have until we get super rich on SP. As I started changing, I painfully managed to slip out of that dress though I must admit that I had to use the push dagger to cut some straps in the back. After acquiring this much-needed freedom, I was in awe of Vivian''s body. Color me impressed but that skin is insanely smooth. Every part was even very well-toned. I suddenly felt envy in my heart¡­ and that''s my body. Well, Nadia was surely less fortunate regarding that but I am somehow used to this body. Thankfully, even the system picked my sizes right. "Ah! What a bliss!" I exclaimed after slipping into these oversized clothes. What''s next? Let''s see¡­ the Knight Training Manual. As I held it and opened the first chapter, I read some words about some Martial beliefs and discipline... Yup, I''m on board¡­ "The Heart of a Knight must be righteous" and whatnot¡­ maybe I''m not that knightish¡­ "Women should refrain from training the noble art of knighthood" ¡­¡­ Eat shit, asshole! Who wrote that dumb shit? Roland Moore! Whoops! Sorry, grandpa! Love you. Now to the meat and potatoes of things. The book says that the theory about Aura Knights is harnessing the magic power to refine the body through intense pain and exposure to the elements. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Pain and Exposure?! What kind of perv were you, Grandpa? Then again, isn''t this just some normal gymnastics combined with Magical Philosophy? So the Knights train their body normally to the point of intense pain and then the Magic Power of the Elements enters their body and enhances it similar to the way metal is forged, one must put the metal in the heat of an oven and then refine it to the best form and volume. The Knights Manual in my hand is just like that but some training sketches show extreme kinds of training like carrying rocks and shattering trees. The more refined the training technique, the more benefit returns to the body of the knight. Kinda cool actually! "Okay, I''ll learn it alongside the training regime I know from the organization and add in some protein-based diet." ? Would you like to register the "Moore Knights Training" in the System? ? ? Would you like to restore the record "Medjay Special Regime" from the "Dormant Records" and register it in the System? ? "... You can do that, Sir System? I''m not sure if I am going to regret this or not but yeah¡­ Do it." ? Registration Complete! ? ? Similar Data Values Detected! ? ? Overwriting! ? "Wait! What are you overwriting? Stop right here, you dumb computer! I am the human here! ¡­ This broken thing¡­ That''s why I was afraid." ? Process Complete! By combining the Moore Aura Manual (Uncommon) with the Medjay Special Regime methods that were refined by years of constant scientific research, a new Training Regime was created. ? ? "Medjay Aura Regime (Rare)" was registered! ? ? New Quest: [Training] ? Woah there! What have I done now? ==================== ? Quests ?
  • [Survive]
  • [Training (Novice)]
¡ª Time: Daily Quest ¡ª Reward: Bonus SP + Panacea ¡ª Fail: Deducting SP ==================== Rare? Daily Quest? Bonus SP? Free Panacea? Deducting SP? I am so lost right now. But the Medjay Aura you say? Now I feel like I have put myself in another troublesome situation. The System generously offered me a brief description of the training manual it came up with and I skimmed through it fast. The important information was easy to get in my head anyway thanks to the Adept Scholar trait and I''ve got to admit, the things given by the System are super legit. Anyway, I am fulfilled for the time being. I''ll return the book to Father and tell him that I am training in agility now. Must not tell him that the family training manual in my hands has turned from Uncommon to Rare. Looking at my bed, I saw that "Storage Purse" I got yesterday. It is basically a palm-sized satchel that can be combined with a leather belt. ==================== [Storage Purse] ¡ª Capacity: 4 square meters ¡ª Weight Reduction: 10:1 ¡ª Bound to User ==================== This thing is a marvel. Noble houses have storage items like that but nothing this amazing as far as I am aware. Also, it is bound to me like everything else that comes from the System, meaning I can''t lose it and it can''t be stolen or used by anyone else. Inside the bag, there was only the Push Dagger. Retrieving it was quite easy and felt like doing magic. Well¡­ it is actually Magic. Part of me is still excited about Magic which Nadia never knew, while Vivian was kinda scared of being called a Witch¡­ This identity crisis of mine needs a lot of work apparently, especially when figuring out the wants and the wants not. Now, let''s stop dallying and get to work. Breakfast is a must. After walking to the door of my room and opening it wide, my whole being was suddenly stunned and a stupid look appeared on my dumb yet outstandingly beautiful face. In front of me was a man who raised his hands about to knock at my door. This man was tall with wavy hair and a light beard, steel-colored eyed, chiseled chin, dangerously staring, and seeing me in shorts and t-shirt. "..." "..." *Slam* And I slammed the door right away. Okay, calm down. He didn''t see anything. Everything is going to be alri¡­ WHATTHEFUCK! This was dangerous. Do not panic! Do not panic! You are a big girl! No! I''m panicking. "System Shop! Something long and modest with full sleeves right now! Make sure the skirt covers my ankles. ? Price: 100 SP ? "You thief¡­ dammit! Fine." The long skirt appeared before me and I hopped in it. Safe! Now, he must have seen only a blur. I moved fast. I am a nimble girl. He''ll think it is nothing. Good! And I opened the door again only to see Mister Dangerous but Handsome on the other side of the hallway making a serious face the moment he saw me. NO! He clearly saw everything! "Excuse me¡­ Lady Vivian." He spoke to me with an awkward tone. Somehow, his voice was soothing and I recognized it. "L¡­ Logan?" "Ehem¡­ Graduate Knight Logan, in service of Lady Vivian." He bowed while saying. Logan¡­ my friend Logan¡­ he¡­ bowing? "You changed¡­" Unconsciously, I spoke. By that point, I just forgot everything that happened a while ago. Logan was¡­ he is my friend. He used to be by my side along with James but at some point after Mother''s death, everything crumbled apart and we were all separated. Now, he has grown much taller from the last time I saw him and gained a rougher look. Nothing like the soft boy he once was. "Yes, my lady. I guess we all did change." Logan replied remorsefully but he surely realized where that got wrong. I mean, I surely grew up as well or whatever¡­ let''s just ignore and forget. "It has been a very long time, Logan. I didn''t even recognize you by the blazes!" "Yes, it is as you say, Lady Viv¡­" "Hey, don''t call me Lady, we are friends." "Well¡­ excuse me, my lady, but Lord Julian has insisted that I¡­" "I am the one insisting, Logan. Remember when you beat me up once?" I said as a long-lost memory suddenly rushed to my head. "EH! How¡­ can¡­ No! That was a long time ago." Afraid of what I might bring up, Logan cleared his throat and acted forgetful. "I was the one at fault if I remember. I shouldn''t have put the earthworms in your tea because I was upset that you guys went to play without me¡­ and James and you certainly did it again." The last part came out a bit heavy on me. "You really remember things well." Logan agreed with the same nostalgic face. "Yes, that was fourteen years ago. I was four." There was nothing of Nadia in that conversation just now. It was all the old Vivian taking the reins. Logan, my childhood friend and now my knight. How can my life be so blessed after having a really bad three days? Seeing him again was like a breath of fresh air driving the senseless gloom away. Now, I finally have another ally I can trust after Father. I know Logan well, and he is someone who won''t disappoint. "Fine, I''ll allow you to only call me ''Lady'' in the presence of others, other than that, we are friends here." "... As you wish, Princess." "Heh! Princess this time? Fortunately, that is not happening anymore." I said with a moody smile. Logan returned as a Graduate Knight after so long. He brought a warm feeling to my heart reminding me of the time with him and James. In summer, we would play and fool around all day just the three of us. I was just a little girl running after them but they kept me close and played with me. Logan, my childhood friend, and James, my dear elder brother. If only the three of us can reunite again, nothing in the world will stand in our way. "Why are you silent, Princess?" "Nothing. Just remembered James and us." I realized that my eyes had turned moist. "Yes. The old times. He must be making a name for House Moore in Avalon now." Logan said. "Indeed. Unlike some little fool, my elder brother inherited the true spirit of our house." Remembering these things always left my heart with warmth. How much of a fool was I to take poison for a minor setback when I have such amazing people in my life? *Growl* "And that''s the glutton we all know and love." He said. "Oh, come on! It is morning." "Then it is good morning, Princess." 7: Her Knight "Father, Stepmother." "Vivian." I sat down on the dining table while a maid poured me a cup of tea. The white bread and the fresh spiced cheese early in the morning are some delicacies I enjoyed in both lives. "What is that you are wearing, Vivian? It looks a bit¡­ shabby." Saskia spoke while pointing at my super comfy out-of-the-world clothes. I didn''t even realize she was trying to insult me for a moment there but I just decided to make it pass. "Just something comfortable to walk in, Stepmother. Quite popular among¡­ young¡­ ladies these days." Yet, I had to remind her that I am young and she is old just to piss off the hag. Father didn''t even notice it despite the look on Saskia''s face and spoke about another matter entirely. "Vivian, I trust that you have met Knight Logan by now." "Yes, Father, I ran into him while I was getting down. We had a long catching up for old times'' sake." "Great. Knight Logan is a trustworthy young man who was raised in this House. He will do his duty as I trust him to." Father said. "Of course. He is waiting in the garden to accompany me to the gun range." "Perfect. By the way, here." Father passed a few papers to me. This was the Daily Gazette. An early form of newspaper that was affordable mostly to Nobles. "The Son of Baron Hewes meets his demise to a Ghostly Assassin. Dramatic title!" I read the title and gave my opinion. "What else?" Father looked at me with keen eyes. He is testing me again, isn''t he? "Well, this piece of news is making the headlines of the daily. Someone is desperately pulling the strings to point fingers towards us judging that my name was mentioned three times and our house seven times." "Good." Father seemed satisfied, "And how do we avoid more trouble?" "Two ways. We either avoid the spotlight or jump right into it." "Go on." "Avoiding the Spotlight is the safest play. If we want to ride the tide, however, we must have a big card to play. Say, another large shipment to Avalon or a groundbreaking success. Something that makes us the idols of the public." "Charity?" "People tend to forget it." "A Clinic?" "Prince Liam and Matilda have opened a ton of those lately." "What do you suggest?" "How about opening the employment door for the Third Academy students in our Management Department to solve the shortage of staff?" I said. "Commoners? In the management department?" Saskia seemed dismissive of my suggestion. My father didn''t even heed her obvious disapproval. He looked at me meaningfully as if he was expecting something else but I just shrugged with a cool smile. The Third Academy is the Academy of Commoners. It produces tons of unused talents and rough gems every year that mostly go wasted because of the Second Academy that the untalented nobles, who take jobs by connections, graduate from. All the Elite Nobles are in our First Academy so the Second Academy barely produces any good eggs. "Well, commoners tend to love the ''employment'' word. Having a number of them in the management department will make us good propaganda in lower castes of society. Is that all?" He asked. "Barely. The nobles from the second academy tend to belittle commoners so picking a suitable environment for them to work in is essential or it will backfire on us. We need a special department to manage the management of employees. A Department made up of a handful of trusted employees, whose duty would be planning, recruitment process, posting job advertisements, evaluating the performance of employees, organizing job applications, scheduling interviews, assisting in the process, and finally ensuring background checks. I''d take the liberty of calling it the Human Resources department." "Brilliant!" Father''s eyes finally lit up as if he had found something interesting at last, "More people to hire and promote the good management employees to the Human Resources department! It was great hearing your opinion, Vivian. I am pleased." With those words, Father finished his breakfast and rushed out of the mansion in order to meet with his assistants to plan for the new department and the employment campaign. As it was me and Saskia now. I quickly finished my breakfast and fled the scene before she thought of something to ruin my mood. On the way out, I ran into a familiar face. "Hey there, Old Theo." I greeted the elderly butler, who is, without a doubt, long past his age of retirement. "Vivian, you look lively. I saw the boy knight outside." He replied with a tone colder than that of Saskia. "Yes, remember Logan? He is back." "Well then¡­ glad to see you happy, young miss." Old Theo is the butler, he is like family to us as he has served since the days of my Grandfather. This man is the oldest being around this place. Even the building was rebuilt once during his service. "Hey, Old Theo. I was wondering about my allowance." "Your allowance? Isn''t the Lady in charge of that?" "I know but she has been forgetful those past few months. The money of the house is monitored by you and Father takes your advice seriously. It would be rude to talk about Saskia with him so I want you to mention that my money should be outside of Saskia''s control. I know you will find an excuse." "Hmmm¡­ what''s in it for me?" He asked. "Old man! I am the house''s young lady here." "Hmph! If you have nothing to offer in a deal under the table, then¡­" "Fine, fine." This old man has a stingy personality even with my Father. He is a hundred years old already and keeps having his way with things. Not really an ally but he hates Saskia because she is not Elgardish. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "How about this? I''ll buy you that back-rubbing medicine that everyone is talking about these days. It will make you run like a 20-year-old chap." "Oh! That thing¡­ fine, I''ll see to it but if you break your word, you won''t see a benny in this house." "This is my father''s house, you know that, right?" "Hmph!" He snorted while walking away. What a grumpy old fart! Well, let''s be positive now, Logan is out there waiting. I walked out in a cheerful mood and met the said man at the fountain across the entrance to the mansion. "Princess, may I accompany you to the Gun Range" "Oh, please do, Sir Knight." I dramatically offered my hand to Logan who started cringing. "I''ve never seen a woman willing to fire a gun before. Are you sure about it? It can be dangerous, you know." "Oh please, don''t be a worrywart. Noble ladies have all sorts of hobbies. You can''t even imagine how many ladies there are among the Nobles that can use magic." "Eh! They use magic now?" "Days are changing and the world is getting bigger. You can''t be an old man you know. Even Old Theo is getting up to date with the trends." "Blast me dead, Old Theo? That ghost still lives?" "Go and see him yourself, he just extorted me." "I am sure my duties don''t include Old Theo." "Hey, you''re supposed to be my Knight." "Anything but Old Theo, Princess." "What a knight you are, Sir!" "This man is here to haunt, I remember him saying that." "Fine, let''s talk about something fun, Knight." "Whatever you wish, Princess." "Guns." "Oh, please!" "What?" "Just don''t blame me when you twist your wrist. I''m here to protect you from dangerous things but I won''t pluck every thorn on your way." "My oh my! How gallant of you!" "Master Julian orders." "Hmph! Figures." "What do you want with guns anyway? I am offended that you don''t trust the knights in your service that much." "You just said it yourself, Logan, you won''t pluck every thorn in my way." "I''m hoping you are not planning on shooting every problem at this rate then." "You know what? That''s actually an excellent plan." "Something is telling me I''ll enjoy where this is going. Ah! Here we are, the gun range." We finally arrived at a one-story building with big walls and almost no windows. The gunpowder scent beyond its iron doors made the inner Nadia feel just like home. "Mr. Harry. Lady Vivian is here to see you." Logan called. Inside there, I could see a line of flintlock muskets and two people standing beside them polishing and working on some of the beautiful vintage firearms. "Sir Knight, my Lady." An old short man walked out for us. The one beside him seemed to be a girl in men''s clothing, tan-skinned and taller than the man but with some resemblance. "This is Lady Vivian Moore and she has requested a gun for her personal safety." Logan said. The old man eyed me up and down. "I apologize, my Lady, but when the Lord left a word for me, I said I have no promises. If the Lady can''t handle a gun properly then I am sorry, I won''t be giving her any." The man said. "Fair enough." I agreed. "Fine, you can use this." He held out a gun, "You know what that is, my Lady?" "A Matchlock? This thing must be an antique." "The Lady knows her guns." The old man took the old gun back and gave me a Flintlock Pistol this time. In this day and age, firearms are all muzzle-loaded and have three kinds of locks. The Matchlock whose trigger moves a lit match to fire gunpowder but one can imagine the disadvantages and why it became an antique, the Flintlock replaced the match with a flint stone and became the most common gun, then there is the Wheelock which works by an inner ignition mechanism that is very complicated and difficult to maintain. Flintlocks are the most common ones and are actually quite easy. The Wheelocks are mostly used by Knights and Nobles because they are the only ones who can afford them and their maintenance. Mr. Harry began explaining how the Flintlock Gun works. Put the gunpowder through the muzzle, add the bullet and stuff it well, add gunpowder to the ignition pod, seal the pod. Now the gun is ready. "Easy? If you master the loading technique quickly, I''ll consider making you a suitable gun." Mr. Harry said. "Thank you. I''ll start training right away." "Jane, keep company of the Lady here, see if she can have a better use of you¡­ hopefully." Mr. Harry spoke to the girl beside him and went back to his work. He seemed a bit stern with her for some reason. "This way, my lady, sir." The girl called Jane led me and Logan to a place far from Mr. Harry''s workshop. "You''re Mr. Harry''s daughter?" "You can call me Jane, my lady." "It is strange having an assistant girl¡­ or is Mr. Harry an open-minded man?" Logan asked. "Heh!" A mocking laugh came out of Jane but she soon apologized. "He has no heir other than me¡­ no heir willing to assist I mean." She said. "I see." So it is like Mr. Harry has no one but his daughter to pass his craft on because his sons are not willing to work with their father. This is an era when people inherit jobs rather than be hired by ability. Of course in Jane''s case, her father will wed her to the man deemed worthy to inherit his job. "So, here you go my lady. You will practice on flintlocks until you do it without a hitch. Your target time to load a gun is 30 seconds." Jane added some safety advice and then took out a pocket watch. "Very well." ? New Quest added: {Score: Gun Loading} ? Not now, Sir System! ==================== [Score Challenge: Gun Loading] ¡ª Time: 20 Secs ¡ª Reward: 100 SP + 20 SP for each second early ==================== You''ve got my full attention, Sir System. Score Quests were part of the game. For example, it would pop up when the Heroine plays a mini-game and grants rewards based on performance. Okay, focus. Nadia has reloaded antique guns many times before. Her mentor had a lot of antique guns and would invite her to shoot with them for fun. Gunpowder in the muzzle, then a bullet, jam the bullet, Gunpowder in the pod, seal it. Go! 1 second, 2, 3, 4¡­. 14, 15 "Done!" "Wow!" Jane was gratified. "Amazing!" Logan exclaimed. ? 200 SP have been awarded! ? Fufufu! Praise me more, let me hear it; Jane, Logan, and you too, Sir System. Jane took the gun, opened the pod, and fired it. *Bang* "Exceptional. You have handled guns before, my Lady?" She asked "A few times but¡­ that''s between you and me." "I can safely say that you are a natural, my lady. Firing four rounds per minute won''t be a problem for you at this rate." If she knew about the guns that fire hundreds of rounds per minute, she would faint. After doing the reloading again and again with different types of guns, it was finally time for the shooting practice. "Do you know how to shoot, my Lady?" "The trick is in how you grip the gun thus you shouldn''t put all your focus on aiming. If that''s perfected, you can just point your gun and the aiming will be some sort of a¡­ sixth sense." I said while aiming at the nearest Target. *Bang* "A hit!" Jane exclaimed. "Already?" Logan raised his brows. "Only at the edge of the shoulder." I wasn''t really doing my best. The recoil was nasty and my hands were weak. I would be aiming at the head out of habit but I can''t go public with my skills right now. "Can I try more?" I asked Jane. "Practically, we are in House Moore''s property and everything here is owned by House Moore. You can shoot all day long while I monitor you but I need to assist my father." Jane said. "Fine, I''ll borrow you for some time then, won''t be long." I really needed to shoot some bullets. The old Vivian''s frustration was still there and I was imagining many people as I was shooting the poor straw dummies. From the 10-meter range to the 40-meter range, I didn''t miss a single bullet. The Flintlocks had a nasty accuracy so even with my experience, shooting further than that was a struggle. 30 minutes passed as I shot bullets non-stop. My hands became sore and my shoulders numbed from the recoil. I wasn''t planning to stop until I saw this message. ? The Doormat Record [Shooter] has reawakened. ? ? [Novice Shooter?] has been registered. ? 8: Her Maid Logan kept me company during the whole training session in the Gun Range and my performance improved by leaps and bounds. I''ll shoot any target right between its eyes as long as it is within 20 meters of me. "Today I had an enlightenment in Guns. I should call it the Art of Gunning." Logan said. "True. Lady Vivian is a natural-born shooter. If this is a hunt in the wild then Lady Vivian will put expert shooters to shame." Jane said. "Thank you. You two are quite good with flattery." I said as I handed back the gun to Jane. It is hard to get braised for being good with guns in today''s society. Even though Firearms are more popular than Swords nowadays, the true theme of power in this world is Magic. Knights and Mages are the absolute powerhouses of this Kingdom. As for gunners, Knights and Mages look down on them and they can''t compare in Social status. How so? Gunners can be trained in the span of a few months and get sent to battles. Knights and Mages, on the other hand, require years upon years of training and resources. Still, A strong Knight can be unfazed by a hail of bullets and a skilled Mage can wipe out a squadron of Gunners with a snap of a finger. Still, a good stray bullet can kill a Knight or a Mage not ready or powerful enough. One of the most famous sayings in the world during the first decades of the emergence of Firearms, "Fair Saints, by any Justice would a mere Devil Minion, carrying the arms of Fire, kill a Gallant Knight or a Proud Sorcerer?" Even though the discrimination against gunners is way less than what it was a hundred years ago, the reason for the slow development of Firearms is the common disinterest of Nobles to do so. Nobles'' power comes from Magic and Firearms threaten their position if they were to get stronger. One thing to take note of is that a Firearm combined with Magic is nothing special at all. A Gun is no different than a sword or a spell in the hands of Magic users as they can channel their power through it and perform a ranged attack while reinforcing the bullet with magic. The point is, they can perform ranged attacks with other techniques that are superior in Accuracy, Power, and most importantly Rate of Fire. Anyway, after I left the gun range with Logan, I wasn''t sure whether to go for the "Daily Quest" or hang around the Mansion with him. I don''t think I can just go stretching, jogging, and squatting with him around. "Where are you stationed, Logan?" "My Lord has prepared me a room on the first floor right to the western stairway. I just need to climb the stairs and be by your side, Princess." "Well, well, we are neighbors now. At least I feel more comfortable with you close." "Why? Is there anyone bothering you?" "Old Theo." "We agreed that I am no exorcist. Anyone else?" "Saskia and her legion of evil maids. I mean¡­ I don''t have a personal maid for a reason." "Really? How do you get your personal affairs done then?" "... To be frank, I switch maids a lot so they don''t remember the layout of my room and where I keep my things. I also have a Safe where my mother''s old belongings are kept so I am self-sufficient for now." "That won''t do, Princess. That really won''t do." "I am used to it, you know." "No, this is not right. A lady''s maid is a must, if all the maids in this house are of no use to you, I will go and personally look for a trustworthy maid." "Even if you do, the other maids will bully her. If I stand up to her, it will be Saskia or Robert." I said. "I am really offended. What do you think my job is?" "Be all knightly and sparkle?" "That among other things but my top priority is your protection as your Knight in Service and the protection of your interests. Just say who to slap and I''ll slap." "Cool! Here is the list; Prince Liam, Matilda Ambrose, Saskia, Butler Theo, Edmond Black, Robert, Richard Windsor, Ian Grey, Ronald Morgan, and Valentine De Claire¡­ on second thought, leave Valentine for me." "..." Logan fell silent for a second. "Hello, Sir Knight. Still there?" "... So you want me to slap a Crown Prince, a future Princess, a Count''s wife, a living ghost, the future heir of the most troublesome family in Elgard, my little brother, a future Knights'' Commander, a future Prime Minister, a future Court Wizard¡­ and you will handle the future head of the Chamber of Commerce." "I''ll be rooting for you." "You made a long list of enemies, Princess. You sure a lowly Noble like me can handle it?" "You go slash slash and I go bang bang. We''ll manage." "I take back what I said about slapping people. I''ll do my best to keep you clear from the executioner''s block." "Atta boy, your first day and you got the hang of it already." "But you''re still getting a maid, someone to keep you in check and most importantly¡­ get my job a little easier!" "Good luck finding one. I''ll stroll around the mansion for¡­ Agility and Grace Training." "As you wish, Princess¡­ Dear Saints, help me!" *** As Logan went on his Knight quest to find a maid, I went to the back garden where rarely anyone goes. The sun was setting and Father was not home yet so I guess it is going to be fine if I wait to have dinner with him. It is not Dawn but still a good time for training. It is also a good time to make a System check. ==================== < Profile >
  • Name: Vivian Moore
  • Race: Human
  • Level: N/A
  • Age: 18
  • SP: 510
  • Social: Daughter of House Moore (Noble, Count)
==================== < Traits >
  • Common Mithridatism
  • Novice Assassin?
  • Novice Shooter?
  • Adept Diplomat
  • Adept Scholar
==================== The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The list has indeed changed. It has not been 24 hours since Nadia''s transmigration yet it is going well. I have a ''Level'' now despite it being 0, I have regained 200 SP and added one more skill. Now to the serious part. "System Shop, give me some running sneakers and long pants." ? Price: 110 SP ? "Yeah yeah! What is money for anyway?" And the training kicked on Breath in, breath out, wrist and ankles stretches, knee circles, shoulder stretch, quad starch¡­¡­¡­ *** Am I dead? Guess not¡­ but that training was too Spartan for a weak body like mine. Pain is simply not stopping. Is this that pervy training knights do? Damn masochists! I just want to grab that Panacea potion floating over me but my arms are as weak as twigs. After some struggle, the Panacea was in my hand and I brought it near my mouth. ==================== < Profile >
  • Name: Vivian Moore
  • Condition: Extremely Fatigued
==================== "Tell me something I don''t know." I took the Panacea with the last of my strength that went away afterward. Dozing off for a bit, I found it strange how coldness submerged my body. Not like a bad cold but the good cold, the type where you go into a nice tub after a messy work day. Not sure how long later, I became able to move and my body regained its energy. "So that''s a Panacea! It tastes funny but it''s surely great." Despite the effect, my body was still stiff. I guess the muscles need time to absorb the training and magic energy. I changed back into the long skirt that was in the small Storage Purse and was about to enter the mansion but I got myself immersed in the nice evening air. By this moment, 24 hours have passed since reincarnation. We survived a day. Still, as I walked into the mansion, I found a new episode of the daily drama already starting, starring Saskia. "I said we don''t need those girls, away from my sight." Saskia shouted. She only does that when Father is not home. "I am sorry for not being able to comply but it is the order of her ladyship whom I serve." Logan''s voice replied to her. Just slap her already. "I will see when this little wretch arrives. Where would she go out at this hour?" "In the back garden, stepmother. Anything bothering you on this fine evening?" I asked as I walked in. There was Saskia along with the head maid, Logan, a strange man in a cheap suit, and a few women in black dresses behind him. "You! Why did you tell your Knight to bring us maids? I am the one who runs this house and I am the one who makes that decision." Saskia started shouting at me. "Stepmother, so it was about that. Please, calm down and have a sip of tea. Frowning will make your face grow wrinkles." "What did you just say?" "I am only caring for Stepmother''s skin! Also, shouting will make your voice grow hoarse." "Girl, I''m warning you now¡­" Saskia raised her index to my face. "Go ahead, Lady of Count Julian''s house. I can''t call you Countess Moore, can I? That title was Mother''s last I recall, right? Sorry, I was remembering some events of the past as a Daughter of a Countess. What were we saying again?" "..." Saskia looked at me with eyes filled with contempt. After all, she is no countess. "The maids, right? I am only hiring a personal one, don''t worry." "Hmph! You can choose a maid but I am not paying a penny." Saskia used her trump card so early in the argument. "About pennies. I am sure my allowance is admitted by you, stepmother, right? Ten Gold Pieces a month? I haven''t been really receiving any of it during the past year as I didn''t really need it but what a coincidence, I heard that Stepmother was keeping them for me this whole time. I thank you deeply." I said. "What are you talking about? All your allowance is admitted that you received it." She said while looking away. "Really? I think Old Butler Theo will have a different opinion once he presents his review of the house ledgers tonight to Father. Something about Robert being too wasteful with money." "What? When did he¡­" "Birds sing, stepmother. You didn''t get a memo?" I said while bypassing her. I knew that Saskia was giving my allowance to Robert during the past year. It was exactly when the Heroine joined the Academy and he started to care more about his appearance. I am not really needing any money since I have my own savings that I don''t even use. Still, 10 Gold Pieces means I can hire 5 maids if I want, now that''s what I call a slap. Bitch better have my money! "Hmph! Like any maid would want to work for you, the tragic Princess of House Moore was abandoned by the Crown Prince and waiting for his damning vengeance." She said and walked away. Well, that woman knows how to drop a bomb. Those words made most of the maids get pale in a second and back away. "Most" doesn''t mean all, one stayed her ground. Interesting! I walked to a chair and sat. "Knight Logan, introduce the gentleman." "Introducing to Lady Vivian Moore, Mr. Jonah here is the broker of housemaids. Best and most trustworthy in the Capital." "A pleasure to meet the Wise Lady Vivian. A great deal of your qualities has been passed to our ears in the agency, and I assure you that my associates and I are happy to be of service." "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Jonah. Please, sit and have some tea. I am sorry for my disheveled appearance but I was overseeing some science project for the Academy" I said while giving a glare to the Head Maid. My appearance was miserable due to training but Vivian is no one but a beauty who can adjust to any situation with a hair flip. "It is okay, my Lady. I won''t take much of your time then. My associates¡­" "''Associates'' is a bit of a stretch, Mr. Jonah¡­ this is one associate I see willing to work." I pointed to the maid who stood her ground. Her appearance was kinda unique in Elgard. "Well¡­ she is a bit¡­ she is not our Establishment most desired associate really¡­" Mr. Jonah went nervous as I was eyeing the tall maid. "Hey, why didn''t you get scared like the others?" I asked the girl directly. She was something else I may say. Black curly hair, green eyes, bronze skin with a hint of metallic otherworldliness, a beauty in a black dress wearing a white bandana and holding her bag in front of her. But none of that about her is what really attracts the eyes. That girl, despite looking fairly in her teenage years, stands above Logan in height by a fair head. A girl of such stature and size, you can''t find this anywhere in this part of the world. If I were to guess, she isn''t from this continent, let alone this country. She opened her mouth and spoke. "If you do not look worried, my Lady, is there a reason for me to be?" She asked. I couldn''t help but feel more interested. "I am sorry, my lady. But she is kind of wild. She is not from Albion, she came from Sauran far in the south." Mr. Jonah said. "From Sauran?" I questioned. "She is not a slave." Mr. Jonah added while shaking his head and arms in fear. Sauran, the Southern Continent, is a place of many riches that our Kingdom colonized and drained from its resources. The Giants of Sauran get enslaved by the Blackguards and the Northern Sea Company. If I am not wrong, that girl is someone with Giant blood in their veins. "What''s your name?" I asked. "Esmeralda." She answered. "That''s a name from Lozan." "I changed my name after the name of the ship that carried me from Sauran to Albion. I served in Lozan from when I was ten until the war with Velleux three years ago. I was exiled with my previous employer to Harland where she passed away due to old age recently. I am now looking for an employer." She said. "What an interesting life you led!" I nodded with approval before turning to the middleman, "How are her skills?" "She is a top-notch maid, my Lady¡­ if you''re willing to hire her." Mr. Jonah said. "If you are hiring me, my Lady. I wish to be the Head Maid in your future house to be¡­ I mean." Esmeralda bluntly said. "Shush!" Mr. Jonah jumped to hush her. "Hah! I see. Why do you want to be a Head Maid?" I asked. "Unlike other Maids, I have no place to stay other than the side of whom I serve. Sauran is no longer my home and I have no choice but to serve my whole life. I want to be at least in a secured position." This was getting very interesting to my liking. She is clearly smart and bold. Also, she has a nice accent. Now I''m hooked. "Fine! Serve me faithfully, never betray me, and I promise you a good life. You may even see things for free that humanity will pay treasures to see. Are we deal?" "Yes, my Lady. I pledge myself to be loyal, secretive, and faithful." Esmeralda bowed. I looked at Logan and he nodded. Pledging loyalty is nothing to me, I want a test of loyalty. But that''s for a later date, right now¡­ "You are hired." ¡­ I secure myself another Ally. 9: Impress Me "Who is that behind you, Vivian?" "Father, this is Esmeralda. My new personal maid." "Lozanish name¡­ she is a Hulking though." "Indeed, Father." "Interesting¡­ Saskia, did you recommend her?" "No¡­" Saskia replied with dissatisfaction. "Knight Logan reached out to Mr. Jonah, the broker who introduced her to me." I replied. "... I see." Father was well aware of the happenings inside the house but he always wants his family to solve their disputes on their own. Saskia and I are at each other''s throats and Father is aware of that, Old Theo gives him detailed reports about what''s going on even between the ghosts of the afterlife. Right now, we are having dinner together. I am back in the old Vivan''s dresses that Nadia hates to death. I just don''t want to make too many changes that may cause Father to worry. Two hours since Esmeralda came to my service and I put her through the extreme loyalty tests. She showed no hint of being fazed. Her skill in chores is exceptional and she prepares a nice aromatic tea. To be more honest, Logan and I couldn''t corner her one bit. "Master Julian! Master Julian! Where are you?" "I am here, Old Theo." "And here comes the ghost." The old man came walking supported by a cane while carrying a ledger that looks heavier than me. *Slam* "Old Theo, I am eating." Father complained. "Once you finish your homework, you get to eat." Even Father avoids an argument with the ghost. This guy is incredible! "Here¡­ the little miss wants to be handed her allowance personally. It seems some complications happened regarding the overall payouts and we need to avoid cramping up numbers on each other." Old Theo said something that somehow sounded like music to my ears. "Hmmm¡­ Vivian''s allowance is 10 Gold Pieces? Is she still a child? I would give her more but we are in a situation here. Right, Vivian?" Father looked at me. "You mean my career choice, Father?" "Indeed." "I know I am in such a situation and two weeks is just a short amount of time to plan for the exams, the future career, and get myself together. I am making a scheduled study of my options after graduation based on my talents and what I majored in. It is a bit foggy and I feel somehow overwhelmed so I want guidance from you, Father." If that sounded too fancy, what I mean was that I was busy mindlessly shooting guns all day and practicing the Knights Training in the afternoon. To avoid further interrogation, I employed sparkling words and exhibited inexperience and humility, seeking guidance. And in light of these tactics, I believe I have a promising future in the theater. Father, however, had a different opinion. "The way I see it, you''re only overwhelmed because you think too much. I will excuse you because you were getting ready for a political life beside that Prince and now you need to fend for yourself in society. You can either come and work in the Moore Conglomerate or try something for yourself. If I were you, I would do the latter." He said. "... Father, that''s even more overwhelming than before." "Don''t worry, I just want to test your depth. By graduation, your allowance would be canceled¡­" Father said. Saskia made a satisfied face as she turned to me. Such a shallow woman! "... instead, you will be given 1000 gold pieces and sufficient professional assistance of any kind you ask for. You will be given a month after graduation and your mission is¡­" No, do not say it that way! Sir System, cover your ears. "... to impress me." ? New Quest: Impress Count Julian ? Yep, I knew this would happen. I massaged my temples out of frustration. "Fine, Father. I''ll do my best." Father seemed satisfied as he closed the ledger and sent Old Theo away. Ghost, begone! "So, what kind of personal assistance do you think you would need in the business world?" Father asked. "For a starter, any business needs planning, knowledge, and connections. Planning is my job, my knowledge is a bit lacking due to my lack of experience, and I just lost all my connections with my late social disaster. I need someone who is knowledgeable about the market and very experienced." Father narrowed his eyes and thought deeply. "That''s all?" "No, I''m merely getting started but for now that''s all I can think of." "So you need a good assistant who can guide you around. You took the first step right but isn''t trust necessary? How do you know you can trust someone?" Father said while sparing a glance at Esmeralda. I smiled wryly. "Trust someone? Father, I am the last person to ask about trusting someone." I said with a bitter memory coming to mind. "..." Father knew he stepped on a landmine. "To answer your question, I simply mustn''t trust anyone. I should have a chair on every table and speak every language." "That''s Politics, not Commerce. Trust and speed are essential in commerce." "Thank you for your guidance, Father. I''ll fix my methods." Father is right, trust is necessary, assuring, and warm. The market is harsh but friendships make money. My Adept Diplomat trait will help me with politics but clearly not business. I barely studied Business Management but I still have an idea of what to do. I have to step through a hornet nest called Trust again. To be ready to get stabbed in the back a few more times. After dinner was over, I met father once again in his study. "The Training Manual, Father." I handed it over to him. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "You copied the Agility chapter?" "Yes, there were many interesting principals and notes but I think I am not fit to train such a scary art anyway, even the Agility chapter is hard enough." "Yes, yes, I won''t blame you if you give it up. Girls shouldn''t train that sort of thing." Bruh! "However, I received a report that you were exceptional with Firearms. That''s a rare praise coming from a Knight such as Logan." He said. "Heh, it wasn''t easy at all." "Vivian, remember the report from this morning''s Daily." "About the Death of the Baron''s Son and the fingers pointing at us?" "Yes, that report. It seems the Noble Society wants to open an investigation. They say that the Assassin was so overwhelming and swift that no one felt him entering or leaving, such a talent is now thought to be one of our people. Some are demanding answers." Father said. "And we are going to humor them?" "If we have such talented underlining then I would have tried to hide him but we don''t so we have nothing to hide. They rudely took my testimony on the matter and I made it clear that we don''t have the blood of the Hewes boy on our hands, but I added that I think his death is closely related to the matter regarding you, maybe some young and talented lord is pushing away competition for the sake of my beautiful young daughter." Father said, making a remark. "Daddy, I''m flattered." "What is important here is when they question you. They told me that they are sending someone to ask you a few questions." "Ask me? More like trying to condemn me." How annoying! A little piggy died, what''s the big deal? "What you need to worry about is how to deal with the investigator. I heard that it will be someone carefully picked." Father said. "Who?" "No idea but we will find out a few days from now." "Picked by the Crown Prince and his entourage?" "Who else?" "Maybe Edmond Black but that guy hates arguing¡­ Richard Marshall is too calm and hates speaking, Valentine is impossible¡­ Valentine¡­ maybe." Then my genius pulp lit up. "What are you thinking about?" "Am I allowed to leave the mansion, Father?" I asked. "Where do you want to go?" "The De Clare Auction House." "The first thing you do after getting your engagement with the Crown Prince broken off is visiting an Auction House? What is your reasoning?" "There is a big auction every weekend, someone will be there and I need to ask him a few questions. As dear father is known to be a frequent visitor to the auction, I''m sure you have a good spot there. This will help me get the identity of the said investigator and prepare beforehand." "... So Valentine De Clare is your target, huh? Isn''t he one of the Prince''s cronies?" "He is." "Do you need me to remind you that this is a terrible idea?" "You don''t." "... Take this with you. A seat number I use for the auction. It can guarantee you funds on our family''s behalf." Father passed me a plate with the number 66. "Am I free to spend?" "You are but don''t buy anything worthless. Listen, Auctioning is a hobby of mine, so try to do what I would do." "Thank you, Father. I promise to be swift and bring home all the trophies you love." Father likes to test people and me above all, especially after my engagement got broken off. The reason he allowed me to auction is to see if I have a taste for it. Father may not admit it but he just loves bullying others with money in auctions. I left my father at the study and headed to my room. There are still a few hours that I can spend studying for the exams. *** The next day passed quietly with me doing nothing but training. I woke up the day after as early as I could and snuck out in my training clothes while leaving a word for Logan with Esmeralda. As long as I finish all the training in the morning then return before breakfast for a hot bath, everything will be perfect. The training took me an hour and a half starting from 6 in the morning. I was battered by pain after that but I felt a little better than yesterday. I can transform this hidden area in the back garden to my own little Gym one day. I just need weights and several tools that I can''t find in the System Shop. After training, it was a bath then a normal breakfast with the family all as planned until the time of noon, I somehow felt that I am lacking something. "An outfit." "Excuse me, my Lady?" Esmeralda, who was pouring me tea, asked. "I am just saying¡­ I am lacking a good outfit." "I just familiarized myself with my Lady''s dresses. Should I prepare anything in particular?" "Nope¡­ I''ll just try to figure out something to dress suitable for extreme occasions." The System Shop has a lot of options but I lack SP. I need to try that thing with Magic Crystals. I went ahead and looked around but it seems that the Old Vivian wasn''t interested in anything with the word Magic in it. What a shame! If I started as Vivian from childhood, I would have studied nothing but Magic. I can ask Logan, can''t I? "I need a Magic Crystal." "Absolutely not." "... Wha¡­ Why?" "Ladies shouldn''t come in contact with those dangerous things." Dangerous your a¡­ ehem! "Why can''t I have one? Other than being a Lady." "Because Lord Julian told me that Firearms are already too dangerous, it will be problematic if you gain interest in Aura or Magic." Logan completely turned me down. "Hmph, fine." Looks like Father is okay with me using something as petty as firearms but not something as dangerous as Magic. Let''s not argue here. Logic works in mysterious ways too. As I got away from Logan, Esmeralda spoke. "Excuse me, my Lady." "Yes." "If you are interested in Magic Crystals, I have seen Mistress Saskia command the Head Maid to send an errand boy to the Magic store and buy Magic Crystals for young master Robert." "For your third day, you are overhearing things and running your mouth a lot, Esmeralda." "... Excuse me, my Lady. I meant no disrespect at all¡­" "It''s okay. You are still in the trial period so I get that you are trying to earn my trust." I said and smiled, somehow, my evil intent betrayed me and was reflected on that smile. "By any chance, did you overhear where Robert''s Magic Crystals are being kept?" Esmeralda opened her eyes wide and nodded. "In his room¡­ my Lady." "Aha! Good, very good indeed." Hehehe! That''s a good thing, Robert spends his time in the Academy and sleeps in the dorm. He only comes when he needs money or resources and it seems he is coming tonight. "Walk behind me. Act natural." I walked in the hallway of the second floor and patrolled it a few times without anyone spotting me. The maids of Saskia are mostly working on the laundry and the kitchen by now. Some are cleaning the windows, while some are busy with the furniture. As the maids cleaning the windows were done, the hallway was empty for the time being. "Watch the door." I said and nimbly walked to Robert''s room. "What!" Esmeralda almost panicked. I glared at her and signaled with my head for her to move. She tensed up immediately and took a guarding spot with a worried face. Atta girl. I knocked on the door gently and no one responded, I have no visual on the inside so I need to be extra careful. The door was locked but I know this kind of locks which is known as the lever tumbler Locks. It has 3 or 5 levers from the inside and¡­ thankfully, this one has 3. I had the chance to pick this kind of lock before but we preferred to use skeleton keys as the ones we came across were old antiques. They were a burden because they were mostly unmaintained but this one is all nice and greasy. Three tiny and hard hairpins can do the trick and against me, the lock didn''t stand a chance. I slipped in the room slowly and scanned the place in a second. If a door is locked then nothing inside is that seriously hidden. A box on the end table, some drawers in the desk, a vase, this, that¡­ I had no time. Everything I had to search was just put back as it was. Soon enough, I found pinky-sized glowing gems in a pile inside a wooden strongbox. "Sir System, can you turn those into SP?" ? Lesser grade Magic Crystal = 138 SP ? Only that for a Lesser Crystal? ? Common grade Magic Crystal = 356 SP ? Somehow better. Fine, Robert. I''ll be taking some of your stash. Big sister is not that greedy. I hurriedly stacked some of the Magic Crystals into my Storage Purse and nimbly snuck out. "Anything?" "No." Esmeralda said in a firm tone but she was sweating buckets. "Good." As I picked the lock before entering, I reverse-picked it in seconds and we were on the way back to my room. Esmeralda kept sweating immensely from the experience. Well, she at least helped and didn''t chicken on me. "That was good, haha!" I was also kinda nervous. "My Lady, do you do that often?" Esmeralda asked with a frigid face. "Not really. My first time." ¡­ in this life. "But¡­ the lock¡­ that was too skillful." "Do not think too much of it. Also, weren''t you the one who told me that they have Magic Crystals in there?" "I¡­ I only said that implying that my Lady can use the Errand Boy to buy what she needs too." "..." "..." "Aaaah!" I could have just done that! 10: Dress for the Auction ? Lesser grade Magic Crystal = 148 SP ? ? Lesser grade Magic Crystal = 181 SP ? ? Common grade Magic Crystal = 302 SP¡­¡­¡­ By the time I used half of the Magic Crystals I swiped from Robert''s stash, I had 2658 SPs in the System. "Shopping Time!" To be honest, I had many items I had my eye on and now I can finally put something together with them. Still, a girl needs to be smart with money. If I went around wearing something not to the liking of society, my Father would strangle me and the whole world would say I went mad. That''s why I need to come up with my own fashion. I''ll mix up things from here and there until I get what I want. Thankfully, fashion in this world is not as bad as the previous one during this period of civilization. If it was the previous world, then wearing anything other than gowns and habits would bring a lot of bad attention. However, this world has considered the female wear that helps in combat for female Knights and Mages which used long coats and large mantles. I will just mix that style. For the base, a slender Light Grey Shirt and slender Indigo Pants. Above them, I added a formal-looking Dark Grey Vest. Above the vest, I added an Indigo Hooded Coat Dress and to break the dark theme, I added a Wine secondary color to the sides and ends of the dress. I was purchasing the items from the Shop and lining them together on the bed as if I was bringing them out from my Storage Purse because Esmeralda was around. "Something is¡­ still lacking. I need this to pass." "My Lady, you may consider adding a mantle as well. It looks quite¡­" "A mantle! Right. You are good at this, Esmeralda." With a few commands to Sir System, I bought a wine-colored Side Cape. The mix came up together to look really nice. "Esmeralda, help me get into that outfit." A few minutes later, I was in that thing. It looked marvelous on me. Adding some Dark Leather High Boots and Gloves to the mix, it was all complete. "It looks nice, my lady, but it may be a bit controversial." "Then it will serve its purpose. Hmmm, with that hood on my face, it will be hard to recognize me." I tried looking at myself with and without the hood in the mirror. Looked pretty decent. ========== ? Shopping Cart ?
  • Plain Grey Shirt
  • Plain Indigo Pants
  • Plain Black Vest
  • Plain Indigo/Wine Hooded Coat Dress
  • Plain Dark Leather Boots
  • Plain Dark Leather Gloves
- Total Cost: 740 SP ========== [A/n: Check the outfit image in the gallery at Discord. #-tvrws-gallery.] Wasteful! Too Wasteful! No matter how exciting shopping is, it is still necessary to keep my own independent theme. Right now, I am the black sheep of the Noble Society and I need to become controversial. The best way to slap everyone and everything back is to walk through the storm unfazed. Still, my main complaint is the style of the outfit itself being Plain. In my opinion as Nadia, Plain is good but in my opinion as Vivian, what Nobles wear must befit their status. In any case, Plain will do for now. ? Do you wish to save the current dress sittings as an Outfit? Y/N ? "Wait! I can do that?" Right, this was also an option from the game, at least one can customize the Character and save certain sittings into the store''s outfit slots. Fascinating! It''s a dream come true. I chose Yes without thinking. ========== ? Outfit Slots ? ¡­ .. . ========== My God! This is just beautiful¡­ I saved the current outfit in the first Slot and renamed it "Plain". I directly opened the next Slots and added the sports and the sleeping outfits as "Sport" and "Sleep". And for the moment of grace! "Esmeralda! Turn around!" I made Esmeralda look away then selected the Sleeping outfit. *Swoosh!* "¡­ Mamma Mia!" *** After experiencing my amazing automatic dressing system, I returned to my usual clothes and started studying. Things like History and Management were really interesting, Diplomacy was an interesting subject as well and I wasn''t this bad at Mathematics or Philosophy. Law was the only cumbersome part of Diplomacy as I was never able to get on its good side but I made it through anyway. By the time I was done, it was the afternoon and my time to head out to the auction but right before heading out, I dropped by the Gun Range. "Miss Jane." "Lady Vivian, you are here. I was just about to come to you." "From that, I understand that my gun is ready?" "... Yes." Jane replied with an awkward tone. "My father brought a gun and¡­ he put it together for you." She brought an expensive-looking box and handed it to me. Esmeralda carried it and I opened it to see the gun but¡­ "What in the tarnation is this?" What I saw made me feel like cursing around. I am sure I was glaring at Jane, who started to shrink instantly. In the box, there were three items. Bullets which were metal pellets and that was okay, an ornate gunpowder container made of metal which was also okay, and the gun¡­ a small Ornamental Wheellock Gun, the muzzle was too soft and thin while the appearance looked white and flashy. I held the gun up in front of Jane. "What am I supposed to do with that? Your father said he will make me a gun by the next day? Is that what he meant?" I spoke genuinely angry. "I am sorry, my Lady. It is¡­" "It is a toy gun. If I put too much gunpowder in the pod, it will blow up in my hand." Basically, this kind of gun is used to start horse races, get hanged on a wall, be gifted to a friend, and similar things. "It is my father, my Lady, he didn''t listen at all." Jane said in a panic. "What are you talking about?" "He thought that Lady Vivian just wanted a gun for show. No matter what I told him about your skill, my Lady, he just didn''t believe me. I begged him to make a proper gun for you but he said his guns are not¡­" Jane halted her words weighing what to say next. "Are not for women?" I continued the words for her and she ultimately nodded. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Damn him! I just needed a single gun, any average-looking thing would do as long as it shoots right. I felt disturbed by the fact that I wasn''t being taken seriously by a mere gunsmith. I would go and complain to my father but I doubt my father would do anything¡­ he may think that it is safer to have this toy gun than a real one. "My Lady, if I may speak." Jane spoke up. "What is it?" "Maybe I can make you a better gun¡­ a proper one." She said. "You?" I almost laughed from anger but something stopped me. "Yes, my Lady, I am a student at the Third Academy. I studied Technology and Engineering¡­ in secret." "Wait! Is it like¡­ you applied to the Third Academy without the knowledge of your father?" "Yes¡­ I¡­ it is embarrassing but I wanted to be a gunsmith too. Father wanted me to be some management worker in the Moore Conglomerate and marry his successor but I want to be his successor." "So¡­ you changed your Major in secret." "Yes. I train in the Academy and here in the Workshop as well. Gunsmithing and Engineering are my passions." Jane said. "Heh! That''s interesting¡­ How good are you?" I asked. "I am good¡­ very good, my Lady." Jane bowed. "Truly? What can you do?" "Tiny Fabrications from small pocket watches, clocks, and most machines with gears as well as guns, of course. I''m better at guns than anything else" "Is that so? I doubt that even your father would claim that with the same level of your confidence." "It is true. I shall prove it by making you a gun my father can''t ever make¡­ but it will take time." She said. Well well well, she looks determined about it. However, if what she said is true, then I have found a big catch, a true hidden gem. "I see. I shall accept your service but I have a different thing in mind this time." I said. "A different thing?" "A custom gun with custom ammunition. Something that no one ever created before." I couldn''t help but grin and let my evil intentions surface, "Are you game?" *** Making a deal with that Jane girl may be very worth it if her talent is the real deal. This is the beginning of the Industrial Era in this world and having the lead in the knowledge of machines will be vital. Soon enough, large engines will appear and machines will dominate the world. Now, regarding my personal safety, the toy gun I acquired will be enough to scare people with. I''ll keep it loaded on safety until needed. All that aside, someone was looking at me with dissatisfied eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sir Knight?¡± I asked. ¡°Nothing, Princess. Just what are you wearing?¡± Logan asked. Obviously, we were in a carriage driven through the city to the De Clare Auction House and sitting facing each other. I took my liberty inside my carriage and sat with my legs crossed. My knight, however, kept having certain remarks about my style. "This is the latest trend in fashion, Logan. Don''t be tacky when it comes to women''s clothing. " "But that doesn''t look like something someone of your status should wear, Princess." He said keeping a strong head. This guy just saw my thighs yesterday, do I need to remind h¡­ maybe I shouldn''t. "So what do you think I should wear? An oversized gown with an extravagant appearance and sick-looking decorations that make other people say ''oh, lady this'' and ''oh, lady that''?" "Princess, right now you are at the center of attention¡­" "That''s enough, Logan. I have my own standards of doing things and sometimes I become a brat who does the opposite of whatever she is told. I like your reserved, old-fashioned way of thinking, but telling me what to do ends up in a disaster." I said my piece in a manner of authority and power but I didn''t realize the bullets that I just shot at poor Logan. "Reserved? Old-fashioned?" Logan was sitting over there receiving serious emotional damage. Shoot! That was Nadia completely taking the wheel just now. To the current day and age, Logan is not too reserved or old-fashioned, he just was worried about me. But the Gun situation from an hour ago seemed to have got to the inner Nadia really bad. I just have to pretend I didn''t say anything, make a solemn face, and never apologize. That''s it, you are not in the wrong, the entire world is. Still, in the eyes of society, I am the former fianc¨¦e to the Prince who went out on her fifth day after the break-up of the engagement while wearing something strange in an auction house. The only reason my father didn''t oppose this was to test what I do and I really don''t care about the Prince at the moment. What I am after are guns and power as well as political and financial backing. And look, I just kept brooding until we arrived at the Auction House run by the De Clare House. If today is a big Auction, then he is bound to be present. "Welcome, my Lady. May I see your token?" A neatly suited old man received me as my carriage stopped in front of the building. "Are the De Clares really that heartless to make an old man such as yourself receive guests with nothing but minor security, Butler Reuben?" I couldn''t help but remark. The old man furrowed his brows and looked at me closely. I was putting the hood on naturally so I removed it. Butler Reuben stared at me for a moment realizing who I was and sighed. "So you still remember this old man, Lady Vivian." "De Clare and Moore are neighbors, partners, and friends. I am the one who was offended that you didn''t send flowers when I was feeling under the weather those past few days." "Excuse me, my Lady, it is not my place to act that freely but I would if I could." "I know, where is that idiot? Tell him his old pal came to play." "If this was eight years ago, I would have believed that." "Don''t worry, I won''t go rough on him. Just a few words and you know¡­ a gift." The old man shook his head with a sigh. "He is in there but I am afraid your blunt appearance here, my Lady, will cause a lot of attention. I shall prepare an exchange room." "No need, I came to auction on behalf of my father." I said while handing the auction plate. "This is¡­ I understand. This way." Butler Reuben is the butler of the De Clare family but not only that, he is an important figure in the life of the old Vivian. The Moores and the De Clares had years of partnership and friendship, it is by far the oldest alliance in the Noble Society between two houses of Trade and Business. In the game, this alliance is intended to be broken in the route of De Clare''s son Valentine because of a certain bad habit between him and Vivian. The Heroine shall expose that and end with Vivian''s destruction too. It was never revealed what sort of a bad habit it was but through it, Vivan could pry on many state secrets that only the entourage of the Crown Prince would know. Now that I have reincarnated and found out the truth, I face-palmed so hard. To make it simple, none of the game targets are as good eggs as they seemed despite their reversed reputations. And I arrived at my family''s booth in the main hall. These booths are the rooms above the normal auction seats and Nobles occupy them. Today, it strangely seemed that every booth was occupied which is not really a big deal but kinda rare. "What''s the deal with the big gathering?" I asked. "It seems that Lord Julian hasn''t informed you, Lady Vivian. Today we are auctioning a very rare treasure that has arrived from Avalon." Butler Reuben said. "Is it the first time you auctioned something from Avalon?" "No, my Lady, but this time it is very special. You will know when it comes." "I am looking forward to it then?" Butler Reuben retreated back to his post and I took my time looking around the place from above. This auction house is absolutely gorgeous as the ladies of De Clare have high standards when it comes to appearances. The normal buyers came to sit in the common seats while the richest of Nobles appeared in their booths. I saw faces I recognized, many acquaintances and classmates as well as enemies and rivals. The auction house is really the place where friends and enemies gather. In the game, the De Clare Auction event was one of the Seasonal Events where players can get valuable materials, potions, and magic by auctioning online. It was a sort of a mini-game for fun but it wasn''t the only Seasonal Event. I''ll make sure to pick up beneficial things and gain some merits in my Father''s book. "Esmeralda, pour some tea for me and Logan." "Yes, my Lady." Looking down there, the Auctioneer seemed to have finally arrived and the hall settled down. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honor for us, the De Clare Family, and the De Clare Auction House to have you all here today. All the seats and the booths are filled with our dear guests. This is a rare situation but indeed a welcome one. I know you are all eager for today''s special auction so I will get right into it." A man, with quite a small stature, spoke and stood aside for servants to ascend the platform with an item covered under a piece of high-quality cloth. The Auctioneer stood behind a lectern and arranged his papers. "For tonight''s first item, we have the Sword of Embers, crafted by a Duergar Blacksmith from Novark Empire. The starting price is 8,000 Pounds." The first item was flashy but shabby. Even I, who knew nothing about magic, wasn''t impressed. Weapons crafted by Dwarves are indeed good but that''s after adding Magic to them and Humans are the best race in Magic, if the Dwarf joined hands with a Human Mage to enchant the blade then it would have turned out to be a marvel. Alas¡­ "And the sword is sold for 13,000 Pounds to the Knight in blue with the lovely lady." To spend 13 Gold Coins on such a thing, this Knight seemed to be desperately trying to impress the woman next to him. "Next item is the Notes of Sir Gregoire of Kain on his trip to Sauran, it is said that they contain the location of a secret treasure¡­" "... The Staff of Moonlight¡­" "... The Amulet of Tranquility¡­" "... The Saber of Admiral Cruz¡­" "¡­ The Blue Dragon Leaf, a herb of immense rarity that grows in the far eastern land of Longdi and is said to be a sacred herb to the Draconian Kings, the bidding starts at 18,000 Pounds." At that moment, a voice that made my blood boil came from a certain booth. "20,000 Pounds." "The lady from the Royal Booth¡­ oh! It is Lady Matilda accompanied by His Highness Prince Liam himself. Greetings, my Lady." The Auctioneer recognized her right away. The Royal Booth¡­ that girl! And him! I seemed to have not spotted them before as the Royal Booth is in my blind spot but if I walked near the balcony rail of my booth, I would see. And I did. I felt like the blood rushing to my head¡­ the commoner girl I was forced to kneel in front of and the one that betrayed me for her. They looked so happy together as if I was no longer part of this equation. Acting so comfortable and shit¡­ it makes me want to puke. If I just pulled my gun and shot them both¡­ no use of it. The Heroine is a Holy Arts User, an Apprentice Holy Mage if I remember correctly and she is very powerful for her age. She''ll deflect a bullet from this trash toy gun easily. Prince Liam is also beside her, his level is unknown but I assume he is a Knight Graduate. Aside from that, that bastard Richard Marshall is there as well. The feeling of his grip holding my shoulder and forcing me to my knees is still vividly painful. Robert is also there sitting behind the Prince while eyeing Matilda with a longing face. The fucking hypocrites! So they are taking their little commoner around for a walk. Figured as much! She is even buying rare herbs for her magic training or probably to enhance her appeal. Like those wide green eyes or that silky blonde hair would need more beauty. Damn you all! See how I play you around now. 11: Dry them up! They dare act all lovey-dovey after what they did to me? "Those worthless pieces of shit¡­" Somehow I couldn''t hold it in and words came out in a quiet murmur. "Princess?" Not realizing I wasn''t alone, it seemed that Logan picked up what I said then looked at what I was looking at. His face stiffened and returned by my side. "Please calm down, the Master gave orders to bring you home if something like this happens." Logan seemed to be willing to take me home right now. Annoyed, I looked at him with the side of my eyes. "Don''t worry about me now, Logan. I am fine¡­" As I said so, I raised my plate up. "Do we hear 22,000? Do we hear¡­ oh! And the Lady from the Moore Family booth raises 22,000. Can the price go up more? Do we hear 25,000?" As I raised the price, Logan was looking at me with widened eyes. "My Lady, you can''t do this! If you cause something¡­" "Logan! I am bidding." *** While Vivan was looking for a way to vent her rage off, the Royal booth seemed to be in a bit of a stir. No one really would bid against someone sitting in the booth of the Royal Family if there was something they are interested in. But now, the Auctioneer had to play dumb and try to look partial, still, he was sighing in his heart. On the Royal booth, however, the Prince looked towards the Moore Family booth with interest. "Is that Lady Moore over there, Robert?" He asked. "I didn''t know that my Mother would come here, your Highness. Should I go and check?" "No need. Matilda, what will you do?" The Prince asked the girl beside him. That girl, with platinum blonde hair and green eyes, looked beautiful and captivating. She sat very close to the Prince and looked at him with her large innocent eyes. "I¡­ I don''t know¡­ should I bid against Nobles?" She asked. Her enchanting voice made everyone around her want to protect her. That naive looking innocent girl made everyone''s hearts feel worried for her just like that. "It is okay. Nobles or Commoners, those standards do not matter to me and that''s why I love Auction Houses, they are places of equality where only your ability matters. You do not have to be scared." The Prince said with a smile. The Prince who was known for his decency was clearly loved for this quality and how friendly and approachable he was. The attitude that didn''t suit his former fianc¨¦e, Vivian Moore. Not wanting to remember such a haughty girl beside a pure girl like Matilda, the Prince encouraged Matilda to hurry up and bid. "Aaaaand¡­ 25,000 from Lady Matilda. Do we hear 28,000? Do we hear¡­ Here it is. The Lady from the Booth of House Moore bids 28,000. Who else is going to bid? Can someone go over 30,000? Will we see¡­" An eerie quiet enveloped the royal booth, casting an unusual silence upon the bustling entourage. Was it really alright to bid against someone close to the Royal Family like that? Even the Prince thought that no matter the identity of that Lady in that Moores'' Booth, she should at least be considerate. Just who is that rude person? Lady Saskia is someone with a good reputation in society and Vivian is currently disgraced at her home. Did Count Julian send someone on his behalf? It was an annoying situation knowing how rich the Moores are. "35,000!" At that time, Matilda raised the bid halfway in the 30,000s. She was determined not to lose the herb. "Lady Matilda goes way over 30,000 to 35,000. This is getting exciting, Ladies and Gentlemen. Will the price go¡­" "36,000!" At that moment, a tall handsome man from the Booth of House Moore appeared as he bid by the same plate for the Lady. She seemed to be avoiding talking. But still, this bid right now was obviously rude. "... 36,000 for the Gentleman. Anyone can go higher?" Even the Auctioneer was uncomfortable with the bid. "What kind of bid is that?" One of the people attending the auction down the seats said to the one beside him. "Raising merely a 1000 Pounds, this is extremely distasteful." Replied the one spoken to. Meanwhile, Logan was having dark expressions from what Vivian just forced him to go. "Princess, this is going too far. The Master won''t be pleased with¡­" "Logan, calm down. You need to know that I can go to whatever length I see fit to punish someone. Also, it is about to happen¡­ anytime now." Vivian, however, was smiling ear to ear. Her facial features hidden behind the shade of her hood were of absolute ecstasy. On the other hand, the situation with Matilda and Prince Liam was grim. Matilda raised till 35 Gold Pieces and suddenly her opponent only raised one piece. A bit low of someone sitting in the seat of a Noble to pull on such a move! With the worried look on Matilda''s face, Prince Liam''s face twisted from anger. How dare they? He thought. To put that rude one in place, the Prince had to make a move. "40,000!" And the Prince said it while raising his own plate. "His Highness Prince Liam raises to 40,000 Pounds. The Blue Dragon Leaf for 40 Gold Pieces ladies and gentlemen, do we hear more? Do we hear more?" The Auctioneer was smiling happily while calling for anyone who can raise the price more. In her booth, Vivan simply smiled and didn''t bid further. "40,000 Pounds goes once, 40,000 Pounds goes twice¡­ Aaaand the Blue Dragon Leaf goes to His Highness Prince Liam!" Prince Liam smiled as he looked at the booth of House Moore with a hidden grin. No matter who, a Prince is a Prince. Little did he pay attention to the fact that he paid 40 Golden Pieces for something that hardly amounts to 20. At that time, the door of the Royal Booth was opened. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Your Highness." "Valentine, you are here?" The Prince turned around. "Lord Valentine." Matilda stood up and greeted Valentine De Clare, the son of the De Clare family, owners of the Auction House. "Lady Matilda, you look beautiful this evening. Please, do not stand." "Thank you, my Lord." Valentine walked beside the Prince and whispered for no one to hear. "Your Highness, it is reckless to bid this early. That item from just now was not worth it." "It is okay, Valentine. The matter at hand is that Lady in the Moore Family Booth. Who is she?" Valentine walked to the edge of the Royal Family''s booth and tried to look at the Moores'' booth only to see a tall man giving him his back and talking to someone sitting on the main seat. That person was hard to see. Valentine returned to the prince and whispered again. "Apparently, not someone we know. Shouldn''t we send Robert to make a scene?" "Not fun. Let''s wait until the end of the evening and crush them slowly. Let''s see how they buy anything now." "As your wish, your Highness." Valentine retreated but somehow, an odd feeling remained in his heart. Vivian, on the other hand, was preparing. "Esmeralda, come here." "Yes, my Lady." "Go down to the reception hall. Speak with the De Clare maids, they will naturally know you are not one of them but try to stick around as long as possible and get to know them. Maybe start by asking about a rare drink¡­ a milkshake, perhaps." "A milk what?" "Something that is yet to exist. What I want you to do is to know what plate numbers the people from the Royal Family''s booth are using. Ask if they stopped to pick up the token plates first or they came with their own." "I understand." Esmeralda walked outside the booth and proceeded to for her mission while Vivian started planning for what comes next. "Princess, what are you really after?" Logan was having a hard time worrying about the consequences of Vivian''s actions but she only remained silent. If she were to answer, the only word she would say is "trouble". *** Esmeralda returned a few minutes later with news to Vivian. "They took number plates when they arrived at the Auction, my Lady." "Perfect! Now I can do whatever I like." Vivian was pleased with the fact that neither the Crown Prince nor Richard Marshall had their families'' tokens on them. It meant a lot to Vivian who was carrying her family''s token. After some items and weapons were auctioned, another herb appeared. "The next item is the Flower of Aster Cinis, known for its white petals and soothing scent, the flower grows only in spring and mainly in Novark. Bidding price starts at 24,000 Pounds." As the Auctioneer announced it, the people started bidding madly for the rare flower. "35,000 for Lady Matilda, do we hear more? Do we hear 37,000?" And Vivian raised her number again. "37,000 for the Lady in the Moore Family booth. Do we hear 40,000? Do we hear it again?" "40,000!" "40,000 for Lady Matilda. Do we hear¡­" "43,000!" "43,000 for the Lady in the Moore booth? Do we hear 46,000? Do we hear it? 43,000 goes once, 43,000 goes twice." "50,000!" "50,000 Pounds for Lady Matilda. It is getting hot here ladies and gentlemen. Do we hear more? Who offers more? 50,000 goes once, 50,000 goes twice, aaaand the Flower of Aster Cinis is sold for 50,000 Pounds to Lady Matilda." The auction visitors felt the intense rivalry atmosphere between Matilda and the Lady from the Moore Family booth. "Hmph! Just some low class think they can compete with us because they have the support of Count Julian. It is clear that the woman doesn''t even have more than 50 gold pieces." Richard Marshall said disdainfully. "It is okay, Richard. We are not bullying people because we are richer or of a higher class. The Auction is just a game that all love to play." Prince Liam said with a gentle smile. "That''s indeed true, your Highness. I apologize for being impudent." Richard said. "Alright then, I guess we should assist Lady Matilda today to get all the Flowers and Herbs she wants. I assume everyone here is a gentleman. Hahaha!" The Prince passed something to the others as a joke. The first one to react to his words was Matilda. "I can''t really trouble you, your Highness, my Lords. This is very improper even though my money is not¡­" "It is okay. We''re not intending to buy anything in particular today." Robert said. "I don''t mind at all being on the side of Lady Matilda, it is a Knight''s honor to bring fairness." Richard said. "Also, Matilda loves roses, how can I say no in such a situation." Prince Liam said. "Thank you, your Highness, my Lords. It is indeed true I love roses and herbs. I have quite the collection myself." Matilda said. "If that''s the case then I will invite you to the Royal Palace after the exams. There is that small flower garden we have that is nothing like anyone has seen before. I''ll issue permission for you to come to visit it. Maybe have our tea there." Prince Liam said. "Yo- Your Highness! The Royal Palace? Such an honor can''t be bestowed on someone like¡­" Matilda was shocked by the sudden invitation Prince Liam came up with. "It is okay. Nothing to make you nervous. Oh, look! Another herb is being auctioned." By the time Matilda won two herbs against Vivian, another herb came to the stage. Matilda was an obsessed collector of rare herbs and Vivian knew that for the fact that the Game Heroine has studied Alchemy in the Temple of Saints and has a great affinity with herbs and flora in general. The game provided beauty cosmetics for such herbs through a crafting mechanic, it is absent in Vivian''s system but not that it mattered to her. As the third herb was auctioned, Vivian and Matilda went in another showdown that Matilda won. And another¡­ And another¡­ The Prince and his entourage started to feel annoyed by Vivan''s actions, not aware of her identity and motive. To feel better about themselves, they started to bid against her whenever she bids and buys these items for Matilda. Sometimes, Vivian would bid on other items to lure them into bidding making them think they are teaching her a lesson. The Auction House had many battles and rivalries happening at the same time but this one was taking all the spotlight even heating up others to bid with all their passion. Some old experts in the auction noticed the doings of Vivian and couldn''t do anything but smile wryly and shake their heads. These chaotic moments in auction houses are really contagious. "Princess, what are you up to?" Logan asked. "I am just getting rid of trouble. Those little fishies tend to get drifted in the current but now the big ones have to do their best too. I don''t want anyone to have enough stamina once I start to move." Vivan replied. Vivian is a daughter of the Moore family, a family that has been involved with wealth and money more than anything and she has witnessed too many auctions, both private and public. Such tricks were things she is very familiar with and according to what she knows, there will be a big reveal tonight. When it is an important item, even the small clients to the auction tend to gang up and share some ownerships together. In other cases, the big clients gang up with small ones or even together. Sometimes people make shady deals with the auction house itself. In places like this, all is fair. Now Vivian has burned out most of the small clients. Even the Prince and his entourage were spending money like crazy to bid against her for the sake of Matilda. Other than the expert clients, no one cared to notice that Vivian didn''t spend a single Pound since the moment she started all this. And now they have arrived¡­ the big and expensive items. "A large factory building near the coast on the crossing of Hamilton and Ironwood streets¡­ The price starts at 400,000 pounds." "A brig that belonged to the Daiser Family¡­ price starts at 330,000 pounds." "An island housing a Sugar Plantation near the eastern coast of Avalon with its local workers¡­ the price starts at 1,200,000." "The painting Ladies of the Wood drawn by the great Morris de Brosa, inspired by the beauty of Avalon¡­ the price starts at 300,000 pounds." At that moment, Vivan felt as if she was struck by lightning. Not only her but everyone in the Auction House was taken by surprise. Morris de Brosa is the name of the most brilliant artist of the era. Someone that the Temple of Saints paid tons of money to just to draw an inspirational painting of Saint Athena, the Patroness Saint of Albion. A Painting of Morris de Brosa was indeed a surprise but to think it is not the final item. "350,000!" "380,000!" "420,000!" "480,000!" The Major Clients started bidding like mad wolves. Vivian herself was interested, her father Julian Moore has a big crush on De Brosa. If he knew a painting was sold and he didn''t get to have it, he would be depressed for days. "Here goes nothing¡­ go for it, Logan." "Your funeral, Princess. 530,000!" And Vivian entered the bidding. Seeing the Moore Family booth entering the big competition, the mood became frozen in an instant. The Major Clients eyed Vivian as a small fry entering their club rudely and the Small Clients felt betrayed by her forking out 530 gold pieces while she was bidding on the small items just a while ago. "This is not right." Robert Moore, in the Royal Family''s booth, felt it was wrong. His father may have lent his booth to someone but if that someone is this loaded, they surely can afford their own places. Or was it a proxy to his father¡­ but that still is unthinkable. Count Julian Moore is an addict to Auctions, there is no way he is using someone in his stead. Robert spent a long time trying to achieve that spot as his father''s business proxy, he made sure he had no rivals. Even that elder half-brother of his has angered their father and left for Avalon. Not just Robert but all the people in the Royal Family''s booth were concerned. The Prince was frowning as he thought of something. "And the Ladies of the Woods painting is sold for 640,000 pounds to¡­" The Auctioneer stopped talking as he looked at the Lady in the Moores'' booth. He had to announce a name. Knowing that from the start, Vivian was now ready. She got closer to the booth''s balcony and removed the hood. 12: Deals And oh boy! It felt good. I am glad I was unexpected but to think I was this unexpected. Tsk tsk tsk, my heart is a bit broken. "The Ladies of the Woods painting is sold for 640,000 pounds to Lady Vivian Moore." And that''s that, Father will be pleased, others won''t be pleased, things will go better for me and bitter for others. Speaking of bitterness, Robert had that glare in his eyes. So resentful, little brother. Richard Windsor squeezed his glass from anger to smithereens. And here he is¡­ my ex-fianc¨¦. I couldn''t help but meet eyes with him and¡­ That look in his eyes¡­ It still frustrates me. He was looking at me like that¡­ still that same look of indifference in his eyes. He looks at her with all the kindness in the world and then he just turns high and cold when it is me. No, not today will that look beat me. I simply looked away taking this win home with a smile. "And for tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are happy to announce our secret item and the last on today''s list but first, let''s welcome the Auctioneer of the secret item, Lady Isabella De Clare." The uproar about me ended in a second and she emerged. Isabella¡­ or the one I would usually call Bella¡­ Why? Long story. She went up there and took all the spotlight for herself but¡­ she dresses as erotic as ever. Isabella is a beauty, something like this world''s version of supermodels. She is already 20 but not even engaged. Like me, her engagement was broken, but unlike me, she broke it herself. Isabella is the very soul of controversy in the Noble Society. She is always wearing something too colorful, too erotic, or too futuristic. She just loves wearing and designing new stuff to walk around in. That''s right, she designs her own dresses. "Ladies¡­ and Gentlemen. I welcome you all!" Isabella raised her hand up and looked around, her personality and charisma were overtaking the place. I could already see people in the crowd cheering for her. I''m even sure that there are people that come only here for her. On the other hand, she turned to me and winked. I only could reply with a smile knowing very well what was going to happen afterward. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Lords and Ladies! Boys and Girls! I hope you have brought all your coffers here tonight with you cause no one is leaving until we sell this item we are about to bring out." She said and clapped her hand for the servants and a ton of security detail to come on the stage. "Alright. Here it is and without spoiling anything, you should guess what''s inside. Who wants to guess, huh? Who can guess?" She asked around, putting her hand behind her ear. "A Sword!" Someone called. "Too cliche!" She replied. "A Magic Crystal!" Another said. "A Legendary Suit of Armor!'' Another added. "Alright people, I''ll give you hints." She shut everyone up and continued, "It is from the New World, from Avalon. It is one of a kind here on Elgard. And it will make all the big pockets go crazy. Any ideas yet?" Isabella was enjoying the fact that she kept teasing the guests left and right. She stood there hiding her smile behind her hands waiting for someone to answer but ultimately no one dared to think of what could make the big pockets go crazy and whether or not they had the ability to do something about it. Enough with the foreplay already, girl. Even I am getting blue balls. "Friends, today''s auction is a big deal and quite frankly, if this doesn''t get sold in an auction, one of those wars will start between the big names and so for the sake of the Kingdom''s best interest, the owner of this treasure was "convinced" to sell it here in this auction. All the big families are aware but still¡­ it gets me excited to be the host of today''s auction." As I heard that, I couldn''t help but feel the irony. In my past life, things happened this way with some archaeologist and whatever he discovered has got the world to covet it. Naturally, the organization I belonged to did the same which led to the death of me and my friend in the end. How¡­ nostalgically laughable! Anyway, Isabella confidently walked forward to the large cover concealing the item and pulling it away. "Woooah!" A dazzling spectacle only deserves such a sudden feeling of awe. On the platform was a large gray basin filled with water. Floating on the water''s surface, there was a flower. It was by no means a normal flower, it looked like a lotus but it was too mystical to be a real one. It looked transparent but it had a radiance to it. Even for those who never felt the magic power before, it made them feel it. Warmth and Life! "Friends, I have been sitting there for two days silently gazing at this thing in my family''s greenhouse. Such a thing reflected so much beauty and mystery that I have never seen before in a living being." Isabella said and the crowd turned silent. "Yes, you heard right. A living being¡­ from Avalon!" It was a shock to all the people around. Such a thing was possible? A living being reaching Elgard from Avalon? The Mystery of Avalon has never been solved so far; today reveals its first clue. The first living being that arrives from the new world is that flower. No living being ever passed from its local habitat in Avalon without mysteriously dying halfway across the ocean. "Ladies and Gentlemen. I present to you the Manawal¨­k¨± flower, an Avali sacred flower whose name translates to the Spirit Lotus." All were in awe at the announcement of the name. Isabella wasn''t merciful and dropped another bomb. "As this thing may hold the secret of how to bring living things from Avalon, the owner wishes that the bidding starts from 1,000,000 Elgardish Pounds." ¡ê1,000,000 just for the kick-off! Forget about the small pockets, even some big pockets were backing off. For that, only a few names were taking part in this final bidding. The Moore Trading Family. The Harland Royal Dynasty. The Temple of Saints. The Ambassador of Novark Empire. The Blackguards. The Magic Union. Such heavyweights were all eyeing one prize. I started to understand what Father told me not to disappoint him. Still, there was one big worrying thing appearing in front of her face. ? New Emergency Quest: [Acquire the Spirit Lotus] ? ==================== Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. - Acquire the Spirit Lotus: Acquire the lotus by any means necessary! ¡ª Time: 12 Hours ¡ª Reward: Rare Item ¡ª Penalty: System Inactivation for 2 Months ==================== And¡­ "1,200,000! "1,500,000!" "1,800,000!" "2,500,000!" "3,000,000!" The price increased at an insane rate without even the need for Isabella to start calling for raises. Six factions were after the "Spirit Lotus" and all of them were wildly baring their fangs and screeching their claws. This was no longer a tactical competition, it was a deep pockets competition. As the bidders were going wild, the rest of the people were holding their breath from the astronomical numbers that couldn''t possibly be forked out during a casual auction day. Such forces were truly great and well established making the smaller ones know the real difference between them. Still, other than the wild bidders and the excited bystanders, two faces were having a dangerous look while eyeing the Spirit Lotus, those would be Me and Matilda. Matilda was obsessed with all kinds of herbs while I was having a message displayed on my face threatening that the system I acquired three days ago would go through a two-month shut-down if I couldn''t acquire the Lotus within the given time period. All options were out of my hands whether I liked it or not. Still, what on Earth is going on here? Two nights ago, I requested to come to the auction to research the matter regarding my investigator and now, I am participating in a multi-million-pound auction. Father clearly knew about it yet he just let me represent the family without prior notice? There is no way the Moores are not interested in this Spirit Lotus. Now that I look at it, there are some unusual people around the Auction. For example, the High Minister of the Elgardish Regional Temple didn''t show up and rather sent a team of Senior Temple Knights to auction in his stead, while the Royal Family didn''t use the Crown Prince but the one auctioning was a famous Courtier. It was clear now that buying this precious thing comes with a huge risk. Clearly if one is moving such a treasure, a large security detail is needed. "Esmeralda, go out of the booth and see if there is someone from our house around." "Yes, my Lady." While Esmeralda went for a minute, the Auction kept going even when Isabella wasn''t counting down as Auctioneers should do. The hype she accumulated from the buyers made the situation feel slow. Once Esmeralda returned she whispered something to my ears and it was all that I needed to hear. "4,450,000 pounds! That''s not a nice number, ladies and gentlemen. I''m not even agreeing to sell it to such a number. I see 4,700,000 coming up closer. I can almost taste it, I swear. Here it is¡­ here it comes¡­" "5,000,000!" I ultimately had to put a regrettable stop to the comical show Isabella was hosting. Everyone and their mothers turned to me right away. I could even feel Logan''s gaze burning through my back. "And her ladyship Vivian strikes down the last raise. Five Million Elgardish Pounds, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the most expensive item ever sold in our humble Auction House since the age of my great-grandfather. Should I tell you a story about it or start counting? Hmmm¡­ I''ll tell you a story. 72 years ago¡­" "5,500,000!" "5,500,000 for The Noble Knights of the Temple¡­ where was I with the story, yes¡­" "6,000,000." "6,000,000 once again by Vivian Moore. Now I feel like we have enough money, Ladies and Gentlemen, 6 Million goes¡­" """Once!""" "6 Million goes¡­" """Twice!""" "Aaaand¡­" Isabella paused all of a sudden while shamelessly looking at the people of Temple expecting another raise but they seemed to be no longer able to continue. "AND for the third time, Six Million Elgardish Pounds for the Manawal¨­k¨±. Congratulations, House Moore!" On her own accord, Isabella was blazing on the stage as she announced my victory. The crowd was even cheering for her as she went away. She was indeed a very powerful influencer with a striking fan base and popularity. How she can do that is beyond me but for sure, these skills are not that of a noblewoman. Whatever! Both me as Nadia and me as Vivian prefer to keep it quiet most of the time, which is the opposite of my current situation. Everyone is either glaring at me, hating me, or eyeing me like wolves. "Let''s get out of here, Princess. I''ll send someone to the house to send us a security detail for escorting the Spirit Lotus back to the mansion." Logan said. "It has already been taken care of." I replied and nodded for Esmeralda. She, by her part, went and opened the door of my booth. There, we saw an aging figure standing and looking at us with indifferent expressions. "You have good eyes, young miss." Old Theo spoke. "So¡­ have I passed Father''s test?" I asked. "Yes, you passed. I''m afraid I''ll be taking your Token from here. I''ll go and receive the item." Old Theo had me hand him the auctioning plate over. "There are two items actually. The painting of¡­" I tried to say something but he shook his head. "Sadly we only have one room for the Lotus. You will have to handle the painting yourself. The payment is already taken care of." He said and walked away on his cane. I guess that was that, huh? I knew Father wouldn''t let the Lotus go, so earlier, I asked Esmeralda to check for some of our people and she found Old Theo with our house''s knights, this was enough for me to know how things would go. "Let''s get out of here." I said as there was no longer a need to stay. As a buyer, I was led to one of the rooms where the auction house deals with business. As I arrived, I asked the servant to call for young lord Valentine De Clare to conduct the business with me. I then waited with Logan and Esmeralda in the heavily decorated tea room on a chair with my Knight and my Maid on my side. About five minutes later, I could hear some heavy footsteps heading hastily towards the door, the door was pushed open and Valentine stormed in. "Vivian Vivian Vivian! You seriously¡­ goddammit! What are you doing here? Why did you ask for me?" Seeing the handsome Valentine rush in like this, I couldn''t take him seriously for some reason but here it goes. "Shouldn''t someone call for their friends when they are about to conduct such an expensive deal?" I asked. "Friends? After the things you did? Vivian, I don''t really want to involve myself with you at the time¡­" "Valentine, my old friend. Please¡­ you are breaking my heart." I raised my hand for him to stop talking and turned to my people, "Esmeralda, why don''t you go bring us some tea, and Logan, please make sure no one is eavesdropping so Valentine can relax a bit." "My Lady!" "Alright!" The two went out of the room leaving Valentine all to me all alone. "Relaxed now?" I asked. Valentine looked towards the door and narrowed his eyes. "Trustworthy people?" He asked. "The Knight is. The Maid is new." I replied. His face relaxed a bit but stiffened all over again. "No! I shouldn''t. I must go." "Valentine, relax." I said as I took out my storage purse, "I brought a gift especially made for you." Valentine halted and looked at me. "No, we¡­ we are not doing this." His voice became shaky. "What? And I went through all this trouble to prepare and make it look good for you?" "Don''t! Just don''t, please." "Fine. But won''t you regret it if you know that it is the first of its kind to go public just for you?" I said some words that made him sweat. "Vivian¡­ you devil." "Valentine, you are saying such mean things. Tsk tsk tsk, I thought I was your friend." I said as I put the purse away. "Wait!" He almost jumped from his place. "Can I just¡­ see?" His state was miserable. "Alright!" I agreed and took out something from the purse. It was a plate with something he hadn''t seen before on top of it. It was a cake baked in a cup shape, a cupcake. On Earth, cupcakes appeared around the year 1800 so it is not something that emerged in this world just yet. Valentine''s eyes were simply fixed on it. That''s Valentine''s weakness that Vivian always used against him. He loves food, but the word "love" doesn''t even begin to describe it. When he was a child, he was a well-rounded glutton who liked to eat everything his way but his mother, Lady Claudia, and elder sister Isabella put him on a strict diet forcing him to become fit and graceful. Actually, Valentine has an almost perfect appearance that defies his inner nature. That is impossible to be known by anyone other than those who grew up with him such as myself. "Now you saw it but since you are not interested¡­" I wanted to retreat it back to the purse but Valentine almost went insane. "I''m interested¡­ I said I''m interested." There is more than just a weakness but also a weakness inside a weakness. Valentine is not just a glutton but a glutton for rarities, if it is something that was never eaten before, Valentine would just die over it, sweets above all else. "Alright. You can have it but in return¡­" "Damn you, Vivian. I''ll do anything!" "Atta boy!" I put the plate in front of him and he snatched it like a criminal. He looked closer at the cupcake that was specially made by Esmeralda who received a lot of instructions from me this morning. There was whipped cream on top of it, which thankfully existed in this era, alongside some additions that I made to make it look perfect. Valentine''s mind was enthralled as he saw it. "So, tell me, old friend. Do you know who the Prince will send to interrogate me?" I went right to the point. Valentine lost focus on the cupcake for a second and then looked between me and the cupcake. "I know." He said, "It is Edith Black." "The Edith Black?!" Of all people? This was more than just a shock to me but a big surprise as well. Edith Black is no ordinary lady even when she is a year younger than me. She is a trained knight from House Black and the younger sister of Edmond Black, the very same Edmond, Prince Liam''s aide, who was there when the Baron and his son were at my home. Edith is¡­ let''s say she is bad news. She is a fanatic who is blindly loyal to the Kingdom and isn''t afraid to get her hands dirty or act violently. She is there to put me down for good and maybe pin the murder of the Baron boy on my House then walk out with a deal signed by Father as my destruction sentence. Yes, that''s Edith Black. Even Nadia knows how scary that girl is. How does she know that? Simply¡­ Edith Black is the Second Villainess of the game. 13: The Bully Knight There are seven official destruction fates aside from one that was added by a DLC ll, which makes them all eight in total. Four of those are my own destruction while two belong to each of the other two Villainesses. The first is Edith Black. From the game, Edith is a ruthless character much different than the haughty Vivian. Vivian is a lady through and through, who values the traditions of the Noble Society and worships its rules and customs. Edith, however, was raised in a family of Royal Agents and Disciplinary Knights, no other noble would want anything to do with the daughter of such a dangerous family. More to that, Edith was engaged to Richard Marshall son of the Knights Commander which means she is just moving from the House of Shadows to the House of War. In the route of both her brother and fianc¨¦, Edith appears in her long black coat with a sword at her waist and an intense glare that causes shivers even beyond the fourth wall. For her brother Edmond, she refuses the Heroine as her family can''t just accept a marriage candidate whose background is questionable and she will send attackers after the Heroine which will cause her brother to get injured saving the Heroine, this and that will happen until House Black issues an order for Edith to withdraw before sending her to the Disciplinary Hall, which is a nightmare to any noble. As for her fianc¨¦, she claims that the Heroine is a danger to the stability of the kingdom and uses the same method to scare away the Heroine except for this time it is Richard who appears and he who gets injured, the retaliation of the Knights will be swift and the engagement will be called off, Edith''s fate was to withdraw in her family never to appear but years later as a nun in a monastery. Compared to her actions, banishment is a very light punishment. For heaven''s sake, Vivian gets to die in the four scenarios after some mere bullying. Life¡­ truly unfair! My remembrance of those memories regarding Edith took place in the auction''s meeting room where Valentine and I were sitting after he just informed me of the investigator who will be sent to question me about the murder of the Baron''s Son. As for Valentine, he was eating the cupcake almost losing himself in its softness and deliciousness. This guy is a lost cause. "Edith Black¡­ I understand. Thank you, Valentine. Now finish this off before my maid comes with the tea." I said. "Om, ysh! Hmm! Gsh hus fning? Stabyyy! Hmm!" (Oh, yes! Hmm! This has a filling? Strawberry? Hmm!) "Exactly, see how much I value our friendship?" I replied. "Ammyin! Viv, ou aa ta bit!" (Amazing! Viv, you are the best!) "Oh! Thank you, dear." Was this a healthy friendship just now? No idea. Anyway, Valentine was done with the cupcake and wiped the traces with a handkerchief. "I''ll get you your painting¡­ and we''ll never speak of this ever again." "Thieves'' honor." I raised two fingers and promised with mockery. He put back the indifferent look on his face as soon as Esmeralda arrived with the tea set and Logan entered the room based on my signal. A minute later, the painting arrived. It was called Ladies of the Woods as it portrayed three ladies bathing in a river with their long hair entwining with the water. The scene was beautiful and the colors were vibrant as if the image was a hazy version of reality, it was easy to understand why De Brosa was one of the most successful painters in this age with his dream-like imagination. Still, those ladies of the woods were somehow mystical, something like fairies or elves, their ears were obviously pointy but not that long. Avalon is surely a magical place. "Thank you for conducting business with our auction house, Lady Vivian. The door is this way." As soon as the transaction ended, Valentine disdainfully showed me out. Jerk! I didn''t shy away and collected the Painting in the Storage Purse. Sure as hell Valentine''s eyes widened seeing me walking around with such an artifact, sadly, I''m not planning to stick around and entertain him, that''s why I walked towards the door followed by Logan and Esmeralda but as I walked out of the room, I found my half-brother Robert blocking my way. *** The situation was getting alarming and about to take the worst possible scenario just from the kickoff. Vivian and Robert, despite being an older sister and a younger brother, they were the unmixable mix and the unsolvable solution. Robert hated Vivian to the bone and Vivian found no reason for his hate so she was pleased to provide him with as many as she could. "What are you doing here, you wretched woman? How dare you show your face in public after the shame you brought to our family?" Robert was so much not holding back anything. "Hola hola hola, little Robbie! What''s with the sudden outburst?" Vivian may have never wanted to see him at all, but seeing him like that activated her provocative attitude without reserve. "Don''t you dare belittle me!" Robert raised his finger at her face but a sudden cold feeling overwhelmed him out of nowhere. Looking back behind Vivian, there was a tall man with long wavy brown hair and chiseled face. It was Knight Logan giving a death glare to him. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The difference between a Graduate Knight and an Apprentice Knight was clear in terms of power. In truth, Logan would eat Robert and lick his bones dry if not for the fact that he is the son of his liege lord. But amidst this feeling of victory, a voice was heard causing Vivian to feel like a bucket of cold water was poured down on her. "Will you please stop bullying Robert?" Vivian finally noticed that Robert wasn''t alone, this girl was standing not too far from Robert approaching through the hallway. The Heroine¡­ Matilda. Walking in her long blue silk dress, there was no doubt that the Heroine looked charming and pleasing to the eyes. Robert''s attitude and airs immediately turned 180¡ã from the pain in the ass brat to the noble young man. "Lady Matilda." "Lord Robert, are you alright?" "Yes, I am fine." The scene of the saint-like maiden checking on the hurt noble knight was so sickening to Vivian, she never stood Matilda for this disturbing attitude she has that is devoid of dignity or shame, which made her get this intimate with multiple young men, half of whom are already engaged. "Matilda." Vivian spoke the name of the heroine as a gesture of saying don''t you dare act in front of me like that. Dashing and domineering, Vivian''s personality could overwhelm many people and her presence was hard to ignore in her current state of mind. This is full-on Lady Vivian of House Moore with all her attitude and arrogance. "Lady Vivian." Matilda stood against Vivian withstanding the domineering villainess. "What do you want?" Vivian asked with an interest growing lesser as time passed. "I am here to make a proposition." "A commoner with a proposition? Hah! Not interested." Vivian realized what''s going to come and she clearly has the right all the right to say and say not, so she bluntly refused. "Vivian, what you have done today is far too reckless! Just because you were jealous of Matilda and wanted to compete with her, you wasted a lot of our house''s money on that Spirit Lotus, Father will be infuriated." Robert spoke gloating about his sister''s blunder. Vivian almost wanted to smack his loose mouth but she chose sarcasm. "Little Robbie, you are as cute as you are a dum-dum. My dear little brother knows how to talk business now? Absolutely adorable!" Vivian spoke as if she was addressing a child. "You!" Robert lost his composer immediately. "Lady Vivian, this is no way a lady should behave!" Matilda stood up between Vivian and Robert. "Frankly, it''s none of your damn business how I address my little brother. And come here, who are you to tell me how a lady should behave, little commoner? And how in the world has this little boy figured out that I wasted a lot of money when he has no sense of the money he wastes?" Vivian took the question in a circle. "Be thankful that Lady Matilda is kind and looking out for you after what you have done. Hand over the Spirit Lotus and the Temple will compensate us for what you paid for¡­" Robert went out in a fit of rage as he spoke loudly at Vivian not realizing how Matilda''s face beside him looked like. "Pft!" Vivian covered her mouth and let out a short muffled laugh. To think they tried to use Robert against her, if she doesn''t know how easily Robert can get infuriated then how can she still be called Vivian. "What are you laughing at?" Robert felt bad about the mischievous act of Vivian. "You can''t be serious, little Robbie? Adorable! The Temple will pay us for the Spirit Lotus? Are you even knowledgeable about the situation? Please, tell me you have already met with the Temple Knights from earlier with the commoner girl over here and struck a deal that you will make me hand over the Spirit Lotus." Vivian''s words caused Robert''s ears to turn red. This scene here was where the Villainess could no longer keep it in her pants. "Hahaha! Absolutely adorable!" "What are you so on about?" Robert was fed up with belittlement. "I am here on Father''s behalf to purchase the Spirit Lotus for our house, brother. Please don''t tell me you promised the Temple Knights something and you are¡­ my goodness! This is so much fun. Wait until I tell everyone." Vivian was having the fun of her life, Robert was getting his blood pressure over the roof, and Matilda''s usual warm smile was replaced by solemn silence. "Are we done, Robert? Matilda? If so, then¡­ excuse moi." Vivian wanted to walk past the two but she felt a presence behind her. "Not so fast!" Glancing back, Vivian''s expressions crumbled. This time, it was a whole new animal to deal with. The son of the knight''s commander, Richard Marshall. Calmly, he approached Vivian from behind. "You showed a lot of disrespect to Lady Matilda just now, Vivian. Quickly apologize." Richard said, imposing his Knight Aura at the powerless and defenseless Vivian. "Marshall, don''t push your luck!" Vivian replied with a strong glare back at him. This was no longer a words situation, Richard Marshall is not just a member of the Heroine''s Entourage but the person Vivian despises the most after the Prince, if not even more. He was the one who pushed her on her knees in the academy in front of everyone. If she was capable, his head wouldn''t be attached to his shoulders anymore. "Still not apologizing?" Richard walked to her, raising the very same hand, saying the very same words, and having the very same thoughts and intentions. That''s Richard Marshall, a brute who hasn''t learned much about words. Vivian is completely powerless against this kind but you know who isn''t? Crash His presence was kept down since the start of this confrontation and he stood back as Vivian ordered but as soon as she was in a pinch, he automatically moved. Richard Marshall found himself being pushed from the face and pinned on the opposite wall with the hand he was intending to lay on Vivian twisted badly behind his back. It was all too sudden. One second, Richard was having his way with the situation, then Logan showed up and handled him like a little pup. Richard''s mind could barely process what happened from this point onward. Above him, Logan was showing a very scary side, he would avoid unnecessary conflicts but when the time of causing trouble comes, Logan was happy to spare the world a piece of his mind now that the ones that bullied his lady are trying to pull something against her once again. Richard took a glimpse of Logan and saw someone larger and stronger than him pushing him to submission. Logan has a strong appearance with broad shoulders and big limbs but his facial features and messy hair were more that of a vagabond rather than a knight. Both Robert and Matilda were shocked by Logan''s sudden action and took a step away unconsciously. "You! Let¡­ GO!"" Richard spoke as if he was going to breathe fire anytime soon. "Knight Logan in the service of her ladyship Vivian of House Moore." Logan spoke calmly, "Junior knight Richard, you were about to lay your hands on my Lady." 14: Meeting on Narrow Roads "Get¡­ your¡­ hands¡­ off¡­ me!" Richard''s eyes were about to turn red while saying so. "No can do." "I SAID¡­" "Knight Richard, the First Clause of the Knights Doctrine. Please recite it for me¡­" Logan said something incoherent. "Get your FILTHY HANDS¡­" "I said the first clause of the Knights Doctrine, Knight Richard! Start singing!" Logan tightened his grip on Richard''s nape. "¡­ Ugh! Loyalty¡­ Loyalty to the Realm, King, and Lord." Richard spoke dejectedly. "Second Clause of the Knights Doctrine! Keep singing." "¡­ I¡­ I shall harm no child, no elderly, no woman. I shall cut no tree¡­ burn no house¡­ take no innocent life¡­ never break my word." "The punishment for breaking the First Clause is death on the spot, the punishment for breaking the Second Clause is disgrace. As a fellow Knight, I am authorized to bring down the punishment of breaking the second clause on you. Do I commence or do you concede?" "¡­" Logan alone was handling the whole situation with Richard but Vivian was worried, she could tell that there was someone at the end of the hallway and that was probably Prince Liam watching the situation from afar and controlling the strings the same way he always does. He sent out Robert and Matilda to seize the Spirit Lotus quietly and when it failed, he sent Richard to put Vivian in place. She was already aware and seeing that the Richard card was burnt, the Prince shall retreat to come up with a countermeasure for Logan later on. Vivian sneered. "Logan! Let go of Lord Richard at once, I command you as your Lord." Robert pointed fingers and shouted at Logan. "Please, let''s be civil. Release him, Sir Knight, so we can just talk." Matilda took a gentler approach towards Logan. "Oh, please! Robert, you are no Lord over anything so keep it down. And you, commoner girl, my Knight is of a higher social hierarchy than you. Move aside right now, you two have wasted my time long enough." Vivian said haughtily. In this situation, Matilda had no choice but to move aside from Vivian''s way yet Robert felt he had the social standing to keep his ground as Vivian''s male brother. "We are not done talking." He said. "You want to embarrass yourself and your friends more? Go ahead." Vivian said and turned to Logan. Logan knew Vivian''s evil thoughts and for tonight, he decided to play the full role of the henchman for the Villainess. He pressed on Richard''s head and pushed him down on his knees. "Bastard, YOU DARE!" Richard had never humiliated this much in his life before but seeing the look in Vivian''s eyes as she looked down on him and seeing the stiffened expression on Matilda''s face, there was no way they would be able to trample over Vivian at the rate things are going. She is not the broken young lady they expected to be dealing with, she''s a demon incarnate whose cold eyes cast the most disdainful of looks right at their cores. "Vivian, you will regret this." Robert could no longer tolerate what was going on. "Make sure to return home tonight, Little Robbie. I''m sure Father will be eager to have a hearty talk with you. Who knows? He might gift you another book. Let''s go, Logan." Vivian walked past Robert, who could no longer stand against his tyrant sister. They weren''t prepared for her to be this aggressive and the fault is his. He told the Prince that Vivian was broken and reduced to a husk of her former self once she locked herself in her room for three days. But this Vivian now¡­ she is lawless like never before and has no fear of offending house Marshall by reducing Richard to this sorry state. Matilda remained silent and took a deep breath while Vivian, Logan, and Esmeralda walked by. Vivian may no longer be the Prince''s fianc¨¦e but she still hits hard if not harder now. To a certain Prince who watched the whole situation from a distance, Vivian started to look more like a problem. "Is that what it is? Being someone whose back is against the wall?" Edmond Black asked. The Prince tilted his head and hummed analyzing the scene he just saw. "Is it me or something has changed about her?" Prince Liam mumbled. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "¡­ Ehem!" Edmond cleared his throat as his reply no matter how he tried to put it, would be a bit rude. In other words, he wanted to say "No shit?". Prince Liam got the gist of it and smiled. Of course she changed after he dumped her, any woman would change after such humiliation but this change was different. Prince Liam could swear that the Vivian he used to know was more of a person who educates people about their place to respect society''s rules, which always bored him as he had to maintain the reputation of the good-natured Prince. The Vivian he knew was someone who didn''t go well with modesty or such things. However, this Vivian was more of a bandit. She seemed to uphold her values as a lady but she was enjoying it just now. Belittling Robert, teaching Matilda her place, and forcing Richard to kneel to her the same way he once made her kneel. Whatever the reputation the Prince has built for himself, it didn''t translate to the look appearing on his face right now, and as he was clearly unamused with Vivian''s behavior yet very welcoming to the comeback of the fallen to be squashed again. "Very well." His tone was no longer easygoing and friendly, it turned cold and very arrogant. "Teach Vivian her place. Make her learn what it means to be outside the good graces of the Royal Family." He spoke. "Oh! Fine, fine, I''ll get it done, Your Highness." Edmond replied as he seemed dejected, he didn''t really want to do it. "Don''t go lax on me now, Edmond." Prince Liam glared. "Worry not, Your Highness. I''ll just tell our men to look the other way. I don''t even need to do much." Edmond found an easy solution to the situation and covered his yawning mouth. Despite Edmond''s unenthusiasm, the Prince was okay with his behavior. Still, the Prince''s haughtiness and Edmond''s laziness all disappeared when they felt a certain presence coming near them. "Here you are, your Highness, and you too, Lord Edmond." "Matilda." "Lady Matilda." Prince Liam and Edmond turned to the one who came towards them with warm faces. It was the one Vivian knows as the Heroine, Matilda. Behind her, both Richard Marshall and Robert Moore appeared with dejected faces. They seemed like they would break anything from anger. "Are you alright, Matilda? I was told you ran into¡­ Vivian Moore." The Prince said all caring. "It''s alright, your Highness. It is my fault I went to find her while she was having a hard time anyway. I know it was a request from the Temple to Lord Robert and he asked for my help with Lady Vivian but I should have known better instead of causing trouble to Lord Robert and Lord Richard as well." Matilda said apologetically. "No, I am sure these gentlemen are alright. Don''t worry about them." Prince Liam said, glancing at both Richard and Robert. The two seemed to have received some damage from running into Vivian and Logan but they soon erased their dejected looks once the Prince and Matilda turned to them. "I''m alright. Being her younger brother, I am used to the attitude of my sister. I apologize on behalf of my house for any word she might have hurt Lady Matilda with. I hope that one day, my sister sees through her mistakes." Robert said with a warm smile. "Oh! Lord Robert, you are so kind." Matilda said. "I don''t feel bad at all being bested by a better knight. I won''t lose next time if we clash." Richard Marshall followed with a calm domineer. "Alright, Lord Richard. Please be careful." Matilda replied. "Your Highness, Lady Matilda." Joining the conversation later, Valentine spoke out as he came. "Valentine, you were the one handling the trade with, my Sister?" Robert asked. "Yes¡­ you guys are really reckless to try to make a deal about the Lotus with Vivian in this place." Valentine said. "You could have helped, you know!" Robert said with an upset tone. "No, I couldn''t. This is regarding something we sold and my interference will make my family look bad. Also, neither I nor Vivian were the ones handling the Lotus'' trade." Valentine said. "??" The others were alarmed at the last thing he said. "You mean¡­?" Richard Marshall asked slowly while trying to maintain his composure. "House Moore handled the Lotus with my House, elders to elders. Vivian was just the face during the auction. She was playing you the whole time. She isn''t carrying the Lotus." Valentine''s revelation caused the others around him to almost want to kill something. Matilda, Robert, and Richard were handled by Vivian so badly, and now realize that Vivian was playing them all along. This was all because Matilda met her contact with the Temple of Saints who asked her to ask her friend of House Moore to negotiate about the Lotus and Robert almost promised to give them the damn thing. "I''m sorry¡­ if not for my selfish request, I would have never put anyone in this situation." Matilda said. "No, it''s alright." Robert hastily calmed her down before she got consumed by guilt. "Yes, it was not something we can do anything about anymore." Richard followed. "How about this?" Prince Liam clapped his hand, "There is a small banquet after every auction held by Valentine''s family. I heard of some specialties of house De Clare that would make the best chefs in the whole Kingdom chew their fingers with envy. Shall we?¡± ¡°Of course, everyone is welcome. I¡¯ll show you the banquet and then head to my duties.¡± Valentine said. ¡°Lord Valentine is not joining?¡± Matilda asked. ¡°Fair lady Matilda, nothing would warm my soul as much as joining you and the lords here on the same table but I¡¯m afraid I am not a good eater.¡± Valentine declined. ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. I still don¡¯t get how the De Clares manage to survive on that strict diet. Still, being fit and slender are your people''s specialty.¡± Robert said. ¡°It is indeed.¡± Prince Liam eyed Valentine up and down with judging eyes. The Prince was fit and all but Valentine was in the top model league. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Valentine laughed it off then pointed towards the hallway, ¡°This way, esteemed guests. I¡¯ll be your guide for the night.¡± Valentine kept it to himself but he was unamused, especially by Robert and Prince Liam. He didn¡¯t really like how Matilda was getting close to those two. Thinking of her, she was the only reason he endured this group of people who annoyed him the most. ¡°I¡¯ll be off for my duties.¡± Edmond seemed to be taking his leave. ¡°As we spoke, Edmond.¡± Prince Liam said. ¡°Consider it done, Your Highness.¡± Sensing a bit of unease, Valentine watched Edmond as he said so. This so-called diligent guy only leaves the shadow of the prince when they are up to no good. Something wrong was about to happen. 15.1: Here Comes the Storm (1) (Part 1) It was a strange day to come across friends and foes on one narrow road but I had to go with the flow and keep it all together. I couldn''t risk failing a quest to this System whose existence is veiled in mystery and is the center of all the strange things I have been through. Even though I was drowning in my nose in problems, I managed to put myself into a new one. I was supposed to get back on my feet in society first but it seems that some people fear not only me getting back, but even me having the chance to do so. With them around every corner, I was at least suspecting some trouble but not to this level of nastiness. It all started last night when I walked out of the auction house. That night when I was first hit by the storm. *** ¡ªLast Night after the Auction¡ª Victory! Small as it was but a victory is still a victory. Vivian was ready to kick off a celebration because of what happened earlier that night. She fulfilled her mission of knowing who was going to interrogate her and bought the Spirit Lotus, which her father lured her to buy. She even trash-talked to her heart''s content and left some deep slaps on some of those who tried to bully her. "What a time to be alive!" She exclaimed on her way out. Alas, she can''t attend the dinner party after the auction, the De Clare family is famed for their parties but with the Prince and the Heroine around, Vivian must tread carefully. "Hm? Where is the carriage? I want to go home." Vivian said as she waited with Logan and Esmeralda outside the auction. Naturally, the employees of the De Clare would call for her carriage to pick her up the instant she came out but it seemed that her carriage driver was absent. "I''m sure it''s nothing. I''ll check it out." Logan said as he made sure the area was relatively safe and guarded. Vivian nodded and naturally stayed in front of the Auction House. The place is safe if not the safest place in the capital after the Royal Palace, half of the nobility are gathered here after all. With most of the nobles at the party, Vivian found a quiet fountain close to the entrance and walked beside it to brood at the tranquil reflection of the moon. Esmeralda was quietly following her. "Beautiful night, isn''t it?" Vivian asked. "Yes, my Lady." Esmeralda replied. "How do you find working for me so far?" "It is¡­ thrilling." "You''re being dishonest." "Fine, it is worrying. My previous employer was old but quite influential so I''ve seen my fair share of politics, but with you, my Lady¡­ they are not just forcing their influence, there is hate in their actions." Esmeralda said. "Sometimes, I think you are too perceptive for your own good." Vivian turned to Esmeralda smiling then turned back at the fountain. "I apologize if I said anything¡­" "It''s alright, I like your perspective on things." Vivian said, "There is indeed hate, the unjustified discriminating sort of hate¡­ I never understood why but I think the coming days will unravel the mystery one way or another. Until then, I''ll decide whether or not to give them a real reason to hate me. It will be lots of fun I assure you." "Please, be careful with this sort of people, my Lady." "Thank you for your worry, Esmeralda." While the two chatted, Vivian would always try to unravel more about Esmeralda, the talented and interesting Hulking from Sauran. The people of the south were known for their large stature and bronze skin, at first when Vivian transmigrated and started reading about the world, she always thought it was just baseless rumors because of how far Sauran is, but after meeting Esmeralda, she changed that opinion. The southern continent Sauran is swampy and lush with forests and mountains that house the docile race of the Hulkings. Large-bodied humanoids, the Hulkings are brave and strong yet lack the destructive nature of mankind when they go to war. They are nomads but the ancient civilizations of Sauran used them as slaves and now the people of Albion continue the traditions but it was rare to see them in cities. The humans of Sauran were also enslaved once their nations were defeated and their lands were colonized but they were of no particular use outside their lands. They were farmers and laborers in their own homelands under Albionese supervision. As for Esmeralda, Vivian already knew that she traveled from Sauran on a ship that she named herself after and trained in Lozan as a maid. It also seemed that due to the Religious Civil War in Lozan and the conflict with Velleux, her former mistress escaped to exile fearing the Inquisition Order of Saint Heimdall. "You have been through a lot." Vivian said. "Right, but it is our experiences that shape what we are." Esmeralda replied. "Oh! An excellent tea brewer and a philosopher¡­ I believe I was lucky to find you." While Vivian was getting to understand her new maid more and more, others started moving around them in the shadows. It wasn''t anything suspicious and Vivian did not notice at all the danger she was in. She was worried but she thought that the front entrance of the most prestigious Auction House in the Capital would be more guarded than any ordinary place. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She couldn''t be more wrong, however, since the security was already lifted the moment she started brooding at the fountain, and things started taking unexpected turns. It all started with the appearance of two young women who looked as if they belonged to the ranks of the lower nobility. Those two young ladies approached Vivian and Esmeralda with smiles. "Lady Vivian¡­ am I right?" One of them asked. Vivian examined the young lady seeing nothing out of place about her before confirming. "Indeed." Vivian replied. She only thought that the one in front of her was simply another nosy noble. "Thank the Saints we found you." One of them said. "It is your Knight, my Lady. He asked us to come and get you. He was trying to find the carriage driver when some horse started panicking and hit him." The other spoke. "He seems to be in no condition to escort you so please, come to the carriage yourself. This way, my Lady." The first continued about to lead the way. "Goodness! That''s horrible." Esmeralda reacted worriedly. It seemed that Logan''s situation was dire being hit by a raging horse. That certainly hurt, Vivian had that bad memory with horses from when she was young so she knew the pain but there was one slight thing. Vivian''s face was just looking at the two young ladies with an utter cringe. "Seriously?" She wondered, "I mean¡­ if you really want to make up something, don''t put so much effort into your lie." "Hm?" "Excuse me!" The two young women were tilting their heads from Vivian''s reaction. "I said you need to be better at acting casual¡­ liars always look for excuses and make unnecessary details." Vivian seemed not interested one bit then her tone changed right away, "Where is my Knight? And who sent you?" Seeing the change in Vivian''s attitude, the two young women realized they were seen through. It was supposed to be an easy pick-up but this would turn rather troublesome if someone was to take note of it. In a full synergy, the two young women moved towards Esmeralda and Vivian each with sharp blades hidden under their sleeves. "Come quietly or we will harm him, that maid, and most definitely you." The young woman who was holding Vivian spoke quietly not to arouse attention. Esmeralda tried to struggle but she was in no position to fend for herself while Vivian was regretting not taking distance right off. Her eyes looked around trying to find Logan or any guard but it seemed that there was none other than some people past the bustling entrance of the auction house. "I advise you to be wiser than screaming around." The young woman holding Vivian said while pressing her blade against Vivian''s side. "Right back at you. You think it is wise to try to mug me like that?" Vivian asked while waiting for anyone to show up. "Move!" The young woman holding her used a concealed blade and poked Vivian with it. This bad situation left her with no option but to quietly stop resisting. Her eyes didn''t stop from trying to look for an opportunity but the young woman holding her walked beside her very closely and led her away from the auction house''s entrance. To the passers-by from a distance, these are just four ladies walking together, nothing to be suspicious about. As the four finally reached a corner at the end walkway leading to the auction house, the young woman holding Vivian pushed her towards a certain door before anyone could notice, followed by the other woman holding Esmeralda. This door led to an empty stable that seemed to belong to the auction building but was currently empty save for two figures that stood right in the middle. "Oh! Our guests have arrived." A man''s voice spoke lazily as one well-dressed man walked across the stable silently with another behind him holding a cane. The man approaching was wearing a brown suit and a hat which he left up to reveal his bright blonde hair, the man with a cane was a bit taller dressed in a black coat and a hat but he kept his distance as he scanned Vivian with his sharp eyes carefully. What Vivian noticed, however, was the dialect of their speech. While the women seemed to speak in native Elgardish, the men were crude to an extent. "Criminals! Let the lady go!" Esmeralda was nervous but she tried to put up an act but the woman behind her held her from her hair. "Silence, you dumb giant." "No!" The woman holding Esmeralda pulled her hair for Esmeralda to fall down from the pain on one knee and now had the knife at her throat, Esmeralda''s tough act proved to be a facade as she started shaking with fear. Even though she is a girl taller than most men, she is still intimidated by a knife. In a world of knights and wizards, a stray Hulking like her isn''t even anything special. The man in the brown suit looked at Esmeralda as he walked to her and was about to raise his hand while insulting her. "Why is this woman so damn tall? You sure you''re a housemaid, not some circus freak?" But just as he was about to hit her, Vivian spoke. "Hitting a lady''s maid, now? Truly shameless! Dogs these days aren''t trained right." No matter the situation, the villainess is still the villainess. Her sharp tongue and sassy eyes would provoke the heaviest of nerves. Seeing the way she locked her arms together and stood impatiently as if not bothered with the lowly folks around her, the man in brown completely forgot about Esmeralda and turned to Vivian with his eyes wide open. "Say that again!" He pointed a finger at her and acted overbearing but Vivian looked at him with decreasing interest and turned to the other man. The man in black was sharp and perceptive. A knight as it seemed compared to the other man who clearly had no powers. He could understand that Vivian saw through the act of hierarchy. Normally, he wouldn''t be bothered to talk with such a woman and would let his lackey do the beating and the questioning but he saw no fear in Vivian''s eyes. This is either foolishness or confidence and both will be a waste of time. "That''s enough." The man in black spoke as he pointed to the others with his cane, "Bring them inside." The other man halted his action despite the anger that he couldn''t vent and didn''t argue one bit. He pointed forward as he was ordered and Vivian simply walked by. However, that man had a toxic look in his eyes for being told off by Vivian that way. "Move!" The two women forced Esmeralda to walk in after Vivian while pointing their knives at her. Vivian scanned the stable left and right to see no escape, those people just wanted her to be trapped but little was she worried about that. As soon as she reached the end of the stable, Esmeralda was pushed down by one of the women and she helped her up. Facing them, Vivian assessed her situation carefully. Four individuals; two women with knives, one thug, and a Knight. The only danger is that knight in a black suit as he seemed very wary about Vivian''s actions. "Let''s make this quick, shall we?" He spoke. "Whatever you have in mind, whatever you aim to accomplish, this won''t go unpunished." Vivian spoke right back at him. "I see¡­ so Lady Moore is trying to throw her weight even in such a situation? Interesting!" The man said, making an intrigued expression. "I assume you are after the Spirit Lotus. I regret to inform you that you won''t find it on me." Vivian declared in full force. "Is that so? It is regrettable then¡­ still, it would be way simpler if we searched your bag." The man pointed to her side. "I dare you try." Her anger rose as she felt she couldn''t just be humiliated by the likes of this thief in the dark. 15.2: Here Comes the Storm (2) (Part 2) The man smiled, passed two fingers on his sideburns and his sneer grew wider. His confidence and her defiance were growing as if feeding on one another, but only one would devour the other eventually. He was in a comfortably good spot or even better than what he realized since the security was lifted. "Even if you say so, I wouldn''t touch a lady so¡­ do it." The man signaled to the other three. The man in brown walked towards Vivian followed by the two women who looked as vicious as wolves eyeing prey. Their aim was to knock down this high and mighty lady of her high horse for whatever reasons they had. "You shan''t lay a hand on my Lady." Vigorously, Esmeralda moved from Vivian''s side to shield her from disgrace but the man in brown had a nasty look in his eyes as he eyed Esmeralda up and down. "Hehe! You''ll have your turn." With the head of his cane, he hit Esmeralda''s arm causing her to stagger to the side and fall towards the dark corner. She landed badly but luckily ¡ªor unlucky¡ª she landed on something soft. Soft as it was, it caused her to feel the coldest of shivers as her vision adapted to the dark. A body¡­ a dead body. Still warm but unmistakably familiar. She screamed or was about to but the man in brown was onto her. "Little girls shouldn''t do naughty stuff." He grabbed Esmeralda by the hair and started to drag her away as Vivian roared at him. "The nerve!" "Shut your bloody trap!" The two women holding knives surrounded her about to search her for the Storage Purse. Meanwhile, the man in black spoke to the other in brown. "Make it clean." He said. The reply ought to come right away but it was this moment when Vivian found the window of opportunity. She waited and waited for a long time and it was finally the moment after careful consideration. The two men aren''t focusing and the two women are in arm''s reach. She just had to¡­ Slash Slash ¡­ kill the two women using their own knives. It was simple. They were no longer focusing on her as a threat and Esmeralda was in danger. She just had to move faster and disarm them with the slightest move of her hand before burying their knives into their necks. They couldn''t even make a sound, hardly the men who weren''t looking at her noticed. All in a split second. The two women were down choking on their blood and the knives in their necks. Esmeralda saw it clearly and her crying suddenly halted. The two men noticed but it was too late as the knives were flying at their vitals with an unmatchable throwing skill. The man in brown received a knife to his side and the man in black was about to be hit in his neck. The former was hit and reduced to the ground but the latter managed to move his head away from the knife''s trajectory. "You!" "DIE!" Unbelievably swift, the man in black didn''t realize that the second attack was already being delivered as Vivian reduced the distance between them and launched an unladylike punch. But it wasn''t a punch, there was a blade coming off her fist. The Push Dagger tried relentlessly to claim the man''s life but he was extremely nimble, way too nimble even for Vivian. He took a couple of steps away only to retreat to the other end of the stable as he snatched the other man''s cane on the way. "You¡­ how did you¡­" This was way too unpredictable. Vivian Moore is just a haughty little brat, no way could she have had such quality martial training. The skill was way too good but looking at his associate in a brown suit who was groaning on the ground like a dying hog, the man in black made an unpleasant face. On the other hand, Esmeralda found herself free and ran to Vivian. "My lady¡­ my Lady¡­ you¡­ you can''t¡­" "GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!" Vivian shouted at her. Facing the stern Vivian, even the man in black was perplexed. She swiftly killed without hesitation and had a vulgar tongue like a street kid. If not for her fame, the man would have thought that he had fallen into a trap himself but that wasn''t what mattered a moment later, he soon discovered something interesting. "It seems that¡­ I see." The man''s face loosened up for a bit, "You''re good but you aren''t trained." Normally, this would have been of vital importance to anyone in a fight against a knight such as himself. She was swift and her skill seemed very high in comparison to his but as long as she couldn''t use magic or aura, she was nothing but a jester fooling around with a sharp stabby blade. Strange energy enshrouded the man as he held the cane tightly, a click sounded as the man twisted the top of his cane and it came off in his hand as a long slender blade. The energy enveloped the cane sword as well in a Bronze Aura which made the rank of the knight clear. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. An Apprentice Knight. "Blame yourself for being unruly." The man walked towards Vivian in a heavy mood now that he had to get his hands dirty. "No¡­" Esmeralda was frigid from fear but she grasped onto Vivian closely and tried to pull her away from the man. Vivian also wanted to retreat but this situation was already this bad, that she ran out of options but to fight head-on. "Get back!" She pushed away Esmeralda as she took a couple of steps forward. Her disadvantage was clear since she was physically weaker and had a shorter weapon range in this fight but that wasn''t going to stop her. She had one chance to kill this man and one chance only. Whatever she had to do, she had to take the important steps now. "System shop, what are my options?" She asked in a low voice as the system responded with a long list of items that none seemed beneficial at the moment. Vivian hastily returned the Push Dagger to the Storage Purse and selected an item not from the Weapons list but rather from the Gadget''s list. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Common Umbrella] ¡ª Price: 110 SP ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª That''s all she needed and it all happened in a second. The next second, a black umbrella appeared magically in front of her and she opened it aimed at the man. Now how do people react when they are faced with the unexpected? Some would simply flench and others would lash, the man in black felt a bit confident so he slashed at the Umbrella but¡­ BANG An unanticipated gunshot came from the other side. Vivian was aiming her antique gun roughly towards the man''s head. The sword slash tore through the umbrella and the two objects were entangled into each other as their owners discarded them. Vivian hurriedly retreated and finally took a good look at the man she shot. "ARGH! AAAARGH!" Not dead! How in the seven bloody hells? She just shot him not just in the head but in the most valuable part, right in the eye. The man knelt on one knee and started screaming as his left eye was gushing out blood and flesh. Only thanks to his Aura Shield did he survive such a cunning bullet yet he was in no right mind to fend for himself¡­ well, not until Vivian came after him again. There was no time. She indeed shot him but the bastard survived. If not for this useless toy gun she received from the pig-headed gunsmith, she would have dyed the scene with brain matter from this shot. Now she had to take things into her own hands. The nearest thing was the cane sword which the man discarded. She ran towards it and took it by the handle, driving it towards its owner. The cockroach of a man refused to silently die as he became alert all of a sudden and held the blade from its spine firmly. No matter how Vivian pushed or pulled, it didn''t budge. "Die, you bastard!" She was desperately going for the kill but the man managed to get his balance and looked at her with a hateful eye. "You¡­ forget walking alive¡­" Before he could continue what he was saying, Vivian launched a high kick towards his chin causing the man to lose balance and groan from the pain as the wound in his eye was affected by the shock. He fell back but he managed to throw the cane sword away from her. She didn''t really care since all she could do now was either kick, punch, or use the Push Dagger. She simply used everything at her disposal just to dispatch this single knight. As he staggered backward, she jumped on him and gave him hell. Attacking his head was mortally effective since he was desperately trying to defend his wound but no matter how she tried to stab him with the push dagger, this guy¡¯s body seemed extremely resilient as if something was just pushing her blade away every time she tried to aim at him. Aside from a few scratches, nothing really happened. ¡°Dammit! JUST DIE!¡± She screamed in frustration. ¡°Get¡­ GET OFF ME!¡± The man finally managed to hold a grip on the situation and punched blindly to her face. In life, some struggles were just one of a kind. Such as this fight, such as many more she had been through in the past. However, this fight was more of an eye-opener than anything else. She was pushed around at the end of this struggle no matter how much effort she exerted. It is not the common feminine fragility excuse everyone goes about in these sorts of situations but rather, this was something supernatural. The list of people Nadia ever lost to in hand-to-hand combat contains the names of an elite few who could be considered as best of the best, other than that, she bested her opponent with both wit and skill only to fall short against the brutish supernatural force of this world. This supernatural power vexed her to no end. It held her stabs at bay, pushed her attacks away, and overpowered her despite the fatal injuries she inflicted on her opponent. Quite monstrous, she thought. The man''s punch was so terrible that she felt the inside of her head turn into mush. Now that she is the one on the ground despite all that she did and the man standing over her staggering from pain and rage, she tried her best to exert more effort but the man stood over her in a vicious manner. ¡°You¡¯ll die here¡­ slut!¡± Around his left foot, a strange energy formed as if all the energy he used to protect his body was condensed in one spot. And without a shred of mercy, he delivered a kick right to her guts. Her scream was all she could hear as her consciousness faded. The power of the kick carried Vivian from where she was and sent her to the stable wall where she crashed before falling down motionless. As for the man, he staggered with terrible pain as the bullet that stopped in his eye socket started to affect him badly. He looked at Esmeralda who was shivering in the corner and tried to reach her out of malice and anger but his power betrayed him as he fell on his face no longer breathing. Now that the aura protecting him was focused somewhere else, there was no saving him anymore. Esmeralda was the one who remained conscious and mostly unharmed. She was standing with her entire being frozen in cold sweat. She found no courage to do anything except look at the whole scene in absolute disbelief and utter shock. She didn¡¯t even go through a week in Vivian¡¯s service for such an accident to happen, this was the worst of all fears for any maid. Despite that, what woke her up was the twitching man in brown who had dragged her a while ago. He received a knife to his side just a moment ago when Vivian skillfully hunted him down but despite that, he was another cockroach who refused to die. His injury was fatal but didn¡¯t hit any vitals, the only danger he¡¯d face if he tried to take it out, and of all the idiotic things he did that night, he took the knife out with a groan. Seeing the mess around him, the man in brown saw his master lying lifeless and Vivian motionless with the two women he brought lying in puddles of their blood. This Vivian Moore¡­ this Witch¡­ it was her. Emotions of fear, doubt, and madness flashed in the man¡¯s eyes and they met Esmeralda¡¯s. Their bewilderment turned into hostility as he wanted to get rid of her instantly. This has gone too far south and the best thing to do is to eliminate the witness. As the thought of malice crossed his mind, Esmeralda saw the cane sword lying on the ground near her. She mindlessly rushed at it grabbing its hilt with two shaking hands and pointing it at the man who slowly stepped up in pain. Mindless of his dripping blood, the man tried to intimidate Esmeralda but her blood was hot and her adrenaline was pumping from the fight she just witnessed, she reacted instantly and waved the sword around to keep him at bay. It wasn''t at all effective but the man stepped back towards the door of the stable. ¡°You¡­ You won¡¯t walk out from here.¡± He said, ¡°Just die and let this end.¡± He flipped his grip as his killing intent was wide clear on his face. Esmeralda kept the blade in front of her but suddenly screamed from fear and dropped it with the emergence of a blinding silver light. All of a sudden, the man in brown was split horizontally in half as the stable''s door was blown away into splinters. Logan was standing with a greatsword as he tore down the whole stable¡¯s front gate. The look on his face was relieved to see Esmeralda who went pale from fear but once he saw the lady he was supposed to protect and the bloodbath around her, the last bit of sanity he was clinging to was falling apart. Tonight¡¯s accident won¡¯t simply go away, it is the first round of a raging storm of blood and death. 16.1: Good News Come in Pairs (Part 1) Archester City, the Capital of the Elgardish Empire, is a city where darkness looms in every corner and is hardly considered safe, yet despite all the dark reputation, it is the capital of fame and riches and the center of the modern world. The Arcunians (residents of Archester) were always a crafty bunch who coped with the situation of their city wisely, harmonizing their inner relationships as an upper, middle, and lower class without any visible social struggle. A city like that, which reeks of crime and hidden currents, has such a code embedded deep within. Last night, however, that code was broken when a rumor spread that a couple of lowlife harlots associated themselves with two foreign spies and tried to mug a Lady from a noble family. This was bound to echo deep in the social structure of the city and cause many to be restless. If a noble ¡ªno less a noble lady¡ª was attacked on the streets, then one can expect the watchmen and the constables of the metropolitan police to conduct a ruthless investigation in which many heads are bound to roll, however, the investigation was called off and the culprits announced killed. From the rumors, the two spies were northerners from Novark and their aim is yet to be known. Some rumors were about to fly about the identity of the lady but the information brokers were wary enough to kill such rumors before anything spread. Everyone knew the consequences of upsetting House Moore, the house that feeds half of Archester''s households and opens their businesses. Still, many hands in the darkness seemed to be working on spreading scandalous rumors about the lady in question. With such recklessness, no one knew where the situation was heading. Meanwhile, the mansion of House Moore was silent and still. Lord Julian Moore forbade his wife and her maids from taking as much as a single step out of the mansion with the excuse of fearing for their safety and assigned two of his personal guards to watch over Robert or rather¡­ to watch out for Robert leaving the mansion. Saskia and her maids would surely try to tarnish Vivian''s reputation at all costs and until the sleeping beauty wakes up, everyone in the household is to stay put and hold their breath tight. Logan and Esmeralda were put on arrest and were questioned for the whole night about what happened. Logan''s carelessness was not to go unpunished but there was more at play here than just a knight going careless in his duties. From Esmeralda''s testimony, she and Vivian were taken from the front of the Auction House and led to a nearby stable. House De Clare sent their young Lord that night to give their deepest apologies and promise to bring the wrongdoer to justice regarding their lack of security, the statement which made things even worse for Lord Julian, who could only suspect one culprit behind all of this. If the place where most of the nobility was not secured for barely a single second, the fingers can only be directed in one direction, which no one points at no matter what, House Black. They see through the shadows and know everything before it even happens. If they were truly the ones who lifted the security so that Vivian gets attacked, it means that corruption has gone further than anything that happened in recent history. House Black can''t just neglect the duty of protecting the Nobles even if these nobles are the black sheep of society. These are downgrading, scandalous, and very very serious accusations. Still, Lord Julian put all that aside and focused on something that made less sense than all of that. Vivian, his precious daughter, killed three of the assailants on her own and injured the last fatally. She even had a Storage Purse on her and the details of the accident were almost unbelievable. "She woke up?" Lord Julian asked. "No, your Lordship." Butler Theo answered slowly, "While bruised and swollen. The aura she was stuck with didn''t do her much harm but it was her first time to be struck by such force¡­ She is doing fine." Lord Julian nodded as he sat at the large dining table with some reports and items lying in front of him and a line of knights at his left. "Old Theo, your thoughts." He said. Butler Theo gazed upon what was lying on the table and sighed. "You are wasting your time." The old Butler said. "How so?" "The cane sword is not bad¡­ not as good as the one I use but still not bad. It has traces of Bronze Aura to it but that''s all there is to it. But even if the attacker was a mere Apprentice Knight, how Vivian brought him down is¡­ beyond my estimation. I wouldn''t bet on her against such odds." Old Theo said as he dragged a chair to casually sit down, "According to the maid girl, Vivian killed the two women, threw the knives at the men, took out an umbrella to distract the man, and fired her gun from behind it then physically tried to overpower him, who was staggering before getting the situation turned on her, and finally he struck her with the force of his aura, causing his aura protection to break down and die from the fatal wound in his eye socket." After summarizing, Old Theo entangled his mustache with two fingers and put a final estimation. "You sure this is your daughter?" He asked. Lord Julian was normally dismissive of Old Theo''s attitude but this hit him on a bad nerve. "Of course she is my daughter." He replied imposingly. "Anyway¡­" On the other hand, Old Theo was the one acting indifferent, "She has acted like a real killer, a crafty one. The young lady is neither a killer nor a fighter in normal cases. Who knows what pressure makes of people." No one wanted to add more to these words. Whatever happened will remain unspoken until Vivian gives a full account. Many questions were to be asked regarding what happened, how she fought, and why she owns a Storage Purse that is impossible to access. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A few hours later in the afternoon, the maids reported that Vivian had woken up. Everyone in the mansion held their breath as she passed the word that she was coming downstairs and summoned a few people by name including her Father, her Knight, the Butler, her Maid, and whoever was responsible for investigating the incident. Unwanted parties were surely interested in attending and everyone gathered in the main hall. And she showed up. *** During the boot camps, the instructors would usually chase us with batons whenever we stole food or broke the rules. In fact, this is how they trained agents so we had some different rules than normal military camp. I remember getting struck by these batons once and the ones used by the instructors were equipped with stun tasers, so I am very familiar with how it feels. In normal cases, people would be shitting themselves and developing skin burns where they were stunned but there is also headache, momentary loss of some senses, seizures, muscle spasms, and more. In my case, I thought I had seen the worst of it but after that Aura I was attacked. Now, I miss the boot camp days like no way one can imagine. At least I understood my purpose back then¡­ or had an Illusion of one. Now, I am a stranded agent on an alien frontier. Wizards, Knights, people who don''t die from a damn bullet to the eye¡­ I mean¡­ WTF! "Nothing makes you pay attention like getting a good beating until you hear your bones rattle." I remember these words very well. My friends used to say such things just to look tough but let''s be honest¡­ it makes you really rethink your life choices all over. "¡­ choices like¡­ why the fuck didn''t I stuff the gun down his fucking throat and BANG!" Whoops! That was spoken out loud, right? "You''re switching between what you have to think and what you have to say, my Lady." I looked up to see her standing beside the bed putting a tray on the end table. Esmeralda seemed like¡­ it really got to her, eh? No ordinary maid would just witness what she witnessed and be alright. "You alright?" I asked. My question felt strange as she was looking at me with empty eyes before flinching backward with a slight quiver visible in her large arms and shoulders. "I am the one who is supposed to ask you that¡­ my Lady." She said. I felt the gloomy change of her attitude so before she could say anything, I had to make my stance clear. "I will be fine but you¡­ I am sorry about that night. On that account, I can''t promise you sunshine and rainbows, especially after what happened. If you don''t feel like it, I guess the trial period applies to both of us in the end." Esmeralda''s face became more dejected with the words I tried to comfort her with. I guess I should have said something nicer. "Can you please inform me of what happened?" I asked. "I¡­ I must inform the Lord that¡­" "For the love of Saints, inform him later. I don''t think I can handle him without fainting again. Let me know what I need to know before seeing the others." "Very well, my Lady¡­" And she told me. Under my belt to this moment, I have three kills (four if we count the little piggy) and a dark reputation of a loose lady who was attacked on the streets because she strayed away without protection. Saskia won''t let me see the end of this, Goddammit! Okay, what to do now? Flip the tables, and remix the cards. Play chaotically, that''s a strategy. Don''t let them corner me. "Alright, Esmeralda. Go inform the Lord that I am coming down right now." I moved off the bed but all sorts of pain were waiting for me just to make such a move and I almost groaned. "My Lady, you can''t. The doctor said to keep you in bed for at least a week." She said. "A week my a¡­ ehem! Don''t worry, I heal faster than normal people. Just go down and tell them I am up." Esmeralda seemed hesitant before taking her leave and going out. I instantly fell on my back withering from pain. "Sir System!" ? You have survived 3 enemies! Calculating your reward! ? ? 790 Points were awarded. ? "Such¡­ wait! What quest was that?" ? Quest: [Survive] ? That¡­ that''s unexpected. A quest with no single hint of explanation just rewarded me for defending myself just because I survived as it said so¡­ I mean, as long as I survive any situation, there would be a reward. "That aside. Sir System, give me Panacea." ? Common Grade Panacea: 300 SP ? "Yes, confirm." ? Purchase Successful! ? A potion flask appeared before me and I mindlessly took it to my lips. Before drinking, I took a look at my status. ==================== < Profile >
  • Name: Vivian Moore
  • Age: 18
  • Condition: Hunger, Thirst, Fatigue, Muscle Spasms, Torn Muscles, Dizziness, Headache, Bruises, Numb Muscles¡­¡­
  • SP: 2498
==================== "Holy shit!" I couldn''t help but stare at my condition like an idiot. How am I still alive? Better drink that potion¡­ and so I did. ? Full Recovery failed! ? Huh? ? Only Fatigue, Muscle Spasms, Torn Muscles were healed! ? Just that¡­ should I buy another one? It took me a few seconds before getting another Panacea and¡­ ? Full Recovery failed! ? ? Dizziness, Bruises, Broken Nose were healed ? "Are you flipping kidding me? How was I still alive? I can''t believe I am buying a third one." 900 System Points were spent on 3 Panacea Potions just to get to full recovery. ? Full Recovery successful! ? ==================== < Profile >
  • Name: Vivian Moore
  • Age: 18
  • Condition: Energized
  • SP: 1898
==================== My precious SP¡­ *sob* I am sad. ? WARNING: Repetitive use of Potions may cause Potion Addiction. You may experience Potion Withdrawal effects after the Energized condition is over! ? And I am becoming a Potion Addict¡­ that''s some terrible news, Sir System. Terrible news indeed. Now, where are my clothes? I finally could move out of the bed but as I found my Storage Purse. My outfit returned back to the Purse once it was taken off. All the system items are bound to me as the User so they got to the default bound storage¡­ or something along the lines. Still, they were in pretty bad shape after the fight. ? Repair & Cleaning Cost: 122 SP ? Fucking Microtransactions! 16.2: Good News Come in Pairs (Part 2) Before anyone would go up to see Vivian, she met them as she walked down the stairs. Her hair was mostly tied together in a ponytail and she wore a simple black gown with cute laces. The look in her eyes, however, was sharp and bloodthirsty. ¡°My Lady, you can¡¯t get out of bed. The doctor said¡­¡± A maid tried to escort Vivian up but the latter brushed those words dismissively. ¡°Go back to your chores or whatever.¡± She said as she walked down with complete ease and stood in the main hall which was crawling with Knights of House Moore. They were all silent waiting for her to speak as she walked to the center of the hall where the investigation documents and many other items were all lying down. Her eyes landed on the Sword Cane which was used by the man in a black suit and a strange urge drove her to hold the cane. Slender and graceful, are two words that describe both her and the cane sword as if a pair of gems were aligned together. She was never much of a trophy gatherer unlike her colleagues but she can see the mindset of pulling off a hard job and keeping a souvenir. click She twisted the top of the cane and the blade appeared gracefully gleaming with light as it showed a few stains of blood that almost ruined her mood if not for the voice calling for her. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous.¡± She looked back and smiled faintly as her father walked out of the office followed by Logan whose face was dark and Old Theo who seemed to be instructing Esmeralda to go away for now. ¡°I killed the man who wielded it. Aren''t I more dangerous then?¡± She replied. Lord Julian put on a hard expression as he walked a few hasty steps towards her and took the sword cane away putting it back on the table. His mood was clearly not in for a warm conversation. ¡°Sit down.¡± He said. ¡°Yes, Father.¡± She didn¡¯t resist and obeyed him right away. He sat at the head of the table and eyed her critically. ¡°Didn¡¯t your maid inform you of your condition?¡± He asked. ¡°She did.¡± ¡°And the part where you had to rest for a week before even going out of bed.¡± ¡°I am a Moore. I heal fast.¡± Vivian said imposingly, filling herself with pride. ¡°¡­ We don¡¯t¡­ heal fast.¡± Lord Julian couldn¡¯t comprehend how she said that. ¡°We don¡¯t?¡± Vivian was shocked that her cool excuse was turned off like that. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I had a few stashed medications that I kept for emergencies.¡± ¡°Vivian.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the truth, I swear.¡± The Count was completely flabbergasted by the shameful behavior of his daughter but Old Theo ignored the pointless argument and held Vivian by her arm tightly. She was completely unaware thinking that the old butler would force her back up, which was the case at first until his expressions showed a strange reaction. It is not easy for a ghost to react but his reaction was still ghastly. ¡°This is strange¡­ hmmm¡­ the Lady happens to be speaking the truth.¡± He said and kept humming. ¡°Why is it strange for me to say the truth?¡± Vivian felt rather offended but the next second made her feel rather shocked when a current of warm energy ran through her as if unraveling all her secrets, thoughts, and the deepest parts of her soul. ¡°I see¡­ her blood is circulating well, no disturbance in her vitality¡­ she is even healthier than usual.¡± Old Theo said. Vivian groaned as the old butler retreated his energy and she rubbed her arm where she was held as she felt offended. ¡°What are you? The all-knowing Saint Joan?¡± She spoke rudely to the old man only to get hit on her head by his cane as he returned to stand behind Lord Julian. ¡°Daddy¡­ he hit me.¡± Vivian spoke with tearful eyes as she pointed at the old man. Lord Julian looked at his daughter with a distant yet expressionless look that only he could know what was on his mind at that moment. He closed his eyes for a moment letting out a silent faint breath as his eyes returned as sharp as his daughter''s. ¡°If you are fine, then it is good news. I will call for the doctor to check on you later but now, answer what you can in a full account?¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± She gave up on the attempt to make the mood lighter and sat quietly waiting for questions. ¡°Where did you bring such medications from?¡± He asked. ¡°Ehem¡­ ladies'' business, father.¡± She spoke faintly enough for the Lord to drop the matter right away. He didn¡¯t even understand the concept which she spoke about but it seemed that Old Theo was disappointed in the Lord to be pushed back by that lying daughter of his. Butler Theo was completely on to her lies yet it doesn¡¯t mean he has any interest to pursue such a matter. ¡°That aside, I am glad you feel well.¡± The Lord continued with the other question, ¡°Do you remember what happened last night?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And? Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± ¡°I am sorry¡­ most of it is not my fault but if I acted wiser, I could have avoided such confrontation.¡± She said, making her father nod, ¡°I should have used the gun right from the start¡­¡± ¡°No¡­ What¡­" ¡°¡­ I judged that the man in a black suit would be able to avoid the bullet if he saw the gun so I thought I should get up close first. I may have avoided a lot of that if I just used a better surprise tactic and¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The Count held his forehead tired of the logic of his daughter. ¡°My question to you was about the fact that you strayed to a dangerous place away from the Auction House and got yourself into trouble.¡± He said with a glare. Vivian narrowed her eyes and barely held back a mocking smile. ¡°So, dear father. You are saying that someone like me would stray in the most extravagant part of Archester to get myself into an abandoned stable and put myself into trouble¡­ as if I am some sort of a fool?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Lord refrained from replying but the look in his butler¡¯s eyes was saying something like "I told you so." ¡°I am sure you have questioned my poor maid mercilessly all night to find out what happened. The poor girl was almost having a breakdown until I woke up.¡± Vivian said and looked away. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Her way of deflecting accusations was admirable and shameless both at the same time. In debates, such a skill would be unstoppable. ¡°So we did. We needed a full account of what happened last night.¡± ¡°So you had it. We were threatened by two women who held knives at us in zero range in front of the Auction House. We were led under the threat of murder to a place where we had no intention to go to and finally faced by two foreign men whose identities are still oblivious to me. They intended to rob me of the Spirit Lotus, which was thought to be stored in my Storage Purse until I had to take matters into my own hands and defend myself once I got the chance. That is the full account.¡± The Lord seemed disturbed by the narrative which Vivian went with. ¡°And Knight Logan?¡± The Lord asked. ¡°He went to bring my carriage which didn¡¯t arrive to take me. It all escalated into this unforeseeable accident.¡± Vivian replied sharply as if she was ready to jump up and defend Logan right away. Logan was standing among his fellow knights in the back with the same darkened face he had since last night. In truth, he almost ruined everything by parting away from his lady¡¯s side. A mistake that can¡¯t be just overlooked as Lord Julian promised there would be punishment for such carelessness. ¡°So you¡¯re saying Knight Logan is not at blame here? Very well. Who should take responsibility then?¡± Lord Julian asked. ¡°Does someone have to?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Would the four dead people count?¡± Vivian asked, referring to the attackers from last night. ¡°No.¡± ¡°And what about the security detail of the Auction House that was clearly absent?¡± Vivian asked. ¡°Young Lady, are you aware of the gravity of such accusations?¡± Butler Theo asked sternly. ¡°Oh, I am. I am well aware that no one here is simply accepting the fact that I was abducted at the doorstep of the Auction House where 80% of the Empire¡¯s most influential figures were present that night.¡± Vivian almost roared at them, ¡°That in addition to every counter-espionage agent in the country who was also present there. Do I still need to go on?¡± Speaking more of this is almost like treason. There was a reason Lord Julian wanted to avoid going in that direction, which was filled with nothing but dark, poisonous, and lethal thorns. The House Black direction. It was pretty clear this matter remains unspoken. The security was lifted for a second once Vivian went out by the order of House Black. If this is the case then it is impossible to hold anyone accountable and no evidence shall go out without bloodshed. This is an act of hostility towards Vivian from the inner workings of the Kingdom, an assumption that is both accurate and terrifying. If the agents of House Black moved on a whim from Prince Liam¡¯s faction to harm Vivian, then corruption has indeed spread to areas it shouldn¡¯t spread to. The prince shouldn¡¯t be able to wield such power at a young age and Edmond Black, who was clearly an accomplice in this matter, wouldn¡¯t have taken such a risky move if he wasn¡¯t too comfortable with his position. Too much for the virtuous prince and his diligent right hand! ¡°Blame me if you must.¡± Vivan finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s alright. The offenders have been dealt with and I will think of something to get rid of the rumors.¡± Lord Julian seemed too tired to think of throwing blame now. ¡°Now, I have a few questions of my own¡­¡± Vivian spoke as she started asking about the details of the investigation. From what it seemed, House De Clare had completely opened its doors for House Moore to investigate the unfortunate matter once the accident was reported. They were simply clearing their hands from anything that had to do with what happened. Also, the reason why Logan took a long time to come back for them was due to the fact that he found the carriage sabotaged and the driver missing. As everything was cleared, the dead body in the stable that Esmeralda stumbled on was that of the carriage driver. ¡°We need to compensate his family.¡± Vivian said. ¡°We are onto that, young lady.¡± Butler Theo reported. ¡°As my carriage driver, I would like to formally meet his family, send flowers to his funeral, and offer them as much help as we can. His family should be taken care of and his children should go to the Third Academy once they come of age. Cover their expenses and their early education.¡± Vivian personally instructed. ¡°That would be¡­ manageable.¡± For the first time in a long while, Butler Theo showed a hint of respect towards Vivian as he slightly bowed his head. ¡°Now about you.¡± Lord Julian spoke as he seemed to not be willing to let Vivian off the hook easily. ¡°Yes, but father, can we speak in private?¡± Vivian asked. ¡°Alright. You are all dismissed. Don¡¯t wander off.¡± The Lord agreed to give his daughter some privacy. Of course there were those who stayed such as Esmeralda and Butler Theo. ¡°Now. It would be nice of you to tell me how you acquired a Storage Purse let alone binding it to yourself.¡± He asked. Vivian seemed surprised by the question. It wasn¡¯t about every item she had bound, it was just about the Purse. It seemed that Esmeralda had kept the secret well. ¡°This is rather a complicated matter.¡± Vivian said as she started to think of an excuse. ¡°Oh! Do indulge me. Our house only managed to have a handful of those and all of a sudden there is one in your position. Word came out quickly, you know. Even your step-mother is showing interest.¡± The Lord spoke words of warning. Vivian didn¡¯t want to reveal the System¡¯s miraculous abilities but a lie in front of her father may be too baseless right at the moment. ¡°Do you want the truth?¡± She asked. ¡°Are you unwilling to reveal it?¡± He asked back. ¡°It depends. I can lie and you will have a low opinion of me and I can tell a truth that you may never believe and you would still have a low opinion of me. If you give me the benefit of the doubt right now, I may be able to explain it later since even I don¡¯t know the complete truth. What I can say is¡­ it has been with me for some time now and no one even noticed. It also helps me keep my mother''s belongings safe.¡± She said. Vivian didn¡¯t lie but she hinted at information that is actually false to cause a misunderstanding. Vivian¡¯s mother is a rather sensitive topic in this household and the same goes for her eldest brother James. Long story short, Vivian¡¯s mother died long ago when Vivian was young and James never recovered from the accident, thus he left the house after an argument with his father and went to manage the family assets away in the New World as a sort of self-banishment. If this bound Storage Purse keeps the belongings of her mother safe then her father would never interfere as he always feels guilt towards her mother¡¯s demise. Using such an underhanded method to redirect the matter away from her secret left Vivian in a momentary feeling of satisfaction before she was suddenly overwhelmed by guilt. Deep down, she came to regret using such a trick and an inner conflict rose between the archetypes of herself. Nadia, who made up the idea, and the old Vivian, who would never touch the subject. In the end, she let her father assume she possesses some sort of inheritance from her mother, he wouldn''t press further into the matter that way or would pursue any related matter. "Before we move to more depressing issues, I have two good pieces of news." Vivian spoke, "First, I secured you the latest painting of Morris de Brosa which he drew in the woods of Avalon." She stood up and took out the painting from her Storage Purse with the Help of Esmeralda as they fixed it on a chair. Lord Julian stood up and stood in front of the painting staring at it for some time before he nodded in acknowledgment. "That''s a De Brosa piece alright." He then leaned forward with narrowed eyes, "The colors he uses are handcrafted by his hands, these colors are new to his style so he must have made them from the environment he was in. Simply¡­ perfect!" The hobbies of men were scary things. Vivian knew that firsthand since her mentor and her friends were all avid hoarders. "I am glad you like it, Father." Vivian said. "Thank you, Vivian. Leave it here." The painting was indeed beautiful and large. The artist should be nothing less than the genius Artists from the 16th and 17th centuries. "I am happy you secured both the Spirit Lotus and the Ladies of the Woods. I also heard you were quite cunning when dealing with the Prince''s entourage." "That was nothing, father. They proved to be more reckless than what I imagined, but I''ll keep my distance from now on." "Wise call. After yesterday''s incident, it would be safe to assume they are the prime suspects who masterminded the attack on you. You should keep to the shadows until this whole situation calms down." "I will, Father." "If there is anything you¡­ you have in mind. Any fears or stress¡­ just come to me." The last bit of words seemed the kindest he ever said to her this whole month. She was genuinely touched but she felt it was not wise to show weakness even for him. It is not about her trusting him but him trusting her. As long as she keeps the unshaken facade, she can get more freedom even after yesterday''s setback. It was also nice of him that he cared for her mental health despite the demanding upbringing of nobles. Lord Julian himself didn''t know where that feeling was coming from but soon he found himself patting the shoulder of his daughter, an act that he didn''t do in a very long time. Vivian hardly noticed as her mind was moving to the other important matter. "I said I had two good pieces of news." She said clasping her hands together. "Right." Lord Julian cleared his voice and returned to his usual mode. "I managed to make Valentine speak about who is coming to interrogate me regarding the murder of the piggy baron''s son." "Piggy baron?" "And here is where the good news ends." She ignored his remark. "How so? This is good, we can influence whoever is coming as long as we dig enough dirt on them." Lord Julian spoke as if what he was speaking about was not a crime. "That would be impossible." Vivian kept the same smile, "The best we can do is to brace for impact." "Oh?" The Lord felt ominous. "It is House Black." Vivian said. Lord Julian frowned in almost what seemed to be like a hit of frustration. "Edmond Black again?" He asked. "Worse. It is his younger sister, Edith Black¡­ and she''s visiting this afternoon." 17: Captain Vivian Moore Motivation is a strong thing. Motivation moves mountains, recurves rivers, raises up civilizations, and razes down others. To a certain Edith, motivation came from duty. What is duty? It is a sense of responsibility that originates from listening to a higher calling as a source of belief. Some see their jobs as their duty from the belief that they become better people through it, thus it acts as the motivation to push them further and further through the golden path of glory. Edith Black is nothing but that, a force driven by belief and a perfectionist chasing after a dream. She is a patriot who believes in the Empire despite the fact that her family does a lot of dirty laundry for the King. That was also used in the most cunning way by her brother Edmond, who kindly suggested that she may lead the investigation of the Murder of the Baron''s Son. Why would he be so kind? Well, aside from the fact that someone as diligent as he likes to keep throwing his tasks around for his overqualified underlings, he knows how his sister''s mindset works. Edith Black is a loyal fanatic for the Empire even among her family that is considered to be the most loyal to the Crown. To her, the existence of a person whom the Royal Family cast away is the most abhorrent thing in the world. Vivian Moore is such a person to Edith. She was the Prince''s Fianc¨¦e until she acted out of manner and disturbed the Prince, causing her to fall out of favor and be cast away. Even when the Royal Family decided to get rid of her, she refused to go down without a fight and her family assassinated the groom picked by the Crown. Now Edith wasn''t an idiot or a simple-minded person. She would have done the same, but she is not the same. House Black doesn''t only protect the Empire from the outside but also from the inside as they are the only House aside from the Royal Family that can confront and punish other aristocrats. Also, House Moore is important and strong, they have a lot of wealth and they fund the Empire''s most crucial operations. But Vivian, she''s a bad weed. A family is normally driven to protect its members and no matter what, the Empire must not have someone like that in the High Society. With those thoughts in her teenage tomboy head, Edith walked down from her carriage accompanied by ten knights of her family that may be necessary to act as an arrest force. "Standby." She spoke as she stepped forward on her own. "Yes, your Ladyship." She came into the light displaying short hair and a fit figure with a sword dangling from her side and dressed in a Knight''s coat and a mantle rather than a lady''s dress. In the High Society, Edith was one of the few exceptions among the ranks of the ladies to dress in such a manner as she was known to have received training as a Knight. In front of the door, the one receiving her was her classmate Robert Moore. "So you have come." Robert spoke. "Good afternoon, Sir Robert." She said, looking at him with reserve. "Good afternoon, Lady Edith. I hope the matter in your hand isn''t keeping you from studying for the finals." Robert said with a caring smile. "You are too kind, Sir. I am here on an official business just to fill a boring report. It is you who should focus on your studies in this¡­ stressful time." She replied in full manners. "Ah! Don''t worry about me, I''ll manage. We are both second-year students so not much stress anyway. It is just¡­ my sister¡­ sigh! I hope everything goes well." "Sir, I have yet to meet her for anything to go anywhere." "Indeed, indeed. I am just saying¡­ My sister can be a handful. Stubborn if you put it plainly but she¡­ she is¡­ was a good person. She was never this Angry or¡­ Violent. It is the stress¡­" "I am sorry, Sir Robert, I understand how much she means to you but nothing you say would sway my report. I''ll ask questions and write answers. Nothing more." Edith smiled and wanted to walk past him but Robert spoke further. "Just know, my Lady, that House Moore is always proud and loyal even with my sister''s actions, this house will¡­" "This house will what?" As Robert was giving a heated speech, a cold voice interrupted him and a very unamused man stepped out past the front door. He was a knight with wavy hair, an unshaven chisled chin, and a clear foul mood. He was a second away from relieving his stress on Robert but he looked away before doing something he might regret. "Hmph! What are you doing here, Logan? After last night''s blunder, shouldn''t you be shipped somewhere far away?" Robert glared at Logan. "Lord Julian hasn''t spoken my judgment yet, until then, I serve Lady Vivian." He grunted at Robert and turned to Edith, "You must be Lady Edith, a pleasure to meet you. Lady Vivian is waiting for you inside." Logan bowed slightly to Edith as she stared at him coldly. No matter what it seemed, her judgment was already affected by Robert. Without much thought, she was staring at Vivian''s Knight as if she was gazing at Vivian herself. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Sir Robert, it was a pleasure. I am going in." Edith simply walked past Logan who exchanged disdainful stares with Robert before following in. Speaking of Logan, he was the most stressed person in the whole Empire at the moment. His failure to protect Vivian was a black stain on his record and judging by the troublesome situation, there was no time to speak of his punishment even though he received some very harsh words from Count Julian. Vivian hadn''t spoken to him yet as if she was keeping him on hold for some reason and he was feeling too guilty to initiate a conversation. Meanwhile, Vivian sat in front of a mirror applying her own make-up minimally, dressed in a beautiful gown with Esmeralda fixing her hair. "Girl, feeling alright?" Vivian asked. Esmeralda nodded and was about to step back for Vivian to stand but the latter held her hand and pulled her closer. "I am sorry for being such a troublesome employer." Vivian said. "What¡­ no! Not at all, my Lady. You can''t apologize to me¡­ it is I¡­" "What? You were brave." Vivian turned around and held Esmeralda''s two hands, "Your bravery saved me. I could see you swinging the sword at the man who tried to harm me a moment before I passed out. I felt safe with you around." Vivian spoke the warmest words to comfort Esmeralda whose eyes were tearing up. "My Lady¡­ You were very brave too. It is just if it weren''t for me when those women held knives at us, you¡­ you would have dealt with them without worrying about me." Rather than fear, Esmeralda was feeling guilt. It surely surprised Vivian and made her smile strangely. "No! No, you dummy. I couldn''t have dispatched two women in public¡­ I would have still followed them to a quieter place either way before¡­ you know." Vivian said as she passed her finger over her throat and made a silly face. Esmeralda seemed a bit concerned about Vivian''s ability to "dispatch" people to the afterlife so easily. Vivian noticed where it went wrong and apologized with a smile. "Of course I would cripple them first to question them then I would hand them to the Knights. I don''t just¡­ you know." She nervously let the psycho back in and laughed it off. Esmeralda seemed more concerned now than before but Vivian still had to address the elephant in the room. "Listen¡­ I know working for me is¡­ eventful. I wouldn''t blame you if you ever want to reconsider our agreement. I promise you¡­" "It''s alright, my Lady. Nothing will change." Esmeralda urgently stopped Vivian from continuing. "You sure? Well¡­ I won''t blame you later. Now¡­ let''s get going, shall we?" Vivian put away the gloomy mood and walked to the door herself as Esmeralda followed. It was indeed too stressful and too eventful to work for Vivian as a maid. The accident is one thing but the situation right now is evolving as if everyone was trying to put Vivian''s head on a spike. More to that, it would be very bad for Esmeralda to leave Vivian only after a week of working for her. The situation was like this; Esmeralda is a southern Hulkling with bronze skin, a trait in Elgard that is rather more appreciated in a casino, a circus, or a slave market as the Albionese are not fond of other races that much. Also, serving for only one week would worsen her standing in the employment agency, eventually turning into the worst-case scenario. No matter how consuming and dangerous working for Vivian may be, it is Esmeralda''s only option. With that in mind, Esmeralda only had to trust a capable person such as Vivian and hope things turned out for the best. While knowing so, Vivian shifted her focus to her System and opened the Shop menu while going down. She finally decided to exploit the System Shop to its full potential regardless of the cost. She scrolled down to the "Miscellaneous" section and added a few items to the shopping cart while keeping it on hold for now. She will buy that certain item only if needed despite how cheap it is. Anyway, they were both down in the reception hall but Edith Black wasn''t present yet, rather, it was Jane and Mr. Harry the Gunsmith. An hour ago, the man was summoned by Lord Julian and got his fair share of scolding for giving Vivian an antique gun that couldn''t kill properly. For all its worth, this man''s career is on the line and the Lord is considering firing him. On the other hand, Vivian requested four standard pieces of Flintlock Pistols from Jane and ordered her to assemble them herself. That was just this morning. "Jane, Mr. Harry." "Lady Vivian." "My Lady." "Was my order assembled so soon?" She asked, looking at the wooden box nearby. "Yes, my Lady. As you ordered, Four standard class pistols, in perfect condition, assembled them myself and tried them each. They should serve you more than well." Jane replied. "Perfect." "This box contains 40 rounds of exceptional grade bullets and a gunpowder container. You can always refill from our store. It would be an absolute honor serving your Ladyship." Mr. Harry added as he passed an exceptional-looking box with some of his best materials. "Alright." Vivian accepted it and put it beside the Four Pistols'' box, "I will be relying on Jane''s services from now on so please, feel free to come to me whenever you need anything." "Thank you, my Lady." Jane bowed. "Aaaand¡­ regarding this Antique Pistol." Vivian recovered the pistol she had, "I like the Wheellock but I would appreciate it if it can kill anything¡­ other than the mood." She passed it back to Mr. Harry who was on the verge of tears. The white pistol was charred black after it fired for the first time. It wasn''t made to fire a lethal amount of gunpowder so its beautiful appearance was now miserable. The man nodded and promised to fix it and change the core parts for it to be more effective. If it wasn''t for the fact that Vivian has shown favor towards Jane, the Count would have had him shamed among the gunsmiths of the city. Jane and her father left and Vivian held one of the new guns admiring them as if she was getting high on the gunpowder smell they had. "Look at those babies, Esmeralda. Holding one of those makes you feel really safe." "My Lady, please refrain from holding such a thing close to your face." Esmeralda urged her to put them away. "Come on, I just need a tricorne with a long feather and we can conquer the high seas together. We''ll be a legendary duo." Vivian said as she held a pistol in each hand. "Lady Vivian Moore." "Captain¡­ Captain Vivian Moore." Vivian replied without dropping either the act or the two pistols she was holding up. Speaking of first impressions, that was the worst to date. Imagine going to a place to interrogate someone about a murder case, only to find them holding a gun in each hand and speaking like a pirate in an era when pirates are executed on the spot. Yes¡­ that bad. "Esmeralda, make sure that none of Robert''s toys stay here. Go, take them away. And don''t forget the torture devices and those dangerous blades. Tsk tsk tsk, boys have strange hobbies indeed." 18: Villainess 1 vs Villainess 2 The way she turned from Captain Vivian to Lady Vivian was worthy of an acting award all by itself, yet Edith remained indifferent while casting a cold stare on her surroundings. "My! You must be Lady Edith, I didn''t expect it to be you who visits us. Truly a surprise!" Vivian said as she walked towards Edith with a friendly smile. "Good afternoon, Lady Vivian." "Oh, good afternoon to you too. Drop the formalities, my Lady. Call me Vivian." How friendly can someone change their act was a skill most nobles mastered but the stone-faced Edith was simply in a league of her own. "I am afraid we are at formal Business at the moment, it is not the best time to drop the formalities." Edith replied. "Come on, I insist. You can just call me Vivian between us, deal? Oh my! Where are my manners? Please, come and have a seat." Vivian friendly invited Edith in as they sat close on the same sofa. Edith wanted to take distance but Vivian was keeping her close for some reason. It was annoying but Edith endured it. "It is really a shame how we spent two years in the same Academy yet we haven''t run into one another for this long. You can blame me if you want since I am the senior here, I should have taken good care of you." Vivian spoke apologetically. "I don''t think it would have been for the best." Edith replied with some hostility which Vivian didn''t react to. "My! I tend to disagree but let''s talk about that later. How are your studies going?" Vivian diverted the topic. "I''m afraid I''ll be the one doing the questioning." Edith blocked Vivian''s attempts to start a friendly conversation and stood up from the sofa then moved to another seat. Such a situation was to be expected. Vivian didn''t seem to be minding it as she sat back and relaxed. "Esmeralda, some tea and biscuits, dearie." She requested in a chiming voice. Edith looked at her scornfully and didn''t comment. If Vivian wants tea and biscuits, she can choke on them for all that Edith cares about. Their attitude toward each other was unique. Edith was unfriendly and hostile while Vivian was playing something. They understood each other to a degree and seemed to be ready for a battle against one another. After all, these are the First and the Second Villainesses from the game. As Vivian is the Major Villainess with four out of the eight destruction routes, Edith has two destruction routes and from what Vivian could tell, none of the two were activated yet. The first route to Edith is her Fianc¨¦, Richard Marshall, the son of the Knights'' commander and one who held Vivian by the shoulder, pushing her down in front of the Heroine during the final scene of the first route. Being his fiance¨¦ meant that one day, Edith would move out from the terrifying House of Intelligence to the mighty House of War if the Heroine chose not to pursue Richard. The second route to Edith is her brother, Edmond Black. Edmond is the hand of Prince Liam and a cunning person despite his weird tendencies. Either way, Edith would get suspicious of the Heroine and would try to separate her and Edmond, which would backfire because it is the Heroine after all. Aside from knowing that, Vivian had a rough knowledge of Edith''s character. She is the loyal type, jealous, and competitive. Vivian''s eyes moved to the System Shop and confirmed the purchase she made while snatching it midair before Edith took notice. ? Tarot Card, 1st Draw: 100 SP ? For the description provided in the system shop, this item is very useful to the point of cheating. Tarot cards are long colorful cards that are used by fortune-tellers to get a wide range of readings. Regardless of one''s beliefs, the Tarot cards of the system do a similar job when aimed at someone. ==================== < Profile >
  • Name: Edith Black
  • Race: Human
  • Age: 17
  • Level: 3-Star Apprentice Knight
  • Social: Noble (Count''s Daughter)
========== < Traits >
  • Novice Archer
  • Apprentice Scholar
  • Apprentice Investigator
  • Adept Fighter
==========
  • Emotions: Hurried, Suspicion and Antagonization against you
==================== The impressive status and traits aside, Vivian stared silently at the insights section where it said "Suspicion" and "Antagonization". Looking between the Card and Edith who noticed Vivian''s actions, there was a lot of thick air forming between the two. "What is that?" Edith asked. "Ah! Just a playing card." Vivian said and turned the card around to assure Edith. "The Fool?" Edith said but Vivian didn''t seem to understand until she checked the card again. The Card would reveal people''s information to Vivian but if seen by the others, it will just look like a normal card. This certain Tarot happened to be "The Fool" card, the one that usually means innocence and new beginnings. "Well¡­ I guess some things just speak for themselves." Vivian thought as she put the card away. Edith felt that Vivian is the type that thinks they can get away with anything as long as they play around endlessly and go in circles. This happened to be the type she gets annoyed by the most. Either way, Esmeralda brought the tea and the biscuits, as Vivian asked, and carefully poured a cup of tea for Edith then Vivian, and offered the biscuits forward before retreating away. "I hope the tea is to your liking." Vivian spoke as she raised her cup. Edith did the same and the two drank it without sugar like true tea addicts. "It is delicious, thank you." Edith replied. "Glad you like it." "Can we proceed to the questions, please? I want it to be done before it gets dark." "My! Can''t disappoint you now, can I? Very well, my dear. Ask away?" Vivian acted all comfortable as she sipped a small amount of tea between her perfect lips and she looked sweetly towards Edith. The latter felt a chill in her bones and kept avoiding Vivian''s gaze. "First things first, let us begin from the start. A few days ago, your engagement with His Highness the Crown Prince was broken, then House Moore received a visit from Baron Hewes regarding a wedding arrangement between his son and you, Lady Vivian." "Please, just Vivian." "¡­ Do you confirm that this visit happened?" "Oh my! I very much do. I was sitting here where I always sit. Your brother, Sir Edmond, sat over there. Father, Madam Saskia, Little Robbie. We were all here." "Little¡­ Robbie?" "That would be my cute little brother, of course." Vivian said. While playing with the Tarot card in her hand, she could see the word "Annoyed" added to Edith''s emotions list. She smiled as Edith looked away solemnly. "How do you describe your meeting with the Baron and his Son?" Edith asked. "Curious topic, now that you mention it¡­ it was Chaotic." Vivian replied. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "How did you feel about marrying someone lower in social status than you are?" "Perplexing." "Would you feel the need to harm someone to fulfill a goal you aim for?" "Negative. I only do what I do in the service of Great Elgard." "If your needs demanded it, would you go against the interests of the Empire?" "Impossible. The Empire is my home. One must always defend their home." "Are you aware that you were meant to be cast down from the High Society where you are not welcome?" "Was I?" "Don''t answer my question with another." "I guess. Nothing is definitive. When someone in my situation goes through what I went through, people tend to get a little bit sensitive around me so it is no wonder I became unwanted." "Then why did you go against the Empire''s interests?" "I don''t remember doing so." "But you just agreed that you were to be cast down from the High Society where you are no longer welcome and you were conflicted about your arranged marriage?" Edith asked a cunning question. "Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?" "Doesn''t this make you the one who benefits the most from this situation? You get to keep living under your father''s roof and avoid a marriage you didn''t desire." "It was naturally a bitter pill to swallow but I didn''t want anyone to get hurt. Enough blood has been spilled already." "Doesn''t it make more sense now that you think about it? Why not just admit it at this point?" "Admit what?" "That your family is behind the assassination." "What? You were talking about that this whole time?" "That? I¡­ The assassination of the Baron''s son, what else is there?" "Oh my! That took us a while, I thought we were off that topic once you started saying high society this and high society that." Edith blinked a few times before reviewing the answers she was recording in her note. "I am sorry¡­ those answers you provided just now, what were they about then?" Edith asked, not knowing what Vivian was talking about at this point. "About last night." "Last night?" "I was attacked¡­ after the auction. Four assailants. My coachman killed and I had to get my hands dirty and take three lives." "That''s¡­ not what I am here for?" "Really?" "Yes. I''m afraid so." "I thought House Black sent you to inquire about the situation from last night. Such lax security in a place like the De Clare auction house is more important than most other topics, don''t you agree?" "That''s not for me to say. My elder brother Edmond is the one investigating that situation." "Tell me you''ve at least woken Sir Edmond up before you came to visit." Edith avoided eye contact and she covered her mouth with a hand awkwardly as her shoulders were shaking with a faint sound of laughter escaping her control. Edmond was indeed sleeping on his face the last time Edith went to check on him. But as for the matter at hand, those questions she asked were just to draw a line linking Vivian to the murder, however, Vivian was even more cunning than Edith. She took the topic in circles different from the ones Edith was going around and when Edith was about to corner her, she just performed the oldest and coldest trick in the book. The "what are you talking about?" trick. Vivian was even very careful with how she gave Edith the illusion of leading the conversation knowing exactly what Edith will try to do and making her reach a point where all her cards are exposed. It was as if Vivian knew how to play exactly on Edith''s nerves, not too hard and not too soft either. But also Edith is not to blame, who knew Vivian would avoid this whole topic by projecting her own issues and causing a misunderstanding? While it is the trickiest card women use against men, it needs one quick-witted woman to play it on another. ==================== ? Profile ?
  • Name: Edith Black
  • Age: 17
  • Level: 3-Star Apprentice Knight
  • Emotions: Delighted, Observing and Planning, Suspicion and Antagonization against you.
==================== A strange change happened in Edith''s mindset as she straightened her face and took a large sip of tea while writing down some words in her note. "Lady Vivian¡­" "Just Vivian." "¡­ You seem to be fully aware of how these procedures work." "I have been through the Diplomatic Studies class for three years in the academy by now. While Law is not the main focus, Diplomatic studies offer a wide array of knowledge. Don''t you take that class too, Lady Edith?" "I don''t. My only attention revolves around the Warfare class, History, Literature, and Mathematics." Edith replied. "Oh! How wonderful¡­ a Lady who doesn''t follow the accursed traditions. I admire you." Vivian clasped her hands together happily. "You do? Lady Vivian has a strong reputation for being a die-hard conservative who worships the traditions. I never expected this reaction." "Come on, you are not one to follow rumors. And not every one of us is a descendant of House Black and engaged in House Marshall, you are living the dream, Lady Edith." Vivian said. Edith faintly smiled while carefully analyzing Vivian''s words. After ruining her plan, she is now using flattery to make her feel better, a classic move. "Thank you, my Lady. Shall we continue?" Edith replied fully intending not to let Vivian off the hook that easily. "Pretty please." "Let me ask you that I am adding that you and I are specifically talking about the assassination of the Baron''s son. Any disregard of this rule will be considered an uncooperative behavior that hinders an ongoing investigation." "Alright. I agree." Vivian agreed gleefully. Edith nodded and went straight back into action. "Did you, directly or indirectly, cause the death of your fianc¨¦-to-be, the son of Baron Hewes?" Vivian looked at Edith with wide eyes as if saying, "Girl, you are mean." before she skillfully turned this look of shock into that of sadness. Edith raised a brow in anticipation as if she was waiting for the moment when Vivian tells as much as a single lie, she was 100% sure she would know when Vivian lies. However, the sad look on Vivian''s face wasn''t just a lie. It was something that Edith couldn''t handle. "Alright." Vivian spoke as she sniffed with tearful eyes, "You¡­ you may be right." "Hm?" "I said¡­ sigh! You are¡­ probably right." Edith''s keen eye could detect the untruths that Vivian hid beneath her haughty demeanor and confident denials. However, she was caught off guard when Vivian suddenly confessed and showed guilt on top of it all. Edith blinked in disbelief, struggling to process the unexpected turn of events. "Wait¡­ so you admit? House Moore ordered the death of the Baron''s Son?" "Does it make any difference now?" Vivian turned her head away with a distressed look. From the corners of the house, the footmen and the maids were freaking out about what this idiot young lady was framing their house into. "I don''t understand. Do you confirm that your House killed the son of the Baron?" "My House? Kills? Never." Vivian turned back to Edith and spoke truthfully with tearful eyes, "I just¡­ I feel like his death was on me¡­ me alone." She said and covered her face with her hands. If Edith watched as many K-dramas as Vivian, she would have caught her red-handed but Vivian was simply too pitiful. "What do you mean then? I need you to make a statement." Edith demanded as she unintentionally got closer to Vivian. Vivian suddenly held Edith''s hand with her two hands and squeezed it while her eyes were beginning to tear. "It is dangerous to be around me. Those who get too close to me tend to get hurt. I know for a fact that I¡­ that I¡­ *sob* it is just, they who killed the poor boy, whoever they are, they will never stop until they get to their goal. I barely escaped them yesterday. I almost lost my maid and my knight. I am sorry, I didn''t want anyone to get hurt¡­ I am so sorry." She said as she got closer to Edith and embraced her as if she was experiencing a breakdown. Edith realized that she had fallen into another trap but she couldn''t escape it and had no knowledge of how to do so. She tried to push Vivian away gently but the eyes of the maids who were watching Vivian cry were as if they had fallen into the trap and were too engrossed in this cheap drama. Edith had completely lost control of this silly interrogation and was about to say something but not a moment later, Logan charged into the room shouting. "Lady Vivian, My Lady." He called. "Hm?" Vivian turned to him with a pitiful face as she was still embracing Edith but the Knight hardly took notice as the news he was delivering was far greater. "My Lady, a Royal Carriage has just passed through the mansion''s gate and will arrive in less than a minute. It is accompanied by twenty Royal Knights!" Logan spoke. The atmosphere was suddenly electrified. A Carriage and a full security detail of Royal Knights. Only one thing can be associated with this sort of entrance. A Royal Family Member. Vivian jumped off Edith''s embrace and skillfully wiped away her tears with her pinkies. "Organize the Hall! Gather the Knights and all the Servants on duty! Call Lord Father and Madam Saskia! Where is that idiot Robert? Everyone, MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!" In less than a second, Vivian turned from a pitiful princess to a fire-breathing dragon and the whole mansion was following every order she made. In less than 15 seconds, two lines of knights, followed by two lines of servants stood on each side of the hallway with Lord Julian neatly organizing his hair and mustache along the way while Saskia and Robert came from upstairs. No one expected the royalty to show up and the least was Edith who didn''t know what to do or where to stand. "Lady Edith, beside me, please." Vivian pulled her close, "You can''t appear with a weapon to your side in front of a Royal Family Member!" Vivian said as she pointed to Edith''s sword. "Yes¡­ Yes." Edith panicked. "I''ll keep it for you." Vivian received the sword from Edith and passed it to a maid who took it away. Lord Julian and Vivian nodded to each other as they spotted not a single mistake. And now for the grand opening. A Royal Knight came in to herald the identity of the visitor. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Charlotte of Elgard, Duchess of R¡­ Your Highness, please wait!" The Herald couldn''t get the chance to finish his words when a small girl with silver hair and green eyes ran into the hall and her eyes reddened with tears. The little princess was as if she didn''t see anyone in the long hall but Vivian and ran towards her crying. "Vivian, Vivian, help me!" 19: Princess Charlotte Now this was unexpected. Edith is sitting among the Moores, a Royal Princess, and a few known figures who serve the royal family. How did the situation escalate to this strange point? Lord Julian was taking his seat calmly while drinking his tea. Saskia and Robert Moore were silently sitting on the sofa together while glaring at Vivian. Vivian, the championess of this scene, was sitting beside the Princess who was burying her face in Vivian''s embrace and refusing to talk to anyone so stubbornly. Princess Charlotte is the youngest member of the Royal Family, only 9 years of age. She is basically the most precious entity in the whole Empire as everyone just loved her so dearly. To make this Princess cry is an unforgivable sin that no one can tolerate. But to think that the one who the Princess cries to is not the King or the Queen, but rather the biggest sinner of the Kingdom! Edith was experiencing a faith crisis at this moment. The things she heard, about how manipulative and evil Vivian can be, were almost true. She is a trickster, a liar, a killer, and the worst member of the High Society. Why is the cute and innocent Princess clinging to such a person like that? Edith found herself angry without any reason but she couldn''t help but notice that Robert and Saskia were having the same thoughts. Robert is known to be a well-mannered and kind person, the way he looked at Vivian, who was being showered by the Princess with royal favor, was somewhat out of character for him. Just what is happening? "Your Highness, would you please let go of Lady Vivian? She is quite troubled at the moment." The one who spoke was Dame Olivia Marfont, the Head Royal Nanny and the caretaker of Princess Charlotte. "My my! Don''t say such things, Dame Olivia. Her Highness doesn''t need to worry about such things." Vivian smiled warmly as she turned down and spoke kindly to the Princess, "Princess, you can tell me what is bothering you now." "¡­" There was no response whatsoever. The Princess gave everyone the silent treatment as she kept clinging to Vivian. On the other hand, Vivian herself was at a loss for words. Princess Charlotte never appeared in the game thus Nadia didn''t even know about her but for the previous Vivian, there was nothing as equal to a little sister as Princess Charlotte. Living in the Royal Palace is tough, especially for a child who was always expected to be perfect. Princess Charlotte had a nice childhood growing up between two loving brothers but only Vivian was the one who got too close to her. Vivian used to visit the Royal Palace a lot in the past and was almost invited on every occasion which can be from one to three a month. This was how Vivian and Charlotte got close. With the attitude of Prince Liam growing distant and aloof after some time, it was only Vivian who had the nerve to stand up to him, especially when it came to Princess Charlotte. That''s how Vivian became some sort of the Advocate of the Princess. That, of course, went that way until Vivian was cast away slowly by the Prince for the past few months. The Princess never visited the Moore Mansion before so it was a surprise to see her here. This only means that something has happened to her, especially when she asked Vivian for help the moment she saw her. "I think the Princess is a bit troubled by the presence of many people around her. I shall leave if you excuse me, your Highness." Lord Julian said as he glared at Robert and Saskia who followed along. The nanny also got the hint and looked at the Royal Knights who followed in. "Sirs, some of you can wait far from here for now. Only two can stay." She said and the knights moved accordingly. Who was left was Vivian, Princess Charlotte, Dame Olivia, Edith, and a few knights and maids far in the background. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Now, now, you can tell me what bothers you." Vivian said to the Princess who finally parted from her. The Princess sniffed before she was about to cry but Vivian patted her a few times gently. The Princess stopped crying and looked at Edith as if she was questioning why there was a person she didn''t know still there. "Oh! Right, introductions." Vivian clasped her hand, "Princess Charlotte, I introduce to you Lady Edith of the Great House Black." Edith followed along and stood up bowing to the Princess. "An immense honor to finally meet you in person, your Highness." Edith spoke in a shaken tone. She worshiped the existence of the Royal Family, who were untouchable existences to her. Even though she got the chance to meet them on multiple occasions, she was just a face in the admiring crowd. "Black?" On the other hand, the Princess reacted to the famous surname. "Indeed, Princess. She is the sister of Sir Edmond who accompanies His Highness Prince Liam." Vivian said. It wasn''t a second as Princess Charlotte started glaring at Edith. She was clearly not comfortable with Edith now. Both Vivian and Edith were taken aback by the Princess''s reaction but Vivian read the mood quickly and decided to give Edith a hand. "She is my dear friend, your Highness. Don''t mind her." The words "Dear Friend" were strange to the ears of Edith as in a normal situation, she would never call herself like that at all. They only met formally for the first time today. Still, these words shifted the expressions of Princess Charlotte like a charm. The Princess looked between Vivian and Edith with judging eyes before speaking. "You do not look like friends." Vivian laughed faintly. Indeed, this child was simply too smart to be fooled this way. "We are actually. Lady Edith came to me to ask about something important so the mood was a bit heavy. Well¡­ now that you have come, we can all cheer up. Biscuits?" "Hmph!" The Princess didn''t seem to be wanting to eat anything as she was still upset. "Alright. Why don''t you tell me what''s bothering you, your Highness?" Vivian asked. Princess Charlotte looked between Edith, who was making a serious face as if ready to jump on anyone who bothered the Princess, and Vivian, who was more casual than ever. She found Vivian more approachable and she turned towards her. "It''s elder brother Liam¡­" she spoke dejectedly. "Did something befall his Highness?" Vivian asked sarcastically. It seemed there was indeed a synergy between Vivian and Princess Charlotte as the latter passed a small chuckle to Vivian''s silly manner of speaking but once again¡­ her expressions returned heavier than before. "He¡­ He took my garden away from me." The Princess said. Her garden? It is hard to think that a princess tends to a garden but that garden in particular was something akin to Charlotte''s personal playground. She had her toys lined up, a tea table, and a few lovely colorful flags under a small artistic pavilion. It was an angelic place for an angel-like child. It is understandable if the young princess took a liking to such a place but why would Prince Liam fancy a garden? Both Vivian and Edith knew for a fact that this garden in particular houses not only the best but the rarest and most exotic flowers and fragrant herbs in the Empire. Plants that came from the Far East and the Far South were all taken care of by the finest gardeners in the whole Empire in this particular garden. "What excuse did the Prince have to take over the place alone? Last I heard, he is not particularly interested in flowers and can only just visit it if he wants to drink tea." But that wasn''t the case as Vivian thought. Things have changed and it was the Nanny who explained things to her. From what it seems, the Prince came one day all of a sudden and ordered no one to enter the best garden in the Palace, then ordered some palace guards to surround that particular garden and prevent anyone from using it until he says otherwise. When a Crown Prince says anyone, this includes anyone lower than him in rank including the Princess. The reason why he did such a thing wasn''t understood by anyone from the palace but Vivian spotted it right away. It was a certain Heroine whose head was filled with nothing but flowers and rare herbs. And to think he would mindlessly upset his own sister, a Princess, in order to satisfy that commoner. Such an act is disrespectful and infuriating to Vivian¡­ not this Vivian but the one from before. This Vivian didn''t even hold the same values anymore but she at least knew how the other one would react. "This is strange. The Prince doesn''t normally care about such things. He may as well be borrowing the Garden for some time. Isn''t that right, your Highness?" Out of place, Edith spoke as if she wanted to comfort the princess instead of Vivian. However, this backfired in the most splendid of ways. Both the Princess and Vivian snorted, almost at the same time, dissatisfied with what Edith said. The two of them didn''t even bother putting the Prince in a favorable light. "Vivian, please. Only you can help me. Please stop him." The plea of the Princess carried her frustration and sadness, the garden she so much treasures was taken from her, and the culprit is beyond the reach of anyone. Only Vivian is¡­ or rather was the one who can influence the Prince the most. But that was in the past. She is no longer Princess Consort to be. But would that stop her? Not in a million years. "Lady Edith!" Vivian stood up and spoke, "Get your sword! We''re going to the palace." 20: The Garden of Moon Lilies There are things in the world in order for one to believe in, they have to be witnessed and seen. Telling Edith to grab her sword and suddenly tag along with Princess Charlotte to the Palace, was the thing Edith had to see in order to believe. It is an event that will probably wind up with Vivian''s head on a spike, or so Edith thought. Just what kind of confidence and power does this Vivian have to do what she is doing? The Princess looked happy with Vivian''s presence but that surely wasn''t enough. The Princess is a minor and the fact that she left the palace and headed to Vivian of all people means serious business. Thousands of thoughts were running on Edith''s mind but it suddenly became empty the moment the carriage started driving into the Royal Palace. And it was the moment of truth. The head nanny descended first while helping Princess Charlotte down the folding step followed by Vivian and finally Edith. "Alright Princess, you should be the one leading the way." Vivian said, "Make sure to never cry and put on a stern face." "Stern?" The Princess tilted her head. "Yes. That face Lady Edith makes when she looks in my general direction." Vivian taught the Princess. Edith wanted to clarify the serious accusation but the Princess was already glaring at her. After looking for a second time, it seemed that Princess Charlotte was trying to capture Edith''s serious face. "I guess¡­ It is very good." Edith had to compliment the Princess for the serious attempt. "Perfect, your Highness." Vivian said, "We will follow your lead and look stern as well." "Yesss!" The little Princess clenched her fist in a pose of determination and returned to the stern look again before turning around and walking ahead, "This way." Vivian turned to Edith and gestured to her to keep the act before she followed Princess Charlotte immediately. Edith lagged behind in utter confusion but the head nanny kept staring and waiting for her to tag along. The group of four women walked through the palace and passed the outer boundaries and the main building where the council of the king gets to be held. They eventually ended up at the inner sanctum where the Royal Family resides. No one enters this place without an invitation. Even the Blacks wouldn''t dream of coming here so it is clearly the first time for Edith here. "Goodness! What am I being dragged into?" Edith couldn''t help but scream in her heart and try to breathe deeply and calm herself down. But it wasn''t long until the confirmation they came for began. "Open this garden, Sir!" The Princess ordered the Royal Guard who was stationed in front of the garden''s gate. The Royal Guard was aware of the trouble coming his way but not of its sheer mass. Not just a Princess but two Noble Ladies and the Head Nanny. Still, he wouldn''t walk aside just like that. "By the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince, this Garden is to be sealed until the end of the Spring Festival day." The Royal Guard replied. "I am ordering you." The Princess spoke in a higher tone as her confidence was boosted by the presence of Vivian behind her. But she was doing it all wrong. The Guard stood his ground and didn''t move a single inch as he repeated the same thing he said. Orders are orders and no matter what Charlotte says, only someone higher than the Crown Prince in status can make those orders void. In other words, the King and the First Queen, two of the most distant and aloof existences in the world. Even Charlotte would simply give up rather than ask them for assistance. "See?" Charlotte turned around to Vivian on the verge of tears. Vivian crouched down for the Princess and smiled at her warmly saying that things would be alright. Edith could at least tell that Vivian cares about Princess Charlotte but it can also be an act. How the situation unfolds will certainly change the impression of Vivian in Edith''s mind on any side of the spectrum depending on how she takes the next step. However, Vivian was already brainstorming with her inner demons for a plan. While doing so, she couldn''t help but notice something that bothered her, and she turned to the Head Nanny asking her something now that they were at a distance from the garden. "Dame Olivia." Vivian called, "This guard just said that the garden is sealed until the end of the Spring Festival, right?" "Yes, that is what was said." The Head Nanny replied, "I kept telling Her Highness that it is only a couple of weeks and she will get it back again." "Yes, I thought the same thing." Edith followed up before turning to the Princess, "I think it is best to wait, your Highness. The Royal Gardeners will surely take care of the place until the Prince has no more use for it. Nothing in there will be harmed." "NO!" The Princess immediately broke into tears and ran into Vivian''s embrace. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After all, only she can understand. And she just did. "Tell me, Dame Olivia, is this The Garden of Moon Lilies?" Vivian asked. "Yes." The Nanny nodded. That was it! The Garden of Moon Lilies. To Nadia and Vivian, this meant two different things but in both cases, it was what was bothering Vivian the whole time. The Guard just said that access to the Garden is prohibited until the end of the spring festival. This meant the end of the academy year. This is the garden from the game''s epilogue and the background of its main menu. In the Crown Prince''s Route, the Heroine gets her epilogue after the final exams in that garden. On top of that, she receives the final big reward. What is that big reward? Four out of Twelve Rare Herbs, the same thing that would usually make this Matilda girl go completely nuts. That, of course, depends on the player''s playstyle and which items complement their character build. But that is not the problem here. There is a different value to the Garden of Moon Lilies that Nadia doesn''t know about. "It is the treasured garden of the late Queen Mother." Edith blurted. The name was famous in the High Society. Before her death last year, the Garden of Moon Lilies was the Queen Mother''s personal ground and where she received her guests. Those who got lucky enough to be invited inside described the garden as a piece of Heaven placed on Earth. If the Heroine takes Four of the Garden''s precious herbs, the collection will be utterly ruined. No one even thought that someone would touch the herbs inside that harden and take off them but only Vivian knew¡­ and somehow, the state Princess Charlotte was in suggests to Vivian that she is fearing that situation. "No!" Vivian woke up from her daze, "Over my dead body." She is not just the friend of Princess Charlotte and the antagonist in the relationship between the Prince and the Heroine, she is a Medjay, a sworn protector of heritage and history. The Garden of Moonlilies is not just a random garden but the most precious garden in the entire kingdom. Nothing grown in that garden is anything less of a treasure. It must be protected at all costs. "What''s wrong, Lady Vivian?" The Nanny asked. "The Princess cherishes this place and it is wrong to keep it from her." She said in complete conviction. "Yes, but it won''t be a harm if¡­" The Nanny tried to say something and Edith seemed to agree with her but Vivian interrupted. "Harm will fall." Vivian said, "Look at the poor child, she knows something you don''t know." It was a scolding to the Nanny who immediately looked down with guilt. "Or maybe you do." Vivian followed up. Edith was lost in this scene but if the Princess was afraid of anything, it surely falls along the lines of the garden getting harmed. "But that''s unthinkable!" Edith couldn''t wrap her head around the situation, "Why would his High¡­" Edith then stopped not because of anything other than the look in Vivian''s eyes directed towards her. It was a plain "Shut the hell up!" as she seemed to be covering the Princess'' ears. "Princess." Vivian called and looked at Charlotte with a warm smile, "Dear Charlotte." She kept patting the Princess'' back until the latter compiled and looked up. "I will ask you a question that you need to answer to the best of your ability, do you understand?" Vivian said. The Princess nodded as the Nanny wiped her tears. "Out of all the gardens, why do you spend time in this one the most?" Vivian asked. The question wasn''t that necessary in the eyes of Edith and the Nanny other than stirring some emotions inside the young princess. "It is¡­ it is because it is Grandmother''s place." The Princess replied while still sobbing. "Good." Vivian nodded as she already knew this answer, "But I need more. Think deeply, why do you need to keep that place?" "Because¡­" Charlotte tried replying but she started sobbing. "There! You''re doing fine." Vivian seemed to have found what she wanted and held the tip of it as she held Charlotte''s shoulder, a serious offense to touch a princess but not at such a needed moment. "Because Grandmother told me so." Charlotte said while squeezing the tears from her eyes. "Yes, I wanted to hear that." Vivian, on the other hand, was very delighted, "Please, don''t cry. This is it. What did the Queen Mother say exactly?" Charlotte seemed unable to continue but the one who replied was the Nanny. "Her Highness the Queen Mother, may she rest in peace, asked the Princess to not forget about the garden and look after it. I was present during the last moments of Her Highness." "Grandmother was all alone." Charlotte said as she calmed down, "It was only me and her. Father, the King wasn''t by her side when it happened¡­ nor was anyone else. Only I¡­" "The Queen Mother passed away with only the Princess by her side?" Vivian looked at the Nanny and asked. "A full year ago around the last Spring Festival." The Nanny said, "It was also during the summit of the League of Nations so the King and Queen weren''t present. The Princes were in the finals as well." This was part of the information that Vivian forgot after the transmigration. "God!" She exclaimed. This meant that poor Charlotte was the only one there during the passing of the Queen Mother''s Will. "Grandmother said that she raised the family like she raised the flowers in her garden." Charlotte said as her tears were now dry, "Only that she forgot that some roses carry poison and thorns. She told me to keep the poison off the garden and raise good herbs and powerful trees." Such a statement! If it was said to Charlotte at the final moments of the Queen Mother, it means that they mean the world to her and the entire nation. "You kept those words to heart, your Highness! The Garden of Moon Lilies is your domain and yours only. I heard all I needed to hear." Vivian patted Charlotte''s back and walked to the side gesturing for Edith to come. "I am not sure what you are thinking but this matter is sensitive to the palace." Edith said, "I still think that such an important item is not to be neglected and it is a matter of days before the Prince''s business is over with it." "Many items of importance are being neglected, Lady Edith." Vivian replied, "Don''t hide behind the facade of helplessness, and help me see this through. I won''t ask much of you to do. So long you are a bystander, I can act big and help poor Charlotte even a little bit." Vivian''s words were now void of her childishness and cunning wordplay. If Edith is still determining, this is the true Vivian Moore from the rumors, the known traditionalist and rules freak. "Then I''ll act as a bystander." Edith agreed, "However, I''ll be watching and taking notes, my Lady. Everything you have done since we met this afternoon is going on record¡­ Every bit of it." "Fine." Vivian wasn''t scared and steeled her nerves. Her plan is already working out just fine. "So, what will you do?" Edith asked out of curiosity. "Simple." Vivian replied, "We''re jumping straight into the heart of the lion''s den." 21: A Figure of Speech There is a saying in fairy tales that goes: "Every Evil Queen was once a Princess that had no savior in her hour of need." In different circumstances, if Nadia hadn''t been transmigrated as Vivian, Princess Charlotte would have walked into the Moore''s mansion only to be met with a family mourning their daughter who took her own life due to the actions of the royal family, Charlotte''s family. With no one to help her, the garden gets to be opened for the Prince and the Heroine and four of the most precious herbs get taken away. Moreover, the remaining eight herbs would wilt and die soon after, a safety mechanic so the players will only collect up to four of these overpowered herbs and not come for the rest later on in the playthrough. After the engagement between the Prince and the Heroine is sealed, the Garden of Moon Lilies gets handed over to the Heroine and Princess Charlotte loses it forever. To be so cruel to this child! Vivian''s inner conviction of how messed up things are in this royal family was never stronger and an urge inside her was pushing her towards feeling disdain towards this broken family more and more. "Guards! Come over here." Vivian called a guard of the inner palace. It wasn''t the ones standing in front of the Garden''s gate, but two other guards on patrol. Normally, Guards of the Royal Palace heed no commands from the noble guests, so Vivan moved beside Princess Charlotte and commanded. "By the order of her Highness the Princess." She called once again. The two Guards stopped in their tracks, turned around, and walked towards the four women. "Answering to her Highness!" The Guards stopped and hailed the Princess. Princess Charlotte didn''t know what Vivian was doing so she couldn''t say a thing other than permitting Vivian to speak in her name. "Lady Vivian, you are my spokesperson." Charlotte said putting her trust in Vivian. "Answer her Highness." Vivian spoke, "Who is the one supervising the Royal Guards in this area?" "That would be Royal Knight Abraham Talbot, your Highness." One of the two guards answered, addressing the Princess. "Sir Abraham Talbot is one of the King''s men, my lady." The Royal Nanny stated. "Call him here by the order of the Princess." Vivian rallied another command. "By the orders of Her Highness." The guard replied and rushed off as the second one kept in his position until the Princess dismissed him away. A few minutes later, a knight was seen walking in the Palace and coming towards the group. He was a middle-aged man in a fancy Knight''s suit with a sword by his side and a fancy feathered helmet under his arm. "Your Highness." He approached and bowed to the Princess before turning to the others, "My Ladies." "Sir Abraham, I am Vivian of House Moore and I speak for her Highness." Vivian said. The Knight seemed unsure, especially after hearing the name "Vivian Moore" but as the Princess showed a resolute expression, he bowed slightly to Vivian. "I heed the words of Her Highness." He said. "Then, Sir Abraham, are you aware that the Garden of Moon Lilies was sealed by the command of His Highness Prince Liam, and from the individuals that are prohibited from entering is Her Highness the Princess?" Vivian asked. "Yes, my Lady." The Knight replied with a tired face implying that this was not the first time the situation had come to his attention. "And does His Highness have the authority to give such a command?" "... Yes." The Knight lagged a bit recalling the chain of command in his mind just to make sure he didn''t fall in any mistake, "Most certainly yes. The Crown Prince can prohibit Her Highness from accessing the Garden. I am very sorry to say that, but I am afraid my hands are tied, your Highness." The Knight bowed to the Princess in apology. "Let me rephrase the question, Sir." But Vivian was far from over, all the faces turned to her as she seemed to have gotten what she wanted at last, "Can His Highness, without any explanation, strip a member of the Royal Family from their official duties?" The question was a low blow. The Knight can say neither Yes nor No and Edith started retracing the events in her head to see what Vivian is aiming for exactly. As for the Knight, he was smart enough to avoid the question. "I am but a Royal Guard, my Lady. I think such logistics are handled by the Palace staff." The Knight said. Because the right answer is that only the King can do such a thing. "Logistics, right." Vivian nodded, "But His Highness Prince Liam just ignored the procedures and stripped Her Highness of her official duty." "If Lady Vivian is referring to the Garden of Moon Lilies as the official duty of Her Highness the Princess, then please provide evidence for that. Even more, provide evidence that holds enough power that the Crown Prince commands can''t overwrite it." The Knight replied to Vivian, somewhat annoyed by her pestering. It was then when Edith''s eyes widened. "No way!" She blurted. "The Will of the late Queen Mother." Vivian said those words. The Knight frowned, the Nanny tilted her head, the Princess was taken aback, and Edith was looking at Vivian in bewilderment. Princess Charlotte just told them a minute ago about the last conversation she had with the Queen Mother on her deathbed. If Edith wasn''t mistaken, these moments were recorded by the royal scribes in order to not pass a word that could be used as a form of Will. A Royal Will isn''t anything to be missed with, it is a very serious business. "If the Will of the late Queen Mother had such a thing. If so, it would have been announced and I, of all people, should be aware." The Knight said in firmness. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Not the Direct Will, the Recorded Will from the Queen''s last moments." It wasn''t Vivian who said that, but Edith. Hearing that, the Knight took a deep breath and thought for a few seconds before nodding. "We will have to confirm this with the Lord Chamberlain." He said, "This way, your Highness, my Ladies." *** And they walked into the Royal Palace, the grandest building in the entire kingdom. Edith has only visited this place once with her father when she was 10 and it has its own pressure. Each chamber, each hallway, each hall, it was all a grand display of the power Elgard has as an imperialist power. Under the great dome of the palace was a large hall that was the busiest in the palace as many knights and official scribes were coming and going as they managed the Empire''s affairs. "This way, your Highness." Yet the voice of Sir Abraham Talbot broke the noise as he spearheaded a small entourage centered around Princess Charlotte. On her left was Lady Edith Black, behind her was Dame Olivia Marfont, and on her right was a face that was unexpected by all, the villainess Vivian Moore. As the Princess walked, many of the men of the state started bowing and murmuring between themselves. Most of their words were directed against Vivian whom they assumed that she found her way back into the palace by being on the Princess'' heel. Edith noted the words and the amount of disdain directed towards Vivian and kept mental notes in her head about all those people. Of course, she isn''t Vivian''s friend and the interrogation is far from over but this amount of sidetracking should at least be fruitful to the investigation. But the more she heard, the less she understood. Vivian is not popular indeed but no one can agree on how to hate her. The words that circulated around the palace were either pure slanderous, utterly unbelievable, or completely biased. It didn''t feel right that this was the atmosphere of a royal palace. "We have arrived." The Knight said as he opened a large door on the first floor after ascending the wide stairway. There, the group entered a large office in which the Knight ordered the stationed assistant to summon the Lord Chamberlain in the name of Her Highness the Princess. And the wait began. Unlike how immediately Knight Abraham was summoned, the Lord Chamberlain is not just some simple officer, he is the King''s feet so to speak. An hour passed until he finally appeared in front of the entourage. Once he entered, he didn''t even spare a glance to anyone including the Princess until he reached the desk in his office. "Your Highness." He spoke with a slight bow. "Lord Chamberlain." The Princess nodded. "Lord Chamberlain." Vivian'', Edith, and Dame Olivia offered an official greeting to the man in return. Nivell Musgrave, the Chamberlain of the Royal Palace and a Count of the same position as Lord Julian Moore and most of the influential family heads. The man was a force to be reckoned with inside this palace. "You have 5 minutes." He said, "Do you even realize that the League of Nation''s grand assembly will be held here in Elgard this year? Of all the times, you come to cause me trouble now?" "We most sincerely apologize." Vivian spoke ahead of the five people present in front of the Chamberlain. "And you are?" The Chamberlain asked. "Vivian Moore, speaking for Her Highness." Vivian replied. "Vivian Moore?" The man narrowed his eyes fully recognizing the name. Just a few days ago, he was the one who signed the annulment of the engagement between the Prince and his ex-Fianc¨¦e. "If you are here to beg, go find His Highness." The man dismissed her in a second, "You''re even bringing Her Highness into this matter? Haven''t Count Julian taught you any better?" The last bit of his words were spoken loudly with his hand slapping the desk. "Truly?" Vivian said, "I''ll keep that in mind once I consider begging, my Lord." The calm reply smoothly implied that there was no begging happening tonight. "If so then let the Princess speak for herself. Don''t waste our time." The Lord Chamberlain didn''t even acknowledge Vivian and sided her from the conversation. "We are here for Grandmother''s Will." The Princess immediately took over. "Why is that?" The man asked back. "We believe that the Recorded Will contains a direct command¡­ for me." The Princess replied as she hesitantly looked at Vivian. "There was no such a thing." The Chamberlain said, "If there was any and we missed it¡­ Hmph! I don''t think it is possible." "That is an order." Princess Charlotte channeled her courage and demanded. "I am afraid I can''t help." He said, "Especially with the existence of strangers inside the House. Who knows what aims they want us to provide the means to?!" Again with his attitude, the man displayed his distrust towards Vivian and refused the demands of the Princess. "It was a figure of speech." But then a voice came out and it was Edith. The moment she spoke, all eyes landed on her again causing her to shiver. This situation is completely out of her comfort zone. "I thought you were a man." The chamberlain said, eyeing Edith''s short hair and unwomanly clothing, "Who are you?" "From the Great House Black, my name is Edith, daughter of Count Lucius." She said. The man seemed dejected since he insulted Edith. Her position is not simple and her presence is troublesome. "And what is that you just said?" He asked. "We believe that the late Queen Mother used a figure of speech to rally a command to her Highness. That''s why we request clarification on the matter." Edith said. The chamberlain grunted and decided to leave his chair. He surely can''t miss a direct command from the Queen Mother''s Will but as if it was a figure of speech, a lot of clarification will be needed. At least this shouldn''t be a waste of time if the Blacks were also involved. He walked out through a door in his office for a few minutes and said he would return shortly. "You look stunning by the way." Vivian said, directing her words to Edith. "¡­" Edith furrowed her brows and turned slowly to Vivian who wasn''t looking back, "Thank you." This was clearly for what the chamberlain said about Edith''s appearance just a while ago. "It wasn''t a wise thing to say, though." Vivian continued. "What was that?" Edith asked. "A figure of speech." Vivian pointed out, "It is troublesome to say such words. You were right, but let me help you out with this one." Vivian''s words were cryptic but they worried Edith all of a sudden. A figure of speech was the only excuse to move the chamberlain''s ass off his seat, but judging by the words they heard from the Princess, it sounded like a figure of speech to Edith. But it is a dangerous thing to consider now that she thinks about it. Vivian is right, she shouldn''t have said that. But then again, wasn''t Vivian the one who urged her to help out with the Princess'' ordeal since Vivian herself is disadvantaged as a High Society outcast? Why is this getting so complicated? Edith hates this sort of situation the most. After two minutes, the chamberlain returned with a large book that was sealed with a mechanism. He used his master key and opened it, only looking at its content by himself since the conversation was a national secret. "Which part?" He asked. "The part regarding the Garden of Moon Lilies." The Princess said. He turned the page and looked again and again. "Grandmother said that she raised the family like she raised the flowers in her garden. Only that she forgot that some of the roses carry thorns and poison. She told me to keep the poison off the garden and raise useful herbs and powerful trees." The Princess repeated the will that she remembered. "It is not a figure of speech." Vivian said, "Isn''t that right, Lady Edith?" "Yes, I must have misheard it for the first time." Edith followed up, saving her own hide from the situation. If it is truly a figure of speech, things would get very ugly. There is no way the Queen Mother uses such a figure of speech, an implication that there are poison and thorns in the Royal Family. But in truth, it was a figure of speech. Edith was so scared to think of such a thing. "Of course it is not." The chamberlain said, "So, what does her Highness demand?" Vivian''s lips curled into a smile and she chinned up, knowing that this was the perfect low blow for a certain someone who wanted everything to go just perfect for his little commoner pet. Such a precious opportunity was used well and she managed to affirm her presence in the High Society once again. 22: Sealed "Vivian." The Princess called. "Yes, your Highness." Vivian said and faced the Chamberlain, "As the Recorded Will implies, the Garden of Moon Lilies is to be managed directly by Her Highness, Princess Charlotte. As a command from the late Queen Mother, this duty must be officialized and recorded as a mandate from the court." "Done." The chamberlain pulled out a piece of paper, wrote a few words, and used his ring to stamp it. "YES!" The Princess was over-excited as she jumped off her seat and hugged Vivian immediately. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." It was the single happiest moment she had in two days straight. Justice was served and everything was as it was supposed to be. With a mandate coming from the Queen Mother''s will, the King himself will have to honor his Mother''s Will even for appearance''s sake. "Thank you, my Lord. This will be all." Vivian said and retreated out of the office with the others. Immediately, the Princess commanded Knight Abraham Talbot to lift the prohibition on the Garden of Moon Lilies and brought her maids and gardeners back to the garden. *** The sun was setting and word that the Garden of Moon Lilies was returned officially to the Princess started to travel. How it happened and who was involved made quite a fuss, especially when everyone focused on the return of Vivian Moore to the Palace. Above all else, she was invited here by the Princess. But right in front of the garden, the happiness of the Princess was reaching the heavens as she kept running in her garden with no restraint. She was so happy she could fly to the point where she hugged Vivian and Edith multiple times at that. As it was getting dark, Vivian asked to take her leave now that her work was over. Still, the Princess promised her an incredible reward for what she had done today. Vivian, however, refused material rewards and asked for nothing. With that, Vivian and Edith started heading out from the Royal Palace. "My people should have brought a carriage over. I think we can complete the interrogation on the way home." Vivian said as she turned to Edith. Edith suddenly stopped and on her face "The Interrogation!" was written all over. The Baron''s son''s murderer or the Princess'' trusted advocate? Edith couldn''t decide which one she should see Vivian as. With the interrogation papers by her side, Edith walked ahead of Vivian and stopped her right where the carriage was waiting. "The Figure of Speech. I still can''t get it out of my head." Edith spoke and had that determined look in her eyes like the one she had this morning when she was questioning Vivian, "The Queen Mother said that the flowers she raised grew thorns and poison. This is not a figure of speech, right?" "You are asking me?" Vivian replied with a tired face. "If it was, our heads would have rolled. You told me it was unwise and you would help me out." Edith said and then doubt filled her shaking voice, "But just if¡­ it was." She was in denial. If the Queen Mother said that the Royal Family has thorns and poisons then¡­ It was unthinkable. "Even the chamberlain agreed that it isn''t a figure of speech." Vivian said, shrugging off the responsibility for those words. "Because he can''t." Edith said and pressed forward, "And you relied on that so that he doesn''t deny the Princess her request. By doing so, you returned the garden to her." "Since I am not confirming or denying anything you''re saying, make sure that in your report you write "I speculate" before all that." Vivian said, implying that she has nothing against her on the records. But that was the last thing on Edith''s mind currently. Today, she interrogated Vivian Moore and played the Cat and Mouse game together but the Princess showed up and showered Vivian in her favor. Some of that favor even reached Edith thanks to Vivian who said that they were dear friends. In the Palace, Vivian put on a fierce fight for the Princess and many eyes met her with disdain without a single good reason. So far, Vivian was known to be problematic and a troublemaker but her actions today showed how she handles things. She is resourceful and understands both diplomacy and law, to the point where she turned a recorded will into an official mandate by using the fear of carrying those words the wrong way. So, if someone is in the wrong in today''s situation, it is those who stood between the Princess and her Garden. And with the worry shown by the Princess over the national treasure of a Garden, it means that there is something she is afraid of. She didn''t turn to the King, the Queen, or any of the Princes, she turned to Vivian. "My Lady." Edith called Vivian, "Is there anything in the palace that House Black should be aware of?" Her question came from a place of concern. She deeply cared about the Nation and its rulers thus if there is anything she can do, she only needs Vivian to rally it towards her¡­ even if insinuated indirectly. But the usual calm look on Vivian''s face turned demonic. She glared at Edith and almost frightened her. "You¡­" Vivian spoke but didn''t continue as her words would be either "idiot", "fool", or "imbecile". Edith was shocked and backed a step away but Vivian reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "You are insulting your own House, Miss Edith." Vivian said, "If I were not of a position equal to your rank, I would have punished you severely." Vivian''s words were quite dangerous and aggressive. There is a reason why Vivian is the first villainess and Edith is the second, and that sheer amount of dominance Vivian can cast terrified Edith to her core. Vivian let go of Edith''s arm and spoke quietly. "Ask yourself this: is there anything in the Empire House Black isn''t aware of?" Vivian said and turned away towards her carriage where Logan waited. "It is getting late and I am in a bad mood. Set a different date for that interrogation, Lady Edith." And with that scolding, Vivian left in her carriage with Edith utterly stunned and speechless. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. What was that just now? Is there anything in the Empire House Black isn''t aware of? Edith just wanted to ask a simple question yet the answer she received threw her entire being in a storm of unrest. Her carriage stopped down the stairway in front of the palace and she climbed in while thinking. This interrogation she was doing, it was pushed on her by her brother Edmond and she headed towards it with a clear conviction in mind: "Vivian Moore is guilty." But what''s with this darkness looming around the Royal Palace that she saw today for the first time? The Princess crying to an outsider. Thorns and Poison have grown in the royal family. Such a thing¡­ is her family truly aware? And if they are not, isn''t that a crisis? And just today¡­ Was she supposed to deem Vivian guilty just because everyone in the palace wanted Vivian guilty? "How could I be so blind?" Edith thought and her head immediately found a target for her unbalanced feelings. The anger inside her started to boil up. She felt betrayed and completely played. Her eyes are now open to the facts around her and only one person in the world she can get something from at times like this. "EDMOND, YOU ASS!" She shouted and threw the interrogation document out of the carriage''s window. "My Lady!" The carriage stopped and the knights around the carriage rushed and opened the door. "Lady Edith, you alright?" A Knight asked as he seemed to have caught the interrogation document once it flew out. "Give me that." Edith said and grabbed the document once again, "They think they can just play me, huh?" She opened the document immediately and took out her writing equipment before hastily writing a few words then taking her ring and slamming it over the document to seal the case. "My Lady!" The knight implored Edith to talk but she was too angry to reason with. "Tell the driver to head towards the Royal Academy¡­ NOW!" *** The door to Edmond''s room opened and Edith stormed in. Every bit of sleep escaped from Edmond''s eyes and he looked at the familiar demon charging towards him with a surprise. "You wanted the interrogation done? HERE YOU GO, BIG BROTHER." The document was slammed under Edith''s hand and Edmond was left with his eyes wide with shock. "What was that for?" He asked. "You''re seriously asking me that?" She asked back and kicked his desk, "You hid things from me, you took over the interrogation and pinned all the suspicion on Vivian Moore before giving me the final questioning so that you can close the case with your name clear from it, you wanted me to act unreasonable based on your predetermined judgment and put the blame on the innocent." "You mad?!" Edmond jumped off his chair and shouted at her. "No! You''re the mad one for thinking you can play me like a DAMN FIDDLE! And I almost¡­" Edith shouted the last few words. "What have you done?" He asked. "Why don''t you find out?" She replied while pushing the documents binder against him. Edmond picked up the documents and read the content about the interrogation with Vivian. Edith recorded the fact that Princess Charlotte interrupted the interrogation and that the three of them traveled to the Royal Palace and did something very unnecessary. In its end, Edith seemed to have concluded that Vivian Moore is a good subject of the Crown who gained the favor of Princess Charlotte and is not one to harm the Nation''s interests and its subjects. Vivian Moore was officially lifted from the list of suspects and the final words were sealed with the Black Insignia. Edmond felt that his head was being blasted from the inside and wanted to rip the paper apart but in doing so, he would destroy the entire case against Vivian. "This¡­ doesn''t mean anything." Edmond said pointing at the paper. "Heh! You think I am here without knowing what to do." Edith laughed and had a villainess sneer growing on her tomboyish face, "I''ve already sent a report to Father." "You can''t be serious!" Edmond replied, feeling like the situation had officially blown up in his face. "You know I hate being manipulated!" Edith shouted and walked to Edmond behind his desk, "I hate it more than ANYTHING in the world when you lie and deceive me, brother. I thought you knew better." Being faced like that, Edmond was at a loss for words until someone walked in through the open door. "What''s with this noise?" Turning towards the door, Edmond and Edith saw Richard Marshall walking in with a girl beside him. It was her, Matilda Ambrose. The woman who caused the annulment of Vivian''s engagement with the Prince. Edith would probably just ignore her any day of the week but standing right behind her is Richard, Edith''s fianc¨¦. Edith''s eyes were spewing with anger while seeing her fianc¨¦ in his light sleeveless training clothes. He seemed to have just come from training and walking this close to that girl. "You." Edith turned all her rage towards Richard and walked towards him, "I heard you have picked the hobby of beating women lately." Her words were as brutish as a hitting club to the head. Her eyes were as sharp as daggers and with them, she looked at Richard and then looked at Matilda up and down. Her gaze returned to Richard again. "And I thought you had a spine." She said and just pushed her way out between the two. That was the most destructive force the people in this room experienced and it felt like the world was shaking in their heads. More importantly, the usual calmness on Richard''s face disappeared and his face was hideously red with anger as many veins started to pop up. He looked like a demon without the horns and his eyes were turning bloodshot red. This hideous appearance wasn''t kept for long as Matilda held Richard''s arm right out of the blue. "Lord Richard, are you alright?" She asked with a soft voice and Richard responded immediately. "I am sorry." He said as he turned his face away. In mere seconds, his face turned natural and he could breathe again. "I''ve shown you something¡­ unsightly." Richard said. "Don''t apologize, my Lord." Matilda said and looked at Edmond. "Lord Edmond, you''re alright?" She asked. "I am." He nodded and sat back, "It seems that my sister has done something troublesome." "That was Lady Edith?" Matilda asked, "I am sorry, I¡­ I must have upset her." "Don''t worry." "Don''t apologize." Edmond and Richard replied at the same before they exchanged unpleasant looks with each other. "That was Lady Edith walking out?" But at this time, another voice broke the awkwardness. "My Prince." Matilda bowed slightly to the Prince and backed off his way to let him enter Edmond''s room. "Yes, your Highness. My sister did something bothersome." Edmond bowed with an apologetic voice. "So did mine." The Prince replied, "And his." Behind the Prince, Robert Moore walked in. He seemed to have traveled to the academy right after Vivian left with the Princess to the royal palace. "Yes, I have a rough idea of what happened." Edmond said, "I was short-sighted and my apology isn''t enough." "Don''t start it." Prince Liam waved his hands. "Did something bad happen?" Matilda asked with a concerned face. "Yes." The Prince replied and smiled wryly, "I am afraid when Edmond sent his sister Edith to house Moore in order to finalize the interrogation with Vivian, my sister Charlotte interfered and shifted the problem towards the Garden of Moon Lilies." "What happened to the Garden?" Matilda asked with a shaky tone. "I wanted to prepare it for your visit to the Palace and prohibited access to it while the gardeners would add a few touches to it. But my sister seemed to have claimed that this garden was her duty or something as it was passed down to her by our grandmother. Honestly, I never knew she had any attachment to the garden." Prince Liam said with a shrug. "Then she must have been very sad if you prohibited her from entering." Matilda said. "I need to look into the situation later but from what we learned, Vivian Moore was the one who helped my sister reclaim the garden. Lady Edith seemed to have witnessed the situation too and it got her to sympathize with Vivian." The Prince added. "But we should be thankful to Lady Vivian since she made us avoid a big grievance with Her Highness the Princess." Matilda said. "You really only see the best in people, my Lady." Robert Moore spoke. "That she does¡­ maybe too well." Prince Liam agreed, "For now, let''s focus on our studies." "Yes, your Highness." "Yes, my Prince." Matilda, Robert, and Richard dispersed from the room per the Prince''s suggestion. Meanwhile, the Prince walked to Edmond and didn''t look at him but one can''t see his displeasure. "Fix this." 23: Good Deed ? Target "Edith Black" is out of the Tarot''s effect range. The card can''t be used again. ? ? Purchase a full set of Tarot from the store to earn a System Reward. ? Just as Vivian and Edith parted ways, these two interesting messages appeared. The last words Vivian saw on Edith''s Tarot were the emotions that she was "Shocked" and "Betrayed". "Not by me, right?" Vivian was still worried that she was a bit rough on Edith but she needed to make a mystery. If the whole situation seems like there is a danger lurking in the shadows and Edith is unaware of it, she might get scared or something. In truth, Vivian was the worried one. The moment she got into her carriage, she melted away on the chair from the stress. The pressure inside that Royal Palace was nothing short of intense. Something was just too damn frightening and to think that poor little princess grew up in a place like that, Vivian felt so much pity towards her. Even Vivian had to wear one of those fancy lady clothing just because she was entering the Palace. Suffocating! She was thinking so hard about asking Edith for her tailor''s contact info. But either way, the interrogation was dodged this time around with that little angry act and Vivian arrived home without any trouble. "Esmeralda¡­??" Vivian walked in looking for her maid and the Hulking girl descended so fast on the stairs. "Yes, Miss." "My babies, where are they?" Vivian asked. "Excuse me?" Esmeralda was caught off guard. "The guns, girl, the guns!" Vivian explained. "Upstairs in your room, Miss." Esmeralda only needed to say so and Vivian was on her way up with the speed of the cheetah and the vigor of the panther. Once she entered her room, she grabbed the four guns and hugged them tightly. "I am so so so so sorry. It is our first day together and I am already a bad mother. I shouldn''t have left you like this." "This¡­ is not healthy." Watching Vivian doing so, Esmeralda was at a loss for words but once she turned around, she saw Logan standing far in the hallway and looking towards Vivian. As he felt that Esmeralda had spotted him, he turned his head away. Esmeralda closed the door to let Vivian have some motherly time with her babies and walked to Logan. "Was Miss Vivian alright out there?" She asked. "You tell me. I didn''t go into the Palace with her and she barely talked on the way back." Logan replied, looking at the woman who was taller than him by a head. Logan is tall for a normal human, reaching a tad over 6 feet but Esmeralda is a striking 7 feet in height (2.1 meters) which, as far as Logan is aware, is short for a Hulking. Still, Logan was pleased that Esmeralda was showing special care for Vivian. "Merciful Saints! I am not even sure how it will end for me and the Miss." Logan thought out loud. "Can''t you check on her if you''re so worried?" Esmeralda asked him. "How can I after last night''s blunder?" Logan said with a shaken smile, "I am not sure if I can fit to be by her side at all." To what he said, Esmeralda smiled warmly. "It was an obvious setup, Sir Knight. And if you felt this way, how do I feel when I froze up in front of a tiny knife held by a woman half my size." On the surface, Esmeralda seemed collected but she had her demons running in her mind. Logan tensed up a bit and brushed his long hair with his hand to the back. "From the looks of it, she recovered faster than the two of us." He said, looking at Vivian''s door. "That she did. It''s incredible!" Esmeralda agreed. "Well, you do what you can to recover, Esmeralda. You may have spent a few days with us but our lady is infamous for her eventful life. Make sure to keep up." He said and walked downstairs. "Yes, Sir Knight." Esmeralda bowed slightly and walked back to her house duties. *** "Esmeralda!" Vivian called. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Yes, Miss." As the twilight descended, Esmeralda entered the room, catching Vivian in the act of rising from slumber. Vivian had only just returned from the palace a few hours earlier and, exhausted from the ordeal of removing her gown, had succumbed to sleep while hugging her guns. Upon waking, the pangs of hunger rumbled in her stomach akin to the relentless beat of war drums, reminding her that she had not partaken of any sustenance throughout the day. "I''m hungry." Vivian spoke with sad hunger noises. "Dinner is being served downstairs, Miss. I''ll help you dress up." Esmeralda replied. "Did father not call for me?" Vivian asked. "When I told him that you were sleeping, he told me not to wake you up." Esmeralda replied. "Hmmm!" Vivian hummed, "Alright, I''ll be down." She said and moved out of her bed in her short pajamas. "While I admire the fact that you can casually run around in those, Miss Vivian, I think you should be more reserved when walking out of your room." Esmeralda forced a gown on Vivian who was making more hunger noises while being dressed. She rushed down the stairs and emerged before the dinner table. "Good evening, Father." She greeted the Count and sat in the chair on his left. There were only the two on the table which made her look around. "Good evening, Vivian. Saskia and Robert went out." Count Julian said. "On, it''s our date then. Sorry, I didn''t dress up." Vivian said in a playful manner which made her father chuckle. "You are in big trouble, little lady, and you are in this good mood?" The Count''s smile lasted for a few seconds before dropping¡­ "Just like your mother." "¡­" Vivian couldn''t say a word because she hadn''t much recollection of the mother he was talking about. "So¡­" The count noticed her curious look and returned to the subject, "I heard you have served the Princess well." "Yes, Princess Charlotte was over the moon with her garden back in her care." Vivian replied, "I thought you were going to be upset that I caused trouble today, to be honest." "On the contrary, you have done great, child." The count replied. "So you are impressed?" Vivian asked while eyeing her quest window on the "Impress Count Julian Quest". "Not exactly impressed. You are a smart child so I expected you not to get yourself into trouble." The Count said. Apparently, she can''t get that quest done yet. "Alright, now I am feeling a bit conflicted. What exactly do you think I did great in, Father?" Vivian asked. Lord Jillian put his knife and fork back on the plate. "You have made a rapid comeback thanks to the Princess but you didn''t just rely on her, you exerted enough ability to show the High Society that you can still move the biggest decision-makers in the Nation. While it is not wise to oppose the Prince again, you made it look like you were caring for one of the Nation''s National Treasures." "The Princess?" Vivian asked. "The Garden." The Lord corrected her. "Right, the Garden." Vivian nodded, "The Princess is quite the National Treasure too." "Sadly, once she comes of age, she will get wed to a powerful figure to support the Nation''s Dominance. Treasure or not, her fate is to marry outside the nation and away from her subjects." Lord Julian lamented. Vivian felt dejected for Princess Charlotte but it is quite normal for the ladies of High Society to marry once they come of age to powerful figures that can have a ridiculous gap of age between them in many cases. "Wasn''t I just the same?" Vivian blurted as part of her wasn''t coping well with this era. "You were happy you were becoming a queen at some point." Lord Julian said as if he was remembering something from the past, "But I am not a father who forces his children into such choices. To be honest, I am relieved you are no longer betrothed to this Crown Prince?" This Crown Prince? Vivian caught on the last stray words coming from the count who realized he may have slipped more than he should because of the wine. "As¡­ there was another Crown Prince before Liam of Elgard?" Vivian, however, kept pursuing the Count. "Yes¡­" He replied, "It is not that much of a secret in the upper circles but before Prince Liam, there was Prince Charles whom I supported." Vivian''s eyes widened. "So that''s why I was betrothed to the Crown Prince since birth." She realized, "Meaning that I wasn''t originally meant to marry Liam. And you thought I should know just now?" "You were not meant to know." Count Julian replied, ignoring his daughter''s anger, "That Prince was long since dead and buried. Sadly, your engagement didn''t die with him and our promise to the king had to be honored." "So that''s the reason Liam hates me." Vivian realized and massaged her temples. "He didn''t show such emotions all these years until recently. I don''t know how or why he used a commoner girl to be your replacement but if he was trying to insult you, he would be insulting himself for choosing a commoner over a Noble." The Count said. "Matilda Ambrose is backed by the Temple though." Vivian said. "And why would the Temple, which has the entire continent at its beck and call, interfere with the inner politics and arrange weddings?" The Count debunked Vivian''s thoughts, "My contacts in the Temple said that she is but a simple disciple under an old Mentor that retired from the Temple of Saint Florence." "Hence her obsession with herbs." Vivian nodded. The Temple of the Saints followed the teaching of the Seven Heroic Saints of Albion. One of which is Saint Florence the Healer, the Patroness Saint of Medicine and founder of the modern medical systems. "So you investigated her this much?" Vivian asked. "I did what I had to do to help my daughter." He said, not justifying his actions. Vivian smiled warmly. If her father would protect her with extreme prejudice like that, she wouldn''t even hate it at all even with his usual callousness. "Speaking of helping you." The Count continued, "It seems you have a guardian saint by your side." Vivian tilted her head unaware of what her father was talking about. "Miss Edith Black has dropped your name off the suspects list in that murder investigation." The Count said. Vivian''s being remained in the state she was in until she rebooted her hearing sense again. "How did you do that?" She asked, fully taken by surprise and suspecting her father to be behind it. "I did nothing. You were the one who did a good deed today." The Count finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and turned to his daughter, "Remember, Vivian. No Bad Deed goes unpunished, and no Good Deed goes unrewarded." 24: Oliver Aims justify the means, whatever the aims, whatever the means. I lived in a world that lived by that mentality. A father, a mother, and younger siblings. I once had them all until one day, I had no one. Such a happy life wasn''t meant to last when they were taken in a car accident. I survived by a miracle and walked on my feet the very next day. I was dazed not by any injury but by a wound deep in my soul. I had no one to hate or blame, it was just an accident after all. One moment we were in the car, the next it was black. Even the truck driver that crashed into us left behind an orphaned family. I returned home and it was empty. Mother had no relatives since she was a foreigner but father''s family was just obsessed with the money he left behind. Money I neither cared about nor knew what to do with. I was just sad and angry. Fast forward a few years, I am in juvenile detention. Fast forward another few years, I got out and joined a crew I met in prison to steal things from a rich man down south that caused me to fall into custody. If not for the fact that one of the crew was a Medjay, we would have been killed and buried. After getting extracted by the Medjay, I realized it was a recruitment evaluation all this time. I was introduced to a new life and met new people. I was taught to become less angry and I appreciated what I learned. Then after 10 good years of running for them, it was all over in the UN Heist. Now why did my past life just flash through my head? The dream felt really distant as if I am no longer that person and it felt like I am watching a movie from a screen. That''s when I pushed my body off my bed and rested my back against the ornate headboard which made me feel an immense pain all over my back. This type of classic furniture has all sorts of wood carvings that would stab one''s back and make them regret their life. (A/n: personal experience.) But today is an important day. After training and having an early breakfast, I had a refreshing bath in that copper tub in my room and felt like having some sun on my body. "MY LADY!" Yet Esmeralda had to cover me with a flying sheet and wrap my body like a baby whose parents were scared of him catching a cold. "You can''t stand like this in front of the balcony." She said and held my shoulders tightly. "Calm down, big girl!" I said while trying to get myself out of her powerful hands. "What if someone sees you?" Esmeralda said with a face filled with dread. "From this angle?" Currently, we''re deep in my room with at least five meters between me and the balcony. The only eye that can pry on me is the eye of the sun which I intentionally allowed to. Vitamin D, some warmth, and tan. There are so many benefits to getting yourself exposed to the sun. The sun in Archester is too weak I am feeling cheated. If this frail pale body is to get any healthier, I need it to hit a minimum of 1000 iu a day. While it is not snowing in winter too heavily in Archester, the weather is cold enough for the night to be nightmarishly cold. Hence, this tiny amount of sun is something people actually celebrate. Although I succeeded in stopping Esmeralda''s nagging, I flung off the sheet she had covered me with and ran back to the sun spot that was coming through the balcony. "My Lady! Please, stop it." Yet Esmeralda valiantly jumped between me and whatever imaginary prying eyes she was feeling and I was held tightly by her mighty Hulkling arms. Bye bye, sunny day. A certain grumpy giantess can''t let me go butt naked even in my own chambers. *** Typically, Vivian wouldn''t go around her own chambers butt naked, an effect of having a certain Nadia running through her brain, which made her actions more wild and eccentric to the common sense of this world. Esmeralda''s reaction was normal for a maid since Vivian''s chamber was on the first floor yet as Vivian judged, she was already too deep in her room and no one would see her from down outside. But while Vivian kept admiring her body in the mirror and Esmeralda kept forcing clothes on her, neither of them really expected that someone was daring enough to watch her from outside. Of course Esmeralda feared it since her lady was in an indecent state but she just feared it, not fully expected it. But it happened. She was being peeped at and the one who saw her made sure he wasn''t found out while he climbed down the oak tree that is 30 meters away from Vivian''s balcony. His appearance was young, his face was flushed red, and his state was miserable from what he had just seen. The blood ran red through his face as he saw a stunning beauty in her birthday suit. His eyesight was very good which made things worse for him as he saw Vivian in great detail. The sight can''t be erased from his mind any time soon. It was his first time seeing a woman like this and the situation made his heart almost jump off his chest. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Hey! Ollie! Over here, boy." The boy heard his name being called and felt like a lightning bolt had struck him on this sunny, cloudless day. "Yes¡­" He replied, panicked and sweating. "Come ''er, boy!" The voice owner called out again as he walked through the garden hedges. A man in work clothing came out and what followed him was an elderly man in a neat suit. "Boy." The worker man called, "This is the manager of this mansion, Butler Theo. Greet him properly." "Yes, sir." The boy called Ollie replied awkwardly, "Hello, sir. My name is Oliver. Mr. Bax recommended me to work as an apprentice gardener, sir." "Quite the tense boy you are." Butler Theo eyed the young man up and down, "Where do you live, boy?" "I''m from Archester, sir. From Watertemple." The boy replied. "A boy from Watertemple working at a lord''s mansion. Somehow poetic! You good with gardening, young Ollie?" Old Theo asked. "Yes, sir. The boy is a wonder, Sir." Mr. Bax, the gardener of the mansion, replied excitedly. "I learned from my late father, sir. He used to be a gardener around the Great Towers garden." Ollie said. "That is splendid, you start working from tomorrow. Mr. Bax will be your superior and he will assign you jobs. Work starts at 8 in the morning and ends at 8 in the evening but since you are a gardener, you can leave whenever Mr. Bax sees you are done. Your pay will be 200 pounds a week. You will be dressed according to the house rules and be fed a single meal in the middle of your work hours provided by the house''s kitchen. Are there any questions?" Old Theo recited the usual speech for the boy who kept nodding like a chicken. "No, sir. You''re very generous! Thank you! Thank you greatly, sir." "Before I go, I want to write a name and an address. Your full name, boy?" "It is Oliver, sir. Oliver West." *** For the first time in a while, Vivian was actually free. She had nothing that she could recall, but it doesn''t mean she can simply loiter around. As she sent Esmeralda to deal with the housework, she remained in her room thinking deeply about this life. First off, she has exams in two weeks. If she can recall correctly, Vivian was excellent at her studies so there is not much work needed to be done on that front. She opened the quest list and saw that the missions were still what they were except for one. ? You have completed the quest: Acquire the Spirit Lotus! ? The moment she tapped on the quest it disappeared from the list. ? 1000 SP have been awarded ? ? An Uncommon Item will be rewarded from the Shop. Open the lottery tab to initiate the lottery. ? "Lottery now?" Vivian frowned, "So the Storage Purse I received at first was a scripted award and now I must go through the damned Gacha again? You''ve got to be kidding me. Who even created this System?" Vivian went to the Store screen and then found that there was a ticket icon on top, as she tapped it, this message appeared. ? You have 1 Uncommon Lottery Card. Do you wish to use it? Y/N ? "Yes." The card appeared in front of Vivian and started to glow. In a final flash, it took a different shape, and an item was formed floating in front of her in a dazzle of sparkles. Once the sparkling wore off, the item submitted to gravity and fell off its place but Vivian caught it. "That is¡­" She said with a depressed voice, "¡­ an Umbrella." It was a great letdown. She acquired the Spirit Lotus with great difficulty and what she was rewarded with was an umbrella. "What''s that, Sir System? Throwing useless stuff at me?" She asked with a long sigh. But as if the System was offended and wanted to show her the error of her words, a System Screen appeared. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [ Tactical Umbrella ] < Uncommon Cane Sword>
  • Cane Sword: A 76.2 cm stainless steel single-edged straight razor blade with a plain handle.
  • Chameleon Canopy: A canopy equipped with a translucent interior that allows vision and an illusive exterior for camouflage.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Vivian had to hold herself there for once and from the look of it, this was not just an incredible item. "Woah woah woah¡­ that''s amazing!" The Umbrella was everything she currently needed all at once. Her head was like "What the heck!" but her eyes were running through that umbrella trying to figure it out. For all things considered, it was a large umbrella, one that can be used as a cane very naturally. It was balanced and not that light giving it power and substance. The canopy can be opened by untying the strap holding its fabric and pushing the spring up for the runner to go up the shaft and spread the canopy. Vivian left the umbrella open and put it on her bed before walking to the opposite side of it. Seeing how it looked from the other side, Vivian was both in shock and awe as her eyes were dazzled but the sudden disappearance of the umbrella. Just like a ghost in a dark corridor, the umbrella''s canopy hid itself from sight by mimicking the same pattern of Vivian''s bedsheet but not just that, this illusive enchantment was so sophisticated it mimicked even the light patterns so that the onlooker could see no trace of the umbrella or its edges. Vivian had to narrow her eyes and focus with her vision on where she put the umbrella before tapping the edge of the canopy with her finger slightly and seeing it crease to her touch. "This is like a dream!" If she hadn''t witnessed the suction force of the Storage Purse or the shocking effect of the Aura Force, Vivian wouldn''t have believed what she was seeing but she knew this was magic and this was her first time having it within her touch. The things she can do with such a tool! She recovered her umbrella and focused on its other property. The umbrella''s handle was straight and neither curved nor twisted yet plain and straight. By twisting the handle, a quiet click would be felt in the body of the umbrella and a smooth blade would slide out of the wide shaft until the entire 76.2 cm of it is fully displayed in its full stainless glory, revealing not only a sharp but a razor-sharp ninjato-like sword with a bloodthirsty edge and a menacing tip. With a slight side swing, Vivian could feel the air resistance as if it was being cut and only stopped when the blade was pointing down to the floor in line with her right leg. The blade''s tip was less than an inch away from the floor at this position which made Vivian whistle in admiration. "And right to my size as well." She exclaimed, "Sir System, you are pampering this young lady so much. You sure I won''t get spoiled rotten?" The grin on her face could only grow wider as she returned the blade to its sheath. Girls who love weapons in this country are called "mannish" while the ones who practice magic are called "witches". Vivian would love to know if there is a "gun freak" category but in the meantime, she will explore the realm of the mannish. Now, she has to prepare herself for the coming exams and start focusing on surviving this new life. 25: Learning About The World In the First Royal Academy of Archester, there were a ton of subjects that were being taught to the elite students. Each student needed to at least register in 4 subjects and to take exams and graduate in them. Some of these subjects were essential to at least pick one from which are Warfare & Strategies, Magic and Sorceries, Alchemy & Medicine, and Diplomatic Affairs. Vivian was taking the Diplomacy major along with the History & Geography of Elgard, Economy & Trade, Modern Literature & Linguistics, and she also picked an easy additional fifth subject to compensate for any loss in grades that is called Astronomy & Navigation. The Diplomacy subject was all about learning basic domestic management and a long introduction to the system of legislation in Elgard as well as Common and Civil Laws. Vivian started studying this subject first since it was the most important thing to her. Any loss in grades in this subject will affect her overall score and make her look bad. Something that she tried so badly to avoid. Lucky for her, she transmigrated with the memories of both the previous Vivian and Nadia. Vivian was very smart and diligent in her studies so going through the three books of the Diplomacy major alone took her one day each. At the end of the third day, she was well aware of the inner systems of Elgard and most of the popular laws and important governing acts and theories. On top of that, the previous Vivian was the type of student who takes a lot of notes, meaning that she left a lot of writing directly in her textbook. While they looked like a mess, they were invaluable to memorize this whole thing with ease. Still, the current Vivian has found some government acts and laws to be extremely bizarre and hilariously oppressive. Some of the bizarre laws are how illegal it is to shake your dusty rug mat before 8 am, how it is illegal to do any sort of diplomatic work while wearing a suit of armor, how it is prohibited to stay in a graveyard after a funeral, carrying planks of wood along a pavement without the obvious intent of loading them on or off a wagon to an enclosed work area, gambling in libraries, and obviously placing a postage stamp bearing the king¡¯s images head upside down, along with other weird things that were probably made into laws for singular cases or to vex someone in someway. While the bizarre side of the law was somewhat funny, the oppressive side of the law was concerning to a large degree. This was not a National Elgardish Law but one that was legislated by the League of Nations and it is the Criminal Labor Act. A Criminal Laborer is someone who has committed a crime in Albion or any of its respective nations'' colonies across the four continents. Once the criminal is caught and tried for their crimes, they are to be enrolled in a physical labor camp rather than being cramped up in prison. It is all fine and dandy since this was a popular punishment with all historical factors considered, and even in modern times as the "Penal Labour" punishment, however, the true face of evil was merely rearing its ugly head. This Criminal Labor Act was enforced in the colonies of the Albionese nations, which were ruled by Martial Laws. Any minor offense in these parts be it from petty thievery to outright revolting was given one of two punishments, Life Imprisonment or Death. The latter was actually mercy compared to the former. Life Imprisonment under the Criminal Labor Act is just a fancy redressing of plain old Slavery. And if this was put in laws to make it look just, then one can''t be more mistaken. First of all, the Laws prohibit any form of Human Criminal Labor. Humans were the natives in all three Continents but they were a minority in the Southern Sauran and the Eastern Longdi while being a majority in the Northern Albion. With the exclusion of the Humans, a few edits to the law were made later to exclude the Draconian race of Longdi since it was considered an ally of the Human Race. This leaves out the Kobolds of Longdi, who are an absolute majority, and some races that look like small humanoid cats and foxes called the Maopis. It also leaves out the Bronze Hulklings of Sauran like Esmeralda, who are very adept at physical labor but very bad at doing anything else including fighting in organized armies, add to them the green demons known as the Toskans and their Impish Toskan relatives. As for the Avalai, Avalon''s natives, none of them survived being shipped out of Avalon but the law still applies to them in the colonies of Avalon. This leaves the last race which heavily suffered from this Criminal Labor Act and experienced it before all and it is the Duergar, a dwarvish humanoid race with gray skin, terrible eyesight, and horns growing on top of their heads. What is unique about this race is that they are natives of all continents with varying appearances and names but just like the humans, they are focused in Albion. However, this common trait with the humans didn''t grant them any mercy, especially in the Novark Tsardom that shows them all colors of oppression. And to make things worse, this was a Criminal Brand that was marked on the skin by hot iron the same as a slave brand. This was why it was normal that the public would just call them Slaves anyway. Normal Citizens can rent ¡ªand in rare cases purchase¡ª Criminal Laborers from the Nation depending on the Laborer''s serving time and ability. While it is a crime to kill a Criminal Laborer, the punishment isn''t anything big and if proven that the Laborer was trying to revolt, there is no punishment at all. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. At least this was the situation within the civil areas of Albion. In other continents, things were loosely managed properly and many innocents were enrolled within the system without even committing a crime. They were then shipped all across the colonies where they eventually met their fate in mining pits and plantations. That last part wasn''t taught directly in the textbook but rumors of it were recalled by Vivian once she read about it. It was a sad truth about the world and Vivian reminded herself again that the inside of her isn''t as native to this place as it once was. Those odd feelings of anger towards slavery and colonization may have not existed in the previous Vivian but there was at least a healthy amount of disgust. Putting the world she is yet to change aside, Vivian started moving towards other subjects on the fourth day. The subject titled "The History and Geography of Elgard" was deeply rooted within her brain as the previous Vivian was a diehard patriot. Elgard is a huge island nation linked with an archipelago of small islands in the Northern Sea. Its landmass isn''t that big or diverse but the country itself is very fertile and houses a large population with 70% of them working in either farming or fishing or both at the same time. Yet with the weather being inhospitable in the northern part of Elgard, some seasons yield bad harvests thus the nation was focusing on military expansion and colonial imports to shift its economy to be more industrial. As for its History, Elgard was always a big player in Albion as it was home to an ancient kingdom called Logres from which the great Saint Arthur was born, the Guardian Saint of Albion. Elgard was founded after the destruction of Logres during the Era of Chaos when the Seven Saints fought against a mythological devil figure called Blackthorn and its army of metal-like people. According to both history and mythology, the Duergar race was the one responsible for releasing this evil on Albion since their greed for metals led them to mine the Earth deep enough to the darkest pits of hell itself. It was intriguing how History and Mythology complemented each other with the battles of Good and Evil in the figure of the Heroic Saints and the Devil and his army. If Vivian''s study of relics and mythology from her past life as Nadia taught her anything, it would be how to interpret these parts of mythology into a pattern of conflict and diplomacy. A war happened long ago and the invaders were allied with the Duergar who lived underground. The invaders used the tunnels of the Duergar to attack Albion and the Ancient Kings stood up for them. After their victory, the Kings became Heroes and the Heroes became Saints who are now revered as God''s Chosen. The figure of an actual God wasn''t that absent in the mythology as one could see his mention mostly ambiguous, only referred to as "God" who grants occasional boons and raises the heroes to the ranks of Saints. Definitely Suspicious! Vivian thought. Aside from the whole debate about God''s role in the world, people always tend to search for traces of divinity in their environment. Heroes who leave a mark in History tend to be exaggerated with time and distance. This allows those with a suspicious agenda to raise the names of those heroes to create a cause and appoint themselves as its leader. Over time, this cause turns into teachings and those teachings become faith, hence The Faith of the Seven Saints. Whatever origin this Seven Saints Faith originated from, it has long since perished leaving behind the desires of a man wishing to be God''s proxy, hence a god himself. Saint veneration in this way is no different from paganism. It seemed that many religious wars had erupted in Albion as well until the Saints were all but Seven. Even a small country was formed around that definitive form of the faith called The City of Saint Athena attributed to the greatest saint that ever lived. The current saints in order are Athena the Wise, Arthur the Guardian, Joan the Keeper, Heimdall the Warden, Florence the Healer, Hermes the Wanderer, and finally Amadeus the Bard. While Vivian wasn''t taking Religion as a subject in her final year, she had to know that much for the sake of History. The remaining subjects were Linguistics & Literature, Economy & Trade, and finally Astronomy & Navigation for the sake of gaining extra points and compensating for any loss in the final grades. Vivian''s torturous studying lasted until there were only four days left for the Final Exams. The Spring was pushing away the Winter and the city was starting to get more vibrant. In one week, the gloom of Archester will turn into sunshine as the fairest season of the year approaches. In four days, the exams will start and keep going for four more days. The First day will be the major subjects. Warfare & Strategy, Arcane Arts, Medical Alchemy, and Diplomatic Affairs. Vivian is associated with the last major. The Second day will be the anthropology subjects. Elgard''s History & Geography, Linguistics & Literature, Religion: the Dawn of the Saints, and finally the Economy & Trade. Vivian is associated with the History, Economy, and Literature subjects so it is a busy day for her. The Third day will be the natural science subjects. Nature & Environment, Advanced Mathematics, Engineering & Technology, and finally Astronomy & Navigation. Vivian is only associated with the last subject so it is a light day. The Fourth day is the day of the Grades Reveal, the Spring Festival Day. The day when the Prince and the Heroine display their affection to the public and start taking measures to make it official. However, this fourth day is the one where the big celebration kicks off with the Three Major Performances that revolve around Elgard''s Power, Might, and Civilization. In order, these are the Martial Arts performance, the Magic performance, and the Music performance. Only the best of the best will perform in front of the Noble Houses and Foreign Ambassadors. Thankfully, Vivian has nothing to do with that last day. While the days of studying were relatively quiet, it was unknown to her what scheme she was slowly walking into this time around. 26: Youve been Served! Three days before the start of the Exam¡­ On that day, all students were required to leave the Academy to ensure a secure environment, eliminating any opportunities for cheating. Even the wayward Robert Moore had to return home for three days before the exam in which Vivian wholeheartedly ignored him and he did the same until it was evening. On this specific evening, the Academy will commence the distribution of Exam Notices to all students at their places of residence. These notices serve as a final notification regarding the exam schedule and each student''s unique seat number. This unique numbering system plays a crucial role in preventing external parties from tampering with the exam results, ensuring the integrity and fairness of the evaluation process. The entire family gathered in the drawing room. The Lord and his wife were drinking their tea, the third child, Robert, was examining the sword he would use in the Martial Arts exam, while the second child, Vivian, was picking up a new hobby¡­ or rather an old one. In the reception hall, stood a piano, seemingly ancient yet exuding an impeccable tune and meticulously maintained. Vivian was drawn to it, taking a seat in front of the instrument and directing her gaze to the music sheet placed neatly at its center. This caught the eyes of Lord Julian and a perplexed look appeared on his face. "I thought you hated the piano." He said half mumbling and half blurting out. "Hm?" Vivian heard him and couldn''t pinpoint any memory from the previous Vivian where she particularly hated it and she replied, "I don''t think I did." Her reply was more of a shock to everyone now since they all recall perfectly that Vivian insisted on never taking any lessons in music. This piano, in particular, was something that was the central reason for this whole thing. It''s her mother''s. The previous lady of the house was a famous pianist to the point where it caused the young Count Julian to fall head over heels for her. The current lady of the house, Saskia, once tried to get rid of that piano and the memory of that day when the lord found out still makes her shiver in fear. If there is a taboo in this house, it is that damn piano. Only the Lord and Old Theo were the ones allowed to touch and maintain it. Now that Vivian was approaching that thing, and as the daughter of the previous lady, Saskia could hear the beating heart of the Count almost jumping off his chest despite his masterful poker face. "You learned how to play?" Lord Julian stood off his seat and walked behind Vivian, "This note may be too advanced for you." "Yes. While I can practice, I prefer using the things I know." Vivian said as she put the sheet away. The Lord smiled warmly despite his callous self, which is a rare sight. He felt an internal pride swelling from deep within as he put his hand on her back. "Why don''t you give it a try?" He said. "Yes, Dad." Vivian replied as she felt the warmth of his hand on her and a strange feeling possessed her. The previous Vivian was clinging on to her father and craving his attention. She may have a trauma from the piano since her precious few memories of her mother are closely related to it but the one who showed this interest in the piano was actually Nadia. After all, she is a pianist too, and not just any pianist, she is totally obsessed with the piano. Each Medjay Agent had a few quirks of their own which their mentors would encourage to develop. Nadia loved the Piano despite starting to learn it at the age of 19 and she went as far as anyone could dedicate themselves to a hobby by hours to years of training and perfecting. However, once her fingers touched the piano and her right foot stepped on the stamper pedal, she realized that there was a strange stiffness running through her. The same stiffness she felt during her first fight. It means that Vivian never practiced the Piano before¡­ at all. "Alright, let''s do it the easy way. Talk to me." She thought to herself and her fingers ran across the keyboard. As she pressed five keys in good succession, the sound started to echo in a heavenly tone that satisfied her and gave her a rough estimate of what this piano can do. She then cracked her fingers, positioned them right, and started Beethoven''s Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement. It was calm, easy, and natural. The feeling of its flow was artistic and friendly for those who would hear it first and to Vivian''s untrained fingers. In an attempt to overcome the stiffness of her work, she diligently applied derivative notes to the original. This practice not only perfected her piece but also infused it with a wealth of emotions. It began with subtle pulses of emotion, gradually evolving into loud expressions and extended ideas until it reached its satisfying conclusion. ? Dormant Record "Pianist" was added to your status. ? ? New Trait: Novice Pianist? ? The performance then was switched when Vivian jumped to the 2nd movement which was just as simple as that of the first but with strong feelings of joy and wonder. A great deal of stiffness was lifted from Vivian''s fingers and she started to radiate with confidence as she readied herself for the big one. Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement. The start was clumsy and she couldn''t keep up with the note she memorized in her soul and slowly started to catch up to her thoughts. ? Trait Level Up: Novice Pianist? ¡ú Apprentice Pianist? ? This particular piece was fast, joyful, moody, and beautiful. Nadia loved it so much and it was one of her favorites from Beethoven. She started raising the speed with a very focused attitude and forgot her surroundings for a second there just to give all her focus to the piano. ? Trait Level Up: Apprentice Pianist? ¡ú Adept Pianist? ? And she kept getting better with the piece. The 3rd Movement of Moonlight Sonata was hard to keep up with and she messed up a few of the last few fast parts but she was soon to recover and finished the piece with style. ? Trait Level Up: Adept Pianist? ¡ú Expert Pianist ? ? "Pianist" Record is no longer dormant! ? "Phew!" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It was refreshing how it ended. Somehow, she managed to revive Nadia''s piano ability in Vivian to full and it only took her around 20 minutes. She then turned around and suddenly realized what she had just done. Many pairs of eyes were looking at her with conflicted emotions yet they all shared this utter amazement. This was the Lord, the Lady, the third child, and a score of the servants. Everyone here, except for her half-brother, had something to say to Vivian in a scene that would be like an outburst of emotions. However, the Lord was here and everyone couldn''t step ahead of line. Seeing Lord Julian''s face, which only she could see from this angle, an unfathomable sadness wasn''t ever this deep in his eyes. In his head ran a memory, but it was actually running in his heart. A beautiful garden, a piano, a violin, a girl, and a boy. "You played very nicely, when can I hear you play again?" "You played nicely as well, what makes you think I want to hear you play again?" "Fine, you won all the bets at the music performance this year so it is only right to officially challenge you then." "My lord, you''re welcome anytime." From that garden, the two grew ever closer and when spring passed, they played in summer, autumn, and winter back to spring again. They ran and played across the city, across the countryside, in the palace, on the roadside, and they became infamous in every musical gala. But during one autumn season, the notes couldn''t be played right anymore. Her piano was left abandoned as the world chose not to leave any traces of her behind. The Lord simply walked to the window and let out a breath from deep within before turning around to his daughter with a bright face. Clap Clap Clap As he clapped for her, all those who witnessed her performance followed forth. This included the Knights staying on standby, the maids waiting behind the tables, the servants waiting at the corners, and finally the somewhat hesitant lady and the clearly dejected third child. Vivian smiled shyly, even though she had performed a few times publicly as Nadia in the past. Still, she now is in trouble for sure with her playing the piano with no prior proof of training. Trouble she is happy to deal with anyway since she at least got the chance to play. "When did you begin to learn?" The Lord asked as soon as the clapping died down. "I had some free time back in the Academy." She replied. Of course Vivian had some free time back in the Academy, everyone had free time back in the Academy. However, Vivian wasn''t the one practicing in the auditorium, it was the Heroine, who liked to sing, dance, and play. "I¡­" The Lord wanted to say something but he was overwhelmed with warmth from inside. That was until his eyes met with his butler, Old Theo. Different from everyone else, Old Theo seemed to neither have clapped nor reacted much. The look in his eyes was hidden by the wrinkles of his age to not show what he was thinking. It was then that the warmth in the Lord''s heart was replaced with something cold. He and Butler Theo were there that day on the road amidst the piles of fallen leaves and blood. Where is she? He shouted at Theo, he shouted at the land as he tore through it with his fingers, he shouted at the twin bodyguards who lowered their heads, he shouted at the heaven when the autumn turned to winter, he shouted at the earth when leaves dissolved into snow. He could only hold his son''s hand in one hand and carry his daughter in another. One miserable man with his young children against the entire world. The Lord collected his emotions, cleared his voice, and his eyes returned to their usual coldness. The same coldness that of metal clad by soldiers in battle. He patted Vivian''s back one last time and seemed to be returning to his seat for the long wait to be resolved. A lot of feelings needed to be settled, the demons in a man''s head are for him and him alone, either he devours them or be devoured by them, and back to the battle he went. As for the rest, the reason why they are gathered here in the first place is because they are expecting a visit at any minute now and both Robert and Vivian had to be ready. It was then that a few figures started walking into the room, among them was Knight Logan, Vivian''s escort, who had been given the cold shoulder since the incident a few days ago. The other people were of course knights of the house escorting two knight errants from the Academy. "To young lord Robert Moore." The First said. "To young lady Vivian Moore." The Second said. "Present." Robert stood up. "Present." Vivian turned away from the Piano and stood up. Each knight headed towards one of the children. "You have been served." "You have been served." The two knights handed an envelope to each Moore child before turning and leaving. This was an official ceremony of handing over the exam invitations that were to be considered equal to a Royal Summon. Robert broke his letter''s seal and opened it. He read its content and everything seemed to be in order. "Father." He respectfully handed the letter to Lord Jillian who nodded with satisfaction. As it was Vivian''s turn, all eyes turned towards her as she broke the seal and opened the letter. Vivian took out the paper inside, which was one made of quality paper that had a very strong texture, and she began to skim through it. But after she was done skimming, she had a weird look in her eyes and started reading the entire letter from the start without missing a detail. After that second attempt, there was a third one, and there when everyone started whispering. "This has to be a mistake." She said and her words made those around her quieten down. "Vivian, what''s wrong?" Lord Julian, who wasn''t back to his seat yet, moved a few steps towards her and took her letter. Vivian collapsed on the Piano''s seat with a pale face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By the order and grace of His Royal Majesty, King August III of Elgard, may his reign be long and prosperous. Subject Vivian Keone Moore is hereby directed to present herself at the First Royal Academy for the final examination of the Third Year, to be held from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on the upcoming third, fourth, and fifth days of March, in the year XXXX. We extend our sincere wishes for your success and eagerly anticipate your contributions to our esteemed nation. Given on behalf of His Royal Highness by the Provost of the First Royal Academy, Count Albert Morgan. The following are the student''s information that are required to attend the exam. ¡ª Student Name: Moore, Vivian Keone ¡ª Seat Number: 08-4566 ¡ª Registered Major: Diplomatic Affairs ¡ª Listed Additional Courses:-
  • History of Great Elgard
  • Modern Literature & Linguistics
  • Religion: Dawn of the Saints
  • Trade & Economy
  • Basics of Domain Management
  • Geography & Navigation
  • Nature & Environment
  • Advanced Mathematics
  • Technology & Engineering
  • Anatomy & Medicine
¡ª Performance Applications: The Musical Performance, 7th Role. May you shine as the bright stars that lead the future of Great Elgard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a complete shocker to Vivian and almost everyone who saw what was in the letter. Not only were the Additional Courses she applied for doubled, but she was even pushed into the Musical Performance of the spring festival which will be attended by the nation''s lords and the foreign envoys. The Count''s face grew darker as he looked into that list and couldn''t believe what he saw. As for Vivian, she raised her face to look at her father but along with that, she could see Robert''s face that carried a grin that couldn''t be more clear. It was them. They wanted to embarrass her and sabotage her finals. Those gang of bastards have really gone and done it now. 27: Scheme "Nice work, Ronald. I never thought you could do things like that." Prince Liam complemented the blue-eyed blonde-haired young man sitting opposite to him in his loft inside the academy. "It is an honor to serve you, your Highness. I, Ronald Morgan, would be prouder and prouder the more you rely on me. I always know my way around problems." Replied Ronald in complete cockiness despite his humble words. "And you are smart. Let''s not forget that. Sadly, you hang around us less than you should." The Prince boosted Ronald''s image in front of the others. "I terribly apologize since I am always lost in my studies, your Highness. But House Morgan is forever loyal and knows how to handle any trouble for the future of Great Elgard." Ronald said while glancing at Edmond Black, Ian Grayson, and Richard Marshall, who were all standing by. The Morgans, quite the dreadful family. As one of the four founding clans of Elgard ¡ªalong with the Blacks and the Graysons¡ª, the Royal House of Harland has always valued the counsel and wisdom of the Morgans more than anyone else. Still, the Morgans may be more powerful than the Blacks and the Graysons combined. They are the private tutors of the Royal Family and the House of Magic and Oracles. Their wisdom is recorded through the annals of Elgard as the advocates of the nation against the unfathomable evils and arcane powers. The Harlands sit on the Throne (Rulers), the Graysons stand on the Right to the Throne (Advisors), the Blacks sit on the Left (Intelligence), while the Morgans stand behind it at its shoulder (Wizards). The remaining ones are the Marshalls (Military), the Moores (Industry), and the De Clares (Commerce) who carry the thrones on their backs. This is how this whole Great Elgard was portrayed. The meaning of this is that on top of being a founding house, House Morgan''s value outweighs many just by the importance of their work. In addition to their profession in Magic, they manage the educational institutes of Elgard. This influence is what gave Ronald Morgan the ability to influence the inner workings of the academy to some extent. Something that even the Crown Prince can''t achieve and through it, he made some changes on Vivian''s student files. It was all due to the bizarre request made by the Prince about "teaching the Moore''s daughter the reach of the Royal family." Prince Liam didn''t ask for anything specific from Ronald but as soon as the Finals'' letters started going out, the Prince got wind of what changed and it pleased him greatly. From what it seemed, Ronald Morgan has added all the Additional Courses a Lady like Vivian Moore would take and made it look believable by not adding any subject that is Magic or Combat-related. If his work was careless, many would speak out that some tampering had happened. After carefully filling her Additional Courses, he even added Vivian''s Name in the Musical Performance, which is a very limited spot in the Finals as it was sought after by many students. This was for the purpose of serving not only difficulties in front of the unruly daughter of the Moores but also as another round of public embarrassment. Ronald couldn''t have changed the Major itself for Vivian since her studies were known and it was mandatory to attend their classes, else he would have thrown her in the Alchemy Major which was somehow popular among female students who wished to learn Medicine. Still, that was impossible. Another thing he could do was to remove Vivian''s original Additional Courses which would be a low blow but she was also known to attend those certain classes. Of course there is no sane student who would pick 8 Additional Courses besides their Major studies but Vivian is still shunned in the High Society and no matter how much she protests, her pleas will go unheard, especially with only 3 days left for the exams. The Musical Contest thingy was also added with the fact that Vivian is a High Society outcast in mind. Each musical performance must be done with at least two instruments, meaning that the minimum requirement is two students on instruments, or as ridiculous as it sounds, one student playing two instruments at the same time. For that, surely no student from the First Academy would associate themselves with Vivian. And if Vivian decides not to show up, she will be severely punished. This will leave her alone on the stage with no excuse for being there to begin with and the rest can be foreseen just from this point onward. Ronald Morgan was simply a problem solver for the Prince and if this can''t solve Vivian Moore, nothing else will. While only Prince Liam and Edmond Black were aware of his actions, Ian Grayson and Richard Marshall were expecting that something had been done about Vivian''s status as a student. Knock Knock Knock "Come in." "Good evening, my Prince." But in this shady situation, the ever-so-bright Matilda Ambrose walked into the room with a number of books in her arms. "Matilda!" The Prince jumped off his seat and took three big steps toward her, "Why are you carrying so many books?" He immediately took a big chunk of the books she was carrying so effortlessly and she looked completely panicked. "Your Highness!" Richard Marshall hurried up like the prince''s shadow and took the books he carried before putting them on a table then turning to Matilda and taking the remaining books from her. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. It was unbefitting of a member of the Royal Family to assist anyone lower to him in class in any physical labor and it was strictly against the traditions. That''s why Matilda was on the brink of panicking. But knowing the Prince, he was not a big fan of traditions and hardly paid attention to them. He was always indifferent to those fossilized traditions everyone was so crazy about. "I greatly apologize, my Prince." Matilda replied, "I only brought a few musical notes and textbooks for the final reviews. The Musical Performance we will take part in together." "Oh!" The Prince seemed to have forgotten about this. It seemed that his late beef with Vivian, especially after ruining his garden surprise, had put him off mood that he forgot about this important event. On the other hand, Matilda looked around the room and saw more faces than usual. "Miss Matilda." Ian Grayson greeted Matilda first. "Lord Ian, I am honored to be in your presence." Matilda bowed. "The honor is all mine, Miss Matilda. No need for formalities." Ian said and put on a warm smile. She then turned around to greet the other unusual face. "Lord Ronald." She bowed, "I feel like I intruded on such bad timing. I should take my leave and¡­" "NO!" All of a sudden, it was Ronald Morgan who reacted strangely. It was as if he was yelling but he was red-faced and unable to look Matilda in the eye. "Miss¡­ Matilda." He spoke with a slight stutter, "I was just leaving¡­ if His Highness excuses me, of course." "It''s alright, Ronald. You have done well today. We''ll see each other some other time." The Prince dismissed him. Ronald then bowed to the Prince and on his way out, he said his goodbyes only to Matilda. "Let me walk you out, Ronald." Ian Grayson said and asked permission to leave before getting dismissed as well. Watching Ronald leave, Richard Marshall snorted slightly as he stood beside Edmond Black. "He''s still a mess around women." Richard said, "I guess that''s what happens when you lock yourself in a magic study all day long." Edmond Black looked at Richard with lazy eyes and didn''t comment. Of all the people in the room and second to the Prince, only Edmond was aware of Ronald''s true nature. Outside the room, Ian Grayson and Ronald Morgan walked together. "Ready for the Finals, Morgan?" Ian asked. "As ready as you are, Grayson." Ronald replied but he looked back towards the door of the loft he just left, "Does Miss Matilda frequently come to visit His Highness?" "Huh?" Ian Grayson narrowed his eyes before remembering how extensively Ronald locks himself in his study, "They are more than friends as far as I am aware and hopefully, we will get ourselves a decent Queen." "The Prince with a Commoner? Did the High Society run out of ladies?" Ronald asked. "Careful, Morgan. Vivian Moore said those words and she is now getting the cold treatment. Also, there are things you aren''t meant to know." Ian said before turning away. "Don''t bother too much with what I say, Grayson." Ronald replied and made a sly face, "You know how hard it is for me to keep my thoughts to myself." "Whatever you say, just be careful." Ian gave one final warning before asking, "Will Beatrix attend this year''s exams?" "Why are you asking?" Ronald narrowed his eyes with obvious hostility towards Ian''s question. "Because I am her fiance and she never attended a single day in the academy from the start of the year. I was hoping to see her." "Ah, right! Fiance¡­" Ronald recalled that Ian is his sister''s fiance, Beatrix Morgan, "She is just officially a first year but actually, she may have finished the three years by now if she wanted to. She''ll attend¡­ I guess. Don''t expect much, though. She hardly has an eye for anything that doesn''t have a cover and pages." "Like you, you mean?" Ian retorted with a mocking smile, "Rumor is, you still get flustered around girls and¡­" "Hey!" As Ian was about to run his mouth with Ronald, the latter reacted badly. It seemed that the subject of girls was still sensitive to him. For someone who spends a day in a study, it is strange how Ronald Morgan is still fine without interacting with girls of his age group. That''s why he was known to be very shy as if he was forced into a social experiment to produce someone with no knowledge about talking with women. From this conversation, they may seem like two friends chatting but just like the rest of the High Society, the two weren''t good friends in any way, shape, or form. However, the reason behind Ian''s fake concern is his tendency to keep everyone in check since he wasn''t a fan of the unexpected. Ian Grayson and Ronald Morgan, if Vivian was to see them, she would recall them as two of the game''s Capture Targets. Ian Grayson is the son of Elgard''s prime minister Count Alister Grayson, a petite 16-year-old young man with steel eyes and gray hair, the trait of House Grayson. They served Elgard for hundreds of years and their house is a founding house. Their influence is vast in both managing the Diplomatic Affairs of the nation and its military supplies. On top of that, they are sworn enemies with House Moore. As for Ronald Morgan, he is the grandson of Benedict Morgan, the Chief Court Wizard of Elgard, the son of Albert Morgan, the current Provost of the Royal Academy, and the youngest member of The Arcane Order that accepted him thanks to his magic fabricative-aptitude. His house is famous for producing talented Wizards. Both Ian Grayson and Ronald Morgan were related to a single Villainess in the game. That was Beatrix Morgan, Ronald''s sister, and Ian''s fiance¨¦. Little is known about Beatrix in the High Society since she is a magic nerd who spends most of her time studying spells and shows no interest in her relationship with Ian, which makes him the easiest route to pick. Ronald''s route, on the other hand, is literal hell for reasons that are too traumatizing to seek knowledge of. This completes the appearance of the whole group of capture targets. Ian Grayson and Ronald Morgan, first-year capture targets. Robert Moore and Richard Marshall, second-year capture targets. Prince Liam Harland and Valentine De Clare, third-year capture targets. Last but not least is Edmond Black, the only capture target in the postgraduate diploma for the sake of sticking around the prince. The Heroine may have gone through the Prince Route but it was not completed until the spring festival''s graduation ceremony as far as Vivian is aware. Vivian may have been busy fending off against the fate being pushed at her but she will soon find herself against the coalition of the male leads. That and a secret 8th capture target from a DLC she hasn''t played. And with the trick that Ronald Morgan used against her, she is bound to be busier than ever.
Author Note: The story needs some good Reviews because on the site because some of the initial score are low and it is freaking me out. Please consider adding some review once you''re done reading the chapter. 28: Halflings Villainess Vivian Moore, a professional black ops agent in a previous life and the sole daughter of the main family of House Moore, sat in front of her desk with a desperate face. "F!~$^@%~!#^#!$#^&*!@#K!" She sighed with an intense desire to shoot people indiscriminately. As if the world was ganging up against her, she sat in front of a mound of books while preparing for the world to just come and rain poop for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is the beginning of the finals and she has never had this urge inside her since her past-life''s highschool days. The situation was already bad and the period pains were making it worse. Still, the past three days were a total war against the courses that the former Vivian had no idea about. These were Religion: Dawn of the Saints, Nature & Environment, Advanced Mathematics, and Technology & Engineering. During those three days, there have been two major changes in Vivian''s schedule. First, she moved from her bedroom to the main study of the mansion. There, she met a tutor provided to her by her father. "Greetings, Lady Vivian. My name is Oscar Mason, I work for the Moore Conglomerate as a senior analyst and manager of employment. I graduated from the Advanced Mathematics department of the Third Royal Academy and now hold a senior position in the Human Resources department founded by the suggestion of your Ladyship." Oscar Mason, a youth around the same age as Logan and a direct assistant of Lord Julian Moore. He looked tall, slender, and stylish for a commoner in his neat gray suit, short brown hair, and his light beard. His presence in the Moore Conglomerate was very impactful since he opened the road to many commoner graduates to take good jobs in the factories. Moreover, after the late introduction of the Human Resources department by House Moore as well as their initiative to hire more graduates from the Third Academy, the situation was evolving greatly in the commoners'' favor as they were enrolled into many work departments. While this was merely the happenings of two weeks, a rumor was spread among the workers that this situation was the brainchild of Lady Vivian Moore. That was the reason why Oscar Mason rushed to Vivian''s help the moment Count Julian asked him to tutor her. "My Lady, I know it is difficult to keep up but we are trying to cover the basics as fast as we can. The more you know them, the faster things will be." Oscar spoke, trying to dissuade Vivian from her style of studying by hoarding information. "I understand, but humor me a little with my questions, Mr. Mason." Vivian said as she kept her face to the books while skimming through them and asking questions from various parts of the book. She was also taking notes but as far as Oscar was aware, this would get them nowhere. In outright honesty, he wasn''t sure he could help Vivian at all since all they had was three days. He made sure to promise nothing to the Count but his experience at tutoring the new engineers and accountants was the reason why he is tutoring Vivian right now. This was all for the first day. At the start of the second day, Vivian had another visitor first thing in the morning. "Greetings, Lady Vivian." In front of her was another commoner from the Third Academy, one she was actually acquainted with. "Miss Jane, what brings you this morning? Is there anything I can help with?" Vivian asked with a face that was refreshed by four hours of sleep. "Actually, my Lady, this is my question. I have heard the rumor going in the mansion about Lady Vivian having some sort of mistake in her exam form. Is it true you have had more additional courses than what you signed up for? If that''s the case, I am majoring in the Engineering & Technology department. I wish to help Lady Vivian if you would allow me to." Jane Smith-Waters, the daughter of the family''s gunsmith, seemed more than just eager to help. Most of the family retainers would indeed try and curry favor with the family members whenever a chance would arise but that''s all good. After all, it''s their job to be useful in situations like this. "Thank you, Miss Jane. I will accept your assistance but mind if I ask about your personal studies. Don''t you have your finals set as well?" Said Vivian. "I do. However, I am confident in my position and sure about my studies. Normally, I would spend those coming days practicing in the workshop." "Great." Vivian smiled and accepted Jane''s help. With Oscar Mason as a tutor for Advanced Mathematics and Jane Smith as a tutor for Engineering & Technology, she wouldn''t need to worry about what''s coming. Vivian had her thoughts organized by the second day. Tomorrow was the last day she had to study and then she was going to study after the first exam was over. What worried Vivian wasn''t the Advanced Mathematics and Technology since Vivian''s alien half, Nadia, was quite good at those. Since she was a good shooter and a thief, she has accumulated a lot of knowledge about physics when calculating bullet drops, architectural weak points, and many other things. But with four additional courses in her way, there was still a lot for her to complain about. After all, her grades average would be affected badly by the amount of subjects she had to go through. It was demonic, satanic, and diabolical how the scheming went down this time. It seemed that her statement about attending the exams as if nothing happened had truly upset someone and they caused her to face this situation. Initially, Vivian tried to find the Academy Management and appeal to it if possible but as it is a Royal Academy, any official paper it has that carries the King''s name is akin to a royal document. There was no room for arguing here. Secondly, the signature at the end of the final exam summons was that of Lord Albert Morgan. Once Vivian read the surname Morgan, she immediately connected the dots. "Morgan, that stalker Ronald Morgan, if I want anyone to fail their pursuit of the Heroine, it is that moron." The Morgans have a lot of influence and ability to affect the inner workings of the kingdom. They normally have no feud with anyone but Ronald Morgan except for a minor rivalry with the House of Marshall, their 3rd generation heir was also very fond of the Heroine and would occasionally serve Prince Liam if the latter asked for anything. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. If there is anyone that can cause this, it is only him. He becomes increasingly irritating in his route as well, especially with his sister being the third Villainess. But Vivian collected her thoughts and returned to the study with Jane as she introduced her to Oscar Mason. Initially shocked, Jane was very taken by the fact that Oscar Mason was tutoring Vivian. It seems that in the third academy, Oscar Mason is quite the celebrity. Speaking of which, the third academy and the first academy are like the opposite two ends of the education system in Elgard. One is for the elite in the High Society, another is for the common class, albeit it is limited to the cream of the crop of commoners. However, two of the additional courses Vivian was taking were entire majors in the third academy. While the level of difficulty is as shocking as it sounds, the additional courses cut a lot of the unimportant parts of the subjects unless one is interested in doing postgraduate studies in these certain courses. The most important things for an aristocrat to learn are Warfare, Magic, Diplomacy, and Alchemy to produce Military Officials, Magic Officials, Government Officials, and Medical Alchemists. These important majors, however, are fairly rare in the Third Academy since the higher-ups aren''t too keen on allowing the common folk to earn any form of power and limiting them to simple civil and service studies. Putting this and that aside, Vivian focused on her studies during the second and third day under the tutoring of both Oscar and Jane. The two of them tried to get her around the basics of Engineering and Mathematics but during the third day, she refused to continue. It worried them greatly but Vivian wanted to focus on the other two subjects, Nature & Environment as well as Religion. The Nature subject was mostly revolving around biology and natural science. Vivian had to run through the subject on her own away from Jane and Oscar as the two of them never really studied that subject. The real challenge came when she had to memorize the names of many plants and living organisms but she still had her wits about her and kept cramming everything into her head. The real problem came when she studied the Religion subject. Religious studies were never her strong suit during her two lives but she wasn''t that much hopeless before. During her time as a Medjay, she studied ancient mythology and she was confident she could push through this nonsense. At the beginning, she studied the stories of the saints and found it rather moral and entertaining for the most part. Athena''s wisdom, Arthur''s might, Joan''s insight, Heimdall''s justice, Florence''s kindness, Hermes''s craftiness, and Amadeus'' songs were all the stories this world needed. The Seven Saints were the sacred figures of this continent while according to the current doctrine, the other races venerated nothing but fantasies and demons. The Draconian Races venerated their Dragon Ancestors, the races of the southern continent venerated a version of this world''s devil which is known as Blackthorn, and the Adnani Sultanate venerated their own Saint, known as Hazrat Ishqullah, whom they gave the title Mevlana, which is an honorary title used with various personalities of faith in their culture. If the world agreed on one thing, however, it would be that there is a monotheistic God and he is universal. Many religions like the Faith of the Seven Saints insist that the Saints have Divinity within them as God''s chosen, while the Adnanis rejected the idea completely and had a different outlook on theology, which caused many religious wars between these factions and infighting in their own ranks as well. The history of religion aside, the Theology and Legislative parts of the faith were completely awful. It seemed that most of the mythology in the faith of the Seven Saints was taken as historically inarguable facts with set dates and numbers that vary between nations sometimes. The real problem, however, is that one is not allowed to reject their facts and must always use them as the starting point of any theological argument. In other words, you have to press the fact that what you believe in is the truth and you do not need any logical evidence to support it. This makes the term Faith a belief without evidence. This didn''t mean that Logic was separated from Faith but if they were to oppose one another, schism would spark out and would usually lead to war. After many thousands died on the battlefield, the Temple of the Seven would later come and change their scriptures to fit the current Logic. Here where things get a bit haywire. After the change of faith by the clergy to fit the new Logic, they get to do these reformations to each of the Seven Scriptures. Seven books for Seven Saints gathered in one big chunk of paper known as the Scripture of Saints. However, the best thing about the Scripture in this world is that it contains pictures, a lot actually. One of them was for a mural that portrayed the Invasion of Albion during the Age of Chaos. On it, two armies were clashing, one behind the Seven Saints and the other behind a weird-looking black thing that is probably the devil figure, Blackthorn. What was truly interesting was what was drawn under that black thing as there were different kinds of people in the Devil''s army. Some were the little folk called the Duergar and the others were large men drawn mostly in Bronze but with a few larger variants in Silver, and a couple of Gold ones. "Bronze people?" Vivian frowned. She then had to call Esmeralda and ask her about the image of the scripture. Maybe the Hulkling girl had some knowledge different from what this part of the world has. "I am sorry, my Lady, but I lived most of my late life in Albion. I''ve seen the image many times before but I don''t know what my people did and I don''t even think they know either?" Esmeralda said. "How so?" Vivian asked. "From what I know, our race was once as mighty as the Duergar race before their fall, but our fall rendered our people broken in many parts of the southern continent and in many scattered tribes. Moreover, we are the bronze folk but there is no Silver or Gold folk among us. Not since a very long time ago as I speculate." "Like¡­ they were relative spices that died out?" "Maybe. There is no evidence as far as I am aware." Esmeralda shrugged, "Our race has lost most of its ancient heritage but from what we know, we are the Hulkling race that descended from the true Hulks, the Giants." "Hulklings and Hulks?" "Yes, small Hulks, that''s us. The true Hulks must have been legendary with their Silver and Gold skin. But this is a recurring theme across the many races of the world. Much like Hulks and Hulklings, there are Draconians and Dracolings among the Dragon-like races, also known as Kobolds, then there are the Toskans and Impish Toskans of the Black Sahara of the south, and Humans and Humanlings who are called Halflings like that small auctioneer man from the De Clare Auction House." That was true for the most part. Many races had variants of their own such as the Humans and Humanlings, those who are also known as the Halflings. Still, each race has its own halfling and the Hulkling race is a halfling of the ancient Hulk race. "Interesting pattern." Vivian commented and left it at that, "You sure have seen a lot of the world, Esmeralda." "I indeed have." Esmeralda smiled, "From Sauran to Albion, from Lozan to Elgard. I have seen things." "And why did you leave your people?" Vivian asked. "Well¡­ it is not like I wanted to. It is just, In fact, I am half-human, half-hulkling¡­ after some point, living among my people was impossible." Esmeralda replied with a slight bitterness as if it was something she had already resolved. "If you don''t feel comfortable about it, I am not going to snoop." Vivian stated that she wasn''t interested in whatever Esmeralda wanted to keep a secret and in return, Esmeralda smiled kindly. Still, Vivian was curious but not enough to be rude. For now, their lives were entangled based on benefit and opportunity but the Maid and her Lady would soon realize how close they can be to one another. But tonight wasn''t the night as tomorrow is Vivian''s first day in the finals. 29: Karma Thief Today was the day and Vivian started it with 5 hours of sleep followed by a hot relaxing bath. The thoughts in her head were awfully quiet and the plans on her mind were still and silent. At 6 AM, she walked out of her bathtub and got covered in a big towel before getting her breakfast in her room earlier than anyone else. "You woke Logan up?" Vivian asked. "Yes, my Lady." Esmeralda replied. "The carriage, the guards, and the horses?" Vivian asked again. "All on standby in the back garden." Esmeralda replied again. "Good. Let''s not make mistakes today." Vivian said and dropped the towel that covered her from the chest to the knees. "MY¡­ lady¡­" Esmeralda was having it hard with Vivian who kept showing off her body whenever the chance arose and turned her head down while gnashing her teeth from the reckless young miss. At least no one was awake yet, and those who were were already gathered in the back garden. She hastily closed the curtains and prepared the dress Vivian asked for. It was all too quick as the attire that was chosen by Vivian was not orthodox in the current general style among young Ladies. It looked like the same thing she wore during the auction but some details were added here and there to make it more formal with a color more suitable for morning events. Vivian has indeed spent 200 SPs on customization for her attire to fit today''s event. One thing she needed most was to be quick on her feet and draw as much attention as possible. With that in mind, she headed down to the carriage and her small convoy moved at moderate speed for the first time towards the grand colosseum of young aristocrats, the First Royal Academy of Elgard. Vivian was silent, Logan too didn''t speak a word to her and rode a horse ahead of the carriage. Other knights could see that he prepared an extra sword on his horse and surprisingly, two flintlocks. He was taking his duties more seriously than ever and cast aside all shame of using firearms if needed. The journey didn''t take long but as the convoy reached the gates of the Academy, they headed on a straight line in what seemed to be an endless garden towards a fortified building. The carriage didn''t stop at the first building but rather slowed down and was allowed through a gate before being allowed out through another as a form of security protocol. After that, Vivian noticed that only Logan was riding with her as all the knights weren''t allowed into the academy past that point. Logan was her guard then, Esmeralda was the attendant, and the carriage had a driver from the Academy. This indicated how sacred the Academy grounds are in the tradition of Elgard and how terrifying it would be to infiltrate or escape from such a place. Finally, it all came to a halt. "We''ve arrived." Logan''s voice came as he opened the door to the carriage and personally assisted Vivian down. Moreover, Esmeralda came from the carriage as she seemed to have curled her large body too much just to fit in so when she stood next to the carriage, her height was a sight to behold. Some servants, who walked from the nearby building, were instantly intimidated by Esmeralda and failed to notice that Vivian was waiting for them to get her luggage down. As they noticed her staring at them as they stared at Esmeralda, they hurriedly lowered their heads and started carrying the luggage. "If only they were to figure out how timid she can be." In her heart, Vivian sighed since her Hulkling maid''s personality wasn''t as striking as her outer appearance. Vivian then walked past the gate of the building and finally stepped back into the academy. "Esmeralda, follow the servants to my chambers, familiarize yourself with it. I''ll have a look around the place." "But¡­" "No need to worry, the Academy is relatively safe grounds." Vivian didn''t wait for a reply and headed towards a certain direction. As for Logan, he had to enroll in the security barracks near the academy''s main building since he couldn''t enter the chambers of the students without a summon and a justified reason. Back to Vivan, who was walking in the empty halls with a set of directions in mind, she took out a book from her bag, found an empty place to sit around a certain quiet hallway, opened the book, and kept staring at a certain door. She is here early¡­ earlier than anyone else but most definitely earlier than a certain someone. She looked at her pocket watch, it was 06:58 AM. Two minutes remaining. Tick, tock, tick, tock. It hit 7 AM and the knob of the door twisted open as if it was endlessly waiting for the clock to turn. With the door sliding open, a person came out holding a stack of paper way larger than they should be able to. Once that person tried to turn and get the door closed, everything was already falling all over the place. "No!" With a feminine cry, that person, who was a member of the staff, watched the large tower of paper she carried crumble all around and was all messed up. It wasn''t all, however, it was almost all of it but in moments of extreme need like these, a Heroine¡­ Nay! A Villainess showed up. Just like that, Vivian managed to catch a big patch of the falling paper and skillfully manipulated her body to balance the papers without causing them to fall down like the rest. "Seven Saints! Thank you, young miss." The staff lady was overjoyed to see that half of the tower of paper was caught by someone and hurriedly attempted to help Vivian put those papers on a nearby mini table. Every student in this academy is a high-class aristocrat and certainly, this young lady is such a person. While the staff member was a bit worried, Vivian''s attitude was rather very friendly. "Oh, no need, no need. You really overworked yourself there, madame." Vivian replied with a wide smile and turned to the papers on the ground, "Let me assist you." "No way! How can this¡­" The staff lady was happy with Vivian''s friendliness at first but now that she saw a lady crouching down to help, she became instantly worried. "I insist!" Vivian said, "Plus, I''m only lending you a hand. Better put these papers in order." "I am sorry, young lady." The staff lady was a bit inconvenienced by Vivian''s actions yet the hand-eye coordination ability of Vivian helped greatly and the papers were collected in no time. "Here you go." Vivian said as she stacked the papers in a second pile and handed them to the lady. "Thank you so much, you were a lot of help, young miss." The lady was pleased and attempted to put this stack of documents with the one saved by Vivian yet before she could even do that, Vivian was already carrying the other stack. "Come on, I''ll help you deliver it." Vivian said with all smiles. "Young miss, this is too much truly. I can''t burden you like this." The staff lady felt hesitant but Vivian was chummier than ever. "Oh, no need no need. I have a lot of free time on my hands." Vivian said and walked ahead. "Saints smile upon you, young lady." The staff lady said and walked with Vivian. "And upon you too, Madame." Vivian said, "I am Vivian by the way." "And my name is Maisie, Lady Vivian." The woman replied. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Oh, how nice!" And Vivian started to converse with Maisie in the friendliest of ways until they reached a different office across the building. Right there, the two dropped off the documents and Maisie turned to thank Vivian. "Lady Vivian, you were truly such a great help. I feel indebted already." "Oh, no need no need." Vivian smiled then backed off slowly, "Now I must take my leave and go figure out where my exam will take place." "Oh yes, I can''t waste more of your time, Lady Vivian." Maisie saw Vivian off and as the latter was about to turn away, Maisie spoke, "By the way, young lady, are you enrolled in the third year?" To her question, Vivian paused for a second before controlling her facial expressions and turning to meet Maisie. "Oh indeed, I am." Vivian replied naturally. "Ah¡­" Maisie made a careful face and approached Vivian slowly while trying to whisper something, "Just as a form of appreciation, let me tell you this. I''ve heard Professor Amos ask Professor Sterling about a few dates relating to the Concordat in Saint Athena that sparked the Holy War against the Eastern Dragons. It seemed like the most important part of the History exam this year¡­ but you didn''t hear that from me, young lady." Hearing that, a smile appeared on Vivian''s face. "Thank you, Maisie." She said with a nod, "Until we meet again." Maisie bowed slightly and saw Vivian off. And that was it, Vivian made all sorts of mental memos about what Maisie said and started studying the dates in her head as she moved to the next destination. That was something Vivian had been planning for a few nights. She knows the game very well and on the exam day, there were these sorts of secret events where the Heroine would help some people around the academy in order to gain hints about the exam''s content. These events were usually these sort of mini-games that were quite recurring in the game but they more or less involved helping people. That was the reason why Vivian had to arrive at the academy before most students. If she hadn''t saved more than half of Maisie''s documents before they fell off, it would have taken them ages to gather them again and the Heroine would have come and solved it, thus gaining the exam hints herself. Vivian now had a head start and rather than letting Matilda have those hints, she would have them instead. After helping Maisie, Vivian went ahead and helped an elderly professor go down the stairs, found a pet dog that belonged to a female professor, prevented an inkwell from spilling over the Provost''s secretary, and advised the scatterbrained herbology teacher to watch out before burning her favorite herb pot. Such things were all actions that would be one way or another handled by the Heroine. Maisie would spend a lot of time trying to organize the documents but one particular document would fly away and cause quite the search, the elderly professor would stand there for a long time and would be quite tired before getting someone to notice and escort him down, the pet dog would be taken by some underclassmen who would hand it to the guards who would keep it in their barracks at the other end of the academy, the dean''s secretary would require a change of attire and would be too tricky to satisfy, and finally, the herbology teacher would be depressed would have her reseeded from one of the heroine''s private plant collection. A lot of mess was prevented today by Vivian and in exchange, she got various hints about the exam, something that would have gone to the Heroine. With this knowledge, Vivian found herself a corner and started taking notes of all the hints she acquired before the exam started. One thing to know about the exams at this academy is that one question of various deep points would be given to all students for a certain subject. While it may not seem like a very inclusive method for all subjects of one major, the question would include relations to many other subjects and majors that would put the entire mentality of a student to the test. The game may have summed up the exam with a choices mini-game but the real deal is as scary as ever to the point where some students would deprive themselves of sleeping just to put all that knowledge together. After a short while, the students started to flow through the halls of the Academy and gathered in packs and groups of social circles and the like. Whenever some of them would come to walk past Vivian, who was still focused on her studies, they would either avoid the hallway, walk as fast as they could, or if they were feeling exceptionally fearless, they would walk past her and whisper some words to each other while giving her various looks of scorn and gloat. Being designated as an enemy of the Prince should at least bring this much annoyance. While Vivian would really love it if she started bashing heads and punching noses in situations like these, she had to keep a cool head and a confident appearance. That lasted even when a certain heroine crossed her path and stood in front of her. Matilda Ambrose, while not having the most unique name, the girl is a beauty even when she is still not mature, and she will probably ruin a nation with that beauty of hers. Shorter than Vivian by a head, Matilda had beautiful round eyes and rich hair. She looked like a delicious peach from her eye color and appearance, and it is what made her look very cute and endearing. Eventually, she turned into the subject of romance for many male students and the subject of envy for the female ones. Wherever she goes, many eyes would follow her and she wouldn''t pass unnoticed. So when she approached Vivian on her own, she wasn''t the only one who approached, which made this quiet and remote hallway rather busier than usual. "Lady Vivian, it''s strange seeing you here." And Matilda spoke first to Vivian, who was keeping her eyes glued to her textbook. Vivian looked up without moving her head and then looked back at the book again. With a sigh in her heart, she knew that the Heroine had come looking for trouble which she wouldn''t find since Vivian had already taken care of everything. Seeing the unresponsive Vivian, Matilda was somewhat bothered and started looking around Vivian and back and forth in the hallway. "Quit moving around." Vivian finally showed some annoyed expressions at the frantic movements of Matilda. "I''m sorry¡­ excuse me, Lady Vivian." Matilda bowed slightly and then paused while looking at Vivian with strange eyes. Vivian began to lose focus and looked back at Matilda, this time while closing her book and fully giving her attention. "Is everything alright?" Matilda asked. "You''re the one who''s bothering me." Vivian sharply replied. "No, I didn''t mean to. But you seem¡­ distressed." Matilda said with an apologetic tone that made Vivian''s fuses almost flare up. "And what gave it away? The fact that everyone is trying to bite off a piece of me, or the fact that I am having my graduation exam a few minutes from now?" Vivian asked. "No¡­ I didn''t mean¡­ I just felt¡­" Matilda replied in a thin voice and lowered her head with pitiful eyes. Just felt what? Vivian would usually flare up at this kind of statement especially when it comes from Matilda but she could understand something when she heard it this time around. It was the Heroine''s ability, her supernatural empathy that drew her to people in need. But what''s with that sense of tingling in this sort of place? By any chance, hasn''t Vivian taken care of everything on her own? "Tsk! Stupid game!" Vivian couldn''t curse at the heroine out loud so she didn''t cause a scene she just showed her dissatisfaction and looked away. The game made it so that the Heroine was given that power so that she could be guided to people in distress and help them as a form of side quest. Usually, this was the method used to help people around the academy and gain useful tips on the exam. Vivian sighed as she closed her book and looked around to notice the many eyes of the onlookers still gazing at her, anticipating her to bully Matilda and ready to step up. On the other hand, that sticky Heroine kept involving herself in every situation. "I''m alright, Miss Matilda. I''m just having a hard time focusing on my studies." Vivian said. "But is it really necessary? I heard Lady Vivian was no longer going to attend the academy and you were going to get¡­" Just then, the Heroine spoke something very unpleasant and Vivian, who was barely keeping her mood in check and was returning to her book, suddenly slammed the book shut with one hand and glared at Matilda with a murderous glare. "I''d be careful with what I say if I were you." Vivian''s words were cold and had one clear threat. Matilda immediately backed off from Vivian with teardrops forming at the edge of her eyes. The onlookers were already riled up and the scene attracted a circle of commentators who showed their clear hostility to Vivian. It seemed that the Heroine had accomplished her objective and immediately ran away with tearful eyes. While some people followed her and left the scene, some still kept their ground to intimidate Vivian. They seemed to be willing to pick on her in order to make her know her place now that she was no longer betrothed to the Heir Apparent. But just as their criticism was getting louder, Vivian ran her eyes across them until she found prey. "You there." She spoke to one of the onlookers, a boy with chestnut hair, "You''re from the Windworth family. Your family''s furniture workshop was called¡­" "No¡­ not me¡­ I''m not." The boy turned around and immediately darted off the place as fast as he could and even claimed he was not who she said he was. Realizing where this was going, the gathered mob understood that Vivian wasn''t just going to stand there and let it slide but she would even go as far as threatening people with their family businesses. If there is a thing known about House Moore, it is its involvement in everything that is business and how they can ruin an entire industry if they were really triggered. Intentionally, Vivian stared at some random individuals within the crowd and without saying anything, they just dispersed. Fear, it is quite easy to spread and control people with. As Vivian felt a little bit of satisfaction, she immediately realized something regarding herself. Just right now, she handled the situation like a pro villainess. Of course she is a killer and all but that''s just the Nadia within her, yet in mere seconds, she switched to full Vivian and terrorized the shit out of those poor kids. Now it feels twice as satisfying for some reason, she can''t really explain it. DING!!! ? You have interrupted the Heroine''s System Quest! ? ? Rewards will be given upon the Heroine''s Failure! ? ? New Quest triggered: Karmic Thief ? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Karmic Thief: Prevent the Heroine from helping those in need by any means necessary.
  • Time: 4 days.
  • Reward: Karma Sensor.
  • Failure: Villainess Karma Loss.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wait¡­ What?" 30: The Finals Begin Alright, let''s do this one last time. My name is Vivian Moore. Named after my paternal grandmother, and I have the middle name of Keone, which is from my maternal grandmother. Vivian Keone Moore, yep, that''s me. What do I do? I am a professional Villainess, you are welcome. I was in a bad spot once and my whole life was almost ruined because I retained the memories of one Nadia of Medjay, a black ops agent from another world. Armed with the beauty of an angel and the skillset of an assassin, we have become a new Vivian, a new me. We have become the Ultimate Villainess, the Karma Thief. Cool, right? Welp¡­ I need someone to explain it to me before I say Aye or Nay. Turns out the Heroine has a System too! Like¡­ are you fucking kidding me? Don''t tell me she has the memories of another player as well. It seems not since she is acting like her usual self around me. If she was someone who played that stupid game the same as I, she would have figured out that I should be dead by now and she wouldn''t approach me as carelessly as she did today. But what is that about me interrupting her System''s Quest? So it is not like empathy for people in trouble and that bullshit, she has a System too and it is guiding her. Damn! I need to be extra careful. Even more, I need to understand what a System is before she gets wind of me being not entirely me. Goddammit! What am I thinking of right now? I am in the middle of an exam and it is looking this bad! Calm down! Let''s work on this together! The questions seem easy. Diplomacy, international relations, governing skills, economic improvements. I know it all. Not just as Vivian, but as Nadia as well. Nadia''s world is advanced enough to have international problems that are way too advanced even for my sophisticated world. If I were to let Nadia take care of this, even she alone can ace this exam. Alright! Let''s carve through this exam and pray for the best. *** It didn''t take Vivian an hour to finish a three-hour-long exam, which gave her time to return to her thoughts once again and stare plainly at the ceiling of the examination hall. Her idleness attracted the attention of her peers, who figured that she was definitely brooding without a hint of focus on the exam. Some gloated while others relished in the demise of the former top female student, and there were those who tried not to think about it. As the remaining two hours passed, Vivian was the first to hand out her sheet and leave the examination hall. After the written test, there was a short break before an order was issued to gather in the homeroom of each class to go through the verbal and practical tests. Since Vivian was part of the Diplomacy Class, the practical test she''d go through was a research paper prepared by every student and discussed by the Class'' professor and other members of the school board assigned to test every class. Vivian had already prepared her paper long ago this semester, even before the Transmigration situation and all she had to do was to have an open discussion with the professors. Unlike what everyone expected, Vivian was firm and resolute with her answers, providing more than enough explanations about her research papers to the professors, and was later awarded with the highest grade which is announced on the spot for this particular sort of exam. Moreover, since she was one of the first students to be tested verbally, her performance established the criteria for the testing professors which later was applied to everyone else and caused many to lose grades they wouldn''t normally lose. In a way, she slapped them all without even trying to even while she was absent-minded the whole time thinking of the situation between her and the Heroine and how the latter happened to have a System as well. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. With that, the first day of the exams was concluded and Vivian retired to her dorm room. There was no time to waste, Vivian wanted to put her mind to rest from the matter with the Heroine and prepare for the next day. However, fate decided to be cruel to Vivian and deprive her of rest. Even though it was getting dark and the curfew started, she couldn''t help but feel extremely bothered. "Sir System, show me the shop window, please." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ? Shop ? [ Weapons - Apparels - Consumable - Gadgets - Miscellaneous ] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª She started browsing the shop again but this time, she was looking into the grayed items, the things she couldn''t buy yet. There weren''t many of those and they were either too expensive or had some requirements that needed to be provided before purchase. This latter sort was what Vivian was looking for. The game she played had a crafting system: acquire some materials that are mostly herbs, spend some points on them, and a new item will emerge. And since the Heroine is known to be a herb collector, she should have that in her system too. However, Vivian didn''t find any of the Heroine products in the shop. In a way, her shop was completely different despite some similarities. "So a Heroine''s System is different from a Villainess System. But does this mean my system is also labeling me as a Villainess?" The system did not call Vivian a Villainess, still, it said something about Villainess Karma. That made Vivian more bothered about the System calling Matilda the Heroine though. Either way, she couldn''t find the iconic items that the Game lets the Heroine craft, such as the Pet Elixir, the Healing Powder, and the Experience Booster, as well as many other things. On the other hand, Vivian had the Panacea, the Antidote, the Sustenance, and some other consumables that were grayed out. "Everything I have is survival-based! Add to that the Weapons, the armor options in the Apparel tab, and even some of the Gadgets. It''s as if the system is telling me to prepare for war." Vivian rested her head on the back of her hand while resting on an armchair and started to think of whatever scenarios she may face in the future. Her habit of making things up in her mind and thinking of countermeasures was a habit she was good at in addition to Nadia''s intrusive thoughts that opened the door for a lot of naughty possibilities. "This was it, huh? Telling me to survive! I must prepare for anything. All the bad scenarios I know of and don''t know of." She knew life wouldn''t be sunshine and rainbows for Vivian but for the first time, she realized she may be in over her head with trouble. Her four guns won''t cut it either, her mild daily training won''t suffice, and she needs more power, both personal and social. First, she had to hear up as of tonight. "Profile!" Vivian''s SP has reached a point where she isn''t worried about spending for the time being. What she lacked in SP she can make up for in Money and since she had been receiving the allowance she was missing these past few months, she already has around 55,000 Elgardish Pound in cash and that''s without counting the money she will receive from Count Julian upon graduation for her personal business venture. Vivian started making a plan after she confirmed the capabilities of the system as well as her personal capabilities. She has done some research these past few days, especially after the attack and she arrived at the conclusion that without help from others, she won''t be able to build her own strength. This was clear since she couldn''t learn Aura Arts or Magic on her own without a proper mentor. After all, Vivian may be perfect in many things but she has talent for neither Aura nor Magic. On top of that, House Moore itself is not a strong house in terms of Martial prowess and their pact with the Kingdom forbids them from hiring Mages, they have to borrow strength from alliances and her marriage was supposed to be such an alliance. Who knows if the beef with the prince and his cronies will last? What secret does the Heroine hide? Why did Nadia and Vivian become one? And what is the system''s origin? These questions really hit Vivian hard that night and deprived her eyes of half of the night''s sleep. *** By the next morning, Vivian refreshed herself with her daily training in the academy''s garden right after dawn. She kept a low profile and finished her training in an hour then slipped back to the dorm without anyone noticing. There were still three hours before the students gathered in the academy and so she bathed and ate before heading out two hours earlier than the others. Since the early bird gets the worm, Vivian followed the same steps she did yesterday, only this time there were different scenarios and different people in need of help. With every individual she helps, she gets a piece of information regarding the exam and today is a very vital day for Vivian. Previously, she planned that she''d have the Diplomacy Major exams on the first day, the liberal arts which she has applied for three of them on the second day, and finally the third day would be one exam related to the scientific and mathematical knowledge which she only signed up for the subject of Astronomy and Navigation, while she would completely disappear on the fourth day. That, of course, wasn''t possible to happen after her documents were tampered with and she was forced into a position where she would have to participate in every single exam. So rather than simply pestering the Heroine and interrupting her System''s quest, Vivian was busy gathering information for her own sake and she made it with more than enough hints about the exams to a point where she was able to draw an outline of what to expect. Today''s exams are supposed to be an hour long each, unlike yesterday''s exams which took more than half a day. Each exam will be two hours long, and there are five or four with an hour break between each. As the first exam starts at 8 AM, the last exam will be over at 8 PM. Vivian had to last twelve long hours getting through each exam both today and tomorrow. It was bound to be draining to the extreme. 31: A Night with a Knight The students of the first academy are supposed to be the best of the best, elites among elites, and geniuses who are meant to carry on the dreams of their predecessors to the next generations. It''s safe to say that even in a general context, everyone here is no simple person in terms of personal ability. This becomes evident when the last student in the ranking is only a handful of grades behind the first-ranked student. This created an atmosphere that would make most people crumble from pressure. The academy adopted a system of grouping the grades of its students together to create what can be considered a criterion of success for each year, meaning that as long as the majority of the students had their grades between certain scores (100 and 98 for example), anyone who scores less than them by a large migraine fails the exam and gets demoted to the Second Royal Academy for good, where they will be judged by its lower standards, and of course graduate with its lesser diploma from there. And since most students pick different subjects to study even in the same year, the overall ranking depends on the average score in all subjects. As all exams get graded by 100 points, all the grades are added together and then divided by the number of exams taken for each student. Other than the overall ranking, there is another ranking for every subject on its own but the big overall competition is what attracts most attention either way. Back to a certain Vivian, she was going back and forth the next day with a textbook in her hand, crossing a score of students who kept following her with their gazes and chattering among themselves. "Have you heard? She has signed up for all ten exams." "Crazy!" "You guys believe that?" "I never really thought she would come back after what happened with Lady Matilda." "Well, I guess she is back trying to attract attention." "Attention? After the engagement that broke? Shouldn''t she cower up somewhere?" "You''re just jealous because she did better than you every year." "But haven''t you heard? The Moores killed the guy who was nominated by the Royal Family to marry her." "I''ve heard that but you think they have the guts? The Moores need support from the other big six families and crossing the Royal Family puts them at risk." "In most cases, yes. But I''ve seen those Hewes family that she was supposed to marry from. They are my uncle''s vassals and you wouldn''t want anywhere near them." "That bad, huh?" "The father is a slaver and his eldest son is a leper. Moreover, the son that got killed was going to be disinherited and sent to be a commoner." "I would have killed myself before marrying off like that." "Yeah. That would have been the best outcome, but killing the groom is such a bad move. The Royal Family won''t forgive this." "Well, Vivian survived this one." "Thankfully." "Wait! Since when have you two been on her side?" "What? Her side?" "What side is that? We are not on her side! It''s just crazy to see the high and mighty Vivian down to such a state." "You two better be careful of what you say." "Yeah. You wouldn''t want to upset His Highness." "But isn''t it suspicious?" "Shush! Don''t say it." "Say what?" "No, I didn''t¡­" "Just say it, man. Nobody will tell." "Well¡­ Vivian''s record is clear through the previous years. She never had more than five subjects and would always specialize in the liberal arts. Signing up for all subjects maybe¡­ you know¡­ someone else''s doing." "So you''re not only slandering the honor of the Royal Family but House Morgan as well." "I''m not slandering anyone." "Listen. She was cast down for a reason. Whatever comes for her is the result of her actions. You shouldn''t question it for your own sake." "Hey! Shut it! Look!" Just as the chattering group was about to finish their conversation, one of them pointed towards a nearby corner where the shoulder of someone was visible. What made the group shudder into cold sweat was the fact that this person was within hearing range and could have been listening to what they were saying. As they all turned in full alertness, Vivian simply walked from behind the corner and past them while holding a book in hand. As she was faintly smiling, they realized she was listening the whole time. As fear started playing tricks in their minds, Vivian wasn''t really thinking much of what they said but rather how they said it. There are always rumors but people from the High Society are no fools, they are actually very intelligent and can tell facts from fiction. Even though they chose to ignore the truth and cast away justice since they had nothing to gain as they feared the wrath of the royal family, the Royal Family seemed to have relied on fear and strength rather than smearing Vivian''s reputation with creative lies. In other words, they didn''t put in the effort. That was assuring since the opponent was not taking the retaliation of Vivian into consideration and dropped their guard against her. Now¡­ how can she strike back from where they least expect? *** Elgard''s History, Modern Literature and Linguistics, Religion: Dawn of the Saints, Trade and Economics, and Basics of Domain Management. These are the exams on the second day. From them, I originally applied for History, Literature, and Economy. Religion and Domain Management were pushed on me. The History exam focused on the relationships between Elgard and the other nations during the last hundred years especially with the fall of the previous dynasty in Velleux at the hands of the revolutionaries until the purge of the royal family of Velleux twelve years ago. As for literature, it was focused on ancient tales and interpretations of archaic languages. Religion was kinda the fun subject today and I quite enjoyed the nonsense I wrote since from the rumor I gathered, the more zealously you write, the better the grades become. As for Economy, it was basically right at Vivian''s alley and I didn''t struggle one bit. The problem came with the Domain Management exam since it was all about ruling subjects and going through hard choices but I think I fared well. That concluded the first day and I went to bed like a walking dead. The next day started with a hasty rumor hunt since I was utterly desperate for information and lo and behold, the Heroine also woke up early. She seemed anxious about her quests getting done for her but I was already finished by the time she arrived and dodged her entirely. With all the hints and rumors, I had to face the Geography, Nature, Mathematics, Engineering, and Anatomy exams, fully knowing that I only knew Geography and the rest were stuff that was pushed on me by the League of Bastards. As the easiest subject in the academy, most students took the Geography exam and I met many familiar faces. On the other hand, Nature wasn''t a popular class since one had to memorize many types of herbs and grasses but I managed to cheat in this exam using the System Shop as some items carried the description of their recipes and I took notice of their names and effects. As for Mathematics and Engineering, let''s say Oscar and Jane shouldn''t be worried about it because, after all, I used to specialize in long-range weapons so doing things like calculating bullet drop rates against wind and gravity with a scope, a paper, and a pencil was just another Tuesday for me. Finally, the Anatomy class was the thing I dreaded the most but one wouldn''t believe how popular that class was especially among the Martial Arts students, but I had enough hints from the rumor hunt to have a good feeling about how I did on that exam. All in all, I did really well on the third day and I can say I am proud of myself. Even if I was demoted to the second academy, my pride wouldn''t be hurt at all. At 8 PM, I walked out of the examination hall while being avoided by people I ¡ªor rather Vivian¡ª once called friends. It was lonely. I heard more whispers about me, felt more gazes, and sensed mockery and disdain all over. Part of me hoped that a friend would come to me and ask how I did so that I could complain my heart out but I am sure that the exhaustion in me is feeling that. But let''s face it, who would come¡­ "Senior Vivian. I was looking for you." ¡­ I stand corrected. "Lady Edith. Nice to meet you." I said as I faced the tomboy Villainess, "Are you eager to continue our interrogation?" "I am sure that you have heard I dropped all suspicion against your person in my report." She said with a serious face. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "It felt more like you were baiting me to drop my guard." I said with a tired smile¡­ cause I was actually tired, not trying to look cool or anything. "Will you drop your guard then?" Edith, however, asked a very strange question with all honesty. "Innocent or guilty, I am not one to drop my guard." I gave an honest answer to her honest and straightforward question. "Good." She said before continuing to say something more surprising, "You can''t drop your guard since the more I look into the path you have walked, the more treacherous it appears to me." I was taken, to be honest, but I was aware of her personality. "Thank you for the warning." That''s all I could say in this time and place. "I know you don''t need a warning from me. I only wanted to see how resolute you are. I feel satisfied now." She said and walked past me, "I hope we see each other more often from now on." Seeing her go, I felt that my headache was going to split my head in two. I needed to get away from all the noise so I started walking until I found myself in a garden outside the main building and not too far from the dorms. Under the moonlight, I hid from anyone who could be watching me and rested my aching body on a stone bench, unwilling to use my head for anything other than feeling sorry for myself. Two weeks have passed since I''ve become both Vivian and Nadia and I feel like I need a break from all this stress. Maybe I should escape and start a new life somewhere. Well, let''s keep that as the last resort in case nothing else works. "I¡­" As I was about to sigh and complain to myself, I started hearing a voice from somewhere. Not really a conversation but the sound of someone breathing hard and the sound of movement and big steps. I didn''t want to get involved but that was the way I should take to return to the dorm, so I guessed one peek wouldn''t hurt. Maybe I''ll hear something interesting again. But as I approached the sound, all I found was a familiar face who was almost as exhausted as I am. "Logan." I called my knight who seemed to be in the middle of his training. "Vi- Princess!" Logan completely froze the moment he saw me. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "I am training with¡­" Logan was about to reply but his rebellious attitude got back to him, "I am supposed to be the one asking. What are you doing here?" "Taking a detour before returning to the dorm. I needed air." I said and then pointed at him, "And you need a shirt." Seeing as he was out of his upper garment, it seemed that he found comfort in the secluded place to focus on personal training. "I''ll escort you back then." He said as he picked his shirt up. "Well, I haven''t finished my detour yet. You can keep on with your training." I said. "I prefer to shadow you if you are without any escort." He said with a stubborn face as he wore his shirt. "Then I''ll just sit here. I need rest after this crazy day and I''d hate to interrupt your training." I said. Honestly, I wished to see how a proper Graduate Knight trains since it may become a valuable experience for me and maybe insightful to determining my path in the future. Logan stood there blankly without knowing what to do before speaking. "Well¡­ it was more as an experiment rather than regular training." He said. "How so?" "I was trying to mix two styles together in order to become better at doing my job in the future." My knight said something so endearing before dropping a bomb on my head, "The style of Moore family aura and your style." "My style?" I asked with my eyes wide open. "Yes. You know¡­ firearms." He said and drew a flintlock from a holster behind his waist. "Logan, you¡­" My eyes lit up for a moment, "That''s unlike you." "Not really. I''ve always been trying to incorporate long-range attacks in my style, your performance the other day at the gun range happened to be eye-opening." "I''m glad you like it that much." I helplessly smiled since it felt a bit sweet of him to say such a thing, "But aren''t you worried about what your peers would say?" "That''s another thing I am copying from your style." He said with a cheeky smile. "My attitude?" I asked. "Your shameless attitude, yes." He replied with a cheeky smile. I was instantly shocked by him saying those words since even though I am¡­ "I¡­ I am sorry. I shouldn''t have said that." Logan, however, seemed to have found himself getting too comfortable with me. I couldn''t help but let out a slight chuckle. "You''re still tense about the auction night." I said. "No¡­ Ye¡­ Yes." He said and averted his eyes, "It is my fault you got hurt." "No, it''s not. In normal circumstances, the security¡­" "There are no more normal circumstances for you, Princess. Not anymore. I should have been the one to realize that first." He said. How complicated! If he''s feeling guilty, I guess trying to comfort him would make him feel worse. Men have that weird tendency sometimes where words don''t affect their stubborn sense of pride. "You are right." I said and looked at him straight in the face, "But there is something that you did damn well that night." "There was?" Logan frowned. "Richard Marshall! We still haven''t talked about that one yet." I said and a smile formed widely on my face, "You handled that idiot like a fiddle." "Ye¡­ah!" Logan replied faintly with a dispirited expression. "What''s wrong?" I asked. "Richard Marshall is the son of the Knight''s Commander. The moment I did what I did, I guess I crossed off my membership in the Knights Hall." "Aren''t you our house''s knight? Why were you with the Knights Hall?" "It is true my liege lord is Count Julian but the Knights Hall is more like a social club of knights instead of being a military organization. It provides benefits such as free health services, sponsored smithing shops, and all that a knight needs." "A guild in a way." "It''s exactly a guild. And it has a pretty tight code of camaraderie. Since Richard is the future heir of House Marshall, I''m in trouble with most knights now." "You regret defending me against him?" I asked. "Are you kidding me?" Logan asked them to give out a proud smile, "I enjoyed every bit of it." I see¡­ Logan didn''t like Richard as it seemed. It''s nice to have such a friend with mutual interests in bashing the people I hate to a wall. "Still¡­ I am sure he''ll come and find me some other day." Logan said as his smile disappeared slowly. "You beat him once, you can do it again." I said. "Not for long." Logan said and let out a long sigh, "I am trained on the Moore Aura technique while that boy Richard is trained on the Marshalls'' technique. I may be a Graduate Knight now but soon, he''ll grow and narrow the gap." "What''s wrong with our family''s technique?" I asked. "The Moore Aura technique isn''t bad in all honesty. It''s just that the Marshalls'' technique is too good. His father, Lord Henry Marshall is a Master. This means that their house''s technique can produce Masters, whereas the best in House Moore is an Expert Knight." "That seems grim." In conclusion, when Richard Marshall gets stronger, he''ll come looking for Logan. It also means that even with our money, the Moores may suffer a crushing defeat if the war hounds of the Kingdom were to be released against us. A Knight Master is no joke. It is known that these people are crazy powerful to the point where they are considered the pinnacle of warfare in any country. It''s something like a nuclear warhead except that it has a will and a lifetime of its own. Just like my system, there are 5 ranks to everything in this world. Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and finally Master. As for knights, there is no such thing as a Novice Knight, and they call the Adept rank Graduate. So in conclusion, it''s four ranks as far as everyone is concerned. A Novice Knight or even a Novice Sorcerer is just an initiate who just began learning like a Page or an Acolyte¡­ or me in that regard. I know it was wishful thinking but if the Royal Family wants to get rid of me, I can be crushed without a trace. Even worse, I am already planning to survive no matter what, so a clash with the interests of the big figures is definitely bound to happen. I need to prepare a lot. I need to learn a lot as well. "Tell me, Logan. What''s it like to be a Master?" Logan became silent for a while before putting together an answer. He raised his fist and closed his eyes and then¡­ "That¡­" I saw Logan manifest his aura and my entire body remembered how I was beaten mercilessly by the Knight I killed after the auction day. It was Light! A brilliant silver light that manifested from Logan''s first. It came from within, as if he was holding a strong flashlight in his first and it started to outline the bones under his flesh. "Good God!" I exclaimed as he finally decided to stop his aura from radiating. "I am surprised that it is your first time to see an Aura getting ignited." "I never came across a guilt-ridden knight willing to display it before." "Hah! Good one." "Thank you. So, what did I just see?" Logan took a deep breath and explained. "What you saw was me igniting two points of Aura on my body. I ignited them too much to make them visible to your untrained eyes but their regular size is rather that of a fingertip. What you saw just now were my Aura Stars." "Stars?" "Because they radiate, hence the name." "Why three?" "It is the best I can do. As you know, we start from the rank of an Apprentice where the Aura takes a Bronze color and can form up to three stars, the Graduate where the Aura takes a Silver color and can form up to four stars, then the Expert where the Aura takes a Gold color and can form up to five stars. After that, Masters can manifest their uniquely colored Aura Stars outside their bodies and of course¡­" "They have up to six stars." "Right. But they are also known as Manifestations since the stars outside their body can form spirit aberrations based on the Aura. The damage of these manifestations is¡­ beyond immense." "You''ve seen it?" "I was with my father three years ago in the campaign against the Adnanis at the Isle of Sedus. The two Aura Masters on both sides have absolutely decimated the battlefield and all Knights and Sipahis were called back as the Masters dueled to a draw. No one had the spirit to fight after seeing the Masters do what they did that day." "Was it traumatic?" "Not the slightest. You see¡­ Knights are drawn to become stronger and everyone wishes to be a Master someday. But we also possess a sense of estimating each other''s strength and knowing the gap we need to cross in order to be at the level of our opponent." "And what did you sense that day?" "Richard Marshall is a 3-Star Apprentice Knight. I am a 2-Star Graduate Knight. If the difference between me and him is like me standing here and him standing five feet away from me, then the difference between me and the Aura Masters I saw that day is like¡­" Logan paused and tried to think of something far away but he didn''t find anything and so he looked up at the sky. "Ah! It is like between where I stand and the moon over there." I looked up to the sky and saw the full moon illuminating the cloudy sky above. "You can see it but you have no way of reaching it." It is depressing to hear, let alone witness. How am I supposed to survive if I meet a Master then? I guess I don''t¡­ so I''ll leave that for a Knight to worry about and head back to my dorm. My exams are over and I should do my best tomorrow. Logan saw me off at the dorm''s entrance and I had to rest like a corpse because tomorrow is the day everyone is looking forward to. The final day of the main route for the Heroine and the day of ruin for the main Villainess, the Spring Festival day. 32: Rhapsody (1) One day, she woke up as a tragic girl at the end of her line, she had known herself by many names before but one was most certainly the only possible option left for her to live with. Matilda, a plain name as any. Was the name hers in this life or shouldn''t she change it once she gets the chance? For now, Matilda will work as a name, just like how the voice of the Saints told her it would. It is unforgivable to live a life like a fiddle as her mother always taught her but her mother now lies 6 feet down in an unmarked grave. That''s why Matilda must be the master of her own Fate, but every time she goes on her own, bad things happen, especially that last bit of trouble with Vivian. So, she must listen and let the Saints guide her, she must abandon her honor in order to do the thing that the Saints want the most. ? Pick that up! ? ? Cast that spell! ? ? Save that child! ? ? Pick that herb! ? ? Buy that item! ? ? Attack this! ? ? Talk to that! ? ? Escape from that! ? ? Parry! Dodge! Attack! Forward! Backward! Left! Right! Right! Left! Left! Left! ? ? LEFT! ? ? LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFT¡­ And it happened again. She broke. ? Man, this is buggy as fuck. ? A strong shiver ran through Matilda''s body and¡­ it all stopped¡­ for now. Blackness! She should have listened¡­ now it will start all over again. *** "Your Highness, we have arrived." Descending from his gilded carriage pulled by four white horses, the Prince turned around and looked at the maiden descending after him as he smiled and lent her a hand. "Shall we?" He asked. "My Prince¡­ this is so much already. I can''t be seen in such a dress in front of people." The girl spoke as she tried to pull up her dress to cover as much of her thin shoulders as possible. "Dear Matilda, this is one of those days that even I have to swallow the bitter pill and go with the most lavish things. Tonight, we represent all our great nation''s young men and women." He said warmingly and helped her down. She was dressed in a lovely yellow dress which he complemented with his lilac formal suit. They dressed lavishly indeed since around them the entire world was revolving. In the fine morning, a long carpet stretched out beneath the feet of the individuals standing in organized rows on either side of the carriage. This carpet led to an extensive garden situated close to the Ceremonial Hall. Everyone chattered about how the Prince and his date were a match made in heaven. Despite the difference in class, the young lady was sponsored by the Temple since her childhood and has been given the best treatment and education, and even the first queen has displayed favor towards her. And the prince is the young lion of Great Eldgard, a talent hardly seen in a thousand years yet so humble and loving to his subjects and friends. No one could stop chattering as the two walked on the flowery carpet until they reached the garden. After that, a score of carriages started to flow behind them and the students descended from each carriage as pairs of males and females. Today, after all, is the Spring Festival day and all the colors are to be bright and beautiful, displaying the cheerfulness in the atmosphere as the students finish their long-dreaded exams, and are now about to bloom into the high society as men and women of the state. But was that all? Of course not. Those students still have a long long day ahead of them and it is just beginning. In fact, gathering them in the garden is merely for them to stay outside the ceremonial hall until they get called in after the guests are seated. Meanwhile, the students were to have fun and eat some spring snacks for lunch to make sure they were all set and ready for today''s performances. The Combat performance, the Magic performance, and the Music performance. The three aspects that define each nation''s future. A student is only permitted to apply to one type of performance and it will be witnessed by the high and mighty of Archester and all the honored guests from across Albion. A talent show for Might, Magic, and Culture as it is intended to be. For that, no mistakes can be made, and that''s why participating in this performance was a year-long challenge for applicants since the spots of participation are limited to seven spots for each of the three performance types. Participation alone can boost the performing students'' grades so much that they are almost guaranteed the top 20 positions in the overall ranking after the exam. On top of it all, nine judges were invited from the ranks of the most prestigious figures in the whole continent. Those judges would be there to evaluate and sponsor the best performances in order to take the cream of the crop and nurture a new generation of elites. And after the performance, there will be the evening banquet followed by a dance ball where the results of the exams will be announced on a ranking board by a percentage score. The participants of each performance from the previous talent show may get a reward of up to 0.2 points to their score from each judge which can boost the ranking by a large leap. However, that "up to" can mean anything starting from 0.01 and it means one must at least impress the judges enough to gain their acknowledgement, which may or may not even happen since the standards aren''t just high, but outlandishly radical. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. In the end, it was all about the competence of each and every performer. But this was still the beginning of the day, a very long day at that, and most of the students came in couples. There were also those who decided to show up alone but they were required to meet the standards of having a companion and only the students of the second and the first years can fill that role, such as the case with Prince Liam and his date, Matilda Ambrose. But in this sort of gathering, there was someone who was seen in a bad light. So bad, in fact, that she wouldn''t even get a date to the festival even if she tried her hardest to, and knowing her, she wouldn''t even put in the effort, it is the protagonist of this story and its female lead, Vivian K. Moore. Unloved by most of her peers in the third year, Vivian bears the stigma of being the haughty narcissistic villainess of the century. So unloved that rather than forgetting about her, people were already looking around for her just to gloat about the fact that she came here without a date. But surprise surprise, Vivian wasn''t here just yet which caused some people to start gossiping and chattering amongst themselves. Some said they would be bored if all the build-up that happened up to this point goes for nothing, others said that it could be dangerous to be late like that since no one is allowed to miss the four days of the finals as it still is a royal summon, and others speculated that since no one wants to associate themselves with her, Vivian seems to be too embarrassed to be present. Still, to some individuals, this seemed like¡­ it was way too easy. It can''t be this easy to make Vivian Moore back off, especially after the crisis she faced in the final exams. This is the stage they all set, the Spring Festival stage, the moment when Crown Prince Liam of Elgard consolidates his faction and ends the last remaining fragment of opposition in their small academy world. This will set the stage to unite the future heirs of the Six Great Houses under one man and one man only. Vivian must fall so that the Moores fall in line once again and the Prince gets his support from their coffers of gold to attain his right to the throne. Or so that''s what it seemed it should be. Prince Liam isn''t as simple as to let a quarrel between him and his ex-fiancee be the basis of a bitter struggle such as this one. In every action he took, there was a reason for everything. Vivian Moore was a perfect fit to be Queen, she had it all as if she was born for such fate. Beautiful, strong-willed, educated, and her family possesses immense wealth it can cripple the whole Empire. But unlike the fears the King holds against House Moore, Prince Liam has a different view of the matter in mind. To him, Vivian was the right card to have even against his own father. With the money of the Moores and the new territory they acquired in the New World''s colonies, the Prince can be unstoppable in his own right. But the appearance of Matilda flipped the whole equation on its head. Now, Matilda Ambrose, the commoner girl, became of so much value that the Prince himself could no longer sit still from happiness. Aside from how pleasant the girl was, she was very easy to talk to and would always say what he wanted to hear. Unlike Vivian who was like a rose of thorns, Matilda is a flower that one can keep around and touch whenever he desires. Moreover, the only reason the Royal Family hasn''t done anything against Matilda is either one of two reasons. Either they know what Liam knows about Matilda or the King wants him to lower his standing by fooling around with a commoner girl. As for Vivian, when she threw a tantrum over Matilda, Prince Liam knew he couldn''t keep the rose and the flower in the same pot even though the tradition was on his side and his father had three wives already. While Vivian''s value was immense to control the flow of power in the new world, Robert Moore exists as a secondary pawn and he is willing to serve the Crown Prince faithfully against the interests of both his father and sister in order to guarantee the position as heir to the Moore family against his eldest half-brother, James Moore. In actuality, Prince Liam cares little for what happens in the new world, and if what he''s after becomes reality, Elgard''s power will soar like no other in history. For that to be fulfilled, Prince Liam needed everyone to take him seriously. Aside from the select few who are aware of the plans he''s hatching, he needs to show that he''s just not some other Prince who chases ladies and sports all day long. And so, the first stepping stone in this path he chose is none other than his fiance¨¦ and her father who once supported his late brother over him. Due to Vivian''s prior engagement to another before him, namely the late Prince Charles, the former Crown Prince, Prince Liam has additional reasons to demonstrate his animosity towards Vivian and her father. And so he waited. While she can be severely punished for missing the fourth day, the stage he set for today must go perfectly. For the first time, the look on Prince Liam''s face started to feel uneasy. Seeing that, even Matilda started to worry over the Prince''s sudden mood swings. She looked around as if looking for someone too and despite having a full entourage of seven capture targets in close proximity to her, she didn''t seem like she was at ease. That was until one carriage approached the garden road and took the turn other carriages took when dropping off students. Naturally, this should be Vivian Moore, the last student who is almost late to the party but seeing the design and the insignia on the carriage made many people frown. "House Black?" A student asked. "There was a student of House Black in the third year with us?" Another followed up with a question too. Meanwhile, a figure showed up from a shadowy corner at the main pavilion in the middle of the garden and stood right behind the Prince. "Who can it be?" The Prince asked the figure behind him. "There are no sons of our house that are students in the three years this year." Edmond replied. As if their minds were in synchrony, the Prince and Edmond had a rough idea of how this situation was going to evolve. But reality was still shocking as when the carriage stopped, its door opened, and someone wearing a Knight''s suit slowly descended. That someone stood beside the carriage, took a look at the classmates who were having an utter shock of confusion as the second person coming down from the carriage was Vivian, and slowly turned over to help her descend from the carriage. "Thank you, dame knight." Vivian spoke to her companion gently. "Be careful as you get down, Senior." Edith replied with a face both embarrassed and irritated. "I will, my dear." Vivian chuckled slightly and covered her mouth with her hand fan that matched the color of her dress. Unlike any dress worn by any lady, Vivian''s dress had a sky blue long skirt with a white blouse. Over it, she wore a fox-pelt-lined coat. On top of that, she wore a picture hat and a pair of round-tinted sunglasses that were clearly ahead of their time. [Add Image Here!] This scene was bound to raise many questions as it raised eyebrows. Vivian arriving with a date is one thing, Vivian arriving with a girl date is another, and Vivian arriving with Edith Black is a whole new breed of unexpected. How did she manage to pull that off? Arriving with a same-sex student is not that uncommon especially if the two students had to perform together. But at the dance ball, everyone would have their dance partner of the opposite gender ready and waiting. But Vivian had a last-hour epiphany and remembered a situation that would happen in the route of Richard Marshall where Richard wouldn''t invite Edith to the festival, to begin with. He''d arrive with his "boys" from the martial arts class and would later blame Edith for not showing up on her own as if it is expected of her to come without a word. This causes a problem for Edith and the Heroine replaces her at the dance since she doesn''t get to have a date (mainly because she was targeting Richard) and finally Edith''s downfall begins. Even in other routes, the same situation occurs but Edith doesn''t get her engagement broken at least. It doesn''t get pleasant though. So in conclusion, Edith''s arrival at the gathering wasn''t expected in some other circles either, thankfully, this would prevent some future trouble for her¡­ or create new ones. Vivian and Edith, two of the game''s three villainesses, united their front in the face of a coming drama storm that would shake Elgard to its core. 33: Rhapsody (2) Seeing the two villainous ladies together rubbed off many people the wrong way, especially when it is known that Edith is betrothed to Richard Marshall and she is supposed to be by his side now that she is here. But what does it mean for her to come with me? It all started when she came to see me after the second day of the finals and showed courtesy towards me as her senior. That time, I realized I could solve this situation by calling on her as a favor. Knowing how deeply Edith was affected by what happened that day in the Palace, asking her for a favor made it hard for her to refuse. I only had to send Esmeralda to her dorm room with a letter and I got my reply last night. As the students were permitted to return to their homes at dawn to properly prepare for the party, I spent around 300 SP on today''s attire and added some of Vivian''s wardrobe items to it such as the fur coat, the hat, and the shoes. In the end, I scrambled together my own spring party dress, and voila, a pretty dress was made before Edith would arrive to pick me up. This was supposed to be the victory scene for the Heroine, the one currently hiding behind Prince Liam not too far into the large pavilion. "Senior, let''s find a place to sit away from prying eyes." "Let''s do that." I gave Edith the lead as we walked arm to arm-together like good friends. Where Edith chose to sit was a table in the shade of a lovely flower tree? it was way inside the garden so not most of the students would flow there just yet. We were like those quiet kids that get to school parties where everyone is still meeting and saying hello to one another and we just sit far away since we don''t know anyone. But we know everyone and everyone knows who we are. We just didn''t want to disturb the peace so we took to the corner and assumed a defensive position, chattering and speaking about whatever came to mind. But we knew well that we were in a situation where we would have to go face-to-face against the merry band of bastards. And look who''s approaching of all people, if it is not Richard Marshall himself. "Angry fianc¨¦, 8 o''clock." I said as Edith seemed to have picked up the approaching hostile entity with her sharp senses. "Edith." Richard walked right in front of me while facing Edith, trying to block the angle where I faced Edith. "Dear Richard, it has been a while." Without even standing up to meet her betrothed, Edith took a look at Richard and the junior knights that followed him here. These are all students, after all, even House Marshall can''t pull that much weight to put knights in the academy. Richard, however, had his own gang of goons following him everywhere. "Do you mind joining me for a talk?" He asked while maintaining a calm demeanor. He wouldn''t be this calm if he knew I could reach out to my bag, get my knife, and stab him in the butt. Oh, boy! Me and my intrusive thoughts again. "Dear Richard, I regretfully apologize due to the fact that I am unable to join you for a talk at the moment. It would be unmannered and against all forms of etiquette to walk away while I am engaging in social interaction with my senior, Lady Vivian." Edith replied sharply like she was writing a formal missive. Richard tightened his fist behind his back so I could see it well. "There is no worry when it comes to manners around your Senior. Last I checked, she wasn''t in need of them." Richard spoke about me as if I was absent and didn''t even show a hint of respect. "Richard, this is uncalled for." Edith immediately stood up with a fiery attitude, "She is my senior as well as yours. You ought to show respect!" "In my house, we have to earn respect." Richard spoke proudly as he finally turned to me with a hateful gaze. "In my house, we''re born with it." I replied. I knew Edith had it all handled and everything but one simply can''t be a villainess if she let things slide. Just like how Richard tried to sound loud and proud, I made sure to be heard as well. With his reputation as a calm person, I know well he can handle some trash talking but I can swear I heard something break just now. "You better watch what you say, Vivian Moore. Your precious knight is not here this time." He spoke quietly rather than loudly, and angrily rather than calmly. "What is it, Richard Marshall? You think you can brute your way through this too?" I stood up and faced the idiot head-on, replying to him just as quietly and angrily. "You''ll regret this." He said. "You''re the one who came here spouting all sorts of rubbish. If all you can handle is a sword, you better stick with it or stick it¡­ I mean¡­ leave talking to people who can handle talking." I replied, almost having my intrusive thoughts getting me into trouble. But this was getting intense. I felt like I was being a hothead unlike my usual self but that guy was the person I detest the most among the seven. I am not going to let him have his way¡­ ever. "You better watch yourself because¡­" Richard started to use threats but it wasn''t me who stopped him. "Richard, this ends here! You showed nothing but discourtesy towards a senior of ours. Either you stop this shaming behavior or¡­" Richard turned to Edith with blazing eyes and he seemed willing to lash out letting go of all self-restraint but as it was about to explode, a water-like voice extinguished Richard''s fire almost instantly. "Sir Richard¡­ Are you alright?" *** As the trio were already growling like beasts ready to jump at each other, the approach of a certain Heroine caused the intensity of the atmosphere to drop drastically. With concerned expressions and a distressed face, the appearance of Matilda near the three nobles caused a sudden reaction from everyone involved and others as well. "Tsk!" Vivian clicked her tongue and sat back down. "Lady Matilda. What are you doing here?" Richard, on the other hand, faced Matilda with his mood turning 180¡ã to the usual calmness of his. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "I saw you getting agitated and I¡­" Matilda got closer to Richard as she reached out to his forearm, "Why don''t we join His Highness and¡­" "Commoner girl, let go of him at once." At that time and this very moment, Villainess 2 was activated. Edith eyed Matilda dangerously and showed scorn and hostility towards her. "How dare you touch the body of a Nobleman without permission?" Edith followed up and was about to advance ahead to lecture Matilda but Richard spoke. "I think that''s enough." He said while standing between Edith and Matilda, completely ignoring Vivian. His agitation from before died down and he seemed more rational and collected. "I''ll escort you back to His Highness, Lady Matilda." Richard then turned away and tried to withdraw with Matilda but Edith didn''t leave an opening for him to withdraw. "You''ve got to be kidding me!" She said and had a look of disappointment in her eyes, "This commoner girl comes interrupting us and now you are ignoring me to escort her away." "I am a Knight Junior, you too are a Knight Junior. Our duty is to uphold the justice of Saint Heimdall and what you did is shameful, Edith. Condemning and hating other people without a reason to." "Justice? Are you being serious now?" Edith was baffled by what Richard was saying. "I see that you hanging around Vivian Moore has poisoned your mind. For the last time, come join us away from her and I''ll consider that conversation just now as if it never happened." Richard said without a hint of agitation or heating up. It seemed like he was making her sound like the bad guy just by being calm and refuting what she said with idealistic lines. Vivian sighed as she was now an expert when it came to dealing with this kind of behavior. "Poisoning the mind of Lady Edith is a dangerous thing to say, especially when you take her background into consideration, young lord Richard." Vivian spoke as she sat calmly on her seat, "I''ve never seen a mind as perceptive as hers or a heart as pure. Are you trying to slander my good friend''s name or are you trying to say something about her upbringing?" "You know very well I didn''t do that. She is my fianc¨¦e and I am looking out for her." Richard replied. "How nice of you! Isn''t he very nice, Lady Edith? Really nice!" Vivian kept saying that as if she had got something on him and Edith kept glaring at both Richard and Matilda. "Let''s get you away from here, Lady Matilda." Richard said as he took Matilda and headed back towards Prince Liam in the far distance. While watching that situation from that far distance, Prince Liam had a solemn face and lost interest midway. He then turned and spoke faintly. "How did she get there so fast?" He asked. "I dare say Miss Matilda is rather quiet on her feet." Edmond replied. "I didn''t bring you with me to doze off, Edmond." The Prince said before waiting for a reply that didn''t come, "Edmond!" "Wha¡­ Sorry, your Highness." Edmond regained his consciousness hastily. "What about your sister?" Prince Liam changed the topic. "That took me by surprise too. Our eyes in House Moore haven''t reported any ongoing communications between Vivian and Edith." Edmond said. While it seemed that the Prince was concerned, he acted dismissively and picked himself an apple. "Well, it doesn''t change a thing. Keep your eyes peeled." "That''s my third day without proper sleep, your Highness." Edmond complained. "You operate well under pressure, my friend. Keep it up." The Prince said and turned to Matilda and Richard as they approached him. "Your Highness." "My Prince." "Well well well. I know Matilda is a pleasant company to have but were you just trying to two-time yourself into a love triangle, Richard?" "I dare not, your Highness. I simply wanted to show my fianc¨¦e the error of her ways by associating herself with the likes of Vivian Moore but I might have let Vivian get to my head." Richard replied with a slight bow. "From where I see it, Lady Vivian is a good friend to have. I''d be glad Lady Edith is making friends with someone as capable as Lady Vivian." The Prince said and turned to his girlfriend, "Don''t you agree, dear Matilda?" "I agree, my Prince. Lady Vivian is¡­ very capable." Matilda said. "I''ll keep it in mind, your Highness." Richard said and bowed slightly. "Let''s go, Matilda." "Yes, my Prince." "Oh, right, Richard. Who did you come with again?" The Prince turned to Richard and asked before leaving with Matilda. Knowing that the Prince hadn''t asked before, Richard felt a bit worried before compelling himself to answer. "I came with the fellows from the Martial Arts class. I will perform with Senior Reginald tonight at his performance." Richard said. "I see. Now Vivian''s joke about handling a sword makes sense." Prince Liam said and smiled to Richard, "Good luck with your performance." As the Prince walked away, Richard stood frozen in place. No one else could tell but he was already drenched in cold sweat. Everything Prince Liam says has a meaning, most of which even Richard can''t easily fathom. "The snake!" Richard couldn''t help but spit that word out as he watched the Prince''s back. He is one who twists things so much they start to mean many different things. Lies within facts and facts within lies. But just as Richard was about to leave, he felt a piercing cold touch on the right side of his neck. "Answer with only yes and no. You are not having any rebellious thoughts, aren''t you, Marshall?" Someone behind Richard asked. What was that? Richard was suddenly panicking way worse than before. Everyone around him wasn''t even looking in his direction and he was¡­ "Tick tock tick tock!" "No!" Richard blurted right away. "Hmmm¡­ checks! My work here is done." The owner of the voice spoke once again and patted Richard on the back, "Smile, you oaf, it''s a party." That just now was none other than Edmond, the Prince''s shadow. A graduate knight whose skills are exceptional at stealth and tracking. He must have overheard Richard cuss at the Prince and decided to give him a loyalty test. Having rebellious thoughts? With these kinds of monsters around? Richard wasn''t even fit to rebel and it all made him more nervous. *** Not away from that, Vivian and Edith returned to their seats and the look on Edith''s face wasn''t good. "That commoner girl! I thought she was just some nobody that was raised by the Temple." Edith said with a concerned face. "No, she is pretty close to the Seven Charming Princes of our Academy." Vivian said. "Seven Charming Princes?" Edith asked. "His Highness Prince Liam, your brother Sir Edmond, Ian Greyson, Ronald Morgan, Valentine De Clare, your fianc¨¦ Richard Marshall, and my baby brother Robert." Vivian replied. Edith frowned at what she heard. "Those are some serious names. Every one of them is at least an heir to something big." "Ian and Robert are not heirs to anything last time I checked." Vivian replied. "Ian''s older brother, Lord Thomas, has fallen ill a year back and seems unfit to lead the family in his fatal condition. As for your elder brother, Lord James, word is that he was banished." Edith said while carefully watching Vivian''s reaction. "Father hasn''t banished elder brother James. If it was the case, you wouldn''t have heard the end of it from Robert." Vivian replied calmly. "Oh, I see." Edith was relieved Vivian didn''t get too sensitive over the topic, "Still, it is a dangerous combination of friends that commoner girl has around her." "She has the backing of the Temple of Saints and the favor of His Highness the Prince. I am sure the rumors around my broken engagement have her name all over it." "It is indeed the case, though I see now how these rumors were exaggerated." Edith said and turned as she looked back, "Richard was speaking about the Justice of St. Heimdall as if it is his own standard to apply. Let alone justice, he doesn''t even have the Wisdom of Hermes or the Knowledge of Joan. He infuriates me sometimes and I don''t like how that commoner girl speaks with him." "You are his fianc¨¦e, of course, you wouldn''t like it." Vivian said but then her tone turned serious, "Be careful, however, whatever you plan to deal with her may backfire on you greatly. That girl has the Luck of Amadeus." "I was thinking of scaring her a bit but now that you mention it, it sounds reckless." Edith said and turned back to Vivian, "Still, I am glad to receive your advice on the matter¡­ and thank you." "For what?" Vivian asked. "Saying we''re good friends." Edith replied. Vivian smiled vividly and relaxed. "Awe, you''re welcome, dearie." This occasion has never happened in the game but this was the start of the Villainess Alliance. 34: Rhapsody (3) The students of the third year were all gathered on the fourth day in the garden outside the Ceremonial Hall inside the academy. Along with them, specific students from all three years were invited as well either as Dance or Performance partners. Prince Liam invited the Heroine, Matilda Ambrose, as his dance and performance partner; Richard Marshall was invited by a senior of his, called Reginald Ashcroft, to be a performance partner; and Valentine De Clare was also present since he is also a third-year student but it seemed that his partner was rather kept a mystery. As for the remaining capture targets, they were present one way or another but mostly as performance partners. As for Vivian Moore, who invited Edith Black, it wasn''t known what she had in mind since there was no common ground between her and Edith. It would be frowned upon to have a same-sex partner during the dance on this specific evening, as for the performance that was forced upon her unjustly, Edith can''t be of help either. Vivian''s performance was musical while Edith had no talent in music whatsoever. While these were the initial thoughts, it soon became clear that Vivian brought Edith along as emotional support and a backup security measure for her absent knight. She also seemed to be going after Richard Marshall judging by their famously intense grievance. But all of this and that soon became the least important thing in the minds of those young men and women when the organizer of today''s event came to meet them at the garden. It was none other than the friendly and enthusiastic Professor Amos Morgan. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 176th graduation ceremony. My name is Professor Amos Morgan, but I am sure we''ve all met before in my History Class. Officially, I am proud to be your year''s supervisor but unofficially, I am proud of you all on a personal level and I can''t wait to see how well you did in the written exams. Your Highness, it has been a pleasure this year." "Thank you for your guidance, Professor." Prince Liam replied with absolute respect. "And here''s my favorite student. Valentine, why are you hiding in the back, afraid someone may force you to eat something?" "You figured me out, professor." Valentine De Clare gave an awkward laugh before walking out from behind the students to greet his teacher. "Alright. I can''t waste time saying hello to all of you even though I hope. Just get straight to the ceremony in an orderly fashion. Remember to move in pairs as instructed. Each one of you will sit according to your seat number from the exams. The students of the third year are in the front row, followed by the second and then first years. As for the students who will perform today, you stay behind along with your performance partners." To that announcement, most of the students started moving and those who remained were only 41 students who were also split in pairs except for a lone student who got to stand all on her own. Amos Morgan looked towards that student and then turned his head away with no expressions whatsoever. "Alright. Let''s see. The Martial Performances will go first. The order of the students will be Reginald Ashcroft, Percival Wentworth, Geoffrey Fairchild, Bartholomew Harrington, Archibald Fitzwilliams, Sebastian Thornhill, and Montgomery Blackwood." The seven knight juniors along with their partners stepped forward. All of the students and their partners were males as it was extremely rare for a female student to go in the Martial class let alone participate in a third year''s performance. "Please, go inside and receive further instructions from the Martial class professors." As Professor Amos said so, most of the students started looking at each other and then at Prince Liam, who was standing there with a passive look on his face. "His Highness isn''t participating in the Martial performance?" "Well, that''s a shocker!" Most of the students anticipated that Prince Liam would be in the Martial performance judging by the sword he always carries on his waist but it seemed that something unforeseeable is in the working. Prince Liam has always been a mystery as he was never seen training nor showing off his skills like his peers. He was known to be always training in his private quarters with an unusual array of professors going in to guide him. "Next up, the Magic performance. Archibald Woodcroft, Percival Thorne, Bartholomew Ravenswood, Lysander Blackhelm, Mortim Woodworth, Percival Evernight, and finally the twins Cornelius and Octavius Morgan." Again with no mention of Prince Liam. This made it even more ridiculous. The Prince''s skill was anticipated to be witnessed at this performance but it seemed not the case at all. The Prince remains secretive about his skill even on his most important day as a student. Either way, the participants of the Magic Performance moved inside to meet their instructors and who remained in the garden were the last 13 students. "Finally, the music performance. Isadora Wellesley, Arabella Buckingham, Maximilian Fortissimo, Isolde Melisma, Johann Cantabile, his Highness Prince Liam Harland, and finally Vivian Moore." The last performance in the musical. This is sly. Pure evil at that. Vivian was infuriated deep within even though she knew that this was going to happen. The culprit of this situation is standing just a few meters from her and on his face is all the innocence in the world. Prince Liam and Matilda are not just extraordinary at music, they are the purest forms of talent one can find in Elgard. People would go as far as describing them as a couple blessed by Amadeus, the Patron Saint of Music and Arts. Usually, when you have such a talent, you keep the best for last. You want to make an impression, some sort of a lasting effect to wrap up the whole show with. But just like that, you put Vivian as the last performer after these two. People will just boo her off the stage. She neither brought a performance partner nor had any time to practice. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Moreover, she was brought on the spot. Students duel each other all year long for these seven spots of the performance day and you just pushed one out and gave the spot to Vivian, a student who was never seen in the Auditorium practices before. The looks of hate and anger she has to endure from the students who missed their chance to perform and the anger of their families will just be the final nail in the coffin and will ruin her social life for good if there is anything left to salvage in the first place. People will accuse the Moores of corruption left and right even. Vivian could easily imagine all that in her head and couldn''t notice how many times Professor Amos was calling for her. "Vivian Moore¡­ Vivian¡­ Vivian!" At last, her gaze shook as she looked up and ahead at the instructor of her class. It was only she and Professor Amos were left in the garden now. "Are you alright?" The Professor asked. "I am fine, Professor, thank you." Vivian replied and was about to walk ahead but he stopped her. "Vivian." He called her name and had a slight smile, "Chin up." Her relationship with Professor Amos wasn''t anything special but she was one of the best students in his classroom and he was one of the best teachers in the academy. There was mutual respect between the two and despite how hostile the great houses are against Vivian. Thankfully, he can at least have his own opinion about his students. "Thank you." With this little bit of encouragement, Vivian regained her composure. So far, she has endured everything thrown at her and skillfully managed to handle herself. If it is the musical performance, Vivian has one final card to play and it is no less than daring. So daring, in fact, she was actually afraid and having second thoughts about pulling that one out. However, she has already trained for her performance and prepared her music sheet along with everything she needs. Will it go wrong? Only one way to find out and that''s by walking to that building and meeting the music instructor. And that she did, she walked into the main building of the Ceremonial Hall and crossed its main hallway to a large room in the far north wing of the building. There, she found all the Music Performance applicants and their partners gathered around a tall and slender woman who is nothing less than a legend in the academy, the world-famous Madame Sophie Dubois, a renowned composer and the Professor of the Musical Arts in the First Royal Academy of Great Elgard. "Ah, it is so nice to ''ave you join us, mon cher. Venez, venez, stand ''ere alongside the others. Comme je le disais (as I said), all of you¡­ or rather most of you ''ave been practicing together all year, so you will ''ave the plaisir (pleasure) of meeting seven troupes of premi¨¨re classe musicians. You will show them the piece you are going to play and they will ''elp you with a quick rehearsal and try to compliment you with their instruments. Since they are professionals, they will adapt to you right away, which means you will be the ones managing them as you perform. It is a test of your capabilities as well as your adaptability, so I am sure you will do as well as I ''ave trained you. Bonne chance, mes amis." After hearing Madame Sophie, she gracefully started introducing the participants to the musicians who would help them in the performance. She made sure to follow the orders of participants until it came to Prince Liam who seemed quite patient and waited for his turn despite some students trying to get him ahead of them. Finally, all the students were getting to know their support musicians and it was Vivian''s turn. Madame Sophie approached Vivian and spoke to her. "I am sure we ''aven''t met before, Dear Vivianne, I am Madame Sophie Dubois." She spoke first. "Nice to finally meet you, Madame." Vivian replied respectfully with a slight bow. "You don''t look like ta m¨¨re (your mother), pardon de le dire." Madame Sophie spoke bluntly despite the follow-up apology. "I was told that." Vivian replied sensing a bit of hostility in the madame''s tune, "Were the two of you acquainted?" "Acquainted? We were rivales, mon cher! Your father didn''t say?" Madame Sophie said and then shrugged, "No matter, le pass¨¦ est derri¨¨re nous (the past is behind us), let''s not waste more time." The Velleuxian professor guided Vivian to the last band of musicians which seemed to be composed of three individuals. Each of the three is an expert who can play nearly all the classical instruments with some specializations. As Vivian met the three men, she showed them her performance idea and their reaction was¡­ "Are you mad?" "You''d face three of the most esteemed musicians of this era with that?" "Do you think this is a joke?" It was already this bad they all seemed like they were about to quit. One of them went as far as actually walking out. "I quit! I am a musician with a reputation to uphold. I won''t go in front of Madame Sophie Dubois, Sir Hans von Steinberg, and Sir Theodore Nightingale to mess up my reputation with whatever that is." This scene happened in front of everyone in the rehearsal hall and it caused Vivian great embarrassment. Everyone simply kept staring at Vivian for a while before returning to their own business and whispering about her. Vivian had to suck it up and endure one more time. "Miss Vivian, if you pardon me, this piece seems like some effort was put into it but tradition is tradition. We can''t come up with something new on the spot." One of the two remaining musicians spoke. "It is customary to play a piece that was composed by one of the judges. With Sir Theodore being a judge this year, there is no shortage of that, I am sure." The second spoke. "I am sorry. It may affect your career when you follow my lacking opinion but it is what it is. I have no knowledge of any other piece nor I had the time to practice anything I don''t know. Even though I have no partner, I am taking a big risk on my own." "The piece you want to play is one thing, Miss Vivian, but you are going to play two roles on the stage. You may distract yourself and end up not performing well." The musicians plead with her to change her mind. "I know that you know my situation well, Good Sirs. Things are out of my hands and this is an extraordinary problem that demands an extraordinary solution. Now I have played this piece so much and I know what I can and cannot do. And I promise in the name of my family that the reward will be worth the risk, whatever the result may be." The two musicians looked at each other and were fearful. They aren''t anyone important, unlike those aristocrats they are about to play their instrument in front of, and the situation they are in is no secret since they were informed by the faculty and rumors were circulating between the musicians since they arrived here. On the other hand, making a member of the Moore family indebted to them may lift them with riches for life. As Vivian said, there is a reward if they were to follow her. The rules of the performance are simple, all they need to do is to complement the main role with a simple play to make the main players stand out, in this case, it is only Vivian, who will play the piano and perform as a vocalist as well. She has prepared their music sheets. All she needs is one musician at the drum set and another at the cello and she was confident as a pianist. As for her performance, she had to start calming herself as she will be the last of the last to perform and she has to beat everything the crowd has ever seen tonight across the three performance types. The only way she can win this is to make the most lasting impression of all and only one song she knew how to perform was the most fitting song in this situation. She can''t use anything other than the biggest gun in the arsenal for an occasion like that. One by one, the performances passed in two hours and she was the only one waiting in the rehearsal room. She found herself sitting on the piano to calm herself and simply touched the keys to make the sound echo through the empty dim hall. She started with a B Flat Major and as she played, she started singing alongside it right away. ?? Is this the real life? ?? Then elevate the following note. ?? Is this just fantasy? ?? And then she became ready to rock the world. 35: Rhapsody (4) [Triple Chapter 1/3] (Part 1) Contrary to Count Julian Moore''s initial apprehensions, the day began more favorably than anticipated. In the morning, Vivian arrived at the residence. She meticulously selected a few of her dresses. She left a note for her father, assuring him that everything was proceeding smoothly and as she planned. Whatever that plan may be, he was convinced of his daughter''s capabilities and realized it would be a matter of time before she left her mark on the world. But before that, she needed to leave her mark on the Academy. As he assembled his security detail and moved toward the Academy, he noticed many acquaintances running into him along the way. All, of course, in their own carriage and among their own knights, until they all entered the academy and once again reunited face to face. Old friends, old rivals, current business partners and competitors, and a great deal of those who wanted to make connections with him. The name Moore was elevated so much throughout the years only because of the clever investments made by the family. In truth, these investments grew so large to the point where the Moores can be considered to have an economy of their own beneath the nation''s economy. The Moores saved the country once from a financial crisis with their financial guarantees in the form of delayed sight bills that were sealed with the family head seal. In other words, a sort of special money bills, but the Moores would call them the Fire Vouchers. Since money bills weren''t as popular in this era as one would assume, it was because the turbulent times made people feel drawn more towards Gold and Silver. During a time when transferring large sums of money involved the risk of robbery, paper bills served as a secure method of exchange. Among the organizations that could issue their own currency, the Moore Conglomerate stood out as the most reliable and trustworthy. Its international stature and colossal size enabled it to take on this responsibility effectively. This established the Moore family as the true wallet of the entire Empire and even some of its associates. That is why Lord Julian had to go through a lot of people who came to meet him every time he was out and about, it is also the reason why some factions wanted to limit his movements or even control him as the Head of House Moore. An example of that is what happened a few generations ago, at the time when House Moore housed both Knights and Mages. A great schism befell the Kingdom and the Great Families went to kill each other and so the Royal Family put a restraint on every family in the form of a condition that would keep the families from growing strong enough to think about going to war. The Moores were given a monopoly over industries of the Empire in exchange for forfeiting all the mining and harvest rights to House Grayson, and they were also banned from hiring or training Magic users, which led them to be a family that relied on firearms and had a gun range in their mansion. But it wasn''t just the Moores who were subjected to such strict laws since, for example, the Blacks were banned from traveling out of Elgard''s home region of Harland, Morven Highlands, and Shamrock Isle; and the Graysons were banned from entering industry. But today wasn''t a day he cared for any of that. He made sure that his coachman would race anyone else to the Academy so that he can get some time for himself before witnessing what surprises today would hold for him. An hour later, Lord Julian was seated in the VIP area along with the top brass of Elgard as well as ambassadors and guests from across the Northern continent. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The Ceremonial Hall of the First Royal Academy of Elgard is nothing short of a grand arena. While it is built indoors, it was composed of four elevated seating areas from all four directions and a large square space in the middle. This space was almost half the size of a basketball court and it was very customizable depending on what it was intended to be used for. Aside from the general organization of the large hall, all the seats were made of the finest wood from the eastern colonies of Longdi, decorated with the white ivory from the southern colonies of Sauran, while the fabrics were all gathered from various minor colonies. The court had a long platform in the center and three seats on a stage not far from the platform. This was the setup for the Martial Performance. A few minutes later, a large number of students started to flow into the hall and filled most of the seats. The officials and the VIP guests arrived one by one later on. The Ceremonial Hall got too crowded too quickly since this year was a very special year to many. Count Julian started greeting the other VIPs as they came in which included the Provost of the Academy, Count Albert Morgan, as well as Count Alexander De Clare who serves as the King''s treasurer, Count Henry Marshall who serves as the general commander of the His Majesty''s Army, and High Mentor Cassius of the Grand Elgardish Temple of Saints. There were also various other nobles but mostly viscounts and barons. But the real stars of the show tonight, aside from the graduating students, are the judges of the performances. The Judges are usually a Teacher along with two guests invited from outside the academy. For the Martial Performance, the teacher is Sir Cornelius Ashford alongside Lord Henry Marshall and Sir Gerald Fitzwilliams, a renowned Knight of the Royal Family. For the Magic Performance, the Teacher is Anthony Morgan along with Lord Benedict Morgan, the previous head of the family the Chief Court Wizard of the King, and Sir Samuel Gane, the youngest court wizard in Elgard. Finally, the music performance had madame Sophie Dubois, Sir Hans von Steinberg, the best composer in Buren, and Sir Theodore Nightingale, the most illustrated musician and composer in Elgard. With these big fat cats gathered in one spot, only one spot was left empty at the centermost and forefront of all seats. The King''s. That seat was not bound to be filled as His Majesty was traveling to the summit of the League of Nations held in St. Athena. For that, one man appeared in the stead of the King and it was none other than the lord chamberlain, Count Nivell Musgrave. He was the one to give the green light for the Graduation Ceremony to begin. "Fellow lords and ladies of all ages and backgrounds, I, Albert Solomon Morgan, welcome you to the 176th Graduation Ceremony of our Great Elgard''s First Royal Academy. As the 11th Provost, I witnessed 14 graduation ceremonies, 10 of them during the reign of His Majesty King August III, some of which were Princes of the House of Harland, while others were the great men and women of Great Elgards noble houses. It fills my heart with joy that this year''s students have achieved a new record as the highest success rate in 120 years which only foretells an era of prosperity for our great nation." Hearing about the high success rate from the Provost made many of the students clap so hard and cheer with joy as it means many of them have passed this year without worry about demotion to the second royal academy. "Settle down, young ones. This good news is one thing, but what you younglings do with your life after this is another. What I hope from you and what Great Elgard hopes is to become the best men and women you can ever be and one day lead this entire world. And so, show us your excellence in the most important aspects of civilization. Show us your strength, your magic, and your culture. This way we show the world who we are and what we will do. Let the Martial Performance begin!" 35: Rhapsody (4) [Triple Chapter 2/3] (Part 2) With a speech full of fervor, the students clapped once again this time alongside the members of the faculty and the guests of honor. With that, Provost Albert Morgan joined the ranks of the VIPs alongside the guests and the Deans before signaling the Martial Performance to begin. The first performance was of student Reginald Ashcroft who will perform a shortsword and shield fight against Richard Marshall from the second year. Both students entered the performance court together and greeted each other with respect. This bout wasn''t a duel about winning and losing but rather a show of skill from the two sides, heavily focusing on letting each other show off how skilled the other is in what can be seen as a sword dance of sorts. While it seemed less interesting than an actual competition, it is known to almost everyone how fast and deadly a duel can be. It only takes a few instances to land a hit and defeat the opponent while a performance may last for a good few minutes. The judges took their seats in the performance court and so the bout began. What was most notable was when the two participants ignited their aura together, each showing off their three bronze star Aura. Two Apprentice Knights of the late stage. It was one thing for Reginald Ashcroft to be a 3-star Apprentice Knight but for Richard Marshall to be that as well, despite being a year younger than Reginald, was pleasantly shocking to the crowd. The two young men drew their swords, each focusing his aura stars on different parts of his body. Reginald had two on his hands and one on his shoulder while Richard had one on his hand, one on his abdomen, and the last on his right foot. This showing off of ignition was just to please the crowd but real knights don''t deliberately make their aura stars radiate like that since it will expose their next move in most cases. That''s why when Richard Marshall, who reinforced his right foot, started to move, he crossed the 10-meter distance between him and Reginald in a single step. Reginald endured Richard''s sword strike with his shield as he reinforced his hand to do that and tried to return an upper strike which Richard parried with his shield as he backed a step. Reginald followed up with a left, right, left, and then lower right before changing the trajectory and fainting a blunt bash with his shield that pushed Richard back. Making an opening, Reginald went for a stab but Richard simply backed away and broke the engagement to catch a breather. While the fight just now was careful and calculated between the two, it was nonetheless exciting as all of that only happened in the span of five seconds. It was fast-based, very accurate, and done with real sharp weapons. A martial ballet of fighting choreography. After around three minutes of constant attacking and defending, the two participants backed out and cleared the stage for the judges to declare their judgment. The three men simply stared at each other and a second later, Sir Gerald Fitzwilliams spoke up. "Contestant Reginald Ashcroft, Pass!" As the pass was declared, Richard and Reginald greeted the judges and greeted one another before retreating from the performance court. It couldn''t be more joyous for the two since their performance was so good it set a standard for the ones coming after them. The following performance was more systematic than exciting and the performers did their best to deserve a warm round of applause and did the following ones until the seven martial performances were over. What varied between most of the performances, aside from the skillfulness of the performers, was the reaction of the judges. While all the performers passed, they were given a specific score that was recorded by each judge on an official log and it wasn''t revealed on the spot. This will be done later this evening with the main grades. After the martial performance comes the magic performance and even Vivian had to come out from the rehearsal room in order to watch the magic bouts. The Judges took their seats but this time, a magical artifact was installed near the judges, and its control was given to them. This was a barrier artifact that could envelop the whole performance court in order to prevent any wild magic from getting out and harming an outsider. As the first bout started, two students stood in front of each other and each of them had his own Magic Ring equipped on their fingers. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. One student revealed the ability to summon fog and cloud-like constructs while the other could conjure twilight emissions. Magic abilities varied greatly. While one can be element-based, others can be rather odd and manipulate any kind of energy. More than just magic, Vivian felt this was almost like Superpowers. Once one awakens a superpower, he gets to be limited to its applications but needs to be creative in order to find versatility. The fog and twilight were a very odd match-up. While Fog is basically condensed vapor in the atmosphere, its caster could thicken in to be as white as clouds and could shape it into large things like a big arm or a giant made of fog. His attacks were a mix of strong wind and a chilling watery effect. As for his opponent, he used a rather strange power of manipulating dark light, this twilight had arcane properties that defied sense as if it was eating away its opponent''s power but it seemed rather limited at what it could be shaped into and the duration it can be kept up. The twilight mage cast his magic like bolts but the fog was dense enough to let light pass through and finally cornered the twilight mage into a defensive battle until he was cornered and gave up. This was an impressive match despite the difficult visibility caused by the fog. It set a large amount of hype for the following bouts. The second magic bout performers were a conjurer of crystal-like objects, that flew freely and formed rough constructs, and a heatwave manipulator. The third bout performers were both using sonic attacks in varied ways. It went so on and so forth until the last bout was over between the Morgan twins. With that, the magic performance was over and it seemed like all the excitement was over but the crowd soon started whispering about Prince Edward the same as it happened in the garden just a few hours ago. It was known that Crown Prince Liam would perform this year alongside his girlfriend, Lady Matilda, not too long after his engagement was broken. For that, people were expecting him to participate in the Magic Performance and finally show off his true capabilities to the world but that didn''t seem to be the case this time around. He was participating in the Music Performance as it seemed since he hadn''t shown up yet. While a bit lackluster, Prince Liam is known to dislike grand appearances or showing off. But what was said after that was revealed afterward was a bit shocking. "I was anticipating His Highness to finally show us his swordsmanship. I feel like I missed a great opportunity to judge his abilities." Lord Henry Marshall spoke with a hint of disappointment after he returned to the VIP area. "Heh! Count Henry, you surely jest." Lord Nivel Musgrave replied as he turned towards Lord Henry Marshall, "Surely you and others know that His Highness''s skills are considered a national secret." "Yes, I have heard." Lord Henry Marshall replied as he smiled at the chamberlain of the royal family. The two lords smiled at one another but it seemed that their eyes didn''t reflect their smiles as if there was some wicked power struggle between the two of them. And with that, the Musical Performance commenced. The judges took their seats with Madame Sophie on the left side, Sir Hans on the right side, and Sir Theodore Nightingale on the middle. "First Performer Isadora Wellesley accompanied by student Johann Stirling." As the first student was called, a modest-looking beautiful young lady was accompanied by a young man of the same age. Both of them sat in the performance court''s new arrangement, where a multitude of musical instruments were laid out. Of course the students who came in had their own instruments with them. In the case of Isadora, she brought her violin while her partner, Johann, was going to play a piano-like instrument called the Harpsichord. "Isadora and Johann, mes bons ¨¦l¨¨ves, what will you play?" Madame Sophie asked as the two students took position. "Sun Serenade, first movement." The girl replied. "Tr¨¨s bien. Begin." Madame Sophie clapped once as the starting signal. And so the music started with the support of the musicians who provided background music for the main play. The duet of virtuoso violinist and masterful harpsichordist took the stage. With each stroke and chord, their serenade weaves a tapestry of love and longing, transcending time itself. The music, an enchanting spell, leaves the audience breathless, lost in the ethereal beauty of their performance. It didn''t take long for the crowd to be enthralled by the beauty of the music composed by a certain old man sitting as a judge. He was gray and thin but displayed sharp wits and eccentric love for music. Sir Theodore Nightingale was the composer of the Sun Serenade and a judge witnessing his piece being beautifully played. And as soon as the music ended, he seemed satisfied and smiled at the performers. This meant well, this meant really well. Theodore Nightingale was known for his vicious criticism of many things but he was a selfish man in regards to his own music, praising his own work without restraint. Why not, since he is the most talented musician in this era? The second performance began and another piece of Sir Theodore''s making was played. The Echoes of Trumpets and Horns was an angelic piece that he made for the Temple of Saints years ago and it is considered to be one of the most played pieces during Temple Prayers after those of Saint Amadeus. The remaining performances were all the same. The best pieces crafted by Theodore Nightingale. It made the other two judges, whose works are also world-renowned, roll their eyes at how narrow-minded their friend and colleague can be. That, until the sixth performance where even Theodore Nightingale had to stand up for the one entering the performance court. 35: Rhapsody (4) [Triple Chapter 3/3] (Part 3) "Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you at last." Theodore Nightingale greeted the Prince first rather than Madame Sophie, who introduced every student as they went on the stage. "Sir Theodore, I am but a mere student here. Please, don''t stand up for me." Very politely and humbly, the Prince showed extreme respect to his nation''s top musician, and the two men were almost about to kiss each other''s asses. "As you wish, your Highness. We are excited to hear you play." At that time, Sir Hans von Steinberg, the judge from Buren, decided to cut the ass-kissery short. "Right. What piece will you be playing, your Highness?" Sir Hans asked. "My partner, Lady Matilda, and I have chosen to play the Light of the Saints." The Prince answered. Not everyone knew why but a huge smile appeared on the faces of both Madame Sophie and Sir Hans while Sir Theodore Nightingale''s expressions couldn''t be read. After all, it is not a piece of his making but rather a very common and known piece that can be said to have been heard a thousand times by everyone. While it is a piece composed by Saint Amadeus, something that has been heard so many times becomes rather¡­ mundane. The judges sat back down and waited for it to be played. Usually, this would be played with a piano and a violin but it could easily be seen that when Prince Liam sat in front of the Piano, Matilda didn''t seem to bring a violin or rather pick one. She proceeded to stand directly at the center of the stage and faced the judge. "Oh! A vocalist?" With that question, the whole situation flipped on its head. The Light of the Saints was usually an instrumental piece that most vocalists would avoid except those select few that can reach the Whistle Register, which can be considered unattainable for many. If she can reach such an impressive note then forget about Theodore Nightingale and his shenanigans, he wouldn''t be able to voice a word. And so in that lightly lit hall draped in silken veils, the prince''s fingers caressed the ivory keys of the piano with ethereal grace, conjuring cascades of arpeggios that shimmer like starlight. Each chord resonated with celestial longing, paving the way for Matilda, whose voice ascended to the heavens with an elusive note, piercing every heart and striking every soul. As the Prince''s harmonies embrace Matilda''s unearthly tones, a symphony of celestial beings seems to awaken, their celestial melodies intertwining in a dance of cosmic harmony. The air hums with the resonance of their collaboration, making a weave of sound that transcends mortal comprehension. In that ephemeral moment, time stood still, and the audience were transported to a realm where music and magic intertwined. With each note, they were drawn deeper into the enchantment, spellbound by the otherworldly beauty of the duet. And as the final chord faded into the corner of the hall, the echoes of their performance lingered like whispers in the breeze, leaving behind a lingering sense of wonder and awe, one that many wanted to enjoy to never end. All the clapping and the applause halted for a few seconds until the echoes died and then it started from the first person who woke up from these heavenly visions, it was like none other and nothing was like it. It was as if God had created another miracle and put it into these two performers to create something this heavenly just as it was intended by Saint Amadeus. The intense celebration of such a performance struck everyone with awe and left them begging for more as the Prince and his partner walked off the performance court while waving and greeting their newfound fanbase. Amidst all that and aside from Prince Liam and Matilda, nobody noticed that Vivian was now on the performance standing tall and facing the busy judges. The two musicians, who were with her in the rehearsal, seemed to have lost their will to perform and hid behind the largest instruments found in the court while they braced and waited the storm stirred by the Prince and Matilda to settle. That performance just now was just too good. Impossibly good, in fact, nothing else should be played after it. Not even Vivian should perform in this kind of atmosphere now. If she had any sensibility that is. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Vivian remained standing beside the piano that the Prince just used and waited and waited and waited¡­ finally, when someone else took notice, he was Sir Theodore Nightingale, the most feared judge in the performance. When the man simply raised his hand, all the commotion died down gradually and people took notice of Vivian. There was that indeed, the seventh performance. "Thank you." Vivian spoke clearly and slightly bowed to Sir Theodore. Why is she here? A member of the crowd actually voiced that question out loud, displaying the sheer disdain Vivian is facing in the high society. Others seemed to be complaining as well but they were soon silenced by the fact that this place is the dominion of the Royal Family and House Morgan, nothing here happens by mere chance. But being all by herself was enough for many to show disdain in their eyes for the girl who had fallen from the position of Princess Consort back to the mere daughter of a count. Even Madame Sophie was having a hard time trying to find words to introduce Vivian with since she is not even one of her students. "Where is your partner, young lady?" But without even waiting for Madame Sophie, the old Sir Theodore Nightingale spoke to Vivian right away. "I was unable to acquire a suitable partner for tonight''s performance. I hope you forgive me, my lord." Vivian said while keeping her hands joined and her gaze on the ground, filled with grace and etiquette. She was a gorgeous and elegant creature despite the antagonism. And since her behavior sounded sure and confident, Sir Theodore couldn''t find fault with her right away. "Are you aware that half of your performance grade comes from your partner?" He asked again. "Yes. I apologize once again for the inconvenience. However, I may have found a solution for that." "And what is that?" He asked. "I shall perform two roles at once. I believe it is not against the rules of the Performance." Vivian replied. Two roles at once. Now that''s biting more than one can chew. In such nerve-wracking performances where everyone should show nothing less than perfection, doing two things at once is simply another name for the recipe for disaster. But it is not against the rules. "Vivian, mon cher, ''re you sure you ''re up to this?" At that time, Madame Sophie finally spoke. "It seems that I have no choice. I hope that I can be judged based on playing two roles if I am not being greedy." Vivian replied. The judges found the situation baffling. As for Sir Theodor and Sir Hans, they knew well that the First Royal Academy wouldn''t bring up a student who has no partner just by mistake. Traditions here are greatly honored and such a situation is surely aimed for. Also, seeing the complicated face made by Madame Sophie, the two judges were sensible enough to detect the situation Vivian was in. While more details on the situation were needed, so far it must go according to plan. "What piece will you play?" Sir Hans asked. "It''s an old song I know. Its singer isn''t with us in this world, may God rest his soul." Vivian replied. The judges frowned and it made most of the guests murmur among each other. It made many uncomfortable to hear whatever that was after the epic performance done by Prince Liam and Matilda. Speaking of which, the duet from the last performance had just joined the first row of students and seemed to be asking what was going on. Vivian was causing a scene again. Showing up without a partner, playing an unknown piece. Like what can go more wrong? Many eyes landed on Count Julian Moore, whose face was stiff and solemn, yet the look in his eyes towards his daughter betrayed his solemn face and many could tell that he was feeling sorry for his daughter. The judges, on the other hand, had a decision to make, whether to call this off or let her play. It was already a bad situation as it is and nothing can be done. "Go ahead!" Vivian was given the green light to perform and her two support musicians found their way to their instrument while completely drenched in cold sweat. A piano and vocal performance as it seemed just like the previous one with Prince Liam and Matilda. It was simply the worst joke possible at the moment. If it were to go wrong, Vivian and the performers would be booed at and shamed by the audience. Little did everyone know how much Vivian prepared and how much she trained. In her traits window, right after "Expert Pianist", there was "Adept Vocalist", and she was readier than ever. She pressed the first note¡­ ?? Is the real life¡­ ?? Then the second¡­ ?? Is this just fantasy¡­ ?? And her fingers danced so elegantly repeating the same note¡­ ?? Caught in a landslide¡­ ?? Then halted and let the following line start before playing while singing¡­ ?? No escape from reality¡­ ?? And just at that second, when her violet beautiful eyes met with old peepers of Sir Theodore Nightingale, the elderly musician found love. 36: Rhapsody (5) One man may think this is just a song but in fact, it is around 5 or 6 songs joined up together. Each of them has its own emotions and when these songs were lined up together, they created the perfect emotional roller coaster. That roller coaster was now taking some of the most talented people in the world of music to ups and downs never traversed before. A style of music that would appear not even a couple of centuries later but it was nonetheless something not repulsive or hard to the ears of someone from the era. It was classic at times, dramatic, theatric, and story-based, starting from life to death across love and tragedy. As she finished the first four lines, her piano play upped its pace and displayed a skill that can''t be scoffed at even by the best composers in the world, and despite not having an angelic voice or the best reputation at the moment, she sang confidently and sweetly, combining her strong clear voice with her accurate and fluent accent. ?? Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see¡­ ?? But then it started to get personal and words made meaning. ?? I''m just a bad girl, I need no sympathy¡­ ?? The piano play then shifted from the melodic smooth play to a pace that supported the feeling given by the lyrics. ?? Because I''m easy come, easy go, little high, little low¡­ ?? And then back gradually to the proper classical notes. ?? Any way the wind blows doesn''t really matter to me¡­ to me¡­ ?? As the first phase of the song was over, a few seconds were taken to crossover to a new set of tones and a new kind of emotion not so distant from the previous one. At that time, Vivian turned her gaze to her father, whose seat wasn''t far behind the judges. ?? Mama¡­ ?? ?? Just killed a man¡­ ?? Calling her mother, speaking about the recent accident where she shot a man. It stirred the crowd right up and didn''t leave any of them breathing. It wasn''t just a song because it was known to everyone what happened to her a few days ago when she was attacked and when she shot her attacker right in the eye. While it was a shock to everyone, it was a whole different thing to her father who watched her with pitying eyes and his solemness melted away. But her next words made those who didn''t breathe hold their breath even longer. ?? Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he''s dead¡­ ?? A chilling choice of words from the one known to be the villainess, yet her words displayed emotions unexpected of her. Regret? Fear? Longing for her late mother? ?? Mama, life had just begun¡­ ?? But now I''ve gone and thrown it all away¡­ ?? The sad notes struck with the strong echo that vibrated in the hall of ceremonies. Such a small girl made her echo strike deep like magic and aura yet with only just music and emotions while she was just calling for a mother she bitterly missed. ?? Mama, oooooooh, didn''t mean to make you cry¡­ ?? If I''m not back again this time tomorrow¡­ ?? Carry on, carry on¡­ ?? as if nothing really matters¡­ ?? And here it was, the one that almost brought tears to her father''s eyes. The daughter, who went through a desperate struggle against powers that ruined nations before, just pleading for her mother, who is no longer with them, telling her not to cry, telling her it can be the end any second. That''s the extent of the words she sang to touch everyone¡­ or nearly everyone. Every note she played was a conduit to every emotion she wanted to convey and the piano kept going as she took a short rest to breathe. ?? Too late, my time has come¡­ ?? Sends shivers down my spine¡­ ?? Body''s aching all the time¡­ ?? Rather than changing the notes she played, she was the one changing, the lyrics were defeated and desperate but she kept raising the flow of her singing, foreboding her demise. ?? Goodbye, everybody, I''ve got to go¡­ ?? Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth¡­ ?? Her eyes gaze lowered down then once again her singing burst into emotion! ?? Mama, oooOooOooh¡­ ?? I don''t wanna die¡­ ?? I sometimes wish I''d never been born at all¡­ ?? And her emotions swept every part of the ceremonial hall with worry, fearing her demise, struggling through misery, and displaying her defeat. There was a prince who watched all this and despite hearing that declaration of defeat and hopelessness, he found no victory or satisfaction. As soon as her emotions were clear and people looked at her for the person she was, his face became dejected like the devil. That was witnessed by no one except the Heroine, Matilda, whose face had nothing but fear and her body did nothing but shake and quiver. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Yet those words got everyone in Vivian''s spell and her father was on the brink of losing it with those last lines. But just as people were already feeling heavy and remembering to breathe, Vivian completely changed her piano play with some masterful movements and switched to the third phase, less classical, more lighthearted, but no less shocking. ?? I see a little silhouetto of a man¡­ ?? Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? ?? With this new tone and that new way of singing, it started to sweep people off their feet one more time for a totally different reason. She was light-hearted, playful even, twisting words, and using different languages. ?? Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening ME¡­ ?? Even with this sudden change, she had everyone hooked, unsure of what was happening, knowing nothing but still braving ahead along with her. ?? Galileo, Galileo, Galileo Figaro, magnificoOoOoOo¡­ ?? And in the same style but with a different note, her eyes looked ahead with dare and sassiness. ?? I''m just a bad girl, nobody loves me¡­ ?? She''s just a bad girl from a rich family¡­ ?? Damn her for her life with this monstrosity¡­ ?? It was then when it was figured out, what she was on about. That arranged marriage that would drive anyone to suicide. The vicious verdict made against her by the Royal Family to not just end her, but to do so in the most humiliating way. But even though she changed the original lyrics, she kept the original melody which sounded like she was switching voices between people having a conversation together¡ªthose who wanted to decide her fate and those who wanted to see her demise. ?? Easy come, easy go, will you let me go? ?? Besmallah! ?? No, we will not let you go! Let her go! ?? Besmallah! ?? We will not let you go! Let her go! ?? Besmallah! ?? We will not let you go! Let me go! ?? Will not let you go! Let me go! ?? Never, never, never, never let me go! ?? No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! ?? But was that begging for mercy? No, she said that she already lost but there were those who didn''t want to let her go. Despite admitting to a wrong she is not guilty of, she was not let go. ?? Oh, mamma mia, mamma mia! ?? Mamma mia, let me go! ?? Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me¡­ ?? Knowing that she is punished, knowing that a devil is waiting for her at the end of this orchestrated punishment. She still played her piano and the notes got quicker and louder. And that''s when the support musicians started getting into the act. It was hectic like never before. The piano in Vivian''s hand went crazy and she was everywhere as she was daring enough to jump to the fourth phase with a glissando in front of such figures. The drumist and the cellist behind her started going hard as well. All they did just now was provide a light background at some transitional parts to keep the music from going silent but now it was just a declaration of war with how wild it got. Vivian''s singing was cheerful the last time it was heard despite the meaning within but now it was loud, bold, no etiquette was given and the words were just direct, clear, and without hidden meanings. ?? So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? ?? So you think you can love me and leave me to die? ?? And it gave them all the chills of their lives. If not the Prince who is spoken to, then who else? ?? Oh, baby, can''t do this to me, baby! ?? Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here! ?? The rebellious piano couldn''t be stopped at this point and it was madness incarnate. But as it went fast and the support musicians tried to keep up as fast as they could, the music calmed down and started to revert to the calm, collected classical start. Even Vivian''s singing got calmer and she displayed the best pitch she could muster. ?? OoooOooh ?? Ooh, yeah, ooh, yeah ?? And these were the most beautiful piano notes she ever played that evening, making the crowd feel the coldness of the sweat that accumulated on their skin while they were with her in the heat of the moment. She then sang softly and smoothly. ?? Nothing really matters, anyone can see¡­ ?? Nothing really matters¡­ ?? Nothing really matters¡­ to me¡­ ?? As she looked up to finish the last set of notes, she uttered the line from the beginning of the song softly while watching the old man, Sir Theodore Nightingale, who parted from his seat just a couple of meters away from her. ?? Any way the wind blows! ?? As the playing died down and the echo faded away, old Sir Theodore Nightingale zoomed closer to Vivian carrying his hat ahead of him with both his hands. "Lady Vivian, will you marry me?" Boldly, the man asked. "No." Boldly, she replied with a face not hiding her comical shock. "Is it because I am too old? Age is just a number, you know." He said and smiled cheekily. "You can''t say that when you''re older than my father." She replied straight away. The man burst into laughter and looked at Vivian with a grin. "Then how about a date?" He asked. "I''ll say yes if I pass with the highest grades." She said. "As if you have left anyone the ability to argue against that." He laughed, turned away, and walked back to his seat. Vivian stood right next to the piano watching the old man leave and shrugged as she turned away but out of nowhere, somebody started clapping in the crowd. From the VIP area, it was her father. He stood up and started clapping all by himself. And what do you know, others started to clap right after him, not just one or two, almost half of the gathered people were clapping. Some were more fearful than others but finally, the herd mentality got to them all and some hid behind others to clap as well. It may not be an explosive round of applause like how it happened with Prince Liam and Matilda but that was an acknowledgment nonetheless. Even Saskia, Vivian''s stepmother, clapped from behind her husband and seemed as if she was engulfed by emotions, not that Vivian would buy it for rusty shelling. This was a victory, something one can no longer ignore. Despite her daring act of defiance towards the Prince, including the song she just performed, Vivian Moore has managed to regain her footing and the High Society can no longer antagonize her. And that''s a goal scored right into his face. 37.1: Blood Scandal (1) Author Note: I''ll start referring to Aura Knight ranks from now on by their colors like Bronze-ranked Knight or Silver Aura Knight. They still hold the same meaning as Apprentice and Adept Knights respectively.
(Part 1) This was supposed to be the night we, the students of the Academy, should cherish as the most memorable and one of the most precious moments of our lives. Graduating from the First Royal Academy meant so much to many people: success, honor, prestige, and the start of our metamorphosis into adult and professional lives. Some of us had their weddings planned right after that event, some of us were going to be dispatched to other parts of the world to establish our own names, and some of us just wanted to embrace our loved ones and dance for our last night as children, for tomorrow we will wake up as the men and women who carry the future on their backs. Yet evil resides within every soul, and in some, it takes away most of the good they can do and turns it into eldritch malice and impure maleficence. That night in the academy, I watched two lives get destroyed. A student was murdered and a girl''s life was shattered to ruin. I was on the sidelines, watching how it unfolded in disgust while fully realizing that I knew nothing before. This so-called noble high society is just another construct of man, and such things can be flawed and filled with evil. *** ¡ªEarlier that Night¡ª It wasn''t as expected for certain characters how the day would pass. Like many, the performance of Prince Liam and Lady Matilda has captivated many with its celestial theme and holy aura. And while Vivian wasn''t expected to live up to the challenge of being the following performer of those two talented individuals, her performance alone swooped the crowd off their feet and left them dazzled by her charm. Her vocal skills weren''t in any way, shape, or form superior to those of Matilda, and her piano skills ¡ªwhile they could rival the best pianists¡ª were slightly above the Prince''s skill. Regarding skill, she is right there among her peers, standing out only a little. But her performance was truly remarkable, and the combination of her singing, playing, and emotive delivery was nothing short of flawless. She took a masterpiece from a legendary musician ¡ªa cultural atomic bomb so to speak¡ª and reinterpreted it in a way that resonated with her own personal narrative. And at that moment Vivian took her seat among her peers, she was no longer seen as the antagonist of the dream-like relationship of Prince Liam and Matilda Ambrose, but rather someone who has been through a tough experience and threatened by powers no one would dare face. She was even acknowledged highly by Theodore Nightingale, who, despite his unexpected jokester attitude, is a very serious man about music. And so it was over, the 21 student performances of this year''s graduates. While it was up to the standards on every front, the musical performance captivated everyone this year and set the bar way too high for the following years. But now was the time to relax and let the steam cool off. Provost Albert Morgan took to the stage in the VIP area once again and spoke to the crowd. "We appreciate your dedication and patience in mentoring our students. Their outstanding performances serve as a testament to your efforts in raising them and preparing them for the real world. I hope that the younger students will learn from their seniors and continue to showcase our talents and cultural heritage to the world in the upcoming year. And with that, I think everyone deserves to stretch a bit. We have been seated for more than two hours now. Until the grades are ready to be revealed, you can have fun." The provost clapped and rows of servants and musicians started to flow into the hall. The musicians carried their instruments and the servants carried liquor. A few open buffets were even revealed in various places of the hall. The performance court was now opened to be accessed directly from the seating areas and the students were encouraged to gather down for the dance ball. The male students were to gather on the eastern side of the court while the female students were to gather on the western side. The two groups would face each other and the couples would elegantly walk up to each other and join hands. The music started. At the forefront of the male students was Prince Liam, who stepped forward with a very elegant style and footwork, facing him was Matilda, who stepped forward just as elegantly and joined him. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The two faced each other and bowed slightly before joining arms and dancing slowly. Four young men moved after that and faced four young ladies from the other direction who moved simultaneously with them. Later, the young men and women flocked towards each other on the dancing court and the music kept moving them with its smooth classical motions. Back on the western side, Vivian stood among the other female students who still waited for their partners to come and she was then joined by Edith. "Congratulations on your performance, senior." Edith spoke with obvious glee and a wide smile. To that, Vivian turned to face her in a stiff manner. "Yes. Thank you." She replied. "What''s wrong?" Edith asked. "I''m worried." Vivian said, "Now that I cooled off, wasn''t my performance too bold?" "Oh, it was the boldest." Edith replied with a serious face. "Oh, boy!" Vivian stiffened even more. "Well, I wouldn''t worry if I were you. Being bold is not being rude. Nobody was offended and it was a performance for the ages." Edith added. "Thank you, Edith. I guess." Vivian nodded. "And don''t worry about the dance. I am here all by myself too. We can just slip back and nobody will¡­" "Here you are, my ladies." As Edith was insinuating Vivian skipping the party, two young men approached them. To the dismay of Vivian, one of them was Richard Marshall, the one on the top of her hit list which she recites every night once or twice. Along with him was his partner from the performance, third-year student, Reginald Ashcroft. From what it seemed, Reginald was the one driving Richard here against his own will. Reginald had his arm over Richard''s shoulder and the latter wasn''t even looking towards Vivian. "Lord Reginald." Vivian spoke to the man she could at least tolerate. "Lady Vivian, that was a performance to remember. I clapped until my hands went red." Reginald said and showed his red palms to Vivian. "I am glad my humble performance was to your liking, my Lord." Vivian replied with a bashful bow. "Lady Edith, I assume you are this guy''s fianc¨¦e." Reginald said while turning to Edith and nudged Richard''s side. "I happen to be." Edith replied without making eye contact with Richard, whom she was mad at. "Splendid! I don''t know what he had in mind but that guy is clumsy enough to forget inviting you to the dance, and so I deliver him safe and sound." Reginald said with a cheerful attitude while patting Richard hard on his back. Bothered by Reginald''s happy-go-luckiness and chummy attitude, Richard followed his senior''s instructions and stepped ahead towards Edith. "Dear Edith." Richard spoke while keeping the coolest attitude he had and facing her. "Dear Richard." Edith faced Richard in return. "Will you honor me with this dance?" He asked politely and offered a hand. Edith looked between Vivian and Richard since she was planning to skip the dance with Vivian but now as she had a dancing partner, even Vivian encouraged her to go. It wasn''t that Vivian was okay with Richard being with Edith, her first friend after transmigrating, but rather she didn''t want to be seen as someone who was getting between two betrothed people. On the other hand, Edith was hoping for Vivian to activate her villainess mode and smite Richard with some nasty lines but knowing that Vivian has just restored part of her public image, she didn''t want to burden her either and decided to go with Richard. As for Vivian, she found herself standing alone with Reginald Ashcroft, who smiled in a friendly manner by her side. "Something funny on my face, Lord Reginald?" Vivian asked. "Oh, excuse my rudeness. It is just that no one could have ever expected you to be such a musician." Reginald said. "Such a musician?" Vivian asked with her brows up. "Such a great musician." Reginald rephrased his line with an index of indication. "Thank you, that''s very kind of you, my Lord. I may have not witnessed your performance but people praise it royally." Vivian said, returning the courtesy. "Are you being serious? Nobody is talking about anything that happened before your performance except that of His Highness. Practically nobody remembers us now." Reginald complained with a tired face that conveyed how wronged he must have felt. "Cheer up, my lord. At least you are confident in your ability." Vivian said. "Indeed. But against that Richard¡­" Reginald said and let out a sigh, "Sometimes I feel he goes easy on me." "Can''t say I am fond of your choice of friends." Vivian replied while looking away. "I know. But he''s a good person when you get to befriend him¡­ and his father is my father''s liege lord. So he will be my liege lord one day." Reginald stated. "I assume that makes you his biggest fan by default." Vivian said. "We''re just good friends." Reginald said before facing Vivian and offering her a hand, "I hope my friendly manners and good attitude have earned me a dance." "What about your dancing partner?" Vivian asked. "Let''s say that Richard wasn''t the only clumsy one. A lot of us, boys, actually didn''t get to invite a girl." Reginald said without a hint of being ashamed. "Fine. I''ll be honored, my lord." Vivian agreed to join Reginald on the dance floor and they slowly joined the crowd. Being a Silver-ranked Knight, Reginald was taught in all the refined arts from a young age and so was Vivian. The two danced beautifully and attracted attention until the music was slowly ending. Each dancer faced their own partner and greeted each other with a polite bow before all turning around to face the VIP second where Provost Albert Morgan took to his stage once again. 37.2: Blood Scandal (1) (Part 2) "Young students." The Provost called and his voice echoed to every corner in the hall, "In my hands there are a handful of official sealed scrolls. These are the students'' log of codes, the performance grades given by the esteemed judges, and finally, the final exams'' grades." It was the moment everyone was waiting for. Nobody even dared to breathe loudly. "Only the third-year students remain in the center of the court please." The Provost said making every other student move to the side while all the third years remain in the spotlight. "First of all, let me congratulate the 88 students who passed from the total of 110 students. Making this year''s success rate higher than any previous year despite the difficulty. As for the 22 students who will not be hearing their names mentioned tonight, you will have to report to the Second Royal Academy within the limit of three days to undergo your re-evaluation. With that out of the way, let''s begin announcing the grades." 88 students passed while 22 failed. In other words, one of every five students has failed this year. The students who weren''t confident in their grades were already falling apart from worry and could be noticed quite easily. Some academy servants brought in a gigantic blackboard on wheels and a table was already drawn on it. That table had three rows of information, one for the students'' code numbers, another for the students'' names, and the last for the grades. Many professors started gathering around the table and the Provost himself descended to join them as well. He handed two of the official papers he had to the right and left Deans and the younger teachers were readying themselves to record everything on the board. "Manifistus!" "Manifistus!" "Manifistus!" Three professors, who seemed proficient in Magic, cast a magical spell as they vocally called its name. "Manifistus" is one of the weakest yet most used spells known to man, also known as the Magic Hand Cantrip. It covers the hand with a faint aura and conjures an apparition of that hand that floats in the air. Just as proficient and skillful as its owner''s dominant hand, these magic hands picked up the chalks provided on the blackboard and followed the instructions given by the Provost. [Image Here] The Provost started with the student''s code from the lowest grade to the highest. It took a fair ten minutes to get all the codes and grades in order. The students at the 88th rank scored 97.03% and the grades kept going, increasing only by 0.01 to 0.05 points. It is worth noting that this ranking disregarded the difference between the subjects each student picked since it was expected of every student to be nothing less than perfect. It was also known that if the difference between two students was greater than 0.1 point, the student of lower grade, anyone lesser than them, would automatically fail. It was then time to reveal the names. "Starting from the 88th rank, Timothy Brown¡­" The professor standing near the board adds a plate with the name of Timothy Brown to the board. "Alan Talbot, Thomas Spenser, Evelen Firzwillaims, Fredrick Percy¡­" Name after name, the list was being filled upward, and many faces were seen triumphing, humiliated, and hopelessly desperate. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. With grades being this close, there was no point competing on a specific rank. What the students had to compete over was petty superiority. Relationships of rivalry and camaraderie would form in such an environment and the students created a system to bet on themselves and against each other. Bets would involve money, possessions, and collectibles of all sorts. The academy encouraged this kind of behavior even and didn''t forbid students from gambling with grades. Vivian had no such bets going on but it seemed that some people had bet A LOT against her. It was to be expected since her situation was a bad one and despite the names reaching rank 40, her name was not mentioned just yet. Can it be that the Prince''s influence has reached so deep into the Royal Academy to the point where she was eliminated regardless of her efforts? The notion was scary for Vivian to think about, especially when she had a lot hanging on the balance. "And now we move on to the top 10 students." Provost Albert Morgan said, "Before that, let me remind you that the top from each year are the only ones allowed to participate in post-graduate studies here in the Academy, which guarantees them the position of Assistant Teacher in the future if they wish to pursue the academic career. With that out of the way, here are the top 10 students." At that point in time, most of the students were already sure about some faces in the crowd who in no way in hell can''t be in the top 10. "Scoring 99.34, Aleister Crowly." The name of the 10th-ranked student was announced. "Scoring 99.36, Rebecca Stirling." The 9th. "Scoring 99.37, Stephania Habsburg." The 8th. "Scoring 99.41, Vivian Moore." The 7th. And here it was¡­ the names everyone was already sure wouldn''t be heard since the ranking reached the top 30s. The 7th ranked student in this year''s finals. Only then would the facade shown by Prince Liam fall instantly as he looked towards Vivian with eyes wide open. She made it! She survived everything and persisted in the top 10, even though she was a candidate to be in the top 5 from her performance during the school year. All his effort only pushed her two ranks backward. "Scoring 99.42, Valentine De Clare." Then the 6th was announced. "Scoring 99.44, Kevin Law." The 5th. "Scoring 99.45, Ansley Byron." The 4th. "Scoring 99.48, Cornelius Morgan." The 3rd. "Scoring 99.49, Octavius Morgan." The 2nd. "And finally with the score of 99.51. His Highness, Crown Prince Liam Harland." And the 1st. That final bit was pretty wild since two members of House Morgan reached the second and third ranks while it was expected for the Prince to reach the first rank. But was it over? Absolutely Not! These are the grades before the bonus from the performances was added. The students would duel for these performance positions all year long just to get the chance to boost their grades at the end of the year and there are only 21 spots available for all 110 students. "First, the marital performance, Student Reginald Ashcroft was awarded 0.3 points for his performance, leading to a score of 99.63. Second, student Percival Wentworth was awarded 0.21 points¡­" The situation kept going and every student from the martial performance was awarded between 0.1 to 0.3 points at best. This toppled even the Prince''s rank in the lead but not for long, of course. The magic performance bonuses were added and the score got even wilder. Even Vivian and Valentine were already out of the top 10 at that point and other students replaced their spots leading Cornelius and Octavius Morgan to be the new 1st and 2nd ranks. Finally, the music performance scores were added and it got wild. Many of the faces that were in the top 10 started to return to their rightful position and Prince Liam''s turn was up. "... sixth, his highness Prince Liam Harland was awarded 0.5 points for his performance, awarding him a score of 100.01 points. This is by far the highest grade ever given to a student in our academy in all of our surviving records." 100.01 points is already insane enough for the score to be a world record and it made many people congratulate the prince with insane fervor. The Prince, however, was solemn and worried. "Finally, Vivian Moore was awarded¡­" The Provost halted his words at that moment and looked at the paper he just opened before looking towards the music performance judges as if he was trying to argue, the three judges seemed to have figured out this would happen the moment they saw the score on the board. "She was awarded 0.6 points which is legally the highest combined score that can be given by the judges, as every judge can give up to 0.2 points." Provost Albert Morgan seemed to be trying to get this off his shoulders and blame the judges for it in front of the Prince, "This rewards Vivian Moore the total of¡­ 100.01 points." 37.3: Blood Scandal (1) (Part 3) This was the most frightened some people have ever been. Vivian Moore survived the unfair treatment and got the judges of the music performance to her side with her awesome solo, granting her that much grades. While 0.6 is a measly number, it means that every judge awarded Vivian with 0.2 points, which is the highest one is allowed to give. And now she is not only the top student, she is in a draw with the Crown Prince himself. "A tie situation is not a precedent in the academy." The Provost tried to contain the situation as fast as he could, "Usually, two students would¡­ engage in a debate¡­ or a quiz¡­ to solve this draw and¡­" What a situation! A showdown between the Prince and his ex-fianc¨¦e. But after all that happened, was this fair? The Prince, with all his princely prowess, only had 5 subjects in his finals, while Vivian had 11 of them. To get her initial score, Vivian had to have done so well in most of the exams, her grades must have reached 100 on some of them, which is a miracle all by itself. In the grading system, a very tiny amount of grades is always reserved for all students unless they provide a creative answer, so creative in fact, they may actually contribute to the advancement of the field of science they were tested in. So is it fair to make the two compete on something that would have been given to her if her effort was treated fairly? But then, Vivian Moore seemed to be raising her hand, requesting to speak. "Young Lady Vivian, I am afraid there is nothing you can do no matter how you complain." Provost Albert Morgan spoke, trying to shut Vivian up before she voiced her opinion. "Nothing of the sort, the Right Honorable, Count Morgan. Rather, if you may allow me, my Lord, I can solve this dilemma for you logically and gracefully." Vivian spoke eloquently and bowed respectfully. "Go ahead then, young lady." Provost Albert looked at Vivian dismissively but in his heart, there was a strange feeling he shouldn''t shake off. "The first place should undoubtedly be for His Highness since his overall grades are the highest. I only got to rank up that high thanks to my performance." Vivian said. The Provost was actually impressed that such a solution was presented by Vivian herself. He would do it if he could but then he''d face the protests of House Moore all year long. "This sounds splendid." The Provost said and was about to order the ranking to be finalized but another raised his hand. "Excuse me, Lord Albert Morgan." The Prince himself was the one speaking this time. "Your Highness?" The Provost started to feel distressed as he foresaw what the Prince may have seen from his expressions. "I think going against the traditional means to simply pursue the easy way out of a problem may raise unforeseeable issues in the future. I have nothing against having a quiz or a debate against Lady Vivian." The Prince said. "How can I do that, your Highness? With your excellent grades, it will be pointless to compare the knowledge we have." Vivian immediately replied to the Prince without going through the Provost. None could tell but the situation wasn''t just about the two being stubborn. From the sidelines, Edmond Black was watching this conversation with a concerned face. "I only think it is unwise to abandon the traditional procedure. I thought you understood that, my Lady." The Prince said. "If something is pointless or no longer of use, it is only natural to discard it." She replied and then had a sly smile, "I thought you understood that, your Highness." She retorted. "Shit!" Edmond shut his eyes as he was the only one understanding what was happening. Everyone in the Hall thought the Prince and Vivian were having one of their usual public quarrels from the time they were betrothed. The two always found something to argue over and that seemed to be the case right now. But this wasn''t the usual thing they would argue about in Edmond''s eyes. Vivian has never dared to use this kind of argument against the Prince and this time, she was using a dirty underhanded move that would only work on the Prince. "Your Excellency, I suggest we continue with a quiz rather than this pointless argument. It is pointless to hear Lady Vivian keep saying the same thing over and over." The Prince ignored Vivian''s provocation and went to the Provost directly. Seeing how stubborn the Prince has become, Vivian couldn''t hide her intent anymore. "In that case, I guess I can give up a portion of my grade. According to the rules, the loser in a quiz or a debate must voluntarily submit a chosen number of points when a debate is lost. This means that giving up on some grades is allowed and so I give up on a 0.01 grade and His Highness can take this victory home." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "This is not possible!" The Prince said. "I''m afraid, your Highness, young Lady Vivian has the right to do so. This concludes this year''s ranking ceremony." Provost Albert Morgan spoke up and quickly wrapped up the whole thing. Even if he were to go against the Prince''s preferences, the Provost preferred to finish Vivian''s way, unaware of the consequences of his actions. While it seemed like Prince Liam had maintained his composure, Edmond was already wracking his head to solve this messy situation. Vivian managed to do what upsets Prince Liam the most. She has played with his ego and messed with his pride. While the Prince may seem like the most sociable butterfly in the garden, there''s an ugly facade that even Vivian, who poked the hornet''s nest, knows nothing about. But she knew damn well how big his ego can be and where to kick it where it hurts. As for the Provost, he was already happy to get this over with. "With that, the first position in this year''s finals goes to His Highness Liam Alexander Edward Harland III, Duke of Gleamshire and Crown Prince of Great Elgard." The whole crowd applauded the Prince for 5 seconds according to etiquette and the Provost continued. "The second place goes for Lady Vivian Keone Moore, the third for Octavius Morgan, the fourth¡­" The Provost listed the top four ranks, which were altered greatly thanks to the results added by the performances. After he was done, he happily announced. "Today marks an important milestone for all of you, as you, the 18-year-old lords and ladies, transition from youth to full-fledged members of our prestigious society. This spring festival serves as your official debut, symbolizing your coming-of-age. From this moment forward, you are no longer mere youngsters but esteemed members of our ranks. Traditionally, His Majesty King August III would address you on this occasion. However, due to unforeseen international circumstances, the honor falls upon me, your senior, to extend a warm welcome on behalf of His Majesty. As you embark on this new chapter, loyalty, honor, and unwavering service to the crown are paramount. Uphold the legacy of your families and your ancestors. Reverence the Holy Seven, remain steadfast in your allegiance to Great Elgard, and above all, dedicate yourselves to serving the interests of the crown to the utmost of your abilities. With that said, everyone can now retreat to the outer garden. I believe that we missed the sunset but the celebration is yet to begin. Have fun until midnight." The graduation ceremony was over, all the guests stood up and the gates were opened. Reginald approached Vivian once again and greeted her. "Congratulations on the Second rank, Lady Moore." He said and bowed slightly holding Vivian''s hand, who didn''t mind letting him part her with a kiss. "Congratulations on the Seventh rank, Lord Ashcroft." Vivian accepted his courtesy. "Senior. Congratulations." Edith also joined the two of them right away. "Thank you, I hope you do well by next year, Edith." Vivian replied. Following Vivian was Richard Marshall, who kept staring at Vivian blankly. "Senior Reginald, I wanted to ask you about something." Richard said. "Sure thing." Reginald listened to Richard immediately and turned to Vivian, "Will see you later in the garden?" "I will be waiting, my Lord," Vivian replied. As Richard and Reginald left, Edith immediately noticed someone coming from behind Vivian and respectfully bowed. "Vivian." Count Julian spoke. "Father." Vivian turned and looked at her father with a proud smile. "You have done well. I am proud of you." Count Julian said. "Thank you, Father." Vivian smiled but the moment she saw the faces behind her father, her smile gradually and uncomfortably disappeared. It was, of course, Saskia and Robert. As per his usual attitude, Robert hated Vivian''s guts and couldn''t even congratulate her. As for Saskia¡­ "Vivian, dear, the performance was¡­ amazing. I can''t wait to show you off at the Novarkian Ambassador''s birthday next week. And the Gala after in at the River Palace, you must be there!" Saskia said with an excited attitude. "I am afraid I wasn''t invited and I have no plans to attend a party next week." Vivian rejected Saskia respectfully. "Pardon? H-How about the week after it? There''s a party at the Chemin D''Or wine company. I can introduce you to¡­" "That would be impossible. I already made plans for the entire next month." "How sad! Fine, next month there is a party your Father is hosting at the mansion." Saskia seemed disappointed but her brain filled with nothing party schedules soon found one Vivian couldn''t miss. "Right! I managed to invite the one and only Morris Van Brosa to our mansion." Count Julian''s eyes brightened up right away at the mention of that party. "If it is for the sake of our house, I''ll attend a hundred parties, Father." Vivian said. "Splendid!" More than anyone, Saskia was the one excited. "Edith and I will join the party outside if you excuse us, Father." Vivian said. "It''s alright. You can go." Count Julian let his daughter retreat with Edith to the outside. The atmosphere inside the ceremonial hall was already sleep-inducing since it was all etiquette and pleasantries, unlike the outside where the air doesn''t smell like old wood and leather hoarded from all the colonies across the world. Vivian was pleased to see that many people were willing to approach her while praising her incredible effort in the exams and the performance as well as showing courtesy and giving up on the first rank for the Prince. While it seemed that most of these people were two-faced and only fixed their attitude with her after she got her reputation improved, Vivian was in desperate need of connections and acquaintances for the rest of her plans afterward and those people may serve a purpose one day. While it all seemed like going well and fine, Vivian noticed that neither the Heroine nor any of the seven capture targets were present in the garden celebration, which seemed oddly weird as this was the game''s outro. For her to interrupt their happy ending scenario this badly and hijack the good things that come out of it, kind of made her worried. Then, her worries were made a reality in front of her eyes. ? You have completed the quest "Karma Thief". ? ? You have been awarded "Karma Sensor". ? ? You will be notified of any Karma fluctuation in close vicinity from you that may affect your Karma in the future. ? That quest! Vivian totally forgot about it and it made her mind freeze. Just now, a very terrible feeling began to crawl under her skin. ? You sense Bad Karma fluctuation nearby! 151 meters! ? ? You sense Bad Karma fluctuation nearby! 1232 meters! ? There was no need for a message to appear. Vivian feels as if she has grown a sixth sense of her own and now can feel something ominous from the main building of the Ceremonial Hall. "Shit! I can''t get any rest, can I?" 38: Blood Scandal (2) In front of everyone, a body was seen pulverized in the most monstrous way anyone can imagine. And in a chamber not too far from this murder scene, a girl was found holed up in a corner with a bruised body and a tattered bloody dress, her memories were hazy and she spoke not a single word. On a fateful night in the prestigious academy, a scandal unfolded within the hallowed halls of learning, causing potential international embarrassment. The perpetrator managed to evade capture, leaving no trace behind. This incident served as a harsh awakening for the students, revealing the dark truth that immense power can lead to impunity and the ability to conceal heinous crimes with flimsy excuses. It was a day that shattered the sheltered innocence of the 19-year-old students, exposing the corrupt nature of the so-called nobles they had once held in high regard. Now, they had to navigate a world where they must fend for themselves against formidable adversaries. [A/n: A reader has made me realize that Vivian should be 19 by the end of her third school year so everyone is now a year older. I''ll fix it in the previous chapters if I can.]
Earlier in the garden, I sensed something disturbing coming from the building we just got out of. Before that, I obtained a new System Function that can detect some sort of Karma. While I don''t understand what it really does and the system kept it a mystery from me, I knew that the moment I interfere with whatever trouble brewing inside the Ceremonial Hall, I will get myself stained with the shit brewing within. If this Karma Sensor is good for anything, it is an incredible tool to avoid trouble. No matter what it is, I can just look the other way and¡­ ? New Quest: [Investigation: Investigate your first Karmic event "What is going on in the Ceremonial Hall?"] ? ? Time Limit: 1 Hour ? ? Reward: 1 Free Tarot draw. ? ? Failure: Deducting 3000 SP. ? Son of a bitch! That much? An event quest now? Just like the game, these are time-limited quests that generate encounters with all sorts of random stuff. I really wanted to stay away from people and parties because this is what happens. Now I must go inside the ceremonial hall and investigate? I had a really really really really really bad feeling. This sensation I am getting from that Karma Sensor thingy is also getting under my skin in a way I never thought possible. "Senior! Something wrong?" Edith came from behind me asking and as I turned to face her, I saw her carrying a platter of food. Not just a regular plate, but an actual platter filled with all sorts of delicacies. "Edith, you''re eating all that?" I asked without even thinking of being nice. Edith looked between me and the platter she was carrying and then looked at the food she was stuffing in her mouth. Well despite it being an open-air party, food was offered in a manner that can be eaten from a platter by hand directly and it was all nice and tasty but my cute junior villainess seemed to be indulging herself way too much. "I am a knight, senior. I eat large portions just to get by." She said with a guilty face. While petite and slender, one can''t tell that Edith is this kind of heavy eater indeed. I liked how her piercing gaze and determined attitude would scare off people from approaching me whenever she''s around but it would be hard to take her seriously with that platter. "Why don''t we get away from here so that you can eat all you want?" I said. "I don''t really mind. But it would be nice to be comfortable someplace else." She said and seemed agreeable enough to follow. "Perfect!" Now with her by my side, I don''t need to go investigating troublesome things alone. All I needed was to take her with me inside the Ceremonial Hall main building and look around the place. I pretended to be interested in the various pieces of art hanging around the hallways while I was slowly advancing toward the nearest place I felt¡­ "Whoops!" "Ouch! I am sorry, I¡­" I should have figured that of all the people I would bump into when I was investigating trouble, it would be her. "¡­ Lady Vivian!" "Commoner girl! What are you doing here?" It is Matilda Ambrose once again. The Heroine that keeps popping up when not needed. "I¡­ I¡­" As she seemed to be struggling for words, Edith butted in. "You do realize that without official escort, a commoner can''t freely roam such a place?" Edith went for the usual villainess discrimination lines once again. "Forget it, Edith. She is usually surrounded by some young lord or accompanying His Highness." I said as I wasn''t interested in wasting my time on her. "Yes, senior. That''s the case it seems." Edith agreed to let it go. "His¡­ His Highness is in a meeting with the Provost." Matilda said in a weak and thin voice. "Alright, we are not interested." I said and walked past her towards my target. Edith followed me without asking much but then¡­ "Stop, please!" The Heroine immediately chased after us. "What?" Annoyed, both Edith and I turned to her with the villainous intent to bully. "Don''t go that way. It is¡­ it is¡­" Matilda kept hesitating to speak but for a moment there, I could smell her fear. It is not just some intuition, it is the fear a predator smells in a prey. I don''t know why those thoughts came to my head as I looked at her but I could see that Edith had the same feeling as I. Matilda is just so¡­ bulliable. But that wasn''t what I had to think about right now. She wanted to stop me from going in the direction I was taking, which meant she knew something. "Why would we listen to a commoner?" Edith said as if she wanted to corner Matilda even more. "Something¡­ I don''t know¡­" Matilda started to appear more than just afraid, she was terrified and that wasn''t from us, it was from whatever in that direction. I knew it. How the Heroine gets to be involved in all kinds of events. If I am not mistaken¡­ "Karma sensor¡­" "Hm?" For a moment there, Matilda''s eyes widened, and looked at me. Stupid me! I shouldn''t have said that. But just as I was about to divert her attention from what I said, the ominous feeling from the direction I was taking suddenly got worse. Much worse. My heart almost jumped off my chest and I lost my sense of balance for a moment there. "Oh no!" Matilda suddenly backed off with her back to a wall and her eyes filled with tears. "What is happening?" I couldn''t make head or tail of the situation but it all got too chilly and my heart raced. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "Senior, you okay?" Edith left Matilda and looked at me worried. "Edith, something just happened." I blurted without thinking. "What?" Edith put the platter of food on a console table nearby and put her hand to her sword''s hilt, "I didn''t hear anything." I moved towards the direction of that feeling and it led me past a corner where the hallway ended with a door. A simple wooden door that fits the style of the building without having any plate on it. Behind that door was that sensation I was feeling. "It''s here." Matilda, who seemed to have followed us all the way here, said as her eyes were flowing with tears. "Edith, get ready." I said as I called out two of the four flintlocks I had from my storage purse. I took one side of the door, Edith took the other, and we locked eyes. "Is it necessary?" She asked. I nodded then pointed to her with my eyes towards the door knop. She slowly reached out to it and on my muted countdown, she twisted the knop so silently I couldn''t believe her control was that good. But as the door opened, I aimed my guns ahead and quietly opened the door while checking my corners until¡­ "Shit!" "Is that?" As we entered the dim intersection hallway, we were met with a chilling sight. In the center of the dark room, a male body lay sprawled on the ground, surrounded by an eerie silence. The only source of movement was an open window, allowing a chilling cold current of air to stir the curtains, creating an unsettling atmosphere. "Going in!" I stepped ahead and covered my blind spots before proceeding to the middle of the hallway where the body was. Just one look at the face of that person was enough to put the fear of God into my very core. "God! What happened here?" I spoke out of terror. "That''s bad! Wait! He''s alive!" Edith approached from my side and checked the man''s pulse from his neck before looking at me. His face was so messed up he was unrecognizable. His nose was flattened and his facial bones were pulverized with massive force. Many wounds appeared on his body and it seemed he was hit with something powerful and blunt. "Matilda! Get here quickly!" I called the Heroine immediately who was freezing in terror at the door. "Wha¡­ wha¡­" She was completely frightened and her legs were losing strength judging by how she was clinging to the door just to keep standing. "You''re a healer for crying out loud, help him! NOW!" I shouted at her and she quivered from fear. She walked ahead but lost her footing as she got to me and I had to hold her not to fall on the blooded carpet. "We''re losing time! Do what you can and do it quickly!" I said then turned to Edith, "You''re the quickest, run and get help!" "On it!" Edith bolted like the wind and I let Matilda get on her knees and start healing. "Dear Lord! Blessed are thy Saints! Bringers of Light! Guide Saint Florence through me! Give me strength to save the sacred life of man! Amen! Gratia Horti!" I have to say, once she started praying, she felt like she was on autopilot and didn''t even stutter despite her shaking hands. As she extended her hands over the fallen man, a luminous circular dome appeared, bearing the emblem of a flower. It enveloped the man, and I could have sworn I witnessed the golden aura of numerous plants sprouting within the dome as they gently covered his wounds. This marked the initiation of the healing ritual. As the room was dim and only lit by the faint moonlight coming from the windows, the spell cast by Matilda finally shed some light on the body in front of us. He was a broad young man, a student, his clothes were mostly damaged but this pattern¡­ this texture¡­ these shoes. "No!" I recognized him. It took my insides by a storm but from all the people I met tonight, he was the most decent gentleman. "Reginald!" I can''t believe it! I refuse to believe it! One of this year''s strongest students was reduced to such a mess? How? I couldn''t do anything! I can''t do anything or else I may interrupt the healing ritual. I couldn''t even process what was going on and stood frozen in fear. Who would do that to him? I looked around and tried to think slowly, my head was already filled with noise and if I lose focus, I may not be able to find the truth of what happened. Think, Vivian, think! Less Vivian, more Nadia! That''s what I need now. Footprints! That wouldn''t disappear easily. All I needed was a source of light. I looked around and I found a candelabra nearby. I grabbed it and took one candle out before spreading some gunpowder on the marble table and hitting it with my gun''s flint. A spark ignited the gunpowder and I managed to catch it on the candle and then lit the remaining candles with it. That didn''t take a few seconds and I had a source of light right by my hand. I ran back to the bloody scene and looked around until I found the footprints I was looking for. Of course, the culprit jumped out of the window, and judging by the fact that we are at least four meters above the ground, the culprit is most certainly trained as a knight. From my storage purse, I retrieved a white handkerchief and spread it over the blooded footprint. As most of the blood was absorbed by the carpet, this footprint was barely faint but it was reprinted once again on the handkerchief. Now I have evidence. "What are you doing?" But out of Goddamn nowhere, I heard a voice behind me and without thinking, I turned around with my guns aimed at whoever that is. Just as sudden as that voice was, my first gun was hit off my hand and so I knew I had to protect the other one, so I retreated my wrist to my waist and with my freehand, I grabbed a dagger that I hid on my side to keep the assailant at bay. While I was confident in my technique, I lacked strength, speed, control, and perception. My opponent was none other than the Silver-ranked knight, Edmond Black. "Lord Edmond?" "Pretty lethal, Miss Moore." "I apologize for my rude behavior. I acted on instinct." I retrieved my weapons to my side and bowed to apologize to someone who outranks me in both seniority and class. "What happened here?" He asked. "Sir Reginald¡­ he was assaulted. Matilda is stabilizing him." I replied nervously. While I pointed at Matilda for him to turn and look, I took the chance and hid away the handkerchief with the footprint. "You saw no one." He asked. "No. Whoever did this escaped from the window and¡­ I found Matilda roaming the hallway outside with a distressed face so Edith and I came here to check¡­" I replied. "I see." He said and looked towards Reginald, "It''s good that you followed Miss Matilda''s hunch, she can sense if evil is nearby." "Speaking of which¡­" I then pointed towards the door that appears after the intersection, "She mentioned something happening behind that door as well." Better to stick it on her ability to sense karma than to appear suspicious. The second malicious aura was just as intense as this one and it was just a few meters that way. "The faculty conference room?" Edmond looked in the direction of the door and walked towards it immediately. I grabbed the gun he slapped away and followed him to the door. "Watch over Miss Matilda." He said trying to send me away but that won''t happen. "She''s okay! The culprit may be in there and¡­" "Suit yourself." I didn''t get to finish what I wanted to say before getting rudely interrupted but as long as I can see what''s inside that room, my quest will go smoothly. At that time, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn''t have walked into that room. In that conference room, there was another person in the far corner beyond the conference table, however, rather than lying on the ground beaten to an inch of their life, this one was conscious, breathing, and moving. However, nothing would make that person any better than Reginald. "Hey, are you alright?" I stepped past Edmond, who didn''t seem to mind, and when the light of the candelabra revealed that person, my heart skipped a beat. In front of me was another student, this one I recognized instantly. Isadora Wellesley, a third-year student who was the first performer in the musical performance this year. She looked pale, disheveled, and suffering from a serious shock. She didn''t even react to the light as it was shed on her face and her tears were streaming from her eyes to no end. But the real shock was how roughed up her dress was, how it was torn from various places that she seemed to be bringing together using her thin arms that kept shaking from the coldness that descended on her exposed shoulders. That, and the blood staining her sky-blue skirt. "Don''t look here!" I spoke to Edmond and put the candelabra on the conference table before walking to him, "Give me that." He seemed passive as I took the coat he had on his shoulders and ran back towards Isadora to cover her. "Hey, that¡­" While he seemed he was about to argue, he noticed the appearance of Isadora and chose not to say a word. "Isadora! Look at me! Can you hear me?" I asked Isadora who kept crying with blank eyes looking at nothing but the void. I tried my best at the moment but she seemed unresponsive no matter what I did. "Has help arrived?" I asked Edmond. "I can feel some people rushing here!" Edmond replied and dragged a chair from the conference table. I carefully carried Isadora up but she kept losing strength in her leg and would cower back into the corner no matter how much I pulled her up. "A little help here?" I turned to Edmond, whom I thought to have pulled a chair for me to help Isadora sit on, but I was faced with an Edmond who seemed to have pulled that chair for himself. "What?" He looked at me as if I was doing something bothersome. I don''t know if it was the adrenaline rushing through my head or because of the training I did but I found myself fully carrying Isadora in both of my arms, walking to him while carrying her, shouting at him to stand up, and putting the girl on the chair. Isadora, who was already crying, started to be reactive after I changed her position. She cowered her upper body against her knees and she started to cry hysterically. At that point, Edith rushed into the conference room after she brought people to the hallway outside to save Reginald. Once she saw Edmond and me around Isadora, her face tensed but she understood what was happening and what situation was Isadora in. "Over here! We need a healer. A female healer. Edmond, get out!" She immediately called outside and two professors rushed in. They approached Isadora and understood her situation but then Edith approached me. "Senior, please come outside." "Why?" "Just¡­" I felt worried right away and before she could answer, I walked back outside the conference room to see Matilda, who was crying and hugged by Prince Liam far away from Reginald. Another professor came in and placed a curtain sheet that he took down and covered the motionless Reginald with it. How I remained resolute that night is beyond me still. I was just filled with anger and nothing would soothe it until the day I bring justice to Reginald and Isadora in a place that knows nothing of justice. ? Quest Complete! ? ? Reward: 1x Free Tarot Draw ? 39: Blood Scandal (3) Two accidents happening in such close proximity to each other would surely bring attention especially if it was in a building hosting a party as big as the final''s spring festival. But that attention was the last thing needed by the faculty of the Academy and the professors who arrived on the scene did their best to prevent anyone from leaving. "Describe how you got here!" "When I arrived, Matilda Ambrose was in proximity of this place and seemed to have heard or sensed something, I am not sure. Honestly, I felt something as well and proceeded ahead with the support of Lady Edith Black covering my back. When we entered the scene, we were greeted with the sight of Lord Reginald lying on the ground, beaten to an inch of his life, and we only recognized him from his attire and sword. Later, Lord Edmond Black joined me and we discovered that Lady Isadora was in the other room and she seemed to have had a violent accident as well." "Describe how you got here!" "I followed Senior Vivian Moore in order to find a place where we could eat and converse without disturbance and away from the noise. We stumbled upon Matilda Ambrose and later the three of us discovered Lord Reginald''s body, who was alive by the time I checked for his vitals. Senior Vivian instructed me to rush for help and you know the rest." "Describe how you got here!" "Well¡­ since His Highness wanted me to keep an eye on Miss Matilda while he was in a meeting with the Provost. Lady Vivian and my sister Edith encountered her and I sensed a bit of hostility. As I was about to intervene, the three ladies suddenly acted strange and rushed to the room, weapons in hand. I later revealed myself and managed to find Lady Isadora with Lady Vivian''s help." "Describe how you got here!" "I was¡­ I felt something¡­ I know it sounds ridiculous¡­ *sob* We found him on the floor and¡­ he¡­ I couldn''t help him. I was afraid¡­ I came too late." "Enough with that, you''ve already figured out everything." While the fourth testimony seemed to have driven the witness into a stressful state, the first three testimonies were indeed enough. Prince Liam seemed to be ready to stand up for the distressed Matilda while the situation seemed to be getting more complicated. However, the only survivor of the incident seemed unresponsive. Isadora Wellesley seemed to have cried so much and kept herself shut inside her own head. No matter how many people try to talk to her, she seems like she needs someone who can take care of her. "Don''t you see how badly distressed she is? Get her family here right now and see if her parents can do something. The girl was assaulted for crying out loud!" Vivian shouted at the Temple Minister and the Professors who were trying to talk to Isadora. This was a situation that almost everyone here wanted to avoid. More people getting involved is the last thing they need. Of course the girl''s family should be notified immediately but it should happen more quietly to draw less attention. If this situation goes out, especially with the existence of so many nobles and guests from abroad, there will be hell to pay. But just how to get this situation handled. The Professor on the scene was Sir Cornelius Ashford, the martial instructor of the Academy. But then, a ruckus started to happen outside the crime scene. "Let me through! What do you mean I can''t get past this? These are my students! My students!" A man pushed through the academy guards and lo and behold, it was Professor Amos Morgan, the third-year classroom supervisor. Just as the man saw a body lying on the ground covered with a sheet and saw Isadora in the corner in her sorry state, he became instantly speechless. He couldn''t help but look at the situation and push away the professor who tried to take him to the side. "What happened?" He asked and looked around to see not only the Prince but also three other students and one former student being interrogated. "Amos, this is not a good situation to cause a scene. We need to keep this under wraps." Professor Cornelius walked to Professor Amos and implored him to keep quiet. "What happened to Isadora? And who is this on the ground? Who did this, Cornelius?" Amos asked with his eyes turning bloodshot red. "Isadora was found after she was¡­ assaulted." Professor Cornelius said and saw the expressions of Professor Amos take all the rangers of paleness, "We don''t know what happened yet. We''re waiting for a healer to¡­" "To what? TO WHAT?" Professor Amos became infuriated immediately and wanted to walk to Isadora but he stopped and pointed at the corpse, "Is that a student?" Knowing how passionate Professor Amos is about his students, all the other professors wanted to avoid answering him and fortunately for them, someone answered for him. "It''s Reginald, Professor." Vivian stepped away from her interrogator, "I am sorry." Professor Amos almost collapsed after hearing that one of the kids that he raised for three years was the lifeless corpse on the ground. He held his chest, his breathing became chaotic, his eyes tearful, and then he looked at Vivian. "I arrived first on the scene along with Miss Edith and Matilda. I am sorry we were late." "No! I am glad you''re alright, Vivian." He said and patted her shoulder, "Did you see who did it?" Vivian shook her and helped him sit down on a chair. "Here." She said and handed over a white handkerchief to him and whispered, "This is a clue I picked. I don''t trust the others." "What is this?" He asked as he held the kerchief from her. "A footprint in blood when the culprit walked out of the scene. Reginald''s blood. The size and pattern will identify the killer from his shoes." Professor Amos looked at Vivian with shock and then looked at the others. With evidence like this, a list of suspects can be narrowed down quite significantly. He swapped the handkerchief she gave him with another and acted as if he accepted her kerchief to wipe his face. "Thank you." He said and stood up to join the other professors. "Where is Lord Provost?" He asked. "He was with us before going back to the Party in order to not let anyone suspect anything. Don''t worry, Amos, we''ve contacted the families of the two victims." Professor Cornelius said and tried to be calm, "The party will be wrapped up as quickly as possible and the students will be kept to interrogate." "It doesn''t have to be a student." Professor Amos said with a strong conviction. "That''s a possibility but right now, we can''t deny that this is a crime of passion. Young Reginald was beaten so badly it can''t be considered an assassination. Someone with a grudge must have done it and his strength is no less than that of a 2-star Bronze Knight." Professor Cornelius said. "You''re right. I don''t want to think of the fact that the rivalry between my students would make them take it this far." Professor Amos said. "We also don''t know what happened to Isadora, she refuses to speak." Professor Cornelius said. "I don''t expect her to." Professor Amos seemed determined as he put his hand in the pocket where the evidence given to him by Vivian was kept, "We need to know who was the last person to see Isadora and Reginald." "Reginald was at the ball dancing with Miss Vivian Moore before the ceremony was over." Professor Cornelius said and then whispered, "But you know as well as I that involving her more will upset some people. Let''s try other leads and¡­" Professor Amos didn''t listen one bit and immediately walked towards Vivian again and asked her a very specific question about who was the last person she saw with Reginald. Vivian wanted to answer but before she could do that, Edith Black was right next to her. "It is my fianc¨¦ Richard Marshall, Sir Amos. He is¡­ was a good friend to Reginald. He may be able to shed light on who did it." Edith said and looked at Vivian with firmness. Vivian was pleased she didn''t have to answer that. Saying Richard''s name may incur more wrath upon her than what she has accumulated so far but when Edith put it that way, it allowed Richard to be called in as a witness. Edith''s answer caused the air to tense up between Prince Liam and Edmond, who eyed each other and used a language only they could understand. After their eyes met, Prince Liam returned to his solemn attitude without revealing a thing on her perfect poker face. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Let me bother you with one more question, Vivian. Where was the last time you saw Isadora?" Professor Amos asked. "Sadly, I wasn''t paying attention but I assume she was with Johann." "Naturally. I expected that as well. Thank you." After thanking Vivian and leaving her, Professor Amos was approached by Edmond Black. "Greetings Professor." Edmond spoke. "Young Lord Edmond." The Professor replied. "I know it is improper of me but I can call upon some of the men from House Black to assist with the investigation. It may sound bold of me to meddle in House Morgan''s affairs but¡­" "It''s alright." Professor Amos said, "But the one you need to be asking is Professor Corneilus who is in charge of the scene at the moment." Edmond turned to Professor Corneilus, who seemed not to know whether to accept such help or not. "The case will be handed over to House Black either way. A high profile murder such as this is their specialty to deal with." At that time, Prince Liam added his touch to the situation. "In that case, I guess we can use all the help we can get." Professor Cornelius said and turned to Edmond, "Lord Edmond, you are free to leave the premises but please return with haste." "Thank you, Sir. I promise to return with results." Edmond said and bolted out of the place immediately. As for Vivian, Edith, and Matilda, the three of them were told to stay in a room not too far from this place in order to be ready to answer any question on the spot. Prince Liam insisted on staying with Matilda and later, the families were notified and many important figures started to gather inside the Academy. One of which was Count Julian Moore and his family, who stormed into the room where the three witnesses were staying. Count Julian wanted to take Vivian away since he suspected that they may try to frame her with something new but as soon as she explained the situation to him, it was pretty understandable that she couldn''t be framed into this one as she is realistically incapable of committing both crimes. Two hours passed since then and the investigation in the case of Reginald and Isadora seemed to have progressed as two students were later invited into the room, Richard Marshall and Johann Fitzroy, the last two who saw both Reginald and Isadora respectively. It seemed that the help brought by Edmond Black was enough to contain the situation and bring the last two witnesses. What was left was to put down a list of suspects and start the process of elimination. Richard was summoned first to speak privately with the Black Family knights and the professors. After a while, he returned and Johann was up. Once he returned, he was approached by Edith, who began interrogating him about what happened. "What''s it to you? All I said was the truth, I was speaking with Senior Reginald about his official dispatch and wanted him to wait a year so we could do it together. He seemed distracted by another matter and left me with the promise to continue our conversation some other time." Despite how Richard seemed like he wouldn''t answer, he spilled the beans to Edith right away. He didn''t seem nervous but he felt a bit rigid. On the other hand, Johann, who was being questioned at the moment, seemed to have taken too long compared to Richard. Vivian started skipping back and forth in the waiting room until an hour passed without news from the outside. Then Professor Cornelius walked in along with Professor Amos, Edmond Black, and Johann, as well as a score of knights and professors. "Alright, everyone. We thank you for your cooperation. Despite the unfortunate circumstances we are facing, we were lucky to get to the truth of the matter." Professor Cornelius said. All the witnesses in the waiting room looked at each other and waited to hear what the investigation had led to. Professor Cornelius stepped ahead and announced what was found out. "The truth is the following¡­ Between 8 and 9 o''clock this evening, student Johann Fitzroy ambushed and killed student Reginald Ashcroft after the latter¡­" "WHAT?" "Hold on!" "How was¡­" Vivian, Edith, and Matilda responded simultaneously. Edith was glared at by Edmond and Matilda was held by the Prince. Only Vivian remained unfazed against the gazes of everyone else. "Reginald was a 3-star Bronze Knight. How on earth is it possible to even ambush this year''s Top student in the martial arts class?" "Miss Vivian, Johann is a 2-star Bronze Knight himself. It is no impossible feat for him. On top of that, there were specific circumstances. Please, don''t ever interrupt me again." Professor Cornelius seemed a bit aggressive as he responded to Vivian who didn''t say anything in return. "As I was saying¡­ student Johann Fitzroy ambushed and killed student Reginald Ashcroft while the latter was busy assaulting student Isadora Wellesley." If a needle were to be dropped in the middle of that room right now, everyone would hear it loud and clear. But what the professor said just now¡­ "This doesn''t make any sense!" Vivian spoke but nobody cared what she thought. She turned to Professor Amos who seemed as if he couldn''t process what was going on and kept staring away from anyone. Vivian couldn''t believe it. A gentleman like Reginald would never do something like that. He treated Vivian gently, shared a dance and a laugh with her, and while he was simply someone she just got to mix with for an hour or so, he was the first stranger to leave Vivian with a good impression in this rotten place. Details around the accident were recited by Professor Cornelius according to Johann''s testimony. According to the official investigation, Johann searched for Isadora until he found her shoe flipped off in a hallway. By acting fast and searching the empty places, Johann arrived at the faculty conference room where he could hear a struggle between Isadora and Reginald. He picked a blunt mace from an armor stand and snuck up on the distracted Reginald to deliver a powerful blow against his head. Reginald, who was critically injured, tried to escape but after seeing what he did to Isadora, Johann followed him outside the faculty conference room and beat him out of anger with the mace to an inch of his life. He then felt that someone was coming and in a moment of panic, he escaped through the window. It seemed shocking but all the facts were laid out clearly and nothing contradicted any of the things witnessed by the three ladies who arrived at the scene first. So¡­ could it be true? Was Reginald really that kind of a person? A wolf in sheep''s clothing? No! Someone must know him well enough to defend him. Someone¡­ At that second Vivian remembered. "Richard!" She turned away to Richard Marshall, "Reginald was your best friend, you surely know he is not that kind of person." Richard stared blankly at Vivian and took in a deep breath. "It is understandable you think that way." Richard said and sighed with obvious distress, "However, Reginald was always eyeing up Miss Isadora and didn''t seem to have made progress winning her." "You can''t be serious!" Vivian couldn''t believe what she just heard. "What a waste of time!" Richard said and walked away towards the door, "He got himself dishonored and killed." To not even stick out for his friend! "And you keep saying I am the disgrace of high society!" Vivian couldn''t help but spit out those words at Richard. That was that! Vivian''s ability to provoke others was top tier but when it comes to Richard, the two were like water and sodium. "You think you know everything, huh? You think you''re better than everyone else?" Richard immediately turned to Vivian gradually losing grip over his emotions, "You think I don''t feel ANYTHING? That''s my friend who got killed tonight. MY FRIEND! One that I trusted with everything. And he betrayed everything! HE! BETRAYED! ME!" Richard shouted at Vivian without class or etiquette. "Betrayed you?" Vivian frowned, "Are you even listening to yourself, you moron?" Richard''s face became as twisted as the devil and took a powerful step toward Vivian. Vivian had a hand ready to grab her pistol but before she could do that, the Black siblings were already stepping up between the two. Edmond on Richard''s side and Edith on Vivian''s. As the two will never tolerate one another, this is never going to be the last clash between Richard and Vivian. "You too will take her side?" Richard looked at Edith and couldn''t seem more upset. But then, Vivian had an epiphany. Just now, he said "You too" to Edith. Aside from Edith being Vivian''s only friend at the moment, the only other friend was none other than Reginald. Was Richard upset because Reginald and Vivian were friendly? And so just before Richard steps out, Vivian fired the loudest bang in her arsenal. "Richard, what was Reginald to you?" Richard froze right away and turned to Vivian with a face shaken with fear only to find her holding a card and looking at it. The card Vivian pulled out was the Tarot from the free draw she got from the last quest reward and as she looked at it, Vivian could see the reading via the system. Usually, four cards are needed for a reading but the system only requires one. That one card was Justice, reversed. It means denial, falsehood, and even injustice. But the meaning wasn''t important right now, what was important was this¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª Name: Richard Marshall ¡ª Age: 17 ¡ª Level: 3-Star Bronze Knight ¡ª Emotions: Angry and Scared, Betrayed by a Lover, Avoiding Accountability for Murder ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The system was rather specific on this one. It didn''t give vague hints or unclear meanings. It was there right in the open. Betrayed by a Lover? Avoiding Accountability for Murder? The same amount of shock on Richard''s face appeared on that of Vivian''s. "How?" She blurted, "How could you?" Richard didn''t know what to do and nobody else aside from him understood what Vivian meant. The whole crowd thought there was something between them and she was blaming him for not standing up for Reginald. The whole crowd except the one Richard turned to right after fleeing the gaze of Vivian. Edmond. Richard looked at him as if asking what to do. Edmond himself was frowning at Vivian and as she saw Richard turn to him, she turned to him as well. Vivian found something out. Richard and Edmond realized that. She knew that the two of them were in on it together. Maybe Richard killed Reginald but Edmond clearly helped, he was the first to arrive at the scene after her. Seeing that Edmond was doing nothing, Richard made the best course of action he could think of and quickly walked off the scene. At the end of the day, Reginald Ashcroft''s reputation was tarnished, Isadora Wellesley didn''t speak up and suffered from mental breakdowns, and Johann Fitzroy somehow carried the blame for killing Reginald under the excuse of defending Isadora. The Families of Wellesley and Fitzroy would have a feud with House Ashcroft for generations to come and all of them were unknowingly innocent. 40: The Truth While it mattered little in the grand scheme of things, the truth about that night in the academy was never revealed to the public, and only Edmond Black and two other people may have known the majority of it. When Edmond Black convinced Professor Cornelius to let him go in order to bring an investigative force from House Black to round up the matter and prevent a scandal from erupting, he did not call them right away and instead moved based on what he knew beforehand. After all, he went to cover up the murder committed by Richard Marshall on Prince Liam''s order. The Prince was busy at the time but according to his previous orders, Edmond was to assist the Prince''s loyalists the best he could, regardless of what they did. To someone as capable as Edmond, it was an unbelievably easy task, but for an unexpected trio to suddenly hinder his work was something out of his calculations. Vivian Moore, Edith Black, and Matilda Ambrose. Among the many instances of unexpectedness that came to mind, those three in one room are considered the most fitting personifications. Vivian, the prince''s ex-fiancee; Edith, Edmond''s sister; and Matilda, the prince''s current sweetheart. On top of all that, Reginald seemed to have survived but was in a very critical condition. This headache was never going to end, and Edmond was already too tired. And so he went for Richard and told him the new complications. Richard swore on everything sacred and holy that he had nothing to do with that girl, Isadora, and he didn''t even know she was there to begin with. Killing Reginald was his sin to bear, but assaulting Isadora wasn''t something he was willing to take accountability for. Even when Edmond almost went for the intimidation tactic, Richard didn''t admit it. Edmond realized that this was more complicated than ever before. It seemed that another scumbag was acting wild tonight. Still, Edmond kept Richard thinking that he didn''t believe him, and for the time being, he hatched the perfect plan. Isadora had a sweetheart called Johann, who performed with her in her musical performance, and their relationship was intimate. When Edmond found him, he realized that Johann was looking left and right for Isadora who disappeared right after they got to the garden. Edmond then had to face Johann and convince him of the truth he just fabricated. He told Johann that Isadora had faced a terrible accident and was assaulted by Reginald. As Johann was about to throw a fit, Edmond reminded him that Isadora''s honor was tarnished and Reginald was already dealt with. According to Edmond, someone very important arrived at the scene, but he was a bit too late to save Isadora, and all he did was punish Reginald severely, which ended in having him beaten to death. And since that very important person doesn''t want to get involved due to political reasons, Johann was asked to bear the responsibility. Knowing that he was going to go after Reginald''s neck anyway, Johann accepted the offer to protect the secret identity of Isadora''s savior and rushed for her. In the end, no one would figure out it was Richard unless Edmond spoke. This was powerful leverage for Prince Liam to have over the future heir of House Marshall. But as Vivian and Richard confronted one another after the investigation result was announced, it seemed that Vivian figured something out, and it made Edmond question his skills. He couldn''t believe that he had made a mistake and kept thinking and thinking before bolting after Richard. Something that fucker must have kept from him. Edmond dragged Richard to the garden they met earlier and started beating him to find what he was hiding. "Make this easy for yourself, you idiot." Edmond delivered a merciless punch to Richard''s guts, causing the latter to rise in the air and land on his knees. "Bas¡­ bastard!" Richard cursed at Edmond and tried to retort, but Edmond kicked him in the face. "A fucking animal like you is my sister''s fiancee?" Edmond spat at him, "You fucking animal! Don''t ever think that engagement of yours would last now." "F-Fine!" Richard struggled to speak and attempted to stand up, his eyes bloodshot with anger, "Fuck you¡­ and fuck your sis¡­" "Wrong answer!" Another kick landed on Richard''s head and knocked him down cold. Edmond breathed heavily and skipped back and forth while racking his brain for an answer. What did he miss? What can''t he figure out? How could Vivian see through his perfect plan? He was tired, but not too tired to screw up his job. He quietened his mind and started to think steadily and carefully. Unless she did something like witchcraft, there is no way for her to be so sure that Richard killed Reginald. Knowing Vivian''s attitude, she would have certainly presented proof as soon as she had one. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. As soon as Edmond''s breathing became stable and his thoughts raced less and less, he could finally think clearly and realized that he might have rushed thinking about things. He always does a job well done when it comes to fixing problems. And on top of his skills, he had good senses¡ªso good that he could tell that he was being watched by Magic just now. "Reveal yourself, or I will make your day much worse than his." Edmond spoke and looked in a certain direction. "Oh! I was found out?" A lazy and weak voice of a young man was heard as he stepped out of the shadow of a tree, and the magic that was hiding him started to slowly disperse. "Ronald Morgan." Edmond spoke. "Edmond Black." Ronald faced Edmond confidently as he started rubbing an apple he had just picked from a tree against his robe. "I was slow to figure that one out. It seems that I lost some edge." Edmond said and cracked his neck, "That girl, Isadora¡­ it was your doing?" "Oh, Senior Isadora? What about her? Something wrong?" Ronald widened his eyes and had a shocked look on his baby face. "Only a fucking animal like you would be behind this." Edmond said. "Hey! Manners!" Ronald seemed upset and looked at Edmond aggressively, "Why are you calling me names now? You don''t see me calling you a dirty pig who picks up everyone''s shit, do I?" "Oh, yeah! Want to call me that?" Edmond''s lazy eyes flickered with a dangerous light as a Silver Aura Star was ignited over his chest. "Oh! Scary!" Ronald didn''t seem to care, as he acted scared before stopping the act and laughing it off, "Is that how you wanted me to respond?" "Careful! After you failed to hinder Vivian Moore''s finals, His Highness needs no more reasons to be upset with you. You know what he is like when he takes matters into his own hands." Edmond said. "Fine! I''m scared now." Ronald cut off his act and backed off. Edmond also backed off his aura and approached Ronald. "So it was you who messed with Isadora''s memories." He said. "Nothing is wrong with her then." Ronald replied and smiled, "Man! I was so worried just now." "Can''t believe you take shit where your family eats." Edmond said. "They are used to it by now." Ronald replied and shrugged, "It is your boy right there who really messed up, you know. Beating up his friend to death is¡­ tsk tsk tsk, not stylish at all." "So you witnessed it." Edmond said. "Haha! Yeah." Ronald laughed and pointed, "I kept senior Isadora over there as a surprise; imagine if he was caught with murder. It would be murder and an assault on his hand. That would fuck him up for good." "You''re really the little freak they say you are." Edmond looked at Ronald with disgust. "I would take "little freak" any day of the week rather than being reduced to a mere pig." Ronald said, smiled, and flipped the bird to Edmond. "Watch your back, Morgan." Edmond said and turned to leave. Seeing him about to walk away, Ronald seemed more amused than ever. "You know¡­ that guy was arguing about Vivian Moore with his friend. He really hates her guts. The Prince doesn''t like her either; you don''t like her, and a lot of people don''t like her. All that they have in common is Lady Matilda." Ronald kept speaking, but in a split second, Edmond was right in front of him, reaching for his neck and holding him tight. "You keep her name out of your filthy mouth." Edmond said as he squeezed Ronald''s neck harder. "Easy, man!" Ronald''s voice came from the side as the image in Edmond''s hand dissolved like water on the ground. "Hmph!" Edmond snorted. "You don''t really plan on fighting a Morgan into their domain." Ronald said. "So a scumbag like you has access to the Academy''s Magic Formation. Perks of being the provost''s son, I guess." Edmond concluded. "Let''s not be enemies, Black. You wiped my ass, and at least I am grateful. I won''t tell anyone about your feelings for Lady Matilda. Wouldn''t want anyone to think you like your lord''s sweetheart." "Fuck off!" Edmond was bothered by Ronald to no end but chose not to get involved with this kind of troublemaker. Seeing Edmond disappear. "We''re not so different, you and I, Edmond. We do things for love." Ronald said and then glanced at Richard, who was still fallen on his face, "Unlike someone who just killed his own lover out of jealousy." As Ronald said that, he activated the formation''s magic and disappeared from the premises. Back on the ground, Richard opened his eyes, and his gaze was brimming with rage. He grasped the grass and tore it as he stood up and staggered at a tree. "Edmond! Ronald! I''ll kill you two, you fucking bastards! I swear, I''ll rip you all to pieces." How did it turn like this? Everything was perfect until she came along¡ªthat abhorrent Vivian. She defied everything and everyone and at the end, she even charmed Reginald, who stood defending her against Richard. "I told you no. She is not a bad person, Richard. Look into her situation and you''ll know she isn''t out there to ruin anything." "You know nothing! That woman is evil. Pure evil! How can you not see this? How could she blind you this way?" "Richard, please. I''ve always heard you speak about her like that, but I haven''t seen anything from her to hate. I am sorry, but I am being rational here; why don''t you understand my point?" "You don''t even see it, do you? She has got to you. She has you under her spell." "I can''t believe you are saying this. If anyone here has me under their spell, it is you, Richard. We have always been together, watching over one another, you know I love¡­" "BACK OFF!" "I can''t¡­ I never knew you were this cruel." "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP!" "SHUT UP!" Richard kept punching over and over and over! He couldn''t stop! Wrath blinded his senses and clouded his reason. When he came back to his senses, Reginald was no longer able to lift his arms to stop him. He had to kill him, the boy he secretly loved away from all the noise and buzzing of this world. On his knees, Richard''s eyes were reddened with anger and sadness, something he didn''t feel until now when he felt the gravity of what he did. There is no salvation for those who don''t feel sorry for their wrongs, but in a twisted manner of thinking, whom he blamed was not himself but rather Vivian, the vixen who ruined everything. 41: Career I couldn''t think of a way through this, I couldn''t think of a way in, I couldn''t think of a way out, and I couldn''t think what would happen if I rushed down that path. Something terrible happened in the academy and I am sure the truth about the matter is deeper than what I can deal with by my current abilities. Before I got on the carriage with Edith and headed home, I stopped to see Professor Amos who seemed like he had been through the worst day of his life. He expressed his regret and told me that until the truth is revealed, he is no longer qualified to be a teacher. That was a sad ending I don''t think I want to go through ever again. "I can''t help but feel something was done wrong in this investigation, senior." "Just one thing?" "You are right. The whole matter from the start was ugly." "Such as life¡­ sometimes at least. It can all get real ugly real quickly." "So you still think Reginald was innocent." "I knew him for an hour, what do I know?" "I will trust your instincts then. You are a good person, senior. Your judgment should be on point." "For a Black, you are really trusting, Edith." "What I am sure about is that I have a good sense for people. Despite my initial prejudice against you, our first encounter changed my perspective. Seeing the unfairness you endured and witnessing your admirable approach to challenges left me with a newfound admiration." "Thank you, Edith. Alas, I am not the good person you think I am. I have done things I am not proud of." "Aren''t we all, senior? I am an Inquisitor at the end of the day." "An inquisitor?" "It''s¡­ a rank in my house. Those who inquire about people''s loyalty and look for spies among nobles, an inquisitor. It''s the main role of my family after all." "Inquisition, huh? And all that time I thought your family worked at espionage." "Counter espionage, actually. We catch spies and assassins, not train them. The Committee of Secret Correspondence is our Empire''s spy organization that operates directly under His Majesty, the King." "Nineteen years a noble and it is my first time knowing this." "It''s actually uncommon to know that. The scarier we appear, the better it is for our reputation to make rowdy aristocrats get in line. That''s how the Black Family Inquisitors work." "Black Family Inquisitors, huh? Don''t tell me you call yourself the BFI by any chance?" "No." "Well, consider switching the name to the Family Black Inquisition and see how people will fear you by then." "I feel like I am understanding you less and less." "Heh! At least that lightened my mood¡­ and it seemed that we arrived. Thanks for the ride, Edith." "You''re welcome, senior." Edith said as I descended from the carriage. "Hey. Cut it out with the senior this and senior that already." "How can I?" "Just call me Vivian." Edith couldn''t keep a straight face and smiled. "Alright, Vivian." "See you later, Edith." Talking to someone like Edith fills me with great energy even after what happened on that terrible night. For now, I don''t want to think about it. As I stepped off the carriage, I could see that Logan was waiting for me as he got off his horse first, and with the remainder of my security detail, they escorted me to the doorstep of the house. "You doing alright now, Logan?" "You''re worrying about me, Princess? You''re the one who has been through another murder house without security again." "What do you mean without security? I got Romeo and Juliet by my side." I said while making two finger guns. "Hah! I bet you had fun waving them around." My smile widened, and Logan shook his head wryly as he opened the door for me. "Welcome home, Princess." As I stepped in, I could see a score of footmen and maids standing left and right as if it was some sort of ceremony and waiting for¡­ well, me. "Congratulations, Lady Vivian, for your graduation." Amidst the oppressive atmosphere in the entrance hall, I was unexpectedly met with a burst of applause and congratulations for my efforts. A smile involuntarily spread across my face, despite the lingering gloom of the day. However, I was aware that half of the servants present held no genuine regard for me. I assume Father wanted me to feel congratulated in the house. "Thank you, everyone. You''re all too kind." I accepted the flowers given to me by the youngest maids, I handed the flowers to Esmeralda and then turned to Old Theo, "I would like to speak to my father." "The Lord wants to see you too. Please, head to the study." Old Theo pointed me to head further into the mansion. After a minute of walking to the study, I could see many items lying around the place, most of which were exquisite new curtains and fancy carpets. The silverware and the candlesticks also seemed to be getting replaced as well and the whole place was getting all new decorations. As I entered the study, I faced my father who stood up to see me. "Congratulations, Vivian. I didn''t want to take you away from your friends during the party but your performance was nothing short of amazing." "Thanks, Daddy." "Ah¡­ ehem!" Father walked up to me and offered me to sit down at the chair facing his desk. I followed what he wanted and he stood behind me with hands over my shoulders. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Though I am a bit concerned. Are you feeling alright?" "I am alright, Father. Thank you." I tilted my head, touching his right hand over my shoulder with my face. "I know it has been a stressful day in the Academy but what made me concerned was the song you performed." "Wasn''t it to your liking?" "It was to my liking, of course. But you called your mother while singing, multiple times¡­ you said you¡­ wished you hadn''t been born and¡­" "Father!" I turned to face him and held both his hands with mine, "That''s not how I truly feel. It is just a song I heard before." "A song you heard? It is not how you truly felt?" "Well I can''t take credit for such a song but it was the closest thing to what I felt. Still, I am grateful I was born as your daughter. Many people in the world can''t be as lucky as I." "That''s¡­ reassuring." Somehow, that father of mine was showing more emotions than usual. Just what was life like for him if he had such a warm side hidden under a mountain of cold? Vivian from before was like most teenage girls with her head up in her ¡ªand excuse me for saying¡ª ass. She had her own dreams about a life in the palace and so she stayed distant from her father to an extent, dreaming all day of her future life and the accomplishments she should make as queen. Of course things didn''t turn out that way but from the perspective of Nadia, who was older than Vivian and had a different way of looking at life, Vivian missed out on a lot. The first person the new Vivian won in this world was her father. Nadia had many regrets, one of which is her family whom she remembers so little about. If she was given a second chance, she would do all she could to hold them close and never let them go. This was reflected in the current Vivian''s behavior and how she started by gathering people around her. Count Julian Moore took a seat from the side and sat closer to Vivian rather than sitting farther from her behind his desk. "Sir Theodore Nightingale has shown a great interest in you. By any chance, are you considering music as your future career?" "While it is a tempting endeavor, I am aiming for something more impactful." "I see. What field are you interested in?" "Technological R&D¡­ Research and Development, I mean." Father looked at me and scratched the area between his brows to hide his frown. "That''s a very advanced field. You''d be stepping directly in the battle between the big pockets." He said. "I am not particularly afraid and even though I am going to do my own thing, I would like to negotiate something with you." "Oh¡­ alright." "In exchange for your future support, I would like to offer all the achievements I bring to the Moore Conglomerate." "But we have our own development branch. They are some of the best engineers and technicians on Albion." "I don''t doubt it one bit. However, I have taken a look at their achievements in the past few years and I understand that the focus of their efforts is on the ongoing projects in our factories. They don''t branch off to other fields at all." "I see. This is indeed our approach. So, what are you offering?" "ViTech, which is the name I am going for, will boldly pioneer through the new and the unknown, and the spoils of our effort will be sold directly to the Moore Conglomerate. We will focus on new fields and try to come up with new things to manufacture. Rather than relying on individual inventors, we will sponsor a bulk of young and eager technicians and consolidate their efforts in a big array of chain projects." "ViTech, huh? Your words are promising but as an individual yourself, you have no history of leading companies let alone developing any ongoing projects. How can I trust your words and offer you support?" "You are right. That is why I am going to use this month I was promised before to start gathering enough talents and prove myself. Of course, I was promised a million pounds as well as professional advisors from the Conglomerate. So with all that, I intend to prove myself in a month." "I understand. But still, let''s talk about the possibility of you failing to deliver." "I am all ears." "While your social status has improved significantly, you are still 19 with no marriage prospects. As you have to marry sooner or later, I won''t rush you if you were to succeed in your venture but if the opposite happens¡­" "I understand. I find it completely logical to find me a groom since this is the way of the world. Alas, we will have to look for a groom outside Elgard to avoid complications." While it seemed that my father was the one bringing up the bitter subject, I deliberately beat him to it. If I were to have a good marriage by today''s standards, staying in Elgard is out of the question. Nobody would want to go against the Crown Prince who has made clear attempts to sabotage. Father seemed a bit sad when I mentioned leaving Elgard but hey, you''re the one who used the marriage card first. "Very well. That was a¡­ refreshing conversation. Remember that a month from now we will host a party here in the mansion where I managed to invite Sir Morris de Brosa himself as well as Sir Theodore Nightingale. I will review the results of your accomplishments by then." "Thank you for the opportunity, Father." "You can begin tomorrow. Visit the main headquarters and select the individuals you see fit for your endeavors." "I will." "You may leave now." Father stood up and walked behind his desk while I stood up and walked out of the study. Planning, planning, planning. I merely revealed to him the things I am going to do, not how I will do them. Of course I have more than one thing I plan on doing and starting from tomorrow but I have already begun moving from tonight. *** As Vivian headed to her chambers, she found Logan standing at her door with a boy by his side and Esmeralda talking to them. "Princess." "My Lady." "Y-Your grace!" While the knight and the maid greeted her casually, the boy bowed his head deeply while holding his cap in his hands tightly. This nervous wreck brown-haired tall commoner boy with an innocent baby face was Oliver, the new apprentice of the gardener. "That''s the one you found?" Vivian asked Logan. "Yes, Princess. He''s just a young gardener." Logan replied. "Is that so? Thank you then, young gardener, for keeping our gardens this lovely and beautiful. I do enjoy spending my afternoon between these beautiful hedges and flowerbeds." As Vivian said so, the boy looked her right in the eye and his face blushed greatly. He stuttered and couldn''t keep one thought after the other in his head. "It''s¡­ an immense honor¡­ your grace." Vivian was not just a common beauty, she was someone who could captivate many souls. In olden times, powerful aristocratic men would take many wives from the prettiest women of their subjects. This resulted in many generations of nobility getting blessed with good genes. Even after the traditions of aristocrats became more sophisticated and the marriages rarely involved commoners, young people were always drawn to youth and beauty and so the genetics kept on improving. Vivian was the result of such refined genetics. Her father was head over heels for her mother if the tales were true and based on what was known, he was quite the ladies'' man back in his day. Aside from Vivian''s mother, there was Professor Sophie Dubois, who ¡ªto this day¡ª still holds lingering emotions for him, and Saskia Moore, formerly known as Saskia Ivanovich, whom he married to fulfill his father''s promise. As well as many other surprising names on the list of his admirers. All in all, it may have not been the first time that the gardener boy would see Vivian, but being this close to her and having her speak kindly to him, the boy''s heart was pounding a symphony dedicated only to Vivian. "Address Lady Vivian with "My Lady". Only Lord Julian is the one to address with "Your Grace" or "The Right Honorable Count Moore" if it is an official meeting. Understood?" Logan said. "Understood, Sir." Oliver responded in complete respect. "Alright. Let''s continue this conversation inside." Vivian walked ahead and Esmeralda opened the door for her. Inside her chambers, which was enough to encompass two houses from the one Oliver grew up in, Vivian sat on an armchair and the others stood in front of her. "Well, this was a stressful day." She said as she retrieved a piece of paper from the small table beside her chair. "Despite that, I heard you have amazed the entire audience, my Lady. Congratulations on your results and your performance." Esmeralda spoke. "Thank you very much, Esmeralda. You have been a lot of help too. I wouldn''t have survived without you." "All I did was pour tea, my Lady." "These gears in my mind function on tea, my dear, it is an established fact by now. Anyway¡­" Vivian turned to Oliver. "I suppose that Knight Logan has told you what I require of you." She said. "Yes, my Lady¡­ but I am not sure how¡­ I can be of help." Oliver replied. "Don''t worry about that. How good are you at keeping secrets?" Vivian asked. "I¡­ haven''t really experienced being entrusted with secrets¡­ really." "Good. I don''t want you to keep secrets. All I want you to do is try not to know them." "I can do that, my Lady." "Splendid. Esmeralda, put this letter in an envelope and seal it. Oliver, I want you to take that letter to a certain Jane Smith-Waters in an address I shall provide. Meet up with Miss Jane and give her the letter then do what she tells you. All you need to do is go to the places I tell you, deliver my letters, get a written response, and try not to get involved. I am saying this for your sake, not mine." Vivian said. "I understand. I''ll deliver whatever you wish, my lady." "And the pay you receive as a gardener, you will receive its double while doing me errands. But there is one crucial thing I want you to keep in mind¡­" "¡­" "Never let anyone know that you work for me." 42.1: The Black Market The next morning, I held an emergency meeting with ViTech''s first employee. Our meeting took place in the gun range where Jane''s father used to work before his expulsion. "Miss Jane, now that you are done with your finals as well, are you ready to make me the most advanced guns of this era?" "Hopefully, my Lady. However, there is a problem I can''t bypass on my own." "Please, do tell. I love solving problems." "While I worked hard on redesigning and adjusting the schematics you gave me, I lack the means to create it." "How so?" "I am a gunsmith, my ability to make things related to guns is limited to what is in the market. What you want here, my lady, is original custom work. Something that hasn''t ever existed and has no pieces in the market that I can pick and put together." "So you need a metalsmith, is that it?" "And he needs to be as crafty as Saint Hermes at that. We can''t afford a single hitch in a gun if we are going to make something completely new. We will be risking the hands of whoever tries it first." "I get you. But where can we get a metalsmith with such a skill on such short notice? I imagine that most skilled metalworkers already have busy schedules and a list filled with clients. Also, these guns are a secret between you and me only." "That''s indeed the case." Jane agreed with me but it seemed that there was something she wasn''t letting out. I looked at her intensely until she was unnerved and spilled her beans. "There is an alternative method to find a good metalsmith." She said. "I''m all ears." "Maybe a Duergar can help us¡­ but that''s just too unrealistic." Jane spoke then retracted her words with a smile. "That''s true. A Duergar will never work metal for a human." I nodded in agreement. Because of their resentment against the Human race, the Dwarven subterranean race, the Duergars, would never forge metal for Humans with good intentions. They were always seen as heretical and cursed by the Temple of Saints, and their resentment goes as far as the Age of Heroes when those very Saints waged war against Dwarfkind and vanquished their kingdom. But¡­ "You wouldn''t mention a Duergar if you had nothing in mind, Jane." I said. "In truth, I am ashamed to admit it but once, I had a problem with a project in the Academy and I had to spend a lot of money to rent a Duergar slave." "A slave?" "All I needed was a metal ankle and it cost me a thousand pounds. I wouldn''t have gotten past the second year without that ankle for my contraption project." I know that people frown upon slavery, despite it being an active practice, it is something on its way to be abolished sooner or later seeing how the world is going right now. "Hmmm¡­ where can slaves be found?" "Not too far from the port area in the Blackguards'' Market." "That''s on the way to Father''s office." "Are you¡­ going there in person, my Lady?" Jane asked with a terrified face, "You can''t be safe in such dangerous parts of the city." "I don''t care. My reputation isn''t what I need to worry about right now. Sooner or later, some slanderous rumors will start to spread either way." I had a gut feeling that I wouldn''t be left alone and someone would start coming after me looking for trouble soon. If I keep my actions restricted out of fear, I won''t accomplish much. As for searching for a Duergar metalworker, I have just the plan to acquire one while maintaining my social image. I just need someone to spread rumors. "My stops just increased. Esmeralda, call for Logan and the bodyguards. We are moving earlier than scheduled." "Yes, my Lady." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! A few minutes later, I had a grumpy Logan protesting at my new traveling route. "A slave market? This is not even a funny joke!" "It is a do-or-die situation, Logan." "I can''t even imagine how many dangers you will be throwing yourself at everywhere you go." "All of them, Sir Knight." His protests were futile anyway since we were already en route. I got to enjoy myself looking through my carriage''s window and watching the bustling city from an angel I had never seen before. There is poverty in this city as well as there is richness and abundance. In the Moore mansion, one can''t even imagine being lacking anything but I saw streets with urchins, beggars, and homeless for almost an hour now. If the carriage wasn''t guarded and carrying the insignia of the house, there would have been all sorts of trouble. But Archester itself is really big, a metropolis where the world revolves around. Anything small that happens in Archester can cause a large aftershock through the entire world, and one day, I''ll get to witness that first-hand. Just not today, thankfully. Our destination was a walled area reminiscent of a military camp, with three towering, spire-like structures connected by walls as a place separate from the rest of the impoverished district. The most striking feature of this place, however, was the presence of Blackguards, their appearance setting the tone for this unique location. The carriage stopped and the knights surrounded it from all directions while throwing hostile gazes at the common-born Blackguards. Still, we were approached by a party of Blackguard officers and their leader was a bearded man with a gruff attitude. He spoke immediately before I even got the chance to land properly on the ground. "We haven''t received a report that someone from the Moore family would visit but I came as soon as the carriage was spotted." He said and tried to act with manners, alas, it was a waste of trying. "You are addressing her ladyship Vivian of House Moore, daughter of the Right Honorable Count Julian Moore." Logan introduced me solemnly and haughtily. Well done, Logan. I like seeing such dramas. "Well, greeting your ladyship, I am sorry for the poor reception." The man bowed slightly, "My name is Benjamin Fisher, how may the Blackguards serve?" "Her ladyship wishes to¡­ how may I say this with a straight face¡­ browse your¡­ merchandise." Logan was about to barf at every pause there. He can''t just bear the thought of being in a slave market. "Ooooh!" Benjamin, the Blackguard Officer, had his eyes looking at me widely as if it was the last thing he would expect from me, "I''ve never seen a noble come to us for a slave in¡­ a year or so. To think that her ladyship doesn''t mind browsing our merchandise, I am¡­ overjoyed as you high people would say it." "How dreadful!" Logan rolled his eyes. "Enough, Sir Logan." I couldn''t bear Logan''s whining more than that and spoke directly to the man, "Officer Benjamin, was it? I am looking for someone who is a great metalworker, a Duergar if possible, and I was told I can find such a person here." "That''s¡­ what we exist here for. We can satisfy all your needs, my Lady, whether it is Duergar, Hulkling, Dracoling, or even a Taurling." Officer Benjamin replied and then glanced at Esmeralda, "One of ours, I assume?" "No, officer. That''s a free woman since the day she was born." I replied. "Well, I guess there are standards. Apologies, my lady." He bowed and waved with his hand for us to go ahead while keeping his head lowered. As we moved, he kept himself on the lead while I was walking between Logan and a knight of my house and was backed from behind by Esmeralda. It felt suffocating but we were heading into a large gate that was guarded by a score of men that wasn''t less than twenty. "We have built our slave market so it can take a village of slaves inside. We have all sorts of merchandise¡­ except for Humans and Draconians, of course. I am sure you can find the best jewelsmith in our market and be satisfied." The man said as he signaled for the large gate to be opened. "Not a jewelsmith, Officer. A metalsmith, one that can forge all things that are required in all shapes and sizes." I corrected the man''s assumption. "Your words are our command, your Ladyship!" The man bowed his head and then looked at me asking, "Doesn''t the lady have her own mask? Will you enter the market without hiding your identity?" "Many people would hide their identity in fear of public shaming, my lady." Jane, who was tagging along this whole time, approached me and whispered in my ear. "It is useless. I have many eyes on me and it will be found out sooner or later that I dealt with slavers." I replied and looked sideways to halt my guard, "No need to parade me. Wait at the entrance, I will take Sir Fabian beside Sir Logan as well as Esmeralda and Jane." "But, my lady." A knight of mine argued. "No arguing." Logan spoke even though I thought he was the one who''d argue. With eight knights staying behind, the mass of our group lessened and we finally managed to enter that slave village the Blackguards are so obsessed about. "Welcome to the Blackguards Market of Archester where we have no shortage of slaves." Officer Benjamin welcomed us to what seemed to be a shanty town in the heart of the city. First of all, this place was the size of a baseball stadium, walled from all sides by walls that may reach 10 meters in height, and is being monitored by guards on its top and guards roaming the place within. Three towers surrounded the place and were connected to its walls and they seemed like they were built ages before the walls. As the entrance of the market is on higher ground than most, the place we entered from had a good overlay over this place. One can see places where smoke rises like pillars, which is mostly where we are headed, and other places had buildings with red curtains like houses of ill repute. One can find work and pleasure in the Black Market as it seems and all those who come here risk being on the bad side of society. "Lead us to our location of business, Officer Benjamin." "As you wish, Lady." We descended into the market and the Blackguards accompanying me were pushing the slaves left and right as it seemed I was getting the VIP treatment. It seemed that the Blackguards were seeking the acknowledgment of nobles to maintain themselves and my visit here made them think I could support their dirty business. I pity their poor thoughts. 42.2: The Black Market After a short while, we approached what seemed to be a workshop where many slaves were chained and rotating a large contraption while slavers were standing over them with whips and barbed ropes. Not too far from that, there was a completely different scene where I could see a Dwarf with the attire of a slave but in a way better condition than those slaves. He was holding a smoking pipe, sitting above a cage that seemed to be his, and was even enjoying a cup of tea under the shade of a canopy on top of it all. The scene would turn heads and Officer Benjamin noticed my interest quite swiftly. "This right here is Vladimir the Master Smith. Now you want anything cast or forged, Vladimir is the man to go to." Benjamin introduced the Dwarf as we walked in his direction before turning to the Dwarf himself, "Enjoying the tea, Master Vladimir?" The scene was absurd to me and I remained silent and listened to the exchange between the slave and the slaver. "Officer Benjamin, how can I help you on such a fine morning?" "We''ve got customers for you, ones you need to serve to the best of your ability." Their short exchange ended up with them turning to me. "So, how can I be of help, your Ladyship?" The Duergar spoke and I couldn''t help but smile. "When one comes to such a place, does the negotiation happen with the owned or with the owner?" I asked. It seemed my question confused them and the two looked for each other until Officer Benjamin answered. "Usually, the craftsman should meet with the client and discuss the work then the owner of Master Vladimir will determine the renting price." He said. "That''s how things go, my Lady." Jane came behind me and whispered. I ignored all that and pressed my demands. "It appears that a long-term commitment is necessary for the project I have in mind. I am here to engage the services of your finest craftsman and would prefer to pay the full amount upfront." I said without even considering what they offer. As I said that, however, it seemed that the slave and the slaver weren''t going to budge either. "This is the policy of the Blackguards, Lady Vivian. Artisans who belong to the Blackguards don''t get sold no matter what. Where else would the Blackguards get our supplies done?" Officer Benjamin seemed unwilling to even entertain me. It seemed that I had to pull that card after all. "Officer, may I speak to your Boss?" I said and displayed my displeasure in full. "Lady, what I said is what the Leiutanent will say." Officer Benjamin insisted. "You rowdy commoner, even when I am a guest at such an establishment, you are talking back to me like that? I don''t want to meet your Boss then, I''ll meet your Boss and his Boss too. The Overseer of this place is a nobleman after all, do you think this will pass?" "M-My Lady. This is¡­" "You have displeased me, Officer Benjamin. I am no longer responsible for what happens to you. I''m going to complain to my father for at least an hour." "I''ll¡­ I''ll go fetch the Lieutenant." Officer Benjamin was overwhelmed by my attitude and couldn''t help but retreat for a moment to regain his mental power. Seeing the man retreat, Logan turned to me with a nod. "I was almost going to take his side. You were quite scary just now." Logan said. "You''re being too harsh, Sir Logan. I went too easy on him if you ask me." That aside, now that Officer Benjamin has left us, it means we can look around the place freely but first, I needed to interrogate that Dwarf. "Hey, Duergar." I called upon the Dwarf and he seemed displeased from getting talked down to. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "What is it you wish for, my Lady?" He replied patiently and politely. "Since you are not someone with a price tag, I assume that any other Dwarf with less use than you to the Blackguards can be paid for in full?" I asked. The Dwarf nodded reluctantly as if he figured out what I was after. "Technically, that used to be the case. Things have changed recently but if your ladyship wants to browse¡­" He said and opened the way to the large tent behind him. The Dwarf seemed to have understood what I wanted to do but even if he didn''t like it, he couldn''t do anything about me. My plan was that I would demand to pay the full price for a slave but when they wouldn''t agree, I would threaten to make a fuss about them with the nobles. Of course that wouldn''t have worked if my face was covered with a mask. And because my target of purchase was the most valuable slave in the pen, I could actually force them to get someone lesser in rank and pay in full for him. "Can I see the other Duergars?" I asked. "This way please." Vladimir said even though he seemed to dislike it. Though the cage he sat in served as his resting space, the expansive tent seemed to hold secrets beyond what was immediately visible. Vladimir walked into that tent and we followed him inside. There, one could see that on the left and right of a large circular tent were three rows of cages on top of each other. While only a few were empty, each cage was the same size as Vladimir''s cage outside and had a Duergar inside. "Aside from the guys who are out on jobs, there are these guys here." Vladimir said. "I see." I walked further into the tent and took a better look at what''s in there. With their distinctive horns that begin from their foreheads and cover the area with a hard dermal layer, the Duergar were a breed of Dwarves that hail from the mountains at northern Albion. And like the clich¨¦ Dwarves from every fiction, they were good at handcrafts but rather cowardly and greedy than what one would expect. With my untrained eyes, I wouldn''t even figure out which Dwarf is the best and which is the worst at their craft without the help of Vladimir, who seems to be unwilling for any of his kind to be out of this tent. And so comes my next plan. If you can''t solve it with skill, cover it with money. I summed up all the personal money I have, aside from the 1000 gold Father is giving to me and it sums up to 55,400 pounds, which is 55.4 gold. With some of that money, I have sent Oliver, my new errand boy, followed by a couple of knights in civilian outfits, to purchase a few magic crystals for me. This cost me around 8500 pounds but I acquired 2000 SP using the crystals. This was almost the same amount as the ones I managed to swipe from Robert''s room at home. ? SP: 3959 ? What remained was for me to buy Tarot cards from the System shop and use them on those Duergar in order to find out which is the best to pay for. But there is a slight problem¡­ The Tarot is a unique system to me as Vivian where I can uncover certain information of an individual if I use the Draw option from the system shop. The problem here is that the first card I drew was on Edith Black and it cost me 100 SP, the second card was drawn on her as well and it cost me 200 SP. I was skeptical about how this system worked but when I used it for the third time on Richard Marshall, it was a free draw but I could see the cost of the next draw rising by 100 SP still. In other words, each Draw costs me 100 SP more than the one before it. This means that with my 3959 SP, I have only 6 draws before I deplete all my SP. This means that I need to at least have some recommendations before I get to verify. "Which one do you recommend for me to hire, Mr. Vladimir?" I asked with my fingers crossing behind my back. "Hmmm¡­" The Duergar seemed pleased as he sensed I was helpless and so he turned and walked to a cage in the middle of the left row, "This here is old Radoslav, 79 years of experience, my lady. He is one of the favorites of our customers." Vladimir led me to this Radoslav, whose cage seemed unlocked, and the elderly Duergar was just sitting inside and chilling with some small metal trinket that he seemed to disassemble. I looked at the man and drew a card from the system. My other hand was under my coat so no one saw the card materialize until I took it out and when I did¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª Name: Radoslav "the Wrecker" Silvervein ¡ª Race: Duergar (Dwarf) ¡ª Age: 51 ¡ª Social: Artisan Slave (The Blackguards) ¡ª Traits: Apprentice Metalsmith, Duergar Nature ¡ª Emotions: Confused, Distracted ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I call this bullshit, sir! Straight-out bullshit! "You''re using Tarot, my Lady? I mean it is not common to try and channel your fortune through luck but¡­" "Enough! 78 years of experience, you said?" "79, actually." "That guy is 51 years old." "Wha¡­ it can''t be!" Vladimir denied it immediately but those Tarot cards of mine are even better than the real deal. "Wheel of Fortune! Reversed! Do I even need to explain?" I revealed the card which is famously known for its bad luck. "I have never seen the Miss use tarot before. Is that how she gets lucky?" I heard Jane talking to Esmeralda. "She ordered a book on them a few days back. It seems our lady has more hidden talents." Esmeralda replied. A raise for you Esmeralda! Praise me more! Hahaha! But now that things have come this way, I can''t trust this Vladimir anymore as he seemed to have stood the farthest he could get from me while being glared at by Logan. One card drawn, four more to go. In this tent, one Duergar will be the metalsmith who takes my vision from fiction to reality. Little did I know that on that day, I would meet a lifelong companion. 43: Voros the Animal One card draw, four more to go. A fortune of SP was spent and thanks to the fact that I was born to the richest house in Elgard, I don''t fear spending money to find good talents. And so I had to look for a talented prospect among slaves. One that has both skills and character. Among this many Duergar, I need to determine by my eyes and then confirm it with my cards. "Jane, what do you think?" I asked the companion who dealt with Duergar before. "While Dwarves are known for their crafting skill, it is rare even to find a Master Craftsman among them. Most Duergars prefer to be brewers, miners, or builders. Only those with highborn lineage work the forge¡­ well, in most cases." Jane said. That was an interesting piece of information. So the Duergar smiths are ones of highborn descent. "Esmeralda, what do you think?" I then asked Esmeralda, who has traveled more than I have and saw places I never saw. "While I don''t know much about Duergar, my people were enemies to the southern Dwarves, the Aqzam, who are hornless, unlike the Duergar. We were always told that if we see a Dwarf with distinctive tattoos, we should hunt them with the atlatl." Esmeralda said. Alright, a bit brutal but it seems that southern Aqzam smiths get specific tattoos. Would that apply to northern Duergar? "Logan?" I asked my knight who should have at least dealt with a smith before. "A blacksmith is a blacksmith, simple as that." He said while looking around. "Well¡­ how can I tell?" I asked while feeling a bit distrustful of his simple way of looking at things. "The nature of one''s occupation can provide insights into their character. Consider two contrasting examples: a gardener and a coachman. The gardener, surrounded by vibrant greenery and the harmonious chirps of birds, experiences a serene and beautiful work environment. In contrast, the coachman, positioned behind the horse, endures unpleasant odors and deals with the animal''s unpredictable behavior. These vastly different work environments are likely to shape the demeanor and overall disposition of the individuals involved. What do you think, Princess?" He explained and then asked me. "A gardener lives in harmony with nature, he sees beauty and thus looks good and dresses well even when not on the job. Coachmen are known for their attitude and foul mouths." I replied. "There you have it. What about a blacksmith that works between metal and coal, the foul smell of the bellows, and the searing fire of a forge?" He asked. "Well¡­ given your way of looking at things, he would be someone you''d want to punch right in the face the moment you run into him." I replied. "And the student surpasses the master." Logan bowed slightly. "Thanks, Logan. That was impressively¡­ wise." "You are welcome, princess." So¡­ I guess what I am looking for is a highborn Duergar with a foul temper that you''d want to punch it out of him and may or may not have tribal Duregar tattoos. Let''s forget about the tattoos now and focus on what we have. Not you, not you, definitely not you, here''s one, another, not this one, that one in the back, I am not sure but I''ll return to that one, as for that one¡­ guess not. The process of finding out my dream Duergar was difficult but I eventually found ten candidates from the grand total of thirty-three. I can''t think I can make a decision on who''s better than who since I am still a beginner in this thing. For now, I''ll go with luck. "You." I pointed to a Duergar from the top row and he casually opened the door of his cage and sat down on the doorstep. "Well hello, young miss. How can I help you?" The Duergar replied with a cheerful voice. "I assume you are a blacksmith?" "Of course, the best in this place after Vladimir, of course." "Is that so?" I was planning to draw a card but I wanted to ask another question, "What is your best work?" "My best work? Pffft! I treat all my work equally but if I have to single out one particular item, it would be that blade carried by the elderly overseer of the north port." "Baron Wetten, you mean?" Logan asked. "That''s him." He replied. "You think we''re daft?" Logan frowned at the Duergar, "The Wetten family''s heirloom is the saber Lord Cutler Wetten carries. It is a treasure that dates back to 300 years." "Eh?" The Duergar was shocked, "But I crafted him another one. A replica so that the original can be kept away." That was obviously a lie, Logan''s sharpness saved me a card draw and made me realize one thing, most Dwarves here are liars. Next¡­ "You." "Yes, mistress." I singled out a young dwarf from the bottom row whose face was darkened with forging traces. "You a blacksmith?" "Not exactly, I am a furnace man but I learned to craft." "Well, thank you for your honesty." Apparently not that simple, eh? Next¡­ "Are you a blacksmith?" "Aye!" "What''s your best work?" "Aye!" "Excuse me?" "Aye!" "Are you some sort of retard?" "¡­" "So you were planning to make a fool out of me?" "Nay!" Forgive him, Vivian, forgive him. You are a young woman with a good heart. Put that gun away. Next¡­ "Are you a smith?" "I am, lady." "What is your best work?" "I make armor. My best work is a breastplate I made for my chieftain before we lost a fight to the blasted Novarkians and were taken by the Blackguards seven years back. Lost a lot of brothers that day." "I am sorry for your loss." "My loss is that I am living under that blasted turncoat, Vladimir. I am twice the craftsman he is yet I don''t get acknowledged around here." While it is a good story, I am here on business and so I had to leave emotions out of it and so I drew the card. It was Death, Reversed. Not a good card. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª Name: Kresimir "Sluggy" Blackforge ¡ª Race: Duergar (Dwarf) ¡ª Age: 88 ¡ª Social: Craftsman Slave (The Blackguards), Chief Crafter (The Blackforge Clan) ¡ª Traits: Expert Metalsmith, Duergar Nature ¡ª Emotions: Depression from burned-out creativity ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Well, this guy is having a bad day. The reversed Death usually means the fear of change but it can also mean decay or, in his case, stagnation. It is not that difficult to get out of a mental block, one has to try new things and refresh their souls but with that guy, he fell into stagnation to earn him the title of Sluggy. Even with his trait of being an Expert Metalsmith, I am not sure he is worth the investment. And look at that! This guy is 88 years old and looks like he''s around his mid-40s while that other guy looked like an elder and he was 51. You can''t really tell what''s going on with these Duergar. But then, fate lit up a spark not too far at the edge of my vision and something caught my attention. A Duergar, whose face was darkened with soot, and if not for his clear bright eyes which he averted away immediately, I would have missed him in the shadows. Actually, I never even noticed him when I singled out the ten metalworker prospects earlier. I walked a few steps to the cage and I couldn''t believe I almost missed that. Unlike most of the cages, this cage was locked but that was the thing I noticed later. What I noticed right away about this particular cage was how carved it was. All cages here are made of dark iron but this particular one had some of the most artistic carvings that I have ever seen. Every little detail was nothing short of an exquisite piece of art. But the more I looked, the crazier it became. Some carvings served no particular decorative purpose and at some point, I felt like those carvings at the very top looked like screw grooves. Each bar in the cage was unique in a way and if I pieced it all together in my mind, I think some of these bars were just part of something else like that Meccano game I used to play with as a child. At that moment, I mindlessly held the bar and felt its details that depicted flowers, thorns, skulls, and all sorts of imagery that would make goth girls wet themselves but suddenly¡­ *HAAAH!!!* The Duergar inside the cage bared his fangs and charged at me with his mouth wide open. I was actually freaked out because that man''s teeth were all sharp like fangs and he seemed very aggressive. Fearful for my hand, which he was about to reach too, my instincts kicked in and a straight left jab landed on the face of that idiotic Duergar. THWACK THUD "MOTHERFUCKER!" I shouted out of fright but I hope nobody noticed that. "Vivian!" "My lady!" Logan and Esmerlada rushed at me immediately and I was literally carried like a kitten by Esmerlada while Logan had his sword at the Duergar''s face. "Oh no! He''s done it again!" "Shit! It''s the Animal." "Man, we will not see the end of this." As the dwarves started whining about that particular Duergar, Logan''s eyes were sending out red sparks. "THIS FILTHY MONGREL! YOU THINK YOU''LL DIE PEACEFULLY?" "Calm down, Logan!" I called for Logan but I couldn''t escape the mighty grasp of Esmeralda. "Don''t hold me back, Vivian. That bastard wounded your hand. I can''t forgive¡­" I somehow slipped from Esmerlada and held Logan''s arms who didn''t budge an inch. For goodness sake, my weak hand can''t even affect him. I am thankful everybody around me is so strong but it is starting to weigh down on my feelings. Distracted again by Logan''s muscles, was I? "Hey, look here. This is not even my blood." I showed Logan my left hand, which on top of wearing a glove, that blood was actually from the poor Duergar I just punched. Logan calmed down a little but then he frowned and looked at me. "Did you just curse at that Duregar?" He noticed! Oh, boy! They all noticed! "Just a slip of a tongue, water under the bridge." "No, that was some strong lang¡­" "Logan, dear." "Hm?" "Shut it." "Alright." Logan didn''t retreat and kept close as I approached the cage once again. "This is some impressive carving, Mr¡­?" I waited for the Duergar covered in soot to reply but he seemed rather aggressive and unresponsive. "You were right about the punching thing." I spoke to Logan. "If my memory serves right, that was your idea." He replied. Should I draw a card this time? I only have four draws left and I am feeling this particular Duergar is quite the unhinged manic. I mean sharpened teeth, claw-like fingernails, soot all over his skin, overly grown hair, and a very unkempt beard, let alone being covered from head to toe in soot. I am hesitating! Truly hesitating. But a second look at that marvelous work he had made out of his cage and my judgment gets clouded even more. Fine! Here''s a draw. To my utter surprise, the card I drew was the Lovers. For real? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª Name: Voros "The Animal" Goldheart ¡ª Race: Duergar (Dwarf) ¡ª Age: 39 ¡ª Social: Craftsman Slave (The Blackguards), 13th Son of the Chieftain (Goldheart Clan) ¡ª Traits: ¡ª¡ª Master Metallurgist ¡ª¡ª Expert Mechanic ¡ª¡ª Duergar Nature ¡ª Emotions: Lamenting his lost love ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Master Metallurgist and Expert Mechanic? He seems like a very skilled craftsman but I need another opinion on this. "Jane." "Yes, my lady." "What''s a metallurgist?" My question wasn''t for the lack of understanding since the word meant a mineral expert but I don''t know what it means in the context of crafting in this world. But the look on Jane''s face was that of pure shock. "A metallurgist is someone who can do wonders with metal, my lady." "Hmmm¡­ then what about a Master Metallurgist?" My question caused Jane to hold her breath for a moment and then look at me with eyes that were trying to convey something difficult. "What?" "Can I use vulgar words?" "You heard me curse just now." "Fine. Master Metallurgists are like¡­" She got closer to whisper, "A wet dream." "That''s enough, thank you." "They are like these lordly figures and amazing masters. If one of them opens shop in any place, the Lord himself would come and welcome them with gifts and wedding offers. Once, I heard that a village in a barren area was turned into a very rich town because a master metallurgist moved over there." "You''re getting excited, Jane." "I know¡­ Sorry, I tend to lose control sometimes." This Voros Goldheart, or as others call him "The Animal", is someone I can''t miss out on. If even my father was to learn that someone like that exists, he''d raise hell just to acquire him at his business. "Look at this. Do you want to be beaten for real this time?" I heard Logan shouting once again and I turned to see him looking with displeasure at the Voros the Duergar. As for the Duergar, he was reaching his hand to me. "Logan, wait." I approached the man and as I looked closer, he was not reaching out for me but rather for the Card in my hand. I didn''t know what to do so I told him what was on it. "The Lovers." I don''t know what befell that savage Duergar but the moment he heard that, it was as if he quivered from deep within and sat on his knees. "Re¡­ reversed?" He asked in a hoarse and shaken voice. "He speaks?" "Really?" "Was it the Animal?" As if it was a shock to the other Duergar, who looked at Voros with interest. "No, upright." I replied and turned the card to him. As if he understood the meaning, two white lines were drawn under his eyes as tears fell and cleared the soot away. He reached out once again and I didn''t really feel like stopping him from having the card. He received it from me and gently looked at it with sadness that even Logan respected and kept his distance from. After a short while, Voros raised his eyes and looked at me. "Please¡­ more." This was my sixth overall draw and it cost me 600 SPs. I couldn''t just draw another card easily. "I am willing to draw your fortune but I need something in return." "I''ll¡­ work. Whatever!" Voros said and it felt like he was so desperate for that reading. "I can''t draw forever so¡­" I didn''t want to but I felt like we had made a promise to one another. It was the Hermit¡­ reversed. Not a good card. I handed it to him and he looked at it, this time with no sadness, but with acceptance. He laid down the Lovers card then on the ground then reversed Hermit in a bit of a lower stance. He knows how to do a layout. He then looked at me again. "Fine." Another card was drawn¡­ the Devil. Thankfully, reversed. He took it, looked at it, and somehow feared this card. He nodded to himself and then put it in his layout. The Lovers were on the west, the reversed Hermit on the south, the reversed Devil on the East¡­ Ah, a Four Card layout it seems. Past, Present, Future, and Result. One last card¡­ I can''t deny him this after reaching this far. Once I drew that card, I smiled. I couldn''t wait to give it to him but¡­ "What is the meaning of this? You can''t just enter the slave pen!" I totally forgot about that. Officer Benjamin sat off to bring his boss after my little Karen acted and he seemed to have arrived while fuming with rage. I turned to the Duergar and spoke. "I''ll have to handle this first, Voros. Don''t go anywhere." 44: Freedom "You have to get out of here. Not just anyone can simply waltz into the Slave Pens!" The Blackguard Lieutenant spoke as he walked angrily towards us. Vivian, as an 18-year-old noble, who fancies nothing but greatness and nobility, couldn''t stand still being treated this way or let anyone simply order her around. At that moment, she initialized Villainess Mode to full throttle, equipping herself with the cannons of sophistication and beams of classical literature. "Your insolence knows no bounds, sir! To accuse my esteemed self of trespassing upon this ungodly ground and then spew forth such venomous utterances is an affront to decency itself. Pray, reconsider your comportment, lest you find yourself bereft of all civility and regard." The Leiutanent paused and it seemed that his brain short-circuited while hearing Vivian just now. In truth, most of the people around, except for Esmeralda, had to take a second to digest what Vivian said. "Amazing, my Lady." Esmeralda clapped for Vivian lightly. "I¡­ I was saying¡­ this is a place restricted for clients." The Lieutenant felt as if he stepped into some sort of unwanted trouble. "By the Saints above, you shall not abscond unscathed from such insolence! Behold, gaze upon this spectacle: a slave of yours, in a reckless display of negligence, has wrought injury upon my person. I demand redress for this grievous transgression, for justice shall not be denied in the face of such egregious disregard for decorum and duty!" Vivian mercilessly spoke as she showed the blood on her hand demanding retribution. "So noble!" Esmeralda was shaken by Vivian''s nonsense like never before. The Lieutenant realized that even with the authoritative airs he put on while entering, he held no candle to that person¡­ whoever she was. "I¡­ I apologize on behalf of all the personnel. You shouldn''t have been accompanied here without Blackguard''s supervision. All the responsibility falls upon us. We shall severely punish those slaves." The Lieutenant said, "Still, you can''t stay here. Please, let me invite you to my office and discuss the matter in a cleaner place. And while we''re at it, I''ll summon someone to look at your wound. It may get infected." "Absurdity! I, Vivian of House Moore, shall exact vengeance upon a grand scale, unfurling its tendrils a thousandfold, yet absolving the blameless from culpability. This wretched knave who dared inflict harm upon my person shall find solace only in the confines of my family''s dungeon, where his final days shall be suffused with unrelenting torment and anguish." Vivian replied without giving space for negotiation. "Thank you, God." Esmeralda was in a deep state of ecstasy just from hearing Vivian. As the situation seemed difficult to handle, the Lieutenant felt that if Vivian was this impossible to talk to, he could just claim to be in the right. "I am afraid there is nothing I can do here other than to discipline the slaves. All the craftsmen under the Blackguards are protected from being traded. It is simply non-negotiable." Vivian''s eyes widened with rage and she seemed like the most troublesome child in the world. "Should this slave not be delivered forthwith, I shall not hesitate to register a formal complaint with both my esteemed father and your superior. Furthermore, I shall not shy away from recounting today''s lamentable incident before the august tribunal of the law. Though my unwitting transgression may be acknowledged, rest assured, when your superior discerns your culpability in this affair, upon whom do you surmise the weight of reproach shall fall?" "This is the best day of my life." Esmeralda held her beating heart with joy and fulfillment. As for the main situation, it didn''t take a genius to understand Vivian''s threat. She is going to complain to everyone even if she has to take legal action just to annoy the Blackguards. At that point, the Lieutenant''s Boss, who is most likely the Market''s Overseer, will have to fire the Leiutanent to appease House Moore. The reputation of the daughter of House Moore as a villainess is recognized nationwide and this is one of the many accidents that she usually causes. Even the Lieutenant knew better. "But the rules¡­" "Are meant to be broken." He wanted to refute but Vivian didn''t give him a chance. He looked to his side and glared at Vladimir, who came running to him with his head lowered. "What is going on here?" "I am terribly sorry, sir. The Animal, he attacked her¡­ I don''t understand what is going on at all." Vladimir quivered and spoke with a humble attitude despite how confident he was. A Blackguard lieutenant is usually a minor noble from a rural area looking to make some money by serving as a Blackguard mercenary. This was the same case with Baron Hewes, whose son was the one to be betrothed to Vivian after the Prince broke his engagement with her. In other words, lieutenants were still powerful and could trample over any slave no matter what their worth was but with moderation, of course. "This Animal, who is he?" The Lieutenant asked. "Well¡­ all I know is that he''s a nutjob. Was in this pen longer than most. Since his head isn''t alright, he''s rather aggressive and he doesn''t talk¡­ well, he didn''t until¡­" "I don''t care about his life story! Is he useful?" "No! Not at all, he may have had some talent back in the day but the only thing he can do now is shovel work at the coal depot." Somehow, the Lieutenant sighed since this wasn''t really anything important. It seems that this Duergar holds no particular value. As for the rules, it would be difficult to sell him unless he becomes some other sort of slave. "Fine. For this particular slave, the trade can be managed." Vivian was about to dance from joy but she restrained herself. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Excellent. I am satisfied that we have at last reached a mutual understanding. I seldom broach the subject of pecuniary matters, but I am compelled to inquire: what sum do you deem appropriate for the freedom of the Duergar in question?" The Lieutenant frowned and turned to Vivian. "I am sorry. Freedom? You are not going to buy this slave?" He asked. Vivian''s face suddenly became shocked with disgust. "At what juncture in our discourse have I purported an intention to procure a slave through purchase? Do you perceive me as one who would assume the mantle of a master over another?" She said. "Well¡­ I just assumed¡­ Never mind!" The Lieutenant gave up and opened the way out of the slave tent, "Please, let''s continue this at the reception hall." *** The negotiations started with the Blackguards mercenaries and the Lieutenant, whose name I didn''t care to ask about, managed to do a very smart thing. Before I paid for Voros'' freedom, he was listed as a labor slave rather than an artisan slave. Since a labor slave is very cheap compared to almost any other sort of slave, the price took a steep drop but since the Lieutenant was taking a huge risk pulling that stunt, he damned 50,000 pounds. According to Jane, a Master Metallurgist for the price of 50 gold pounds would be a world-class steal. Of course, she hasn''t even dared to assume that Voros is a Master Metallurgist. Voros was brought to the guest room in the reception hall where he was still the mess he was but now as I took a look at him outside the cage, he was even messier. "You''ll need a lot of grooming, Mr. Voros." I spoke to him and he looked at me with distracted eyes. He then looked back at his hands and there were three cards I gave him. The Lover, the reversed Hermit, and the reversed Devil. He laid them out once again on the table inside the guest room and waited for me to offer him the fourth card and last card. I put the cards on its face north of the other cards and waited for him to turn it. It was the Star. Tarot doesn''t have rigid rules and there are many ways to get a reading. The simplest is the three cards layout but the more cards you add, the more detailed a reading can become. The Celtic cross layout, for example, involves ten cards and it is very popular but since I only use the major arcana cards, I use small layouts. After all, I am also a beginner. This four-card layout can read into the past, present, and future, and finally the result of one''s reading. "Your past is the Lovers, you had found love and it was warm and beautiful, I can say that because looking at the current you, I see that you are a husk of your former self, reduced to an Animal. Your present is the Hermit reversed, you suffer from loneliness and isolation, and you lost your way, probably because you lost your love, but since the Lovers card is not reversed, it means that your love is not one-sided and you only need to search for the one you love. Your future is the Devil reversed, while the Devil is a dangerous card representing materialism and greed, its reversed form represents freedom and restoring control. You gain your freedom and get yourself together. Finally, the result is the Star. As long as you move forward, be armed with faith because your path is that of healing and hope." That was a beautiful tarot layout. I couldn''t help but feel emotional and Voros too was leaning against the table and sobbing two streams of tears that whitened his lower face. I am not the type to sympathize with every tear-jerking case I run into but sometimes one must remember they are just people like us at the end of the day. "Sir Fabian, please escort him to the mansion but make sure he is not seen. Acquire the help of one Oliver West, a gardener apprentice, and hide him at one of the shacks that aren''t being used by anyone at the side of the garden. Tell Oliver to serve food and bathing water to Voros and guard them well until I get home." I gave command to Sir Fabian who was the other knight following me aside from Logan and he followed suit. "Moment!" But as I was ready to wrap things up, Voros started acting on his own. "Where are you going, Duergar?" Logan asked him. "Get things." Voros replied. As my knights feared he was escaping after I freed him, the two of them followed but I told them not to. He promised to work for me and I know he will honor his words. I went outside and watched as Voros got back to the slave pen. "Hey, what are you doing back here?" Vladimir stood up against Voros but was pushed aside. A few seconds later, I could hear the sound of rummage and metal breaking before Voros appeared from the tents and his shoulder was a few metal bars. "HEY! Why did you break the cage? Do you know how bad this will make us look?" Vladimir chased after Voros but Voros suddenly turned and punched Vladimir right in the face. "BLAH BLAH BLAH!" In a completely eccentric and wild attitude, Voros stood above Vladimir and started making voices to convey that he was annoyed by Vladimir''s constant nagging. "You filthy bastard! You dared¡­ you dared lay a hand on¡­" Vladimir was upset but Voros cut him short with another punch. "Scum Duergar! Weak mind! Slave mind!" Voros said and raised his short Duergar legs before stomping Vladimir''s chest violently and walking over him. On his way, he ripped off the door of the tent and I could see the inside. Since he pulled most of his cage apart, it seems that rows of cages around it all toppled down. "Miss Jane, I''ll appoint you as my temporary financial officer. Please, see to the damages caused by our new employee, Mr. Voros." "By your orders." Voros was done with his affairs and wrapped those iron bars in the cloth he ripped before coming to follow me. It seemed that the Blackguards were protesting his behavior but since I was covering the damages, it wasn''t much they could do. "Ready." Voros came towards me and spoke. "Alright. Sir Fabian here will take you to a place where you can eat, bathe, and sleep. Once I get home, we will have much to discuss." "Animal, thankful." "I know that your name is Voros. The tarot told me all about you." "No. Voros weak. Animal strong." "I don''t care. Your self-respect is an extension of my respect and it is not a matter to be taken lightly, Mr. Voros. If we can''t agree to that, we should part ways here and now." "NO¡­ No." Voros seemed hesitant even with his eccentric way of¡­ everything. He seemed to be thinking hard and finally accepted it. "Voros¡­ alright." "I hope that one day you come to good terms with your past self. As for now, you will be my employee and I will give you a job and salary as a freeman." "No¡­ no salary. Just food¡­ and help." "Alright. What sort of help." Voros then returned the cards to me but withheld one. The Lovers. He gulped before returning it and spoke a name. "Anastasia." "You want me to find her." He didn''t reply, just a nod was enough to convey his will. "I promise you I''ll do everything in my power to find her wherever she is." He nodded in affirmation and held his sack of metal tight. It was still 9 in the morning as all this drama was converging. I sent Voros with Sir Fabian and got back to my carriage. "You know what, Logan." "Princess?" "You were right. The first true smith I will meet will make me punch him." "Glad to be right." "Then there is the matter of punching you." 45: Conglomerate As Vivian''s carriage made its way through the impoverished districts, it eventually arrived at an area dominated by massive structures. Hundreds of factories lined the streets, their smokestacks billowing black fumes into the air and pipelines running along their exteriors. A prominent sigil adorned each of these buildings ¡ªthe ostentatious "M" of the Moore Conglomerate¡ª signifying the family''s immense influence in the industrial sector. Vivian recalled that part of the game in Robert Moore''s questline where his father and sister deny him his inheritance of the family business. The reason was that these factories were considered destructive to the environment by the heroine who visited them one day, which led Robert to confront his father about them and demand that they halt production lines until a solution is found. This, of course, can''t be received well by the head of the richest family in the Empire and causes a rift between the father and son. Vivian concludes that Matilda is aiming to ruin the family and thus the bullying starts, which eventually ends up with Vivian''s ruin, the Count''s house arrest by interference from the Royal Family, and Robert taking over the family business. But now, even Vivian has to admit that if the situation were to happen in the future, House Moore would be at risk. Most of these factories ran on coal as early versions of the Steam Engine powered up the whole industry. If left like that, the quality of life in the surrounding residential districts would worsen and weaken the Moore Family''s stance when Heroine makes her move against them. Vivian opened her note and wrote down one more task to focus on in the future. Such a task will require a lot of innovation and diplomacy to get it done. After a few minutes, the carriage arrived at a building so large and grand it was almost the size of the royal palace. In front of it, a large sign was adorned with golden luster and said one word. "Moore!" Located at the core of the Moore Industrial, Financial, and Trading Conglomerate, a clockwork environment prevailed on a massive scale, bustling with nearly ten thousand employees. They diligently contributed to the seamless functioning and success of every branch of this expansive business enterprise. In front of the main building stood an open space where the carriage arrived. Several armed men wearing suits, capes, tricorne hats, swords, and pistols surrounded it. Known as the Moore Guards, this elite foot soldier force protected every Moore business. One of the guards, equipped with additional protective gear, swiftly approached the carriage and opened the door. "Lady Vivian, it is a pleasure to see you in the Headquarters." "Sir Adrian, it has been a long time." This was the Head of Guards at the Moore Conglomerate. Originally a distant relative of the Moores, he is a fairly young swordsman who achieved much and managed to rise to this tank by gaining the Lord''s confidence. "You just missed the Lord. He told me to tell you to head to the upper conference room right away." "Understood." As Vivian passed, Logan and Adrian looked at each other and greeted one another with a fist pump, showing their deep friendship. As the two would see each other often, no further words were needed to be exchanged. The Headquarters building was only two stories tall but extended on many acres of land left and right. Its front design resembled Roman architecture with many pillars holding the triangular ceiling and the rest of the building was pretty Elgardish with tall windows and a stone base. The entrance could be reached by climbing almost twenty wide stair steps and it was made of five large gates. A lot of hustle and bustle was going on all around the entrance as employees and clients came and went by but as soon as two lines of Moore Guards took to the center of the stairs, the central gate was isolated to let Vivian pass through with her companions and knights. After passing the entrance, the building inside was unbelievably made of an incredible assortment of white and black marble slabs. In the center, the guards cleared a huge curved stairway, and Vivian climbed it until she reached the second story. Receiving her was the face of her father painted on an incredibly large painting and surrounded left and right by shields carrying the family''s coat of arms. "This way, Lady Vivian." Sir Adrian walked to the right and entered a large hallway where the windows were on the right and the building''s chambers were on the left. The rays of the sun entered through every window and illuminated the large hallway with all its marvelous decorations from dark curtains to armor suits to vases and flowers. Finally, the group reached a large wooden door that can be considered as big as a mansion''s gate. Sir Adrian and Logan pushed the door right and left and opened it for Vivian to enter. Seeing the inside, even Vivian had to gulp as it seemed this was a Full House situation in front of her. A large conference room was what she saw with some of the Empire''s richest people gathered within. This conference room alone could be considered as large as the King''s throne room and that''s no small thing to compare to. As Vivian entered, the head secretary walked to her and ordered the knights to shut the door behind them. Vivian was led to the large oval table in the center of the room and there she could see all the figures gathered in the room. Aunts and uncles, businessmen and businesswomen, partners and associates, the room had them all and they were spread around in groups across the room. Some of them even eyed Vivian with sharp looks and others went to greet her immediately. She started to greet them as confidently as she could and tried well enough to remember their names. As for the secretary who received Vivian, he immediately retreated to a large door further into the room, and a minute later, Lord Julian Moore walked out steadily and firmly while sharply eyeing everyone and analyzing which partners would group up together this time around. As he assumed the seat at the head of the table, things were very quiet and all the groups joined up together towards the table, each member to their seats. "Since we''re all gathered, let''s start today''s agendas." Count Julian spoke up in a calm voice that was heard by everyone around the room easily. The meeting began and Vivian was surprised by the power these people would actually muster. Some of them spoke of funding wars while others spoke of constructing cities and investing in nations. Nothing said in that meeting was trivial in any way. These people would bring up these subjects and then make their intentions clear like ruining a rival or acquiring the rights to certain production lines. For the first time, Vivian felt intimidated by the atmosphere in this room. Even though she prepared to speak, what worth would her petty business venture amount to those big whales? And just like that, the partners and associates meeting was concluded after two hours of conversing and everyone turned to Vivian, whose seat was the last in the right row of seats. "The last item in today''s meeting will be the establishment of ViTech, an enterprise developed by my daughter, Vivian, and will be managed by her. The subject of enterprise will be research investment and managing developers." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "My Lord, if you excuse me, we already have many departments focusing on research and development. The best in the country at that. Wouldn''t it be a waste of resources?" The one speaking was Tristan Moore, Lord Moore''s cousin and the director of the heavy industries department." "Vivian has convinced me and I personally have no doubts that she will succeed. She is here today to gain the support of the directors and convince you with her new ideas." Lord Julian said. "If she has your support to this extent, she could have just begun her work. Why drag the girl all the way here?" The Director of Trade, Agatha Moore, spoke while eyeing Count Julian sharply. "Please, allow me to speak." Vivian stood up and walked to the opposite end of the table and faced the attendees, "Since I am speaking to my elders, I won''t be comfortable sitting down, so excuse my action. While I am inclined to greet you as Aunts, Uncles, and Family Friends as I am used to, today I meet you as the respected directors and the esteemed partners of the Moore Conglomerate." Vivian''s manner of speaking became calm and confident despite how intimidated she was by those dangerous characters. "To be brief, ViTech, which is short for Vivian''s Technologies, is an establishment that focuses on investing in researchers and managing developers. As its founder, my vision is not to pursue the same old style of research, but to completely pioneer into new fields that the competitors might beat us to. By no means I am undermining the huge funds you raise for the sake of development, I am just going to do it in a more efficient and academic way. For the past few days, I have had some correspondence with some of the elite scientists and engineers in many fields, the ones who teach in all three royal academies and the other independent academies across the Empire. Aside from funding them like the usual, we laid out what can be referred to as a Pyramid Scheme of Development." Vivian, who stood with her right hand on top of her left, moved her hand aside and snapped her finger for a blackboard to appear beside her from her Storage Purse. On it, she has a drawing and some diagrams for her business setup. "As agreed with our partner professors, they will take the following approach. First, researches of trivial worth or unexplored potential will be handed down to their students for their graduation projects, and each student will have to spend one whole year on a project to look into its potential and understand its dimensions. Postgraduate students will pick up from where the graduate students left and will be assigned the most favorable projects by their supervisors. Such projects may take time to develop but trusting our partner professors'' vision, they will pick the projects with the highest potential for bearing fruits. Finally, after reaching an advanced stage, the research will be handled by a professor no less. We trust them to develop the rough ideas into polished applications that we in the Moore Conglomerate can directly benefit from. Our role as ViTech is to fund every researcher on the three stages of the pyramid and provide them with benefits they can''t find on the job such as advanced labs, health insurance, personal security, and other moderate luxuries. In exchange, every single piece of research data will be documented and preserved by ViTech, which is a direct subordinate of the Moore Conglomerate, enabling all our departments and partners to benefit directly without any form of rivalry between the members. And to not cause any hard feelings, each project will be patented to its researcher and will be given lifelong benefits till the day they draw their final breath on the scale of their achievement. In exchange, ViTech gains the right to develop and distribute the technologies we acquire as we see fit, the researchers will have to give up on that right for us or become a business subsidiary if they have any plans on getting into the big market. That was the Investing in Researchers part, as for Managing the Developers, it will be almost the same thing. Still, we will have our own teams of professionals in the house which I am in the middle of assembling as of now." Vivian was done explaining her grand plan and turned to the partners. "While it seems like a long-term enterprise, we have already begun the development of a few key projects and we expect to open a new assembly line if the manufacturing department director accepts the final results of our research. As for what we need, we currently have a manager, a technician, and an artisan expert, so we''ll need a number of personnel who can manage this enterprise until its gears are greased and tick like clockwork. Thank you for listening." Vivian finished her presentation and retrieved her blackboard then walked back to her seat. "I assume most of you see it as a hopeful project¡­" Lord Julian spoke but he was interrupted. "Way too hopeful, my Lord¡­ if you excuse me saying." Said a curly red-haired woman with nothing natural about her makeup. "Lady Natasha may think that but I see that Vivian has presented a very lucrative offer to everyone involved." Tristan Moore replied with disdain towards the red woman. "I am inclined to agree with Miss Natasha. Vivian''s confidence was built on a lot of trust. Its method is untested." Agatha Moore sided with the red woman. The directors and partners started to voice their own opinions. While some seemed in favor of ViTech, many seemed against it. Still, the final say was for the man at the head of the table and he was already in favor of it. "Lady Natasha Ivanov, I assume?" Vivian spoke to the red woman directly. "Yes, Lady Vivian, it is the first time we meet." Natasha replied with a big smile. "I was embarrassed not to recognize you right away. As a valuable partner, you have my deepest respect for everything you bring to my family''s business. Your brand of cosmetics is all the craze in the city these days." Vivian said while smiling. "Lady Vivian, you''re too kind. However, I don''t see you using any of my products. That''s not good advertising." Natasha said while sharply eyeing Vivian''s minimal makeup. "I would love to, Lady Natasha. Sadly, my skin is too allergic to chemicals so I can only rely on organic recipes." Vivian replied. "How¡­ sad! I''ll begin putting in the effort to make the best that suits you soon, my dear." "Oh, how kind of you! Thank you." Vivian couldn''t smile except with her lips as her eyes remained cold and indifferent. Unfortunately, the Moore Conglomerate has a lot of dangerous weaknesses, especially that woman, Natasha Ivanov. In the route of Ian Grayson, this woman actually makes an appearance in the game and because of her harmful products, she ensnares the Villainess of that route into her own self-destruction before getting beaten by the Heroine''s new brand of cosmetics that doesn''t have as many chemicals and isn''t dangerous to the skin. One way or another, the Moore Conglomerate will take a blow in that route and it''s better to do something about it soon. "Since the discussion about the new subsidiary enterprise is over, I would like to give Vivian my persimmon to go ahead and I will give her a month to show me the fruits of her work. Let''s not ask for anything grand, since what I am offering is personnel support and a funding of 1,000,000 pounds." "That''s reasonable." Tristan Moore nodded, "I am funding ViTech as well with 250,000 pounds. I hope that your promise about contributing to the manufacturing department is fulfilled soon, niece." "Thank you, Father, and thank you, Uncle Tristan." "The food manufacturing department invests 150,000 pounds." "The mechanical department invests 150,000 pounds as well. We would love to see Miss Vivian succeed." "Donovan and Sons for fabric manufacturing invest 100,000 pounds¡­" "Hynshire Cattle Company invests 120,000 pounds¡­" Even though the majority of the board members didn''t show favor to Vivian''s enterprise, the investments kept flowing until Vivian reached twice the amount of money she thought she would be receiving. It seemed that rather than just giving her his support, Lord Julian wanted others to support Vivian and boost her first step in the merciless world of business. As for Vivian, who went broke after paying for Voros'' freedom, her funds now have reached 2,000,000 pounds. No good deed goes unrewarded! As Vivian recalled the situation with Voros, one of the secretaries came from outside and subtly approached Count Julian without raising suspicions from the directors or the partners and whispered something to him. Vivian took notice of that as she was conversing with one of the partners who sat beside her and noticed that for a slight second, her father frowned at her. This was a quick one! She thought that he wouldn''t hear about it at least till she left. She has to nip this problem in the pud before a PR disaster happens since it seems like the members of the board will soon start hearing about her visit to the Black Market too. So as soon as the meeting was concluded, Vivian chased after her father who was walking to his office. "Father, a word if you may." "I was just about to call for you." "News travel, huh?" "¡­" "Daddy, may I ask you a question before we delve into the main topic?" "Go ahead." Seeing as he was being patient with her, Vivian couldn''t help but smile. "Do you believe in the noble principle of Finders Keepers?" 46: The Blank Coin Entering my father''s office, an overwhelming sense of insignificance washed over me. The vastness of the room was accentuated by the towering skydome above. At the far end stood a circular library, elevated on its own level and accessible only by a winding staircase. Dominating the space was my father''s colossal desk, its size rivaling half that of a typical conference table. In Father''s office, the walls were adorned with numerous Van Brosa paintings, although they were outnumbered by maps of every known region¡ªnearly double the quantity. Amidst this opulent display, Father''s collection of weapons, pistols, and exotic artifacts was strategically arranged, adding to the overall grandeur of the space. In contrast to its function as an office, this space was intended to resemble a museum. However, I am not an expert on men''s hobbies, and being a collector is not the most questionable among them. "Finders Keepers, huh? Is this how you are trying to justify your ill-considered visit to the Black Market?" Seeing Father showing his displeasure after supporting me out there, I am sure he is disappointed to some extent. Even though it was weighing emotionally on me to see him like that, I knew better than to mess with my chances. "I just want a straight answer, Father, and I promise you everything will be explained. I may as well get praised." "Vivian¡­ Vivian." Father sighed as he double-mentioned my name, "Let''s pretend I am someone who has ill intentions towards you. What do you think I can do with such a piece of news?" "As for my haters, they should all know better by now. I survived their shaming marriage incident, an attack after my life, an investigation trying to pin a murder on me, and lastly the finals where I had to endure a man-made inferno of exams. If I were my hater, I would tread carefully and know that I don''t make such mistakes." I replied while making the last sentence clearer than ever. "Fine. I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt." "Finders Keepers, Daddy?" "Finders Keepers, Vivian." I couldn''t help but smile. As a man of his word, my father may just go crazy after knowing what I got. "I don''t want to rush the good things or be over-enthusiastic myself but I managed to liberate a pretty good craftsman from the hands of the Blackguards." "You¡­ liberated?" "I paid for his freedom." "So you knew better than to buy a slave." "Obviously." "Hmmm¡­ it still may hold little importance if someone wanted to slander you." "I was planning to hide the Duergar I discovered." "Hold on, I still don''t have all the details¡­ You liberated a Duergar craftsman¡­ and the Blackguards just let it happen?" "They had no idea he was a craftsman. Well, he was part of the craftsman slaves pen but since he was useless to them, they listed him as a laborer before accepting my money." "How much did you pay?" "Around 50,000." "Too much for a laborer, too little for a craftsman." "I used up half of my brain just to annoy them enough and acted all sorts of crazy so that I could get him." "Hmmm, now I am curious." "A Metallurgist." There was a slight pause as I said so and my father kept looking at me. "How did you find out about his skill?" "I used unconventional means but the signs were clear, yet hidden under a few layers of soot." "If he is a Metallurgist and you bought him his freedom from the Blackguards, they won''t sit still and will do anything to retrieve him." "Can they? He is a free man now and since he works for me, he is practically one of your subjects." Father looked at me and sighed realizing that I pulled his leg into trouble with me this time. "You are just like your mother." He said and massaged his temples. "She gave you a lot of headaches too?" "You have no idea¡­ it is like¡­ you''ve grown to be a lot like her all of a sudden." I know that the topic of my mother is one of the difficult things to talk about with him but seeing him bring it up, I couldn''t help but ask. But his answer is that I am growing to be like her which may mean that she lived in circumstances similar to mine. I can only imagine right now but I am not too keen on finding out as long as Father is not the one telling things to me. "So, back to the topic at hand. That Metallurgist, he is now a free man but you managed to take him in, right?" "Yes. As you can imagine, he lived a life that pushed him to the edge of both body and mind but he was very compassionate about a certain topic. He seemed to have a lost wife and he wants our help to reunite with her." "Good. This will keep him under your care for some time but you must keep it a secret." "Of course, I will. I wasn''t planning on telling you before you agreed on "Finders Keepers"." "Vivian, I have a handful of Metallurgists working under me, why would I need the one you just acquired?" See that answer just now? It will be something completely different tonight. But just as we were settling on how to act according to the coming situation, a secretary walked in. "My Lord, my Lady. Lady Agatha is asking to meet with Lady Vivian outside." "Alright." Father signaled the man to dismiss. "Aunt Agatha is looking for you, better not keep her waiting." He said as he was dismissing me as well. "I am somewhat disappointed with her. I thought she would support me." I spoke my mind. "Seeing how she acted today, I say she likes you a lot already." He said while examining the documents on his desk. "Thanks, Father, I will go see her now." Agatha Moore is my father''s aunt, making her my great-aunt. She is the oldest member of the board of directors and has a lot of influence being the Director of Imports herself. She has filled that position for 40 years and so I expected some support from her but she was rather against my enterprise. In fact, most of the ones who supported me were the male members of the board whereas the female members were all against me. Tsk tsk tsk, feminism is wasted on them! As I got out of my father''s office, I could see a number of directors and partners gathered in a place and talking amongst one another. As soon as they saw me, some of them bowed to each other and walked out while others walked toward their offices in different directions. As for the ones who remained, it was my father''s cousin, Uncle Tristan, and my great-aunt, Lady Agatha. The two looked at me and I could feel they were acting friendly. "Great Aunt, Uncle. It has been a while." "Look at you, niece. You''ve grown into a fine woman. I couldn''t believe how good your speech was! Took me off my feet." Uncle Tristan, who is a large burly man, held me by the shoulders and quacked the world around me. "Let the girl go, you brute!" Meanwhile, Great Aunt Agatha hit him on his arm with her cane. "Sorry aunt." "It was stupid of you to invest 250,000¡ê just because she took you off your feet." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "I am a sentimental person, aunt. I had to show my niece some love." Seeing as Great Aunt Agatha going after Uncle Tristan for supporting me, I had to show my uncle some love in return. "Well, uncle''s investment is appreciated and I promise that I''ll prioritize a project I have for the industries department as soon as possible." "See, Aunt? I told you she''s always been a good egg." "Alright. Now get moving, I want to speak with her." Great Aunt Agatha chased away Uncle Tristan and waited until he took his distance. "It has been a long time, great aunt." As I began the conversation while minding my manners, I found that the way she looked at me was rather¡­ judgemental. "I was about to invite you to visit me after your graduation but it seems you are keeping yourself busy with all that unnecessary business." She spoke and then walked away towards the exit of the conference room. "I''m¡­ sorry?" I couldn''t understand what she was hinting towards and I felt as if I had to follow her. "What I''m saying is that you have more important things to attend to and you are simply wasting your time here." "I''m afraid I don''t understand what you are talking about, great aunt." When she saw me being ignorant about what she was talking about, she turned to me with a sharp gaze. "Could it be that James hasn''t told you?" "Elder brother? He hasn''t told me¡­ was he supposed to tell me anything in particular?" "Yes, he¡­" Great aunt seemed flustered for a second before turning away, "When was the last time you had a correspondence with him?" "Less than a year, great aunt. Why? Is something wrong?" "You don''t know? You should have known by now¡­" She seemed a bit disappointed but she later sighed and fished something from her purse. "James may have broken his promise with me but I won''t break my promise with him. I''m sorry if I seemed hard on you today but take this, it is better than any amount of money you may receive." I received what she gave me and it was a large and heavy coin. It was made of something like silver and it was blank from the two sides. "That is?" "Catelyn passed it onto James and he left it for you. It''s valuable." "Mo¡­ Mother? I don''t understand¡­ what is this all about?" Catelyn is my mother''s name. Why does she leave something to me with James and why would he entrust Great Aunt Agatha with it? "James'' condition was to keep you out of this matter until you come of age and then he would tell you himself. Since these were his wishes before he left for Avalon, I will respect them but our agreement was to give you this coin by the time you graduate. This coin can grant you one wish." "Grant me one wish?" I couldn''t help but smile, "Any wish?" "No, you silly." She hit my ankle with her cane and I almost jumped from surprise, "Find the people who minted this coin and they can tell you all that you wish to know about your mother." This topic again. It is being brought up more often than it normally has. My late mother is indeed a mystery but after everything, both my father and my brother kept me away from her topic, and quite frankly¡­ "I don''t want to find out." My reply surely came as a surprise for the old woman. "You don''t?" "Father and James kept me in the dark for a reason. I know that my mother, may God rest her soul, has many secrets, and if my father wants me away from those secrets, then he knows better and I ought to commit to his wishes." This topic wasn''t just something I could just let into my life at the moment. I know that my father and brother had a fallout because of this topic and my brother left the whole country just to get away from my father. Part of me has always known that if I were to pursue this matter, I would get hurt one way or the other. I am curious, of course, but currently, I''m more afraid than curious. I don''t know what would happen if I were to find something I don''t like. "The three of you seem as stubborn as the other." Great aunt Agatha said and shook her head, "I''m disappointed but I can''t do much about it." "I''m sorry, great aunt." I said and handed back the coin. "Keep it. You''ll have to use it one day and it belongs to you so nobody else gets to use it." "Is¡­ that so?" "You''ll know sooner or later. Goodbye, Vivian." I was left by myself on the top of the stairway in the middle of the Headquarters building. Father, Brother, what is going on between the two of you?
In the western section of the royal palace, Prince Liam engaged in a training session with his combat instructor. Clad in lightweight attire, he skillfully maneuvered his sword, alternating between offensive and defensive movements with a steady rhythm. In the fierce clash between Prince Liam and his instructor, Liam''s nimble footwork matched the lightning-fast exchange of sword thrusts. With each deft move, Liam would gracefully step back, deflecting his instructor''s stab with precision before swiftly countering with his own. Imagine the speed of their swords, a blur of invisible blue that seemed to dance in the air as they moved, leaving observers in awe of their extraordinary skill and agility. Despite the blunt tips, the force of the strikes was so powerful that a direct hit could shatter bones effortlessly. Remarkably, the combatants remained composed as they escalated the intensity of their attacks, wielding their swords like whips with astonishing agility and control. But this madness had to eventually end with someone scoring a hit. That, however, wasn''t Prince Liam but rather his combat instructor. The rapier moved in an artistic way that it twisted and turned, almost hitting the Prince on his chin. At that moment, the blade''s movement was suddenly interrupted by an invisible force and the Prince seized the opportunity to retaliate against his opponent but¡­ "NO MAGIC!" The combat instructor suddenly pulled out a short axe and waved it at the Prince''s face who immediately retreated. "That was¡­ uncalled for." The Prince leaned on his knees and started to catch his breath. "Don''t lean. Back straight, chest forward." "Yes, yes." "And I told you to not wear your ring." "I''m not wearing it. I even left it with Edmond." The instructor looked at Edmond, who was lying backward on a chair with his face covered with a book. "Is this really the most diligent of your men?" "Don''t mind him, instructor. He hasn''t slept for two days straight." The instructor nodded understandably but seeing that Edmond was sleeping unbothered almost 15 meters away, he became rather impressed and terrified. "Young prince, you either use magic or blade, I find it bothersome you can''t still make your mind." "Why not when I am good at both?" "No one is good at both. I know that your potential is immeasurable but you can''t just¡­" "Don''t tell me what I can''t and I can''t do, sir." "I am sorry, your highness. I overstepped my place." "It doesn''t matter. Let''s do this again tomorrow." "If you excuse me." The instructor bowed to the Prince and walked out of the training room. With that, Prince Liam shook his head and let out a short chuckle. But just as the instructor opened the door to walk out, a short young man walked past him through the door and straight to the Prince. "I have news, your Highness." Ian Grayson spoke but as he turned and saw Edmond sleeping in the position, he paused his steps and let out a sigh, "But I guess Edmond has already informed you." "Yes." The Prince held up a cup of water and drank from it, "Vivian is at it again." "The Black Market this time, of all places, she may have been up to us." "I checked with our men." Edmond spoke in the same pose he was, "She was there for a slave." "Then isn''t this a ripe opportunity, Your Highness?" Ian asked and turned to the Prince, "We can corner her this time." "It doesn''t matter." The Prince said, "We acted hastily the past few times. Vivian always finds a way out." "But she got too close." Ian argued. "Or she just had her own reasons." The Prince shrugged, "I am leaving this matter for Edmond to investigate." Ian seemed a little dissatisfied with the Prince''s passive attitude and his eyes kept looking around as if he was thinking. "Relax, Ian. You can keep conducting your business the way you always do." "Your Highness, you know how I feel about the Moores getting this close under my nose." "So what? Everyone in the Capital knows the Moores and the Graysons have been out for each other''s throats since the two Houses were founded. Go home, Ian." "Yes, Your Highness. Have a good night." The Prince watched as Ian went out as well before shaking his head and kicking Edmond''s leg. "Mhm?" Edmond lazily removed the book from his face and looked at the Prince. "This goblin, Ian. You said he was getting closer to Matilda." The Prince asked. "You know Miss Matilda has no shields for others. It seems he was convincing her to help him publicize his next business venture." Edmond said. "I find it bothersome." "Well, if it is Miss Matilda, I''m afraid it is not wise to limit her freedom." "Vivian would have chewed that goblin and left him in bits if he got close to her with such an offer." "Missing Vivian, your Highness?" "What is there to miss when she keeps jumping on every little opportunity to remind me that she exists." The Prince said before a smile betrayed his face that he had to hide quickly by drinking water again. Edmond fixed his posture and looked at the Prince. He noticed that smile and didn''t mistake it for anything else. "She was the perfect candidate for Queen. A shame what happened!" "What had to happen." The Prince corrected him, "Matilda is far more valuable than Vivian even though she doesn''t hold a candle to her abilities." "You are still not letting that out of your head." "A 0.01 grade, Edmond. A hundredth of a¡­ fucking grade." "Yep, let it out of your system." "DAMMIT!" Furious, the Prince violently kicked the table next to him, letting out a roar of frustration. This emotional outburst was the culmination of all the pent-up feelings he''d been harboring since graduating. "And she let me have the first place. SHE! LET! ME! HAVE! IT!" "Oh boy!" Edmond rolled his eyes as the Prince kept kicking things. "I can''t, Edmond. I just can''t." The Prince said and sat on his ass, "I can''t endure it with Vivian. I had to let her go. I feel like shit." "Just remember I was against it." "You were. It is a matter where there is no right answer. I was being greedy back then and I still am. House Moore needs to return under my wing no matter what and her brother Robert is our safest bet." "What about getting Princess Charlotte engaged to him?" "Queen Janett and Lady Shu will soon bite our heads off before we get the chance to." "Then we have to do what we have to do. Get Vivian out of the equation and make Robert the heir." "Right." The Prince nodded, "Let''s not get after Vivian regarding this slave thing, though. I am sure she has some way to retaliate. Leave it to Ian or Robert to do something stupid about it again." "Not doing things is what I am good at." 47: Master Metallurgist In the Moore mansion, three figures walked across the garden guided by the light of the moon. Their aim was an old shack at the edge of the walled garden used by the servants to store the old tools. The door was guarded by two knights who let their guard down as soon as they recognized the group. "My Lord! My Lady!" The knights Logan and Fabian stood forward and bowed to their lord. "Sir Logan, Sir Fabian, it seems Vivian is giving you more trouble than usual tonight." Count Julian spoke. "I was promised a good show, my Lord. She got me all riled up." Logan replied. "So was I. Vivian, you''ve brought me as well as Mr. Wybert all the way over here. It better be worth it." Count Julian turned to Vivian who was the second member of the three. "Yes. I hope I haven''t disturbed you for nothing, Father. And you too, Mr. Wybert." Vivian spoke to the count and the last member of the three. "Not at all, young lady. To be invited to dinner with my Lord is the honor of my life." Mr Wybert, who is a thin elderly man with a bald head and an oversized mustache, replied with all ecstasy. "Then, let''s get to work, shall we?" Vivian said and Knight Fabian opened the door immediately. Count Julian let Vivian enter first before following her inside along with Mr. Wybert. Inside, the group could see a rather comical scene. Oliver West, Vivian''s errand boy, and Jane Smith, Vivian''s first employee, were wrestling a small but stout creature while attempting to pass a brush into his hair. "I! AM! NOT! DONE! WITH! YOU!" "HOLD HIM STILL, MISS JANE!" "DO IT! ONE! LAST! TIME!" "OFF! OFF! GRRR!" "Oh boy!" It seemed that the task of cleaning up Voros was a tiresome one as it seemed that the combined effort of both Oliver and Jane only amounted to tossing a few buckets of water over him and dressing him in some old garments. "Ehem!" Vivian cleared her throat and looked at the tussling trio, who immediately seized action as they saw who was inside. "I¡­ I apologize greatly for this shameful display, Your Highness." Oliver was the first to bow his head. "I am very sorry, my Lord." Even Jane was apologizing and standing humbly. "Grrr!" As for Voros, he bared his fangs and showed hostility to the newcomers while taking the side of Vivian. "Alright, you three. The fun is over." Vivian said and turned to Voros, "Mr. Voros, this here is my father. He is my Lord as well as yours if you are to continue to be my employee." "Great¡­ Chief?" Voros asked as he looked at Vivian. "Yes, he is my Great Chief." Vivian replied. Voros turned to the count and then used his first to strike his own chest. "Respect! Great Chief!" Voros said in his wild manner. "Goodness. I''ve seen Duergar but not as savage as this one." The Count couldn''t help but vocalize his thoughts. "I''m sure that with time, Mr. Voros will prove his ability to master the fine art of greeting others properly." Vivian said and turned to Oliver, "You''ve stayed more than your shift, boy. Return to your family before they get worried." "Thank you, my lady. If you excuse me, your highness." "Fine." The count moved away from the door to let Oliver pass before looking at Vivian. "Father, allow me to introduce Miss Jane Smith-Waters and Mr. Voros Goldheart." Vivian said and then turned to the other side, "Jane, Mr. Voros, this my father, and beside him is Mr. Wybert Waller¡­" "Chief Metallurgist of the Moore Industries. It''s a great honor to finally meet you, Sir." Jane was immediately fangirling over Mr. Wybert. "Nice to meet you too, Miss Jane." As all introductions were over, Vivian patted Voros'' shoulder. "Mr. Voros, we have gathered here today to determine your skill as a Metalworker. I spoke to you earlier but please, explain to Mr. Wybert what you do." Vivian spoke to Voros. "Hmmm¡­ Forge! Cast! Temper! Smelt! Engrave! Assemble! Add! Refine! Extract! Purify¡­" "Alright, that is enough to know." Vivian said, "Mr. Wybert is a Metallurgist Expert and he would like to witness your metallurgy." Vivian said. To that request, even Jane, who was here to help had a lot of doubts on her face, let alone Count Julian, who wasn''t swallowing it well, and Mr. Wybert, who tried to keep an open mind with his Lord''s daughter. "Assistant?" Voros asked. "Jane is well versed in this regard and so she will be your assistant." Vivian replied. "Stove? Crucible? Tray?" Voros asked again. "Ah! I have bought a set of Metallurgist toolkits that nobody uses. It is a bit old but you''ll find most of what you need. The Pen, the knives, and the needles, some protective gear, and a stone tray." Mr. Wybert was the one to reply. "I have prepared a stove and a crucible as well as the scrap." Jane followed up. On a table in the middle of the room, Mr. Wybert and Jane brought everything and organized it neatly. Voros looked at Vivian who nodded at him and he walked towards the table while running his eyes across the things in front of him. Vivian approached Jane''s side and spoke quietly. "I''ve never seen metallurgy being performed before. Is it as good as I''ve heard of it?" "It''s true magic, Miss Vivian. A talent only a select few were blessed with and when I found I have no talent for it, I wept for days." "That much?" "If Voros is half as good as you believe he is, I am sure you won''t be able to sleep tonight." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Now I''m excited." Vivian and the other three individuals kept watching Voros as he went through the tools provided to him by Mr. Wyberd and for some reason, the expression on his face was¡­ clueless. "Useless!" Voros held the pair of protective gloves and goggles and threw them aside. The others watched and their eyes had a lot of conflicting reflections. "Oh¡­ a Duergar''s head is usually larger than a human''s due to the horns. Their hands as well." Vivian immediately justified Voros'' actions. "Oh!" Mr. Wyberd was still stunned but what was coming made him close his eyes in disappointment. "Hm?" Voros held up an object that was shaped like two tubes, one large with an open lid and the other like a handle with a pointy end, and the two were connected with small tubes. He seemed clueless about that. "Mr. Voros¡­ that''s a metallurgy pen, you know it, right?" Jane asked while trying to hide her disappointment. "Useless!" Voros immediately threw it away and Jane jumped after it like a dog chasing a stick. "God!" Vivian hid her face out of embarrassment and couldn''t come up with an excuse this time. Voros even walked away from the table and went to the cloth sack that he put his metal bars in and started to disassemble one of them before taking out a back object from inside. He then returned with what seemed to be his other horn which was broken. "Girl! Stove!" He then called for Jane to come to him and held his horn in his right hand and a needle at his left. He used the needle to clean the inside of his horn from both ends as it seemed that the tip of his horn was hollowed like its base. Jane returned to the table with the metallurgy pen and put it back while solemnly looking at Voros with hidden anger. She fired up the small portable stove, which was powered with a magic crystal, and put some powdered iron in the crucible before putting it inside the stove. It didn''t take a few minutes as the crucible turned red and the iron inside liquified. Voros checked it with his nose rather than looking at it and then hit Jane on the hand. "Wake up!" He said and aimed his horn''s tip at the dark stone tray. Jane held a pair of tongs and extracted the crucible from the stove before positioning herself against Voros. "For your sake, I hope you know what you''re doing." Jane said before slowly pouring the liquid iron into the horn. The liquid iron was slow and thick like honey in cold winter but as soon as Voros raised his hand for Jane to stop pouring, he started using the needles and the knives to manipulate the liquid iron inside the horn he was holding and soon his right hand started to move. The way the horn moved was very steady, incredibly steady, in fact, it can be described as extreme finesse. And then Voros started to draw a circle with the horn before the thin thread of liquified iron descended from the tip of his horn. Voros'' hand started to repeat the same movement and his speed was rising steadily to allow the liquid iron strand to cover many parts without thickening the amount in a certain spot more than the other and then it started to appear to Vivian. "Holy sh¡­" Vivian couldn''t help but widen her eyes and open her mouth agape from what she saw. This dwarf¡­ those metallurgists¡­ the fuck is that? Vivian thought. There was no mistake about it. Something that Nadia, who came from a modern world, couldn''t believe she was seeing done by hand. What Voros was doing was practically 3D Printing. The absurdity Vivian witnessed was a type of additive manufacturing that ¡ªwhen done by certain machinery¡ª is called 3D Printing. This manufacturing technique can create almost anything from any material that can be smelted. But why and how can it be done by hand? Vivian couldn''t get over that no matter how she pinched herself. As for the others, Jane was in awe of how Voros transformed from a raging savage to such an accurate and precise Metallurgist. He knew when to smelt, when to halt, when to pour, and when to pause. He even used the small and slender metal sticks as support for his model''s overhung parts inside and outside before using spatula-like tools to carefully keep the thin layer of metal from bending. And if one was to look inside his model, they''d find that he even printed some internal support pieces into it. "His hands are way too fast. It''s very reckless." Count Julian said but to his surprise¡­ "Shush!" Mr. Wybert shushed the count without even noticing who he was shushing. The old man''s senses were heightened to another realm of perception and his emotions were elevated to ecstasy and bliss. "Amazing! Truly magnificent! A Master at work! A Master I say!" Seeing what was happening in front of him, Mr. Wybert was in awe. Behind him, Count Julian couldn''t believe what he was hearing. He is a man who spent a lifetime between engineers and technicians, he has seen a lot of metallurgists working before too, and managed to recruit most of them under his wing. However, a Master Metallurgist is a completely different animal altogether. Given the right materials and enough time to work, their hands would shape metal scrap into artifacts of great power. The reason why Count Julian could never acquire a Master Metallurgist under his wing is that when they appear, they can easily get titles of nobility if they were to offer their services for the Royal Houses of Albion, such a thing Count Julian can never provide despite him being richer than the King. As for Voros, he kept working and working until he finished the model. Most people could already tell what he was doing by the time he was done and Vivian understood. It was a bust, a depiction of someone''s shoulders, neck, and head. The details were so perfect to the point where Vivian could even see some of the skin details if she got closer to the face. "Marvelous! Unbelievable! Maddening!" On the other hand, Mr. Wybert was at his wit''s end, "I don''t have words to describe how I feel. Sir, your hands are blessed by Saint Hermes! My heart can''t stop pounding. My Lord, this man is a Master at his craft! There is no mistake about it! A MASTER!" "It seems¡­ so¡­" Count Julian kept looking between the monstrous Duergar and the beautiful bust he created and found no words to say. He looked at Vivian, who was also in awe of what she saw and had a deep feeling reflected in his eyes. Those who can surround themselves with talents and know how to lead them are bound to be the kings of the new age. These words are some of the most important tenets Lord Julian lived by and a valuable lesson that he learned from his father. It is a goal that he strived all his life to be good at despite lacking the talent. But here she is, Vivian, his daughter which he had great expectations of, surpassed his expectations one more time. But still, even though she brought home not some random metalworker, but a Master Metallurgist, will she be able to lead those who follow her into greatness? Will she really impress him? As for Vivian, her thoughts were on a different track than her father''s. She looked at the bust and was filled with warmth, she was touched by the deep love Voros has for that woman. "Is that her? Anastasia?" She asked Voros. She looked at the Duergar, who was looking with a lot of emotion at the bust he made. For a moment there, Vivian saw that the dwarven madman had a sense of reason coming back to his eyes but as soon he sniffed the sadness out and returned to his erratic messy self, he looked at her with firm eyes. "Alright, Voros. I promise you to turn every stone I can turn until I find her." Vivian said. Voros nodded and cleaned up his horn before returning to his tools which he keeps in the hallowed bars and started packing his things together while being bothered by the talkative Mr. Wybert. "Congratulations." Count Julian approached his daughter and patted her shoulder. "Thank you, Father." Vivian smiled back at him. "As promised, finders keepers, though I think a Master Metallurgist should be given more than just a shack at the edge of our garden." "I understand, Father. I will see to his accommodation to the best of my ability." "He can use the guest house for now. Keep your knights watching him, we don''t want the Blackguards to know about him just yet." "Of course." "You have done well. Goodnight.'' "Goodnight to you too, Father." As they parted, the two of them had warm smiles even though they didn''t face each other. Vivian immediately arranged everything for Voros'' accommodation and held onto the bust he created. If she fulfills her promise to him and finds his lover, Voros will be loyal to her for the rest of his life. "So, how was it, my lady? Isn''t Metallurgy just impressive?" Jane approached Vivian''s side and asked. "Girl, you don''t say! The things we can do with Voros by our side are just limitless." Vivian said with full excitement. "I know, right? Your imagination, my knowledge, his metallurgy, your guns are only the beginning." "Yes, this fills me with hope. This metallurgy blew my mind." "I dare say you never forget the night your metallurgy cherry got popped!" Jane whispered. "Jane!" Vivian had an appalled face, "How dare you talk to your lady that way?" "Oh¡­ I''m¡­ I got¡­ sorry¡­" Jane panicked, realizing how her loose tongue got the best of her yet again. "Just¡­ make sure it''s just the two of us next time." Vivian poked Jane with a wink and walked off after playing a trick on her. "Phew! Alright, wait for me!" 48: ViTech The following morning to Voros'' metallurgy demonstration, I headed downtown for the first time after my transmigration with my knights, accompanied by my first employee, Jane Smith-Waters, as well as my newly hired business advisor and my previous tutor, Oscar Mason. I have completely dumbed down the task of purchasing a headquarters building for ViTech on Oscar as well as Logan. Both Oscar and Logan took to the streets and found a real estate broker and kept going back and forth until they found me the fanciest available building in the commercial district. "Here we are, 116 Parker Street." Oscar announced before we got out of the carriage. As I looked out the window, I saw a four-story building built in the urban style of the city center with a cobblestone base, a basement, and a large entrance. Its walls were thick and pristine, reflecting the capabilities of this era''s level of architecture. 700,000 pounds for this building. If it wasn''t for Father''s giving me the chance to speak with the directors, I wouldn''t have made such a daring purchase. At first, I had the idea of renting the place rather than paying in full but Oscar advised me otherwise since the building itself is an asset and the Moores don''t really rent things. The reasoning for that is their stubborn way to do business but it is not something Vivian wasn''t keen on. "How about a tour, Lady Vivian?" Oscar spoke as he opened the gates of the building with the key he had on him. "Pretty please." I was in the lead of her entourage, wearing her suit and holding my umbrella like a cane. Aside from me, Esmeralda was wearing a lovely black floral dress and standing at my six, Jane was wearing a feminine skirt suit unlike her usual tomboyish work attire, Logan was in his military suit and Oscar seemed to have put in a lot of effort in his suit for his new position as the administrative manager of ViTech. "This is your copy of the main key, my lady. All the senior executives as well as the guards have their own keys but unlike them, yours is the master key of everything within the building." "Thank you." "Now, let''s begin¡­" The building was something to behold. Spacious rooms, spiral staircase, large underground space, balconies all around the place. On top of it all, the fourth story was where my office was. "While we haven''t done much about the decorations, I got the best specialists from the headquarters to fill this place with exquisite furniture. You have full mahogany furniture and your office was stationed in the best spot in the room to have sunlight for most of the day." As Oscar showed me everything, Logan went behind the chair of the large office and pulled it back for me. "Would you take your seat, director?" Oscar asked as it seemed that he and Logan had everything planned so far. "Thank you, gentlemen. I relied on you a lot and you didn''t disappoint." I said and it seemed my words made them feel appreciated for their effort, "However, this is a seat that is too early for me to fill." Everyone in the room looked at me perplexed. "I am sure you are all enthusiastic but so far, only Jane here is fully aware of my business model and to be frank, we have a lot to prepare before I can sit back and watch you guys work." I said and made my stance clear. "It seems that you are more eager to work than most of us." Oscar said. "You have no idea." I said and moved towards the desk before putting my purse on it, "I have spent every night after the finals working on our plan ahead. I want to share it with all of you right here, right now." Oscar, Jane, Esmeralda, and Logan. Those guys are the most trusted companions so far, I can finally reveal what I have for them. I took out a few scrolls of paper from my purse, each of them was a meter in width and length. One by one, I rolled them all open and used the desk antiques as weights to keep them spread on top of each other. "I never knew you could draw so well." Logan said and studied the first drawings on top of the stack, "It looks beautiful but what does it do?" "It brings dreams to reality." I replied and turned to them, "Each of these items is a technological idea that can revolutionize the way we live our lives. I am not a technician myself so I laid down all the information I know about these ideas based on my limited technical understanding. Jane, as my chief technician, I want you to study those ideas and figure out the missing pieces that I couldn''t fill. This journal has all the details you need to know." Jane received a journal I wrote that had everything I knew about those inventions laid down. "Yes, my lady. I will make sure to come back with results as soon as possible." I apologize to all the scientists and inventors of my previous world since I''ll be taking most of their ideas that I think would fit my business model. For my own sake, I am going to speedrun the technological level of the world a few years too quickly. "Mr. Oscar." "My Lady." "Your job is to focus on hiring our new employees. I''ll leave most of the staff under your guidance but if you find someone promising¡­" "I''ll send them right to you." "Good man." "And as the herald of good news, many employees from the headquarters have known about your generous deeds of opening the employment door for the third academy. A lot have approached me with the intention of working here." "Good. I like the sound of it." This is going well. Aside from the limited basic staff I was given, my previous good deed is reaping results. "Excuse me, my lady. What about me?" Logan asked, "You insisted that I sign my name as a senior employee even though I have no head for this kind of thing." "Logan, you are the head of security." "So I''ll do the same job. Perfect." "Not quite. Everything here in this paper is a sensitive piece of information. Things I view as matters of life and death. Your job will include interviewing and running background checks on everyone." "Everyone?" Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Everyone." "Sir Logan, as you see, many of the new employees may come with ill intentions. I am sure some of them were instigated by other directors to come and keep an eye on us while others may be under the influence of outsider forces." Oscar explained. "I see. You can rely on me if that''s the case. Also, I know a couple of stubborn old soldiers who will be pleased to get a job as guards. I need some extra people I''m familiar with to get this place secured." "Fantastic. Bring them to me and we''ll put them on the payroll." I said and faced my final confidant. "I''m at your service." Esmeralda spoke with a patient face. "I know you''re skilled at many things, Esmeralda, but I can trust no one else other than you with that post." "Then I''ll do my best. What will it be, my lady?" "In name, you''ll be the secretary and my office manager. Oscar will familiarize you with the dos and don''ts for the job." "I understand." I was pleased with the lineup of senior employees I have and I was finally about to wrap this situation up but at that moment. Knock Knock "My Lady, you have a visitor." A knight of mine appeared at the door and announced someone paying me such an unexpected visit. "Hold on." I immediately turned and started rolling back my projects into the purse with the help of Jane. "Alright, let''s hide them all except this one." "Project¡­ Melodies?" Jane read the title of the paper and looked at me. "This one should be ready in a month. I want you to refine the ideas here into some initial schematics. I''ll send for Voros to come help you once we set him a secured workshop in the basement." "Alright. I''ll get to work right away." Jane took the paper and the journal and walked out of the office. "The employees will arrive in an hour at the start of their shift. I have a lot to interview. If you excuse me, of course." Oscar said. "Go, I want a report of the accepted employees for Logan to check on." "Then I better head out." As Oscar walked out as well, all who remained were Logan and Esmeralda, as the two never leave my side anyway. "Send in the visitor." I called and the Knight opened the door for a man to walk in. As soon as I laid eyes on that unfamiliar man, I was having the oddest feeling of deja vu. He was tall and very lean, almost slender despite the obvious effort of making himself look broader than he was by his formal three-piece white suit. As soon as he took off his hat to greet me, I noticed that his dark blond hair was too sleek and cared for. His thin mustache and goatee were a bit long and silky like his hair. He had a small face, a petite nose, a long neck, and something about his green eyes that made him friendly and approachable despite what people say about green eyes. "Hello, Sir. May I have the pleasure of knowing who you are?" I asked. "Mademoiselle Vivian Moore, I am so pleased to finally meet you after all this time. My name is Sedric Lee Alba, I am the owner of the business across the street, the Alba Fashion House, and I must say, I''m one of your most ardent admirers." The man spoke and bowed dramatically. As I listened, his voice seemed way younger than his appearance and everyone would feel awkward to point that out so I could only exchange courtesies. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Alba. I am sure we will be wonderful neighbors." "Of course, I wouldn''t take it any other way, Mademoiselle. I''ve heard so much about you to the point that when I heard we''ve become neighbors, I couldn''t help but come to you running first thing in the morning with a housewarming gift." Something about his ridiculous way of speaking made Logan frown but as he said so, a knight walked in with an assistant of Mr. Alba moving in a large dress on a standing trolly. Something tall was placed on that trolly and it was covered in a clean white sheet. "Excuse my enthusiasm but this dress was made for you. I planned to come visit the Moore mansion and introduce myself in person at your last birthday but the event got unfortunately canceled." Mr. Sedric spoke and then held the sheet with two fingers before pulling it artistically to reveal what was underneath. A dress. "Yes, it wasn''t a good time to hold¡­ such¡­ an event." I replied naturally but as I saw the dress, my attention was completely diverted. This dress¡­ to describe it in today''s fashion sense, it is more like¡­ the most perverted dress in the world. The dress was blue like sapphire, made by magical hands with the finest silk in the world, no mistake about it. It was so¡­ so¡­ "Inappropriate!" Logan spoke with an intense glare at the dress. "I was thinking erotic but yeah¡­ it''s a bit revealing." I followed up. Like¡­ it''s beautiful¡­ beautiful like a dream of a maiden dancing over a lake under the starry sky and the shimmering light of the moon, but for the flaws, just where to begin? Its blue sapphire color is just dazzling but it has a plunging neckline front and back, its sleeves are open and see-through, and the skirt of the dress, despite being long, has a slit on the side that would exist all the way to the left thigh. [Add Image] Beautiful but¡­ "Mademoiselle, you can''t say you don''t like my finest creation ever." "I love it, I just¡­ don''t have the intention of wearing it." I said awkwardly as the man was already making sad puppy eyes. "Ma belle demoiselle, even when you say such hurtful things¡­" Mr. Sedric approached me so fast and put his hand around my waist intimately. His face got so close I almost felt his warm breath on my neck but all I saw after that was the scariest face Logan had ever made. "YOU''RE DEAD, YOU BASTARD!" I rushed from Sedric embrace straight to Logan''s as it was the only way to stop him. "Viv¡­" Logan stopped his terrifying momentum and held me gently. "Wait! Don''t¡­" I could barely stop him from gathering my thoughts before looking back at Mr. Sedric. "Mademoiselle! Are you alright?" Sedric came towards me but only stopped as Logan stared at him with the intent of ripping him to shreds. As I parted from Logan, I faced the dress rather than its maker and held my hand to check the card on it. "Alba''s Fabulous Fashion, Sedric Lee Alba." I read the card and then turned to Sedric, "When did you open for business in the city?" "Hmmm¡­ in a week, non, in six days we would be here for two months." Sedric said. "Fairly new in town, eh? And the name on the card, Sedric with an S rather than a C." I said. "Of course, mademoiselle, there is not a C in my name." Sedric got closer and held a few strands of my hair as he replied as his face got closer and closer. "This bas¡­" Even with Logan about to flare up again, I couldn''t help but laugh. I laughed like never before. Amusing? Like you can never believe! "Hahaha! I can''t believe it! Sedric with an S. So stupid!" I said and ran to the embrace of this "Sedric" once again. "And the name is missing two letters." I said as my eyes were getting tearful from laughing. "Ah! I honestly had no idea where to arrange them." The so-called Sedric replied. We embraced and laughed like two friends who hadn''t seen each other for a while. "I can''t believe you''re wearing this. You look so dashing?" "I look good in everything I wear, young lady. But look at you, your outfit is so rebellious. Trousers, boots, and this coat dress is something else." "I tried to be innovative." "Well, come to me and I''ll think of something you''ll love. Speaking of which, you have to wear that dress for me." "Not in a million years, sister. If I ever do, it''s only in my chambers where only Esmeralda can see." "Oh, you haven''t been introduced. You have such an exotic beauty and you didn''t swing by?" "Last time I swung by, people tried to kill me." "Don''t worry, girl. I single-handedly cleaned up the place for you next time you ever want to visit." "Excuse me! What''s going on? And who''s that?" But during that warm conversation I had with Sedric, a certain sour-faced Logan was feeling confused and maybe left out. "You still haven''t figured it out? That''s Sedric Lee Alba, but missing an L and an A." "??" I could see Logan''s confusion and it seemed like he hadn''t figured it out yet. All I could do for him now was to remove Sedric''s fake mustache and goatee for the real face to appear beneath. Sedric Lee Alba was just an anagram for the one and only, Vivian''s best friend in the whole wide world, Isabel(la) De Clare. 49: Isabellas Visit The Madonna of Archester, Isabella De Clare, or as many know her in the fashion industry, Sedric Lee Alba, the charismatic yet perverted fashion designer. The real Isabella isn''t by any way a simple lady, she is smart, multi-talented, and a rebel. If I am the black sheep of high society, Isabella is the rainbow sheep. You wouldn''t know what to expect from her and there is no desire or indulgence she wouldn''t satisfy herself with. She dominates the scene, leaving others as mere supporting characters in her self-centered epic tale. Her charisma and ability to captivate others, igniting them with her zest for living, are simply remarkable. On top of that, the way she turned her formal suit from masculine to feminine just now by undoing some buttons, unfurling her dyed hair, and getting rid of the disguise all have raised the temperature of the room by a degree or two and was simply jaw-dropping. I had to send Logan and the others out except for Esmeralda in order to keep this scene family-friendly. In my honest opinion, she is someone born in the wrong era with no cameras to follow, magazines to feature, or billboards to display. This supermodel friend of mine was someone who could hoard all the spotlights of the world if she was given the chance and I intend to do just that. "Long time no see, girly. You''ve been doing great, I heard." On the opposite side of me, that very same Madonna was sitting very comfortably on my new sofa, spreading her arms over its upper frame, crossing her legs, and having the same naughty look in her eyes that she always has. "I have risen from the ashes, so to speak." I replied as I lifted up the delicious tea that Esmeralda just brewed, "And how about you? I haven''t heard any new¡­" "Scandal?" She asked with a naughty smile before lifting up her saucer as well, "I''ve been being me all the way, darling. It is just you who is causing my stars to dim and my gazers to turn." "How poetic! Esmeralda, write that down." "Yes, my lady." Isabella turned towards Esmeralda with naughty eyes and her smile kept hanging. "How about switch maids?" "Esmeralda would hate people like you." "How fun! Now I am more interested." Isabella''s smile got even wider and I know how her head works. People would always wonder how it is that the traditional and conservative Vivian Moore is best friends with the carefree and outgoing Isabella De Clare. If there are two sides of any spectrum, we would be the polar opposites without one thing in common. The truth, however, is mundane. We are different yet we check all the boxes we need for a friend. While Vivian sticks to the rules, she needs freedom from time to time like the one Isabella has, and while Isabella is all about living her life enjoying its riches and being carefree, she appreciates the fact that Vivian displays discipline in her life and controls its reins. However, I have changed. With Nadia and Vivian sharing the room upstairs, I am almost not that original Vivian anymore. I don''t know how this will affect my friendship with Isabella but¡­ "Hey, Esmeralda, come and sit with us. Your tea is delicious. It''s a shame if you can''t enjoy it with us!" But seeing how she was trying to get chummy with Esmeralda, I felt relieved. Nothing changed that much after all and that friend of mine is someone who can''t be affected by anything. I let it happen and Esmeralda joined us. Speaking of Esmeralda, she was having a tough time with this situation. She looked at me, as if she wanted to avoid this, and looked at Isabella, who seemed like nothing but trouble from the way she acted to the way she dressed. Esmeralda is a very serious and stern person while Isabella is just her goofy funny self. As I enjoyed the tea, Isabella began interrogating Esmeralda about everything from her life to her job. She became so interested in the Hulkling girl to the point where she left no aspect of their lives without asking about. "So your tribe doesn''t cut down trees. They just pull them out from the ground?" "Yes, but it is not for the sake of logging. It is a practice of power and the trees are put back in the ground again." "Yes, yes. You told me that your people don''t like to destroy the world around them. But hey, can you uproot trees too?" "No, it is a practice only done by warriors." "Oh! ¡­ How about picking me up?" "I''m sorry?" "Pick me up! Pick me up!" "I''m¡­ afraid I must respectfully decline." "Ooooh!" Isabella was disappointed but she looked at me as I was smiling at their interaction and spoke. "You must have been picked up by her, right?" Isabella said with eyes filled with disappointment. "On a couple of occasions, yes. Felt like a helpless little kitten." "Tsk¡­ must''ve been nice." I am sure Isabella was happy to see another girl taller than her, that''s all. "So, my new neighbor, how is life as an upcoming businesswoman?" She turned to me and asked. "It seems you are two months ahead of me in finding that out." I replied. "Excuse me! Sedric Lee Alba is a respectful businessman, he doesn''t have any feminine inclinations whatsoever." She replied while pulling her shirt together. "Yeah, yeah. Nice roleplaying!" Isabella''s act as Sedric isn''t about being a woman in a man''s man''s world. She''s just enjoying the act of fooling others around, that''s all to it. "What kind of things do you do here anyway?" She asked. "Inventing things." "Like¡­ creating things that we normal people fantasize about?" "Yes. Our motto is making your dreams come true." "Damn girl, my dreams aren''t something the world is ready for just yet." "Maybe one day we''ll work on those dreams of yours. Right now, I''m trying to impress the investors from the Conglomerate." "You''ll do a good job, I have no doubt about it." She said before smiling vividly, "But what I want to know is that you''re taking good care of yourself above all." "I am. I even started practicing for my stamina and agility and began shooting guns." "Heard about that! Are you sure you''re alright with all that?" "Best I have ever been." "I don''t want to touch other sensitive matters but I am glad you are dealing with¡­" Isabella tried to find the right words. "My new reality?" I asked. "I wouldn''t put it that way." "Bella, I put Richard to his knees, embarrassed Robert to no end, and made a certain Prince spend all that he has like a fool in the auction. I am doing more than just alright." "So you intend to punish them?" "Why not?" "Even Valentine?" She asked and felt a little bit complicated, "I know he was with them that day in the academy and he didn''t stand up for you. I haven''t spoken to him ever¡­" "Don''t." I said and took a deep breath, "Valentine may like that commoner girl but¡­ he''s my friend too. He hasn''t done anything to harm me." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "No. He''s an idiot! He should have done something." "Forget about it." Isabella seemed to have that on her chest for some time now but Valentine isn''t someone that has bothered me that much. For all its worth, I won''t go after him as long as he doesn''t stand in my way. "But some little bird has told me that you met with him after the auction. He seemed to be spacing out a lot after that meeting with you." Isabella said. I knew she had her eyes and ears lurking about. "What''s wrong with fattening up some little sheep for slaughter." I said with a remark only she could understand. "Oh! You didn''t! You gave him sweets?" Isabella''s eyes widened. I shrugged. "You''re mean, Viv. You''re really mean." "I''ll torment him over it later." "You still can''t forget that, huh?" "Mama Claudia would never want us to forget such a thing." "Yep, she wouldn''t." Mama Claudia is Countess Claudia De Clare, the mother of Isabella and Valentine. She is a dear person to my heart but her persona is really extreme. No one surnamed De Clare is normal, to put it mildly. "When will you tell her?" She asked. "Esmeralda and I have been working on new recipes. Things that the world hasn''t seen before. Valentine''s birthday is near so¡­" "I won''t stand in your way. He deserves it¡­ but that''s a new low you''re stooping to, Viv." "What? It''s just a bit of¡­ sweet revenge." Isabella shook her head wryly and turned to Esmeralda. "She told you what she''s planning?" "No, my lady, but judging from her expressions when she talks about cupcakes and swiss rolls, I can tell she is up to no good." Esmeralda replied. "I''ll give you context." Isabella said and started to explain, "Back in the day, my younger brother Valentine was¡­ to put it mildly, a very well-rounded child¡­ meaning that you could give him a little shove and he''d roll around like a ball. Vivian loved that and I admit that I helped her develop into the mean bully she is today during that time. My mama, Countess Claudia, who is Lozanish, by the way, is a very strict person and has a foul attitude. During one particular summer, my mother decided to fix my brother''s immense love for food and brought home three new pets, a cow, a sheep, and a pig." "Mama Claudia made Valentine eat with the three pets every day until they were fattened. Like she was seriously fattening them and one day, she said that they were fat enough and it was time to slaughter. She brought a butcher and made Valentine watch." I remembered and couldn''t help but laugh and tell that part of the story. "Valentine looked at himself that day and refused to eat for a week. The poor kid got so traumatized only Mama Catelyn got him to eat small portions after that." Isabella said as she was laughing and her eyes became tearful. Esmeralda was watching us laugh and with a horrified face, she was shaken by the story. "Wasn''t that too much for a child?" She asked. "Too much? Until this day, he can''t eat more than his portion. It''s like a blessing." Isabella replied. "The problem with Valentine is that any amount more than his fixed portion will actually make him accumulate fat very quickly. It is like his body can''t process the food well and stores it quickly under his skin as fat." I added. "Moreover, his bigger problem is that he still loves food so much but can''t normally eat anything without considering the consequences. For example, when Vivian gave him sweets that day, he would starve himself for at least a day after it so that his body doesn''t bloat." Isabella said. "My lady¡­ this is awful." "I know, right?" "I won''t agree to harm Lord Valentine even though you are teaching me new recipes, my Lady." "No! Esmeralda, please! This is important!" "If it brings harm to others. I can''t do it." "Nooo¡­" Sadly, Esmeralda seemed to have made up her mind. I can convince her later but knowing her so far, she is a stubborn one. "This is so fun¡­ I can''t remember how long it has been since we relaxed and talked like this." Isabella said as she laid herself back on the sofa. "It has been a long time indeed." I said trying to remember when was the last time indeed. "I guess it started three years ago when you got into the Academy, right?" Isabella said. "I don''t really remember. I got so busy all of a sudden, I was visiting the Royal Palace to receive lessons and had to attend many lectures here and there." "Your engagement took you away from us, Viv. Mama Claudia always says that." "I really miss her, how about I hop over tonight?" "Like old times, huh? We just showed up at each other''s places whenever we wanted." "These were the days." "Well, since it is your first time in a while, I''ll need to prepare things for you." "No need for ceremonies, I still remember your place like the back of my hand." We smiled and had a little pause which we used to sip on more tea. "Alright¡­ so let''s get to the important business." Isabella initiated the second phase of the conversation. "I''m all ears." I replied. "Actually, that''s what I would like to say." "Why?" "Well, this is now your new business, you are going to do great things as I know you will but you are currently lacking in connections since the royal family is after you. As for me, I hold a lot of influence in the market and my connections are at your disposal." "Well¡­ Thank you graciously. But, Bella, you and I are in two different markets. I dare say Alba''s Fashion and ViTech can''t even crossroads at that point in time." "I know. I wasn''t talking about business in general, I have a different offer." Isabella said and got closer to me not minding how much I could see from the plunging neckline of her shirt, "I host a lot of parties, I have friends in both high and low places, and the things they talk with me about¡­ you wouldn''t believe it, Viv." "You got some singing birdies, huh? Pretty nice!" "You have no idea. Musicians, painters, artists, collectors, and all sorts of deep pockets. A rowdy bunch but a useful one nonetheless." "Well, I am flattered you''re offering me that much." "Anything for my sweet Vivi. I just want to see you succeed and maybe one day we can benefit from one another." "Hey, as much as I love the De Clares, I know you people give nothing for free." I said and returned the same smile to Isabella, "What''s the down payment?" Isabella made a sly smile. "I heard your house is hosting a party at the end of the month. Morris de Brosa himself is invited. Inviting Morris de Brosa was something even I couldn''t pull off." She said. "If it''s a simple invitation, you don''t even need it. There were never such formalities between our families." I replied. "I know, I was going to show up anyway but¡­ that''s not what I am after." "What are you after then?" To my question, Isabella''s grin widened and she seemed more excited than ever. "You know what I want, Viv." "I''m honestly clueless." "Don''t pretend to be, I''ve always told you about it." She did? I had to go a quick trip down memory lane but I know a lot of Isabella''s secrets already. It is hard to specify what she meant by that look in her eyes. Suddenly, Isabella got up and sat on the coffee table between us facing me. "Will I finally get your blessing?" That "blessing" word was enough to make my thoughts freeze. "Oh, no!" "Come on, Viv. You''re 19 now. You don''t know how long I''ve waited." Isabella cornered me at my seat and got really close. "Nope! Nope! Definitely not!" "Argh! You have to give me that chance, Viv. You promised." "I am not¡­ giving you¡­ any!" I tried to turn my head away but that long supermodel neck of hers was faster than anything I can evade. Right now, she was holding me by the chin and having her face just a couple of inches from mine. "You''re breaking our promise, Vivi?" She asked. "I¡­ huvn''t¡­ promith¡­" (I haven''t promised!) "Heh! We''ll see about that." This exchange of ours, which was seen by a third person in the room, got one hell of a reaction. "Oh, no!" Shocked to the end of her wits, Esmeralda made a shocked face as she stood and tried to make Isabella move off me but she was too scared to do anything. We both turned to her and I could see her blushing and unable to look at us. "M-M-M-M-M-M-My L-L-Lady! Yo-You can''t be¡­ I can''t believe¡­ Get off my lady!" Esmeralda became a nervous wreck and pointed at Isabella. "What''s wrong?" Isabella turned to her frowning while I was also trying to understand what was going on. "Lady Isabella, I am sure my lady isn''t into girls. Please, refrain from harassing her¡­ or¡­ or¡­" "Into girls?" Isabella and I frowned simultaneously and looked at each other before¡­ ""Eew!"" The two of us couldn''t hide our disgust from Esmeralda''s not-innocent thoughts. "How can you say that, Esme! I''m really into men." I said. "Yes. I''m into men too." Isabella said before rethinking, "Well, now that you mention it¡­" "Don''t you even think about it!" I said, pointing my finger as I stood up against her. "A promise is a promise, Viv. You said when you graduate, you will be permitted to give me your blessing." "What is happening?" Esmeralda asked with a concerned face. "I was 6 when I said that. Mother just passed away and I was in a bad place." "A promise is a promise." "You took advantage of me." "Still¡­ a promise¡­" "Tsk." "You have graduated, the time is due." "Don''t¡­ just don''t¡­" "By tradition Vivian, if the first wife doesn''t choose, her successor must. You are your mother''s successor." I couldn''t help but roll my eyes. "Do you like Saskia more than me?" "Of course not." "Then¡­" "Fuck¡­" I said in frustration. "My lady!" Esmeralda almost jumped to cover my mouth. "Hehehe!" Isabella was grinning ear to ear. I locked eyes with her and blew off one strand of hair that was above my eye. "You want it, Isabella? Fine, you have it." "YES!" "What did she get?" Esmeralda asked with visible worry. "Hehehe! I finally get to pursue the love of my life." Isabella said and leaned on me. "Tsk!" I made a sour face and looked away. "Don''t worry, Viv. I''ll be a gracious stepmother." "Go to hell." "Nope, I''m going to my dear Count Julian! See ya!" 50: Fire Vouchers "What was that just now?" Esmeralda asked me as she managed to get her last brain cells in order. "Isabella de Clare, believe it or not, my best friend forever." I replied while fixing my hair in the new mirror in my office. "She is¡­ too much." Esmeralda said. "She can be a handful." I agreed with a smile, "But she is my handful to deal with." "You sound like you like her a lot." "When I think about Isabella, Logan, Princess Charlotte, and those people dear to me like Father and elder brother James, I feel a lot of warmth in my heart." "This is beautiful! Even though you were just fighting." "Ah! That chick is crazy." "You think she is really going for Lord Julian?" "I know she is." "That''s just ridiculous. He is the age of her own father if I am not mistaken." "No, you''re not. Isabella has¡­ well, it''s an old story¡­" I smiled but fell silent. As for Esmeralda, she kept looking at me with a bright smile, expecting to hear the story. "Fine¡­ we lost my mother when I was 5 years old." "I¡­ I am sorry." "Don''t be. It was a long time ago. Back then, I was devastated like any would but Mama Claudia took me and James in their house for a month until things settled. Mama Claudia was my mother''s best friend too and she insists that I call her the same as her children call her. By that time, Isabella started acting like an older sister to me and gave me all her toys but all I wanted was my mom back." As I turned to Esmeralda, she was already in tears. "You''re such a crybaby, big girl." "I''m sorry. sob!" "It''s okay. At that time, I was volatile to outbursts of emotion but thanks to Isabella and Mama Claudia, it passed. One night when I was crying for Mother to come and get me, Isabella snuck into my bed and pretended to act like a mother. I knew it was her, of course, but I just wanted to believe my mother got back. But after that, she made a silly promise that she would be my mother, and when she asked her maids how, they all said it''s impossible unless she¡­" "Marries Count Julian." Esmeralda figured it out. "And thus began my nightmare." I laughed after saying that. Esmeralda smiled and nodded. "So, she''s such a warm person." "Too warm in fact? Almost burning hot. You can''t imagine how many suitors this beautiful friend of mine has turned down just to pursue my dad." "I can''t still process that last part." "We just ignore her when she brings it up, she''ll grow out of it." "You think?" "Eventually. She just has nothing better to do and my father is 49 by now, she''s just 22." "What about your blessing?" "It''s a tradition here in Elgard¡­ if you observe the men of the high society, you''ll find that most of the family heads get to have two wives, while the king has three. My mother carried the title of the countess and was the first wife, and Saskia was the second wife. In order to marry a second wife, a man must get the blessing of the first wife." "So?" "If the first wife is no longer present, the second wife becomes the first wife but if the first wife had a successor, a daughter or many daughters, they are the ones to give the blessings for their father to remarry or for the second wife to replace their mother''s position as first wife." "I see. That''s a different tradition than in Lozan¡­ or anywhere else really." "Yes, polygamy is only prevalent in Elgard. Something about following the example of St. Arthur and his men who had multiple wives." It is indeed a strange tradition. While the Temple of Saints opposes the idea of polygamy, here in Elgard it has been a tradition for a long time but it surely is getting less popular with the young generations. "Well, if the Lord agrees to have Lady Isabella as a wife, I am sure you will be happy living under the same roof as her." "Oh please, it will be a total war. Saskia against Isabella, heads will roll." "Sounds unpleasant." Esmeralda said and then remembered the one thing I was hoping she didn''t bring up, "What about that thing she mentioned before she left?" "¡­" I didn''t turn to her, just pretending I was focusing on the papers in front of me. "She was mentioning Sir Logan, right?" "Esmeralda, get out." "Alright." Now even she is smiling, trying to tease me and all. Isabella had to bring that up, hadn''t she? I feel like my face is blushing once again¡­ Urgh! Stupid me! Focus! Focus! Focus! Try not to remember¡­ "Oh, by the way, that hunky knight just now was Logan, right?" Somehow, I could still hear Isabella''s voice ringing in my head. "Yes, what are you after?" "Nothing. Just¡­ maybe my first act as your stepmother is to do some matchmaking." "Shut up! Get lost!" "Oh my, that''s not how you speak to your stepmother, Viv. Then again, I remember a few years ago how you were always Logan this and Logan that." "Oh God!" "I mean you are single now, just tell me and I''ll arrange things for you." "Esmeralda, go tell Jane to hurry up with the gun thing." "Alright, adios!" Stupid Isabella! *** Time passed and Vivian was now sitting with Oscar, who offered her a few files about the new employees. "Management-wise, we don''t need a lot. Our business model doesn''t require that much management staff, however, we only have Jane and Voros as technical staff, both of them will need a lot of assistants and we will need to diversify our staff. Metallurgy and Technology are already covered, this leaves what?" "Magicraft but that''s even rare in the conglomerate since House Moore is forbidden from associating itself with Magic. Any junior alchemist would suffice though." "Junior Alchemists, all the ones I know won''t work for me." Vivian said and kept thinking of names. "Let''s not dwell on that now. Metallurgy and Technology are the most essential fields to have. We are even lucky to have a metallurgist or we would have settled for a normal blacksmith. With them, our current models can bear fruit." Oscar pointed out. "You are right. Fine, let''s focus on finding assistants for you and assistants for Jane and Voros as well as some marketing agents and good negotiators." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "It will be easy to find ones for me but for Jane and Voros, I''ll have to do some digging. How about I publish a job advertisement in the guilds?" "This will expose the fact that we have a Metallurgist. I don''t want to draw attention to Voros this early. Maybe a month from now can be the right time." "Whatever you say. I''ll do it the old-fashioned way with some legwork." "Thank you, Oscar. I am relying on you a lot." "Just doing my job, director." "Director, huh? I like the sound of that." Being called "Director" had a different ring to it than "Lady" or "Miss" as people would usually call her. "The other thing is the budget we have. We have one Fire Voucher worth a million pounds and around a hundred gold." "The Fire Voucher? That''s the 1000 gold Father gave me. So all we did was to spend the money given to us by the directors." "Indeed. It''s a full Fire Voucher, not like the other ones given to us by the directors. I say if we find the right buyer, we can at least make 10% profit on that voucher." "Another 100 gold, you mean? That can be of help." Vivian took out a piece of paper in front of her and laid it down on her desk. A Fire Voucher, now this is something to behold. Some may argue that the Fire Vouchers are the true muscle of the Moore Conglomerate, the economy within the economy, and the most destructive weapon wielded by the Moores. A Fire Voucher is a monetary bond that comes in two forms. Major Vouchers are worth more than a million pounds and Lesser Vouchers are worth less than a million. These vouchers can only be issued by the Directors of the Conglomerate, while all the Lesser Vouchers can be issued by the department directors, the Major Vouchers can only be issued by the General Director, the Count of House Moore. Understanding these Vouchers is understanding the real power House Moore and its Count wield. A unique idea that was introduced many generations ago, the Vouchers are actually nothing but money bills in the Moore Conglomerate. As bills would usually get traded between many holders, the Vouchers weren''t any different from that. But their advantage is that they guarantee their holder a share in the Moore Conglomerate or any of its subsidiary businesses anywhere in the world. The unique thing about the Fire Vouchers is how they are issued and what they do. As mentioned earlier, only the Directors of the Moore Conglomerate can issue them, which means one has to pay their worth to get them whether it is in gold, cash, or property. The papers that document the worth of that share are enchanted with a simple Magic that identifies its holder and self-destructs when the bill''s worth is yielded, thus the name of these vouchers. On top of it all, every Fire Voucher can yield profit to its holder. While the profit itself isn''t as impressive as a regular share in the Conglomerate, the Moores guarantee that they will suffer all the losses for the Voucher Holders if the shares were to drop drastically. While it might sound like a more dramatic replacement for the bank notes or any regular old cheque, the Fire Vouchers have the ability to yield profit without suffering many losses and have the backing of Elgard''s wealthiest family. Moreover, it boosts the Moore''s influence by making it a lucrative way to gain investments and expand on a wide range. Count Julian prides himself on a time when King August III went to campaign in central Albion, he replaced a lot of funds with Fire Vouchers in order to travel safely and lightly. By the time the King had reached his destination, which was Buren at the time, Count Julian had already used all that money to expand some of the projects he was working on and almost tripled the amount he received from the King. And while the terms of the Fire Vouchers allow the Moores to benefit with that money, the yield received by the money''s original owner isn''t big compared to the profit made in exchange for not sharing any losses. In other words, the Vouchers are something akin to "Give us your money, we make a big profit, we give you back your money with a little extra, and if it goes wrong, you won''t suffer a loss." On top of that, only the Moore Signet Ring, also known as the Fire Brand, which is the seal of the family, is the only object in the world that can create these Vouchers and lay the enchantment on the paper. Its holder is none other than the Conglomorate''s General Director, Count Julian. As for the other directors, they bear the Lesser Signet Rings. Unlike the main ring, these lesser rings can only establish Lesser Fire Vouchers from a Major Fire Voucher. For example, if a Major Fire Voucher is worth a million pounds, a Lesser Signet Ring can turn that Major Voucher into 10 Lesser Vouchers worth ¡ê100,000. The Signet Rings in general have a unique runic structure which allows them to keep some sort of runic script that carries the details of every transaction they ever made. And since every Voucher contains pieces of such script, when the paper is taken back to a ring, this script gets recorded and until all the Directors make a board meeting with the head, they transfer these runic ledgers of transactions to each other by lining the rings side by side. This way, all the ledgers are stored and shared between all directors to eliminate any sort of corruption. As for viewing these ledgers, the Moore family has a secret method that allows them to see the history of all the ledgers and keep them all in a safe storage that only the family head knows about. On top of that, the fact that these vouchers are limited to elite investors, noble houses, and influential guilds, adds an extra layer of exclusivity and intrigue. Some organizations and families have gone as far as purchasing these vouchers as a form of guarantee for their own future. With the limited yield these vouchers give, they can insecure the survivability of their clan or kin in the shadow of the Moore Conglomerate or use them as a form of retirement fund. Whether it was investment, insurance, or safekeeping, these Vouchers have become very essential to many people and the only way to render them useless is by the destruction of the Moores or them going bankrupt. A situation that many in the Empire and its neighboring nations would try to prevent at all costs. And that''s all there is about the Fire Vouchers. No one really knew at that moment but that Five Voucher was about to give Vivian an idea that she never thought she would have. "Call Jane for me." She spoke to Esmeralda who immediately went to the new workshop that was set up for Jane. A couple of minutes later, Jane was standing in front of Vivian trying to look nice enough since Oscar was also present. "You told me this morning you were facing a problem making the kind of bullets I asked for?" Vivian asked. "Yes, Director." "Found any solution yet?" Vivian asked. "Unfortunately, I didn''t. I was thinking of speaking with Mr. Voros but I have no idea how to communicate with an eccentric character such as him." Jane replied. "Excuse me, Director. You never told me creating weapons is something we will do." Oscar intervened in the conversation with a concerned face. "It is not, Mr. Oscar. It is a personal project. I just aim to develop my firearm." Vivian replied. "While it is a relief, I think it is a bad idea. Arms development is the only thing worse than arms dealing. Archester is already prevalent with thugs wanting to carry concealed guns." Oscar said as he seemed to have had a bad experience. "Will get back to you on that." Vivian said and turned to Jane, "Explain to me the problem you''re facing." "Well, the problem isn''t technical but rather¡­ it''s you, Director." "Oh!" Vivian raised her brows with a bit of shock, "I guess I am that much, huh?" "Excuse me, Director, I didn''t mean to offend your person. I only meant that your request is very specific. What you asked for is a pistol that can be reloaded in a matter of seconds by breaking its muzzle open." "A break action, yes." "Well, that''s a problem since you also want it to be a secretive weapon. Aside from the loud bang which is impossible to solve without arcane means, your design for the bullet cartridge will always leave traces behind." "The metal case you mean?" "Yes. Leaving empty metal cases all over the place will be an indication of how our technology works. It will expose the design of the bullet, the idea behind the primer, and with enough skill, the mix of gunpowder we are using." Vivian thought deeply and realized it wasn''t something she could afford. If she revolutionizes firearms ammunition technology, she will be the first one to regret it. She needs it exclusively for herself for the time being or else the scale of power in the world will tilt greatly towards whoever gets that technology. But just then, she saw the Fire Voucher in front of her and had a stroke of genius. "If metal cartridges were the problem, why not regress with technology a little bit." Vivian thought out loudly and then looked at Vivian, "We''ll use this paper." In her hand, she had a Fire Voucher that was worth a million pounds. "Put that down, Director." Even Oscar was a little bit scared when Vivian held the voucher this recklessly. "No, I''m not using¡­ whatever! Just hear me out." Vivian said and looked at the paper, "If my guess is correct, the paper that created these Fire Vouchers is a form of flash paper. Its scientific name is Nitrocellulose. A very volatile material that when lumped together, combusts like gunpowder." "So¡­" Jane thought with a frown, "You want us to make the cartridges with paper instead of metal?" "If you can. I am not a chemist but you''ll need to get the formula right for this one. If my memory serves me right, flash paper can be made by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid." "Write that down." Oscar directed Jane. "And here''s the fun part, flash paper, if used as propellant for firearms, is much more powerful than regular gunpowder. On top of that, it makes way less smoke." "That''s like a dream come true." Jane said with all smiles. "There is a downside. It is very volatile to make so if the formula isn''t done right, it can explode just by room temperature." Vivian gave the warning, "Also regular gunpowder is way cheaper and can be made easily while flashpaper will need a chemist nearby." "I think Mr. Oscar and I have some friends in the Third Academy who may be willing to take the job. They are good enough to eliminate these risks." Jane said. "Good." Vivian became relieved, "But if we are going to make paper cartridges instead of metal. We will face other problems." "Yes, the metal case was going to protect the gunpowder from getting wet, I don''t think any paper can solve this." Jane said. "True, but we''ll still need to change the whole structure of the gun now. The blast chamber would need to endure more pressure and somehow we''d need to fix a primer behind every cartridge to ignite the whole thing." Vivian said. Vivian realized that the paper cartridge technology was the best option for now, however, fixing a primer to every cartridge manually would take a lot of time and be a pain in the ass. Something similar to the cap and ball revolvers. "If it is the ignition pod, I think Voros is the right man to solve that problem and I know a few good techniques myself." Jane said and then had an idea, "As for the igniting mechanism, we can just use a Firespark rune." Vivian blinked a few times. "A rune¡­ as in Runesmithing?" "Well, runesmithing is a bit grand to call it and I don''t think you can conjure up one good runesmith like you did with our master metallurgist, but since the Firespark is a cantrip, we can just hire any third-rate wizard to a lay a few runes. They charge only 100 pounds for a Firespark. Pretty damn cheap if you ask me." Jane added. Vivian was somehow conflicted since this thing was now involving magic and she knew almost nothing about how magic works. Also, House Moore is forbidden by a royal pact from harnessing the power of magic. The problem is that the old Vivian took a hostile stance towards magic and didn''t even like it to begin with. Nadia, on the other hand, was trying to sway the head they shared toward seeing what this magic could do. "Alright. Do what you must but leave magic as the last option for now. When can I see the results?" Vivian asked. "I''ll go redo the design for the last time before going to see Mr. Voros. By tomorrow, I will try to prepare some paper cartridges to test fire. If we are in luck, it will all be ready by tomorrow afternoon." "Tomorrow''s afternoon, huh?" Vivian smiled, "I am relying on you, Jane." 51: The ViTech Family The next day, Vivian visited Voros at the guest house. "ANIMAL¡­ NO¡­ SHOES!" Seeing the mad Duergar throwing a fit at the servants, Vivian signaled them all to stand back. "Your Ladyship, I am afraid we are unable to make this savage learn anything about the simplest of manners. The Lord has instructed us¡­" One of the footmen approached Vivian with a terrified face. "That man you just called savage is an important guest and deemed worthy enough to be let in the guest house by your Lord. Are you saying that the Lord would invite savages to his house?" Vivian asked with an angry face. "I¡­ am¡­" The footman became flustered immediately and looke between Voros and Vivian a few times before falling silent. "I was just messing with you. He''s giving you quite the tough time, isn''t he?" Vivian immediately eased up the tense footman. "Oh! My lady, I was¡­" Relieved, the footman looked at Voros and nodded, "He''s quite dreadful, honestly. Keeps calling himself the Animal, can you believe it? His teeth and nails are sharpened like one even¡­ and twice as dirty. He chomped off a candlestick earlier as if he was eating raw butter." "God! Glad he didn''t start biting flesh." "We are all touched by your concern, my Lady. Though this may require a rougher touch, may I suggest? Shall I call the guards? They can restrain him while we shave and pave him." "Ha! Nice one¡­" Vivian laughed at the phrase used by the servant then looked at Voros, "Well, rather than rough, let''s try a softer approach first." Vivian instructed the servants to return to their chores except for a couple of them and waited until the room became quiet. It seemed that Voros had become quite upset with the treatment he was given. "Mr. Voros, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Those men were simply doing what they were told." Vivian spoke as she got fixed up the chair he threw at the door just as she got in and then she dragged it by herself, refusing any assistance from the servants. She sat on the chair and observed the situation in the wrecked room. It goes without saying that Voros, who adapted to fourteen years of living in a small cage, had the opposite condition of being claustrophobic. Vivian wasn''t completely sure if it was some sort of anxiety after being free or if Voros didn''t like spacious places. He seemed to have torn off some of the furniture and made himself a living space right in the corner of the room. Yet despite that rough appearance and crazy behavior, he reminded Nadia of a street cat she adopted once. "I see you are back at calling yourself Animal again." She spoke to Voros, who finally decided to look towards her from his corner. "Chief¡­ sorry¡­ Voros¡­ confused." He replied, trying to put words together as politely as possible. She looked at him and felt nothing but pity. "It seems that you didn''t like the bed or the room at all. Too much at once, right?" She asked. With a grunt, Voros nodded with his eyes distracted. "Truth be told, I hate soft beds too. My back starts killing me after I sleep in one of those buffy beds. Hard beds though, they are the best." Voros nodded to Vivian again. "How about this? We get you a bedding you like. Instead of taking out the guts of that poor mattress, I''ll find you something you like." "Hide¡­" "Hide, huh? Animal Skin, nothing too fancy, some layers of goat skin would do." "Ah, straw¡­ fresh!" "Really? A bedding of fresh straw and goat skin. Kings used to sleep on those a few hundred years back." "Right!" Voros showed a grimacing smile as he nodded to Vivian. "How about food? If you don''t say you like meat, I''ll personally bash your head against a wall." "HAHA! MEAT!" "Heard what Mr. Voros ordered? Roast a goat for the man, bring a keg of drink, nothing too fancy, the common beer would do. And prepare the right bedding for him, take all this unnecessary furniture out." Vivian ordered. The two remaining servants looked at each other, trying not to faint, before hastily running off to bring more hands for these orders. "Alright, Mr. Voros, happy now?" "Yes. Chief¡­ thanks." "Anytime. Now, let''s talk about what matters." "Work?" "Not quite, Future." Voros is aware of what Vivian wants from him and he knows how good he is and what his true worth is. Still, for a man of his talents, his priorities are set in a different way than a common man would. The cost of genius is mostly madness in his case. "Listen, I am employing you, not holding you as my thrall or captive. If one day you wish to pack and leave, even if that day is today, you will receive a gift and be on your way. I, Vivian Moore, am as true as my word." Vivian said and then leaned towards him, "But if you choose to work for me¡­ with me, the things we will do, my friend, will shake this world." Seeing the ambitious Vivian''s true face, Voros kept his calm and listened. "I mean¡­ 3D Printing? By hand? And at that speed you did? My guy, I''ll make you print things you can''t even imagine." Vivian smiled and Voros could see some of the madness reflected in her eyes. "Print? I do like¡­" "Me too. And I promise to be a fair Chief. I''ll find you Anastasia, the woman you love, no matter where she is. My family''s reach is all over." "Yes¡­" At the mention of Anastasia, Voros'' eyes gleamed with spirit. "Look here¡­ I''ve taken the liberty to draw her face from the bust you''ve made. Artistic as it is, a bust is a bit hard to move around when we''re looking for someone." Vivian retrieved a sheet of paper for Voros to show him the drawing she had made for Anastasia. As soon as Voros saw the drawing, his whole being tensed up for a second as he took the paper. "I say she is a beautiful woman indeed." "¡­ Yes¡­" "Are there any details in the drawing that are not right?" She asked. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Eyes¡­" Vivian received the paper from Voros and compared the eyes of the bust to the painting. She was sure of her drawing skills and made sure to not miss any of the fine details Voros added. "The eyes, you say? Is it¡­ the eye color?" Vivian asked. "Hmm!" Voros nodded. "I drew with a pencil so it got a little dark. Should I lighten the color a bit?" "More." "More than a bit¡­ fine, I''ll draw the iris without filling in any color¡­ like¡­ that." Vivian used a piece of natural rubber and erased the irises before drawing them again without filling the color as it seemed most of the duergar eye color was rather bright. Voros looked at the paper again but this time, he paused for a bit of time and appeared to be saddened. "Is it right this time?" "Right¡­ good." "Glad to be of help. I''ll send this drawing to a friend of my father''s who can help us look for her. But¡­ I wanted to know more about her, any other thing that may help us narrow down the search." Voros'' eyes started to move left and right and he seemed at a loss for words, which made Vivian frown a bit. "Don''t you remember any¡­" "Cards¡­" Voros spoke. "You want me to lay down cards?" Vivian asked. Voros shook his head. "She¡­ knows cards." He said. "Aha!" Vivian smiled, "That''s very romantic. She lays Tarot cards, that''s how you know how to read Tarot this well?" Voros nodded. "Well well, Anastasia, you have become a very interesting person, even I want to meet her now." Vivian turned the paper over and recorded that Anastasia does Tarot readings, "What else can you tell me of her?" "Hmm¡­ cards, cups, water, fire, crystal, rune¡­" "Woah, woah, woah!" Vivian stopped Voros as he began mumbling, "Anastasia is not some mere Tarot reader, she''s a full-on Fortune Teller?" "Hmm¡­" Voros grunted in affirmation but he seemed a bit off, not that anything he was doing was normal, but Vivian could tell he was holding something back. "Alright, you''ll need to start from the beginning now. Slowly, try to remember all the details. I am free for a few hours and we can just keep talking." Vivian had to start from the beginning since Voros'' speech disorder and odd sense of priorities weren''t helping. She made a small list of questions and made Voros give her all the answers she needed as he ate his food and drank his beer. According to what she figured out from him, Anastasia is older than Voros by two cycles. In the Duergar calendar, that''s half a year, which means she is also 39 or maybe 40. Unlike Voros who was born to the clan chief''s family, Anastasia is the daughter of the clan''s shaman. She was raised to be a Seer of the Chasm, a traditional job given to those who make the way for the Duergar miners who search for their lost homeland underground. According to Voros, she was taken by the slavers from the Novark Tsardom with many of the clan after they were raided and Voros was also a captive. They were lovers before the incident and he hasn''t seen her since. "How long since that happened?" Vivian asked. "59 Cycles¡­ 7 Nights¡­" Voros replied. The pencil in Vivian''s hand paused. She looked at him and couldn''t do anything but stare. "14 years? Almost 15." She asked, "You''re 39¡­ 14 years mean¡­ more than one third of your life¡­ you were captive?" Slowly, Voros nodded. "That¡­" Vivian wanted to say something but she couldn''t find words. After scrambling a few times, she turned to Voros, who was busy eating the roasted meat with bones on it and a slight smile appeared on her face. No wonder this man is like what he is. Withered beyond his actual age, can''t speak well since he didn''t have a single meaningful conversation for 14 years, and was struck with all sorts of mental disorders. She felt the need to speak to him about this but she can''t imagine how it felt for him to live like that. "Stubborn man!" If she was in his shoes, she wouldn''t be stubborn like this, she would have done something with this metallurgy talent, made a worth for herself, and not acted based on pride and tradition. To waste his life and self like that¡­ Vivian couldn''t tell if it was selfishness or selflessness. No matter, only time will tell. "Alright, Mr. Voros, we need to get you dressed up." "NO!" "Listen, you are going to your workplace right now, you are going to be the Head Artisan of my company and you will choose your assistants as you prefer them. You will do things how you see fit and you will get a nice salary to spend. All I ask you is to help me help you." "No¡­ shoes." "I''m afraid that''s not how it''s done. If you don''t want shoes, we can find you a nice pair of boots. Even if you wear old clothes, a man''s prestige starts from his footwear." "Grrr!" "Don''t snarl at me, Mister. As chief, my words are final." "¡­" Voros fell silent and seemed unable to argue as Vivian posed her authority. This made her smile and be confident enough to make her next move. "But before you get to change, I''m afraid that we¡­" Vivian paused her sentence and snapped with her fingers twice. Two houseguards entered the room, wearing dark coats different from the suits worn by the footmen, and seemed to have trained their physique with passion. In a strange but pleasant theme, the two men were baldies and had similar exquisite curled mustaches, one blonde, and the other ginger. Voros was a smart guy so the moment he saw those two, his eyes widened and he looked at Vivian as if he was betrayed. "¡­ You''ll have to bathe first." *** It was a fierce battle, one where people risked life and limb to get through the unkempt mess and the lifetime worth of soot and dirt on a single man. "Mr. Voros, looking handsome. The boys took care of you, I see." Shaken, Voros looked at Vivian before turning back to the two gentlemen guards who smiled at him with white bright teeth as they flexed their incredible muscles. "Thank you, Mr. Ray and Mr. Rusty." Vivian thanked the two men. "It''s our pleasure, Miss Vivian." Ray replied. "We must invite our little bro to hit the gym with us sometime." Rusty spoke while winking passionately at Voros. "Little bro can use a little bit of training." Ray found the idea agreeable. "Hohoho!" Rusty smiled as he flexed more. "Devil twins!" Voros seemed traumatized by the treatment of the Armstrong Twins, Ray and Rusty, yet he was now a completely different person than before. While they couldn''t get him to shave his messy hair and beard, they managed to dip him in hot water enough until his skin became clearer even though it was gray like all subterranean races. Finally, he wore new clothes that fit him. Vivian knew that he would need durability rather than style, which wouldn''t fit him anyway, so she found him some right but strong clothes. A pair of boots that wouldn''t be worn out by his claws, some strong brown trousers, a tan shirt, and a dark vest that he refused to close. He maintained his rough appearance but still cleaned up. Even though he hated it, now he can pass the bare minimum requirements for looking less terrifying among other Duergar. "One last thing." Vivian said, which led Voros immediately to hold his hair together. He seemed on edge and ready to make a stance but rather than asking something of him, Vivian handed him a large bag. It was a suitcase, similar to the one carried by Jane, that was better than most suitcases. It was made of hard material layered with a fancy leather exterior and had a locking mechanism on its front. "This is a specially made toolbox for you, Mr. Voros. Courtesy of my Father." Vivian said as he handed it to him, "You can use this to store all your equipment without the need to keep them hidden in metal bars." Voros received the bag which he started to gently touch with his hand, fully familiarizing himself with its mechanical lock. "Elder Chief¡­ gratitude." Voros spoke. "I''ll deliver your gratitude." Vivian said and waited as Voros took out his tools from the cage bars that he hollowed and started assembling some of them before putting them all together in the bag. "Is everything now in order?" Vivian asked. "Hmm!" Voros nodded. "Alright then, your first day on the job starts now." Vivian opened the door behind her which led to outside the guest house. As the bright sun overwhelmed the Duergar''s sensitive eyes. As a nocturnal race, the Duergar could still work during the daytime but their eyesight and senses would be greatly affected, so it took him a few seconds of covering his eyes to finally start walking outside following Vivian. There, he could see Vivian meeting with a few more individuals. These were Logan, Esmeralda, Jane, and Oscar. "Everyone, this is Mr. Voros who will work with us from now on. Have you finished the preparation for the workshop?" "Yes, director. The basement of the building has been fully prepared and stocked according to the guidelines we received from Mr. Wyberd." Jane replied. "Fantastic job, Jane. Today is the day¡­ the official first day for ViTech." Vivian said with excitement as she turned to Voros. Standing with Logan and Esmeralda to her left and Jane and Oscar to her right, Voros'' eyes barely adapted to the bright outside. The carriage''s door was opened and Vivian offered her hand to Voros. "Voros, let me officially welcome you to the ViTech family." 52: Electric Vivian Director Vivian Moore, General Manager Oscar Mason, Chief of Security Logan Price, Head Technician Jane Smith-Waters, Head Artisan Voros Goldheart, and finally Secretary Esmeralda. This team of six unique individuals was the real start of ViTech, a company that sets its vision to reshape the world. Their first day at the job was bound to be busy and Vivian dropped the whole gang at the ViTech Headquarters first thing in the morning. Everyone then gathered at Vivian''s office ready for the first official meeting. Without delving too much into details, each of the six individuals was designated their own assignments. It first started with accepting new employees from the job applicants. Oscar Mason picked a couple of assistants as Vivian instructed while Logan had brought some old soldiers that he knew to work as security for the place. Jane also had a say about the employment of a few assistant technicians but both Oscar and Logan had to meet and do background checks on them since Jane''s work, out of all people, would be wrapped in a layer of secrecy. As for Voros, he was stubborn about hiring assistants as it seemed that he liked to work by his own rules. However, when he went down to the basement where his workshop was set up, he was so overjoyed that he requested to live in that place from now on. As for assistants, he only wanted two individuals, one to work the blast furnace and the other to be an extra pair of hands for him. The last one was Esmeralda, who was the least enthusiastic about her new job. All she wanted to do was be a maid but Vivian had pushed that other thing on her and she wasn''t very keen on it. In truth, all that Vivian wanted was to keep Esmeralda close without overworking her anyway but she was in for a surprise once Esmeralda took to her new duties in the office. That happened when Vivian was having a financial meeting with Oscar. "So as manager, my salary will remain the same as my previous one in the Conglomerate, which is 4500 pounds a month, until we start making real profits. My two assistants will receive half my monthly pay. We are paying Mr. Voros the premium of any expert metallurgist of 9000 pounds since we can''t announce the fact that he is a master if his records go public." Oscar said. "He actually didn''t want to get paid but I had to force it on him. All the talent in the world and no sense of money to back it up." Vivian commented. "Well, life is unfair. Anyway, Miss Jane''s pay is 3000 pounds since it is her first possession ever but you insisted on raising it to 4000." "She''s doing extra personal work for me." "Fair. Sir Logan has refused to receive any payment since he receives an immense payment as a Knight from the House so I suggested that we transfer his payment for charity under his name to the orphaned families of old soldiers. This will cover the gap in the books and make some good advertisements for us. The sum is 4000 pounds." "Make it five, we need good PR." "Understood. Miss Esmeralda''s pay will be 2000 pounds since you decided to remove her salary from the House''s books. As for the employees, Miss Jane has hired four technicians who will receive 3000 each as graduates from the third academy, Mr. Voros'' assistants are just two small-time apprentices who will receive 1000 each, and our agents whom you personally picked were five who will receive a 2000 pounds each with an extra 500 pounds for each deal they close. The guards hired by Sir Logan were six and will receive 1500 each. Aside from that, we are hiring around 10 independent cleaning and maintenance workers who will receive a total of 7000 as contracted." "Well, these are agreeable numbers for such a limited number of employees. I imagine we will expand by next month." "Greatly, we have no clients yet and the payrolls will start to multiply but on the plus side, once we make a successful contract with one of the other branches, we will receive a full share of any assembly line we manage to establish. This will cover most of the costs in due time." "Splendid. So, how much should I write on the first cheque?" Vivian asked. "Let me do the math in a min¡­" Oscar said and started adding up the numbers together but he was suddenly interrupted. "68,000 pounds." Esmeralda said. Vivian and Oscar turned to her, who was serving the tea in her black floral dress and laying her single braid over her right shoulder. "If every agent makes at least one contract in the first month, it is 70,500 pounds." Esmeralda continued while looking a bit hesitant. "Hmmm¡­" Vivian hummed and pointed at Oscar without turning to him, "Do the math." A few seconds passed as Oscar, who majored in advanced mathematics in the academy, added the numbers together and¡­ "She''s correct." He said. It was impressive that she paid attention to their conversation and managed to calculate the number but that''s not really difficult. Vivian, however¡­ "If we make a single contract with Professor Bellfield, whom we''re trying to recruit at the moment, how much will we have to pay?" "Our current program includes family subscriptions to the best clinics and clubhouses for the professor and his family which will cost us 1500 and 1800 respectively. Add to that the personal carriage and its coachman and horses which will cost 950 pounds for monthly rental. Aside from the professor, we know that his team consists of nine students which we will sponsor. 600 pounds for seven junior students and 900 for the two postgraduate students adding to a total off¡­" "9650 pounds." Esmeralda answered. "Add that to the total employee payments." Vivian pointed to Oscar. "77,650 pounds¡­ oh, 78,150 actually." Esmeralda replied. Oscar struggled to keep up but after a few seconds, he added all the numbers up and it was¡­ "Correct." Vivian got off her seat and faced Esmeralda. It was time for the ultimate challenge. "Materials costs." She said. Oscar took a deep breath and fetched another paper from his budget binder. "Metal scrap for 1167 pounds per kilo, we got 7.5 of those. Miss Jane ordered a lot of copper wires and equipment that went to a total of 1255 pounds. The paper, ink, and writing tools cost has reached 497 pounds. We acquired some fresh packages of tea leaves this morning imported from Niban that cost us 300 pounds per kilo and we got 3 of them. The charcoal delivery we received this morning amounted to 34 pounds per sack and we got seven of them." "Which is¡­" "11,642.5 pounds." Esmeralda answered. "How much have we paid so far then?" Vivian asked. "Oh, a trick question. That would be 79,642.5 pounds." Esmeralda said. Vivian was almost baffled¡­ almost. "What''s the square root of that number?" Vivian asked the question that she had no answer to. "What''s a square root?" Esmeralda asked. "It is a value which gives the number in question when it is multiplied by itself." Oscar replied. "Oh¡­ tricky¡­ that would be 282.21¡­ almost. The tinier numbers wouldn''t make sense to me if I go past that point." "Do it." Vivian turned to Oscar. Back to his pencil and paper, Oscar calculated the square root of 79,642.5 and then turned to Vivian. "Say it." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "She''s incredible, director." "Who''s she?" "Your maid, my lady." "Say her name." "Miss¡­ Esmeralda." "You''re goddamn right." If Vivian was to flash out a Tarot card right now and take a look at Esmeralda''s profile in the system, "Natural Mathematician" would appear wide and clear in the list of her traits. Even Esmeralda herself doesn''t know how good she is with numbers even though she thinks she''s just faster than others at counting things. Just in a single minute, Esmeralda, who wasn''t that motivated for her new job as secretary, became the employee of the month from the first day. *** After she had her morning tea in the office with Oscar, Vivian took Jane and Oscar along with the five recruitment agents, who work in the under-establishment PR department in ViTech and went to visit the third royal academy. The carriage stopped at the humble entrance of the academy and Vivian stubbornly continued on foot since she wanted more attention as she walked in. Her appearance in a feminine suit attracted the eyes of the commoner students, who started guessing the identity of the lady who walked in front of the Academy-famed Oscar Mason and an entourage of gentlemen and knights. This attention would later be used to get the word around about Vivian''s nature of business. However, her aim was the faculty wing and from there, she headed directly to the laboratory of Professor Wilhelm Bellfield, the leading researcher on a topic Vivian found most exciting. Inside his lab, Professor Wilhelm stood in front of a large contraption and seemed to be adding wirings and tightening screws on it. His assistants were following him with readings from various jars that contained several liquids and had a numerical order lined up on their sides as they were connected to the whole circuit. The scientists kept recording the readings and trying several things before deciding to restart the experiment for who knows how many times now. At that time, and from a separate smaller room isolated from that one with a layer of glass, Vivian entered the scene and witnessed the marvelous efforts of the scientists as they pushed the limits of what is known to new frontiers. Politely, she waited until the experiment started and a sudden flash of light blinked through the room causing everyone to look away before dying down prematurely and leaving nothing but a burnt centerpiece in the middle of the contraption. "Ah! Another one goes down¡­ replace the filament. We''ll redo the experiment after the break." Professor Bellfield wrapped up the situation and looked back to see that the guests arrived on time. He walked towards the smaller room and waved for the guests to come into the lab. "Hello, charming to see you, dear guests. I recognize some faces in the crowd but you must be Lady Moore." The professor spoke. "Please, call me Vivian." Vivian immediately shook hands with the professor who seemed in his late 50s, "It is an honor to finally meet you in person, sir." "Honor is all mine, Lady Vivian. Not every day a member of such an esteemed family passes by our humble workshop and offers that much money." Professor Bellfield acted friendly because of the support he was promised but then he turned to the person that truly interested him, "You must be Mr. Oscar Mason, not every day we get to see our valedictorians back at the Third." "An honor to meet you again, professor. I am terribly sorry for not passing by more often." Oscar replied and introduced the others, "This here Miss Jane Smith-Waters, a graduate of this year and a fellow employee at ViTech." "A great honor, sir. I''m a big fan of your work." Jane immediately shook the professor''s hand. "Yes, yes. Third of the Technical this year, the pleasure is mine." The professor greeted Jane before turning to Vivian, "Lady Vivian seems to be hellbent on recruiting our best and brightest." "I''m glad you''re catching me red-handed." Vivian said, referring to him. "Ah, it''s flattering of you." The professor said, "Come, let me show you where your money will be spent." The professor turned to lead the guests into the usual investor tour he always gives to his patrons. This time, however, he found Vivian racing ahead of him to a device that was shaped like a polished metal orb on a pole. "Is that what I think it is?" She looked at the device in wonder. "I am not sure what the young lady thinks but this is¡­" The professor wanted to reply but Vivian was ahead of him. "An electrostatic generator! Such Marvel, if I touch one of those while it is on, my hair will go crazy everywhere." She said with a wide smile. "Indeed. That''s the electrostatic generator alright. You must have read¡­" As the professor was about to explain, Vivian was already somewhere else. "A capacitor jar. (Leyden jar) I only saw it in illustrations actually. It stores highly intense electrical charges." "That''s true, be careful near it." The professor became both somewhat impressed by Vivian''s knowledge and somewhat bothered by her behavior. "That''s a friction machine over there? I see, that''s quite the interesting electrostatic setup." Vivian said before ending the childish act and turning to the center of the lab, "But that over there is the crown jewel of this lab." The professor looked at where she was looking before asking her. It was a pillar-like object connected to the large contraption he was working on. "You know what that is?" He asked with a doubtful expression. "That right there is the peak of electrochemistry, sir. A state-of-the-art Electrochemical Pile (Voltaic Pile). Two layers of copper and zinc, separated and connected by a layer of felt soaked in seawater. The size of the pile is admirable, you shouldn''t show people such a large pile, sir. You need to avoid their envy." Vivian said before secretly winking to Jane who caught on to her dirty joke with shocked eyes. "Lady Vivian, that''s¡­ impressive. You seem well aware of the current happenings in our field." "It is an exciting field, sir. How can I not be an avid fan of this technology? I dare say this research will change the world and take it by storm." Vivian said. "Thank you for your encouraging words, Lady Vivian. Now, let me show you the latest thing we were working on." He invited her to the center. "Can you at least let me guess what it is?" She asked. "Be my guest." The professor said. "Well¡­ the Electrochemical Pile over here is surely to generate electricity through this circuit. This jar with lines here is the method to use to read the intensity of the electrical current (voltmeter) and this device here is how you control that intensity, a resistor, if I may say?" "Correct." "As we entered the room, that piece of charred matter seemed to have been blowing up in a flash of light. I am unaware of the purpose but you are either trying to produce heat or light. Am I right so far?" "Well, hahaha, that''s spot on, Lady Vivian." The professor became pleased with Vivian and introduced his intent to her, "We are trying to make an electrical lighting device but as you said, when we create the light, we also create heat." "That''s why you get that centerpiece charred." "It is an isolated frame carrying a filament, we are trying to figure out the right material to keep the heat from burning the filament while keeping it for the longest time possible." He said. "Such a lofty endeavor, sir." Vivian clapped her hand with a wide smile, "You will change the world indeed." Vivian had a prior idea of what was going on in that laboratory from Jane who had a friend on Professor Bellfield''s team of researchers. The moment she heard a rough description of the ongoing experiment, she realized that Professor Wilhelm Bellfield was after the very same invention Thomas Edison made, the Light Bulb, albeit with a much earlier technology. Such an opportunity wasn''t to be missed and Vivian used all her brain cells to recall all those lessons Nadia took on electrical engineering in college. Nadia''s experience at wiring bombs alone was enough to impress many scientists by today''s standards. She had a rough knowledge of how things worked and read a few academic papers to make her homework right. "As said by our agents who visited you before me, our patronage extends to more than just financial support. We offer personal care as well as many services in exchange for being your first choice of partnership as your work bears its fruits. We extend a similar yet limited treatment to your assistants and we offer the entire team our best technical assistance that we can muster by bringing up brilliant minds together." "That is a generous offer, Lady Vivian. Enticing like a deal with the devil, if I may say." The Professor said. "A devil that promotes science is just how I feel every day when I wake up in the morning." "Hah! Nice one. But here is the thing, I''ve spoken to my colleagues and as it seems that you have reached some of us, I''ll be the first to enter your program, which makes me unable to get that technical assistance you promise." "That''s the price of pioneering with vision, sir. I can''t argue with your logic. But let''s take your work as an example." Vivian said and pointed at the centerpiece of the professor''s circuit, "The problem you are facing is heat. To solve it, you need to isolate the catalyst that helps the heat flare up which is naturally Air." "In theory, yes." The man agreed with a nod knowing that it was impossible. "Let''s say we can encase your filaments in an isolated glass bubble and artificially create a vacuum inside, what are the chances of the filaments surviving?" The man blinked a few times and after a few seconds of thinking, he nodded. "Well, this would improve the results but if it was possible." "Never say never, professors. What you need is a skilled glassblower and a vacuum pump. Those things exist and ViTech can bring you the best in the Moore Conglomerate. What you need to do is to figure out the best filament for your design and be done with it. How does that sound, sir?" The man thought and looked at the light arc circuit he made before descending into deeper thoughts. This could be it, the dream he and many other scientists are striving for. The first electrical arc lighting invention made by human hands. He looked at Vivian and hesitated but he is no longer a young man who can keep working for hours unending and if he doesn''t do it, another will. But the moment he shakes hands with Vivian, he and his brainchild will be enrolled into the rough current of businessmen and industry. On top of that, all they promise are benefits and business partnerships. Too perfect, too enticing. Even he can no longer resist his greed. It''s a win-win situation if he looks at it from afar. He didn''t know if he would regret this later along the line but it wouldn''t hurt to walk a few steps with his latest rich patron. "Alright, let''s see that contract." 53: Titania "And that''s how you sign a contract!" Back in ViTech headquarters, the employees and their employer gathered in the conference room to congratulate each other on the first signed deal. "Ladies and gentlemen, this success is due to your efforts to gather much-needed intel about the recruitment targets. I congratulate you before you congratulate me." Vivian announced as she sat at the head of the table, "With each successful day, let''s make a tradition of dining together as one family. Now, eat your fill and grab more from the buffet." It was a cheerful evening as Vivian was in the best of moods. Not only has she secured the world''s inventor of the light bulb, but she did so with a technology that predated Edison''s by at least 100 years. But that wasn''t as impressive as it seemed, before Eddison, there were 22 scientists that made the light bulb possible, however, it was Eddison who succeeded in industrializing it in a conventional way. But electricity and light bulbs weren''t even what could scratch the surface of Vivian''s ambition, there was more she was looking forward to bringing to the world. Vivian aimed to find the scientists on the verge of making life-changing inventions and give them a nudge forward with her money and influence. Once she gathers enough scientists around her, she will be the most influential person in the city and ViTech will be the top R&D organization in the world. In this merry atmosphere, Vivian sat alone at the table while the others gathered in groups around the conference room. Jane finally had her chance to speak with Oscar whom she has a massive crush on and Logan was handing plates of food to the old security guards whom he has a history with, even Esmeralda was making friends with some of the female employees. It was a pleasant atmosphere and one that meant success. Vivian slowly ate the soft lamb steak on her plate with a fork as she savored the juicy taste. "You''re awfully quiet after having such a speech." Logan approached Vivian and joined her side in an empty seat. "I am enjoying my time thinking and envisioning." "Oh, please, don''t let me disturb you, princess." "Nonsense, Logan. You being by my side isn''t merely for show or safety. Just like the rest or even more, I''m savoring this moment thanks to your efforts too." "I''d say you''re drunk on something but I see no wine in your glass, want me to fix that?" "I don''t drink." "More for the rest of us then." Vivian smiled wryly. "It is just that I find no meaning in drinking. Dulling my senses while I must always stay on guard doesn''t make sense in my situation." She said. Hearing that, Logan looked at his liquor glass, and with a heavy heart, he and his glass parted ways. "You can drink if you want." "No, you''re right. How can I, your bodyguard, drink and keep you sober so that you can keep an eye out for yourself." Vivian smiled and chuckled a bit before picking up a piece of candy from the platter nearby. Even though it was a peaceful moment they deserved after having their business model achieve its first success, they were deprived of the peace they needed knowing that they must fight to stay relevant in this cold world. But a warm breeze can sometimes pass by, that comes with a knock on the office door. Esmeralda opened the door and one of the Voros'' assistants spoke to her. She then turned to Vivian. "My Lady¡­ I mean Director. Mr. Voros is calling for you down at the workshop along with Miss Jane." That was it¡­ that was what she was waiting for. Vivian jumped off her seat and headed to the door, Jane did the same and as it seemed that everyone was watching them, Vivian turned around quickly and faced the crowd. "Everyone, enjoy the party. I will leave Esmeralda here to wrap things up while I see the small situation and long with H.T. Jane. It was a fruitful day and I hope tomorrow is just as fortunate. Goodbye." Vivian then turned back and zoomed out of the room with Jane on her heel, even Logan did the same and followed them. That strange smile on Vivian''s face meant she had done something insane again. As the three descended four floors and the underground level to reach the basement, Vivian opened the metal gate that led to Voros'' workshop and walked in immediately. There, she saw Voros standing between his two assistants who were holding something for him. "You two can go upstairs, you''ve earned yourself a drink and desserts." Vivian dismissed Voros'' assistants as what would happen next would be a top secret, she then turned to Voros, "Voros, talk to me." "Chief¡­ guns ready." Voros said and took away the metallurgist claw he used to carve on metal. At his work table, three pieces of printed metal were displayed neatly. They didn''t look the same but each of them was basically the same thing. Varying in sizes, the three pistols, which Vivian envisioned, Jane designed, and Voros printed, were still fresh out of the oven and Voros was adding the last touches to their metal. What remained was for Jane to add the wooden outer casing, put it together with wood joinery, and make sure all the parts moved right. The smallest pistol, the medium pistol, and the large pistol were all finished. Each of them resembled this era''s style of firearms with the smallest being small enough to fit into a palm, the medium being of a regular size, and the largest being a tad bigger than normal as it was fitted with a chamber that could withstand larger types of ammunition. "That''s some fine work, Jane, Voros." Vivian couldn''t hide her smile but she could hold her hands from holding those babies and testing them out. "Thank you, director." Jane was pleased and couldn''t hide her smile either. "Tiny gun¡­ funny." Voros commented as he pointed at the smallest gun. "I know. But it is a serious weapon." Vivian replied. "Bah! Swords better." Voros seemed to be on the side that prefers honorable melee weapons rather than firearms but no one can deny how exquisite his work is. "That''s the new generation of guns you were talking about, Princess?" Logan asked. Before answering that, Vivian cleared her throat and went in for a professional demonstration. "It is, Sir Knight. These are the first of their kind: break-action firearms for personal safety and ease of use. They support a new breed of ammunition made of hardened flash paper and stuffed with black powder with a lead musket ball glued to the top. Our ViTech''s genius gunsmith, Miss Jane Smith-Waters, has managed to create an internal ignition mechanism based on the wheellock firearms. However, she had developed the outdated wheellock system into a whole new internal ignition system that is very stable according to her calculations. These three pieces are the first prototypes for the ammunition calibers of 0.39, 0.41, and 0.44 respectively." With her superb demonstration skills, Vivian was sure Logan would be impressed and convert to her gun cult immediately but he looked at the firearms and then at her. "Half of what you said didn''t make any sense to me." Vivian and Jane rolled their eyes. They had to explain it since Logan is the type to get sensitive and narrow-minded if he doesn''t understand what''s going on. "Break Action!" Jane held a safety lever on the side of the gun with one thumb and released a release slider with the other before applying pressure and opening the barrel as if she were breaking it from the rest of the gun. She then proceeded to put three of the paper cartridges she had designed on the table, each of which varied very slightly in terms of width and height. "The caliber of this gun is that size of bullets, 0.39 inch wide bullets fit in that chamber." Jane slid the bullet in with a little push before closing the pistol barrel with one move that activated its locking safety mechanism automatically. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Once you''re ready to shoot, move the safety back, aim steady, and may Arthur bless your hand." Jane handed the gun to Logan who received it with a frown. Immediately, Vivian, Jane, and Voros ran from his vicinity and hid behind a metal cabinet on the other side of the large basement. "Hey, what''s going on?" Logan asked. "Do your part, Sir Logan!" Jane replied. "This is for the advancement of Firearms, my knight." Vivian added. "Every new firearm must be tested. Still, the ammunition of the gun is the first of its kind, we need a scapegoa¡­ a competent tester." Jane said. "While we are sure of the design, only a knight with such a Slivery Aura like yours can endure it if the test goes wrong." Vivian said. "Bang Bang Hahaha!" Voros said with a nasty hoarse laugh. "Goodness!" Logan was horrified not by the gun but by their actions. "Bang Bang Logan!" Vivian shouted. "Aim ahead at the cement wall." Jane added. With a tired face, Logan mustered up his Aura around his hand and chest then aimed the pistol ahead. He steadied his thoughts and removed the safety as Jane said before¡­ BANG A few seconds passed as the bang echoed through the underground basement. "You alright, Sir Knight?" Vivian called. "More or less." He replied, "That was a hefty kick that gun had." The three creators of the gun rushed back to Logan and he put the pistol down. Jane and Voros immediately examined it to determine the effect while Vivian ran to the cement wall and stuck her pinky in the bullet hole in the cement wall. "The gun''s heat dissipated nicely." Jane said as she touched various parts of the barrel, "And the flash paper left no trace inside the muzzle. Complete success." "Metal good¡­ screws tight¡­ no damage." Voros said after receiving the gun from Jane. As for Vivian she returned and searched through Voros tools before picking up a small screwdriver and returning back to the bullet hole again. "God, that''s powerful." She said and touched the cement wall, "Hope nobody heard that." "How deep?" Jane asked immediately. As the other three kept staring at her for an answer, Vivian took the screwdriver out and with a rough estimation¡­ "4 Inches deep." The three became silent with wide eyes. No firearm bullet in that era could do that much damage. "That''s¡­ scary!" Even Jane the Gunsmith got cold feet. "No Bronze Aura Knight would survive a bullet like that." Logan said with a scared smile, "Even I wouldn''t want to block that bullet." "Mad strong!" Even Voros had to admit that the gun exceeded his expectations. "That''s it, friends. That''s what I wanted so bad." Vivian, on the other hand, smiled like a child. She ran back to them and held the medium-sized gun which Logan was shooting with. "Listen up, the three of you." She held the gun and opened its barrel. She showed them the empty barrel and then performed the hand movement as she was loading the gun with another bullet before closing the barrel again. She then pointed the pistol a way and squeezed the trigger. "Bang!" She spoke the sound. Then she performed the reloading movement again and squeezed the trigger, then again, then again. Four times she has done it before stopping and turning to her friends. "The best gunman with muskets would shoot those four shots in one minute and he''d be considered an expert gunman. An average gunman would do two at best per minute when under pressure or in battle heat." She said before raising her pistol up, "That thing we made just now eliminated many of the problems a gunman would face. The reloading is easier and faster, the bullet is stronger, and when we apply proper rifling to the barrel, the accuracy will go up as well." "Director, one way or the other people would have developed something like that eventually. It is just your insight that has pushed the boundaries before anyone else." Jane said. "True but¡­ imagine if that thing falls into the wrong hands." Logan said with obvious worry. "Logan, you went to war once, right?" "Just a summer campaign against the Adnani fleet three years ago." "In your opinion, what if this weapon was used by a side?" "One side would completely dominate the other of course in terms of foot troops." "And if the two sides have it?" "I don''t think¡­" Logan wanted to reply but he paused and thought more, "These weapons would change the whole system of the battlefield. Simply charging and volleying would be a suicide." "That''s insightful of you to say." Vivian agreed with Logan, "Battles won''t be fought the same anymore. I''m afraid to tell you this, friends, but if the schematics of this weapon and this type of ammunition were to go public, these nations and empires would find more vicious ways to kill each other and colonize more lands." The three seemed resolute and agreeable with Vivian. "We are simply pioneering this new type of firearms. This is merely the first of many firearms that are possible to create. With just one idea from our design, the door to developing firearms will wildly burst open." Vivian said and took out more schematics from her purse and spread them on the table for the other to see, "Firearms that can shoot tiny bullets that spread all over, firearms with an insanely fast rate of fire, and firearms with a caliber so large they can penetrate heavy fortifications." Logan held the shotgun schematics and looked at it with wonder. "Now this is something." He said with admiration. "You kept all that from me?" Jane looked at all the schematics with wide eyes. "Combine together¡­ make a super gun!" Even Voros started spouting some insane words. "Glad you like it, Logan. And Jane, this is simply the beginning of many more ideas. As for you, Voros, I think I can show you something really¡­ really good." Vivian handed Voros a schematic that was larger than others. Voros saw it and his eyes lit up with a childish smile appearing on his face. "SUPER GUN!" The other two came behind him to see what he was so on about but all they did was frown from the sight they saw. Jane held the schematic from Voros and read the description Vivian added to the top. "Large-Caliber Multiple-Barreled Rotary Firearm." Jane read. "Aye!" Vivian replied with a smile, "This type of firearm won''t work with any technology we have. Reaching this point from the break-action pistol will be like trying to pass an elephant from the hole of a needle. Our technology doesn''t¡­" "Fuck! I''ll do it." Jane''s foul mouth couldn''t be held back anymore. "I¡­" Vivian was perplexed for a second, "It is not¡­" "I said I''ll fucking do it!" "It is not a challenge!" "FUUUUCK! I''LL DO IT!" Seeing how Jane was so fired up, Vivian and Logan looked at each other. "You sure about this?" He asked. "To be a genius, I guess other aspects can be overlooked." She replied. "Hey, Director! Got any more schematics?" Jane asked but it was more demanding. "Just the unfinished ones." "Fine. We need to set up a new place. My office up there has many eyes." Jane said. "Burrow¡­ I burrow!" Voros raised his hand happily. "Burrow?" Vivian frowned, unable to fully comprehend what Voros said. Voros immediately ran to a wall and started pulling a few bricks off the wall. "You can''t be¡­" Vivian couldn''t help but pause in her place as Voros opened a gap in the wall enough to fit an adult to pass. Behind it, Voros had a small room dug out with some items lying around. "When did you¡­ how¡­" "Duergar burrow¡­ world best¡­" "Oh boy!" Seeing how Voros has made himself at home¡­ or rather made himself a home, Vivian could only take a deep breath and shake it off. "Alright, Mr. Voros. Build another burrow for gun research. Just don''t break anything you shouldn''t." "Yes, Chief." For now, the three gun prototypes were the first step to creating a larger array of firearms that one day would change the course of history. A mouse gun, a pistol, and a high-caliber pistol. "Director, here''s the first complete gun as promised. You can go home with it." Jane handed Vivian the small gun in a box along with 40 paper cartridges. A small gun and a lethal projectile, perfect for stealth and self-defense. Vivian can fit this gun on an armband so that she can take it out of her sleeve when needed. "Good weapon¡­ good name." Voros said. "You want me to name it?" Vivian asked, "You''re the one who made its parts, and Jane is the one who designed it to a functional state. You guys should name it." "I''ll pass. Just let me pick the model names later." "Alright. Then it comes to you, Mr. Voros. Give it a name." Vivian turned to the mad Metallurgist for a name. "Small gun, big damage." Voros smiled and found a ridiculous name, "Titania!" "Hah! Love it!" Vivian laughed and held the mouse gun up, "That''s Titania then, inscribe the name on the side of the barrel then." Vivian handed the gun Titania to Voros who immediately took out his Metallurgist Claw and heated it up in the furnace. While watching him with a smile, Vivian''s heart was suddenly engulfed with coldness and her insides felt as if they were shrinking with pain. Her face became pale from worry and she suddenly grabbed Logan beside her for support. "Prin¡­ Vivian¡­ VIVIAN! What''s wrong?" She gulped from the pain and a message appeared in front of her. ? You sense a Twist in Karma at 0 meters! ? What! What is happening? "Lady Vivian?" Jane held Vivian with worry from the other side. "Chief!" Voros also came running but unlike the other two, he had an idea of what was going on, "Sit down! Close eyes! Focus!" He immediately forced Vivian down by the shoulder and the strength that came from his body almost overwhelmed Logan who was pushed away. "Duergar! What''s going on?" Logan asked with anger and worry. "Focus, chief! You have gift? Can''t be! Focus! It nearby?" He indeed has some sort of idea. Vivian started to focus just as he told her to and then the answer came to her immediately. From her Storage Purse, Vivian took out the blank silver coin given to her by Agatha Moore from the conglomerate presentation day. Just one silver coin made her sense this feeling. Everyone else looked clueless at the coin but Voros couldn''t believe what he saw with his own eyes. For fourteen years, this was the first clue he had ever got, and it was right in the hand of his savior. "M¡­ Mithril?" 54: Mithril Mithril, also known as the Saint of Metals by humans and the Sacred Silver by the dwarven people, while generally called the Metal of Myth. The word Mithril is a common keyword found in all the heroic tales of old and it is a metal of great scarcity enough to be considered the rarest and most precious metal in the world. The Sword of Arthur, the Shield of Athena, the Plate of Joan, the Boots of Hermes, the Visage of Heimdall, the Shroud of Florence, and the Lyre of Amadeus; each and every one of those items is a holy artifact and from Mithril they were all made. According to the Duergar Myth, Mithril is mined from the core of silver vines, blessed by the God of the Heavens and the Earth, Mithril is God''s boon to the dwarven people and a miracle they can''t live without. While many other races have always coveted Mithril, no other race has ever managed to produce it. It is unique to the dwarves, to their prayers, and their rituals. Even if humans were to mine all the silver ore in the world, the Blessing of Mithril wouldn''t grant them any, for only a dwarf can do it. Dwarves consider this process like that of giving birth to a child and every bit of Mithril discovered is given a name by its miner. Miners tend to chant prayers to the silver ore as they mine it with special songs of warmth and love until it yields Mithril. And even among dwarves, not just anyone can shape Mithril, no one can simply hammer it or dent it with the best tools at their disposal, only the chiefs of the clans are the ones who are passed down the secret prayers of shaping Mithril. That''s not the end even, Mithril is a metal that is impossible to destroy by any conventional or arcane means. It only listens to the secret prayer and is involved with a lot of mysticism and secrecy no one can even procure. That is why it is not just a simple metal, it is both a miracle and a blessing, some even went as far as saying it is a living metal as all Mithirl artifacts seem to have a mind of their own. As for the metal itself, Mithril looks like common silver but it never loses its gleam, never gets dirty, never needs polishing, and never accumulates scratches from being collided with harder objects. That is why this Mithril coin caused quite a stir with the tiny bit of scratches that cover its blank surface. While flipping it in his hand, Prince Liam kept inspecting the silvery gleam of Mithril and admiring its appearance under the moonlight. It felt magical in every way possible and if not for him being an educated man, he would have preferred the gleam of silver over the luster of gold. As he sat lazily in his parked carriage, the knights that guard it from all sides moved out of the way and the door was opened. Edmond Black and Ian Grayson hopped inside and sat in front of the Prince. "Your Highness." Ian spoke. "They slipped off once again?" The Prince asked. "We apologize, your Highness." "It''s okay. We never even caught them once in the first place. Still, the movement your people made was seen from a mile away, it is nothing strange we lost them again, Ian." "But your Highness, this is the closest we''ve ever got to them. Even House Black has failed at¡­" Ian wanted to justify his failure but his heart almost stopped from the cold dangerous stare from Edmond''s lazy eyes. "Hehe!" The Price laughed at the little interaction in front of him, "Let it go, Edmond. You know what Ian is like." "An insufferable imp?" Edmond asked. "Come now." The Prince cooled off the tense atmosphere between the two, "I think this coin is useless now. Here, Ian." The Prince tossed the Mithril coin to Ian who almost jumped after it and held it near to his chest. "Thank you, your Highness." Ian received the coin and looked at it as if someone had found his long lost love, "I promise your Highness, I''ll find the Duergar that made this and throw them in the pen." "This tiny bit of Mithril is worth what now? A few hundred gold coins?" The Prince asked. "A thousand, your Highness." Ian said and smiled, "Heh! We gather enough of those and we won''t need House Moore anymore." "Look at that!" Edmond shook his head, finding what Ian said ridiculous. "Don''t mock him, Edmond. After all, we can only rely on Ian and his people for the time being. Robert hasn''t made any progress yet." The Prince said. "Your Highness, that incompetent Robert won''t even give you the support I can. So far, I have gathered enough Duergar craftsmen to make all that we want. I also have people posted everywhere, your Highness, just say the word and it will all happen." Ian said with an ambitious smile growing on his face. "Can you acquire the power of the Fire Signet from the Moores? Can you make me Fire Vouchers?" The Prince asked. "¡­" Ian fell silent knowing that the answer was no. "That''s why everyone is essential, Ian. You worry about your business doing all the good work you''ve been doing and let Robert Moore do his. Soon, he will be the Master of House Moore and we will get all the financial support we need." The Prince said. "I understand, your Highness. In the meantime, I have made a small fortune for our current project. This is the small ledger as promised." Ian took out a journal from his suit. "Give it to Edmond, he understands this sort of thing." The Prince said and Ian did as he was told. Edmond skimmed through the pages and somehow seemed impressed. "That would be more than enough, Your Highness. Until the coming year, at least." Edmond said. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "You got that much money?" The Prince asked Ian. "My enterprises are bearing their fruits, your Highness. I have diversified the investments from the money you have bestowed upon me and made a few stashes around the city for safekeeping. I can proudly say that the 500,000 pounds I received are now 5,000,000." Ian said and Edmond confirmed with a nod after checking the book. It was admirable, to say the least. Ian''s ability to make money is second only to the Moores. However, it doesn''t even scratch the surface of the money that the Prince can get if he still has the Moores by his side. "Well done, Ian. If you need anything else, talk to Edmond." The Prince said to dismiss Ian. "There were those customs officials who were trying to track our import shipments but it is not urgent for now. If you excuse me, your Highness." Ian left the carriage and Edmond made a face as if he was finally relieved. "You don''t like him." The Prince remarked. "He''s hateful! What kind of a 17-year-old can control this much power?" Edmond said. "The kind that inherited it from someone. Ian tends to like boasting about his achievements while he''s merely taking credit for the work of others. Still, one day, he''ll replace you at your job and you will get to have more naps as you''ve always wanted." The Prince smiled. "That''s not even funny. Of all the people you want as your aide, it shouldn''t be that imp." Edmond said. "He''s Grayson, a talented one even. It is not a talent I should waste." The Prince said. Edmond shook his head and looked away through the window. His feelings towards Ian were not that of rivalry, he just found Ian to be an unpleasant character. Everyone from the Prince''s faction relies on Edmond one way or the other because his services are needed and his specialty is fixing tough situations. On the other hand, Ian is very capable of handling himself yet he always leaves things for Edmond to clean after him as if he was trying to remind Edmond that his actual job is not beside the Prince but rather in his shadows. Edmond would be happy to hand his job over to someone else as long as they are capable enough but Ian, he just can''t stomach him. But right as he was looking away, someone knocked on the carriage''s door and opened it. "Your Highness." "Richard, you''ve cleaned up the place?" The Price asked. "Yes. Their escape route was found but their traces have gone cold. However, it seemed we almost managed to trap some of them before they could burn all their documents. Unfortunately, magic was used and they disappeared without a trace." Richard Marshall said. "Magic?" The Prince asked, "Was there any record of a Sorcerer in their midst?" "No, this is a first." Edmond replied with his interest piqued as well. "This is the first trace we have. Richard, were there any unique traits to the magic, could you recognize its owner?" The Prince asked with excitement. "I''m sorry, your Highness. It seemed like a ritual that someone performed rather than a spell from a ring. There was no specific uniqueness in the residual magic energy." Richard said. "Tsk, such a wasted chance!" The Prince seemed frustrated, "But a sorcerer with a skill that can cast rituals this fast during an escape? That''s not someone simple." "I agree." Edmond said, "We''ll check the records, make a list of names, and narrow it down." "Good. Hmmm¡­" The Prince said and started thinking about something, "Well, if it is Magic, let''s invite Ronald Morgan with us next time. He''ll be of help." The Prince''s idea was a good one on any day of the week but Richard and Edmond reacted weirdly hearing Ronald''s name. It seems the two of them still can''t forget the night of Spring Festival when Richard killed a male student and Ronald assaulted a female student. The unpleasant memory of that day still echoes in the High Society and those who know the full truth on the matter are only four individuals, three of them are present in this scene. "Alright, Edmond. Let''s head home for the night. We need to write a report of today''s pursuit to my Father." Prince Liam said. "Worry not, your Highness. The movement of those insurgents has increased lately as we are tightening the grip on them. I am sure that next time, the pursuit will bear fruit." "Good. I believe we still have one of those coins so make sure to find out where it leads and make sure to coordinate better than today." "By your orders." With that, the carriage of Prince Liam moved, returning to the palace after a night of chasing dangerous conspirators and rebels. *** In the depth of his thoughts, Voros sat cross-legged on the floor, with the Mithril coin clasped in his hand. Waves of inner turmoil and emotional distress washed over him. He looked at the coin as if trying to figure out a trace of his lover, Anastasia, but there was even a limit to the abilities of Mithril. "Anna¡­" He whispered to the coin calling for her but it never spoke back. He held it against his forehead, trying out something but it didn''t seem to be working. "I¡­ I am not mystic." He said and surprisingly handed the coin back to Vivian. Duergars become very upset when it comes to Mithril being in the hands of others, it is their sacred duty to safeguard it for their clans but what clan was left for Voros? Still, rather than receiving the coin from Voros, Vivian chose to push her nobility and class aside and sat on the ground next to him. "Hey, Voros. You want to let something out?" As she held his hand back with the coin still in it with her left, her right patted him on the back. "You''re ViTech family now, whatever it is, I''ll take care of it." She said. "Mithril¡­ can be her." Voros said. "I figured that out once I realized it was Mithril. I''m sorry." Vivian nodded. "But how can that be Mithril?" Logan said as he crouched in front of them, "The coin is full of scratches. Even Mithril can''t scratch Mithril." "I want to ask the same question." Vivian said. "Can''t be¡­" Voros said, "Scratches¡­ intentional." "How did you get that Mithril coin, Princess?" Logan asked. "Lady Agatha Moore passed it on to me. She said it was left for me by James before he leaves for Avalon." Vivian replied. "James¡­ he never mentioned anything like that to me." Logan said, finding it strange that his best friend left him in the dark about a Mithril coin. "I was upset that Lady Agatha never invested in ViTech but this much Mithril is almost equal to what my father gave me. Not that I am mad enough to cash it out, of course." A million pounds, that''s the worth of the Mithril coin. "Voros, do you want to keep it?" Vivian asked Voros, offering him the priceless treasure. "Princess, that coin''s worth is outrageous, you can''t simply¡­" "Stop it, Logan. I don''t care how James acquired it, it belongs to its people, not to me, and certainly not to some museum." Vivian said, showing the essence of what it is to be a Medjay. "Thanks¡­ but¡­ not my kin." Voros refused to receive the coin. "What do you mean?" She asked. Voros seemed upset and didn''t want to speak. "I think he means that this Mithril doesn''t belong to his clan, that''s why he can''t accept it." Jane said. It seemed that she was right. Voros had a lot on his mind right now and Vivian wasn''t anything if not a loyal friend. "Logan, take Voros up to have a drink. You are allowed to drink as well." She said. "Heard that, old man? Ready for a few rounds?" "Not old!" "Prove it then." Logan understood his task of being Voros'' wingman in this tough hour he was having and had no qualms about sharing a drink with a Duergar. As for Vivian, she looked at the Mithril coin, or rather the scratches on it. If these scratches are intentional, they must mean something. She walked to the nearest table and laid down an empty piece of paper before fully drawing the scratches on both sides of the coin and stashing it away. Now, it is time to try and figure out what it all means. 55: Farming SP (1) A week has passed since that day in Voros'' workshop. Things have started to flow naturally and for the first time, I''ve started to feel at home in this world. I think that the assimilation of Nadia and Vivian has finally reached a stable point in my mind. For the past seven days, I had breakfast with the family after my secret morning workout, which I am sure they are mostly aware of by now, then I head to the company at the same time my Father heads to work, I stay there from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, sometimes I would drag it to 7 in the evening but I always arrive home before dinner time. Having such a routine is healthy for the mind. My days since my transmigration were a hectic mess and I couldn''t make heads or tails of my sleeping schedule but now it is all nice and dandy. My mind thinks slower about things and it gives me time to appreciate a world I am starting to find beautiful. And on this particular Friday, I even gave myself a vacation, how cool is that? Being your own Boss is the fucking best. I can sit under the sun in a nice floral dress, wear a big hat, doodle something on paper, drink from a river of tea, and even head out to the gun range to shoot some bullets with Titania, my new baby gun. This life is the best. "My Lady." A voice approached me with nimble steps that I almost couldn''t feel until it got so close. I turned around and watched as Oliver, the errand boy, approached me carrying a small box in hand. "Oliver, you''re finally here." "I apologize for being late, my Lady. I didn''t want to be seen carrying such an expensive thing in the streets." Oliver said as he bowed. "It''s alright. I wasn''t in a rush or anything." I have been anticipating this delivery for some time now and it is the reason why I am sitting alone in the back garden. I have been spending 10,000 pounds for the past few days on these deliveries and Oliver was just so helpful with them. As I opened the box, I found a small amount of beautiful-looking crystals that had a colorful luster. These are Magic Crystals like the ones I once swiped from Robert''s stash and they are the premium currency from the game which can be converted to System Points or SP for short. A week ago, I purchased a magic crystal with 1000 pounds. Once I converted it with Sir System, I got 458 points. I purchased another Crystal with the same price tag the day after and I got 425 points. Like that, I speculated that there may be a rough difference in the quality of each crystal but on the third day, the 1000-pound crystal gave me 381 points. That was an alarming drop. For the following few days, I kept purchasing crystals with the same specs and price and made sure they were all of the same quality, weight, and color even. Each day, the SP I got kept decreasing. I got 326 points then 260 then 183. In the box Oliver brought me today, I had three Crystals rather than one this time. After dismissing Oliver, I used the seventh crystal which is worth 1000 pounds and¡­ ? 95 SP have been awarded! ? 95? Every drop in reward was worse than the one before it. This is by far the worst loss I suffered regarding crystals. But I had to go through that, I had to suffer these losses. There are very specific methods to earn SP and Sir System is very stingy about it. Quests are the best way to earn SP and I have to keep doing them to earn more. The problem with quests is that they are whimsical and come only in certain situations regarding certain things. It is as if Sir System has its own agenda, and anything that serves that agenda awards me with SP. Quests fall under 4 types from what I have seen so far. Main Quests like avoiding the forced marriage and impressing father, Emergency Quests like the karma thief and acquiring the spirit lotus quests, Challenge Quests like the one that popped up when I used the gun range for the first time, and finally Daily Quests which I have to do daily in order not to lose SP. There is also the "Survive" quest which I don''t have any idea what category it is from but if I survive a lethal situation, it awards me with SP. In conclusion, while it seemed at first that money may work on Sir System, there is a limit to that exploit. But right now, I still have two Magic Crystals remaining each of which costs 1000 pounds. I had no idea what would happen if I tried to convert one of them to SP after the disastrous drop in price. That''s why I wanted to try and see what happens, maybe I can get some hints on how to acquire more SP. So, without further ado, here you go, Sir System. ? Unable to Absorb! ? ? You have reached the limit of absorbing Magic Crystals! ? ? Upgrade the System before trying to Absorb more! ? Upgrade the System? Hohoho! Boy oh boy! Look at that. "How am I supposed to upgrade you, Sir System?" ? Requirements Not Met! ? "Alright, what are the requirements?" ? ¡­ ? Sir System didn''t even respond and I feel like there is something I am missing. If Sir System wants an upgrade, it can just ask for it with a quest. Hmmm¡­ Can it be that I am missing something? I don''t know, something doesn''t add up. It should be obvious if Sir System is giving me the silent treatment. Daily Quests? A secret maybe? Something I am missing? Well¡­ I guess if only I can get more SP, the answer may be clearer or I may discover another hint. At least that''s a plan. I get 200 SP every day from the daily quest in addition to a Panacea flask that is exclusive to me. Yesterday, I tried to double my workout amount and I got no reward in particular. I need to trigger one more quest right now. As I thought of that, I could see Logan walking his horse back to the stable and an idea came to mind. "Logan! Wait!" I jumped off my seat and ran towards him. "What''s going on?" Seeing me come so quickly, Logan asked. "I want to ride a horse." I said. "No. Have a good day." His reply was instantaneous to the point where it shattered my soft feminine heart. "Hey! It is not even against tradition for a woman to ride a horse." I followed him persistently. "First of all, you are wearing a dress, you should wear something¡­" He started speaking without looking at me so¡­ You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Done! What''s next?" I said. He turned to me and almost had a jump scare. "Wh¡­ How?" I simply switched to my formal outfit without the coat dress. "I was wearing it from the start." I replied. "No¡­ I swear you were in a white dress with blue flowers and a hat or something¡­" "You must be having a sunstroke, Sir Knight. Now, don''t argue with me! What''s next?" I asked and put on an air of authority. "¡­ You need a horse." "Can''t I borrow yours?" "Carlos is a Lozanish thoroughbred stallion. He''ll throw you off once he smells weakness." "Well, my family still owns the stables." "¡­ After you then." I walked ahead with the confidence of a brat and arrived at the stables where the family''s horses are kept. Most of these were the horses of the knights and the ones in the grand stable where my father''s selection of horses, all of which are off limits. Logan led me to a small stable where some riding horses were peaking their heads through the fences and enjoying their morning hye. "Those seven horses are fairly young and new here so no one will say anything if you ride any of them." Logan said. "And the others?" "They are taken, Knights tend to be a little sensitive about who gets close to their horses." Logan said and kept explaining, "While a young horse will be less stubborn than an older one, they are still a bit demanding to control. Old ones are experienced and easy to guide but most of them have developed quite the temper." "I see. So I have to choose between one of those?" "Take your pick." Logan said and picked a straw from a horse''s feeding trough and put it in his teeth to pass the time while waiting for me. Boy, you have made a mistake! Ten minutes passed and I couldn''t even decide. "Pick one already!" "Well¡­ Liam looks cute with all that silvery hair but Edmond has that luster in his coat. Richard seems a bit tricky though since I don''t like brown." "You''ve got to be kidding me¡­ you named them after those guys?" "Well¡­ This one has a silver mane so it''s Liam, that all-black one is Edmond, Richard is that guy that foolhardy keeps hitting his head to the fence, Valentine is the one that didn''t get his face off the hay since we arrived, and those two sleazy ones are Ian and Ronald, you can''t feel right around them." "So that one is Robert?" "Yep, the little pony over there. Look how small he is." "You are so petty." "Alright, I''ll go with Liam for now." "Saddle him up, then." "Erm¡­ how?" It took Logan a fair hour teaching me how to put on a saddle and reins for the horses, how to feed, groom, water, and walk it for a while. And then it was time to ride. "Well¡­ that''s embarrassing!" I may have gotten a little bit excited because now the horse is facing forward, I am facing backward, and Logan is facing downward laughing his ass off. Even after I fixed myself forward and got everything in order, the horse refused to move even with Logan pulling it for me. A few seconds later, Logan jumped to catch me as I was thrown off. "It is my fault, I am the one who called him Liam. I should have expected to be thrown off! Those Liams!" Next off was Edmond. The horse didn''t even give us a chance to get to him, he kept making lazy rolls whenever we got close. Richard the horse was akin to a force of nature, it kept hitting everything around itself whenever I got close so it was a skip. Valentine was still eating and refused to move away, that hay must have tasted really nice. Ronald followed silently at first but every time he spotted the horses from the other stables, he kept getting distracted and ran over to them. Ian was just small like a pony but would always try to bite me off like a dog, even with the attitudes I''ve seen so far, that one was the least friendly. The last horse was, of course, Robert. Somehow, I couldn''t help but tease him a bit yet unlike the others, that Robert was chill. He ate well, chewed nicely, and let me ride him with ease. "You are no Robert, from now on, you are Robin." That was instant chemistry with that horse, finally, I could enjoy a horse ride without having to worry about being tossed over or bitten. Robin was a gentle horse and had a good nature even. According to Logan, Robin is a colt under the age of four and can''t be ridden that much yet but in half a year when he reaches the age to be a stallion, there will be no problem riding him for extended periods. "Good boy, Robin. Good boy. Now, try to catch some wind?" Logan said as he pulled the side of the reins and started running with Robin and me on it. I could see the joy of horse riding even though it is still intimidating. Neither Vivian nor Nadia had prior experience riding a horse so this is something new for me to learn away from their lingering memories and emotions. I dare say it is the first time I have something of my own. This riding and training kept going on until I finally received a message. ? New Daily Quest: Cavalry Training (Novice) ? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [ Cavalry Training (Novice) ] < Daily Quest > Train with your horse for at least 15 minutes every day.
  • Time: 15 minutes daily
  • Reward: 100 SP
  • Penalty: None
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I was hoping for a challenge quest but to think I would get another daily quest. One without penalty at that? That''s super lucky. But why would an action like shooting a gun cause me to unlock a trait while other things like training an aura manual or trying horse riding turn into a daily quest? Can it be because of the Dormant Records? If my guess is right, I don''t need daily training in something that is already dormant inside me and all it needs is a bit of awakening and dusting off. That sounds plausible. But the fact that the reward is half of the Knight Manual Training and there is no penalty means that somehow, Sir System isn''t recommending it that much. ? You have completed Cavalry Training (Novice) ? ? 100 SP have been awarded! ? After 30 minutes of riding through the gardens, I decided to stop a fair distance from the gun range. As a new gunsmith took over after Jane''s father. This man seemed to have learned from the mistakes of his predecessor and whenever I come visit the gun range, the poor man silently takes his leave for a while. This is how villainess should be treated, well done me. "Alright, Logan. Do you remember how to fire one of these?" I said and took out one of the guns that Jane and Voros made. So far, Jane has made another Mouse Gun and seven medium guns that fire 0.41 rounds. Most of these new ones were made for testing and quality control before trying to add a extra few touches and suggestions like rifling the muzzle to make bullets spin and break air resistance to improve the accuracy. "These genius new guns, I actually started to miss them." He said. "Here you go then, and how about a little competition?" "Well, knowing you, this is going to be a challenge." "Thank you. So, we shoot the targets at all distances. On hit, you move from the nearer to the closer target, if one of us misses a single target and the other doesn''t miss, that''s a win." I entailed the details of the challenge. "Fair. Let''s do it." Logan agreed. ? New Challenge Quest: Shooting Competition! ? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [ Shooting Competition ] < Challenge Quest > Challenge and win against Knight Logan at a gun-shooting competition.
  • Time: 10 minutes
  • Reward: 100 SP
  • Penalty: -150 SP
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Now how about that? Sir System is making the penalty greater than the reward this time. Is it trying to say that if I lose to Logan, I deserve punishment? "Alright! You go first." BANG Logan shot the 10-meter target and hit easily holding the gun by one hand. I used a different gun of the same kind but knowing how nasty the recoil is, I can only shoot while holding it with two hands and dear life. BANG And headshot! "Goodness! The poor straw doll got its head blown off!" Logan said. "I should have said that headshots count more." "Easy on me, Princess. I''m still new to this gun cult of yours." He shot the 20-meter target right at the center with one hand again and I shot a headshot once again. "Show off!" He said and fired at the 30-meter target. "Thank you." I followed and shot the target''s head but it wasn''t right on center like last time. "Hah! Don''t try too hard or I may actually win." He said and shot the 50-meter target but this time, he had to use two hands and aim a bit longer. "Holding oneself to a certain standard is a sure way to improve." I replied and headshot the 50-meter target right on point. The 60-meter target made Logan quiet as he needed to focus more and I wasn''t sure I could get a headshot after that so I hit the bullseye. Logan''s shot, however, only grazed the straw doll. "I guess that''s it, huh?" He said as he aimed at the final target and¡­ BANG ¡­ he missed. "Defeatism is something you should always avoid, Logan." I aimed and hit the bullseye once again. ? You Won! ? ? 100 SP have been awarded! ? Up until this morning, I have accumulated 2128 SP from Magic Crystals, 200 SP from Aura Manual Training, 100 from Cavalry Training, and 100 from challenging Logan. A total of 2528 SP added to the 1200 SP from the previous six days of training and the 59 SP remaining after giving Voros Tarot readings when I first met him a week ago. This all sums to a grand total of¡­ 3787 SP at my disposal. Now that I could earn more 300 daily points from training, I feel like I can turn these quests into SP Farms somehow. 56: SP Farming (2) Such an opportunity to gather a lot of SP meant that I could exploit Sir System more and more. I understand that there are no free meals in this world and the System isn''t something that was given to me out of goodwill. It wants things from me and in return, I want things from it. Until one day a Quest arrives to tell me to do something crazy, I should make the most out of Sir System''s abilities. The problem here is that I am 19 years old so learning Aura or Magic isn''t something that will be achievable easily. Some people learn these supernatural arts at the age of 8 while others at 6 or 5. I am not just late to learn Magic or Aura, I am super late and I will have to go through many hurdles to achieve something those of my age have achieved ages ago. (Or that''s what I thought back then, we''ll return to that topic later.) If Sir System, which is the only power akin to magic I have at my disposal, needs an upgrade, who am I to say no and for all its worth, I must seek more clues about the upgrade process. But in the meantime, I had to find out more ways to get Sir System to give me SP. I tried to trigger the challenge quest against Logan once again but no matter what I did, the quest never showed. This means that I can''t repeat the same challenge, but for how long? And what are the other restrictions? After that, I waited till the evening as Jane and Voros dropped for a visit. I invited them to the gun range and lit the place up to try our guns in a friendly challenge. And what do you know, the quest worked on both. I got 150 SP from beating Jane and 180 from beating Voros, while the quest still never activated with Logan. I''ll try again with Logan after 24 hours to see if it is a time-based restriction. As for now, I got this sweet sweet reward. ? Trait Level Up: Novice Gunslinger? ¡ú Apprentice Gunslinger? ? Leveling up this trait was a real lot of work but I understood the learning curve and why it took so much time to level up compared to a different trait like, for example, The Pianist. Unlike the Pianist, the Gunslinger trait is combat-based, which I believe is more difficult overall, even though there are more gunslingers in the world than there are pianists and the piano is one hell of an instrument to learn. Still, many can actually come forward and claim to be piano experts or masters, but Guns on the other hand aren''t the same. One can''t simply master death and firearms are death incarnate, so among gunslingers, only those who have shot various types of guns and have a high record of kills can be called the masters of the gun, one can''t just run into those since many die before that point. So aside from the rarity of the skill, what I think to be the practical factor of trait learning speed is the versatility of the skill. When I dusted off my Pianist trait in one hour, that''s because the instrument I was using was an authentic classical piano just like the ones I played on many times before as Nadia, there was barely any difference. Guns on the other hand, I had none of what I had before. Away from the Glocks and the Barettas and MP5s and AK-47s, I fired dozens of guns in my career and I had no particular favorite so I was good with many guns. In other words, in order to dust off the trait Gunslinger back to its full potential, I''ll need some rifles, revolvers, shotguns, and submachine guns. Pistols weren''t the only guns I slinged after all. This left me with a new predicament: how will I level up my self-defense traits since I may one day need them very much? Seeing me looking at the gun and sinking in thoughts, it was Voros who showed interest. "Thinking?" He asked. "Say, Mr. Voros, have you participated in combat before?" I asked. "Been long. Voros crushed many skulls¡­ all in the past." "I see. Since you don''t seem to know Aura, how do you fight back then?" "Hey, Duergar strong!" Voros said pointing fingers at my face as if he felt offended, "Voros knows Aura." "You do?" I asked, I remember his level wasn''t anything interesting the last I saw it in the reading. "Well¡­ used to¡­ no combat for fourteen years." "So skills like these disappear if you don''t use them much?" "Hum!" Voros nodded with a grunt. "I see." Of course they should disappear, try hitting the gym for years then stopping for fourteen years with no physical labor whatsoever. It''s only fair for those who don''t sharpen themselves to lose their edge, such is the way of life. "So, what do you think is the best way for someone like me to¡­" "Sword!" "I was asking¡­" "Sword!" "Do you even¡­" "Sword!" "¡­" Why is he so adamant on that answer? I stared at him for a few seconds trying to get a chance to talk before he interrupted me again. "Why?" I asked quickly. "Hmph!" He snorted, "Slender legs, quick body, thin arms, strong shoulders, good for guns, good for swords." "Good for guns, good for swords, huh?" I repeated the phrase he said and I liked the sound of it. It seemed this crafty Duergar had me all figured out. I wanted to ask about how to further protect myself and it seems those fourteen years may have dulled his combat prowess but not his customer service. I sat on the nearby table in the gun range as Voros joined me. He seemed to be ready to converse about what sword I should use but I preferred action over words. On the table, I put my pieces of equipment on display. This attracted both Jane and Logan who were still shooting nearby and they joined us midway. What I took out were¡­ Titania, the Mouse Pistol. Romeo & Juliet, which are the names I give for my right and left guns respectively, and the current Romeo & Juliet are two break-action pistols rather than the old flintlocks which I still have. After that, I took out my push dagger which, following this tradition, I will, from now on, call it Macbeth. Lastly, I took out the Tactical Umbrella which I received as a quest reward once. It has a short steel blade inside its cane. I haven''t thought of a name for the umbrella yet but I am leaning towards calling it Dr. Jekyll and calling the blade within Mr. Hyde.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "That''s my whole arsenal for the time being." I said. "What''s that? A toothpick?" Logan held the push dagger up, wondering its strange design. I snatched it back immediately and held it the right way in my hand before showing how it is used to stab and then be hidden away. "Your love for concealed weapons isn''t healthy." He said. "Saved my life twice so far." I replied and played with Macbeth between my fingers, "This little toothpick had taken a life once even." As I said that, Logan seemed to be disturbed by my kill record. Well, as long as it keeps my pretty head on my pretty shoulders, no one can complain. On the other hand, Voros took out the blade of the tactical umbrella and gave an approving nod. "Any ideas then?" I asked. "Will make something." Voros replied and took out a small journal and a piece of charcoal before starting to doodle something. He hates pencils for some reason even though I keep telling him how effective they can be as weapons. "You want to use a sword?" Logan asked me. "I see no qualms against using one." I replied. "Well¡­ my job is to hold a sword instead of you so¡­" "So?" "You don''t trust me protecting you?" "You''re cute." "Come on." "I want no one else to protect me aside from you, Logan, but I am picking up a bunch of new hobbies. Swordsmanship is just something I want to try." "Well, I quite trust you with a firearm since you shoot better than most people but as it is a ranged weapon, it means you don''t have to get too close to danger. Swords are different." "Shouldn''t I have a sword in case my guns couldn''t be reloaded on time?" "Believe me, anyone who can avoid your shooting will have no problem dealing with you in melee." What Logan said actually makes sense. I don''t want to fight in close-quarter combat against knights and aura users either. "But what if I have to?" "Do as you must." Logan dropped it but then Jane said something that almost made me jump off my seat. "Shouldn''t one train in melee weapons in order to awaken Aura?" As Jane asked the innocent question, both Voros and Logan, who were busy writing in a journal and reading a pistol respectively, nodded as if it was something natural and commonly known. "Excuse me?!" They all looked at me as I seemed a little bit upset and taken. "What''s wrong?" "To train your aura, you need to have melee weapon training?" I asked. "Naturally." Logan replied. "Why hasn''t anyone told me that before?" "Errm¡­ you didn''t ask?" Logan said. "It is¡­ known." Voros spoke without much interest even. "I''ve always seen the wannabe soldiers in the third academy say they would train with swords until they awaken their Auras and become officers." Jane also said with a smile. I¡­ I never heard of that. It wasn''t mentioned once in the Moore Manual even though I read it from cover to cover. The System didn''t even mention it once. Sir System, how could you? ? ¡­ ? Betrayed! I feel so betrayed! I''ve been running around myself like a stupid donkey pushing a mill. This original Vivian! How can she be so not interested in the powers of her own world? Nadia''s world was rather too mundane compared to this one. People from such a mundane world romanticized about Aura and Magic for a long time. However, for growing up in a world with such qualities, old Vivian just decided to not be interested. Holy fuck! The first action of Nadia in this world, aside from killing the little piggy, is asking Father for an Aura Manual. That''s the start of the whole thing. "Ugh! I was doing all that training for nothing." I can''t handle this anymore. I just want to crawl in some hole and get depressed. "Not for nothing. You need years of training to awaken the aura, it is not something easy with someone your age but¡­" Logan tried to explain but¡­ "Someone my age?" I stood off my chair and faced him with all the fury in the world, "What''s wrong with my age, old man?" "Nothing." Logan backed away immediately, "It is just people start training at a very early age." "And?" "Usually results are difficult to achieve with age, especially after 18." "So you''re telling me it is useless, huh?" "I don''t know why you''re angry but this is public knowledge even more than the weapon training thing." Logan''s reply made me shut up but I was still dissatisfied. I couldn''t understand why. "Hmph!" I sat back down pouting and crossing my arms in a bad mood, "I don''t even understand why!" Those who made the game surely wanted it to be a power fantasy for young teenage characters. Making the Heroine into a spell turret or a party healer was fun to do especially when her abilities get buffed up by the late game. "Well, I have been paying attention while I was in the second academy for that part." Logan said and started explaining it to me, "You see, when young people grow, they develop their bodies and adapt to their nature better than grown-ups. The process of training to awaken the aura is similar to forging metal. During the early phase, the body is like hot metal and can be tempered and shaped much easier than when it is old¡­" Yep, the same simple cliche explanation from every power fantasy there is. "¡­ But from what a professor told me once, it is more related to the healing factor of younger people. Training your body is actually a process of damaging it so that when it heals, it gets stronger by preparing itself for the coming training similar to how broken joints become thicker when they heal¡­" Huh?! Alright, I take back that previous thought. That''s actually very accurate and in line with how the body works. "¡­ In a way, when you exert your fullest in training, the body begs back for energy to heal. The better the healing, the more results you get. That''s why it is advised to eat and sleep well after training." I am actually liking what I am hearing and I have a question. "So let''s say, Logan, someone as rich as me gets healed after every training session, wouldn''t that hasten the process?" "Well, my lady, I''d love to say that the Heaven isn''t blind. Even if you have all the money in the world and you hire the best healer, knowing how rare those are, you''d run into the issue many greedy people ran into before you. How healing magic works is that it reverses the damage done to your body, that is why it is called "Restorative" magic, not "Regenerative" magic." "I see¡­ so I guess an alchemy elixir like Panacea would actually do more harm than good?" To my innocent and simple conclusion, Logan coughed and almost choked on his breath. "Pan¡­ Panacea?" He asked and as if the word is some sort of a thing I shouldn''t say, "Well¡­ I think the Panacea is an exception. Still, that''s not something money can buy. I mean¡­ one vial can only be produced every year at the Temple of St. Florence." "Come again?!" "The Panacea¡­ you know¡­ the Elixir of Saint Florence." "¡­ Aha¡­" "Only one vial¡­ per year." "Not¡­ per day?" "No. Per year." "You sure?" "Pretty sure. It is the Panacea." "Shit!" Alright, Sir System. We need to talk. Hopefully, Sir System''s Panacea and St. Florence''s Panacea aren''t the same thing. Like¡­ mine is called Common Panacea for crying out loud, it can''t be THE Panacea. Can it? Anyone? "¡­ rincess! Princess! You with us?" "Oh, sorry! Lost in thoughts." I said and got all my marbles together, "So¡­ let''s say¡­ hypothetically of course¡­ if the damage dealt by training is regenerated by a pretty good elixir, how long does it take to¡­ you know¡­ awaken aura? Theoretically, of course." "We''re talking how many elixirs?" "Let''s say¡­ one per day¡­ for example, of course." "Well, that will cut down a lot of time. Years actually." "Regardless of age?" "Not sure but the younger the better, of course!" "Gulp!" This is big¡­ so biiiiiiiiiig! "Logan, I want you to teach me swordsmanship." I said and got off my chair. "You''re one stubborn spoiled princess, you know that?" He said with a tired face. "We''re training, old man." I replied and stood in an empty space in the gun range. "We don''t even have training swords." Logan said as he followed me while shrugging. "I can fix that." I said and turned to the System Shop menu. Training Swords¡­ here they are. 20 SP each, I''ll get two, my dear Sir System. ? Cost: 40 SP ? But just as I was about to confirm the purchase, I remembered that I had to unbind one of them for Logan to use. If I don''t do that, the moment I get some distance from him, the training sword will be absorbed back into my storage purse. Alright, Sir System, would you please. ? Cost: 220 SP ? Come again? A bound training sword costs 20 SP, and an unbound training sword costs 200? You know what? Worth every point! I took the two wooden swords out and tossed the unbound one to Logan. He caught it, swung it around a few times, and seemed to like it. "Alright, Princess. Don''t say I didn''t try to stop you." Logan said. "We''Re DoInG tHiS!" I replied with the voice of demons from the villainess within. "Alright, alright¡­ let''s get you started with the basics. Stance, posture, footwork! Do what I do." ? New Daily Quest: Melee Training (Novice) ? 57: Illuminating (1) ? New Daily Quest: Melee Training (Novice) ? This is what my quests menu looks like right now. After putting my mind to it, I managed to acquire two more daily training exercises to add to the routine. Melee weapons and Cavalry, all on the novice level just like the Aura training. The Aura training grants 200 SP after doing it and subtracts 400 if I don''t do it whereas Cavalry and Melee grant 100 SP each without penalty if I miss them. In a way, I was happy. Earning 400 SP daily is huge and it seems like Sir System was trying to make me stronger, and since I don''t spend much anyway, I am happy my SP Farm is up and running at least. But now I have to deal with the training. Yesterday, Logan hammered the basics in me and made sure I only learned what I needed. His golden rule was to start from the ground up as if I were building something. I know martial arts so his insights were very inspirational to me. "Your feet on the ground are the basis of attacking and defending." "You need to stand accordingly before moving accordingly." "There are three points at your feet, the thumb, the pinky, and the heel. Those three points stick to the ground when you are standing to make a perfect balance." "One foot forward, one backward. If you want to move backward, push yourself with the leg ahead, don''t drag yourself with the one in the back. Do it like jumping." "Your back has a vital relationship to your breathing. You need to breathe in order to fight longer. If you bend your back much, your breathing becomes harder. Straighten your back, lower your posture." "Try to make yourself smaller in size when standing. I can''t tell you how to do it but how not to do it is not to stand face to face with attacks. If your hit area is smaller, you will have an easier time dodging." Logan''s tips revolved around the basics of martial arts and even though I am aware of most of them, it was nice to brush off my basics. One thing I took notice of was how refined the martial technique he was using compared to what I know. It seemed like his technique was a combination of many things he learned during his service which harmoniously fit together, whereas I know some boxing, aikido, and taekwondo which is a good combination in most cases but I didn''t engage in CQC on the field before. "How do you feel about your weapon of choice?" Logan asked me. In my head, all I can see is a sword but with some knowledge from my past life, I felt confident trying something like a saber for example. "Rapier!" That wasn''t me saying it, it was Voros. "But I don''t know¡­" "Rapier!" "Can I at least¡­" "RAPIER!" "Fine! Sheesh!" I looked at Logan and he seemed to be liking the idea. "Rapier is actually nice. Easy to learn, hard to master. Not my specialty but I can teach you the basics." Logan said and began the lesson. "Rapier relies on footwork and speed so you''ll be moving a lot." "The golden rule here is to stab, and not get stabbed." "Your arm is for aiming the rapier, your footwork and bodyweight perform the attack for you." "Footwork is a double-edged sword when you lunge for an attack. You are either going for a kill or going to be killed. That''s why you train on footwork twice more than the rapier at the very least." "If your opponent is armored, run! You can''t always aim for armor gaps with a long rapier so try and shoot the armored enemy first. If that doesn''t work, a dagger in your left hand can serve in both defending and targeting armor gaps. But my personal advice to you is to run." "The most important aspects you can employ to your advantage are speed and control. Speed gives you movement and control gives you accuracy." "And that''s all I can teach you." That all happened yesterday. Today, I woke up early in the morning, headed to the stable, rode on Robin to a secluded place in the back garden, and started training the aura Manual and the melee trading, finished in 40 minutes, and returned with Robin to the stables and put him food and water myself. During the ride, I spotted an overgrown bit in the garden and stopped by Oliver to tell him I wanted it cleared as soon as possible. Since it was secluded, I could use it for training without worrying about the snooping maids of my Stepmother. At breakfast, I met with Father, who was mostly interested in the gazette this morning, and Stepmother, who was still trying to be nice to me since the musical performance day. "So, Vivian, I was talking with Madame Natasha Ivanov the other day, she said she would like to invite you tonight to her party for a very special and closed-door reveal that will shake the world. Wouldn''t it be nice to have friends who share your interest in business?" Saskia spoke to me.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Somehow, You and Natasha are two of the women I want to avoid the most so that is not a selling point, stepmother. How I wish I could say that out loud. "Well¡­ I must apologize, Stepmother. Tonight I am hosting dinner for the partners in my company. And I don''t think my business model has anything to do with Madame Natasha''s." I replied politely so that nothing could be held against me when Father was present. Also, it is creepy seeing her acting all nice. Her intent of showing me off to her middle-aged friends and controlling me in front of others is unmissable in her eyes. "That''s unfortunate¡­" Saskia seemed upset despite the fake smile, "All I saw you doing yesterday was lazing around and playing with firearms." Well¡­ it was my weekend. "I apologize, stepmother but as it turned out, I don''t think I have to explain myself even on my off days." I replied and put down the knife and fork while looking at her right in the eye. I don''t have time to deal with an airhead like her, whose only interest in the world is party here and party there. "Vivian!" But it seemed that my language with my stepmother hadn''t gone unnoticed by Father, who looked at me with stern eyes and solemn airs. Even if I was rude, meddling in my business is something I find distasteful but it seemed that Father doesn''t appreciate my sort of behavior over Saskia''s. In a tense atmosphere, my reply appeared to have stirred Father''s attention to my choice of language. His stern expression and solemn demeanor indicated a growing disapproval. While I acknowledged that my behavior may not have adhered to the standards of politeness, I couldn''t help but feel a sense of resentment towards Father''s reaction and my stepmother''s interference in my personal affairs. It became increasingly evident that Father favored Saskia''s conduct over mine, as I appeared unruly and she was, of course, acting how a normal lady of her peerage would usually act. "You should appreciate the chances your stepmother is offering you. You can''t keep acting the way you do or you will be alienated by society once again." Father said. "I¡­ understand. I''m sorry, Father." "Good." Father said and seemed to have finished his breakfast, "So, will you join Saskia for the party?" "As I said, Father. I have a prior arrangement." I said. "It can be called off. Try and¡­" "It''s alright." As Father seemed to be pursuing the matter still, it was Saskia who dropped it. "Tonight isn''t the main party anyway. We were just visiting to get samples of the new product Madame Natasha will introduce before tomorrow''s reveal." Saskia said. So a party in preparation for another party, that''s what she said, right? I looked at my father and I wanted to say a lot but he averted his eyes. Saskia can be a bit too much sometimes but what can I say? If it is tomorrow night, I guess my schedule is empty. "Speaking of Madame Natasha, wasn''t she the one leading the research on the Spirit Lotus?" I asked as I remembered something important. "Right, I relied on her expertise in the field and she managed to extract the seeds of the Lotus. Right now, we are trying to regrow the Lotus from its seeds in a secret facility." Father said. "That''s marvelous! And have you discovered its secrets yet?" "So far, we don''t know much other than the Lotus seeds can be germinated only in a certain type of environment with rich volcanic content in the soil and it doesn''t need light." "And what is the return investment for all the money we poured into the Lotus?" "So far, let''s hope Madame Natasha''s research proves fruitful." Father said and then raised his brows as if he had remembered something, "That reminds me, someone came to meet me yesterday regarding your business." "An investor?" "A sort of one. That friend of yours, Isabella, Count Alexander''s daughter!" "Pffft!" It seems that I have completely forgotten about Isabella. Now that she has visited my father, I can''t believe I have to go through this conversation with him. "So¡­ how do you like her, father?" "A lively girl. She reminds me of the past." Father said with a hint of a smile. Oh, no! She got him! Man down! "How does she remind you of the past exactly?" Saskia asked. "Remember Alexander and Claudia?" Father had a strange smile on his face. "Oh, we all said those two wouldn''t work out together." Saskia seemed to be reminiscing as well. "Their daughter is just like the two, just as extravagant as her father and has a good head for business like her mother." "Really. I''ve seen her in some of the parties as well but she''s always doing something reckless." "Speaking of reckless¡­" Father said and looked at me with a smile I couldn''t dare to face. Here it comes! "¡­ your friend has approached me with an interesting proposition." "Just¡­ whatever it is¡­ Isabella isn''t normally the serious type. She has her head in the clouds and all that." "Really? She seemed very serious to me." "You''re okay with it?" "Why wouldn''t I? It is about time our family grew." Oh, no! I am getting a new stepmother! She was serious about it all the way. "Here partnership payment was mostly directed to invest in your company?" Father said something that seemed less dangerous than I thought. "Partnership payment? Not dowry?" I asked. "Funny you should say, she kept saying dowry as well." "Uh-huh!" "Either way, she said she wanted to invest in ViTech. I tried to convince her to wait until your first month''s performance is revealed at the board''s meeting but she insisted that you get the investment as soon as possible." "Well¡­ if that''s the case, then I''ll accept her investment. I think I have a few good ideas as to where I should put her money." I am not a fan of the dense male troupe as much as the next girl but if dad is one, I am thanking the heavens with all my heart. "Alright then, I am off to work." Father said and stood up off the table. "Take care of yourself, husband." Saskia stood up to see father off and I followed suit. But just as he put on his coat, I remembered something. "Father, you will be going home tonight at 6 PM, am I right?" I asked. "Yes. That''s the usual time I get off work." He replied. "Splendid. Can I ask you for a favor? Would you please take a detour through Parker St. on your way home tonight?" I requested while trying not to spoil anything. "Are you inviting me to your company?" "I would be honored to have you tonight, Father, but I just wanted you to see something interesting on your way home. A surprise, if all things go well tonight." "Intriguing! It''s alright. I can make a detour." "Thank you, Father." Tonight at ViTech, we will make our first move towards fame and success. If all goes well, Parker St. will be illuminated like nothing this world has ever seen. 58: Illuminating (2) Vivian rushed down from her carriage and zoomed across the pavement through the gates of her company''s building. Today was an exciting day for her and why shouldn''t it? She has spent three days trying to make it happen after all. Four days ago, she received a message from Professor Bellfield who informed her that he had made a breakthrough regarding his invention and invited her to his lab. As she rushed there, she found that the Light Bulb experiments had reached a point where the filament was no longer burning up. In truth, Vivian has asked Voros to pay a visit to Professor Bellfield as a metallurgist associated with ViTech along with an agent and a couple of knights. She even told him that he could give the professor a hint about making the filament from tungsten so that it could withstand the heat. Voros played his role splendidly even with his shenanigans and eccentric attitude and the Professor was overjoyed that his invention finally worked. With Vivian''s suggestion about making a vacuum inside a sealed bulb and Voros'' suggestion about tungsten, the Light Bulb was now a thing. Vivian contacted the Moore Industries immediately and used her right to make an assembly line with some workers. She also helped the professor get a patent for the invention and refused to take any credit. With that, a dream started to become reality. Vivian entered her office and the heads of the departments gathered around her. "So, where is Professor Bellfield and his family?" Vivian asked. "We expect the family to arrive three hours from now. We have a security team guarding them. As for the professor, he is in the warehouse on the outskirts of the city making sure the last shipment is properly manufactured and tested before getting delivered." The Agent in charge of Professor Bellfield replied. "Outstanding!" Vivian smiled and couldn''t hold back her smile before turning to the rest of the agents, "What about the rest of you?" "Professor Ansley Graham and Professor Gerald Hopps from the University of Downford will attend the banquet tonight." The second agent replied. "And what is their status?" Vivian asked. "Professor Hopps is fairly confident in our reputation as subsidiaries of the Moore Conglomerate and is willing to host us at his laboratory. Professor Graham, on the other hand, is questioning our intentions saying that her research is sensitive along with other angry remarks, but it seemed like the rumors about Professor Bellfield''s success made her accept the invitation your ladyship sent." "That''s mighty good news. Thank you for your efforts." Vivian thanked the man and turned to the ones after him. The agents reported everything they had to Vivian about those who they managed to invite on such short notice to the banquet she is holding and she seemed to have reeled over 10 scientists in her sponsorship program so far. People who are pioneering in all sorts of scientific fields be it mechanics, chemistry, electricity, engineering, and all technological frontiers. It seemed at this rate, Vivian''s business model was working well and she had those agents whom she handpicked to be able to reach out to the professors across different universities and academies in order to recruit them. The secret with the agent was how she set their salaries to scale up with the more successful contracts they get for ViTech. At the first meeting, she had with them 8 days ago at the start of the company. She insinuated that when approaching professors for recruitment, the significance was not just of engaging in conversations with them but also of establishing connections with their associates and conducting some preliminary investigation. This comprehensive approach is crucial in ensuring a successful recruitment process. With that, her agents started to shine at their work and she managed to hire three more agents making her have a team of eight representatives who roam the universities of the city to make contacts and recruit scientists. The success of tonight''s banquet hinges on the number of professors who attend and the smooth execution of the demonstrations. "Here''s your tea, my lady." "Thank you, Esmeralda." In the middle of reviewing the last few reports, Esmeralda walked into Vivian''s office with a tea tray and placed it on her desk before fixing a cup for her. "Right, Oliver, the errand boy, is waiting outside." Esmeralda said. "Oh, right! Send him in." Vivian put down her tea right away as Esmeralda opened the door for Oliver, the gardener boy from the Moores'' mansion. "Your Ladyship, you left me a word that you want me here." Oliver, the gardener boy, peaked his head through the door and walked in with an awkward posture, holding his cap with two nervous clenched hands. "Yes, Oliver. Good morning." Vivian was pleased that the help she needed arrived soon, "Listen, today, I have something big going on and I''ll ask you to work here today." "But¡­ your Ladyship¡­ Mr. Bax said I should be back in an hour¡­ and¡­ I am really not sure¡­" "Is Mr. Bax''s last name Moore?" "No." "And you work at House Moore." "Yes." Vivian gave an unnerving stare to Oliver, who broke into cold sweat and lowered his head. "I am sorry, your ladyship. I''ll do what you want me to." "Good." Vivian turned away and called, "Esmeralda, the crates." "Alright." The giantess girl opened the door and then came inside with a crate that was at least three feet in dimensions. She placed it on the floor and Vivian stood up and opened it. "Look here, see those things?" Vivian said and Oliver approached. "Yes?" Oliver looked inside the crate with a questioning face. Inside the crate were layers upon layers of straw and between them, there were those fist-sized glass objects that resembled water drops. Of course, there were the light pulps. "We have around a dozen of those crates and we have no laborers right now. I know since you are a strong and quick lad that you''d be perfect for this job. I want you to take all the crates from downstairs to the roof of this building. Then I want you to go across the street to Alba''s fashion house and you will find a similar number of crates over there, you take them to the roof over there as well." Oliver looked at the crate in front of him and assessed that it was not light. He even attempted to lift it up a little and it wasn''t light at all. "Careful, those things are fragile and the first to be made ever." "But¡­ that''s quite the workload, your ladyship." "I''m afraid all the people here are busy and we can''t bring just any outsider." "But¡­" "How much do you make at the mansion?" "200 a week." "Today, you''ll make 600 carrying some crates. Once you''re done, go to Lady Isabella de Clare at Alba''s fashion house and tell her I sent you. She''ll give you another job with a whole other pay." "You got me at 600, your ladyship." "Good lad. No chop-chop! Start with this crate." Oliver immediately covered the crate once again and squatted to lift it up. He looked at Esmeralda and smiled. "You''re one strong lady, Miss Esmeralda." Esmeralda smiled shyly and looked away. "Thank you." Vivian looked at the light interaction with observing eyes and raised eyebrows before seeing someone come in as Oliver got out. She immediately changed her expression.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. It was Logan and with him, he was bringing in another guest. "Found him snooping at the front entrance, Princess. He said he''s here to see you, I mean, can you believe it?" Logan said and allowed the other young man in. "Vivian!" The young man spoke with obvious discomfort. "Valentine, I was wondering when you will show up." Vivian couldn''t hold back her provocative smile as Valentine seemed in a great deal of discomfort himself. "Why did you call me here?" Valentine asked while looking around Vivian''s office which was filled with all manner of diagrams and schematics. "I was thinking of taking into the hobby of beating up those brats I find annoying ever since the last day we met at the auction house." Vivian said and kept provoking him. Valentine sighed and turned to the knight behind him. "You do realize that she''ll really make you do that at some point?" He spoke to Logan. "It will be my pleasure, Lord Valentine." Logan winked. "Why am I here, Vivian?" Valentine asked. "You want to know?" Vivian asked back. "Just tell me or kill me." Vivian couldn''t help but laugh and shake her head. "Alright, everybody, back to your work. It''s a busy day." Vivian dismissed everyone else and had the office for her and Valentine alone. Looking at each other, the two let out a sigh of their own. Vivian, tired of Valentine''s attitude, and Valentine, tired of his own attitude as well. He took his comfort in the place and walked out to a nearby sofa that was comfortable enough to stretch his legs on and laze a little. "You''ll keep giving me the cold shoulder in front of everyone, Tino?" Vivian asked. "You know I hate it as much as you do but you brought this upon yourself, Viv." He said and looked at her, "You''re really stupid." "Right back at you, idiot." Vivian said and tossed a cushion at his head which he caught easily. Vivian took a seat as well and looked through the balcony door that was left open. "You''re having a big day at work, it seems." Valentine spoke first. "It''s a do-or-die day." Vivian said and turned back to him, "I need my special people around me today." "Anything for you, Viv." Valentine said and looked at his own hands, reflecting on the words he said. Vivian didn''t pursue him for these words even though she had every right to. She knows he''s not feeling alright since the day of her supposed "destruction" but she still holds a grudge since he didn''t stand up for her. However, she also understands that he couldn''t side with her against the Prince and the rest of them. Still, that didn''t stop her from being cheeky. "I need a plus one today." She said. Valentine heard what she said and seemed to be wishing that he could unhear it but¡­ "Just kidding! Pfff!" Vivian said and burst into laughter, "You should''ve seen your face!" Valentine closed his eyes with a twitching lip that couldn''t manage to turn into a smile. This caused Vivian to end her laughter unceremoniously and it seemed that Valentine wasn''t in his fun spirit today. Deep down, the two of them know each other almost too well. Even though Vivian shares half of her brain with Nadia, someone Valentine is totally unfamiliar with, all he needs is one look at Vivian''s eyes and he''d figure everything out. Too bad he hasn''t met her eye-to-eye for a while. Maybe she has just spoken her intrusive thoughts out loud, but in a perfect world where the Prince and the Heroine don''t exist, Valentine and Vivian wouldn''t be like how they are now. A perfect perfect world! Vivian wasn''t the type to entertain those intrusive thoughts but every time there is Valentine in the room, her feelings start to get out of control, and her sense of reality and ability to stay logical always get affected by him. And just like how she knows to press his buttons, he knows how to do so with her as well¡­ almost too effortlessly even. The only difference here is that he wouldn''t do it. "Alright, here''s what you need to do. We are having guests coming over for a banquet, they will be received in Alba''s fashion house rather than here so having you receive them is a better option than Isabella." "I see." Valentine said then turned to her with an upset face, "You just want me for my good looks." "More for your personality, your best selling aspect." Vivian fired back. Undermining his handsome face and going for his personality, that''s just how savage Vivian can be. "True. I can be a very charismatic person when I need to be." Valentine replied as his mental fortitude shielded him from Vivian''s cunning words. "All in all, it will take me a while to get things done on my end, Isabella isn''t the type to be able to handle people she isn''t interested in, so we figured out the best host possible can only be you." "Alright, I''ll do it." Valentine said. "Thanks, Tino." "In exchange¡­" "Yes, I''ve prepared something tasty you can¡­" "No! No! Stop!" Valentine jumped off the sofa immediately and wanted to hide, "Please, no more tasty food." "Come on, Tino. Don''t you at least want to know the secret ingredient?" Vivian said with a sly smile that she was barely holding together so as not to burst again. "Oh, God!" Valentine gulped and his cool crumbled, "There is a secret ingredient?" "A super secret ingredient." "Oh, please. This will starve me for two days just to digest it." "Alright, your loss." "Just¡­ Vivian, I hate you." "Don''t worry, Tino. It''s just a sprinkle of love." "I HATE YOU!" Valentine threw the cushion back at her and she caught it with her eyes becoming tearful from laughter. It took her a fair minute to calm down and it took him almost the same to cool off his hunger fantasies. The way his metabolism digests things is surely a mystery and it is going to torture him for life. "So¡­ the thing you wanted my help with?" Vivian asked while looking at his annoyed face. "I don''t want help anymore." Valentine, however, seemed upset as he stood up and fixed his suit. "Don''t be a brat. Something is weighing on your mind, I can see it. I promise no more pranks." Vivian said and rested back in her seat. Valentine looked at her before averting his gaze and staying silent for a second. He returned to the sofa but this time, he sat straight and spoke his mind. "I¡­ I am having some trouble with my business." He said. "Oh, you''re doing a new business model or something?" She asked. "No, no¡­ just the same old family thing." He replied. "Imports? Exports? Be specific." Valentine looked at her as she asked and with a distressed face, he shrugged. Vivian narrowed her eyes and looked at him before feeling a bit chest-tightened herself. She can almost say that she figured it out now. "You haven''t done anything, huh? Out of ideas?" She asked and then averted her eyes, "You just don''t want to leave Elgard so that you can stay close to a certain someone." "Don''t put it that way." Valentine raised his gaze and said as if trying to push the shame away. "Oh, really?" Vivian glared back at him causing him to look down immediately, "All you want is to stay here besides that commoner girl." "¡­" "Wake up, Valentine! She''s not even going to be yours. She''ll ruin your life!" Vivian said. "You don''t know that." Valentine replied with a spellbound conviction. "Or she already has. Look at you, the first De Clare in a hundred years who isn''t going to leave Elgard to make a name for himself in the world of commerce." Vivian said and walked ahead to him before crouching down and looking at the face he kept down, "You need to get yourself together. Don''t waste this opportunity, don''t waste your talents." "Vivian¡­ I can''t." His reply made her feel that her throat and lips had become dry and bitter. She stood back up and turned away. "You''re an idiot." She said, deeply disappointed in her oldest friend. "Maybe¡­ but¡­ it is just¡­ you don''t know what these animals are like." He said. "I have some ideas." She said with a slight dry laugh. "No, you don''t. For all the evil and villainy they have done to you, it was just what they are from the inside, but their facade runs way deeper and you can''t even begin to imagine what they want from her or what they will do to her if they fail. Liam is a crazy psychopath, Edmond is the filthiest pig in all Elgard, Richard is a dangerous piece of shit, your brother Robert is a damn dog who has nothing in his heart but malice, Ian and Ronald¡­ these particular two are the worst. It is like the younger they get, the crazier they are." "And you?" "Viv! Please, try and understand." "I thought I did but the more you speak, the less I do." Vivian said as the look on her face seemed sad and felt wronged, "You can break yourself free, Tino." "I don''t want to. It is something I must fight for." "I''m sorry but it''s not my fight anymore." "Yes¡­ you''re right. I am¡­ sorry. Dragging you back into this¡­ I should at least be relieved you got out unscathed." Valentine said but for the idiocy he spouted, this triggered Vivian the most. "Unscathed?" She turned to him with obvious anger, "I almost died, you moron. No, I actually died." Valentine remained silent and didn''t dare to utter a single word except for a faint "I''m sorry" that was filled with all his pain. The silence lasted for a full minute this time. Valentine couldn''t bear it any longer and stood up. "I will¡­ take my leave." He said and walked to the door. "I''ll help you." Vivian spoke without turning to him. "You don''t have to." He said, unable to bring himself to accept her help now that all that they feel is no longer hidden. "You need my help. With those people you surround yourself with, you''ll need a real friend." She said. "I can''t thank you enough, Viv." "Go to manager Oscar, he''ll tell you what you know about today''s event." "Alright." Valentine opened the door but before walking out, he turned to look at Vivian who didn''t look back to see him off. He couldn''t linger like that anymore and walked out to do her bidding as she asked. Back in her office, Vivian remained solemn but she was deeply hurt and suffering. In her heart, she knew she didn''t deserve him as much as he didn''t deserve her. As she stood lonely, a figure appeared at the edge of her vision, conjured by her distorted sense of reality. It was that of a woman in strange clothing looking at Vivian with a look similar to the one on her face. "So that''s how it is, Vivian? I always thought it was strange that Valentine is a destruction route for even you, who is just his friend, but to think all that existed in your heart. Rather than being heartbroken because of the Prince, you were actually heartbroken because of Valentine." "It is what it is." "It''s alright, who am I to judge? It is your life, after all." "It no longer is. I am sorry I held the reins from both sides this time. I couldn''t help it." "I don''t mind. There will be a drawback, though." "You take care of it, Nadia. I''ll rest for a little bit." "Do that, girl. I''ll take care of it." 59: Let There Be Light! (Part 1) "I bid you welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to Alba''s fashion house. Like all of you, we are partners and business associates of ViTech. Since the headquarters of ViTech is under a lot of pressure for tonight''s event, the banquet will be hosted here in our humble establishment. I, Valentine De Clare, will be your entertainer until my dear friend Miss Vivian Moore joins us. For now, please indulge yourself in these delicacies we''ve prepared, courtesy of House De Clare." In the gathering of scientists and bright minds, Valentine spoke to the ladies and gentlemen who gathered on the second floor of Alba''s fashion house on the opposite side of the street from ViTech headquarters. There, Valentine desperately tried to capture the attention of those professors and their spouses with his lightheartedness and small talk while offering them drinks and pastries. All he needed to do was not let them look through that window in the back. He didn''t know what was going on but some incident was going on and if his sharp sight wasn''t fooling him, Vivian was somehow hanging from that strange contraption on top of her building doing some athletic feat that he never even imagined her to be doing. Just don''t look that way! He screamed in his mind and still was holding himself from running across the street all the way to Vivian to figure out what the fuck was going on! ¡ª¡ª¡ª Earlier ¡ª¡ª¡ª "You said what?" Vivian shouted at Jane as the latter almost jumped back from fear. "Some core pieces went missing from the circuit, I swear I fixed them up there this morning before we set up the board." Jane replied. "What time is it now?" Vivian asked. "5 and a half! We only have 30 minutes left." Jane replied. Vivian discarded her coat and walked in her trousers, shirt, and vest upstairs to the attic of her building before scaling up the ladder to the roof. Up there, she found a few individuals, including Professor Bellfield, standing and trying to assess the damage. "Director Vivian, there was a probable flaw in the design." Professor Bellfield said and tried to explain himself to Vivian right away, "A strong gust of wind seemed to have caused this. The wiring couldn''t hold the resistor''s weight and it was ripped right away." "We don''t have time for this, let''s start fixing. Did that flaw affect the other side at Isabella''s building?" She asked. "No, director. I just checked it over there and added a strapping to all conduction points and the alternator." Jane replied. "Do we have spares?" Vivian asked. "Yes, but the problem is that we can''t just get them up there. No one can scale up the scaffolding on the roof. We need someone light, agile, and with a very good balance." Professor Bellfield said. "You''re flattering me, sir." Vivian said as she walked across the flat roof to a spot where a spare rope was lying and picked it up. "Director Vivian, what are you doing?" Jane asked as she ran after Vivian but the latter didn''t respond. "Director Vivian! Director!" She called once again. "Oh! Vivian, that''s me, right!" Vivian suddenly regained herself as she was intensively focusing on the scaffolding in front of her that held up the large board facing the street, "I am going to fix this." "Director, this is dangerous! Let alone scaling up the scaffolding, you may end up shocking yourself if you are not careful." Jane blocked Vivian''s way. "Girlie, you''re ten years too young to lecture me about wiring circuits. Watch mommy do her magic." Vivian said and walked past Jane. While her style of speaking was somewhat different than her usual self, Vivian''s way of handling the rope she just carried really stood out as she started to spread it, made a few knots, and tossed half the rope up the scaffolding. "Just for confirmation, there is no power in the circuit, right?" She asked. "We have around 40 piles dipped in chemical tubs so we haven''t connected any power yet. We will have less than an hour once all the 200 bulbs are up and working." Professor Bellfield said. "Clear!" Vivian made a double thumbs up, "I''m good to go. You, you, and you hold that other end of the rope. I want you to keep pulling until I tell you to stop, capeech?" Vivian asked. The three men, who work as manual laborers for the professor, looked at each other and seemed hesitant as the professor gave them strict instructions on how to behave around a noble lady, one that apparently ties herself to ropes and climbs scaffoldings.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. As they held the rope and started pulling, Vivian had already tied her waist and hips with the rope with a professional mountain climber knot. She kept scaling the scaffolding from the side and as she reached the area where the resistor device was supposed to be, she whistled for them to stop and turned to Jane. "Toss the resistor up." Jane seemed nervous, witnessing the acrobatic feat Vivian suddenly performed but she had to at least help her in order to get her down as soon as possible. And so, Jane threw the device up to the best of her ability¡­ which wasn''t that great. Vivian tried to catch it but Jane wasn''t the best thrower out there as neither her arms were strong nor her aim was accurate. The circuit part was almost at a foot distance from Vivian, who stood on the vertical scaffolding. Vivian''s instincts kicked it, but these weren''t her instincts for the most part. Nonetheless, her body rotated backward as she launched herself away from the scaffolding and while being tied to the rope, she performed a back flipped midair, caught the device, and returned as she was. "Oh, boy!" Valentine, who saw that from around 40 meters away inside the reception hall in Alba''s fashion house, almost lost all his nerves and the guests he was entertaining looked at him with a strange gaze. He started to sweat from worry but he needed to keep those people distracted. "I¡­ I remembered today was Professor Bellfield''s big day, he would showcase his new invention. For that, House De Clare, which is a partner to Alba''s fashion house, has sent our best pastry chef to create a dish that looks exactly like Professor Bellfield''s invention. How about this? We all sneak to the pastries table over there, take a look at the dish, and try to guess what the professor has in store for us." "That¡­ actually a fun idea." "I think I will enjoy this one." "Bellfield, that old coot, still coming up with ideas at his age. I will figure it out in a minute." The old professor became excited and Valentine seemed to have managed to control the crowd with his people skills yet one more time. He kept sneaking glances towards Vivian, though, as she skillfully used tools, cut wires, and jumped from one scaffolding to another like a professional climber. "You! Servant boy!" Valentine immediately called out the first young servant he saw coming in. Almost at the same age as Valentine, the young servant lowered his head and came running. He was wearing a suit like the footmen who work at the fashion house but he seemed rather uncomfortable with it. Valentine recognized him from Vivian''s building. "You, what''s going on over there?" Valentine whispered as if he was shouting and pointed with his eyes in Vivian''s direction. Oliver paused for a second and then looked through the window to see what Valentine was seeing, the only difference is, that it took him a while to realize that the one over there was Vivian herself as it seemed that Valentine''s excellent sight was reinforced with Aura. "L-Lady Vivian! Wha¡­ what''s she doing?" Oliver went pale and almost freaked out. "Shush!" Valentine held him from his mouth, "Shut it! Don''t alert those guests here. Slowly shut the curtains and run over there as fast as you can, figure out what''s happening and how long do I have to keep a group of people who are all twice as smart as I am in a single room without them catching on to whatever that is!" Valentine himself was already freaking out speaking as fast and as quietly as he could. Oliver, who never faced an angry nobleman like that before, bowed his head, closed the curtains, from the direction Valentine pointed, and went running right away. Meanwhile, Vivian was having the people from below toss her a screwdriver, a wrench, and some wire which she extended the torn parts with and used the excess to hold the pieces together. "Done and done!" Vivian seemed to have finished what she was doing and as soon as she was about to descend with style, she halted for a second and looked around her before realizing what happened. "Goodness!" She sighed and then looked at the laborers, "Carefully get me down¡­ slowly! Slowly!" As she descended, she rid herself of the ropes that were tied in awkward places around her body and cleared her throat before joining her hands together in a ladylike fashion and turning to Professor Bellfield. "It appears that everything is in order, Professor." "La¡­ Lady Vivian, thank you. But that was¡­ that was¡­" The Professor wanted to say something but before he could pick the right words in front of his sponsor, someone else did. "That was damn reckless, Vivian! Are you mad?!" Logan suddenly emerged from the roof''s trap door and behind him was Oliver who looked handsome in a suit. "Logan, I am sorry I¡­" "You what? Climbing on a scaffolding to do laborer''s work. That was purely reckless and devoid of¡­" Logan was starting to give Vivian an earful but seeing that people were gathered around them, he held his anger within and turned to the hired laborers, "Your pay will be cut for this. Letting the Lady do your work because you were afraid of some height?" "Logan!" Vivian spoke to him and called off his tantrum before turning to the people around her, "I apologize." The scene had to be called off and Vivian looked at her pocket watch then turned to the sky. "Professor, five minutes." She said. "I''ll do the last checkup on the circuit. Splendid work up there, my Lady." Everyone on the roof started to descend one by one through the trap door, only Vivian and Logan remained up there. "Hey." She called. "Yes?" Logan turned to face. Alone on the rooftop, the two faced one another as the sun had only five minutes to set. A western breeze blew by carrying the scent of the faraway sea all the way to the rotten heart of Archester and Vivian''s hair fluttered freely with the wind. "I am sorry about what happened. I wasn''t really myself for some time there." Vivian spoke. Logan raised a single brow while trying to figure out what trick Vivian was pulling off this time around but seeing that she wasn''t trying to walk her way out, Logan decided to¡­ "That''s not good enough for an excuse." He replied dismissively. "Is that though?" Vivian smiled and somehow lowered her gaze, "I was only telling the truth." Her gaze wasn''t displaying any hint of emotion like sadness or regret, she was just speaking the simple truth of what happened. ? Cutting connection with the Dormant Traits! ? 59: Let There Be Light! (Part 2) That system message could at least shed some light on Vivian''s shift in personality but to Logan, he didn''t see anything like a system message and his anger was justified, unlike her actions. "Well, less than a couple of minutes now." He said and cleared the way to Vivian. "That''s a good moment we are missing." She said and turned to the sky while inhaling as much as she could from the fresh breeze and letting it out. Logan let go of the trap door and turned to the sunset with Vivian. He looked at the endless sky and the beautiful mountainous clouds in heaven before smiling and turning to Vivian. "If that''s your way of getting out of trouble¡­" He spoke and got closer to her. "It is not¡­ WAH! LOGAN!" Vivian wanted to reply before finding herself carried off the ground by one arm. "¡­ it is working, Princess." He said. "Oh!" A bit of an awkward moment as her knight seemed a bit bolder than he usually is but Vivian didn''t hate it one bit. He opened the trap door with his left foot and in a very swift fashion, jumped toward the ladder and slid down on it with her beside him to the attic beneath them. Watching that scene from the other side of the street on the highest story in Alba''s fashion house was Valentine, who kept staring at Vivian in the midst of him explaining how that strange pastry was made to a middle-aged female professor. He was dazed for a bit and his eyes shook but he suppressed those emotions knowing that he was undeserving of many things from the direction he was looking at. Back in Vivian''s building, Logan landed on the fourth floor and put her down on safe ground. "There is another sunset tomorrow but now is the time to take your first step into the real world, Princess. Make your name reach that sky." He said and turned her around by holding her shoulders. "Logan¡­" She called before turning her head sideways to him. "Yes, Princess." "Stay close to me." "I''m not going anywhere." Feeling his large rough hands on her thin shoulders, Vivian breathed in and stepped forward. She reached her office, which was already packed with people, including Professor Bellfield and his family as well as the senior executives of ViTech. Those who were speaking quietened down and those who were sitting stood up for the Director of ViTech as she walked into the room. "Ladies and gentlemen. It is time." She stopped, spoke, and then walked towards the balcony of her office. Logan, Oscar, Voros, and Jane walked behind Vivian but as she wished, Logan was closer than the rest right by her side. As they stepped onto the balcony, Professor Bellfield and his wife and children followed them and stood a bit to the right with the professor on the lead like Vivian and his wife a tad behind him. On the opposite side, many people flowed to the main balcony of Alba''s fashion house, and on their lead was the illustrious Isabella De Clare wearing one of her wild fashion dresses that radiated in bright yellow. The sunset was finally upon the city and the city workers who would light up the gas lamps in Parker St. were nowhere to be seen. Vivian and Isabella could see the street getting darker 50 meters to the north and 50 meters to the south just as agreed with the city hall. The people flowing through this important street in the city didn''t mind at first but then the traffic started to flow slower and a signal was given. From the gates of ViTech and Alba''s, two lines of employees started to flow to the opposite side of the street and the traffic stopped for the sudden influx of people. These people were carrying cylinder containers the size of medium cooking pots. And then¡­ "Chantatio!" Isabella whispered and walked closer to the rail of the balcony, somehow everyone started noticing her right away as she stood in a spotlight of her own. As she spoke, her voice boomed and filled the street, "Fellow Arcurians! Ladies and Gentlemen of the metropolis of the world, I bid you welcome." "It''s the Madonna!" "Lady Isabella!"Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Seven Saints! My prayers were heard!" The reaction of people looking towards Isabella is as priceless as ever. People would always mix their speech and thought bubbles when that hot brunette enters the scene but today, she was extra special. "In the name of ViTech for Technologies and the Moore Conglomerate as well as Alba''s fashion house, we extend to you the first fruit reaped from the prosperous tree that is ViTech. Tonight, we celebrate the genius of a man who will bring light to our world like nothing before¡­" As Isabella kept heating the crowd which completely halted the flow of the street and now everyone was looking at her, but from behind Vivian''s group, a very short man walked through the tall people and reached Vivian. "Clear the way, those stairs¡­ they almost killed me! Why so high?!" The small man, with a large head and cartoonish facial features, approached Vivian and he was recognized by many in this place, so they let him through. "Lady Vivian, an honor to meet you, it is I, Irapos the Marvel." He introduced himself, bowed, and returned to bant again from the stairs he climbed with great difficulty. "Mr. Irapos. The honor is mine, we met at the last auction I''ve been to." Vivian greeted the man with a smile and a nod. This Irapos the Marvel was none other than the Humanling (Halfling) auctioneer from the De Clare auction house from that night, the one who sold Vivian the painting of Morris de Brosa. "Oh, you remember Irapos. How marvel!" The man said in a theatrical manner before noticing that Isabella was ending her speech, "Hurry, your hand." "You''re the third to ask." Vivian offered Irapos her hand and looked toward Logan whose face was a bit cringing before quickly averting her gaze. "Runica!" The Humanling laid a spell on Vivian''s hand and then chanted a little bit before letting go, he then turned to her, "Once Lady Isabella introduces you, feel the Spellmark I put on you and say Chantatio." "Chan¡­" "Nope! Don''t say it just yet!" Irapos stopped Vivian from making a mistake and she immediately nodded. "¡­ and without further ado, I present to you the young lady who supported that genius vision from behind the scenes as she is the fittest one to introduce it. My Director of ViTech¡­ as well as¡­" "Not daughter-in-law! Not daughter-in-law!" "¡­ as well as my best friend in the whole wide world, Vivian Moore." As Isabella pointed to the opposite side, all heads turned to heed her command, and then¡­ "Chatatio!" Vivian spoke the word. Just like Isabella, she was enveloped in an aura of glamorous light, a spotlight of her own. She felt that she was the most confident person in the world and as she was going to speak, her voice felt like it was going to be heard far and wide. "My favorite line from the Scripture of the Seven is the very first line in the Book of Athena: At the beginning, there was Darkness." Vivian said and looked across the crowd to finally spot the carriage of her Father as he was stepping out from his carriage among the crowd to watch his daughter, she smiled and continued, "Then the Lord said, let there be Light." Just like how she was enveloped in light, Professor Bellfield also received a spellmark from Irapos the Marvel and came into the spotlight as well. With his right, he reached out to the lever fixed on the wooden rail¡­ "And there was Light!" Parker St. entered the annals of world history by being the first street to be lit by many light bulbs and on top of both ViTech and Alba''s, two large boards were illuminated as well, each of them with the logo of their respective organization. The light warmed the street and the people looked in wonder as the street lamps, which were inactive for all that time, were now lighting up a strange color that filled the vision of many. Lord Julian Moore watched the light bulb nearby and a smile appeared on his face as he never even expected to be surprised half as much as he is now. Vivian brought light to the world even if she was only a sponsor to the genius who made it. The people cheered as Vivian announced the establishment of Professor Bellfield''s company. The servants who were already crowding the streets started opening the lids of the pots they carried and a cold sensation came out as they served cones of pastries in the shape of a light bulb, made with a yellow ice cream ball covered in a sugar cone, courtesy of Isabella''s partnership with Vivian as business associates. But the light cast in those streets didn''t only extend 100 meters wide or 5 stories tall, many people who had fallen to darkness came out to the light. Some with envy in their eyes, some holding a broken piece of a resistor from Vivian''s signboard, and some marching to snuff out this light before it is cast on their darkness. Another man who was a victim of their darkness stood among the crowd, watching Vivian from the very beginning and not worshiping Isabella like the rest, he was disheveled, depressed, and reeking with alcohol. He watched as Vivian spoke and just the light Chantatio that enveloped her was enough to grasp him by the heart, but then the light that was cast on the world cleansed him from inside and burned the depression within him. "Vivian¡­ Bringer of Light!" He blurted. From his pocket, he took out a silver-like coin, a special coin, a Mithirl coin. He held close to it and for the first time in ten days, which felt like an eternity to the man who was once a respected member of the First Royal Academy''s faculty, the man felt like a part of him was put back in place. Vivian, that child, a dear person to his heart. She brought him light in the deepest of his heart, now he will take that light, shape it into a blade, and then drive it into the dark heart of an empire.
Here''s the spell card of the first cantrip Vivian ever cast, even though it was just a spellmark. 60: Break the Binds It was a joyous occasion for ViTech and its employees. All celebrated the first new step into the spotlight and per Vivian''s instruction, they expected to get really busy from the following day. Many aspiring inventors will approach ViTech for support, some with mad ideas and others with real hopes and dreams. Their next mission was to separate the wheat from the chaff. So, new employees needed to be hired for interviews and testing ideas, people with scientific and technological backgrounds, and now was the best opportunity to make an employment campaign right when the iron was still red. But these are tomorrow''s missions, today''s mission is to eat food and make friends. Vivian was standing right next to Isabella as they conversed with the professors who kept saying all kinds of nerdy things and Vivian was witnessing how Isabella was handling these people even though she doesn''t understand 10% of what they say. "Lady Vivian, today was a pleasant surprise." A female professor approached Vivian with an ice cream bulb in her hand. "Professor Ansley Graham, the woman who eluded me for an entire week." Vivian faced the professor and smiled wryly, "How do you find a De Clare party?" "The rumors didn''t give the truth justice. Truly there is no end to what money can do." The woman said with an obvious hint of envy. Vivian has always found that Ansley Graham woman to be unpleasant despite her great need for someone with her skills. Professor Ansley Graham is the leading expert on Chemistry and someone who is considered a genius in the field, albeit her attitude is selfish and greedy. "Well, my dear Professor, that''s why I am here. With minds like yours and money like mine, we can make the world a better place." "I guess you are right. Sadly, a selling idea like Bellfield''s light technology is hard to come by." She said. "Unless I fork out a sweet idea from Vivian''s stash to help grease the wheels." Vivian replied. "My Lady, I am sure we will be good friends." Professor Ansley spoke with glee and provided her own takes, "I was thinking of fuel. A new efficient way to make those machines that are loved by the Moore Conglomerate hum with more vigor, what do you think?" "What kind of fuel are we talking about?" Vivian asked. "A combustible form of hydrocarbon extract created by fractional distillation. Please don''t let the definitions startle you, it is a simple¡­" Professor Ansley said and tried to outsmart Vivian. "Paraffin?" Vivian asked. The professor frowned. "Yes, the Lady is familiar with Paraffin?" "I was reading about it in some historical record, the white naphtha, as it was called by its discoverers a few centuries ago." Seeing how informed Vivian is, Professor Ansley seemed to be trying to change her approach. "Since Lady Vivian has such great insight, I am sure you''ll be pleased to know that I have been researching a few ways to turn Paraffin and other crude oil extracts into practical replacements for coal and other fuels. But since these forms are all liquid, I am facing many challenges and I wanted to get inspired by the technicians and the engineers who work for you." As Vivian listened to the professor, her mind raced, and started to weigh the losses and benefits of such an investment. This Paraffin that Professor Ansely was developing is Kerosene oil, and the designs she is looking for are probably internal combustion engines. If Vivian were to join hands with Professor Ansley, such late technology would have been introduced a few centuries earlier than it should have. On the other hand, Vivian was aware of the effects such technology would cause. Whether technological, strategic, or environmental, things will start to change too fast. "Actually, I wanted to partner up with you for something in the opposite direction, Professor." Vivian said, fully making her firm stance against Professor Ansley''s goals. "How so?" The Professor asked with an obvious frown. "How often do you pass through the impoverished districts near the factories?" Vivian asked. "From time to time¡­ not sure when was the last time though. Why is that?" "As proximity to the factories increases, the living conditions tend to deteriorate. As a scientist yourself, you don''t need me to tell you the reasons." "It is true¡­ aside from the constant noises of the coal engines, there are always heavy transportation and smoke that tend to deteriorate the state of living around industrial areas." The professor agreed. "Transportation aside, as this falls upon the cities to make better streets, how do you think about providing quick solutions for the coal and smoke problems? Unlike Professor Bellfield''s light bulb which will be sold in large quantities for little money, you can provide a service that can only be sold to factory owners with a premium price tag on top of that." The Professor paused for a while after listening to Vivian''s idea. It sounded promising but¡­ "There is no market for such services. No one is simply demanding them for others to make a supply." "Let me worry about that, Professor. Aside from this idea, I also have some ideas for spreading awareness among people against the harmful chemicals that are being used every day. If by any good chance, we can make replacements for such harmful chemicals, we can also make a lot of money." "I''ll¡­ have to think about it, Lady Vivian. If you excuse me, I''ll go join my husband." Vivian and the professor parted ways and it seemed that the latter was upset somehow. As she came for fuel, Vivian asked for unconventional things like awareness against chemicals and improving factory methods of handling fuels. Vivian wasn''t some die-hard environmentalist or a clean energy enthusiast, but someone else is, someone who may become very influential and start targeting the Moores for their nature-destroying factories. The one and only Heroine, Matilda. Since the Prince''s route was practically over, Vivian wasn''t sure how the next content would unfold. Which capture target will the air-headed Heroine go for next? At one of the routes that isn''t even related to Vivian, the Heroine will cause direct damage to the business of the Moores. As for Robert''s route, which worries Vivian the most, Count Julian will be featured as a bad guy whose greed causes a lot of tragedies when his factories start producing fumes that cause a lot of diseases in the impoverished residential districts near his factories like cancer, respiratory infections, asthma, tuberculosis, cataracts, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This will be one of the reasons Robert replaces his father as head of the house at the end of his route. Vivian aimed to challenge the narrative and stop any potential danger from causing harm to her father. If she were to introduce Kerosene on top of the existing coal energy, even though Kerosene is way cleaner, things wouldn''t go well. At least this Kerosene idea can wait after the basic precautions are put in order first. While Vivian was organizing her thoughts, she was approached at high speed by one flustered and panicking Isabella de Clare. To cause such a woman to be in that state, Vivian was in serious fear for her life. "Viv! Viv! Your father is here! What should I do? Do I look good? Oh God! I feel sweaty. Do I smell bad? Is it that obvious? Help me!" "Oh dear!" Vivian shook her head. Count Julian seemed to have entered Alba''s fashion house and Isabella was already in meltdown mode. "If the hottest girl in town is such a mess, what would the rest of us do?" "Awe, you think I''m hot?" "Don''t start." "That''s a nice way to think of your stepmother." "You know what, Bella? One day in the future when the erotic stepmom troupe gets out of hand and they try to trace it back to its source, they''re going to find you, the first of the sultry stepmoms."Stolen story; please report. "Viv, your flirting skills are ahead of their time. You keep giving me nice ideas." "Ugh!" Putting the ovulating friend aside, Vivian had to be ready for the new visitor. It had been a couple of hours since the show was over and it seemed that the Count had returned for some reason. Since that''s the case, things have to be put in order when such a VVIP joins this party. Vivian called for Professor Bellfield to be present when the Count arrived since he is the most important figure in today''s event. And so the count walked into the party with a light escort of knights. Receiving him were Vivian, Isabella, Valentine, and Professor Wilhelm Bellfield. "Vivian, this is way too official! I was simply paying a visit." Count Julian walked into the spacious room as all the attendees were standing in order. "Lord Father, there is the least we can do." Vivian replied. "Your Lordship, we are most pleased to receive you in Alba''s fashion house." Isabella immediately followed up after Vivian. "Lady Isabella, such a lovely speech you delivered today." The count smiled towards Isabella before turning to the one beside her, "Young Valentine, how is your father?" "Lord Father is in perfect health, your Lordship. This morning, he mentioned inviting you to the next hunt at the spring palace." Valentine replied. "I have just received the invitation when I got home. Deliver an informal reply to your father that I''ll be there." "Yes, your Lordship." Valentine slightly bowed. Finally, the Count faced Professor Bellfield. "I have heard a lot about you, Professor. It is an immense honor to know that you have partnered up with my daughter''s business." "The Right Honorable Count Moore, such an honor is solely mine." The Professor replied with a formal bow. "And the lights of today, let there be light. That was a genius move." The Count spoke with ecstasy. "I am afraid I can''t take any credit for that, your Lordship. Lady Vivian is a natural at picking the right phrases." The Professor replied. "I know, she has that talent." The Count turned to Vivian and smiled, "What about the Lights, why were they off when I returned?" "Our capabilities to produce enough power for such a number of lamps are rudimentary at best. We are still working on the technology to make a constant supply of electrical power and Lady Vivian had an ingenious plan for it." The Professor said. "Let''s take our seats before discussing such a plan first, that alone may take us hours." Vivian had to interrupt in order not to make sure nobody knew a bit too much about her plans. "Yes, let''s sit down first. Please, don''t stand for me, gentlemen, my ladies. I''ll just have a word with my daughter before joining." The Count spoke in a very humble tone towards the professors and the men of science. As someone who keeps an open eye for talents in every field, this place just now is like heaven to him and he displayed his excitement to converse with the best and brightest of Elgard. "Your Lordship, I shall prepare the best table for you. Do you like it by the balcony where you can smell fresh air or under the glass dome for the sight of the stars and moon?" Isabella asked the Count as the crowd started to disperse. "I''ll take whatever you pick, Lady Isabella. I was excited to meet with Mr. Sedric Lee Alba but I was told he''s out of town." "Yes. Mr. Sedric, my partner¡­ b-business partner¡­ he''s out of town. I¡­ am the only one you can talk to here¡­ about business." "All I can say to you is that I am glad you are looking after Vivian like you have always had. She couldn''t have even hoped for a better friend or sister even." The Count said, complementing Isabella''s effort. Vivian felt a little bit awkward about that sister part but seeing how Isabella was still over the moon with joy, she decided to keep her hands out of this weird situation. And now it was only Vivian and her father, Count Julian walked with Vivian alone to the side and spoke to her. "Congratulations, Vivian." "Thank you, daddy." "Heh!" The Count let out a short laugh as his eyes checked the people around, "You have made quite the gathering. If these people agree to come together, you can do a lot of good for the world." "Good, evil, the hands of man are skilled the most at weaponizing everything it gets its hands on. This group of people is one I must be careful with the most." Vivian replied. "True. But I am sure I can trust you." He said then let out a sigh before looking his daughter right in the eye, "As I went home, the sight of those light bulbs couldn''t escape my mind, I couldn''t eat or drink and found myself returning here again. To my disappointment, the old gas lamps were the ones working." "As Professor Bellfield said, we lacked the energy to continue for more than 30 minutes actually." Vivian replied. "Yes, that energy, you called it electricity. I am most curious. What are its limits?" He asked. Hearing a hint of greed in her father''s voice, the greed she wanted to avoid in order to keep him out of harm''s way, Vivian became hesitant. "My plan is to produce an alternating electric current which is a fresh idea to most of the professors here. Rather than relying on a single professor, the goal of today''s event is for specific individuals to meet and brainstorm over some fancy De Clare pastries. There is a lot of promise in researching electromagnetism which will lead to what I believe to be the first electromagnetic generator." She said. "These are big words even for me, Vivian." The Count said and narrowed his eyes, "But you still haven''t answered me, how big can you go?" "If it is a smooth sail, the only limit will be the fuel needed to fire up those machines." Vivian spoke truthfully, even while knowing that her father''s enthusiasm may get the best of him. She hated to lie to him and more importantly, she wanted to be able to leverage his opinion regarding the situation. "Coal?" He asked. His question about the type of fuel made her tight-hearted for a second before nodding. But unlike what she expected, her Father''s face didn''t light up. Rather, he didn''t seem to like what he heard. "Something wrong?" She asked. "No¡­ not at all." He replied with a smile, "If the electrical power you speak of can at least help us reduce our reliance on coal, it will be even better. I hope you succeed." Vivian couldn''t believe what was going on and held her father''s hand for him not to go. "Wait!" She said and looked at him right in the eyes, "Reliance on coal? You want me to find an alternative energy source to coal." He looked at her and then turned left and right before nodding with serious eyes. "You¡­ the King''s Councilman of Industry wants to get rid of coal. I don''t understand." To her bewilderment, Count Julian acted outside of his calm and collected nature. He grabbed her by the shoulders and suddenly took her behind a pillar before anyone could see or hear them. "Vivian, speaking those words to anyone is treason to the crown." "What?" "You must understand, Vivian. Coal is not our family''s blood, it is its curse." "How, Father?" "Who do you think supplies us with coal to make our steam engines run?" He asked her with a serious face as his violet eyes shone with dangerous light. Vivian was scared of her father''s sudden change but he was serious like nothing before. "Well¡­ we are partnered with a few companies, especially the ones in Morvish Highlands where the nearest coal mines exist¡­ and from the colonies, I think the Blackguards haul them to us from the mines managed by¡­ oh!" Vivian was hit with a realization. "The Graysons." She blurted. "The Grayson parasites, yes." Her father nodded with obvious spite in his words. House Grayson isn''t only House Moore''s rivals, they are bitter enemies with years of struggle between the two. "The Graysons provide us with coal by the order of the King." Count Julian said. "The King doesn''t set the price though. I assume the Graysons are making quite the cash selling it to us." Vivian said. "If the Graysons wanted it to be, they''d make us pay for every coal piece with its weight in gold. And by the decree of the King, we are not allowed to buy coal from anywhere else." The Count said and spoke with obvious anger, "That decree was put more than 300 years ago and it is still crippling us to this day." "But in exchange, we can monopolize the industrial sector without limitations." Vivian said. "Guess who is regretting that now." The Count asked. "His Majesty it seems." Vivian replied. "Yes. Back then, being an industry tycoon wasn''t that much but the Hawks still soared to the sky with a leash of coal binding their talons. Either the King yanks it or the leash gets broken." "But the consequences, Father, they won''t be light." Vivian warned her Father. "We can deflect anything so long the crown stays in our debt." The Count said. Seeing how determined he was, Vivian thought and thought and thought. It wasn''t a simple matter now, he wanted to deal a blow to the Graysons and the Kings by converting the energy source from coal to something else. That woman who wants to make Kerosene is still nearby but that''s not the problem here. "The energy source you want can''t be a resource harvested from a mine. While we have a monopoly over industry, the Graysons have a monopoly over coal mines and many natural resources. If we tried, for example, to harvest crude oil to make a new type of fuel, the Graysons will activate the right of monopoly and the King will take their side." "Yes, that''s practically true." "I see." Vivian seemed to have been cornered with one last choice, "If we can''t harvest, we can only take what is free. Inefficient as it may be, no one can monopolize it." The Count frowned. "So you have an alternative energy source?" He asked while holding his breath. Vivian only nodded but her face seemed not sure. "As I said, inefficient and very primitive technology but if we can develop it right, in a few years or by the next generation, it may be the thing you are looking for." "And the Moores will be free?" He asked. "The Moores will be free, the Graysons will be skint." She replied. "I believe the world you are going for is bankrupt, daughter." The Father said with a gleeful smile. "Bankrupt, skint, brassic, whatever you say, daddy." Vivian smiled back. The Villainess and her father had a very dangerous air to them as they exchanged smiles. Her villainous genetics were indeed coming from her father''s side. By the next few days, the Moore Conglomerate started to lowkey purchase all the vacant industrial plots of land that are right next to the Great Ralin River that crosses through the city of Archester as well as a few acres of land at the high meadows a few miles south of Archester per Vivian''s instructions. It was time for energy to go green. 61: Field Action ¡ª The Moore Mansion ¡ª "Voros, wait!" "Trusting humans¡­ that''s what gets me¡­ stupid Voros¡­ stupid Animal!" "Voros, I am talking to you." "Leave Animal!" "You are not an Animal!" In the eventful dramatic life of Vivian Moore and those around her, things get to be emotional way too often, this time it was Voros, whose sole reason for working for me is to find his wife whom he was separated from for fourteen long years. As a Master Metallurgist, he was a very valuable asset not just to ViTech but to the entirety of House of Moore. That''s why my father has connected Voros and me with someone from the metropolitan police headquarters of Archester. The investigator came to the Moore mansion this evening bearing sad news as it seemed that after managing to find an excuse to look through the content of the slaves'' ledger of the Blackguards, the name Anastasia surfaced and¡­ "I am sorry, Voros. It has been fourteen years, you''d never have known." "NO! YOU DREW CARDS! DRAW NOW!" Voros roared at me, his long beard shaking as his spit flew with his raging frantic actions. "Voros¡­ the cards¡­ they only show us what we want them to¡­" "Please¡­ Cards!" In the front garden leading outside the mansion, Voros looked at me with his disheveled self broken in pieces from within as the sad news of his wife''s demise filled him with nothing but a hole growing in his soul. Fourteen years it has been, she could have died, he could have died, and the cards gave him hope, hope that I regret feeding him. "I can''t do this to you." I said, knowing how poisonous hope can be. "Then¡­ do this¡­ for me." Voros said and approached me, imploring me to help him one last time, "Chief¡­ if cards say death¡­ I won''t ask¡­ I won''t go¡­" "And if the cards give you more hope?" "I have to¡­ my love¡­" "All I fear is false hope, Voros." I didn''t want to do this but the look in Voros'' eyes, a friend whom I had only known for two weeks by now, said he was ready. "¡­" "Fine." I spoke and pointed towards the garden, "Let''s sit over there." It was already evening and unlike humans, the duergar became really active at night. They see better, hide better, and fight better when it is dark. So my duergar friend and I headed through the dark garden with him on the lead and as we found a lit spot by the artificial pond, we sat around a stone table over there. "Since I don''t know Anastasia, the only reading I can do is for you, Voros. It can''t be as accurate as you may hope." "I know." "Good. Here I go bankrupt again." I looked at the SP she had and it said 4597, a sum that I was proud of saving so spending it on tarot reading was painful. After all, each tarot card costs 100 more than the one before it and I had drawn 9 cards till now. And so I drew the first card from the system shop menu. Death! Oh dear! "My friend, while it may seem that the universe is playing a cosmic joke on you, may I remind you that I am drawing a card for you, not her." I said right away but seeing Voros'' face, I couldn''t help but pity him. ? Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! ? Sir System, you are a true gentleman among all systems. And for the second card¡­ The Moon. ? -1000 SP ? ? 4497 SP ¡ú 3497 SP ? Good Lord! Seeing the SP meters roll down so fast caused me physical pain. These aren''t just SPs I bought with Magic Crystals, these are ones that I had to shed sweat and tears for doing push-ups, set-ups, blanks, and running laps. The third card was¡­ The Fool, reversed! Interesting! ? Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! ? Finally the fourth card¡­ The Hermit! ? Since you drew this card once before, only 100 SP will be deducted! ? "I must admit. Something about these cards doesn''t make sense now." I blurted out. Voros looked at me waiting for my interpretation. I knew he understood them and we came to the same conclusion but since these are my cards, I must clarify them. "Death, not the worst card despite the name. It is a force of change, the old you and the new you are different. Voros, no longer Voros the Animal, now Voros the Master Metallurgist of ViTech. You have been through change. The Moon is the card that speaks to your present, it is a card of deception, illusion, and secrets. Your search for your wife has led you to either a lie or a secret, I guess you''d want to do something about that. The Fool reversed, that''s one I didn''t want to see. Honestly, it means you are being taken advantage of, I think this card speaks to me telling me that I don''t want to let you go out of personal greed¡­ which is true, you''re a treasure, Voros.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Finally, the Hermit. That is the card that tells you what to do." I collected the cards and stored them away with Voros'' gaze still lingering on the table. "Wait for me. I won''t take long." [A/n: The Hermit is a card that urges to search for the truth and seek understanding especially when it comes last in a four-card layout.] *** Vivian retreated to her room and said goodnight to her knight and her maid. Tomorrow will be an eventful day at ViTech since she will be working on an assignment directly from her father. But Vivian didn''t go to bed. She stood in front of her bed, shedding down every piece of fabric on her, and bathed her naked body with the warmth of the nearby candles against her large mirror. She traced her fingers on her smooth skin and her curves trying to imagine something and nodded to herself. The training is going well and with her physical attributes, she is confident her body can endure what she will put it through. She couldn''t resist the urge to turn around and check her heart-shaped bottom that coordinated well with her thigh gap. "This young lady has won the genetic lottery indeed. I''ll still carve the perfect shape out of you, Vivian." She said to herself and then turned to the system shop window. Seeing the shopping cart and the cost of 1800 SP in front of her, Vivian was feeling doubtful before pressing purchase. A new outfit was added to her out list, it looked like the typical one she''d go out with but it was in all black, and on top of that, she had customized one of its pieces with enchantment. She called it "Night Stroll Outfit!" and unlike her normal outfit, it had a Reinforced Armored Vest (25% damage reduction), Anti-Cut Gloves (50% slash resistance), Light-step Boots (50% Noise Cancelation), an open knee skirt over the pants for the sake of modesty and rather than a coat, she had a shoulder mantle and a hood. That alone cost her 1200 SP. As for the remaining 600 SP, they were for this¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [ Grappling Hook ] < Common Gadget > ¡ª Part of the Thieve''s Toolkit. ¡ª Comes with a 20-meter-long rope. ¡ª Bound to User. ¡ª Cost: 200 SP ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [ Lockpick Set ] < Common Gadget > ¡ª Part of the Thieve''s Toolkit. ¡ª Comes with the Triangle, Rake, Hook, Wafer, Round, and Warded picks. ¡ª Bound to User. ¡ª Cost: 400 SP. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Worth every point!" Vivian had all that she needed for tonight''s mischief. She''s finally going to do real field work and it all begins by climbing down the window with the grappling hook. If it wasn''t for trusting Vivian, Voros would have left on his own but he decided to wait as he wasn''t really good at making plans. When Vivian emerged back from the thickets of the garden, Voros was waiting for her with a curious set of items laid on the stone table. "Where did you get those from?" She asked and looked at the many amazing blades lying about. "Metallurgy." He replied. "Wait¡­ you crafted all those while I was gone?" She asked with a seriously shocked face. Voros turned to her with a frown. "No!" He replied and then displayed a skill she saw for the first time. Each piece of weaponry he had on display was in fact some sort of mechanical wonder of its own. Each of them can be folded, realigned, and equipped back on Voros''s body serving him like armor under his jacket. [A/n: Bloodsport style.] "You promised me a sword, right? Can I switch it for something this cool?" Vivian asked while trying to hide the grappling hook she was going to show off to Voros out of pure embarrassment. "No." Voros'' reply was firm and he started walking without the intent of discussing it. And she thought she was well-equipped after spending so much SP. Still, comparing herself to Voros, a Master Metallurgist, is a bit like going too hard on herself. Back to the matter at hand, Vivian and Voros walked through the garden in the dark with little lighting as Vivian''s vision slowly adapted once they reached the edge of the outer walls. Vivian has researched this matter ever since the day she arrived in this world and aside from the secret passages that only the head of the family knows about, her best bet is to jump over the wall from certain places with a grappling hook. To Vivian''s surprise, Voros had a grappling hook of his own and it seemed rather advanced and with moving parts as well whereas hers looked like the ones used in ships. But on the plus side, her rope was longer and would later assert its dominance over Voros'' short rope. After climbing the mansion''s stone wall, the two descended quietly and moved quickly under the cover of darkness through the nearly empty streets. Voros hid his features with a hat and a scarf and even though he was short, not all humans were really that towering and a really short human or a humanling wasn''t a strange sight to see. Vivian, however, had a few extra outfits on her so she could hide, switch, and keep going. She made some extra outfits with some old clothing to blend in as a commoner or a married lady with a few variations on top. The power of the outfit slots in the hands of a woman can be overpowered when handled right. The Moore Mansion was in a high-class area to the west of Archester, it had many buildings surrounding it which were all occupied by rich people. For such a quality of residents, these large and luxurious apartment buildings were equipped with Mews, a hybrid between a stable and a parking garage for both horses and carriages, which were the leading means of transportation at this time. In the large quiet street lit by hazing gas lamps and glimmering reflections of rain, Vivian sped through the dark and found a gate leading into a tunnel under a luxurious residential building. With Voros covering her back, Vivian used the grappling hook once again and climbed the gate to access the passage beyond. She then felt the location of the lock and began using the triangle pick to feel the inside of the lock before switching to the rake pick and rapidly moving her hands until it popped. "Skillful¡­" Voros watched Vivian''s action and commented as he opened the gate and walked in, "However¡­ shaky." "Still rusty, I''m afraid." Vivian complained a bit because of her body''s lack of proper strength and control but just as she was about to turn and go in¡­ "Who''s there?!" Yet as they were moving the gate quietly, the building guard appeared from the other end of the passage, shedding light at Vivian and Voros¡­ or where they were supposed to be. The place was empty and the guard could only see the gate which he had locked just an hour ago was open. He narrowed his eyes and proceeded forward while aiming his old hooded lantern at the front and grabbing the bludgeon stick from his side. Vivian and Voros watched the man approach and the light he was shedding with his lantern drew nearer and nearer. Vivian was hiding behind the canopy of her tactical umbrella while crouching on the ground and stepping very carefully around the man who was heading toward the gate. As for Voros, his sneaking skill was a wonder. The duergar moved in the shadows like he belonged to it. He walked against the wall and as soon as Vivian lost sight of him he wasn''t there anymore. A second later, he appeared behind the guard from an angel Vivian could hardly see or understand how he got there. Voros looked in the direction where he knew Vivian was hiding and pointed at the man with a gesture on how to deal with him. Vivian, on the other hand, has already stepped past the area into the guard''s shadow and closed the canopy of her umbrella silently before sneaking up without a sound behind the guard and¡­ Thunk! With the butt of her pistol, Vivian hit the guard''s head at a very critical point causing his head to blackout in an instant. The man collapsed like a stiff log but with his dwarven swiftness, Voros immediately grabbed the man and laid him down slowly while Vivian caught the lantern and snuffed its light out. Vivian and Voros grabbed the man inside and she kept checking every corner and looking from every angle in order not to get any surprises. A place like this is bound to have a hound or two but lucky for her, it seemed not the case and the security was rather lax, this would only be the case for tonight though. After making sure it was all clear, Vivian immediately grabbed the guard''s keys and threw them to Voros who opened the mew and got in. As for her, she took the guard''s belt, tied his legs with it, took his shoelaces, and tied his wrists behind his back, then grabbed his cap, squeezed it tight, and gagged his mouth. Perfect method, perfect execution, she was proud of herself¡­ ? The Dormant Record [Thief] has reawakened. ? ? New Trait: [Novice Thief?] ? "Awe, Sir System!" Vivian was touched by how her favorite Sir System was proud of her too. Little did she know this was the first of many proud system messages she would be seeing tonight. 62: Infiltration A horse and a chariot were quickly assembled when Voros walked in the mew and came out pulling. As Vivian was done tying the man up, she looked at her vehicle and admired Voros'' style. A formidable black stallion, reminiscent of the grim reaper''s steed, stood ready. In contrast, the chariot was small and nimble, accommodating a coachman and two passengers. Voros had meticulously removed any identifying marks from the chariot. With all the preparations made, the only task left was to... "Ride in!" "Name it!" Voros and Vivian looked at each other with conflicting interests. The dynamic shadowy duo had their first conflict right after succeeding in their operation. "Hurry!" Voros said. "Wait¡­ the ViMobile¡­ No, the Hawk Mobile¡­ dammit! Very cringe!" Vivian struggled to find a good name before giving up in frustration and jumping in the passenger seat. Voros immediately drove the chariot out, opened the gate, and moved out to the street like the swift fleeting shadows. With the speed of the horse and the perfect senses of the duergar in the night, the chariot moved unhindered in the wide streets of the rich posh area of Archester. Not a few minutes passed before it was driving beside the bank of the Great Ralin river. The destination was north of town to the poor areas of the city, the place where Vivian and Voros first met, the Blackguard Slave Market, or the Black Market for short. Vivian had the route memorized as it is the route that leads to the outskirts of Archester to the industrial area where the Moore Headquarters is located. Voros followed the direction of Vivian through the alien and complex city and finally arrived at a place where the rotten air that he had been familiar with for fourteen years became familiar all over again. Fourteen years later, the dwarf looked up at the great towers of the fort-like building as he saw them from outside for the third time now. The first time was fourteen years back and the second was almost two weeks ago. "Chief." He turned to Vivian and waited for her instructions as he understood how capable she was. "The investigator said that the ledger he took a look at was inside the main office of the Blackguard''s market. This tower right there''s the largest, so it certainly is the barracks, we go in there, and we are dead meat." "Right." Voros nodded and pointed to Vivian the three towers around the building, "That''s guard tower¡­ that''s store building¡­ that''s management tower." "Good, we want to go to that management tower. It is right beside the street and there are low balconies over in this direction. We don''t know what''s inside so this will only be a reconnaissance night if the place is heavily guarded." "Right." Voros nodded. "Now, take the chariot, hide it in a back alley, and make sure the horse is tied and ready to move once we need it. Meet me here in 3 minutes." Vivian dropped off and Voros followed Vivian''s instruction. As for her, she found herself in a place near a two-story house throwing her grappling hook before starting to climb the wall carefully. As she did so, she found out that climbing became much easier compared to before when she climbed the mansion''s outer wall and the gate of the building where she stole the horse and the chariot. If she had to guess, it is the Novice Thief finally kicking in and doing the things Nadia was capable of in her life. As she arrived at the top of the roof, she climbed with her physical strength and found a place where she could balance herself. That process was repeated a few more times until she got to the roof of the building closest to the tower she wanted to infiltrate and started to calculate how to move next from her current position. By that time, Voros had arrived and started looking around for Vivian. Vivian made an unusual bird sound which caught his attention and allowed him to spot her in the darkness of the night. He used the same method she did and scaled the building from the alleys with his grappling hook as well. "Chief¡­" "The chariot secure?" "Hmm!" Voros nodded with a grunt, "Found a boy¡­ gave a coin¡­ looks after it¡­ two coins when get back." "Let''s hope a boy from Watertemple is as good as his word." Vivian said and pointed toward the balcony that was facing her, "You know the layout in there?" "Hm!" Voros made an affirming grunt then pointed from top to bottom, "Overseer office¡­ business room¡­ prison for disobedient¡­ liquor cellar." "Good. Do you sense anyone behind that balcony door?" She asked since the balcony''s doors were not open, Vivian concluded that the room behind it was probably empty but she needed Voros'' pair of eyes to scan the place for her with his superior night senses. "No¡­ staircase only." Voros said. "Perfect." The balcony wasn''t higher than the roof they were in, it was almost a foot lower in fact. Vivian had an idea how to get in there and she prepared the MVP tool for the night, the grappling hook. "I am thinking of giving it a name, you know?" Vivian said and she started flailing it. "Hagatac?" Voros suggested. "Hook¡­ tackle? No. I prefer romantic names." She said and threw the hook as far as she could but as she did so, the hook wasn''t thrown right and almost fell to the street. Vivian hurriedly touched her storage purse and stored it back before it made a ruckus. She took it out after letting out a sigh of relief and wondered how to throw it more accurately this time. "Here!" Voros said and handed Vivian something that was actually super cool. He took out a few pieces of his gear and put them together to quickly form a crossbow. "Thanks." Vivian took that crossbow, which seemed very advanced, light, and collapsible even, then loaded it with her hook and¡­ Swoosh It flew a fair distance and landed on the balcony before latching itself to something and becoming very stable. Vivian took the other end of the rope and tied it around a nearby chimney with the help of Voros before they finally had their way in. She tested the rope with her weight and found that the knot and the rope strength were satisfactory.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Alright, Voros. See you on the other side." The duergar made a firm nod as Vivian held onto the rope and pushed her body over the edge of the roof to slide with her hands. Thanks to her slash-resistant Anti-Cut Glove, the friction wasn''t a problem and soon Vivian hit the opposite wall of the administrative tower of the Blackguards. As she trained her core body well, Vivian found the support she needed to climb the balcony''s rail and slide in without much difficulty. "That¡­ was exciting." She mumbled to herself as she took her breath and then made a thumbs up to Voros. The Dwarf made a double thumbs up back and took out a piece of gear which he started shaping so that he could slide on the rope just as Vivian did. What he made looked like a wide wrist cuff and a hook going up with the hand. He then put the hook on the rope and readied himself to slide but just before he did, the rope suddenly disappeared. Voros was shocked and turned up to Vivian with an urge to shout at her but he saw her suddenly climb the stone rail on the side of the balcony and dangle herself down from it. She then turned to him and her eyes conveyed imminent danger. Voros immediately hid behind the chimney and sat still while watching Vivian who kept hanging on the rail from outside while back on the balcony, its door was opening. "And so¡­ I told him he can fuck himself. Stupid, Kobold! Even their Dragons made them slaves. Why was he so upset I threw some insults at him?" A Blackguard walked out to the balcony and rested his elbow over the front rail while looking back at another one that came after him. "You know what, Paul? I think you try too hard with those little lizards. Give them a break, man." The second Blackguard that came joined the first, "Have you heard about that last thing they captured, they call it Arjuan." "The devil thing? Come on, Steve! It looks as fine as an actual woman but I am not into those horns and tails and purple skin. Also, some nobleman wants to buy it, leave it to the nobles and their sick taste." "Ah! What I would give for a Draconian though! Kobolds look like animals but Draconains¡­" "They also look like animals." "But doesn''t the King have one of those Draconians as some sort of¡­ I don''t know, concubine, that''s the word, innit?" "Unofficial wife, as they called it in the paper. But what did I just tell you? Nobles and their sick tastes, but then you come to the King¡­ that''s a whole different league we''re talking about here. Instead of marrying a Saints-devoted Albionese lady, the King went as far as taking a beast for a wife." "Hey, that''s treason!" As the two blackguards conversed while drinking their beer, a voice came from behind the first blackguard, and just as he was about to turn, a blade went through his neck and splashed blood over the second guard who was at the start of panicking. That panic was cut short though as a Swoosh passed through the man''s neck and a crossbow bolt was sticking out of it. Vivian retracted Macbeth, the Push-Dagger, from the nape of the first blackguard and pushed him against the second for the two to collapse together. "As a good subject of the King, I can''t allow you to speak such blasphemous words about His Majesty and Lady Shu." Vivian whipped the blood off her blade and turned to Voros who had his crossbow over his shoulder. Before helping him cross over to her side, Vivian still needed to look at what was behind the door before taking her liberty to act. She wouldn''t have dared to kill the Blackguard if not for the fact that Voros gave her the okay signal to go and so as she inspected what was behind the door, she found a long stairway going up from the left and down from the right. It seemed as if the building was surrounded by a spiral staircase. Vivian returned to the balcony quickly and tried her best to toss the hook for Voros until he caught it. He then hooked it to a secure part of the roof and slid all the way to the balcony to join Vivian who had the rope secured from her side as well. While he was crossing, Vivian started taking care of the corpses. As they couldn''t be left here in the open, she started tearing their shirts and bandaging their wounds from bleeding further. She even made sure to tie those torn cloth pieces like bandages and was done with the job the moment Voros stepped onto the balcony with her. "The bodies?" Voros asked as he pointed at them. "We will start moving downstairs first. Make sure to bypass the prison area and dump the bodies in the cellar. I assume it is not heavily guarded, right?" "No." "Good. Let''s get to it." Vivian and Voros came to an agreement and headed inside. With hand signals, Vivian headed down first and inspected the situation. The so-called prison was a circular room on ground level with cages all over and a guard was stationed on the other side of the room which seemed to be the main entrance to the prison. Seeing that most prisoners in the cages were already sleeping, Vivian signaled to Voros, who was carrying the two corpses over his shoulder to quietly follow and without alerting anyone, they started heading underground for the cellar. As with all liquor cellars, that place was closed with lock and key. Vivian, who was eager to flex her lockpicking skill and Thief trait, made short work of the lock and opened the door without a squeak. "Such a well-greased door! I love well-greased doors. Makes the whole thing worth it. It is as if the owners are trying to be hospitable to thieves." She exclaimed as Voros walked in, dropped the bodies, and made another double thumbs-up which Vivian returned to him. This was starting to be his favorite move it seemed. "Let''s go up, the top floor is our aim. I''ve seen a balcony above the one we came from which means we can use it to get down." Vivian said to review things before asking, "Do you know any other way of going in or out?" "No." Voros shook his head, "Prison door, business door¡­ lead to market." "Can''t say I hate a place with little entry points. Leaves you with less than what you expected." With their initial plan set, Voros headed up first and Vivian followed him. Not long after that, they found a spacious place with a lot of offices and people''s noises. "That''s the place we came to when we freed you." Vivian recognized the interior, "We came from the other side though." "Deals rooms¡­ guards come here¡­ celebrate with girls¡­" "That''s why the place smelled, I guess." Vivian watched the hallway that led to those rooms where the guests of the Black Market were supposed to be received and thought of something but kept it to herself and turned to Voros, "Let''s go upstairs." "Hmm!" Voros agreed and the two climbed the spiral stairs again and avoided a few Blackguards taking down the stairway by finding another empty balcony to hide in. Vivian discovered that this balcony is on top of the one they came from and it can be an exit as well. With a second exit secure, she moved ahead of Voros to the top of the administrative tower. It was mostly empty save for one office that had light and voices coming from within. "Search quietly, we''re looking for a library or something that has records. If you can''t find any, we will converge at the last office." Voros and Vivian split up left and right. What she found was a kitchen, a high-class meeting room filled with all sorts of luxury furniture, a small armory with an iron door, a few empty offices of the Blackguards'' higher-ups, and finally, the last room at which they converged. Voros shook his head for Vivian indicating that he found nothing. This leaves one last room to look through and there''s someone in there but since this is the higher-ups area, they better be careful since some very strong people may be in this place. The best course of action now is to try to scope the place from outside and see if those people in there are staying or leaving. Vivian took the lead carefully and inspected the door''s keyhole as it was wide enough to let her see through. She was careful, very careful and her stealth action was amazing even to the standards of Voros, who is a duergar, but just as she was about to approach the door, Voros acted right away and grabbed Vivian by her mouth, pulling her to the side behind a small console table. By the very next instant, the door opened and someone looked outside right away. While Vivian found the man''s appearance very familiar as he looked to his left first, once he turned to the direction where the two were barely hiding, their eyes met on a single line of sight yet. Her heart almost jumped off its place but her instincts were sharp and fast. Their eyes may have met but only hers could see his, after all, she already had her tactical umbrella''s stealth canopy deployed. But now she could see his face and her being was shaken to its core. Why is he here? "Something the matter, Lord Edmond?" A voice came from inside the room. Edmond Black stood over the door as he faced Vivian''s direction in the most chilling moment she had since transmigration. He couldn''t see her but the keen eyes of the heir of House Black are not to be cheated by mere tricks. 63: More Mithril "Something the matter, Lord Edmond?" A voice came from inside the room. Edmond Black stood over the door, experiencing a tingling sensation from an unexpected soft breeze. That could have been Vivian''s umbrella when she deployed it; without it, Edmond would be meeting her eye to eye right now. He looked right and then to the left again but couldn''t detect anything out of order so he looked back inside. "What is it?" A voice asked from inside the room he was blocking its doorway. "Just felt a presence¡­ not sure." He replied and the sound of footsteps came from inside heading towards him but just at that second¡­ Squeak! Then¡­ a sound came just behind Vivian''s ears and Edmond looked towards the direction again. "It''s just a rat, Lord Edmond." A third voice then spoke. "It seems so." Edmond nodded and kept watching the place for a second before returning to the room and closing the door. Vivian had the coldest of shivers running through her bones but thanks to Voros'' clever thinking and timely squeak, he compelled Edmond to think it was a rat. Vivian and Voros quietly moved away from the door immediately and rather than escaping, Vivian stopped at the next-door room and went inside with Voros quietly. She looked inside the room, carefully picked a cup from a nearby tray, placed its base against the wall, and put her ear on it. "¡­ not quite, sadly." "Overseer, might I remind you on whose order are we operating and how much money I am stuffing your pockets with." "Young Master, this is out of my hand. I know the things you have given me are precious but they can''t be liquidated in just a day or two. Even with the slaves we have, it is hard to find one capable of doing it." "Then get more slaves until you solve it. I don''t care what you do!" "Ian, calm down." While the voices were vague, Vivian started to conclude that the three people who were speaking there were Edmond Black, the Overseer of the Black Market, and a guy named Ian who was addressed as "Young Master" by the Overseer. This narrows down the list of Ians who are associated with Edmond but Vivian wasn''t sure yet. "Overseer, the money you receive from us is for one thing and one thing only, you deploy your men in civilian uniform in the places we tell you to, do what we want you to do, and then scurry back to your little hole managing all the slaves you desire." Edmond spoke with a strong tone. "Sir, no matter how many of these shining coins you give me, the Duergars refuse to work on them, they consider them sacred and frankly it is impossible to make money out of them unless you sell them to someone." The Overseer tried to convince the two young men in front of him. "That''s impossible. Selling them is dangerous." Edmond displayed refusal. "Then you have to pay the men with something. Mercenaries don''t get paid in promises, my Lords." The Overseer seemed firm in his stance. "This is a waste of time. My father has instructed you very well to work under my command. Now you are disobeying what I say." The young master spoke. "With all due respect, young master, whenever Lord Alister gives me any task, there is always a purse of coins. I don''t pay the men, the men won''t move their arses." The Overseer replied. "Fucking mercenaries!" Lord Alister? Ian? No need for a list of Ians now, it is just who Vivian suspected him to be, Ian Grayson. "Alright, try one last time with the Duergars, get those coins smelt and we will provide you with an official serial number for them as agreed before. And from our side, we will start looking into potential buyers." Edmond said. The group of three seemed to have concluded their unpleasant conversation and the two guests walked out of the room. Vivian immediately moved toward the door and started eavesdropping. "You''ll need to sell them." Edmond spoke. "To whom? No one will sell unregistered Mithril and it will lead those people right to our financial sources if we do, if it gets exposed¡­" Ian replied with frustration. "Speak with Robert Moore, he may know something." Edmond said. "That fool?" "He knows his way around cash. Both you and him support His Highness, it is time you put your family feud aside and work together." "Hah! I''d sooner cooperate with that Morgan freak." "Ronald? He is not on our side." "He came for me for a deal the other day, you wouldn''t believe what he asked for." "I don''t want to know about that freak. If you can''t go for Robert, try Valentine out. At least he can sell that without trouble." "De Clare? I thought you hated those people." "Doesn''t mean I have to put family feuds before the interests of His Highness." The voices of the two young men faded as they descended the stairway. Vivian''s and Voros'' eyes met. This was a load of information all at once. Where to begin? First, the Prince''s faction is in cahoots with the Blackguards and uses them as thugs.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Second, Ian Grayson is operating the Blackguards by orders from his Father who isn''t supposed to be able to operate such a military organization in the first place on his own. Third, to pay the Mercenaries, the Prince''s faction seems to have amassed several shiny coins only the Duergars can work. This limits all the possibilities to one keyword: Mithril. Lastly, Robert Moore and Valentine De Clare may be aware of this situation. Vivian wasn''t sure what to do but looking at Voros, who was also thinking of what he just heard, a thought came to her mind. "Voros, look the other way." Voros frowned at what she said but he followed her orders. He felt a light rustle happen behind him as Vivian started to do something and after a few seconds, she walked near him and he turned to her. "Oh!" Even Voros was shocked when he saw what he saw¡­ and he is Voros. Vivian was no longer in her Night Stroll outfit but rather in a common-looking dress with a very disturbing sense of makeup. She seemed to have applied lipstick to her lips and used it as a blusher excessively on her cheeks, neck, and bosom. "I''ll give you an opening so use it right." She said and opened the door casually before walking confidently to the Overseer''s office without hiding her presence. Knock Knock "Come in." As the Overseer answered the door, Vivian opened it slowly and walked in with a smile. "Hello, Sir. Good evening. I''m not disturbing you or anything, am I?" Changing her voice into a thinner and hesitant tone, Vivian walked shyly to the middle-aged bald soldier who sat behind his desk. "Who the devil are you?" The Overseer asked. Vivian approached him with an awkward smile and walked behind the chairs to the side of the deck. "I¡­ You can call me, Matilda, sir. I am¡­ well, the boys downstairs made a bet with us girls on who will go up to the Overseer this night." She said and made herself look presentable. "They did that?" The Overseer frowned. "Well, Paul and Steve told me to come up and see if you¡­ needed anything." "This is neither the time nor the place. I''ll have those two¡­" The Overseer seemed to be not interested and tried to shew her out but Vivian masterfully tripped as she walked and got closer to him. "I''m sorry¡­ I¡­ I am new." She got close to him and he moved his chair a bit back for her and was about to give her a hand but the next thing he felt was something solid pressing against his crotch. "One wrong move and you may as well use a stick next time you are with your wife." Vivian had her gun aimed at the man from a critical point where he froze at the sight of it. "You¡­" "Me¡­" The man''s face was filled with shock but he didn''t risk moving a single inch, seeing the gun pointed where it was. "You know who you''re messing with, wench?" "Funny, I was just about to say the same." Click Click Without even realizing it, the man''s arms were pressed down and someone from behind him put metal binds on them that latched them to the arms of his chair. "Fuck! Who are you?" The Overseer looked at Vivian with shock and anger. "My name is Matilda, I just told you." Vivian said. "And you know who I am, bitch? I''ll squeeze that neck of yours once I break those binds and¡­" "Oh please, break them? All you Blackguards elites are Bronze rank at best. Every last one of you. Come on, try and use Aura. Even better, reinforce your balls as I shoot at them." Vivian said with obvious disdain. Seeing that he can''t bluff her, the man opened his palms displaying that he won''t do a thing with a gun aimed at his most sensitive area. "Who sent you?" He asked. "Funny you should ask. It appears that we have the same employer, you and I." Vivian said, pulling out a bluff of her own. "Yo¡­ Young Master?" "Lord Ian is angry, you see. You just embarrassed him in front of his friend Lord Edmond and consequently, in front of His Highness as well. Sorry about that." "That''s¡­ unthinkable! What does he expect of me? You can''t just simply deal with things like that." "I know, I know, he can be obnoxious sometimes. Listen, he just wants me to twist your arm a bit, remind you who''s boss, sorry about that, I''ll tell him what he wants to hear after this, we''re all professionals here." "Fuck you! Disguising like a whore and comparing yourself to me?" "Hey, hey, don''t let me actually do what he hired me for. I don''t want to embarrass a man the age of my daddy in front of his subordinates." "¡­ Tsk!" Vivian''s act seemed to have worked. Voros, who was standing behind the man all along, was most impressed by her skill for bullshit. If there was a system trait to that, Vivian is a master of bullshit. "Alright, the Boss wants the coins back, where are you keeping them?" Vivian asked. "In the safe." The Overseer waved his head towards the wall behind him where a tapestry was hung before frowning, "What does he want them for?" Vivian shrugged. She then exchanged a look with Voros who moved the tapestry and revealed the safe dug in the wall. It obviously needed a key which was more obviously on the Overseer. "Alright, sorry about the chaos." Vivian backed away with the gun still aimed at the Overseer as she circled behind his back. "Hey, release me now. There is no need for this!" The Overseer spoke with a demanding tone. "Alright alright, let me get the thing that unlocks them." Vivian spoke as she stood behind him and made some movement sounds, "Oh, by the way, the ledgers for all the slaves handled through this market for the past fourteen years, do you keep them in your office?" "What? Why are you asking?" "Nothing, the Boss just wants to check how many Dwarf craftsmen you have." "Well, he can look directly in the pen if he wishes to know." "I know, I know, silly. But I''m just following orders." "Downstairs, the Archive is at the reception hall." "What? You keep it downstairs where the guards drink and fornicate?" "It''s locked by itself, the men don''t go near it." "Oh, of course, thank goodness." "What''s taking you so long, free me n¡­" Stab "Oh¡­ you are free." Vivian had the push dagger in her and it only took her one swift stab at the Overseer''s neck and the man''s face and eyes gushed with blood as it started to flow from his mouth, and his nose, and started to revert into his air tube blocking it and suffocating him. The Overseer shook and couldn''t act or save himself before he bled out in mere seconds and died in mere seconds. Vivian searched the desk and found the keys in the drawer and handed them to Voros who opened the safe carefully with his dexterous dwarven finger and lo and behold. "Look at that!" Vivian joined Voros as the two of them looked inside the safe and it was nothing more than 3 Mithril coins each with a worth of a Million Pounds each. 3,000,000 Elgard Pounds is almost the annual budget of a county or the seasonal budget of Archester''s city. This is a serious lot of money and the question is: who does it belong to? The answer is Crown Prince Liam Harland of Elgard. Vivian picked up the three coins and looked at Voros who was awfully quiet. "What do you think?" She asked. "Don''t know¡­" He said, reluctant to share his thoughts with her. Vivian didn''t press for more answers but just as she looked at the safe once again, she found a small plate lying inside, and on top of it was a fourth Mithirl coin. It would be a cause for celebration as it is worth another million pounds but it was different, it was¡­ "Shattered!" As Vivian picked up the plate and showed it to Voros, the thoughts he kept inside started to manifest into expressions of pure anger. It was as if fumes were about to come out of him as he spoke only one word. "Vladimir!" 64: Level 1 "Wait, Voros! You can''t go after him." "I kill him!" "I know he has done a taboo but you can''t, not right now. This isn''t even supposed to be the night we take action and we already dropped three bodies." Vivian raced Voros in her dress on the stairway down. "Listen, you dolt! You want to smoke Vladimir out? Be my guest. But how will you do it? What will happen next? We came here to look for clues, to make sure that Anastasia is really alive. If you blow that chance up, you won''t get it ever again." As she finally managed to stop the anger-driven Voros, Vivian started looking down the stairway, making sure nobody was nearby. They just killed the Overseer of the Blackguard slave market as well as two guards on the way inside. Once those bodies are found, the whole place will go on lockdown for days and maybe even weeks, security won''t be as lax as tonight again. The matter that pissed Voros off was the shattered Mithril coin found in the Overseer''s safe. From earlier, Voros and Vivian learned that Edmond Black and Ian Grayson were using the Blackguards as their foot soldiers for the Prince''s agendas and they wanted to launder the Mithril coins. They wanted to use the Duergar craftsmen in order to reforge the Mithril coins and use them for funds. The only Duergar who can do that is none other than the best dwarven smith in the Black Market and it is Vladimir, the duergar who wanted to cheat Vivian when she first visited this place. He is one of the few slaves that have quite the relaxed restrictions since his value is immense and from what it seemed, he is in cahoots with the slavers against his own kind. Such treachery was not uncommon but there were lines that none of the Duergar people dared to cross and even with the threat of death, the duergar wouldn''t sing the Mithril song to a human. Hell, most of them even would rather die than forge for humans despite their cowardly and greedy nature. While Voros was uncommon among the Duergar for reasons for his madness and shenanigans, Vladimir too was uncommon for his excessive attitude as his slaver''s favorite pet. That led him to try and reforge Mithril and eventually ended up destroying a coin. While all the coin and its fragments were collected, Voros still found it unforgivable to treat Mithril like that and it was something deeply embedded in Duergar tradition. Even Vivian herself, as an outsider, couldn''t fully understand the drama regarding the subject. "Alright, I want you to focus. Right now, we are about to walk into a room full of Blackguards to swipe the Slaves'' Ledger. Can I rely on you to not be driven by emotions?" She asked. "Hm!" Voros nodded without saying much. "Do you know what needs to be done?" She asked. Voros paused for a while before letting out a long breath and gradually calming down. "Too dangerous¡­ I do it." He said. "No need. I remember the layout of the place from the last time we were there. The market''s archives should be in a closed room right in the middle of the reception hall. I am still disguised so I will walk over there and take a look around. You stay back, watch me from a distance, and keep your crossbow up." Voros seemed uncomfortable with Vivian''s plan since she is his boss and he shouldn''t risk her safety without putting himself in harm''s way first, but the plan made sense and even if he had to compare his dwarven affinity to stealth to her, she is way better than him in action. That''s why Vivian stood tall, brought some of her hair to the sides of her face, and calmly walked towards the reception hall where the blackguards were having a party. At first glance, this place was spacious, circular just like the building itself, and had six rooms in total, three on each side. From where Vivian entered, the first on her left and right were having some Blackguards and prostitutes left drinking and laughing while the second two rooms seemed to be a kitchen and the archives, as for the last two rooms, they were also guest rooms with more Blackguards and prostitutes. The problem here is that the room is circular so once Vivian steps from the back door, she will be spotted instantly by nearly everyone and so she can only rely on her disguise to pass. Thankfully, the Blackguards were too drunk to see ten feet ahead of them let alone look away from the prostitutes that were accompanying them. And so she did, confident steps, one foot in front of the other, the casual walks, calm, confident, just like she belonged here, she even smiled at one of the girls who seemed to be sitting alone in the hallway on her own and was awkward enough to smile back. The reception hall reeked with beer and bodily odors, those who wanted to take their business with the prostitutes would try to hide away behind the barrels or the furniture nearby while those who already had so much fun were passed out from the drinking. Thirteen in total, that''s how many Blackguards there are. "What a shithole this is!" From within, the old Vivian would rather kill herself rather than walk into such a place. In fact, she''d rather kill herself than go out of the house alone at night, infiltrate a restricted fortress, kill people with cold blood, and dress up like a commoner to be mistaken for a hooker. She arrived at the archives'' door and looked at the vertically-barred entrance with a hefty lock in its center. Something to behold compared to the level of security she has seen so far. And while she can pick the lock one way or another, it would waste a lot of time and she will be noticed, so what is better than having the Overseer''s keychain that she just looted?Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. But which key though? Vivian asked herself and she looked at the keyhole, which was smaller than usual, and inspected the few keys she had and was about to try some of them if not for¡­ "Hey! What are you doing there?" Right behind Vivian was the kitchen, and from it, a voice spoke to her. Rather than one of the Blackguards, it was a woman, a prostitute. Vivian slightly turned by instinct but her hair covered the side of her face she wasn''t seen clearly by the one calling her. Still, she saw the prostitute marching towards her with suspecting eyes. "You''re not one of my girls? Who are you? Did Velma put you up to this?" Vivian put away the keys and gave a signal for Voros to keep his cool as he was already tracing the prostitute with his crossbow from outside the reception hall. On the other hand, once the prostitute reached Vivian, she forcibly turned her around and held her by her left arm. "Well¡­ speak up." She shouted angrily. "I''m¡­" Vivian wanted to speak and she tried to thin her voice, look down, and act scared, "I''m¡­ Matilda¡­ I was told to come here¡­ sorry." "Matilda who? We don''t have anyone¡­" As the prostitute tightened her grip around Vivian''s forearm, someone came from the kitchen behind the prostitute while fixing his pants up. "What''s with all the fuss, Beth?" He spoke and approached the prostitute from behind. "I don''t know who brought this girl here. She''s certainly not one of ours." "What?" The man approached hastily and saw Vivian, "Whoa! We got a fresh one? Hey, I''m calling dibs." "Absolutely not, Ben! We''re the ones who got here first, this is our payday." "Shut up, you dumb whore!" The man approached and looked at Vivian while licking the lips behind his thick mustache and scruffy beard, he looked at Vivian closely, who averted her face away and wanted to hold her by the chin. "Wait¡­ that one looks too expensive for us¡­ and I swear I''ve seen your face somewhere¡­" "Good evening, Officer Benjamin." At that point, it seemed that stealth was no longer an option. The man saw Vivian and heard her voice only for his brain to pause for a second and remember who was in front of him, that pause was all that Vivian needed. The man''s eyes widened and words got stuck in his throat along with a 3-inch thin blade¡­ and it was the end for Officer Benjamin by the hands of the woman whom he guided not a fortnight ago into the Black Market. Vivian retracted her push dagger while the prostitute in front of her was just realizing what just happened but unlike poor Benjamin, she could see Vivian''s blade being retracted from the neck of the staggering Officer Benjamin and heading straight to hers. She barely raised her arm to take the hit instead of her neck and the pain caused her to cry and try to escape from Vivian but as she turned the other way, Vivian grabbed her by the hair and a blade ten times the length of the push dagger was driven into the back of her head, coming out from that mouth she was so good at using. SCREAM! ? Quest: Survive! ? And here it was, the beginning scream that announces the start of the ballet of blood followed by the symphony of the system cheering our lead dancer to rumble. But a dance wouldn''t be a dance without proper attire, Vivian called the Night Stroller outfit and to the sight of many beholders, she was donned in darkness and then cladded in black. Vivian had the tactical umbrella and its blade on the ready as she looked at the shocked and appalled faces of the twelve around her was nothing but the stage to her first step to power¡­ true power. "Catch her!" "NOW!" "Get your weapons." The Blackguards all got up at once, the drunken, the half-sober, and the naked. They all jumped on their feet and rushed, stumbled, and tripped. A bunch of drunken soldiers against the prospect of the world''s deadliest killer, the Corps de Ballet flocking towards the leading Ballerina. The first dancer would run towards the swan, raising an object that would appear to be a chair, but the graceful swan would skillfully skip his movement by a lower sidestep, leaving her blade in his way as the razor-sharp edge slices through his abdomen softly and delicately. It wasn''t blood that splattered, it was art¡­ and some guts in the midst. The second movement was for three dancers to approach in unison, trying to intimidate the swan with their sharp objects that left little for the imagination of a babbling bumbling band of baboons. Be it broken bottles, a broomstick, or most impressively, a worn kitchen cleaver. Now it was the swan''s turn as she had barely finished her first movement. From that awkward position, the answer to the three dancers was her umbrella which spread so suddenly, making the view in front of them bewilder their drunken senses as she simply disappeared from their point of view and the gust caused by the canopy alerted their senses to something unforeseeable. With her blade held in reverse in her right, she slashes diagonally down low, hitting their feet from where they can''t see, her left averts the umbrella away, and her right strikes in the opposite direction but higher than before, delivering a slash of absolute beauty across their beer bellies, and without much delay, one final blade stroke across their necks painting the swan in blood red. She stood up from the awkward position she was in the center of her six victims and raised the mask of her cowl to cover her face. So far, she wasn''t seen well and she wasn''t in the mood to kill more prostitutes so long as they behaved. Either way, five Blackguards are dead, and the majestic and graceful bloody swan. ? Conditions have been met! ? ? Slay a foe in direct melee combat! ? ? The Medjay Aura has been Awakened! ? ? Aura Level registered! ? ? You are now Level 1-star Bronze Aura (Apprentice Knight) ? ? System Upgrade Notification! ? ? Checking Conditions¡­ Level 1-star aura¡­ ? ¡ª Foes slain in direct combat¡­ ? ¡ª 15 Common-grade Magic Crystals absorbed¡­ ? ¡ª 15 Grams of Mithril¡­ ? ? ? System Upgrade Complete! ? ? Combat Mode has been added! ? ? You can now automatically view your opponents'' levels, health, condition, and fighting class. ? ? Other auxiliary non-automatic functions have been added! You can check their details in the "Combat Mode" from the Trait list. ? ? New Stats have been registered to your Profile! ? ? You can now modify your Attack, Control, Defense, Speed, and Stealth from the Profile Screen! ? ? Quest Completed: Medjay Aura Training (Novice) ? ? New Quest: Medjay Aura Training (Apprentice) ? ? 5 of 13 hostiles have been slain! ? "Minimize! Sir System! Minimize! I can''t see shit, dammit!" 65: The Bloody Swan ? Combat Mode initiated ? ? Novice Infantry - 65% HP - Intoxicated! ? ? Novice Infantry - 89% HP - Frightened! ? ? Novice Brute - 76% HP ? ? Apprentice Infantry - 92% HP - Prone! ? The Combat Mode flashed before Vivian''s eyes and showed her things one wouldn''t usually see in reality. Above each foe in her vicinity was a bar of HP, the enemy-type title, and some of them had what seemed to be status effects. ? You have 3 Character Points to spare. ? ? Choose to increase any of the following statistics: Physical Attack, Control & Accuracy, Physical Defense, Speed, Stealth! ? Vivian was on the verge of tears knowing that after all this effort of focusing on her training, she had finally attained the First Level of Aura. She is no longer an ordinary human. But in order to remain an ordinary human, she has to survive this encounter first. "Sir System, put them all into Speed!" Vivian said and was ready to unleash her full potential as a speedster. ? Request Denied! ? ? You can only add 1 point to each of the stats! ? "Shit! No min-maxing?" Vivian thought as she kept her guard up as the remaining 8 enemies were carefully trying to encircle her, "Fine, put them in speed, control, and stealth." ? Confirmed! ? ? Adjusting the Medjay Aura Manual! ? ? ATK: 1 ¡ª CTRL: 2 ¡ª DEF: 1 ¡ª SPD: 2 ¡ª STL: 2 ? A whole load of information started to flow through into Vivian''s mind in a split second. The Medjay Aura Manual, which was formed when the System combined the Moore Knights Aura Manual with the Medjay Training Regime, was now starting to open its real content for her. She started to understand things she never thought possible and it all became clear to her what an Aura is and how to apply it. Every single stat points she just distributed represents the power of a normal person. Her novice training phase was to make all her stats eligible to the value of 1, which is what an average human being should be. With the Aura training being seeded into her constitution, it gave her a powerful awakening as she now has double the speed, accuracy, and stealth capabilities of a normal human. As for the Blackguards who were trying to surround her with the improvised weapons they picked up, something started to feel different about the young woman in front of them. Not only did her clothes magically change, but she now felt twice as dangerous as before. But there were eight men and she was just one. The odds are heavily in their favor. "GET THE BITCH!" All that was needed was one of the Blackguards to agitate the others and one of the group suddenly rushed her with bloodthirst and malice. "Aura Ignite!" Vivian''s body took its proper form instantly and the footwork she learned from Logan while training on swords started to flow from her subconscious. She moved sideways to dodge the first attacker, leaned to the left, and her right leg kicked as she focused the Aura Star in her hip to empower this body part. THWACK! The kick landed on the man''s side with the power of a wagon running loose downhill. It was her first time using Aura Ignition and she didn''t hold back a single bit. The man she hit flew like a toy and hit another Blackguard, pushing the two down on the ground. "GOD!" "WHAT WAS THAT!" "That''s Aura! GET THE WEAPONS!" "RUN, STEVE!" As the Blackguards panicked, one of them ran opposite from the other towards the door. But just as he was about to raise the bar handle¡­ Swoosh! Tumbrbrbrbr! (A/n: supposedly the sound of the arrow vibrating after it was pinned on a hard target according to ChatGPT) "AAAAAH!" ¡­ an arrow came out of nowhere and pinned his hand with the door''s bar to the frame "SHIT! CAPTURE HER BEFORE WE''RE SHOT!" The remaining six came at Vivian from every corner, this time, Vivian couldn''t use the Star Ignition like before as it is a single-use thing with a cooldown even since she has only one Aura Star. Immediately Vivian dodged the group coming at her from an opening and ran into one of the open guest rooms. The prostitutes inside screamed as everyone suddenly barged in but all that Vivian was trying to do was to narrow the area they could attack her from to a door frame. The first opponent she ran into was a large-bodied brute who carried a chair as his weapon and rushed at her. Vivian immediately dragged a small table at her side by her right leg and placed it in his way before dodging as fast as she could. The brute''s charge ended with him stumbling and falling badly but before Vivian would even try and claim his life with her blade, the remaining Blackguards rushed. Vivian held a chair by her left and threw it at the first attacker, staggering him for a second or two but the remaining four still kept going. She retreated even further until her back hit a table she decided to roll back on top of the table and then behind it to the end of the room.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As her back was to a wall, Vivian jumped up and used her two legs to kick the large table as hard as she could to send it flying at the four Blackguards to stagger them all at once. In consequence, they held onto the large table and pushed it all at the same time, aiming to ram and crush Vivian with it. With her boosted agility, Vivian rolled on top of the incoming table and used the momentum to kick one of the attackers right in the face. At that time, the Brute and the other guard joined the group and Vivian picked a brass pitcher immediately before skillfully throwing it at the head of Brute and stunning him once again. "Stop that bitch from moving! Aim for her leg!" Realizing that she is more agile than them, the Blackguards who held brooms and cleavers suddenly attacked Vivian from a low angle but she was in a good position allowing her to jump from above them, performing a flip in the air and landing behind them at once as they watched in awe. Vivian used the chance to hit the large brute with her sword trying to stab his side but the man held her blade by his bare hand, risking an index finger over a busted kidney. With his other hand, he held an object from the side and tried to hit Vivian on the head with it but she let go of the sword and ran immediately outside the room. "After her!" Just as she got out, she was faced with the staggering Blackguard whom she kicked with Aura on his face. This time, she felt like her Aura Star cooldown had finally ended, and with another Aura-charged kick, she attacked the man in the face, this time with a fatal accuracy backed by the momentum of her running speed. It was safe to say that the crack that was heard from the man as his head hit the wall behind him meant his demise. The motionless Blackguard slid down on the wall to fall on his bottom leaving behind a red splash of blood from the area where his head hit the wall. With that, half of the Blackguards were down. The mob from the room before started to flow back into the reception hall once again, this time with chair legs from the broken furniture from the room they just came from. Vivian, whose weapon is now in the Brute''s hand, had to think on her feet. The six rushed her once again and like before, she flipped behind a couple of barrels and gave them a sidekick to make the mob lose its momentum and trip over them. "FIRE!" She shouted and pointed at the Brute who was marching behind the others. SWOOSH! Another crossbow bolt flew with deadly accuracy but the brute sensed it and raised his arm before the bolt hit his head. The bolt hit his arm instead and he withered from the pain he cried from the immense pain as his hand let go of Vivian''s sword. Seizing the chance, Vivian charged the group but rather than attacking, she jumped like a fish from between them and landed near her sword with a flip, she took the sword right away and with a low slash, she cut the tendons behind the brute''s knees, forcing the large man to crash down on them. Vivian wanted to deliver the final blow to the brute but she was jumped immediately by a Blackguard who threw his body at her, forcing her into an awkward position as she fell down. "DAMMIT! GET THE SHOOTER!" Two of the Blackguards heeded the Brute''s call and rushed with small tables ahead of them as shields but Voros shot one down right at his eye and then he put his crossbow and rushed against the other with two hatchets, engaging with him in melee combat. Vivian had three Blackguards now trying to rush her and she barely managed to get back on her feet before another Blackguard slashed at her with a cleaver. She barely dodged that one and used the furniture once again to counterattack before running towards a corner in the room. As the three pressed at her, she jumped against the wall on her right before bouncing herself at the other corner wall and flipping diagonally in the air, throwing her sword at the first Blackguard she could aim at. The sword was launched with finesse and accuracy and it landed right into the chest of the Blackguard as he stumbled down to the ground. Vivian landed and only two Blackguards were left, one ahead of the other. Her Aura Star became available once again to use and she reinforced her hip the same as before before delivering a straight kick to the first opponent, launching him at the one behind him for the two to fall badly on the ground. Almost everyone was now down. Voros, who was not a good melee fighter due to his small Dwarven size, barely managed to break his opponent''s leg with his hatchets and brutalized him with a series of savage chops that caused more screams to echo to rise from the prostitutes who watched the horror scene from the side. As for Vivian, she retrieved her sword from the fallen Blackguard and walked to the last two remaining Blackguards, cutting them down before they got the chance to stand. The entirety of the 13 Blackguards in this room now lay dead except for two, the Brute who was no longer able to stand and the Blackguard youngster who tried to call for weapons and reinforcements and got his hand pinned at the door with a crossbow arrow. As for the brute¡­ "You¡­ witch! You stay away!" The brute, who could no longer stand, became as timid as the rest of the prostitutes, crawling back on his bottom, and throwing things at Vivian as they got away. "We hardly know each other and you''re already calling me a witch?" "Stay the fuck back!" "Oh, you see the problem here is that where I am heading, you just keep getting in the way." Vivian said as her eyes landed on the iron door the man was holding to. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" He said as he crawled sideways, grabbed a table by its leg, and tried to throw it at her. It was a shit throw, lacking any power the man could muster in the past. As the table got to Vivian, she simply kicked it back and it flew as it hit the rest of the furniture behind him. Unbeknownst to Vivian, a keg of high-quality liquor fell from the top of the barrel behind right on top of the brute, along the way, a candelabrum was also involved in the fall, and fire caught to the wood, which caught to the leaking liquor, and right away to the brute. "No! No! NOOO! NOOO! STOP IT! SAVE ME! STOP!" And the helpless brute was caught in fire and started to roll on the ground trying to put it away. He withered and cried from the pain he so much enjoyed inflicting on others with hot iron. Vivian saw Voros standing over the burning man and looking him right in the eyes. She figured out that there was history and simply proceeded to the archives room. After a couple of tries, she got the right key from the overseer''s keychain and walked into the room. Looking left and right, there were a lot of documents, not all of them were important but currently, she had no idea which was the one from fourteen years ago and had no time to check one by one. Hastily, Vivian walked around the small room, passing her fingertips over every ledger she could see to send them into her storage purse, and started to feel its weight becoming more than usual even with the weight reduction option. With that, she retreated right away and got out to meet Voros. The Duergar seemed to have collected some of the liquor and started to splash it around the place, hoping that the fire would eat everything away once it spread from the area where the Brute was burnt. After that, he took out his knife and was about to kill the last surviving Blackguard who was pinned to the door. "That''s enough." Vivian called and approached him, "Our work here is done." "Witness!" Voros pointed at the last Blackguard. "Don''t worry, those who saw my face are already dead. This guy was busy trying not to soil his pants." Vivian said and smiled viciously behind her face cover, "Let''s go, people are already gathering outside the room." Vivian and Voros retreated from the other end of the burning reception hall and returned to the spiral stairway as they descended one story down to reach the first balcony. On their way down, they encountered the prison guard from beneath who came up to investigate the noise but Voros dispatched him with a crossbow bolt to the heart. The two took out their grappling hooks on the balcony, jumped down, and descended until they reached the street level and rushed to their chariot, escaping the area. Vivian and Voros left nothing behind other than destruction and mayhem that night as well as two names that lingered for the remaining months as some of the most wanted criminals in Archester. The image of the dancing fighter lady, drenched in the blood of her enemies, and the horned man, who spread the flames of vengeance, earned the two of them two names unique in history. "The Bloody Swan and the Devil Man" would later appear in Archester a few times, reminding the city of darkness that when there is no good left in the hearts of men, God''s vengeance will take many forms, even if it is that of the devil. ? New Trait: [Novice Swashbuckler] ? ? 945 SP have been awarded! ? 66: Oracle "We were just here!" "Yep." "Just 10 minutes ago." "Yep." "And that happened!" "Yep." "¡­ Fuck!" "Pretty much summarizes the whole scene!" "He won''t be happy." "No, he won''t." "Tell me you found something." "It''s your turf, you do the honors. I will just stand by and watch you take care of it with your¡­ capable hands." The scene at the Overseer''s office left both Ian and Edmond in wild shock. Ian more than Edmond in fact, as the latter was already helping himself to some grapes from the fruit platter. "Tsk, too warm." And he didn''t even like how it tasted. "Just help me out. I don''t know what I am looking at." Ian stated, admitting that even with his big pride on the line, he can''t come close to seeing what Edmond sees in this place. "Well, since you are putting it that way. The coins are gone¡­" "Obviously." "The Overseer is slaughtered." "Mhm." "And the whole account books were burnt to ash." Seeing how nonchalant Edmond is while pointing things out, Ian spoke with his teeth gnashing and clenching. "Please, don''t strain yourself with all that thinking. Just bask in your own brilliance and kindly let me know when you get to the part I DON''T KNOW!" Seeing Ian going nuts, Edmond stood up from the table he was leaning on and walked behind the corpse of the Overseer whose head was dangling forward and blood was dripping from the behind of his neck where he was stabbed. "No signs of struggle anywhere in the room or on the body except for two red markings around the wrist, he was cuffed. Whoever did this either managed to sneak through the door right in front of the Overseer or walked in and he didn''t have his guard up, he either knew them or didn''t recognize them as a threat. The keys were taken from the Overseer, you know he''d die before letting those keys get taken knowing how much he was keeping in the safe and the consequences of losing it¡­ you''re still sending people to get rid of his family, right?" Seeing how smug Edmond was acting, Ian rolled his eyes and didn''t reply. "They must have got to him psychologically. Magic doesn''t seem to be the case since the forks aren''t ringing. Someone quick and smart, that''s all it took to crack your Overseer. Then¡­ there is this stab wound." Edmond lowered his posture and couldn''t help but wonder, "The weapon is most likely the same one that murdered the Son of Baron Hewes." "So the Moores are after this?" Ian Grayson immediately stepped up. "Moores? Doubt it at this point. During the past month, we put eyes everywhere in their mansion, in their businesses, and between their Knights even. Not a single clue." "You said it yourself, that killer can walk through walls." "Well, whoever he is, the most likely relationship he had with the Moores is that he was hired by them. Count Moore is one of the most transparent people in the Kingdom, he is not good at hiding such secrets from us. Plus, we know his biggest secret already, why do you think he can''t act wild, and why did his eldest son banish himself?" "Focus on the killer." "The killer came after the Mithril coins, if we relate the Mithril to the Moores, it is most likely someone from the Insurgents is looking out for Vivian Moore. I believe the Count has realized that by now." "The eldest son?" "No. He''s confirmed to be at Avalon. We assume that he is an active insurgent but no evidence so far." "It keeps returning to the damn Moores every damn time." Ian was upset his business was disturbed by either the Moores or the Insurgents this time around. It is painful how their enemy counter-attacked when their guard was at its lowest. "What doesn''t make sense is why they destroyed the records. Also, there was no prior incident before for the insurgents to attack for the sake of retrieving the Mithril tokens. They abandon them once they are taken since they hold no value anymore." Edmond looked at the situation and sighed but his sigh turned into a yawn as he stretched his limbs and back. At that moment, a Blackguard officer walked into the room bowing to the two noblemen. "Sirs, we have interrogated the survivors. One man and seven women." He said. "Anyone can recognize the killers?" Ian asked. "No, sadly. The man they spared seemed to have been left out of mercy since he couldn''t see the face of the one that killed his unit but the prostitutes left us with some¡­ odd description." "Go on!" Edmond''s eyes got peeled in an instant and as he stared intensively at the officer. "Yes, Sir. We have confirmed that one of the attackers was a woman who can¡­ I''m not sure how to make it sound possible¡­ but she transformed." Edmond and Ian frowned. "A woman?" "Transforms?" "Yes, sirs. It is¡­ the strangest story I have heard. The woman entered the reception hall looking like the hookers and one of the women didn''t recognize her so she asked who she was. Once cornered, that¡­ witch woman suddenly killed the hooker and a guard near her before transforming into black and taking out a magic sword that cut those who attacked her and washed herself with their blood.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The men tried to stop her but after the fight broke out, she cut them down. After that, a de¡­ a devil man showed up shooting arrows and attacking the men, then he made one man catch on fire with his magic and the two escaped." The Officer retold the story he heard while being unsure if it was wise or unwise to tell such nonsense to the noblemen. "A woman transforming into black? A magic sword? Washed in blood? And a devil man?" Edmond asked, on the verge of laughter. "I know it sounds absurd but that''s what I could gather from the women." The officer said. "That''s like the Bloody Swan tale, right?" Ian frowned. "It''s a classic Bloody Swan?" Edmond said and shook his head wryly, "Some of those hookers have a sense for theatrics. Can''t say I hate it." Even though he was amused, he couldn''t help but not take this information seriously. He stretched his body and decided to walk away from this waste of time. "I don''t think His Highness will let me rest for a couple of days while I investigate this. I''ll take a nap on our way back so don''t wake me until he tells you to." Ian wanted to follow Edmond but he halted and turned to the Officer. "Listen, I want the security doubled from now on, not just here, but in all the secret warehouses and the stashes. If anyone dares to be drunk while on duty, flay them. I''ll put you temporarily in charge so you answer to me." Ian instructed the officer. "Yes, sir!" "Lastly, the shipments coming from the Dockyard tonight are crucial. Some of our slaves will arrive here but the important thing is the new weapons from Vigonza. Distribute half of them to the men and send the other half to our associates in the streets." "As you command, sir. I''ll oversee these shipments myself." "Lastly, there is a secret tunnel from the cellar underneath this tower. The third largest barrel has a doorway behind it and it leads to a new enterprise the Overseer and I were working on. If the world itself goes to hell, this place stays secure." "Understood." Ian Grayson displayed his authority to the new acting overseer of the Blackguard''s market, stepping in as the acting leader of the shadiest operation happening in Archester. *** In a tranquil village by a picturesque lake lived a gaggle of majestic white swans. Among them was a lone black swan, who envied the beauty of her companions'' white feathers. Seeking a way to outshine them, she struck a deal with the Devil Man who offered her a path to silver feathers. However, the cunning Black Swan tricked the Devil Man into getting the feathers for free, leaving him smitten with love for her cunning and making her transform into a Devil Woman as long as she is touched by the light of the moon. Accepting his offer and embracing each other in their twisted love, the Swan became the Devil Woman by night but as the next day arrived, she remained so even under the light of the sun, as the light of the moon is the light of the sun too. Consumed by rage, she unleashed her power as the Devil Woman, destroying her family and bathing in their blood to block out the light of the sun and moon. Cursed by the remaining swans, she became the Bloody Swan, bound to the lake by her bloody bath. Such as the folk tale of the Bloody Swan and the Devil Man, famously told by Saint Amadeus the Bard. The full version of it (A/n: available on my Patreon for FREE) is a story of many emotions and symbols and it is one of the most popular tales in this world for its clear warnings against negative human traits like envy, hate, vanity, and anger. But just like that, something popped up in my Profile Screen that I couldn''t explain. Alright, let''s do this one last time. My name is Vivian Moore, I took my own life at the end of my destruction route and a Medjay called Nadia transmigrated into my body and merged with me, mind and soul. Together, we became the one and only Vivian Moore, and I guess you know the rest: Professional Villainess, Count''s daughter, ViTech Director, and now¡­ The Bloody Swan! Neat, right? Well, I was feeling conflicted and I had no idea what was going on. My social status tells me that this is my criminal title. Funny how things turned out, huh? NIIIIIGH CLIP CLOP CLIP CLOP RUMBLLLLLLLE "Voros, slow down. You''ll get us killed, dammit!" "Right¡­ slower¡­ slower!" As my support for the night, Voros has done a splendid job as both a getaway driver and in cover fire. Only the two of us managed to take down 13 guards in combat. In truth, I was a bit tired and bruised but I was uninjured. As for Voros, he suffered some superficial wounds when he was charged by two Blackguards yet he was okay. "Nice work with the crossbow, Voros. Can I have something like it for single-hand use?" "Simple." "Thanks in advance, cheers!" "The ledgers?" "I''d love to tell you that I can look through them right away but we won''t know anything until we spend some hours reviewing them. I have the right ledger from fourteen years ago though. We''ll find something, don''t you be worried." "Thank you¡­ Chief." "You''re always welcome, Voros." There was a lot to unpack from today''s action. Starting with the situation with Ian Grayson being the de facto leader of the Blackguards in Archester, the involvement of the other capture targets with this shady bit of business, the system update, the Aura level I just gained, and the new functions and abilities I can have now. I had no time to think about all that, though. I wanted to find clues on Voros'' wife first and as Voros dropped me near the mansion, I showed him something on the ledger. "Look here. This ledger has names, dates, places of origin, original supplier, the value, and the skills of each slave." I said as I showed him the ledger, "Any of those details can help me narrow down the search?" I said as I showed him how the ledger has so many pages with so many names. "Anastasia Oldstone¡­" Voros said. "That''s the name. I know that she is blind and has some skills with tarot, right?" I asked, trying to get more information. "Mhm!" Voros nodded but then said, "She hides skill like Voros." "Understandable." I knew this would be the case since Voros'' pride made him hide his skill and not speak to anyone for fourteen years straight. If that''s the husband, how about the wife then? "Oracle!" But just at that time, Voros uttered a word that made my head blank out for a second. "Come again?" I asked as the word I heard may have been misheard due to the chariot''s noises. "Anastasia¡­ Oracle." "So¡­ the husband is a Master Metallurgist and the wife is an Oracle?" "More or less." "More or less? You''re telling me now?" Shake my head, I couldn''t help but. So what''s an Oracle, one may ask. The answer to that can''t be simple but it is said that only one among ten thousand is born to be a Metallurgist, one among a hundred thousand is born to be a Runesmith, and one in a million is born to be an Oracle. Oracles are also known as Prophets if they were recognized by the Temple of Saints and if they were not, they would be executed by the Inquisition of Saint Heimdall, no questions asked. They are the backbone of the Temple and in this day and age, they are in contact with the Saints through visions and calls. A few famous figures are the Grand Hierophant and the Pythia of Scyla who are said to be able to turn the tides of war by the visions and guidance they receive from the Saints. They are also one of the major reasons Albion has conquered the remaining continents in the span of a few short decades. So if an Oracle that is not a human shows up, that would be the most troubling news for everyone involved. The Temple of the Saints wouldn''t sit still before purging any rogue Oracles to centralize the power in their hands and prevent others from beating them to the knowledge of the future. The way I see it is that it is another war of information. One thing to note is that there is a difference between an actual Oracle and someone who can do simple augury with tarot, dice, or whatever. In my case, my tarot skills may be a bit overpowered because of the System but an actual tarot reader won''t be much. There are also some magic spells with the same effect but their range and accuracy are very limited compared to an Oracle. The question is, if I find Voros'' wife, can I keep them together without some headache situations popping up? ? New Quest: Find the Oracle! ? I had to jinx it, hadn''t I? 67: Cracks and Scratches At the outskirts of the Moore mansion, the chariot stopped and Vivian jumped off. She turned to Voros, who followed her patiently with his eyes, and the two seemed to understand what would happen. "I''ll pull an all-nighter looking through the documents that we got. For now, you head to the headquarters immediately and hide the horse and chariot behind the building." "Mhm." Voros nodded before patting the chariot, "Work on?" "Do as you wish." Vivian turned away while giving Voros the green light to do whatever he wanted with the chariot, "Just don''t make it look outlandish." "Right!" Voros nodded and had a wide grin before urging the horse to move. As for Vivian, she was right outside the wall of the Moore mansion near one of those blind security spots she had designated. All she needed was to throw her grappling hook over the wall and climb over but as she did so, her eyes spotted what goes on inside the mansion grounds. "Uh-oh!" The mansion''s garden was almost dotted with lights. Servants, footmen, guards, and even maids were running all over the garden. "Lady Vivian!" "Young Lady!" "Miss, where are you?" Vivian lowered her head behind the wall and took out her watch to see that she had been gone for almost two hours now and it was right at midnight. Things will get troublesome if she gets caught outside the mansion. She had to find a way to get herself out of trouble. That way will involve a great deal of sneaking into the house of the richest man of the Empire with state-of-the-art security measures and details. So¡­ "Just another Thursday night it seems." Without wasting time, Vivian dropped into the garden and lowered her posture behind the hedges before starting to make a headcount of the servants. "Hmmm¡­ they are sweeping the area in pairs. They split up sometimes but converge again. I need a distraction." The garden of the Moore mansion was large but not too large to the point where the staff would spread thin. So, Vivian kept crouching and running into the hidden hedges as she was still dressed in her Night Stroll outfit that was fashioned for stealth. Still, the situation seemed tricky and if some of the elite guards like Roy and Rusty showed up, Vivian wouldn''t be able to escape their superior senses as Aura users¡­ speaking of which¡­ "Sir System, show me the new aura stuff." ? Opening Profile! ? Seeing the usual profile screen, Vivian found that the most important latest entries are the "Level" and that trait called "Combat Mode". The latter was the thing that gave her information about the enemies during combat but the system said it can do much more. Since Vivian wanted to avoid combat, she ignored it for now and tapped on the value of the Level, the "1-star Bronze ?Aura". At that moment, a large screen was displayed. "Now would you look at that!" There were a lot of details in just one screen and Vivian was thoroughly impressed by it. She had some understanding of what goes on with the Aura system but this screen set some new information for her. As is the case with all system screens, whatever she taps on displays more information and she has to understand what is going on here before attempting to use any of these options. First off, there was the Grade (Rarity) of each Aura Manual that had something to do with how many levels its users could rise to. For example, a common grade aura manual can only train Bronze level fighters while an uncommon grade can train up to the Silver rank. Vivian''s Medjay Aura Manual is a rare manual that can train up to the Gold rank. The next thing to take note of is the Mastery Points, which is something embedded more into the practitioner and as Vivian experienced, these are the points she allocated into her stats when she got to the first level of the Bronze rank. The stats are Attack, Control, Defense, Speed, and Stealth. While they are an unusual combination, they don''t include other critical factors like the Stamina and the Perception. From what it seemed, the Stamina depends on the individual ability of the user since it has its own foundational training and methodology. As for Perception, it is actually embedded in each of the five states of the manual; for example, the more one grows their Stealth ability, the more one becomes able to perceive Stealth, the same goes for Speed as once one''s speed grows, the perception of speed becomes way quicker as if one can see others go slower and react to things with incredible timing. The other thing about Mastery points is what these numbers meant. As Vivian inspected, 1 means the realm of average humans while 2 is twice as good, and 3 is thrice, so on and so forth. For example, if one''s speed state is 2, one can run with the speed of two adults and if one''s attack is 3, it means one can attack with the power of three adults. All of that is possible while not igniting the Aura. Of course, other factors were at play such as weight class, gender limitations, and some biological and physical limitations of the human body but as far as the Aura manual is concerned, it can give its practitioners more power, speed, and control over their bodies. Vivian closed the screen for now as there was nothing useful to make her pass without a trace and decided to make good use of her Speed and Stealth to travel through the garden undetected. Nineteen years'' worth of memories in this house helped Vivian to be the most agile fish in the bond. She walked in the cover of hedges, disappeared above certain trees, and found herself near the mansion from the southwest in no time. Still, a problem arose. The closer she got to the mansion, the tighter the security got and the more servants and knights started to show up. This will put her in trouble not only if she gets caught, but also if she succeeds at sneaking into the mansion and trying to explain to her father where she was and what she was doing.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Vivian''s thoughts accelerated and amidst the chaos of her mind, she spotted a certain servant not too far from her position. He was someone she was familiar with and found him a bit more isolated than the others as was searching near the flower beds nearby. Vivian snuck through the garden and crawled until she was on the other side of the high stone flower bed which was large enough to hide her as she sat down. Vivian looked at the young man, who was undoubtedly Oliver West, her errand boy, and then threw something in the opposite direction for him to notice. Raising his lantern to illuminate the source of the noise, Oliver cautiously proceeded forward. Lost in concentration, he inadvertently passed by Vivian without noticing her. Vivian silently followed Oliver, copying his every move, until he discovered the coat dress she had discarded moments before. Oliver saw the dress and realized it was one of Vivian''s unique dresses, he walked a step closer and got on one knee to inspect it but suddenly¡­ "UMMF! UMM! UFF!" ¡­ a pair of hands held him from the back and muffled his mouth. As he tried to struggle free, he was taken down on the ground with his attacker on top of him and saw a blade emerge in front of his eyes. "Shush! Not a single whisper." A feminine voice spoke to him. It was then that he realized that there was a female right behind, sticking her body right on his back. He could feel¡­ quite a lot actually. His heart froze for a few different and conflicted reasons but then, he saw a familiar face on the reflection of the well-polished blade. "What''s up, Ollie?" That was undoubtedly Vivian''s voice whispering to him. "Ma¡­ my lady?" Oliver replied quietly. "Yes, yes. Get up, keep your head low." Vivian dragged Oliver up from his clothes and walked him behind some of the hedges as she sat him down and sat in front of him. "My lady! Things are crazy! Where have you been?" He asked. "Shush! None of your business. Right now, I need to get inside and act as if nothing happened." She said. "Ho¡­ How? I think they searched every part of the mansion." "That''s none of your business. Tell me, has anyone been into that large room, the one with really tall windows? Have you seen any lights there?" She asked him. "I''m¡­ I''m not sure. Maybe they looked through it while I wasn''t there." "Hmmm¡­ that will be quite the gamble. Father locks it at night so I don''t think anyone has been there." Vivian thought a bit out loud and then turned to Oliver, "Hey, I want you to do something for me." "What? Please, my Lady. Just let me take you home." Oliver tried to find a leeway out of whatever trouble Vivian was brewing. "You''ll do something for me. I wasn''t asking, honey." Vivian said as she patted Oliver''s face and inspected his height, "You''re the same height as me. How old are you?" "18." "A year younger, huh? Not relevant anyway." Vivian said and took the dress she had just thrown to distract him, "Wear that!" Oliver looked at the dress, looked at Vivian, and looked at the dress again. "No, thank you." Oliver refused right away. Vivian didn''t reply and stared at him without any reaction. The look in her eyes conveyed not a single emotion and just kept staring at Oliver. A second passed, another, a third¡­ With each second, Oliver experienced just how unnerving the stare of the violet-eyed villainess can be. A few moments later¡­ "Over there! It looks like the young lady!" A footman shouted as he spotted a figure dressed in a colorful dress and had long fluttering black hair running into the garden. "Lady Vivian! Wait!" "Over there! Hurry!" Vivian saw the group of people near the mansion all move in unison chasing after who they thought to be her. This left one side of the mansion completely unguarded for a brief short period. Vivian rushed towards the mansion and had her grappling hook ready. She tossed it toward the balcony and on the first floor and started climbing like mad until she slid in. Right away, she approached the door of the balcony, picked the lock, and walked inside to the place she was aiming for. The Study room. Immediately, Vivian changed her outfit using the System options and got into her home outfit. At that time, the System notified her that the dress and the black scarf she lent to Oliver had been returned to her Storage Purse since they were bound to her. Oliver must have kept running until he reached the farthest distance possible for the items left on him to disappear on their own. As it would be difficult to catch him in the dark, he would be alright since he could just pretend he was searching in that area and saw no one running through. As Count Julian is a collector of things, his study was a place where many artifacts were lying around in displays. Like any Elgardishman of the time, he practiced the fine art of preserving artifacts from other cultures that came into contact with the Empire''s vast armies east and west. Some Avalai war masks, southern stone tablets, Adnani tufang firearms, and draconian black jade blades. Vivian can''t say she''s exactly proud of her father''s practices but these were minor artifacts that he mostly acquired through purchase as the Moores weren''t exactly keen on sending their troops to fight or loot. Vivian wasn''t planning to look around or anything but as she was about to descend from the first story of the study, she noticed something out of order. A circular window with a frame with its glass cracked and all lying in a far corner of the study. Usually, such a thing wouldn''t pique her interest especially as she started to head down to the ground level but then something about those cracks looked familiar. Vivian turned around and headed up immediately before going to that cracked circular window and examining it. Since the light of the moon was illuminating the study well, Vivian couldn''t help but see those cracks glimmer but on a closer look, the familiarity hit right away and she took out the Mithril coin that was passed to her by her brother James. "Son of a¡­" The cracks on the circular, the scratches on the mithril coin¡­ almost perfect match. Vivian picked up the window from its heavy metal frame and tried to inspect where it would come from. Certainly not from any nearby frame she could remember but the style of the metal itself looked like most of the window frames that can be found around the house. So, what is it? What does it do? What does any of this mithril have to do with House Moore? On top of it, Agatha Moore told Vivian that the coin could grant her one wish if she found its source. Now that Vivian has four coins and one shattered coin, what can these coins do in a set? Vivian retrieved the other coins she took from the overseer''s safe and examined them under the moonlight. They shimmered quite splendidly as the light of the moon hit them and started to display some sort of an aura. It was a known characteristic of Mithirl how it reacts to certain lighting conditions but as Vivian checked, she found that the other coins were also scratched the same way as the one she had first. The scratches were similar yet had minor differences from one another. It means that whatever purpose they serve, they can''t be used as funds unless they were to get smelted as Ian was trying to get the Duergar to do it. However, the acquisition and trade of Mithril are illegal without proper procedures according to the Mithril Act signed by the League of Nations. If someone was found with these unregistered Mithril coins, even if it is Prince Liam, the consequences would be severe. But in regards to Vivian, she had little interest in these laws. Currently, there is a mystery that she tried to avoid at first since her father and brother seemed to be against her involvement but when she looks deeper, she finds it vital to understand whoever is behind this if she wants to find out about Voros and potentially block the Prince''s funds of Mithril coins. As she was currently in the study, she descended from the first story and walked to the door of the study, ensuring that it was locked. She swiftly picked the lock again and rather than going back to her room, she returned inside the study, picked an interesting book, sat at a reading corner on a comfy armchair, made sure the candelabra beside her was lit, and laid her head back to doze off to sleep. An hour later, she was found by a servant, and the whole situation wrapped up as someone must have forgotten to lock the door to the study and Vivian slept from exhaustion while reading. 68: Secret Society "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats around the table." In a room barely lit with anything other than a few flying orbs of magic, a feminine voice spoke from upstairs addressing a group of men and women standing in the great hall of a grand mansion. While it was still day outside as the light came in from the far-off gate, shedding its luminance along the old dusty carpet that still retained some of its ancient crimson colors, the feeling inside the mansion was dark, humid, and ancient as if it was a closed tomb that remained that way for many long years. That, however, was in line with what most of the people gathered here would remember as no matter how many times they gather in this place, it is always this dark and humid. Still, this peculiar group of individuals were all dressed in exquisite attire, giving off a hint of their class and nobility. They were both men and women, they varied across all ages as some seemed old and hunched while others were young and lean, some carried weapons and others wore magic rings. So if there is anything these people have in common, it is status and power. Two things that shouldn''t be confused with each other in this sort of atmosphere. Each of these individuals was unique not just in their characteristics but also in their choice of masks. Some would speculate that a group of people in cahoots with each other in such a dark and secret place would at least maintain some level of anonymity by maintaining some dress code or keeping their masks unique in order to keep their identities secret even within their ranks. Still, it seemed like something they cared less for and preferred to focus on uniqueness instead. After reaching a certain rank, this peculiar group of people would actually drop all the secretiveness and anonymity that is common among the lower ranks of the order, and focus on managing their underlings who are the main foundation of the order''s operation. For that, this group gathers in the place now and then to discuss the latest happenings in the world and how to benefit their organization from them. And so as the group stood around the table which had 13 seats, the man who stood next to the largest chair spoke first. "Thank you all for coming, please take your seats." Each seat had its own symbol and from there, each of the masked individuals took to their seats and waited for the man who addressed them to do so as well. However, rather than sitting in the large seat himself, he sat on the one on its right. He was a man dressed in a long brown coat and had a tricorne and a wooden mask that was carved beautifully under the right eye. His eye color was easily seen despite the faint light in this dim place but everyone could easily tell he was one of the most important people here. "As Vice Master of the Rite of Elgard, I welcome you all to this month''s meeting. We all have met before except for our newest member who sits where Stargazer used to sit once. Please, welcome Mr. Magic Star as a new Rite Sage in our midst." The man said. "Thank you, Mr. Woodman, for your introduction." Against him, a man replied. He was wearing a blue gilded mask with an extravagant style displaying many celestial bodies such as stars and moons. "The first item of discussion this month will be the funding situation again, I''m afraid. Thanks to the generous donations of Lady Ravenheart, we have been funding a few operations and managed to acquire a large-scale ship under a shell company managed by one of our members. It would take us a few years to find another opportunity in order to add one more vessel to the fleet. For that, we need to set out the first destination in order to maximize our profit from the coming business venture." "If you excuse me, Mr. Woodman." "Mr. Magic Star?" Seeing how Magic Star was interrupting the main topic of discussion. All the Sages turned to him with their chilling gazes and scary masks. "I see that the topic of funding is becoming a major issue even in the Council of Sages. I must admit that I find this most confusing, how can an organization with our scale face such setbacks by a rowdy bunch of fledglings?" Magic Star asked. "I am sure you are aware of the situation more than anyone else, Mr. Magic Star. After all, you provided the intel we are operating on right now." Woodman replied. "Yes, but that''s not my point. What I am saying is that we are being too careful. We had a shot in the Spring Festival to get rid of all those damn kids. Now, Elgard has had the most promising generation of graduates since the last century. We could have nipped them all in the bud." "These are some violent words, Mr. Magic Star. Are you sure you stand by them?" At that moment, replied an elderly woman who wore a black feathery mask with a large bird peek. "Lady Ravenheart, with all due respect, our organization has been operating for long years with no apparent success. Our enemy is the strongest empire on earth and we were reduced to a group of conspirators throughout the years. Now, Mr. Woodman is the one managing the Court of Sages instead of our Rite Master, who has been absent for way too long. He didn''t even come out to meet the newest member of the Court." "Is that what this is about, Magic Star? Your pride is hurt since the Rite Master isn''t coming to greet you personally?" Another woman spoke this time, she was wearing a beautiful feathered hat and a crimson mask with many golden roses inscribed on it. "Mistress Blade, I thought we agreed earlier that this is a matter that needs attending. The order has been stagnant for too long." Magic Star said. "Yes, and I agree with you. This year''s students should have been culled. It is too dangerous to give Elgard such an advantage at this point. We should learn from what happened to our brothers and sisters in the Adnani Sultanate. Sultan Bayazid has gained too much power too quickly and even uprooted our branches over there. Even the Master of the Adnani Rite has fled to Elgard under our protection." Mistress Blade spoke and made a stand of her own before turning to Magic Star, "What I don''t agree on is you attempting to take over the court aggressively. Calling the order stagnant, while it is your first time in this court, is a daring choice of words for someone as young as you are." "Indeed I am young, but I still have the fire you people lost." Magic Star replied. "You have the fire alright, Magic Star, as well as the naivety, I''m afraid." Lady Ravenheart spoke and a hint of sarcasm appeared in her voice.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Are you insulting me, my Lady?" Magic Star stood up, trying to act imposing. "Oh, shut up, you fool. Each of us has tried to take over that Court of Sages once. Some more than others before the Rite Master had to step in and plant the fear of God into our souls." Lady Ravenheart said and her eyes turned to Woodman who seemed to have been reminded of unpleasant things then she turned to Magic Star once again, "As for you, you don''t even realize how full of yourself you are. I mean a name like Magic Star is¡­ how do I say it? Stupidly obvious. You are Samuel Gane, the youngest court sorcerer and its rising star as you are called." "What¡­ I¡­" "Look at yourself! Not even a child would expose themselves like that. Take Mistress Blade for example, she sounds like someone who knows swords, she even carries one on her hip but she isn''t related to swords whatsoever. Mr. Woodman is just a man with a wooden mask and that''s it. Mr. Ghost Face wears a skull mask and never speaks. The rest of the Sages are all the same, that''s the level of dedication these people have." Lady Ravenheart''s lines of criticism made Magic Star, or rather Sir Samuel Gane, sit back in his seat and remove his mask. At that time, Mistress Blade took the initiative to fix what Samuel Gane almost ruined. "A few good points were still raised though, the Master''s lack of interest, the fact that none of us are making real progress and all we do is push some business agendas here and there. I mean some of us already have fleets of ships under our family names and here we are celebrating the fact that we got a single ship to operate for us. This is a disgrace to the old days of Al-Kabal." To Mistress Blade''s words, many voices of agreement started to be heard. Only Woodman, Ravenheart, and Ghost Face remained silent while eyeing one another. "So what do you suggest?" After a while, Mr. Woodman asked. "I know what to do." Samuel Gane spoke and had a confident smile on his face, "We recruit House Moore to our cause." "¡­" "¡­" "¡­" "¡­" The room became silent all of a sudden and all the sages were looking at Samuel Gane who mistook their silence for him, giving him the stage to speak. "House Moore is the richest house in all of Albion. With their funds, our goals will be even before Lady Ravenheart''s time is over. We will grow stronger, we will achieve the dream we inherited. Elgard will be eaten away with the rest of Albion and we will build a new empire from the ashes of the old world. If we have House Moore, the support we can get will be¡­" Many of the sages were already looking away. Even Mistress Blade, who supported Samuel Gane so far, shook her head and seemed to sigh. Samuel Gane paused and looked at them in disapproval as if his accusation of them growing stagnant was right all along. "Just because I am the youngest ever to be a Sage, doesn''t mean that you can¡­" He wanted to voice his disapproval but he was interrupted. "House Moore, you say?" A voice echoed across the old dark mansion and Samuel Gane suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned back quickly but the presence suddenly disappeared as if it moved at a frightening speed. "House Moore will be a valuable asset indeed¡­ if not for the fact that this generation''s head of House Moore is the King''s Confident. King August acknowledges and protects Count Moore despite the royal family''s wariness of the Moores in general and I heard that there were some late happenings among the new generation. Change is upon us as it seems!" The voice kept coming from everywhere. As Samuel Gane kept looking, the origin of the voice kept shifting places. Samuel Gane put two fingers on the side of his head and cast a cantrip that made his eyes glow with magic. But he still couldn''t see anything through the weave of Aether. But then the voice came from his right side without echoing or escaping this time. "We tried to recruit many members of House Moore but it is always difficult to convince one of the Great Houses to completely give up on the Empire, don''t you think?" Samuel Gane turned to his right and what he saw bewildered him. He remained standing, silent and speechless, as the person he saw behind him kept gazing back at him. Red eyes, that was the first striking physical feature that person had. Those red piercing eyes made Samuel''s heart freeze from a strange sensation of terror that suddenly invaded his heart. As for the rest of the sages, Woodman was the first to stand. "All rise for the venerable Kabal Master of the Rite of Elgard, his excellency, the Blood Keeper." Woodman spoke and everyone else stood in unison. This Rite Master was called the Blood Keeper and unlike any of the sages, he was maskless. His striking appearance, which bewildered Samuel Gane, wasn''t short on elegance or anything in the matter. Rather, there was a very refined sense to this person that defied sense and reason. But on top of all that¡­ "And I thought I was the youngest member in the Court of Sages." Samuel Gane spoke while looking at the young man who took the largest seat at this round table. "Impressed?" Asked the Blood Keeper, master of the rite. "You look like you''re barely 17." Samuel Gane said. "I am not. I was 17 once though, not anymore." The Blood Keeper said and then scanned through the other sages with his eyes, "Where is Black Dahlia?" He asked for a specific member of the Sages but the majority of the sages, who recognized the name, looked at each other and then back to him with questioning faces. Mr. Woodman approached the Blood Keeper from the side and whispered something to him as the Rite Master''s face remained solemn and emotionless. "I have heard what was said about stagnation and I am inclined towards agreeing. Our lack of funds is only a temporary problem anyway, what is the situation with the Tokens?" The Rite Master asked. "Some of the Tokens were confiscated by the Black Family Inquisitors while others were confiscated by a faction led by the Crown Prince." Mr. Woodman replied. "Liberating the Tokens from the Black Family Inquisitors will be a waste of time and effort. They are already in the coffers of the royal family. As for the ones confiscated by the Crown Prince, do we know why he confiscated them?" The Rite Master asked. "According to the intel gathered by Ghost Face''s people, the Prince has his faction that operates on its own. They were tasked with chasing us but my circle has always been one step ahead of them at all times." Mr. Woodman spoke. "My Circle also encountered them, those little freaks." Samuel Gane spoke, "We lost a few members in our attempt to escape." "I permit you to recruit more combatants and casters, Magic Star. Make sure you have the fighting force necessary. I am thinking of making a move soon." The Rite Master said. Samuel Gane seemed hesitant but he stood up and bowed his head. "Ghost Face, I want you to retrieve the tokens stolen by those young ones." The Rite Master turned to the man to his left. "¡­" "Ghost Face reported that the tokens were stolen last night on a raid at the Blackguards Market. Rumor has it that a certain Bloody Swan descended on the place, killed many guards as well as the overseer, before escaping with her Devil Man." Mr. Woodman said what Ghost Face reported to him. "I see, they will show up sooner or later. Ensure the Blackguards'' influence is decreased. Starve them out if possible." The Rite Master said before turning to the old lady opposite him, "Lady Ravenheart, I am afraid we will require more funds from you. This time, we need a lot of medical supplies." "Not weapons, Master?" Lady Ravenheart asked. "No, not weapons. Monopolize as many medical supplies as you can. Once needed, we will milk the whole empire for them." "May I ask for the reason, Master?" Lady Ravenheart asked with a shaken voice. "Nothing much, old friend. Just a dark cloud of impending doom raining death over Archester." The conspirators and their schemes were twisting many knots around the necks of the people of Archester, waiting for a time to strike the true heart of the Empire to cripple it and bring forth its demise. As those people conspired, Vivian Moore woke up from her bed the next morning, unaware that her fate was twisting with the long strings of the secret society known as Al-Kabal. 69: The Hit List (1) With dark rings around her eyes from the insufficient amount of sleep she had to endure, Vivian was confronted by her father who scolded her for not telling anyone about her midnight reading. She could only justify herself by saying that she was saddened about the news of Voros'' wife and couldn''t sleep so she found herself in the study to distract herself. While having breakfast, the news about the attack on the Blackguards Market seemed to have reached the gazette. It was announced that the attackers were two assassins, a female human and a Duergar who wreaked havoc and performed an evil blood ritual according to surviving witnesses. Of course, the title was "The Blood Swan Killer On The Loose!" and it was more of a drama written from the imagination of the writer mixed with the uneducated opinions of the drunken eyewitnesses and uncultured harlots. Such a juicy story is exactly what the press needs but saying it is an evil ritual and all that was just pure comedy to Vivian, who kept sneaking peeks at the back of the newspaper in her father''s hands. But the important matter was the situation regarding Voros'' wife, Anastasia. Vivian scoured the ledgers she stole last night almost till 4 AM and barely found Voros'' name, who seemed to have long been forgotten by the slavers who started to call him the Animal. He was flagged as a Craftsman but from what he told her, he barely worked on anything and only helped in the smelter to get by during his 14 years of slavery. Vivian looked for the name Anastasia in the records before and after but aside from a few crossed unreadable names, Vivian had to guess that Anastasia''s name was most likely deleted from the records. Now there were methods to restore such crossed lines but Vivian wasn''t an expert and most likely no one still is. However, what Vivian remembers about this restorative process from Nadia''s memories is that if the ink used for writing and the ink used for crossing were different, the two types would be analyzed in a lab. Then a compound would be synthesized to make some effect such as dissolving the ink used to cross the entry or making some ingredients of the entry ink glow. Whatever it is, Vivian needed an alchemist and the best place to look is in her company. Once she got to her company, the place was so busy that it was impossible to breathe properly outside her office. Right now, the Moore Conglomerate has tasked ViTech to take a step towards producing a direct and constant electrical current, which led to bringing many scientists together in order to figure out how. With Vivian guiding the project with her futuristic hints, the scientists were on the verge of discovering the electrochemical cell, a device capable of either generating electrical energy from chemical reactions or facilitating chemical reactions through the introduction of electrical energy. And while the electrochemical cell was a good idea, Vivian was driving the scientists towards electromagnetic induction but even her knowledge was lacking in this field. All she could contribute was what she could remember from Faraday''s Law and Maxwell''s Equations to inspire the scientists she was working with in regard to producing electromotive force. Having this project as the main focus of the associated scientists was only the first step towards fulfilling what the Count requested of his daughter to achieve. It would take a long time and effort to achieve independence by creating a free and clean energy source from wind and water currents which are still a thing of science-fiction in this world. The other important thing Vivian was working on was what she called Project Melody and she even prioritized it to the point where she started pushing for more resources to be diverted from developing the electrical current into that project. Finally, she met with the chemists and technicians that were in the team of Professor Aensly Graham and discussed the creation of large-scale smoke filters for the smokestacks of the Moore factories. Many great ideas were presented and Vivian managed to handshake on the matter with Professor Aensly before the latter retreated into her lab and started to work on things. So far, it has been going well. Vivian even managed to contact a chemist who worked with Professor Aensly and made a small side project to analyze and isolate certain types of inks from each other as Vivian showed him a piece of paper she tore from the ledger. She provided the chemist with a place to work inside her headquarters. Later that day, Vivian joined Voros and Jane in the basement for more gun discussions to improve on the current designs and think of new ones. Vivian and Voros later had some time to discuss the slave ledger and she told him what she was doing with the ink, and he only said that he trusts her to do what is necessary. By the next day, Voros had a surprise of his own to Vivian. "Voros digs burrows! Very exciting! Haha!" He said with excitement as he was covered in dirt all over. "Oh, please! Don''t tell me you made more tunnels!" Vivian immediately freaked out as she approached Voros'' burrow, "This may be bad for the integrity of the building." "Bad? Impossible!" Voros didn''t like Vivian''s faithlessness in his handiwork. "Really? You dig under my building and expect the foundations to be intact?" "Yes¡­ Duergar burrows¡­ number one¡­ steady tunnel¡­ never collapse¡­ world best!" Voros spoke with great pride and gave Vivian a double thumbs-up. "Fine! Show me how far you dug." "Here! Here!" Voros went to the wall where he had his burrow dug in the earth and then¡­ Click SCRAAAP The last time Voros opened his burrow to Vivian, he had to remove the bricks one by one in order to let her in. This time, however, he just pushed a certain brick inside and the wall opened up like a door while making some horrible noise. "Sorry¡­ no grease!" Vivian watched as the wall under her building opened up as if it was all fixed on a hinge like normal doors and she saw that the inside living space of Voros had been expanded magnificently. She entered what seemed to be a living room and had two rooms on the side before opening up to a large unlit corridor. Voros picked up a lantern for Vivian and handed it to her then urged her to follow inside the tunnel he dug. "You don''t get claustrophobia living down here?" "What''s that?" "Fear of small places." "Small places good. Duergar safe in small places." "I see." The tunnel kept going and going until Voros stopped at a brick wall. The temperature started to rise in the middle of the tunnel but as it got close to the wall, more moisture was felt in the air. Voros carefully removed one brick from the wall and told Vivian to come closer and see the other side. "Yikes! The smell! You managed to find a sewer tunnel." "Shit river! HAHAHA! Very funny!" Voros started removing a few more bricks and Vivian aimed the lantern to find that there was indeed a large tunnel right where Voros'' tunnel ended. Having access to such a thing can be advantageous but Vivian wasn''t keen on moving through the sewers. "Listen, I''ll secure us a map for the sewer system to see if it can be of use later but I want you to seal it for now. Maybe make another door like the one you made but I don''t want it to be discovered from the other side no matter what. "Understood, chief!" Voros nodded with a double thumbs-up again. "By the way, you haven''t told me how you get rid of the debris and dirt you dig up." Vivian said with a frown. In her mind, she was ready for one more of Voros'' shenanigans but she couldn''t have predicted what the Duergar had in store for her.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Debris?" He asked with his head tilting to the side. "Yes¡­ the excess of earth and stone that you dig up." Vivian explained. "Hmmm¡­ no such thing." Voros said and walked back into his tunnel. "Wait, what?" Vivian couldn''t understand what was going on and followed him right away, "What do you mean there is no such a thing? The way I see it, you should have at least moved ten tons of earth to the surface in order to dig all that." "No, no need!" Dismissively, Voros shook his head and stood against the wall of his tunnel before placing his hand over it. "What are you doing?" Vivian asked. "Watch." After he replied, Voros closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, let it out, then cleared his voice and started humming. The hums grew louder with every second and Voros started to alternate between throat humming and whispers before digging his sharp fingernails into the earth and digging through it. The earth Voros was digging wasn''t falling to the ground or creating excess as it should have. Instead, it moved with his hand and compressed to the sides. "Wow! How are you doing that?" Voros effortlessly accomplished the impossible, leaving Vivian in disbelief. She knew that even with her own hands, she could only dig a few handfuls of ordinary dirt. However, the walls of the tunnels Voros was creating were incredibly thick and dense, suggesting that the material was far from normal dirt. It resembled the hardest compressed earth imaginable. Vivian was amazed by the technique''s cleanliness and accuracy. The ability to create tunnels in such a way, leaving no debris, excess, or trace, was so incredible that it seemed almost like cheating. "What technique is this?" Vivian asked. Voros, who had already dug a few feet in the side tunnel in a matter of a few seconds, turned to Vivian and replied. "Earth Singing." He said. "Like¡­ Magic?" She asked. "No! Earth Singing! Not magic." "It looks like magic to me." "NO." "Fine! Whatever you say." Vivian shrugged and looked around the tunnel, "If the walls of the tunnels didn''t lose any of the previous mass it had before burrowing, I guess the building above won''t be affected." "Told you." Voros said. Voros dug a long distance into the new tunnel, shaping it into a small chamber. Vivian observed in disbelief as he effortlessly molded and compressed the dirt into walls and pillars without removing any excess digging. This inexplicable ability to manipulate the earth defied logic and seemed nothing short of magical. "That''s a nice space." Vivian said as she walked inside the room, "The ventilation is bad but we can work it out if we know what is above us." "Ventilation problem, yes." Voros nodded, acknowledging the shortcoming of burrowing this far without properly managing the air supply. "Well, for now, let''s make use of this place." Vivian said as she started taking out some items from her storage purse. It was no more than the blackboard she once used at the conglomerate meeting, a few maps and charts, as well as a strongbox storing the Mithril coins she looted the other day. "From now on, this will be the hideout of the Bloody Swan and the Devil Man." Vivian said proudly. "Who and who?" Voros didn''t seem to recognize the famous human folktale. "It is what the people call us now. You and me, the two attackers who killed the Blackguard Overseer and around 15 Blackguards." "Devil Man me?" Voros asked. "Yes. And I am the Bloody Swan." Vivian nodded. "Nice! Like name! No more Voros Animal, only Voros Devil Man." Voros was excited hearing the new nickname. "We can''t go out to tell people we are the Bloody Swan and the Devil Man, it will be our secret identities." "Secret?" "Yes." "I like secrets. Makes people shocked when they know." "Oh, man! No one must know." "No one?" "Not a soul." Voros seemed conflicted as he seemed like the type that likes to gossip despite his 14-year-long vow of silence. "Alright, since you are my partner in crime, let''s review our operation together, shall we? Our opponents are Prince Liam, Edmond Black, Valentine De Clare, Richard Marshall, Robert Moore, Ian Grayson, and Ronald Morgan, as well as Matilda Ambrose and an eighth person I am not aware of yet." "Hm? Eighth?" "Well, a ninth but I don''t count Matilda as¡­ Well, you get my meaning. She''s just annoying." Vivian wrote the names of these people around the board in various places and made a quick drawing for each and every one of them. Even though it was a piece of chalk on a blackboard, Vivian''s drawing seems to be improving by leaps and bounds and¡­ ? New Trait: [Novice Illustrator] ? "Sweet!" Vivian was pleased to get a trait she never had before but that wasn''t the time to focus on it. She was busy making her investigation board. "So, Prince Liam is the head of his own royal faction which aims to make him king and succeed to the throne against a few political opponents like his youngest brother and his uncle. He is the Duke of Gleamshire, which is a title given to the heir apparent but history isn''t mostly on the side of every heir apparent, they must gather a lot of political and financial power and perform great feats or else they will be controlled as puppets or replaced by more powerful candidates. The Prince has the biggest ego you can imagine, making him the biggest narcissist out there. Everyone else on this board is one of the Prince''s cronies who will help him be king one day." "Big ego¡­ usually small penis!" "Ugh! The second is Edmond Black, currently he acts as the Prince''s aide but that role usually should go to either Ian Grayson or Robert Moore, my brother. Edmond Black has this sort of reputation for being very hardworking as he is always doing errands for the Prince but the way I see it, Edmond has more reach and does things on a deeper scale than what seems on the surface. During a murder accident that happened in the academy, I am sure that Edmond was covering for Richard Marshall for murdering senior Reginald. If my hunch is correct, this sleepy Edmond acts as the Prince''s Fixer." "Hardworking but sleepy? Smells fishy!" "Ian Grayson isn''t the heir of his house but it seems that he is taking over due to his brother''s being infirm. Ian is a bastard just like the rest of the Graysons. They have been enemies with the Moores for a few hundred years now. His father is the King''s Chancellor, making him heir to a very powerful diplomatic position. Ian''s reputation is being charitable but I guess there is something ugly underlying his unusual ability to get money. As for his role in the Prince''s faction, it seems that he comes after Edmond and works to secure funds for the Prince, he also operates as leader of the Blackguards which gives him both the ability to trade in slaves and manufacture weapons judging by the number of Dwarves they have in their craftsmen tent we''ve been through. In a sick twisted way, he funds the Prince''s endeavors with the Blackguards'' criminal activities and seems to be trying to smelt Mithril, which is a major offense on its own, this makes him the Prince''s Mafia Boss." "Dirty little slaver boy! CRUSH HIS HEAD!" "Richard Marshall. If there is someone I want to crush his head as well, it is that bastard. He is a sociopath who killed his own best friend just because he had a disagreement with him¡­ probably about me. Richard''s father is the Commander of the Military and Leader of the Knights with Richard as the most powerful heir candidate to House Marshall. He''s a fool with a short fuse despite all his calm and cool act. Unlike the others, Richard can mobilize a small group of elite knights without anyone raising any questions; he can say he''s hanging out with some friends or doing training somewhere, all in all, nobody would dare question the son of a Master Knight. If I put a role for him in the Prince''s faction, he is the Prince''s Houndmaster." "Friend killer! Worst of all!" "My little half-baby-brother Robert isn''t fully trusted by the Prince yet but Robert is showing undying loyalty to him in order to gain back support and push away elder brother James from the seat of heir to our house. Of course, the Prince has no other option than Robert if he wants to secure the financial support of House Moore since I am no longer his fianc¨¦e. While Ian Greyson is the Prince''s financier for now, Robert was breastfed in financial science so I must admit he is skilled like the rest of the family members in this regard. And if he starts to act freely in the world of business, he will amass a large fortune really quickly. However, he always acts with kindness and shows charity, but if you ask me, he is rotten green from the inside and he can''t stomach being belittled or anyone being better than him. But in the grand scheme of things, Robert is meant to be the Prince''s Piggy Bank." "Disloyal brother! Shame!" "Valentine is the heir to House De Clare but unlike the large financial power House Moore can throw around, House De Clare''s mission is to circulate money so while they are rich, they can''t waste money outside their system of commerce. However, they can change the face of currency if they want to, House De Clare is mighty powerful when it comes to the big market. Valentine himself is a gentle soul albeit being a little bit of a glutton. He is a frenemy in most cases but I can''t imagine life without him for some dumb reason. Still, his biggest shortcoming in my opinion is his desperate need to be loved by everyone and how he is trying to appeal to the Prince. What we heard from the Overseer''s office the other day is that Edmond and Ian wanted Valentine to liquidate the Mithril coins they have. This makes Valentine the Prince''s Money Launderer." "Lost soul! Will lead himself to trouble!" "Last but not least, Ronald Morgan, who I don''t know where to fit. He isn''t popular with Prince Liam''s faction since he keeps to himself but he is a Sorcerer and a powerful one at that. He may seem shy but he is a disgusting whoremonger¡­ don''t ask me how I know that, he''s just a disgusting leecher. While I can''t specify his role, I think he is the one who tampered with my exams in the finals and made me go through a ton of subjects. For now, I can''t pinpoint any role for Ronald in the Prince''s faction but he''s one crazy bastard." "Whoremongers! Duergar cut peni¡­" "ALRIGHT! That concludes the whole lot of them." Vivian finished sorting off the most important points under each portrait she drew with the chalk. She then turned to Voros to conclude her briefing. "Somewhere in the middle of all this fits a commoner girl who has them all around her finger, the Mithril coins with their unusual origin, the enslaved Duergar craftsmen and your missing wife, and a whole lot of darkness in between." Vivian said and turned to Voros, "We need information. Since you and I aren''t good at gathering Intel, we need someone who can fill this darkness with more links and lines." "Who?" "Cheer up, buddy. You will get to shock someone with those secrets you want to spill after all." Vivian said and made a sly smile, "Care to dig one more tunnel across the street?" 70: The Hit List (2) "So you''re saying you can dig up a tunnel from your building to mine¡­ under the street." "Not just any tunnel¡­ a secret tunnel." "From your basement to mine." "With secret doors." "Secret tunnel, secret doors?" "Yes, secretly secret.* "Only you and I?" "I and you only." "Can I have my secret door through a closet? I always wanted to have a secret door through a closet." "Get a closet down there and we will make it your secret doorway." "Secret doorway in a closet!" "You want something even better? A secret operation room between our buildings under the street." "How secret?" "Very secret." "Vivian, you are the best stepdaughter a stepmother could ask for." "Just¡­ get your closet or whatever down there. A Duergar friend of mine is digging up the tunnel now." A secret tunnel between Vivian''s and Isabella''s buildings. To Isabella, this was a dream come true since the days of her childhood. A few hours later, she had the best-secured closet money she could buy fixed in her building''s basement and bolted tightly against a wall. Vivian ensured the closet''s back was removed and waited for Voros to dig his way to the wall she kept hitting with a hammer. Half an hour later, Voros started removing bricks from the wall before getting out and dusting himself off. "Voros, this is Lady Isabella De Clare, my elder sister." (Vivian) "Stepmother." (Isabella) "Bella, this is Mr. Voros Goldheart, ViTech''s Head Artisan." (Vivian) "Charmed!" Isabella greeted Voros whose appearance was a bit hard for her to process. "Chief''s sister¡­ respect!" Voros greeted Isabella in his usual way. "Alright, Voros. Open a way enough for us to pass and make sure the end of this tunnel is secured." "Mhm." Voros nodded and started breaking more bricks. "Well, the only purpose for the basement here is to store things so don''t worry about anyone discovering the tunnel from my end." Isabella said. "We''ll have more secret doors and Voros will expand the network later. For now, follow me inside." Isabella followed Vivian inside the tunnel which proved to be bothersome since Isabella was taller than an average girl and had to keep her head low to pass through the dwarf-sized tunnels. Still¡­ "Viv, you''re spoiling me!" "I still can''t figure out what''s that love you have towards anything with the word secret in it." "Are you kidding me? Secrets are what I live for." Vivian gave Isabella a mysterious stare and then aimed the lantern ahead. "How about I show you some of my secrets?" "Well well well, as long as they are juicy and dramatic, you shall have my utmost attention." "Juicy and dramatic? I think you are setting the bar too low." Vivian led Isabella into the secret hideout room underground and aimed the lantern at the investigation board. It was a first for Isabella to see such a well-planned board and she slowly saw what Vivian was investigating. "The Prince''s faction?" Isabella turned to Vivian as if she was afraid Vivian would head down that path eventually. Vivian kept quiet and waited for Isabella to read the details she added recently. "Richard Marshall: killed Reginald Ashcroft and probably assaulted Isadora Wellesley. Edmond Black: covered the murder of Reginald Ashcroft by pinning Isadora''s Assault on him and getting Isadora''s boyfriend to confess to murder. Ian Grayson: de facto leader of the Blackguards, deals in unlicensed Mithril. Valentine De Clare¡­" Isabella read what was on Vivian''s board but as soon as she reached her brother''s article, she averted her eyes away for a few seconds before looking back again. "¡­ mentioned that he can launder the unlicenced Mithril by Ian Grayson." Seeing Isabella making such a grim face, Vivian kept standing silently beside her until she got her thoughts in order. "How do you know all that?" "I''ve been doing some homework." "And what do you want to do with all that?" "A lot." Vivian replied and let out a long sigh before continuing, "I am sure you know what happened during my final exams. Those people tried to sabotage me more than once and even though they have pulled back, it is only temporary. I understood the Prince''s motive for destroying me." "And what is it?" Isabella asked. "He wants to take my father down by taking me down. If that was to happen, Robert could be the new head of House Moore and would dedicate every resource in our family to the Prince''s cause." Vivian replied. "That idiot Prince had you as his fiancee. Why do all that?" "Apparently, the Commoner Girl he took as his lover has something I don''t have."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Nonsense." "I''ve been wracking my brain over that matter nonstop, Bella. That''s the only possible explanation for why someone like Prince Liam did what he did." "Even if it is true, why risk what is in hand for something risky? On top of that, even if she had more value than you, which is simply impossible, he is a prince and he can take a second wife, excuse me for saying." "It''s a dying tradition." "Well, I am not minding it, so it is not dying anytime soon." Isabella said and then looked at the board then thought really hard before asking, "Do you want to take revenge?" "Justice, actually." Vivian corrected Isabella, "Revenge makes one irrational. Justice is the right way to do it." "I was going to say some wise words about not seeking revenge but you beat me up to it." Isabella said with a tired smile. "Don''t worry about me. I have some tricks up my sleeve." Vivian assured Isabella. "In that case, allow me to fill in some gaps in your board." Isabella said as she picked the chalk from the board and started adding more points. "Edmond Black is the heir to House Black which has a great deal of animosity towards my house. I dare say the fact that the De Clares can travel anywhere in the world and the Blacks being confined to the lands of Elgard has always vexed them." Isabella said. "The Empire has everyone under its thumb one way or the other especially when it comes to its most loyal subjects. My house can''t hire Mages or own resource deposits, your house can hire barely a handful of Knights and Mages and all your operations must be related to trade." Vivian added. "That''s how the world works." Isabella nodded and continued, "Back to the subject at hand, the first flaw in your map is that you consider the six to be subordinates to the Prince along with their houses. While that may be true in the case of Edmond Black, Ian Grayson, and Richard Marshall, only your brother Robert who is a die-hard supporter of the Prince against the interests of his own house." "There is one in every family. Mine has two actually." "Valentine isn''t a supporter of Prince Liam as far as I am aware as he stands to gain nothing from the Prince, still, he shows that he is on the side of the Prince so that he doesn''t make enemies with the most likely future king." "I wouldn''t blame him for it." "I would. Still, being in cahoots with that dirty lot is something I am not comfortable with as his sister. They want him to launder money for them, which is something Father will flay him for if it happens, especially if it is related to Mithril. On the other hand, Valentine has been up to something lately even though he is not showing much progress at making some business for himself." "If you want me to dig a little bit around him, I can do it. He was asking for my help during the Light Bulb announcement day and I told him I''ll look into whatever he needs help with." "Good. I want to know what he''s up to as well." Isabella said and drew a few question marks around Valentine''s name on the board before looking at the last target, "Finally, Ronald Morgan." "I have little on him." Vivian said. "I have a few things on him." Isabella smiled. "So¡­" "He is not a subordinate of the Prince, the two just have a symbiotic relationship." "The Morgans are powerful indeed." "Not only are they more ancient than any family in Elgard, they are relatives to the previous royal dynasty. It is said that the founder of their House, Morgan the Witch, was the sister of Saint Arthur." "I''ve heard of that. It is just propaganda though." "That can be the case until you realize that Morgan the Witch wasn''t friendly to Saint Arthur to begin with. Something about the sister of the Saint being an enemy of his." "You do realize that''s blasphemy, right?" "Hey, it''s only between you and me." "Isabella De Clare, the girl who has dirt on everyone including the Saints." "Not quite actually, you know Mama Claudia is a historian." "If the source is Mama Claudia, I''m afraid that won''t be enough." "Unfortunately. She loves to make fanfictions out of historical events." Isabella shook her head, "However, I found some of her old scrabbles and to me, it didn''t seem like she was writing one of her romantic fictions." "Well, let''s keep facts from fiction while we''re here. Ronald Morgan, what do you have on him?" "First, he is the Heir to House Morgan despite having a lot of older siblings. It is said that the Magic Ring he inherited is one that belonged to a powerful family ancestor." "Aha! That''s why the little runt was chosen over his older brothers." Vivian said and then frowned about something, "But I thought that magic rings were personal for each Sorcerer and can''t be inherited." "You Moores and your ignorance about Magic!" Isabella shook her head wryly, "In rare cases, some rings can be inherited as long as the original owner and the inheritor are of the same lineage. Still, a lot of other conditions need to be fulfilled for the stars to align. Also, inheriting a magic ring doesn''t mean you can inherit its power." "Alright, so what''s the big deal?" "The big deal is that each Magic Ring has its unique spells whose user develops over time via the process of Spellcraft. If your ring is recently made, you will spend a great deal of time trying to figure out and unlock its potential but if it was inherited¡­" "I assume I don''t need to figure out a thing and just review the notes of the previous owners." "Pingo. Furthermore, you can keep developing the ring spells from where they left off." "I see now. So that''s what Ronald Morgan''s magic is like?" "Yes. As for his personality, he is a sort of a mystery but as I said, he has a symbiotic relationship with the Prince and his faction. With you shedding light on Ian Grayson''s slave operation, I now can see it more clearly." "What is it?" "Guess who is the biggest client of the Blackguards'' slave market." "The Morgans?" "Ronald Morgan himself." "How did you get such information?" "I hear the birds chirp every morning, my dear. Wherever my birds travel to, they always bring me news." Isabella laughed and dodged Vivien''s question. "Fine, won''t ask." Vivian didn''t press for answers either then asked, "Is that all you have?" "Hardly." Isabella shook her head and returned to the blackboard, "Have you heard of something called Bliss?" "Bliss? I''m afraid not." "Well, it is all the craze among some of my friends lately, especially those who work in the delicate forms of art." "A drug, you mean?" "Not just a drug, honey. I have seen some people use it and I must admit, it was enticing at some point." "Uh-oh! Why were you enticed?" "Not anymore believe me." Isabella raised her hand in defense, "I just saw the people who inhale it simply bringing their creativity to the peak. It gives them this ability to be so very focused to the point where they can just do magic." "But?" "Well, after a few days of constant intake¡­ I have no words to describe it actually. Have you seen how flowers wilt before they die?" "Mhm." Vivian nodded. "Almost like that. No one has died yet but it is only a matter of time. But that didn''t look like life either, believe me." Isabella said with a complicated face. Seeing the cheerful Isabella making such grim expressions, Vivian realized that this was a fatal situation for Isabella. "Alright." Vivian said but then turned to the board, "Where does this Bliss situation fit on here?" "Here!" Isabella advanced to the board and added the sentence "Bliss Supply" under "The Blackguards'' Market" in the section of Ian Grayson. "Fuck!" Vivian swore without care and advanced to the board, "Ian Grayson; weapons, narcotics, and slaves. How the hell did a 17-year-old achieve all that?" "Human greed can do much worse. We all know that, don''t we? Also, it is a thing the Graysons have been working on before he shows up. The little bastard only took it to the next level." Vivian only nodded but deep within, she was still in shock. Arms, drugs, and human trafficking, that is called the unholy trinity of crime. If Prince Liam''s whole campaign is being funded by such dirty money, then this Empire is going to be ruined. The best course of action is to abandon ship while there is still time. "This information is all I can provide for now. I have some other intel but I don''t think I can share it before crossing the references you had on the board with the other uncertain rumors I can gather. For now, let''s keep our heads low and try not to get ourselves in trouble." Isabella said. "I am inclined to disagree, sister." Vivian said and turned to her, "I want you to provide me with fresh intel on their ongoing operations most of all." "Why? What will you do?" Isabella asked. "Oh, I will just tip some Bloody Swan I happen to know." 71: Combat Mode "Buy today''s latest gazette! Today''s latest gazette! The Bloody Swan strikes again! Reports of the Bloody Swan attacking a patrol of guards at Roseville and Monroe! Read it in today''s gazette!" It has been three days since Isabella joined the Bloody Swan hideout as an information gatherer and analyst. Vivian carefully revealed to her that she was the Bloody Swan, which royally freaked Isabella out as she demanded Vivian halt these reckless activities at once. However, the fact that Vivian was already a 1-star Bronze Knight changed things and Isabella wasn''t sure what to do with all that information she was gathering. It seemed like a good idea to cause some accidents but it goes without saying that Isabella was worried sick about Vivian''s actions. As for this morning''s news, Isabella sat on the balcony as her servant brought her the gazette and she read it over a cup of tea. "¡­ the rapid sound of gunfire echoed through the conjunction of Roseville and Monroe late at night as five members of the Blackguards were shot on the spot and fire was set to the wagon they were driving. Witnesses claim that a strong scent could be smelled with the smoke as it indicated that the wagon was transporting some sort of herb, which begs the question, why are the Blackguards interfering with the herb trade?" Putting down the newspaper, Isabella realized that Vivian had just killed 5 individuals and burnt a wagon to the ground. This was one of the recent intel Isabella has provided to Vivian about the Blackguards transporting ingredients for their drug production. What Vivian did last night was an attempt to beat around the bush of the Blackguards'' operations and see whatever jumps out. Isabella couldn''t help but feel like she was dazed with worry and decided to head to see Vivian immediately. Knowing her nowadays activities, she''s probably down in the hideout. As Isabella descended from her end of the tunnel down into the secret hideout, she discovered that the place was expanded and now she could walk straight into the tunnel without lowering her head. On top of that, it seemed that Voros had fixed some torches and lanterns for illumination after managing to make some ventilation holes through secret chimneys. As she entered the hideout, Isabella found that Vivian was organizing the place from inside and had added some personal touches to it. A few old seats, a table, some barrels and blanks, a few old rugs, and a cupboard filled with all sorts of clutter. "Feels homey, eh?" In the middle of all that, Vivian greeted Isabella who just walked in. "The news is all over." Isabella said as she put the newspaper on the makeshift table for Vivian to see. "Well, isn''t that what this is all about? Smoke makes the rats come running from their hidey-hole." Vivian replied as she kept playing with some of her tools. "I understand what you are doing but please, don''t make me regret it if something bad happens to you." "That''s why I need to be ready. Good equipment, good information, and a whole lotta bullets." "The gazette says it was a gunfight. You were shot at, right?" "Shot at? More like I''ve been shooting them without resistance." "And you¡­ killed them?" "If you''re worried, I have killed before." "I know, you''re the Bloody Swan for crying out loud. I meant that you made sure that nobody lived and saw you." "A cowl on my face, a gun in my hand. Surviving me would be surviving a storm holding to a straw." "Well, at least your night raid was a success. The gazette keeps calling it a shipment of medicinal herbs, though." "Opium is medicinal, can''t say they lied." "But you and I know there is more to it, right?" "Indeed. Opium is one of nature''s most powerful sedatives. If the Blackguards are moving it, it is most likely related to that drug you call Bliss, maybe one of its ingredients." Vivian concluded as he took out a small handkerchief and handed it to Isabella. Isabella unfolded the handkerchief and inspected what was inside. "That''s what you found?" She asked. What was in her hand was a poppy flower bulb that seemed thick with sap. "Well, it may look like a natural poppy bulb but I don''t know if this thing was ever farmed in Elgard, and from the looks of it, it was rinsed in some sort of liquid which left the plant a bit sticky. I think it was still being processed by some method." "Then why move it? Why not make it all in one place rather than separating two parts of a single process and transporting it?" "It doesn''t make sense indeed but I assume that some resources they have are stationary at one place and the rest are at another. This thing was being moved between points A and B." Vivian said and walked to a new board with a large map of the city, "That''s point B, which is the Black Market. As for point A, I couldn''t get it out of the Blackguards I attacked last night." "You tried to interrogate them?" "I did but a few watchmen arrived and I had to run for it after finishing the last Blackguard." "This is ruthless." "Either way, we need more information. As long as we understand the structure of the Crime Syndicate led by Ian Grayson, we can slowly dismantle it and destroy the Prince''s funding." "Still sounds like revenge to me." "Justice." "Keep telling yourself that." Isabella said and let out a sigh, "If I can''t stop you, I''ll at least make sure you don''t run into a trap or something. Be careful, alright?" "Careful is my middle name, sister." "It is Keone, you moron." Isabella left the hideout back to her building, leaving Vivian alone for her vigilante operation. Her hideout has evolved, and she now has more furniture and investigation boards, which she moved via her storage purse from outside. Vivian also added a small laboratory for herself in order to study the items of interest that she acquired during her field action. But Vivian didn''t go out that night just to hunt down some Blackguards. Her goal was to test herself and her gear against living targets, she also wanted to test the full potential of the System''s Combat Mode.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. In the beginning, the Combat Mode presented itself to Vivian as a combat interface mode that views the opponent''s type, level, and hit points but these were just the passive effects. As for the other toggleable functions, there were a lot of them and they made Vivian feel like a real cheat. The Combat Mode had three functions in total, the first is the Combat Info, the second is the Combat History, and the third is the Combat Assistant. The Combat History was a mode Vivian found most useful for many reasons and she couldn''t help using it as soon as she discovered it. It had two sub-functions and they were nothing short of magic. The first of which allows her to revisit the combat encounters she had and even review them from a third-person view and the second was to redo that combat encounter in mental simulation. As for the Combat Assistant, it had a wide range of mini-tools that worked for many situations but for the most part, Vivian experienced two of them. The first is the Critical Point targeting which highlights the least defended area on an opponent''s body once their defense is broken and they become unbalanced, as for the second, is called SP Reloader and the one which made Vivian most excited. ? SP Reloader: You can spend 10 SP while the weapon is in storage to reload a certain weapon based on your best reload record time for it. ? It was safe to say that with this function alone, Vivian felt so overpowered to the point where she ran over the entire convoy of Blackguards the other night guns blazing only. And what is the best way to relive that glorious moment if not the Combat History? Vivian sat back on the old armchair and in her hideout and closed her eyes after choosing last night''s fight from the system screen. ? Playing Entry 003! ? It was a dark empty street illuminated by the reflection of moonlight and hazy gas lamps on the soaked cobblestone street. Midnight as it is, no living soul was roaming the dark streets of Archester''s quietest parish for the night. It would have been the perfect night to lay down and relax even in the middle of the road if not for a certain wagon driving about with its horse making God-awful noises as its horseshoes hit against the cobblestone, pulling the squeaky screaky wagon behind. The Blackguards who drove the wagon had their eyes peeled since it would be a huge trouble if they were to get caught by the parish constables who were not bribed by the boss. Things would get chaotic and problems would occur. But just as the five men were making sure they weren''t surprised from any unforeseeable direction, the surprise came to them from the front without trying to sneak up on them¡­ but it was a tad tricky to anticipate. In the middle of the street, which could fit two wagons side by side, the body of a woman was lying perfectly in the middle with what seemed to be a short thin figure standing over it. As soon as that figure noticed the wagon approaching, it ran away immediately and disappeared into the darkness. Seeing that, the Blackguards were spooked and aimed their flintlocks at the dark corners. "Paul, what''s happening?" "I don''t know. Hey, go check on that person!" "No! Run them over, Steve! It looks like an ambush." "Shit! That''s a lot of blood!" "Halt! It can be a trap." Finally, the wagon came to a halt and the Blackguards took to their corners with alertness. A hand on the pistol and another on the blade. One of them descended from the back of the Wagon and walked to the front to inspect the woman''s corpse while aiming his pistol at her. As she seemed lying in a puddle of her blood and no obvious traps were attached to her, the Blackguard aimed his pistol down. "Steve, what''s going on?" "It''s alright, Paul. It seemed like some random killing. We need to move quickly." Steve turned around to face Paul and began walking towards him but just at that second. "AARGH!" Steve cried from pain as he felt a sharp terrible pain in his right wrist which was now missing a hand. "FUCK! IT''S A TRAP!" Paul, who was driving the carriage, shouted and aimed his weapon at the woman who moved like a ghost with a blade in her hand and as soon as she was in sight of their aim, the four Blackguards fired their pistols. Speed was key to this encounter, Vivian knew that even though she was supposed to be fast, dodging bullets wasn''t something within her realm of possibility just yet so she rushed toward the man she just "behanded" and pulled him to be at her front. The classic meat-shield technique was as perfect as ever as the man took one bullet to the abdomen while the three remaining shots either missed or just grazed him. But now, it''s her turn. She tossed the man to the side and with Romeo in her right, she shot the Wagon Driver right in the forehead with a thunderous BANG, making the man''s body yank backward in the wagon with the remaining three. NIIIIIIIIIGH! The two wagon horses were already terrified from the first round of shooting and as there was no one to control them anymore, they took matters to their own legs and bolted with the wagon behind them. Whistle! All Vivian needed to do was to give the signal as she jumped off the horses'' way. Just like that, a steel bar was thrown from where Voros just hid and it got between the spooks of the rear wheel, causing the spooks to shatter against the sudden burst of speed from the horses and¡­ Screech! The wheel broke off the wagon and the whole thing toppled from one corner, breaking the axle that held the whole thing together and the horses bolted free while the wagon itself took a sharp turn and hit a nearby building. "Damn!" Excited, Vivian sent her right gun to the storage and spent 10 SP to reload it. ? Romeo Pistol: 3.48 Seconds! ? The countdown started and Vivian had the other pistol out already. As soon as she spotted the next Blackguard, who was staggering up to his feet and trying to offer a hand to one of his comrades on the ground, she fired a bullet to the side of his head and sent him off his feet. "SHIT! IT''S THE BLOODY SWAN!" The Blackguard who was trying to hold the hand of the latest killed one threw himself on the ground behind a fallen crate and tried to take his blade but as soon as he did and charged toward Vivian¡­ BANG! A single bullet to the head once again and the man took a few steps before his body realized he was dead and he crumbled at Vivian''s feet. "That one is not a smarty." Vivian said while pointing her pistol at the man she just shot before looking ahead and aiming her other pistol, "However, that one is." From the wreckage of the wagon, Vivian could see one man trying to keep his presence thin as he was reloading his pistol. However, the moment he noticed Vivian aiming her gun at him, he tried to hide but she was already over him. "Shit! Fuck! Shit fuck!" "Come on, make your last words memorable." Vivian could see that the man had broken his leg badly as the wagon crashed and with no hint of mercy, she stepped on the broken leg with all her weight. "No no no no! NOOO! ARGH! STOP! HELP!" "Speak, you wretch. Where did you get that shipment from?" Vivian stepped even harder on the Blackguard''s leg. "STOP! STOP!" "SPEAK!" "I don''t know. The wagon¡­ it was parked for us¡­ at the Waterlow." "A dead drop, eh?" Vivian figured out that this was a dead end, "What else is in that shipment? What do you transfer other than Opium." "I don''t know¡­ We don''t get paid to know." "But you aren''t stupid enough to drive wagons in the dead of the night without knowing what is its content. You won''t risk your life for something you don''t know about." "It is the truth, I swear to God!" "SWEAR TO ME!" Vivian hit the Blackguard with the butt of her pistol and the man cowered on the ground. "I SWEAR! We only transport these sticky dead flowers. If there are other things, then there are different routes. I know nothing about them." WHISTLEEEEEEEEEEE! At that moment, many figures started running toward the place while whistling and holding batons and clubs. Vivian knew that her time was up since the constable and his men arrived. "Then you are useless to me!" BANG! BANG! Vivian killed the Blackguard she interrogated and the other one at a distance who was shot by his comrades at the beginning of the fight. She then ran towards the darkness where Voros appeared with the modified chariot and sped through the darkness away from pursuers. ? End of Entry 003! ? 72: Bliss This Mess Since the matter of managing the Blackguards was handed over to Ian Grayson by his father, a lot of money started to flow as the 17-year-old young master displayed a talent for cunning and trickery beyond his years. Even with their reputation as one of the great houses of Elgard, House Grayson has survived many catastrophes because of their approach to organized crime and racketeering throughout their generation. As the House with the exclusive rights to harvest and exploit many resources around Elgard and its colonies, there was no limit to how this House could grow and thrive but that was only theoretical. This situation happened 400 years ago during the schism between the great houses as Elgard was about to fall into the chaotic talons of a bloody civil war. The crown almost lost control over the lands and the vassals nearly rebelled until a grand summit was held and the Lords dictated that each of the Great Houses would get an exclusive right that grants it a power that even the crown can''t refute but would place them under a strict penalty in return. For House Grayson, which was devastated badly in the conflict, they got the right to harvest resources and sell them to the other houses all across the holdings of the nation. While it seemed enticing, this only applied to the holdings of the crown and the holding of House Grayson, which were still some large portions of the land. Sadly, many of the other lords can refuse to allow House Grayson into their territories and sell the mining rights to private companies which they can be the owners of in secret. Especially against House Moore, which owned the right of being the first to call dibs on any manufacturing practice and would always buy resources en masse at cheap prices, House Grayson started to decline badly in the first hundred years. Still, as the previous lords were upholding honor above all else, the latter lords who grew up in the early colonial period discarded this commitment for the sake of survival and established many underground operations while using criminal laborers or slaves to get it done. The purpose of that is to operate some industrial businesses in secret and smuggle raw materials in the shadows to create scarcity and illegally raise prices. Throughout the following 300 years, House Grayson became widely connected in the underground world and would even intervene with the business of House Moore, sparking a fierce rivalry between the two. Still, some lines could never be crossed especially when the Royal Family and House Black were hounding over any opportunity to put the nobles back in their place. The colonial and industrial revolution made only the crows on the banner of House Grayson grow hungrier and loom over darker horizons of crime and depravity. Their latest exploit was the Criminal Labor Act and they exploited it well under the guise of the Blackguards mercenaries which operated in all parts of the world. With that, not only did they secure funds for the House to flourish, but also remained unshaken in front of the other great houses. Now that Ian Grayson was assuming the mantle of the criminal side of the family in order to prepare him for the position of the family head, his methods were considered an evolution compared to his predecessors. His focus was on Arms dealing, Drug trade, and Slave trafficking; a methodology that each part of it complemented the others in the most diabolical way possible. The slaves would forge weapons for the Blackguards, the Blackguards would get more slaves and resources for the drug trade, and the Drug trade would create a whole load of cash, rinse and repeat. But in a single night, this smoothly functioning machine was disturbed badly and the culprit behind it was none other than the Bloody Swan. "FUCK IT!" Anger couldn''t be contained as a month''s supply worth of opium was burnt with that wagon. "So you''re telling me that this month''s funds have been almost halved?" "Don''t you dare gloat!" "Hey, I am not gloating. I am here to offer a helping hand, really." Seeing Ian Grayson in a fit of rage, Robert Moore approached him with an easy-going attitude and a smile that he wasn''t planning to hide. Of course he is gloating, why not when he was told to come and cover for the mess Ian can''t seem to handle and by none other than Prince Liam himself. "So, you have any clue on the Bloody Swan?" Robert asked. "Do I look like I have a clue? Do you think I would be sitting here if I had a clue?" Ian replied with unending anger. "Fine. Since Edmond Black himself is working on it, we can at least expect something to come out. As for now, I''ll help you fix your books. How much do you need?" "Five Millions!" "Woah! I am a Moore alright but that doesn''t give you the right to rip me off like that." Robert backed off and shook off Ian, "You think I would ask you without knowing the answer, Grayson?" "Will you help or not?" "Well, I know a few tricks that can help you. My side of the business is also doing fine so I have an idea or two." Robert said and then looked at the large ledger on Ian''s desk, "May I?" Ian looked at his own ledger then looked at Robert and didn''t say anything. He only held the ledger and handed it to Robert but before the latter took it, Ian retracted it away. "You can ask questions about all you want but when I say it''s private, it''s private." "Alright, I won''t snoop." Robert took the ledger with doubtful eyes. He knew Ian had some secret skeletons in some secret closets and the shady business he does isn''t that classified inside the Prince''s faction. Still, whatever makes him this nervous should be pretty nasty. As a Moore, Robert''s eyes were trained to skim through such financial ledgers with ease. He understood all the funding sources Ian had and took out his notebook to calculate a few things. "Alright, this is a specialized shipment. As it is a custom delivery, you can make up any bullshit excuse and you and raise the price for it. What is its nature?" "That one? Ah, a slave and a few magical materials including an ownerless magic ring. The delivery is meant for Ronald Morgan." "Ronald Morgan? The Morgans have a monopoly over magic crystals and magic rings, why does he need you to supply him?" "Don''t ask me. Probably something he wants to keep out of his family books." "Well, because you are taking such a huge risk, you can pump it up to double the Price. After all, you are the only supplier he can turn to if he wants to keep some privacy." "Alright. Sounds good." "What about this? You are paying a lot of money to someone and not getting something in return." "This one you must skip. It''s my main operation." "Alright. Whatever you say." Robert agreed but took a few mental notes of the money flow of that project before moving on. After an hour of checking the books, Robert managed to cover the losses of the month from 50% to almost 77%. Such an increase came at the cost of raising princes, shaking down debtors, and a lot of other extreme methods. "Better than before?" Robert asked. "Barely." Ian replied. "Listen to this¡­ I just saved your operation. The loss you currently have is nowhere near the loss you had before." "Yeah. If it is over, then fuck off." "Gentlemen!" As the two were ready to jump at each other, a voice broke the tense situation like water on fire. The two suddenly turned around and saw none other than Prince Liam standing at the door of the Overseer''s office. ""Your Highness!"" The two turned to the door and spoke in unison while bowing their heads to the Crown Prince and their future king. "Ian, Robert. I trust that you two weren''t planning to do anything that would disturb our interests." The Prince spoke as he walked into the office while looking around. "Not at all, your Highness." Ian spoke right away. "That''s unthinkable, your Highness." Robert followed up. "Then go easy on each other, will you? I know that you two don''t mix well but if my people started biting each other like dogs, I would find you causing more harm than good." "Yes, your Highness." "We apologize!" It only took the owner of the two dogs to speak in such a way for them to stop barking at each other. As it was an impressive show of authority, the Prince''s aim was to discipline everyone else, especially those who followed him inside. This wasn''t just one or two individuals, it was four. After the Prince came Edmond Black, Valentine De Clare, Richard Marshall, and Ronald Morgan. In a single scene, the entire 7 charming princes of the game appeared together. When the Prince was referring to Ian and Robert fighting like dogs, he wasn''t only referring to them. That was also meant for Edmond and Valentine as well as Richard and Ronald. There was a reason for every two to hate the other here and it transcended the usual family feuds they all had. This was no mere situation where the Prince decided to drop on them with the rest, it was a planned meeting they were all going to have and Robert was here to help Ian make the books right before the meeting commenced. "Last time we all gathered was 4 or 5 months ago. I am glad you''re all doing well." The Prince said. "Thank you, your Highness." Valentine De Clare was the first to reply, "While I find it unbefitting for His Highness to be invited into such a place, I hope that next time we gather in a place more suitable for His Highness." "Watch your words, De Clare. It is His Highness that chose this place as a location for our meeting." Ian Grayson replied. "And whose fault is that? None of you, who were tasked to make a profit, has made any decent front to fit His Highness yet." Valentine fired back. "That''s enough, boys. I know you miss each other but let''s not play it rough." The Prince had to intervene to stop his dogs from gnawing on each other''s tails. The group wasn''t seated in the office but rather moved to the room beside it, the one fit to receive guests and the very same room Voros and Vivian hid in when they snuck into this location. The group seemed familiar with this room as everyone simply took their seat and kept their eyes on the others. "Let''s not make this a long meeting, gentlemen. I believe that all of us here have something to report. Why don''t we start with the youngest? Ian." "Your Highness." Ian bowed his head to Prince Liam and turned to the group, "I''m sure as the main money maker of the faction, I have the right to complain about the performance of each and every one of you but¡­" As he said so, the five young lords started to scoff and look away with tired faces. "¡­ but I won''t. Even though I need most of you to get into action rather than being all bark and no bite¡­" "Ian, the report." The Prince himself got fed up with how Ian was trying to assert dominance over the others. "Yes, your Highness." Ian ended his self-centered show and spoke, "Right now, the Blackguards are under constant attacks from this renegade, the so-called Bloody Swan. This caused us a significant loss of 30% of our monthly funds."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "At which point will you mention the fact that it was 50% just ten minutes ago?" Robert asked with a disdainful gaze to Ian. "Yes. Robert Moore helped a bit." Ian dismissively continued, "I just want to know what will our problem solver do about it?" This question was forwarded to Edmond who took a comfortable seat and rested his head over his hand. "Edmond!" Ian called once again and the latter seemed unresponsive. Almost everyone in the room frowned as Edmond was just sitting there absent-mindedly but it was Prince Liam who reached out to Edmond''s shoulder and poked him. "Hm! What? What did you say?" Edmond spoke while looking at everyone around him. "I forgot to tell you but it seems that Edmond has developed a way to sleep while keeping his eyes open." The Prince said with a joking smile. "No, no¡­ I was just¡­ thinking about something." Edmond tried to come up with an excuse for his sleeping at the meeting. "Mhm! We''re all ears." Ian said and looked at Edmond, trying to embarrass him. "I don''t think it is alright to speak about this in public and¡­" "No, no, by all means. Something bothering Sir Edmond of the Great House of Black must be of grave importance." Ian interrupted him to force him to speak. "I agree with Ian. It seems gravely important." Even Valentine helped out in embarrassing Edmond. Edmond looked at the two young men and with a long sigh, he decided to give them a piece of his mind. "I was just trying to figure out how to tell His Highness about how you two have fucked up." He said and looked at them with a sly look in his eyes. They couldn''t feel any ease from this situation but now that they have pushed him to speak, it seems that the fixer of the group has something on them to reveal. "Is that necessary, Edmond?" Prince Liam asked. "It has to do with Vivian Moore." Edmond replied. "I thought we agreed to no longer concern ourselves with her. She seems to be doing the same right now." The Prince said. "Well, it will be a little bit difficult to do that once one insufferable greedy imp realizes that one of his dear Duergar slaves is now in the hands of Vivian Moore." Edmond said. "That''s yesterday''s news, Edmond." Ian found his confidence back and scoffed at Edmond. "Oh, except that somehow, this slave turned out to be a Metallurgist, an Expert Metallurgist at that." Edmond said with his smile growing wider. It took just that sentence for Ian to look at Edmond with a solemn face yet no one could miss the shock in his eyes. Silent and shaken, Ian did nothing but try to calm down as the room''s temperature started to gradually drop. "Oh, this is a good one!" Ronald Morgan smiled from the side as this dull show finally got exciting enough for him to focus. "A metallurgist?" Ian finally woke from his daze, "An Expert, you said?" "One thing I don''t question is Edmond''s information reliability." Prince Liam said then asked, "How did you find out?" "One of the tax officers that review Vivian''s company''s books is a man of ours. Also, a bird told us someone from the Moores'' head metallurgist visited their mansion the other day to inspect someone." Edmond replied. "You have spies in my house?" Robert stood up aiming his finger at Edmond with rage. "Don''t play dumb. If you really didn''t know, you''d be even dumber than I thought you are." Edmond looked at Robert and planted the fear of God in him with a chilling glare. Robert couldn''t afford to be seen as stupid by this group so he just put on a chill smile and backed off nonchalantly. "I assume that one of the Blackguard officers has covered this for Vivian Moore. Check the surviving documents. An Expert Metallurgist is too much of an elephant to sneak out in a small carriage." Prince Liam commanded Ian. "We had no metallurgists to begin with, your Highness." Ian said, trying to defend himself from embarrassment. "Edmond said he is a metallurgist. So¡­" "I''ve read the report after she purchased him and all there is to it that he was a coal shoveler¡­ a simple laborer¡­" Ian tried to explain it but as he got to that part, he realized what he missed. Why would Vivian Moore buy a simple laborer? "And here you have it." Prince Liam said while shaking his head, "That''s probably how the situation was covered." So cunning! Ian looked at Edmond and wanted to strangle him. "Should I go and retrieve the slave with a force of guards? It is against the law to acquire an artisan slave from the Blackguards and forge his documents." Richard Marshall asked. "That won''t work." Ian replied, fully knowing the gravity of the situation now. "Why?" Richard asked. Ian closed his eyes and tried to be calm while saying it but Edmond replied for him. "Because that cunning Vivian didn''t purchase the slave. She paid for his freedom which is against no laws. I found it fishy from the start, that''s why I started snooping around." Edmond said and had a wide gloating smile directed towards Ian. "So she made all that success¡­ by taking one of my slaves?" Ian asked with his bowels burning like fire, "All that money?" "Crazy when you think about it." Edmond was on top of the world seeing how Ian was taking the news, "Don''t ask me to cover it up for you, though. I am not into kidnapping." "I''ll take care of it." Ian replied with obvious anger and hate directed towards Edmond. "I also assume that you haven''t gotten any closer to figuring out how those things I stole from her work." Edmond asked. The whole group turned to Edmond with strange eyes seeing how he was okay with stealing but not kidnapping. "¡­" Ian, however, decided to keep quiet and not get provoked more. "What things?" Ronald Morgan asked. "Vivian Moore has produced some sort of technology that creates artificial lighting with some weird wires. A bird of mine flew over to the roof of her building and ripped off some of the pieces of her strange machine before sending them here for analysis. We wanted to know what she''s up to." Edmond replied. "So it was you who took down the resistor and those missing bulbs!" Valentine realized, "Vivian had to climb up the scaffolding herself to fix that." Seeing him riled up, the others frowned but he returned to his coolheaded behavior once again. "Whatever these are, send them my way. I''ll figure them out quickly." Ronald Morgan said. "They are downstairs in the workshop. I''ll make a guard deliver them to you." Ian said while trying to handle his own emotions. "Then there is you." Edmond turned to Valentine, who seemed to have prepared himself for whatever Edmond was going to throw at him. "Come at me." He even challenged Edmond. "That day your dear friend Vivian was making her light show, you were with her, if I remember right. You helped her with her business." Edmond said. "What''s wrong with that?" Valentine replied. "You do realize that whatever help you offer Vivian is an indirect sabotage to Robert''s position, don''t you?" Edmond asked. Everyone turned to him now that this situation was mentioned. While Ian is the current biggest source of funds for the Prince''s faction, this should have been Robert, who was staring blankly at Edmond as he said that. "In case you forgot, I am the first De Clare in a hundred years who hasn''t left Elgard as soon as he came of age to make his own fortune out there and all of it was to be a financier to his Highness'' faction?" "Financer? Just because your father is the minister of treasury doesn''t mean you get excused for incompetence." Edmond said. "Well, that''s true. But now that I have to do my part without leaving Elgard, I only turned to Vivian for help and she graciously chose to help me start my own business which will eventually serve His Highness." Valentine said. "As I said, incompetence." Edmond insisted on making Valentine appear this way. "Sticks and stones, Edmond. Sticks and stones." However, Valentine remained unfazed. "So¡­ the foreplay is over?" Ronald Morgan asked. "Hopefully." The Prince said and turned to Richard, "Since you were the quietest, I assume you have something in mind?" "Yes, your Highness. I assume that the Bloody Swan situation we are facing might be related to the insurgents. I wish for His Highness to allow me to operate alongside Ian''s men to capture that renegade. This will be the first step to finally have a prisoner from their side." "And you want the Knights to act as Blackguards. You sure they won''t feel offended?" The Prince asked. "I''m not going to make them act, not all of them. I''ll simply entice the lower ranks to do so in exchange for rewards while a team of elite silver aura knights will be on standby after giving a signal." Richard explained. "Ian?" The Prince turned to Ian for his opinion. "We don''t know much about the Bloody Swan''s techniques but we assume she has an arsenal of guns and blades and doesn''t operate alone. The Blackguards won''t do much against her so the knights will be a welcome addition." Ian nodded. "From experience, the more I know about an opponent''s purpose, the more it is possible to predict them." The Prince said and turned to Edmond, "I know you''re already overworked but try to paint a profile for our mystery opponent." "My sister can do that better than me." Edmond replied. "Great. Now to the next topic." Prince Liam changed the subject and turned to Ronald, "You have requested to be provided a location away from the eyes of your family." "Yes, your Highness. I have been trying to broaden my horizons lately but my Father won''t allow it so I need a place to act freely. While I will miss the family''s Magic Formation, I can establish one for our members to benefit from." "A formation means more Sorcerers in a single perimeter. You can afford that?" The Prince asked. "I have a few¡­ loyalists." Ronald replied. "Perfect. I''m curious about what you will do, Ronald." The Prince said and turned to Richard, "You have been doing well, last I heard." "Yes. I also managed to sway some junior knights to our cause but I''ll need some time to focus on training as I was slacking off, your Highness." Richard replied. "You have shown good results. I think you''ve earned your time off." The Prince said and turned to Robert, "How about you, Robert? I heard you have already established your own business." "Yes. I can''t let my sister overshadow me while I still have a year to go in the academy. My business is just about entrepreneurship as I invest in newly opened businesses to give them a financial and administrative boost for shares in their enterprises. We are still in the early phases, so it is difficult to generate profit just yet but it will all slowly come together." Robert replied. "You Moores have these interesting strategies I can''t even wrap my head around. You do you, Robert." The Prince said in approval. "Thank you, your Highness." Robert bowed his head with a prideful smile that made Ian avert his gaze away. "As for you, Valentine." The Prince turned to the final supporter in the room. "I have no excuse, your Highness." Valentine said and smiled awkwardly, "I can''t do anything outside the family''s expertise but I have been hoarding some rare items lately." "Items like what?" The Prince asked. "Lost civilizations artifacts, rare herbs, weapons with strange powers, exotic animals even. Most of these things are all auctioned under various aliases to prevent the family from catching my scent." Valentine said. "I see. It is a good business but I understand it is hard to make a stable income with." The Prince said. "That''s indeed the case, your Highness." Valentine nodded. "Then report to me in a matter of 30 days. I want to know that you made progress by then." The Prince concluded the conversation with Valentine who slightly bowed in return. The income for the Prince''s faction was being targeted and this meeting was a critical one to reorganize the spread cards and to give everyone their new tasks. The Prince''s faction has faced a few hits in their income with the Mithril coins gone, the Bliss business interrupted, and the Blackguards attacked. Of course these hits were directly aimed towards Ian Grayson but the ripple effect has spread to all the other members. While the situation is indeed turbulent, it can open the way for some to start advancing their own agendas and others to make the best use of the situation. And this moment was the right moment to kick the badly hurt Ian Grayson. That kick came in the form of a loud explosion coming from beneath. BOOM!!! The Prince and the other six young lords looked around them at themselves, realizing that something had gone amiss. Each of them took their own swords out and put on their masks to not be recognized in case they had to run wild in the Black Market. Ian immediately headed out first followed by Richard then the rest. Right after it, a few Blackguard officers ran upwards and met the group. "O¡­ Overseer! A problem¡­ a big problem!" An officer said once he spotted Ian in his unique black and white mask. "Speak!" Ian took the lead of the group and commanded the officer on the lead. "Sir¡­ a container exploded, sir. You and the gentlemen need to evacuate, the constables will come to investigate soon, and if this stuff spreads¡­" The officer said and urged Ian to move. "Shit!" Ian panicked and hesitated before turning to the others. "We should run!" Ian said. "What''s wrong?" The Prince asked. "It''s¡­ bad. This wasn''t supposed to happen." Ian said as he was already breaking into a cold sweat. "Ed, go and interrupt the city constables from getting here. Dick, go with him." The Prince said, commanding both Edmond and Richard to go by calling them different names on the spot. "How do we do that, sir?" Richard asked, not sure of what to do. "Beat them, I don''t know. Make some trouble." The Prince said and then turned to Ian, "What''s down there? Why are you so concerned about it spreading?" Ian hesitated before lowering his head and trying to find the right words. The Prince knows that his operation is shady business but he doesn''t get involved with the details. This one, however¡­ It is bad. "It is Bliss, sir." Ian replied. Trading weapons and slaves was already a practice done by the Blackguard globally and nobody concerned themselves with it as long as it didn''t go out of control. The narcotics business, however, isn''t something common for them. If the Prince, who likes to keep his glamorous image, starts spouting his idealistic talks about caring for the weak and punishing the bullies, things may go bad for Ian as he distributes Bliss right in Archester. But all those fears and worries were nothing when the Prince reacted to them. "Bliss, huh? It is not something that can spread fast, however, it''s effective if inhaled." The Prince analyzed the situation and looked at Ian, "Don''t worry, Ed and Dick will hold the constables back until Ron and I contain it with magic. Let''s go." The Prince took the lead and the ring on his finger radiated, indicating his ability to cast magical spells. As for Ian, he was shocked by the Prince''s behavior, who seemed to be tolerating the narcotic trade that was suddenly revealed. Ian immediately headed after the Prince but as he did so, he heard a light chuckle coming from behind him which attracted his attention right away. He looked back and could only see three individuals; Valentine, Robert, and Ronald. One of them just laughed, one of them just made it clear that this was no accident. One of the three is responsible for this mess. 73: A New Era ¡ª 7 Days until the 1-month deadline ¡ª After receiving the task from Count Julian Moore to find an alternative to Coal power using green methods, Vivian tasked all the affiliated scientists with the mission of trying to produce Direct current generators. Knowing the difficulty of what she was asking for, Vivian had to dust off all the otherworldly knowledge in Nadia''s memories and started to work on the project herself. She left the management of the company to Oscar Mason and the gun development project to Jane and Voros, who have recently succeeded in creating the rifling grooves in gun barrels and are now working on enhancing the equipment they use to create new guns. As for the electricity research, Vivian put effort along with the scientists until they reached the point where the first homopolar generator (Faraday Disk), the first successful yet the weakest version of the DC generator. This was the first huge step taken towards the modern dynamo and the scientist on the team wanted to attribute it to Vivian who refused such an attribution as all her contributions were only theoretical advice. However since this generator had a very weak voltage, the team started to work on expanding it immediately and even made a few more generators in series to make a more powerful current. Vivian also worked on more electric conductivity technologies since most of the scientists were using exposed wirings and hard conductors. By hiring a few artisans and metal workers to create proper electrical wires of various sizes, the development speed was boosted on a scale that the theoretical science was struggling to keep up with the applications. ¡ª 6 Days until the 1-month deadline ¡ª As six days remained, Vivian was confident that Professor Bellfield and his team were going to make it in a day or two especially now that the laboratory the work in is completely lit with Light Bulbs. It was a weird paradox to many of the scientists why Vivian helped create an invention that is not supported by today''s level of electrical technology yet she was the core figure in developing the DC generators on such a rapid scale. Some of them started to even joke about how she was a traveler from the future, which terrified Vivian and made her decide to take a hands-off approach to the current project. At ViTech headquarters, Vivian encountered Professor Fritz Hansen, a scientist working on a separate project known as Project Melody. Professor Hansen, a skilled technician from Buren, held teaching positions at the second and third royal academies in Elgard and was Jane''s teacher for two semesters. Vivian had generously funded Professor Hansen''s research which she was most excited for and took the same approach she had taken with Professor Bellfield with him. Project Melody, however, needed the interference of many other experts from various fields but it was rather in a late stage of development since Vivian had been focusing on it right after introducing the Light Bulb to the public two weeks ago. ¡ª 5 Days until the 1-month deadline ¡ª Vivian''s work expanded to many fields, chemistry included, and since the Moore Conglomerate had a large line of chemical industries, Vivian wanted to use that to expand on a few different ideas. The first idea Vivian worked on in this field was Friction Matches which can be used for ignition. Vivian had a chemist working as an assistant in Jane''s team and she convinced him to make a mixture of potassium chlorate with siliceous, a little sulfur, and starch. The idea took the young man some time to develop but with the right funding and in a week''s time, he managed to find the right formula for the friction matches that ignite against red phosphorus-based striking surfaces. Vivian helped issue a patent for the young man and contacted the Moore Conglomerate right away to plan the launch of the new product. Safety was important, especially when working with chemicals, and many chemists from the conglomerate came over to ViTech''s headquarters to discuss the safety of the new production line. After discussing with them, Vivian found that they cared little for the safety of the environment or the workers, which sparked her enthusiasm to send word to her father to open an investigation in the Chemical Industries department to fortify the safety measures and technologies and boost the image of the Conglomerate. The replies that came from her father were even better than she anticipated. He told her that he will not only launch an investigation, he will make the House of Lords sign on new laws for industrial safety and environmental protection but she has to rush the production of those safety technologies in order to be ready once the law is issued. This made Vivian rush over to Professor Anesly Graham, who was working on the idea for the Industrial-grade filters for the Smokestacks for the factories. While Vivian was the one to promote such an idea and convinced the professor to abandon her current project to produce Paraffin, she noticed that Professor Graham had actually started working enthusiastically on the project along with a colleague of hers, Professor Gerald Hopps, who is a chemist and a technician. Their efforts led to the creation of a theoretical plan for a large compartment that could be installed on top of factories to filter the heavy smog from the smokestacks and reduce the toxicity of the fumes. Vivian enticed Professor Graham to be more enthusiastic about this project since if it succeeds, she could be the sole manufacturer of industrial-grade waste filters and if the new environmental law was passed by the House of Lords, every factory out there would come running to purchase waste filters from her. If this wasn''t enough to make Professor Graham finish this project and make her work on it like mad, nothing else will. As a nobleman, Count Julian Moore was a man of his word and he put the Law to a vote in the House of Lords. At first, the opposition was greater than what he thought possible but when he stated that this technology would boost the prices of the real estate in the impoverished districts, the attitude of those crafty lords changed completely. Currently, any residential area within the proximity of any large factory is dirt cheap and can be compared to a slum. However, if this environmental law truly succeeds in making the area cleaner, the price of the land will soar. That''s why the Lords asked Count Julian to postpone the idea until it is reviewed by the Committee of Natural Resources, which is a bullshit move for them to stall for enough time until they buy as much property as possible for dirt-cheap prices and make a profit from them when the Law is passed. As for Vivian, she blocked one of the routes the Heroine can use to cause disturbance to Count Julian and the Moore Conglomerate. By posing as the good samaritans who want to preserve nature and save the environment, the reputation of the Moores will be on the rise. On a different note, Vivian received a word from Professor Gerald Hopps about something Vivian had inspired him about, which was the carbonization process. Professor Hopps was the other chemist expert aside from Professor Graham to be on Vivian''s side but unlike the strict and pragmatic Professor Graham, he was a happy-go-lucky old man who liked to play pranks and make others laugh.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Of course, he is a very knowledgeable man but is way past his prime and likes to take things slow. Understanding his attitude, Vivian pushed an idea to him when they conversed during the Light Bulb reveal party and she made his head busy with this carbonization of water and he discovered how to utilize carbon dioxide to create artificial sparkling mineral water. The process was still costly and inefficient but it was all that Vivian needed. Vivian then started working on her own and added sweetener and various flavors to the artificially created waters and what came out was going to be known as the Hopps Beverage, or simply Hopps, throughout the years, which became the world''s first carbonated soft drink. ¡ª 4 Days until the 1-month deadline ¡ª That day was no ordinary day. Vivian had to take a break from ushering in the new era of electricity, environmental safety, fire hazards, and soft drinks. Today was the day she had to answer the invitation of her stepmother to accompany her to the party hosted by Natasha Ivanov, the owner of the Natasha cosmetic brand. "What are you doing?" "Hello, stepmother." "That''s a lot of makeup!" "Isn''t tonight all about makeup?" "And this dress, it is black. Is this what you will be wearing?" "Indeed. Just ordered it done actually." "Saints!" "Something the matter, stepmother?" "Oh¡­ no! Nothing¡­ nothing at all." Every hour till now, Saskia was checking on Vivian to make sure that she wouldn''t escape the house or something. The funny thing wasn''t that Vivian never even thought about escaping but rather heavily investing in preparation for the event and the amount of makeup products she had lying around made Saskia question her sanity. On top of that, the gown she prepared was something of its own league. It was ordered from Isabella''s fashion house rather than the system shop. It can only be described as the epitome of gothic chic. Made from luxurious black velvet, it hugs the figure and flows to a dramatic floor-length hem, often with a trailing trumpet style. Long, form-fitting, with subtle spiderweb lace to complete the mysterious and sophisticated look. Combined with the pale makeup that focused on defining her porcelain skin and contrasting it with smoky gray contouring to make her face appear longer, as well as the black eyeshadow, dramatic lashes, and sharply angled brows, her gothic glamor was completed to perfection. She added a deep burgundy lipstick to complete the look, making her appear both alluring and haunting. As a tall girl, Vivian didn''t need high heels but she insisted on the highest possible heel she could get her hands on¡­ or her feet in. A 6-inch black gothic high heel was the final piece to her puzzle. This was a party thrown by a cosmetics manufacturer and so people would show up with all manner of fancy dresses and exotic makeup styles, especially the young ladies, who were enthralled by Natasha''s brand of cosmetics. Natasha offered a wide array of innovative cosmetics and was considered the largest manufacturer in the Empire, only rivaled by the behemoth giants of the business from central Albion, especially from Velleux, but as the Velleuxan revaluation was still taking its toll on the economy, Natasha''s brand was already going through markets it couldn''t dream of invading ever before. These products varied between Foundation Powders made from lead and rice flour, Rouge made of crushed cochineal beetles and brick dust, Cold Cream for moisturizing often made with beeswax and almond oil, Pomades for hair removal and styling containing ingredients like animal fats and lye, Kohl to darken the eyelashes, as well as Simple Balms for moisturizing which came sometimes with a touch of color from natural dyes like beetroot. Other products also included Scented Waters and Pomanders for fragrance, Bath Salts, and Hair Powders and Dyes that usually included lead. It was worth noting that most of these products included ingredients like lead and mercury in heavier concentrations than that of modern times, something which Vivian was aware of and avoided as much as she could, only applying the things she could be certain of its ingredients and specifically made by her request or from the system''s shop. As for the party itself, Natasha Ivanov seemed to have prepared more than any would even imagine. The extravagance of the rich knew no bounds and Natasha had a legion of maids in exquisite dresses and artistic makeup posing left and right on the rosy walkway in the garden of her villa. They all seemed to be foreigners from Novark, making most of the women attending the party feel like ugly ducklings. In this atmosphere of glamor and beauty, Vivian walked in like the black swan she fancies herself to be and displayed her femme fatale potential with the black dress. She appeared as feminine as she could and attracted the eyes of all the old and young ladies who attended this gathering that was restricted to females only. In a way, she was asserting her dominance over most of them. But she wasn''t alone as this was the equivalent of the dick-measuring contest performed by the male counterpart of these females and each lady dragged her daughters to this party to vex the other ladies which seemed like a social tradition in this part of the world. It became clear as Saskia had no daughters and Vivian''s rising popularity and talent can make Saskia look good one way or another. "A gothic mommy? I like your style!" Vivian heard those words all she didn''t even need to turn and see who said them. Looking at her, she was in a party gown that resembled many saffron threads gathered together in one beautiful vermillion dress. "I believe this is from this year''s spring collection." Vivian replied. "You have sharp eyes, my lady." Isabella said and spun around herself making her dress'' skirt rise. It was something of a wonder how many twirls she could fit on one dress and Vivian simply had to shut her analytic brain and appreciate the talent she was looking at. "That''s a lot of exposure for one dress." This comment would usually come from someone other than Vivian and by looking sideways, it seemed that there was a third lady who joined the scene and had a thing or two to say about Isabella''s dress. Vivian and Isabella turned sideways and had different expressions. Isabella couldn''t hide her frown while Vivian had a relaxed smile. "Well well¡­ if it isn''t Edith Black." Isabella said while eyeing Edith from top to bottom, "You raided your grandmother''s closet or something?" "Oh, boy!" Vivian held her head from what was about to happen but still tried to soften the impact of these two running into one another, "It is lovely to see you, Edith." "Lovely to see you too, Senior¡­ I mean, Vivian." Edith said and then turned to Isabella, "Though I have to say your choice of company is rather¡­" "Don''t you two start it!" Vivian immediately jumped between the two ladies, "Last I checked, it is your families that have problems with each other, not you, young lovely ladies." Members of House Black weren''t the greatest fans of House De Clare and aside from the bad blood and drama those two had, the Blacks always found fault for the De Clares, and the De Clares being who they are, have always caused troubles for the Blacks. As one house is bound to certain places and another is meant to travel anywhere in the world, it was said that the origin of this situation dated even before the Pact of King Harald when the Blacks almost bankrupted the De Clares which caused the De Clares to retaliate and almost killing off the Blacks. This was reflected in Edith and Isabella being natural enemies even though it was their first time officially meeting in a large social circle. For Vivian to manage her best friend from her former life and the first friend she made in this new one, she walked right between the two and locked arms with them. "I see that the two of you have much in common¡­" "How¡­" "But¡­" "Uh! Uh!" As the two were about to interrupt their protests, Vivian didn''t let them do that and walked them ahead then asked Isabella, "Who is your favorite person at this party?" "You." Isabella replied. "What about you?" She then asked Edith. "That''s a lot of confidence you have there, but you happen to be the only friend I have here so¡­ It''s you." Edith replied. "See? You two just have to love me above all else and you''ll find no reason to hate each other. Cheers!" 74: Cosmetic "I can''t believe this. Do you know how many times I have implored you to stop your pointless actions?" "I will not stop the greatest cosmetic ever made because of the rambling of someone still wet behind the ears. Get out of here at once!" "You''re a mad woman! You must be stopped." "Stopped?! You think you can stop me? Guards! Guards! Deal with this wretch at once. I want her out!" That scene just now happens in a certain future where the clash between good and evil becomes inevitable. With a villainous lady on one side and a commoner heroine on the other, the classic struggle has sparked nothing left except using force. ¡ªSometime Earlier¡ª "Ladies, ladies! Enough squabbling. For the last time, look at these macarons, light as a feather and filled with the most delightful creams and jams. Truly, the epitome of the art of confectionery." "How can you say that? Nothing can surpass the comforting charm of a good scone. Served with clotted cream and strawberry preserve, it is the peak of refinement and tradition. Simplicity, my dear, often speaks volumes." "Both of you are neglecting what I am saying. Cannoli, with its crispy shells and creamy ricotta filling, is a marvel of texture and flavor. And let us not forget the delight of a well-made tiramisu, which combines coffee, cocoa, and mascarpone into the greatest taste that can ever grace your tastebuds." "Isabella, your cannoli are indeed delightful, but what I have here is the perfect balance of flavor and presentation. The ¨¦clairs, the mille-feuille, each is a work of art, both to the eyes and the palate. The precision and care in each layer, each glaze, is unparalleled." "Presentation is all well and good, Vivian, but one must consider substance over style. Our Bakewell tarts and treacle puddings are rich in history and flavor, bringing warmth and satisfaction with every bite. They are not mere dainty bites but hearty, soul-enriching treats." "Perhaps, Edith, but pastries must evoke passion. A well-made sfogliatella with its crisp, layered exterior and tender, citrus-infused filling is a revelation. And let''s not overlook the panna cotta, which is as smooth and sophisticated as a perfectly performed opera." The three ladies, in totally different styles, kept arguing endlessly about pastries and their passion for tasty food. Isabella, in her saffron stylish dress, Edith, in a blue party gown, and Vivian, in her Morticia Addams cosplay. "Well, ladies, I am sure we may vary in tastes but our differences are what make us special. I''ll drink to that." Vivian said as she raised her cup for the two young ladies. "You''re drinking tea, Viv." Isabella pointed. "What else should I drink?" "Have you tried Port?" Isabella asked and offered Vivian her favorite brand of wine. "How about you try Ratafia?" Edith also did the same. "Thank you both but I am a tea and biscuits girl till I draw my last breath." Vivian declined all alcoholic liquors and stayed resolute to her tea-addicted self. The three young ladies were of course seated around a table in the middle of a party where many guests were also present. With Vivian and Isabella standing out the most due to their unique choices of fashion, many ladies tried to come over to make connections with but with Edith''s strong eyes gazing at whoever approached them, many of the ladies were unnerved and didn''t come near them. Having the second game villainess in the party was already showing great promise. At that moment, the surrounding voices started to gradually rise from the direction of the villa as a woman appeared on top of the stairs surrounded by her makeup models that looked like statues of white marble. That woman was as pale as the others and had red flame-like wavy hair, she wore a very luxurious evening dress that seemed like something Isabella would make, and seeing the grin appearing on her face, it seemed like it was indeed hers. The red-haired woman walked seductively down the stairs and many other women went ahead and received her down the stairway as if they were her worshipers. Vivian could see that most of them were heavily using cosmetics and one of them was indeed Saskia who wanted to urge Vivian to join them but the latter acted as if she couldn''t see her. "With this pale makeup you''re in, you may as well look like one of them." Isabella said as she got closer to Vivian. "Oh, please. I wouldn''t mix with these teenage-wannabe middle-aged ladies even if it kills me." Vivian rolled her eyes with annoyance. "Middle-aged? You know some of these ladies are pretty close to us in age." Isabella retorted. "You sure?" Vivian frowned and took a second look, "That''s strange, their movements don''t reflect it." "Movements?" Edith asked. "Yes, don''t you see it? Most of them were struggling to stand up properly. If not for the painful footwear, I assume it is their joints due to¡­ well¡­ age." Vivian explained her insight. "Well, I would have said the same if I didn''t recognize them individually. Still, I think Natasha''s cosmetics can fool anyone." Edith shrugged while taking note of Vivian''s sharp senses. "I see." Focusing on the red-haired woman, Natasha Ivanov, the crowd followed her with their gazes of admiration and envy until she reached the middle of the garden where a stage was set for her. She walked on top of it and a Halfling woman approached her, just like how it happened with Isabella and Vivian during the announcement day, the Halfling sorceress laid a spellmark on Natasha''s hand for her to be able to use the Theatricks spell, "Chantatio". "Ladies of Archester, I bid you all welcome to Natasha''s annual gallery." Natasha spoke to the crowd as soon as the light of magic was focused on her and her voice was heard across the garden clearly and pleasantly. "Thank you, Natasha!" "We love you!" Two adoring fans called for Natasha from the crowd and the herd mentality kicked in, causing the crowd to applaud her momentarily. "Pft! So staged!" Vivian commented on the obvious act. "That''s the case with Natasha every year." Isabella said. "Can''t deny it is smart though." Edith added. As for Natasha, she was already wrapping up her speech. "¡­ For this year, I''d like to announce the new cosmetics line from Natasha''s, the one I have been teasing some of you about for a while now. As you can see, my maids, some of the guests, and myself have been using it, and the effects are nothing less than magical." Natasha proudly walked down off the stage and two of her maids came into the garden while pushing two serving trolleys like the ones used to serve food but these ones were covered with thin white sheets. If anyone had to guess, there are most likely samples of the product.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "So for those of you who don''t know or heard any rumor, our newest product for this year is called Gratia, it is a new type of restorative balm that works on moisturizing, healing, and de-aging the skin. Careful though, it is only meant for women, don''t go putting that on your lovers, ladies." Natasha said as her maids started going around the tables, distributing the samples to the attendees. "Ohoho! Come to mama!" Isabella was excited as she received her sample which came in the shape of a round compact tin container inscribed with beautiful shapes of flowers and birds. As soon as Isabella opened her container, a pleasant smell invaded the vicinity like the bloom of a thousand springs. This sensation kept happening around every table causing a sensation of euphoria. "Urgh!" But on a certain table, where the trio was sitting, Vivian displayed a sudden reaction and she bolted off her seat immediately. "Viv?" Seeing Vivian run and cover her nose with a dizzy complexion, Isabella and Edith followed her immediately, and soon after came Saskia, whose expressions seemed embarrassed and angry. The crowd could see what happened with Vivian and even Natasha was bewildered for a second. "Viv, what''s wrong?" Isabella raced after Vivian, who was leaning on a tree far from the party and seemed to be coughing and wheezing. "Just ¡ªcough¡ª a second ¡ªcough cough¡ª." Vivian said as she tried to calm herself down and her eyes became tearful. She turned her head up and started inhaling and exhaling slowly before she could finally stand properly. During that, Edith caught up and finally came Saskia. "Vivian! Vivian! What was that? Do you realize what you have done? You can''t just do as you please¡­" "Would you shut up already!" As Saskia was about to lash at Vivian, Isabella''s gentle attitude switched to demonic as she shouted at Saskia. The latter remained utterly speechless and turned to look at Vivian. "Are you alright?" Edith approached Vivian from the other side and tried to support her. "I am alright." Vivian replied and kept her breath steady, "The scent in that balm, it was jasmine, right?" "Yes, you''re not allergic to that, right?" Isabella asked. Allergic to jasmine? Vivian was never allergic to that, Nadia, however, had a diabolical allergy to certain scents. This includes the jasmine fragrance which would cause her nasal inflammation and acute headache especially when the cars used by the organization she was a member of always used jasmine cleanser. It would usually cause her nausea and headache but this burst of fragrance caused by Natasha''s balm was on a whole new level. It seemed that Nadia had transmigrated with her allergies as well. "I am allergic to it." Vivian replied. "Liar! You''ve never been!" Saskia spoke angrily to Vivian. "I could endure it before, this time it was just too much." Vivian tried to justify herself. "You!" Saskia raised her finger and with an angry gaze, she turned away, "I''ll remember this. I tried to be nice to you but you¡­ you disappointed me." Seeing her walk off, Edith tried to follow her but was stopped by Vivian and Isabella. "But¡­ won''t this cause trouble." "Just let her go. She''s a self-centered woman, she won''t listen to reason. But she''ll involve your father in this." Isabella said. "Hopefully she will." Vivian said and decided to keep herself at a safe distance from the party for the rest of the evening while accompanying Isabella and Edith. Meanwhile, Saskia seemed to have returned to the party and used Vivian''s allergy as an excuse to lift the embarrassment she felt off herself especially since this was the gathering of people she is mostly mixed with. As for the host, Natasha, she was courteous enough to excuse herself from the party for a minute and go check on Vivian. "I am so sorry about what just happened, Miss Vivian. I knew you told me once you were allergic to chemicals but I made sure this balm was especially harmless and chemical-free." She said while holding Vivian''s hands tightly. "It''s okay." Vivian said and retracted her hand away, "I am actually okay with it but not with the sudden rush of fragrance it caused." "This is so unfortunate. Please, let me make this up for you. The jasmine was just the scent added by our specialist to enhance the scent of the balm. I''ll tell her to make a different scent. Maybe lavender or a woody element if you are okay with it." Natasha said. "I wouldn''t want to trouble you, I am okay either way." "Nonsense. As an affiliate of the Conglomerate, I''ll see to the well-being of the members of House Moore before everything else. That is a law I live by." Seeing Natasha acting all friendly, Vivian could swear she didn''t feel the same as she did back during the meeting when she opposed the idea of ViTech. Of course, Vivian''s success has changed how the world sees her and Natasha would naturally switch her attitude. After making sure everything was okay with Vivian, Natasha retreated back to the party and Vivian seemed to be planning to head home and call it an evening. Isabella and Edith were planning to see her off and walked with her on her way out. "That allergy turned out to be so dangerous, I''ve known you for almost all our lives and I haven''t noticed it." Isabella said with a sorry face. "Don''t worry about it. I didn''t have it when I was younger so I guess it developed recently and as I said, it is not a bother if the scent is faint." Vivian said and patted Isabella''s arm. As the girls walked through the garden, loitering and lazing off to make their trip longer, they ran into a scene they never expected to stumble on if they took the direct route. It was Natasha Ivanov facing someone standing behind a tree from the direction that the three came from. "I said no. This isn''t some child''s play. I hired you to get me results and results are what I expect." Natasha''s voice was heard speaking angrily. "Natasha, listen to reason. Gratia isn''t ready to be sold just yet. The side effects of using this new compound are severe and proven to be unsafe." A voice of a young woman was heard replying. "You promised me that Gratia would have no chemical compounds. Now you are telling me to stop the production after spending all that? Do you realize how limited these resources are? How expensive the whole thing is?" Natasha spoke with obvious distress. Hearing how critical this was, the three girls decided to keep their presence faint and hid behind some nearby shrubs. From what it seemed, Natasha was talking to her expert. "Everything in life is chemicals one way or the other. Even if the source is plant-based, it can become a fatal poison in the end. Please, Natasha, give me a week. You can''t push this on the market in two days." "I don''t care. The resources given to us are the rarest in the whole Empire. The monthly meeting will take place four days from now and if I don''t have results, my share in the Conglomerate will take a hit I can''t afford." Natasha said. "You don''t care? You are using this balm. It is your health we are talking about. Is money everything to you?" The expert asked. "Money is power." Natasha said and turned away, "My life is my business. Health is something that can be treated with enough money. Also, Gratia works like magic. The effect¡­ I can feel it." As Natasha said so, she touched the nearby tree trunk and tightened her grip on it¡­ Crack! CRAAAACK! Just with grip strength alone, Natasha displayed something out of the realm of possibility. The tree trunk she touched was crushed by her grip and turned into squishy splinters which didn''t even injure her hand or leave a single mark. Everyone''s eyes winded, from Vivian to Edith and Isabella, this included the young woman who was speaking to Natasha and who backed away from the tree to be visible to the three young ladies from their hiding spot. And to their utter surprise¡­ it was Matilda. "I can''t believe this. Do you know how many times I have implored you to stop these pointless actions?" Seeing how Natasha used this unnatural power, Matilda seemed horrified as she backed away. "I will not stop the greatest cosmetic ever made because of the rambling of someone still wet behind the ears. Get out of here at once!" Natasha replied and cornered Matilda with her domineering attitude. "You''re a mad woman! You must be stopped." Matilda said with fear visible in her eyes. "Stopped?! You think you can stop me? Guards! Guards! Deal with this wretch at once. I want her out!" It was a scene that made Vivian and the other two almost lose their heads from shock. Matilda, the game''s heroine, and the Crown Prince''s girlfriend was in league with Natasha Ivanov, a partner of the Moore Conglomerate. This meant that the Prince''s faction breached the conglomerate and it was not looking good. As two guards came to escort Matilda out, Vivian disappeared from where she was and moved like the wind in a different direction, chasing the guards and Matilda. Edith and Isabella were bewildered by Vivian''s disappearance but Edith tracked her immediately and saw what she was doing. If she was about to do something reckless and they couldn''t stop her, at least they had to help her get out of it safely, so the two nodded before acting. The Villianess Union of Vivian and Edith, with its latest honorary member, Isabella, were now off to make their first official action on the field. 75: One Heroine, Three Villainesses As she skipped through the garden, following the most optimal path she could find, Vivian observed the movements of the two guards and tracked them as they walked through a pathway away from the party and any of the attendees. Vivian felt that the area they reached now was the most isolated and made her move. She got rid of her high heels and walked barefoot on the grass, using her techniques of infiltration to close in like a ghost on the guards and then from a spot where they couldn''t see, she threw one of her shoes across them very fast it caused them to halt their steps and look at where it came from. Matilda was between the two guards and she couldn''t help but cower and put her guard up as this strange object flew by but as the three of them tried to check out what came through the darkness, they couldn''t notice Vivian as she had already crossed from the other side and ran on the wet grass like a ghost in the night. "Who''s there?" As the guards called, they were all looking in the wrong direction as Vivian charged them from behind. She was done hiding and ran in full stride, tearing her dress from the side but as they turned around to check who was behind them, Vivian leaped on the other guard holding his neck by her arms, and used him as leverage to kick with her two legs at the other guard using her Aura Star to reinforce the attack. The attack came with the power of a cannonball and the poor innocent guard was launched toward a large tree trunk hitting it with his entire body and falling down groaning. The other guard whom Vivian used as leverage lost his footing and tripped by her sudden attack, taking her to the ground with him. Vivian, however, was faster, and in her two hands, she held her pistols Romeo and Juliet in reverse, using their butts as blunt weapons. She was between the two guards and as they tried to recover, she went all¡­ Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Bonk! Four simultaneous hits, two for each guard, and every single hit targeted their heads. With such technique and ferocity, the two guards stood no chance against her, who used their heads to make a rhythm composed of short-term amnesia and blunt force trauma. Lastly, it was Matilda who remained as she stood. Face to face with the black-dressing, pale-looking, barefoot-walking, gun-wielding Vivian Moore, the little courage she had against her bully crumbled like salt in water. "What''s up?" Vivian blew her disheveled hair off her eyes. Instinctively, the Heroine backed a few steps against the villainess who walked towards her like the incarnation of a nightmare demoness. The situation got heated all of a sudden and the Heroine instinctively used her magic. "Virtos Horti!" Matilda aimed her ring at Vivian and shouted her only combat spell right away. Golden threads of magic formed around her and formed strange plant-like apparitions that looked like whips. They were made of light and they had thorns all over them. If anyone adept in botany sees them, they would recognize them as a thorny vine known as the Devil''s Thorn vines. Those vines grow in forests and are very annoying plants to deal with but Matilda just summoned three large ones in spectral shape and aimed them right at Vivian. "Don''t get any closer!" She spoke while stepping back. "¡­" Vivian wasn''t even in a good mood and kept stepping toward Matilda. "I- I am warning you!" Matilda said and kept stepping back but in the heat of the moment¡­ Flash! Flash! Flash! ¡­ she fired the three whip-like vines toward Vivian. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Vivian''s eyes never blinked and she moved her right shoulder out of the way of the first attack, then moved her right arm away from the second, and moved her right leg faster than the third. Vivian''s superior speed still outclassed her opponent even if it was the Heroine. In her defense though, the Heroine was only giving warning shots. But as Vivian got even closer to Matilda, a hand grabbed Matilda''s arm from the side and pulled her away from Vivian. "Run!" Matilda wasn''t even willing to face Vivian so once an opportunity of running away was open, she chose to follow whoever that was without hesitation. To her surprise though, her savior was a tall lady wearing a fabulous saffron dress whom she recognized from the Auction House as Isabella De Clare. As for Vivian, she was baffled by Isabella''s actions and attempted to chase them but Edith suddenly appeared in front of her. "Woah! Woah! Calm down, Vivian. The sun is getting low." Edith said while trying to stop Vivian. "How the F do you know that reference?" Vivian almost stumbled from bafflement. "It just felt the right thing to say." Edith replied and dismissed it, "But you, did you just use Aura?" "Yes, what of it?" Vivian replied and then looked at Isabella who was taking Matilda away, "Just what is she thinking, I need to get to them." "We were just worried you''d harm her or she''d harm you." Edith said and then looked at how the guards were taken down, "That''s some serious skillset you have." "Thanks, love. Now, mind telling me where Isabella is taking her." Vivian asked.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Don''t worry about it, you''ll get her. That Isabella is so crafty, it terrifies me." Edith replied. "That''s a De Clare for you." Vivian said with a sigh. "Alright. This way." Edith said and led the way. As the two ran, Matilda couldn''t understand why Isabella was helping her but she knew she needed to get away from this place as soon as possible. If she was found to be dealing with the Moore''s subsidiaries, she''d be in trouble on so many fronts. "That was dangerous! Why did Vivian attack you like that?" As they were running, Isabella asked. "I- I don''t know. She isn''t particularly happy with me." Matilda replied while trying to catch her breath, "Thank you for saving me." "No, I''m only doing this for Valentine." Isabella said and looked backward, "I think we are safe here." Matilda inhaled and exhaled from spending all that stamina running from Vivian and turned to Isabella. "I must leave now." She said. "Don''t be stupid." Isabella said and looked at her fiercely, "Vivian may have lost us but do you know where she''ll start looking?" "N-No!" Matilda replied with hesitation. "At the mansion''s gate of course. She should have gotten there the moment she lost track of us." Isabella explained, "It was unwise coming here, Matilda Ambrose." "I am so sorry. I was really¡­ I know it is unwise." Matilda said and rested her back on a tree. "Alright, listen well. The best course of action is to head towards my carriage, once the party is over, all carriages will start leaving the place in groups and the traffic will prevent Vivian from making a move against you." Isabella said and walked through the garden''s path, "This way." The two walked through the garden while keeping taps on their surroundings, they started conversing slowly and Isabella was all friendly with Matilda. The two have encountered each other before at the auction house on many occasions but they were barely acquaintances and Isabella sold Matilda many things in the past. In her subconscious, Matilda recognized Isabella as friendly, not knowing the trap she was walking into. "That was quite the distance. I suppose we are safe now." Isabella said. "It was indeed. Are you alright, my Lady?" Matilda asked. "I am, my dear. Something the matter?" Isabella was flattered by how Matilda was asking about her. "It is just you ran in these high heels and could have hurt yourself." Matilda pointed. "These heels?" Isabella looked at her feet and sighed, "If you knew how durable my feet are, you''d feel sorry for the heels instead. All those dancing lessons my mother forced upon me¡­ sigh!" Seeing Isabella put on such a face, Matilda was at a loss for what to say since it was her first time interacting this closely with Isabella. However, Isabella was no one if not the top social butterfly of Elgard. She switched topics almost right away. "You have gotten too close to Vivian this time, you shouldn''t let her catch alone like that ever again." Isabella said and assured Matilda by a kid pat on the back. "But I never knew Lady Vivian would be so violent. It was as if she wasn''t herself at all." Matilda said with a still worried face. "I don''t know either. Word among other ladies is that she started acting differently two months ago. Some say she started carrying guns and making tons of money. I don''t know what has gotten into her." Isabella said with a worried face. "It is saddening to see her this angry." Matilda said and looked down, "I know I offended her a few times and caused her pain but I swear on the name of all Saints I haven''t done anything to directly bring harm to her." "Tsk tsk tsk. That''s unfortunate! Some people in the world, no matter what you do, will always have a bad affinity with you." Isabella displayed her "sincere" feelings to Matilda before asking, "You better be careful. Don''t step too close to the Moore assets once again, who knows what will she do next time." "Yes¡­ of course¡­ I know I shouldn''t¡­ it is just¡­" Matilda said and tried to explain herself to Isabella. "Just?" Isabella looked at her then looked away with not much interest as she was checking the walkway they were walking in. "I had to come to Lady Natasha. My life depends on what she has." Matilda said with a troubled face. "Oh?" Isabella looked at her with bewilderment, "Then you could have gone for His Highness, I know you are close with him. Or maybe you could have asked Valentine, he''ll do anything for you, that one." "I am¡­ I am sorry, I can''t trouble you with this any further, Lady Isabella." Matilda said and tried to shake off the conversation. "It''s okay." Isabella said with a warm smile, "And please, drop Lady this and Lady that. You can call me Senior if you feel uncomfortable with informalities." Seeing how humble and friendly Isabella was, Matilda couldn''t believe she had run into such a "kind" person. "Thank you, Senior." Matilda said. "Oh, please. You are always welcome." Isabella said and patted Matilda''s back as the two entered the area where the carriages were parked, "Also, you can come to me if you want something. Whatever you think Natasha Ivanov can provide, the De Clares can provide a ton more." Hearing that, Matilda smiled but her smile was rather faint. "It''s okay, Senior. What Natasha has is something you have already provided and I am sure you have run out of." Matilda said trying to make Isabella look past it. "Now you have made me curious." Isabella said and opened the carriage door for Matilda, urging her to walk inside. Right away, Matilda walked inside the carriage and took a seat as Isabella started climbing behind her, but then¡­ "Senior, run!" Matilda cried and tried to prevent Isabella from coming into the carriage but to her surprise, Isabella forced Matilda back. "It is my Lady to you, commoner girl." Isabella said as she closed the carriage''s door behind her. Matilda was shocked to her core while looking at Isabella then looked at the other young woman who was already waiting for them in the dim carriage. Vivian was already here waiting for them to arrive, sitting in the darkness all by herself, and only her pale face could be seen facing Matilda with a stone-cold expression. "Hello, commoner girl," Vivian said as she stared coldly at Matilda. Thinking fast, Matilda rushed to the other direction of the carriage and tried to open the other door that wasn''t blocked by Isabella but as she opened it, she was pushed back in from outside. "Sit back, commoner girl." Edith walked in after pushing Matilda inside. Matilda was forced to sit facing Vivian and on her right and left sat both Edith and Isabella. Vivian simply tapped the carriage wall and the driver started moving immediately towards the outside of Natasha''s mansion. Matilda was frozen with fear as she was surrounded by three women of not just high peerage but some of the most dangerous backgrounds in the Empire. One holding her at gunpoint, another was a female knight with a strong physique, and the third was a cunning woman that fooled her into dropping her guard. Most of all, Matilda was shocked by how Isabella played her and looked at her with disbelief. "What? If you asked anyone, you''d know that Vivian and I are basically sisters." Isabella said implying that she never betrayed Matilda from the start and she was just acting. "It''s okay, Isabella. Our little commoner here is used to instigating betrayal wherever she goes." Vivian said while looking directly at Matilda''s eyes. "I haven''t instigated anything, my Lady." Matilda replied with a shaky voice. She even tried to hold her hands up to make her position clear but Vivian suddenly aimed her gun at Matilda''s heart and Edith yanked her left hand away while holding Matilda''s magic ring. "You try to use it and I''ll crush your finger like crackers." Edith said. "Cracker biscuits?" Vivian asked. "No, cracker sugar." Edith replied. "I thought it would be cracker nuts." Isabella said. "Now, I''m hungry." Vivian rolled her eyes then looked at them asking, "Tea and biscuits at my place?" "A late-night tea party? I am game." Isabella said and turned to Edith, "What about you?" "I still have some time left before curfew." Edith replied then looked at Matilda, "What about her?" "Depends." Vivian said and a dangerous light flashed in her beautiful violet eyes, "Do you want a place on my table¡­ or on my menu?" 76: Natashas Folly (1) "Home, sweet home! Welcome to my humble establishment, ladies." The four ladies descended from the carriage bearing the De Clare insignia, three of them wearing exquisite night dresses while the last of them was wearing a normal gown. "I can''t believe you haven''t invited me here before." Edith said as she stepped towards Vivian''s ViTech building. "That''s not my fault. My friends can just pop up any time. Invitations are for strangers." Vivian replied and stepped forward to the gate before knocking a few times in a specific manner. A few seconds later, the metal gate of the building was partially opened and a hoarse voice spoke up. "Welcome back, Director." An elderly man appeared behind the gate and greeted Vivian before looking at the ladies behind her and clearing the way inside. "Mr. Harper, my friends and I are here for some private conversation. Please, don''t let anyone know we are here." "But you are without security, Director." The old man said, "Sir Logan has clear instructions to contact him if this happens." "Contact him then. It will take some time before he arrives anyway." Vivian shrugged before looking at the other three, "Let''s go in, ladies. The night is still young." Edith and Isabella were about to step forward but seeing how Matilda wasn''t willing to move, they all looked towards her and then looked at Vivian. "Did you feel excluded when I said ladies?" Vivian asked. "I am sorry, I shouldn''t be here." Matilda wanted to back away but Isabella stopped her by her hand. "Don''t worry. Vivian doesn''t eat little kids as it was rumored." She said. "There was a rumor like that?" Edith asked only for Isabella to roll her eyes. Matilda hesitated but seeing that there was no escape from those three, she agreed to walk inside knowing that they could overpower her if they wanted to, especially with Edith around. The four walked in and climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor where Vivian''s office was. Vivian opened the door first and then turned to an electrical switch on the walls. "Brace your eyes." She said and turned the light on. "Oh, God!" Edith closed her eyes from the strong burst of light as almost eight lamps were now lighting the room. "Why are they so bright all of a sudden?" Isabella asked. "Professor Bellfield has enhanced the design and as his sponsor, my office is the first place in the world to be fully equipped with full electrical lighting." Vivian showed off her privileges with clear pride. "Congratulations on your success, Vivian." Edith said with a warm smile. "Thank you, my dear." Vivian replied. As Isabella and Edith made themselves at home, only Matilda remained standing where she was and looked around her without much expression. "Any thoughts, commoner girl?" Vivian asked. Matilda turned to Vivian and then looked down to avoid the eyes of the villainess who seemed like they would eat her alive. "Congratulations, my lady. You have made something wonderful." Matilda said. "Aww! You''re so welcome." Vivian said with a smile that disappeared in an instant after that, "What were you doing with Natasha Ivanov?" "Ohoho!" Isabella heard how Vivian''s tone switched and she turned back to see how the interrogation unfolded. Even Edith was fully focused on how Vivian pressured Matilda simply by walking toward her and acting big and tough. "I was working for Lady Natasha." Matilda replied and kept her head down to avoid Vivian''s domineering attitude. "Working for her? Why? Your boyfriend Prince doesn''t support you well enough?" Vivian asked. "I was merely making a career of my own¡­" Matilda tried to reply but Vivian was already closing on her which compelled her to step away from Vivian. "You are not required to have a career until you graduate two years from now." Vivian said. "I¡­ am¡­ a commoner. I need a career sooner than anyone else." Matilda replied. "Oh my! And here I almost thought you forgot your place." Vivian said with a mocking smile. "Not when you always keep reminding me." For the first time, Matilda replied with an impatient and angry attitude. For a second there, Vivian was almost taken aback by that sudden shift of personality. This goody-two-shoes heroine from the game and the scatterbrain commoner girl she always bullied had this in her? "What did you just say?" Vivian asked and walked faster toward Matilda who backed away to a wall, "Cat ate your tongue? Say it again." "I said¡­" Matilda wanted to steel her nerves and reply but Vivian''s expressions weren''t helping since whenever Matilda tries to gather her courage, one look at Vivian''s face makes her fluster and look away all of a sudden. "You said?" Vivian, however, wasn''t backing down from this one. "Alright, alright, enough with this." At that time, Isabella had to stand in order to return the peace between the two. She walked between them and made Vivian back off. "Sorry about her. She''s actually a very nice person." Isabella said and smiled at Matilda, "And sorry about the way I fooled you to follow me to the carriage. It was the only way to get to you without making a scene." "Just let me go. I don''t want trouble." Matilda said and averted her eyes off Isabella''s gaze. "Sadly, my little junior, you need to answer a few questions since you have walked into trouble yourself." Isabella said and invited Matilda to sit, "Viv, where are your manners? We invite guests to sit down first and offer tea before talking with them." "Whatever!" "No maid is around and since this is your place, make us some tea, darling." Isabella said. "Wha¡­" "You''re a terrible host, Vivi." After exhaling a long sigh, Vivian walked to the tea set in the corner, found the water kettle, and put it on a small stove before using the uncommercialized version of the friction matches to light the fire up. After adding the water and the tea leaves, it took a few minutes for them to boil and steep before they were ready to be served. Eventually, Vivian poured the tea into three cups before getting reminded by Isabella to make a fourth one. "The tea is ready. If you want honey or sugar cubes like babies, add them yourself." Vivian said as she served the tray and sat down. "I''ll add just a bit of honey." Isabella said while smiling at the unamused Vivian. "I''ll go for a neat cup of tea." Edith said and drank the tea as it always should be drunk, pure. "You''re kissing her ass, Edith." Isabella said with a sly smile.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Isabella!" Vivian stomped. "How is that an ass-kissery? I enjoy my tea the way my host intends it to be." Edith said and started drinking from her cup before her eyes widened with shock. She then added three sugar cubes with an awkward smile to Vivian. "So, from what I understand, Natasha Ivanov hired you because of your skills to create her newest cosmetic, Gratia, and you tried to stop its production because you thought something was wrong with it?" Isabella asked. "Yes¡­ my lady." Matilda replied while looking between Isabella and Vivian. "And a friend recommended you to her because she promised you something important that your life depends on?" Isabella asked again. "Yes." Matilda confirmed. "This leaves us in a pretty tight spot. You refuse to tell us who that friend is and what she promised you." Isabella sighed as she drank her tea. "And even from an outsider''s perspective, the relationship between you and House Moore should be bad enough that a partner of the Moore conglomerate ¨C such as Natasha ¨C wouldn''t dare to hire you unless Count Julian Moore allows it. I assume he didn''t." Edith added. "I have answered all the questions I can. Now, if you excuse me." Matilda said and stood up. She intended to turn and walk away from the room as it seemed that the trio of villainesses had no intention of harming her and so she felt safe just to turn her back and leave but¡­ "I suggest you take your seat, drink your tea, and answer the goddamn questions." Taking the bad cop role all the way, Vivian had a gun in her hand and pointed at the seat with it. Matilda couldn''t help but freeze before tensing up and not knowing what to do. "Viv, this is so rude, aim that thing away." Isabella instantly told Vivian to stand down and turned to Matilda, "I suggest doing what she said, you''ll walk out of here unharmed as long as you do so, you have my word." Seeing that even Isabella wasn''t simply letting her go, Matilda sat back with a dejected face. "I assume that this friend who introduced you to Natasha is young lord Robert Moore. I mean, who else could it be?" Edith concluded and looked at Vivian who wasn''t against that theory. Isabella kept focusing on Matilda''s reaction but the latter didn''t confirm or deny it. "As for the thing you want from Natasha, I have a good guess what it is. I didn''t think Natasha had the gall to give it to you but knowing who you are and who she is, I think I figured it out." Vivian said and looked at Matilda cunningly. "Then good job figuring it out." Matilda said with a solemn face. "The Spirit Lotus." Vivian said and seemed to be right on point. Isabella narrowed her eyes and looked between Vivian and Matilda a few times. "The Spirit Lotus, huh? So that''s what it was all about." Isabella said then turned to Vivian, "Wait! Why did Count Julian give the Lotus to Natasha?" "Natasha has only three seeds from the Lotus, not the whole thing." Vivian said and explained, "After opening the Lotus, our people extracted 8 seeds from it and distributed them among the specialized departments. Since she was working in herbs and chemicals, Natasha acquired three seeds while the pharmaceutical department got the rest. While the Lotus'' purpose was to determine why it was the only living thing that originated on Albion that managed to cross the ocean, no one has made any progress yet." Vivian''s words explained a lot about the situation of the Lotus. Still, those words seemed to have rubbed someone the wrong way. "Only your people were unable to with how exploitative they were researching it." Matilda said in anger, "Those seeds are absolutely the most beautiful thing in the world and hold immense life force within them. All you did was ruin a perfectly healthy plant to figure out why it was alive and how to haul more living things like it from Albion for your own benefit." Hearing Matilda speak like that, the three villainesses were taken aback and looked at each other. This meek girl was now almost ready to stand up and beat them all with how fervent she acted. "Alright, let me make one point clear. This isn''t some noble quest or charitable endeavor. This is business ¨C cold, hard, and unforgiving. It''s a lifestyle, not just a job, and one that benefits every citizen of this Empire. We act humanely when necessary, and we exploit when necessary. The Spirit Lotus, no matter how many millions it is worth, is just another resource we own. So if you have no reason whatsoever except that we are acting too "exploitatively" with our property, I suggest that you watch that tongue of yours, or with God as my witness, I''ll go after you in a tribunal court of law until not even a crown prince can dig you out from the pile of turd I will bury you under." Vivian''s words struck a chord of fear in Isabella and Edith. Their eyes met, a silent pact formed: never to provoke Vivian''s wrath ever. Matilda, however, couldn''t even meet Vivian''s gaze. Fear and humiliation washed over her, and she remained frozen in her seat. "What my friend said is to not interfere with her family''s business or¡­ you know¡­ she can take legal actions." Isabella toned the heat down a notch and looked at Matilda, "Listen, you are young, seventeen, right? You can get excited about things but don''t let it get the better of you. Be mindful of what you do or say." "And stay away from my house." Vivian said. "That too." Isabella added with a smile before standing up and handing each their cup of tea, "Now, you two drink that tea before it gets cold, and let bygones be bygones." As the situation cooled off, Isabella and Edith took the lead to crack up conversation about anything even though the two shared very little. Who could have figured out that the beef between Vivian and Matilda could make the feud between the De Clares and the Blacks seem nothing so serious? "The tea is delicious. Thank you." Matilda said as she put the cup and the saucer back on the tea table. "You drank it without sweetener just like Vivian, huh? You two are something else." Isabella said and tried to lighten the mood. "Can I leave now?" Matilda asked. "Not so fast." Vivian said and looked at Matilda, "I know it is not my business to care but what was wrong with Natasha''s new product? That Gratia brand?" The other two remembered that there was something like that and it was what started this whole scene. Now that Vivian remembered it, they got curious by default as well. "Are you sure you want to know in front of outsiders?" Matilda asked Vivian, "This may cause a substantial loss to your family''s reputation." "They are my good friends, they know how to keep secrets." Vivian replied. "Well, since it is you, you can actually do something about it." Matilda sighed and looked at Vivian with a serious face, "Lady Natasha has used my skills as a botanist to awaken the hidden potential in the lotus seeds. Since the seeds had a lot of vitality, they would be difficult to consume directly so I suggested using them as catalysts to enhance other materials." "I see." Vivian nodded, "That would boost the effects of many things." "Indeed. We are talking about the strongest de-aging balm in the market. While the formula isn''t anything special, I have noticed strange behavior and different skin abnormalities on those testers who tried it. We are talking about skin deformities and reversed effects. It can even cause joint pain and many other symptoms." Matilda said. "Wait! Hold on! Natasha went ahead with the product and gave samples out in the party to noble ladies?" Isabella asked. "She told me she wouldn''t!" Matilda closed her eyes in frustration, "The symptoms are there but as long as one keeps using the product, the side effects will be mild but they will be compelled to keep using it." "Addiction!" Vivian said and her eyes were brimming with anger. "Yes, that''s the best word to describe it." Matilda nodded, "Getting the most influential women in the Empire to be addicts to her product. That''s a lot of leverage to have." "This is bad!" Edith said and stood up, "Natasha isn''t an Elgardishwoman, having leverage over so many noble ladies is a threat by itself, my family should be notified." "Wait!" Vivian said and stopped Edith from leaving, "There must be more." Edith looked at Vivian and then turned to Matilda. "Hey, this is no simple business now. It is a matter of the security of our Empire. Don''t leave out any details." She said. "It is as you heard. The Spirit Lotus seeds have a lot of Vitality which is beneficial but they have transformative effects as well which caused this simple cosmetic formula to be very harmful. It has terrible side effects but as long as one keeps using it, the effects won''t show much. It is addictive since it is very effective at keeping women''s appearance younger. Not to mention that Natasha was insisting on hiding more side effects that I didn''t know about." Matilda said. "Vivian, what are we dealing with here?" Isabella asked Vivian with a serious tone. "Well, I have studied some botany for the exams so vitality and transformative effects are really a weird mix to have in a single plant but I am inclined to ask, are the effects reversible?" Vivian asked. "With the right medicine, the damage can be stopped but the process of reversing the damage will take a long while and will depend on many factors." Matilda replied and then stood up, "I must notify His Highness about this as soon as possible. He''ll know what to do." "I advise you to be wiser than this. He won''t be able to move without a justifiable cause and evidence. However, Natasha can''t be left alone. I''ll notify the Inquisitors and bring an investigation force right away." Edith said. "Hold your horses, the two of you." Vivian said and stood up, "This is a matter between House Moore and its partner. I''ll send word to Lord Father and he will hand Natasha to House Black if her intentions were to infiltrate the noble society and gain leverage over its members. As for the Prince, if he gets involved, don''t blame me for what I will do." Taking matters into her family''s hands, that''s how things should be and since it is going to be resolved this way, Edith and Isabella had nothing to say. "How is this any different? Do you intend to leave her be? Let people get dragged into her greedy schemes when the product is on the shelves tomorrow?" Matilda stood up against Vivian and spoke angrily. "Tone it down, commoner girl. This is neither your business nor do you have the authority to even have an opinion." Vivian said with annoyance, "And who said I''ll leave her till tomorrow? That product will not see the light of day." Vivian said and walked to her desk then turned to some strange tubes installed behind it. She opened the lid covering one of them and spoke into it. "Voros! Voros!" As she called a couple of times, a voice replied to her a few moments later. "Chief! Voros here!" Voros replied. "Prepare the weapons." She said. "Old gen¡­ new gen?" Voros asked. "Three sets of old gen." She replied. "Aye!" Voros said and went away. Vivian closed the lid over the communication tube and turned to the other young women, two guns adorning her hands. "Ladies and commoner girl, we''re going to chew bubblegum¡­" Ka-chak! "¡­ and kick ass." 77: Natashas Folly (2) Click-Clock! Unsheath! Sheath! Clink! Clink! Clink! Chuck! Cling! Kachink! Swish! Swoosh! "Everything is in order it seems." (Vivian) "I like this sword very much. Impressive work, Mr. Voros." (Edith) "Can I have these steel boots?" (Isabella) "Go ahead. Take what you need, keep mobility in mind." (Vivian) "Thanks, Viv. You''re the best." (Isabella) "Are you all being serious?" (Matilda) In this happy convention of lethal items and killing machines, one heroine stood against three villainesses who were arming themselves to the teeth and getting ready to do something dangerous. "It is people''s lives we''re trying to save, and now you bring out all those crazy weapons?" Matilda said, looking at the three noble ladies. "She''s one of those, huh? Should have figured that out." Edith said while rolling her eyes. "Those?" Isabella asked. "People who think others can''t go on a killing spree for the greater good." Vivian said mockingly and looked at Matilda with disapproval, "How disappointing! And I at least thought you have a spine." The three returned to their own devices and Vivian faced Voros. "Thank you for bringing all those toys on short notice." She said. "No probs, chief¡­ kill lots." Voros said with a vicious smile and encouraging fists. "Oh boy! We are not killing anyone, Mr. Voros. These are just for protection." Vivian said trying to hide the twisted nature of Voros. "Oh¡­ sad!" Voros looked down and shook his head. "Anyhow, you said you got something made for me." Vivian said and tried to distract him from saying something incriminating. "Right! Remember promise?" He asked her with a big grin. "What promise?" She asked. "Promise promise!" Voros tried to remind her, "Make you sword promise." "Oh, right. There was that." Vivian remembered how Voros saw her training and told her he''d make her a suitable sword. "Here." He said and handed her an unseemingly small box. It was almost over a foot and a half in length and as she opened it, what she found inside was no sword of course but a neat-looking dagger. She felt a bit awkward as she picked it up and looked at Voros. "It''s¡­ beautiful." She said and tried to maintain a smile, "You said you''d make me a rapier though." "Right¡­ changed mind." Voros said as he was helping Isabella with the armored boots. "You changed your mind? Why haven''t you said anything?" Vivian asked while being concerned for her training results which depended on the sword Voros was going to fashion for her. "Aim up. Press switch." "Alrig¡­" Click! CLINK! "Oh!" (Vivian) "Oh my!" (Isabella)The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Bloody hell!" (Edith) Just as Voros instructed, Vivian aimed the dagger up, pressed the switch he designed in a deep point under the crossguard, and suddenly, the dagger''s blade extended three to four times its original length. "Good lord in heavens! This is like magic." Vivian exclaimed. "Just metallurgy. Simple." Voros, however, said that he considered it something trivial. In truth, he is someone who made an entire suit of tactical armor that can turn itself into various weapons depending on which parts he takes from it and that was already magical. The simple fact that a dagger could be turned into a sword and back was as he said, simple. The craftsmanship of that sword, however, wasn''t simple in any way, shape, or form. Voros made the blade very durable yet flexible and can endure any blows it takes while it can bend marvelously and strike from deceptive angles. The crossguard was round on top of it, the hilt was D-shaped. It offered little hand protection but it was light, sharp, and within the range Vivian prefers. It was as if Voros had analyzed what Vivian needed and put it all in one single thing. A dagger with terrifying stabbing power and a sword with versatile uses that can both cut and stab. "Is that a Spadroon, Mr. Voros?" Edith asked. "Spadroon¡­ right." Voros nodded. "Never heard of a spadroon before!" Isabella said. "A new design actually, popular among army officers, widely criticized by knights though. It is like a strange mix between a rapier and a saber if it makes any sense." Edith replied and looked at Vivian, "Since you are training to be a female knight as well, I think it is a good weapon." "It is indeed." Vivian said with glee and turned to Voros, "Thank you, Voros. You delivered me yet another marvel." "Name." Voros said and waited for Vivian to come up with one. "Hmmm¡­ let''s hold back the naming ceremony for that one. My weapons headcanon will get all weird now. Romeo and Juliet had a squabble because I used her with Macbeth so let''s wait until things settle between the two love guns." Vivian said. "Oh!" Voros nodded and made an understanding face, "Hope things go well." Nobody else understood what was going on but it seemed that Vivian had been playing with her weapons way too much and she was starting to develop some sort of drama between them now. Aside from the love quarrel between Romeo and Juliet (guns), Macbeth (push dagger) and Titania (mouse gun) were seeing each other, while Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (cane-sword umbrella) were still struggling with who''s boss. The spadroon''s arrival in this drama will need some development first to fit Vivian''s weird head-canon. "Everybody armed?" After wasting enough time, Vivian was ready to lead the group into battle, and looking at them, it seemed that everyone had picked up something from Santa Voros'' holiday gifts. Edith picked a saber that she found balanced and easy to conceal under her dress while Isabella was more interested in brass knuckles, armored boots, and vambraces, and she even got a small flintlock musketoon which is a shorter version of a normal musket. "What about her?" Hearing Isabella asks while pointing at Matilda, Vivian raised a brow and looked at Edith. "In Archester, a commoner should get a permit to bear arms so¡­" Edith said. "What she said." Vivian added her voice to Edith. "I am not going anywhere with you. The time is already late and¡­" Matilda wanted to protest but Edith stepped towards her aggressively. "And we can''t risk you running off to dear Prince Liam or Dear Lord Edmond¡­ or Dear Lord Robert¡­ or Dear Lord Anyone we may or may not know about." Edith said very meanly. Vivian and Isabella looked at each other, clapping and applauding Edith in their hearts, their little junior villainess was turning out to be quite the bully. "What are you trying to say, Lady Edith?" Matilda asked with visible anger in her eyes directed towards Edith. "I''m not saying anything anyone can''t figure out on their own." Edith replied with daring eyes, ready to make all sorts of trouble. "Alright, young juniors. You two have proven your points." Getting a hold of the atmosphere, Isabella stood between the two, "Tonight, it is all about coming together to face one enemy. Whether we love or hate one another, it is time to act noble and selfless, even our parents stand together under the King''s Banner when they go out to war and aren''t particularly fans of each other, isn''t that right, Edith?" Edith looked at Isabella and suddenly, all her anger and aggression towards Matilda poofed away. "Fine. Guess I''ll have a piece of her later." She said and backed away. Meanwhile, Matilda''s emotions seemed to have been riled up and she couldn''t be as callous as Edith whose aggressiveness was all just an act. She backed away and sat on a far-off chair on her own. "Alright, ladies. I know we are rushing into enemy territory without much thought but here''s the plan. Isabella is on our way back to the party which only has one more hour left, since she is the most popular social butterfly, Natasha won''t ask questions and will be welcoming of her. As for the rest of us, we will be dropped on the way before the party''s area where guards are the lightest. Edith, you are the one with the best set of senses here so I''ll leave that decision to you." "Understood." "We''ll move in a straight way through the garden right to the main building, Natasha''s villa. According to the intelligence kindly provided by our guest, Matilda, the research lab lies beneath the villa in its basement. Our target is to acquire those notes along with any incriminating evidence that can connect Natasha to this situation with certainty and get out of there without being seen. If we are caught, we have to fight our way out with the least possible noise. Any questions?" "What about me?" Isabella asked, "I get to return back to the party and that''s it?" "That''s not it, of course. You''ll only distract Natasha for a minute or two saying that you had to take me back home since I wasn''t feeling alright and now you are here to pick someone¡­ Edith perhaps. Use any excuse and rendezvous with us behind the villa. If you are more than 15 minutes late, we will go on with just the three of us." "Don''t worry, I''ll find a way." Isabella said. "Alright, if we''re all clear, let''s be on the move." 78: Natashas Folly (3) Back under the trees of the garden around Natasha''s villa, Vivian, Matilda, and Edith walked in that order and approached the main building from the back. Many servants were coming and going as it seemed they were about to wrap up the party at any time. They hid behind a tree and watched the place for any opening. "That''s too many of them. We can''t enter from that area no matter what." Edith said. "Indeed. We''ll need to find a different way." Vivian nodded. "Can''t we just go, Lady Vivian? You can bring your house''s knights tomorrow and search the place." Matilda said in dissatisfaction. "I''m going to pretend we didn''t just have the same argument five minutes ago." Vivian said and turned to Edith, "We''ll need a distraction." "How? The three of us aren''t supposed to be here so the only thing we can do is¡­" As Edith was saying that, a group of servants started approaching the back of the villa but this time, a commission was happening. "Please, let us escort you back to the party, my Lady." "This isn''t where the party is supposed to be." On the lead of that group was none other than Isabella who seemed to be not too keen on the subtle approach. "I said¡­ hiccup¡­ that I know where I am¡­ hiccup¡­ going! Get¡­ away!" Struggling to walk in a straight line, speaking in a strange manner, and acting all sorts of crazy, it seemed that Isabella had drunk herself to the verge of sanity. "Please, my lady. This way is the party." "Nope! Hahaha! Can''t catch me!" As the servant tried to stop her, Isabella ran to the side and raced the servants beyond the villa to the back garden. While she seemed happy and giggling, she took a second to turn towards Vivian and the others before sending a wink. "That Isabella¡­" Edith said and couldn''t help but shake her head wryly. "She''s a genius." Vivian said with a wide smile, "Here''s our distraction." As the ladies were about to dart from their place to the backdoor of the villa which now had no one watching it, they could all hear a¡­ Thud! ¡­ as Isabella fell down after stumbling. Everyone from the servant to Vivian''s party was stunned and all headed towards her. Vivian was concerned about her friend but Edith was smart enough to urge Vivian to move. The three ran and reached the stairs leading up to the back door but as they were about to scale it, Vivian and Edith sensed a presence and the two of them dragged Matilda to the side of the stairs to keep out of sight. "What''s going on?" At that time, a man walked down the stairs and his figure cast a huge shadow on the ground. Looking from their hiding spot, Vivian and the other two could see a burly guy almost as tall as Esmeralda. "Sir Igor. This lady has drunk way too much and wandered before passing out." One of the servants reported. "It''s alright. I''ll move her to rest in the guest room. Inform Madame Natasha about the situation." Igor replied with an emotionless tone. "Yes, sir. Right away, sir." The servant replied in an instant and seemed to have started running back to the party hot on heels. Vivian hid back behind the stairs and used her tactical umbrella as a cover to hide the three of them. Edith and Matilda didn''t know what that umbrella did since from their side, it appeared like a normal umbrella but as soon as the guard passed by, he didn''t even notice them to his right. "The big guy?" Vivian turned to Matilda. "Igor, Lady Natasha''s bodyguard and butler." Matilda replied. "That''s one absolute unit of a man!" Edith exclaimed. Vivian held her fist up and the other two girls quietened down. Igor the Butler/Bodyguard carried Isabella in his arms and walked back up to the villa with her. With another hand signal, Vivian ordered the two to walk ahead of her as she kept her umbrella ahead and covered them as they went up the stairs. "The laboratory is straight to the main hall accessed by a door under the main stairs of the villa, that''s what you said, right?" Edith asked Matilda. "Right." Matilda nodded. "Vivian, you cover the back." Edith said and walked ahead of the rest now that they were walking into the Villa. Edith''s senses were the most advanced among the three so she could traverse the place and notice others before they would notice her. Thanks to that, the group walked silently through the hallways of the villa and found themselves in the main hall.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The central stairway of the villa was busy with a few servants coming and going but as soon as it cleared up, Vivian covered a doorway with her umbrella and the other two snuck to the side of the stairway. Matilda approached the wooden wall under the stairs and held a candlestick on the side that she had seen Natasha do it before but no matter how she tried to pull it, the candlestick didn''t budge. "I¡­ I don''t know what is happening. It should have¡­" Matilda said while appearing flustered. "A double locking system." Vivian said and handed her umbrella to Edith, "Hold it and cover us." Vivian took the lead and carefully inspected the place before finding an unusual keyhole on the wall. She tried peeking into the hole but the place was already dark. "I can''t figure this out in the dark. I need some¡­" "Hold on." Matilda said and approached the keyhole with her finger, "Do you want it faint?" "As much as you can but I want to see the inside too." Vivian replied. "Luminix!" Matilda whispered and a small sparkle of light formed into a ball and entered the keyhole. It then merged with the metal of the locking mechanism and made it glow from the inside. "That''s¡­ impressive!" Vivian couldn''t help but think highly of magic but still gave Matilda the usual cold treatment. Still, she inserted a lockpick and the keyhole and fiddled with it for a couple of seconds before twisting it and hearing a click. "Now." Matilda pulled the candlestick and this time, it moved with her and a secret door opened under the stairs. Immediately, the three walked inside and closed the door behind them. "Impressive work!" Edith said and handed back Vivian''s umbrella, "This thing works like magic too." "Don''t mention it. Just a simple camouflage trick." Vivian replied and stored her umbrella away then looked at Matilda, "You''re up." Feeling nervous, Matilda walked ahead and descended the stairs ahead of them before finally arriving at a familiar place, Natasha''s laboratory in her villa''s basement. The place was a typical basement at first and it seemed to be connected to several other rooms but none of which was active at the moment. Still, the laboratory itself was packed with all sorts of glass containers, chemical basins, herbs, oils, and fragrant perfumes. It was the laboratory of the genius cosmetics maker, Natasha Ivanov, someone who designs her recipes on his own most of the time. Invading such a personal space would get them all in trouble if they were to be found here and of course, that was only a matter of time. "Let''s get the evidence we need then get out of here." Vivian said and urged Matilda to move. Right away, Matilda went to the large desk on the other side of the lab and started searching for the paper on top of it. "It was here last time. She probably moved it elsewhere." Matilda said nervously. "The drawers." Vivian said while carefully watching over the other doors. "They are locked." Matilda said. Vivian moved towards her right away and Edith took Vivian''s place as a lookout. Looking at the drawer, Vivian could only groan in frustration. "These locks are too small. My picks won''t even fit in them." She said then her intrusive thoughts couldn''t help but mention, "Jane would have made a dirty joke out of this for sure." "I''ll take care of it." Edith said and joined the other two before holding a drawer''s handle tight and tightening her fist around it. With the first pull, the small lock broke and the drawer was free. "That will be hard to cover." Vivian said. "Stealth is overrated." Edith said while Matilda started looking through the drawers immediately. After popping a few drawers and messing with their inside, Matilda held up a journal and placed it on top of the desk. "That''s it?" Vivian asked. "It is it." Matilda looked at her and nodded before opening it right away and taking a look inside, "It is all here¡­ the side effects, the recipe¡­ hell, even the cause of the problem¡­ she has already isolated it? Then why didn''t she¡­" "Let me see." Vivian took the journal from Matilda and looked into it, "Rapid anti-aging side effects include psychological side-effects¡­ subjects become very sensitive, quick to anger¡­ psychological withdrawal effects may include depression¡­ Physical effects reverse causes the chemical to form on the face due to the reaction between certain chemicals and the air¡­ the regenerative effects of the Spirit Lotus seed can be unstable at times, causing strange layers of thick skin to form as a reaction for the dermal system to protect the rest of the face¡­ Shit! This is a failed product from the start!" "I don''t understand. She knows the risks better than even me¡­ why didn''t she stop?" Matilda asked with a tragic face. "There is more¡­" Vivian said and read through the recipe, "She was using it on herself. That damn witch!" "So she''s addicted?" Edith asked. "Something worse." Vivian said and showed Edith the paper, "There is a different formula." Edith and Matilda looked at what Vivian showed them and the two frowned. "She improved the formula then?" Edith asked. "No¡­ this is much worse¡­ she increased the potency. The side effects are almost the same but now¡­" Matilda replied before raising her face and looking at Vivian. "She can control the side effects." Vivian understood. "To what end?" Edith asked. Vivian turned to the shocked Matilda but the latter shook her head. "This is not a case of simple greed. We''ll need to interrogate Natasha to find out." Vivian concluded and kept the journal in her storage purse. This situation seems to be turning into a headache and she wasn''t even planning to have more enemies within the conglomerate, but if this cosmetic was out on the market in association with the Moore businesses, it would be nothing short of a scandal, one that will be used against her family by their rivals. Thankfully, Vivian left a note for Logan after she left ViTech''s headquarters saying that she was returning to the party to investigate a case of corruption, and if she is not out by midnight, he must seek her inside Natasha''s villa with a force of house knights. In a way, this was her get-out-of-jail card if she was to ever be caught in some evil scheme inside Natasha''s basement. Still, Logan would have to inform her father first which would turn into a bigger headache. "Lady Vivian, what is that?" But at that moment and from Natasha''s other drawer, Matilda fished out something that looked like a violet liquid in a small glass container sealed with a cork. "I don''t know." Vivian said and received the vial from Matilda while facing it towards the light. "Oh no!" But it wasn''t her who recognized it, it was Edith. "Edith, you know what that is?" Vivian asked. "I¡­ This¡­" Edith struggled to find the right words but after swallowing her saliva, she spoke, "I have seen something similar to that in the Inquisition Hall in a confiscated narcotics shipment." There was no need to say anything here. If it is narcotics, it can only be one thing that would cause Edith to be this frightened. "Bliss!" ? Emergency Quest: Find out the link between Bliss and Gratia! ? 79: Found Out! I understood a while ago that Sir System is only interested in the game''s plot and how to make me survive while still dealing some damage to the Heroine, the Prince, and their faction. This thorny path of resistance can be dangerous and may lead to disaster but both Vivian and Nadia weren''t the type of girls to go down without a fight. Granted that both died miserably at the end of their respective stories, I like to believe that even in the face of unstoppable odds, I can be as defiant as they were. Back to the present, I stared blankly at the message that portrayed something rather disturbing, something I never wanted to even imagine, yet for the sake of doing what is right, it had to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. In Natasha''s personal laboratory in her basement, I found enough evidence to launch an investigation into the matter regarding Natasha''s corruption and her use of harmful substances in her new cosmetic product. On top of that, there was a lead in this place that connects Gratia, the product in question, with Bliss, a new drug that is becoming prevalent on the streets of Archester. This is worse than bad news, it is a disaster in the making. House Moore has stood behind Natasha Ivanov ever since she came to Father with her ideas before I was even born. It was safe to say that she is close to Father on top of being a relative to Saskia and a successful businesswoman. Going against her will be a nightmare. Still¡­ "We have to confront her." "Is this girl right in the head? I just told you it is pointless." "Then we go to the proper authorities." "I am the proper authorities. When I say you keep quiet until the matter is dealt with, you do that." Matilda''s presence was vital to uncover this information but she isn''t on my side. On the other hand, Edith is too inflexible and might act rashly. Where is Isabella when I need her? "Girls, this is neither the right time nor place to argue. Have you no sense of your surroundings?" I said as I glared at the two while keeping all the things I found in my purse. "I agree. We should get out of here." Edith turned to me and nodded. On the other hand, Matilda stayed quiet knowing that she needed us to get out. Unfortunately¡­ "We can''t get out yet." I said and faced them with a solemn look, "The evidence is not enough to tie her to Bliss. She can claim that she''s an addict to the Gratia product and the truth about the drug will slip away." "This isn''t the time for that. Once the Knights investigate what goes on in her company, they''ll link it up easily to her." Matilda said. "I am inclined to agree with the commoner girl." Edith also had the same idea as Matilda. "No, it won''t." I replied while shaking my head, "Bliss isn''t being manufactured by Natasha. I have it on good authority that the Blackguards are involved and Bliss is their operation. Natasha may be their helper for all I know." The two girls paused for a while then Edith spoke first. "If it is you who says that, I will trust your words but we still need evidence." She said. I turned to Matilda and she understood what I wanted. "I haven''t been around this place that much. I only took a workstation over there for the time I was hired." Matilda said. "Alright. I want you to refresh your memories, though. Natasha is a crafty old witch, I assume she doesn''t let outsiders in her den that much so your involvement was vital to her. Remember her actions exactly, what was the place she tried to keep you from getting near? What was the thing she said that would be off-limits?" My question made Matilda think but I saw a glint of realization in her eyes. Faint as it may be, Matilda looked the other way immediately as she noticed I was so focused on her. "I am not sure. I know she hid things from me but I wasn''t planning to intrude on her privacy." Matilda said the line of a heroine. Edith and I had the same look in our eyes, we just averted and rolled our eyes from Miss Good Girl over here and headed to where that workstation of hers was supposed to be. "If I were Natasha, I''d position the commoner girl as far as possible from whatever I want to hide." Edith said. "True. But I wouldn''t also position her in a spot where she can have direct sight on it." I added. As we looked at each other with affirmation, we turned in a certain direction where a large wooden cabinet was positioned in a corner. As the three of us approached it, we kept looking at it with doubt until Edith took the first step and opened it. There was¡­ "Nothing here." Matilda said and walked ahead to examine the cabinet''s contents, "All of these are just ordinary lab tools." "Well¡­ at least we tried?" Edith said with a shrug. I couldn''t help but shake my head as these two girls, who are supposedly smarter than your average gal, missed the little detail that indicates that such a conveniently placed storage cabinet has. "Look under your feet." I said as the two looked at me before looking at what I pointed at. Their eyes widened at the same time and backed off a couple of steps to my left and right. On the floor were, of course, faint curved scratches of what seemed to be wood rubbing against stone. In other words, the cabinet itself was a secret door. The three of us inspected the cabinet from every angle but opening it wasn''t an easy task. Even though I have seen many types of secret doors in my career, I wasn''t familiar with ones that aren''t based on electronics so this was a new experience for me. As for Edith¡­ "Let me give that a little shake. Vivian, observe the content of the cabinet." I had a rough idea of what she was trying to do and as she gave the cabinet a little shove, all of its contents started to shake but the cabinet itself was fixed well to its place. After a couple more shoves, the vials and plates inside have gradually moved their place except for one unremarkable bottle with some dried black round fruits inside. That was what we were looking for.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Since the secret door''s lock is most certainly mechanical, a secret handle had to be placed inside and as all handles are, they are not easy to shake around. I held that bottle immediately and tried to lift it but it felt like I could only move it up or down but not sideways. I moved it up all the way but when nothing happened, I moved it sideways and it did come to the left before finally getting down on its own in a free spot on the shelf. Click! "Mamma Mia!" The mechanism was activated and the secret door opened. Edith pulled it outwards the best she could before it was about to make a nasty screech by scratching against the floor. The way beyond that cabinet was now open and a small cramped room was seen beyond it. A strong smell came from inside that almost made us want to puke but we held the urge in and took a peek inside. "Ugh! What is that?" "Sulfur and some other chemical agents. Be careful, we can''t use fire inside." Matilda said. "Ugh!" Searching through a chemical lab is no easy matter, Matilda was right since it was foolish to take risks. "Use Magic." I asked her. "It can be dangerous. Places like these may have traps if magic was used." She refused. "She''s not wrong." Edith agreed with her. "No fire, no magic. Anyone wants to guess what the third best thing is?" I said and I opened the system shop and chose an item I never expected I would resort to. "Your electric light?" Edith asked. "I hope, sister." I replied and handed both Edith and Matilda what I bought from the shop. For the cheap price of 50 points per piece, I spent 150 points for 3 Glow Sticks which are some soft transparent tubes with chemical agents on the inside. Once twisted¡­ "It glows!" "Yep, it glows." The girls were somehow acting like little kids who were suddenly given new toys and kept waving them around as the sticks let out a faint light that lit our surroundings. As for the inside of the secret small room, I wasn''t able to tell exactly what sort of complex chemicals were put all around the place. Matilda was muttering to herself as she was listing what she saw in front of her and as for Edith. "Ouch! That''s hot!" Somehow, she managed to stumble all over the place and hit everything like a clueless puppy. "Stay where you are. Don''t touch a thing." I said as I spoke to her seriously. "Yes. Sorry." She said as he gathered her wits about her and stayed where she stood. "You said something was hot?" However, Matilda turned to her right away. "Yes. That¡­ pipe. I don''t know." Edith turned and pointed at the contraption behind her but she hit her head on a pot hanging from a shelf as looked around. "Alright. Walk towards me, slowly." I said as I intended to clear the cramped-up space for Matilda to investigate. "I feel so useless." Edith said. "If you were to become useful, it would mean we''re in trouble." Matilda made a snarky comment. "What is that supposed to mean?" Edith turned suddenly as I hurriedly held her head down so as not to hit the low pipe above her. "I mean¡­ you are the best fighter here. If you were to become the most useful person in the room, it would mean we would be found out and you know¡­ fighting for our lives." Matilda replied as it was the most obvious thing. "I''m not sure if the commoner girl is trying to praise or insult me." Edith turned to me. "I''ll say she is praising because the one to insult you would be me if you don''t stop moving around too much." "Sorry. Narrow places aren''t my thing." Claustrophobia! Perfect. I urged her to stay back behind the door cabinet so that she could get out if she needed to. As for Matilda. "These pipes connect to a distilling system. A rather big tank supplies a substance here that is boiled before it goes into these compartments. I''m not sure what this is but this machine does something as the hot substance passes in this room. Rather than making it all in one large space, she chose to put this contraption in one small area for a reason. What is it?" "So much for not intruding on others'' privacy." I said as I approached Matilda. She stopped thinking out loud and didn''t turn for me as she wasn''t bothered by my provocation. "Do you know what I like about contraptions?" I asked as I started to take out a small kit I use at work. "What?" She asked back. "I can disassemble the hell out of them." I said as I rolled open my toolkit that contained some screwdrivers, a multipurpose wrench, and other hand-dandy useful tools. "You can''t. It will cause a leakage. You may harm yourself." "A leakage? Counting on that. As for harming myself, try to find a safety valve where the pipes start." I said as I pointed towards something I noticed a while ago. "Alright¡­ but¡­ there may be pressure from the other side of the contraption. It may require more than one operation to stabilize it." "Who said anything about stabilizing it?" I replied with a cunning smile, "We are dealing with Natasha here. A third-rate villainess like her needs a first-rate like me to ruin her bad deeds the right way. Do as I say, commoner girl." Seeing that I was brewing nothing but trouble, Matilda backed away and put her hand on the valve. As for me, I examined the structure of the contraption and got my screwdrivers ready. "Turn it." I said and Matilda shut the valve causing the contraption to quieten down. Remove this bolt, remove that bolt, and it all laid bare in front of me. A beautiful glass container that had everything I was looking for. As I carefully moved it, a lot of violet liquid started to flow down. "This will cause a mess. She will know that we were here." "Let her know. I only wanted to cause a leakage but isn''t this worth it?" I said as I showed the glass canisters to Matilda. It seemed like some sort of a filtering centerpiece in the contraption but what was inside it was what mattered. "These are¡­" "Seeds of the Spirit Lotus." The three seeds ¨C that Natasha received from my father ¨C were the ones she was meant to develop in order to uncover the secrets of the Spirit Lotus. "Now, open the safety valve just a little." "Are you serious?" "The mess it will cause will be uncleanable. It won''t be hidden once the knights come to investigate." Matilda could see what I was doing and what I was doing and just as I asked her, she let the valve open and the flow started. Soon, this place will turn into a pool of chemicals with traces of the basic formula all over the place. Once I tip the investigation to compare the chemicals with Bliss, Natasha will be done for. "Guys! Hurry! Someone is coming down." At that critical time, our little mischievous adventure deep into the chemical vault of Natasha Ivanov was interrupted. Edith whispered to warn us and I immediately dragged Matilda out with me. "Hide! Quickly!" The three of us started to spread around like rats and hid behind various pieces of furniture. The sound of heavy steps was heard as someone invaded the room quickly. "Shit!" The voice of a man was heard cursing as he saw the vault''s cabinet door open. He rushed towards it immediately and I readied my push dagger just in case before switching my hiding spot to avoid his sight. Matilda was not far from me and she saw me switch my spot and so she did the same albeit very crudely and of course¡­ Thwack! THUD! "Huh!" The man turned around almost immediately and he saw the tail of Matilda''s dress being dragged behind the corner. "You rat! Come here!" The man marched right past my hiding spot as he intended to catch Matilda. I only had a second to exchange a nod with Edith before moving right away. As he rushed right to her, huffing and puffing, poor Matilda could only look up at the brute specimen of a man and her face turned yellow from fear but¡­ Stab! ¡­ it was the perfect distraction. I managed to drive my dagger deep into the brute''s side and tried to subdue him by holding the nape of his coat but I overestimated myself and underestimated him for a second there. "ARGH! Bitch!" With a strong motion of his arm, I was pushed back over the table behind me and he endured the stab I delivered to his kidney like a champ. Just as I was trying to recover, Edith jumped from the shadows with a swift attack with her sword aiming for his neck but the man held her blade with his hand as if it was nothing. "Three bitches?" As we were in this terrible situation, we could finally get a clear look on the man''s face. Natasha''s so-called butler and most loyal subordinate, Igor. 80: Knightgun Since times immemorial, humans have separated themselves into two herds, the strong and the weak. And trust me when I say this, there is no gray zone when it comes to strength and weakness. It''s either white or black, always has been, always will ever be. In ancient societies, brute strength reigned supreme. The bigger, the stronger, and the meaner were revered as chieftains and champions from even before the Neolithic era all the way across the early bronze ages. They formed the upper warrior castes of primitive societies and controlled those who were weak, pushing the service roles on them. Society evolved, however, and strength took many different forms such as wealth, magic, or faith. Those who had strength still trampled over those who lacked it but even with how far strength evolved, the primitive forms of strength were nothing to scoff at. Facing this force of nature with the feeble body of an average female, the three young ladies were at a total loss for words, actions, and ideas. One man stood over the trio, throwing one to the ground, cornering one down, and holding the blade of the last with his bare hands. Igor was more than just a brute, he was an aura knight, a Silver-ranked Knight as we gathered from how a silvery aura layer was condensed around his skin. "We need to run!" I couldn''t help but blurt, out of my mind, out of my league. "Run? From who? Me?" His arrogant question sparked an interesting point. No matter where we run, where we hide, even if we run in different directions, there is no way we can do anything against that hulk of a man. No feminist spirit, no power of friendship, no plot armor can save us¡­ or maybe a little bit of the latter, that would really come in handy¡­ any moment now. But you know what came on handy, his foot. Yes, that''s right. His foot pressed down on my hand as I was trying to unsheath my cane sword. I could feel my bones creaking¡­ cracking¡­ crocking? The point is, I was down bad, my left was in a bad condition. So let''s see how the others fared¡­ Edith was trying to take her sword back as Igor still grabbed it from its tip with one hand, as for Matilda¡­ "VIRTUS HORTI!" She unleashed a barrage of golden magic spells at Igor, who didn''t take it standing. He grabbed Edith by her right shoulder, yanked away her sword then slapped the shit out of Matilda''s spell, repelling it against the wall to cause a flashing explosion. With Edith in his other hand, he tossed her like a doll at Matilda and the two girls crashed at each other before breaking down the furniture all around them. "Bastard!" "Oh! The final bug." He looked at me then at the dagger sticking out from his side, "That was a good stab." "Oh, yeah? How about this?" I gave up on trying to push his foot away off my poor left arm and pulled out a gun aiming it to his face. I could see a sneer form on his face as he put his hand between my gun and his face, knowing how powerful a Silver Aura Knight is, there was no way my bullet could pierce his defense¡­ "Sike!" He thought he was going to block a bullet aimed at his face and so with total arrogance, he covered his face with his hand. It still stings to take a bullet to the face especially if it enters the nostrils but I wasn''t aiming there anymore. I was aiming at that little dagger sticking out from his side¡­ BANG! "UMPH!" Seeing his face twist, he paid the price for his arrogance with the chilling sensation of the dagger driven into his side being moved by a bullet so violently. It at least was enough for me to roll backward with my gun at my right. Now, time to face the Goliath with a gun. I suppose David was underestimated by his Goliath but mine is looking at me with total alert, knowing how bad this little lady can sting. Still, would it matter for David? He had God on his back. Time for prayer, I guess. "YOU BITCH!" "If only you give me time to pray¡­" "Why pray when you''re dead meat?" A table flew in my direction, which I most certainly had to dodge by crawling under another table. However, the Goliath was in the air, aiming to descend on the table I was hiding under with all his might. Either way, I was no longer under that table, just passed through hot on heels¡­ knees actually and with a Panacea potion on my lips, chugging it all at once.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The pain of my arm''s tissues getting back together was so vivid it almost messed with my brain''s wiring but no girl can stay still with a Goliath throwing furniture at her. But just as that Goliath raised another desk to smite me down¡­ "JINX!" ¡­ Matilda cast a strange magic that hit the desk he was carrying and suddenly all the drawers of that desk started falling on the Goliath''s head. "Annoying pest!" The Goliath turned around to see Matilda still conscious while bleeding from her head and barely raising her hand. He ignored me and marched at her so I prepared my gun and aimed at the back of his head. BANG! A splendid shot shook the room but I swear I could see my bullet hitting his head and bouncing off, going the other angle. He seemed to have only felt a sting as his sudden shrug made him only turn at me with a wrathful face. "You''re next! Just wait over there." He still ignored me and kept walking at Matilda, kicking away every piece of furniture on his way. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! All I had and could do at this point was keep shooting him. The rate of fire from my pistols was showing its magic, combined with the auto-reloading function, I kept firing but the man was unfazed. In a way, I felt betrayed by my efforts to develop these guns. People with such power to shrug off bullets were simply the worst. But just as the Goliath approached the petite Matilda Ambrose, who struggled to push herself back until she hit the wall, Edith suddenly jumped up and stabbed with her sword using her Aura Star against the man. Of course, he was stronger, faster, and deadlier than the three of us combined. Yet we had something he didn''t have. "FEMINISM!" No, just kidding. I didn''t really shout that. We were just three girls with a wide set of skills. Combined with Edith''s stab, Matilda cast another spell that emitted a flashing light to blind him and I ran towards the man to jump-kick him towards Edith''s blade. Numbers and Versatility vs. Brute Force. You wanna know, who won? "Ah! All that for a drop of blood!" One can already guess how this is looking for us three. It was a beatdown! I, fallen on my buttocks, Edith, slapped down by the Goliath, and Matilda, pushing herself away against a wall as she was about to experience how an unstoppable force would meet an immovable object with her in the middle. Kinda fun to see albeit not too family-friendly. But at the darkest moment and in our toughest hour, the door to the lab was forced open and a man charged down the stairs. "Hey, why don''t you pick on someone your own size?" A man came to save the day! But not just any man, it is my man¡­ like one of my men¡­ who works for me, not "my" like in "mine" or anything¡­ He is¡­ LOGAN! "Well, well, well! If it isn''t the boy knight!" Igor turned and saw Logan coming his way. "You messed with the wrong young ladies tonight, ugly bastard!" Logan said as he raised a surprise my heart wasn''t ready for. Seeing it, Logan sneered with viciousness. "Serving that girl with guns, I see you''re picking toys too. Didn''t your master teach you not to bring a toy to a real fight?" Igor said and charged at Logan who only had one second to raise his double-barrel firearm and shoot a spray of sweet sweet high-velocity lead confetti, courtesy of Buckshot, Inc. BANG! A shotgun roared in the basement of this mansion and I felt every fiber of my being danced to the echo of the shot. But like a charging rhino, the Goliath absorbed the damage like nothing, covering his face with his hand at the last second before charging at Logan, slapping the shotgun away, and locking hands with Logan in an intense grapple like Gilgamesh and Enkidu, pushing one another, showing off all aspects of their strength. Logan was strong, strong enough to take on Igor any day of the week but Igor was still larger than Logan. If the two were of the same rank as Silver Aura Knights, Igor would have a slight size advantage. But at that moment, I felt the sliding shotgun coming my way, scratching all the way on the floor. I grabbed that sweet baby of Mama Liberty and held it with two hands. Knowing it''s a double-barrel shotgun, there must be another shot loaded in there for the second trigger. Voros was just working on this prototype and he couldn''t think of a name for it but I see the name he chose engraved on its side. He called it the "Knightgun" and I know just the place to shoot it. Selflessly, I ran towards the two grabbling giants and slid myself on the floor on my back aiming the shotgun up, and as I slid between Igor''s feet¡­ I raised the gun between the two men, aiming it right at Igor''s face from the ground. "Chi-Chik!" I know it is a double-barrel, not a pump-action, but I couldn''t resist making that sound with my mouth to alert them. As Igor looked down, two rounded hollowed barrels stared right at the ugly face he protected from bullets to the best of his ability. This time, it is not just one measly pistol bullet, it''s a spray of awesome. BANG! Unable to retreat his hand or his head on time, the buckshot entered not only his nose, but forced their way through his upper lips, his shut eyelids, and every possible weakness in the human face. "AAAAAAH!" The Goliath howled from the gunshot and fell to his knees, holding his face, withering in pain, and no longer able to use any of his senses. Logan dragged me up real quick and with two short blades, he cut Igor''s neck from the front and the back, then from the side, and with the back of his fist, he slapped it with vigor, causing the head to fall off the body. Blood was everywhere, chaos all over the place, and three beaten-up young ladies struggling to stand up. "Log¡­" I tried to speak to my knight but what a terrifying face he met mine with. "Not now." He said and covered me with a cloak that he had prepared, "Don''t show your face as we make a run for it. You two, cover yourself as well." Logan helped Matilda walk and Edith barely moved by my side as we ran upwards and straight to the mansion''s entrance. Chaos ensued as five masked assailants were burning, destroying, and killing around a carriage pulled by four horses in the center of the scene. "Let''s move!" Logan ordered and the carriage''s door was opened, everyone got inside, and from fight to flight, we went. Nothing interrupted our escape from Natasha''s mansion. 81: Ivanov "I can''t believe this! This is simply the most absurd of all things! This is a disgrace! An ignominy! A scandal! A breach of all nobility and decorum! What will the world say about me? That I raised some sort of a burglar? A night thief?" An earful was prepared for me. Of course, but that wasn''t daddy. That was Saskia. Father read the evidence of Natasha''s actions. He remained silent and then ordered the knights to lock down Natasha''s villa and conduct a thorough investigation. As for me, he left me with a silent and menacing stare. He then had a conversation with Edith Black and Matilda Ambrose as he called for Robert and a healer. Robert began by throwing a tantrum at me, almost accusing me blindly of things but it was Matilda who cleared my name. She said, and I quote¡­ "¡­ I was trapped in Lady Natasha''s mansion after having a disagreement about the work I was doing for her. If not for Lady Vivian noticing me getting escorted by Lady Natasha''s guards and the bravery of Lady Edith and Lady Isabella, I am not sure I would be here tonight." ¡­ word for word. Like I don''t know what is going on in the brain of that chick but I am grateful for getting me out of Robert''s head for now. Isabella was found playing unconscious in a room in Natasha''s mansion. At first, she suspected that everything had gone horribly wrong and acted like an idiot but the moment she saw that the three of us were okay, she fixed her attitude and started to innocently act flirtatiously around Father right in front of Saskia. How can this day get any worse for you, stepmother? Your friend was being accused of poisoning the ladies of high society, your stepdaughter broke into the house of your friend and fired her guns while trying to find evidence, and now this brat Isabella is trying to steal your husband in front of you. Think, Vivian, think! You can make it worse for her! Ah! I got it¡­ "I think by looking at the early evidence, this cosmetic Natasha provided to the ladies she was in contact with has already compromised their well-being. According to the testimony I heard from Matilda Ambrose, which made me act the way I acted, the substance that imbued the product with its miraculous effects has such severe side effects which would eventually lead to dangerous skin conditions. Addiction is a confirmed one but I imagine we are looking at the tip of the iceberg, there can be¡­ I don''t know¡­ wrinkling¡­" I said so while sneaking a glance at Saskia, who had a slight shiver as her eyes widened. "¡­ spotting¡­" She closed her eyes and endured another shiver. "¡­ dryness¡­" Her expressions became worse. "¡­ rashes¡­" And worse. "¡­ discoloration¡­" And worse. "¡­ scaliness¡­" And worse. "Skin peeling¡­" "That is ENOUGH!" Whoops! I got a little too comfortable with her, didn''t I? Saskia was really upset now, glaring daggers at me, almost as if going to suffocate me. "I have tried¡­ God and all the Saints know! I have tried taking you in¡­ loving you as my own¡­ I didn''t like your mother one bit but you were sinless¡­ and I endured you more than I should¡­ but no more!" Things got heated up too quickly. We were in the drawing room along with Father and Robert, the others were in the room next door so I am sure everyone has heard Saskia''s tantrum. Father didn''t look pleased, he still kept silent as he scanned the evidence for the tenth time. I could only endure Saskia on my own for now so I wasn''t really bothered to reply. "And such a good job you did!" I replied. My reply was meant to be said in a soft and collected tone, almost mocking her, intending to make her lose her cool and make a mistake but the storm hit me instead. "Vivian! You have said more than enough. You should stay silent." Father stood up with a strong glare directed at me. "Father, if you may¡­" Robert approached Father and started whispering to him from the side. "You are right. I''ll leave it to you." Father replied and handed the papers in his hand to Robert. Something might have just gone horribly wrong. "Father, if we¡­" I spoke, attempting to get back into action but Father silenced me. "I''ve told you to stay silent, haven''t I?" His reply was cold and he didn''t seem pleased with me now. Not that I am complaining but Logan could have saved me and taken me back to the company instead of bringing me home. I could have thought of a cover story rather than having to go through all this. However, I could see Robert staring at me with a big grin, I stared back unamused, and then with my fingers, I gestured that I will be watching. He frowned, probably that gesture wasn''t still common in this era. Father called in Logan and the knights and interrogated them about what happened and about the way we killed a Silver-ranked Knight. While Logan has exposed me for taking action tonight, he covered up the fact that we used advanced firearms and only mentioned that I was shooting out guns like a gun maniac¡­ which is an established reputation by now. Sir System, will I get the title High Priestess of the Gun Cult any time soon? ? ¡­ ? No reply? Dang it! "In other words, if not for Mr. Voros getting in contact with you to tell you about Vivian''s plan, you wouldn''t have found out she went into Natasha''s mansion with young Lady Edith and young Lady Isabella?" "Yes, my Lord." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "For your loyalty to me, and not covering up behind Vivian like every time, I ought to reward you. Though it seems the task of protecting my daughter is becoming increasingly difficult." While Logan has hidden the fact that Matilda was with us back at the company, which is the whole excuse why I marched back into the mansion to save her, Father looked at me and I could feel him thinking of something I don''t want him to think about¡­ like locking me up and putting a proxy in my place at the company. "Vivian¡­ you¡­" "Father!" I blurted out of panic before he said anything. He frowned. Knowing that I shouldn''t have spoken, my body shivered a bit and my eyes ran across the room like crazy looking for something to distract him with as soon as it''s humanly possible. "I told you not to spea¡­" As he was about to get angry, I found something going on right in the corner of the drawing room and immediately pointed. "Look!" I said. Angrily, Father turned as he saw me pointing out at Saskia. Saskia stopped what she was doing and looked at us with a frown of her own. "What?" Father turned to me asking¡­ angrily. Of course he couldn''t see it when I was pointing that vaguely. After all, we are all used to the sight of Saskia applying the balm on her face every now and then. "Stepmother¡­ she is¡­ applying that thing¡­" I said. Immediately, everyone discovered that she was indeed applying something on her face from a tin round container. That was the very same container Natasha distributed tonight at the party. "Saskia! Have you gone mad?" Facing the wrath of the Count, Saskia was scared out of her wits in second and the balm container fell from her hand on the ground. She looked scared but then looked at it without uttering a single word for a few seconds. After that, she looked up and faced the people looking at her. "I didn''t realize I was¡­ I did it out of habit¡­" She spoke while shaking her head with her eyes closed. I can see now, that this is what Matilda was talking about. "That''s not good. It''s clearly addictive, and she needed her fix when things got emotional." I said facing Father. The entire room became silent. They have heard of the situation, they have seen the evidence on paper and heard the testimony of Matilda, but now¡­ it is right in front of their eyes and it is affecting a family member. "This is most troubling, my Lord. We need a professional''s opinion." Old Theo stepped beside my dad and said so. "That''s true, Father. For Mother''s sake, I''ll find the best skin physician in Archester." Robert stepped up ready to search the whole town upside down. "Alright. Robert, you do that. Quickly!" Father replied, apparently fearing for Saskia''s health. I cleared my voice to gain their attention before speaking out of term this time. As they turned to me, I spoke. "That would be a dermatologist, what you are looking for, Robbie." I said. "A what?" Robert frowned. "A dermatologist. The term¡­ for skin physicians." "¡­ Whatever!" "To be specific, the dermatologist you''re looking for is called Doctor Herest Ainsworth. He''ll be at our front door in less than 15 minutes." I said. "You have already invited him?" Father asked. "Yes, as soon as I returned, I asked Sir Fabian to invite him over under the pretext of an emergency." I replied then cunningly added, "I knew Stepmother may need to be checked on so I did it¡­ out of concern despite all¡­ the feelings." I indeed invited the dermatologist since I have connections to him and a cure would need to be developed as soon as possible in order to fix this mess. Natasha is a family associate and so her actions would reflect on the Moores. Unless this situation is fixed in an instant with the most competent experts in the field coming together, I''d say we''d be in a huge pickle. As for the thing about Saskia, I was just trying to win Father back. He somewhat stopped looking at me angrily now. "That was sensible of you, Vivian." Father praised me and turned to Stepmother, "Saskia, make sure to never touch that thing. Old Theo, keep an eye on her." Saskia was now an addict to Gratia, something that is both sad and enough for me to gloat but let''s not do that openly. Father has shown how much he cares for her so let''s not act stupidly. Robert then stepped up to speak. "Father, if we asked young lady Matilda to take a look at Mother''s condition. She is the one who created Gratia, she is also a competent healer." He said as if he was trying to beat my connection to the dermatologist with his connection to Matilda. "That commoner girl¡­ she has indeed brewed that poison. Get her here." Father spoke angrily and pointed for a footman to go. "Wait, Father! I''m sure there is an explanation for that. Young lady Matilda is not a wicked person¡­ and she is connected to His Highness Prince Liam¡­ we simply just can''t¡­" Oh, no! Bad move Robbie. At first, he wanted to curry favor with Father but now in order to protect Matilda, he subtly threatened Father with the Prince. Father kept staring at him with hidden anger but no matter the situation, Father couldn''t say treasonous words and must be very careful while handling this. Robert seemed to understand what he''s done so he bowed and spoke. "If you excuse me, I''ll go bring her here." "Have you lost your damn mind?" But contrary to what I thought, Father spoke harshly at him: "Do you want to enter a room that has three unwed maidens, two of which are daughters of Elgard''s noblest, as an unwed man? Have you lost all your sense?" See that? That''s Father completely turning against you, you dumb moron. Now, every breath you take in this house will be an excuse for him to lay it down on you, idiot. Robert''s face was now as red as a tomato, I don''t even want to gloat anymore, he brought it on himself. "Old Theo, fetch that girl, please!" Father then turned to Old Theo and asked him to bring Matilda. The old man looked at Father and sighed before replying. "Your grace, make up your damn mind already. Do you want me to watch the wife or bring the girl?" Old Theo lashed back at Father, leaving everyone speechless. HA! I could barely hold it this time. Even Father can no longer deal with this lich. "I''ll go bring her, Father. If you excuse me." Finally, I volunteered and Father didn''t say anything. Wow! That was an intense scene. I was on the short end of the stick for some time there but I am glad I dodged a bullet from Father¡­ for now at least. As I arrived in front of the next room, the ones who were guarding its door were Ray and Rusty, Father''s most trusted bodyguards. With encouraging looks in their eyes, the two bulky macho men let me pass and so I entered the room to see the most unexpected of scenes. Edith was sitting on a sofa shaking her head and Isabella was standing and holding Matilda against a wall with nothing but her¡­ ehem¡­ personality. The poor heroine''s back was to the wall and Isabella was less than an inch against her with a domineering attitude and villainous behavior. "Well well well!" I said as I couldn''t hide my curiosity. "Hey, Viv!" Isabella turned to me with a smile. "Thank the Saints! Put a stop to this, Vivian." As for Edith, she immediately requested my aid. "What are you doing, Bella?" I asked. "Nothing. Just bullying her a little." Isabella replied as she looked at Matilda with eyes that could eat her. I couldn''t help but rest my back on the wall behind me and match Bella''s energy. "Well¡­ bully me next!" "Ha! You got it." (Isabella) "You two¡­ that''s so unhealthy." (Edith) "Can I please go now?" (Matilda) The scene was wrapped with a light conversation. I then told Matilda to come and see Father after getting our story straight. Just as I was about to head back with Matilda, Logan met me outside and spoke. "The investigation team just found something out." He said as he pulled me to the side. "Let''s hear it." "The Knight we killed was called Igor Ivanov." "What''s the big deal?" "Ivanov! As in Natasha Ivanov." "Are you saying they are siblings?" I asked them and shrugged, "What''s wrong with that? It looked strange since she had her brother acting as henchman¡­" "Yes. Now that we killed him and the truth about him came to light, we tried to track their family members but it seemed that they all had fled Elgard." "That''s natural." "Over 200 years ago¡­" "Come again?" I don''t know what is going on but I don''t like to keep getting bite-sized news one at a time. It seemed like an interesting story and Logan started telling me a tale, one that nothing could have ever prepared me for. 82: Rescue Mrs. Becky The Ivanovs came into the service of the Moores around 300 years ago at the time the Moores had hit a huge obstacle. The King has issued an ultimatum banning each noble family from certain practices in order to create a balance between all nobles and stop them from fighting each other like dogs. The Moore family was prohibited from practicing Magic but the great dilemma arose when the only heir to the family at that time was training to be a wizard. The Ivanovs were a ruined noble family from Novark and their heritage was filled with magic. They got too tied to the Moores in order to be raised once again and one day return to their motherland and reclaim their possessions. However, when the King issued that accursed decision, even the subsidiaries and all the underlings of the Moores were to either stop the practice of magic or sever their ties with House Moore. The Ivanovs had already betrothed their daughter to the Moores and were practically in the same boat as them, severing ties meant losing every asset they invested so they abandoned their magic. A lot of drama happened at the time but it seemed that the Moores had also taken a blow since the young master of the family failed to gain power after giving up his magic and fell to sickness a year later. What saved the main family from losing the heir position was that the lord and his wife at the time had managed to produce another heir in the nick of time. Not long after, the first son died in his mid-teens and the second son held the position of heir and eventually grew to be a direct ancestor to my Father and me. As for the Ivanovs, the death of the first son was the final nail in their coffin, causing them to be reduced to a mere merchant family, before making a comeback in business a few decades ago at the hands of Natasha''s late father, Sir Victor Ivanov. With Natasha''s talent blooming, it seemed that the Ivanovs were finally about to be back to relevancy, alas, Natasha was the last surviving member of the Ivanovs. Even if she married, she''d have to switch her final name and be someone else''s wife or sully the family''s bloodline by giving her last name to her children as a maternal marriage. But it seemed that for some reason, there was a male Ivanov, and Natasha had hidden him from everyone¡­ which is contrary to everything that should have happened. If a male child¡ªeven if it was a bastard one¡ªwith a Silver-rank Aura, he could get legitimized easily if Father agreed to ask the Temple for such a thing¡­ but they didn''t! Like¡­ why? All of that couldn''t leave my head even after going into the room with Matilda and she examined Saskia''s condition. "The balm stretches the skin and gives it enough moisture to provide both protection and freshness. The problem here is that the balm would need to constantly keep the skin stretched and protect it at the same time. When I said it was impossible, Lady Natasha offered me her¡­ secret recipe." Matilda explained as she was taking a close look at Saskia''s skin. "Secret recipe?" Father asked with a frown. "Spirit Lotus seed extract." I added. "I later understood that the vitality granted by the seeds'' extract isn''t a property it has. While the seeds are brimming with life energy, it has to draw it from somewhere¡­ I didn''t have the chance to take a look at the spirit lotus seeds but¡­ I can only speculate¡­" Matilda and I exchanged a look. Those three seeds we got from Natasha''s lab are with me at the moment. We just agreed not to talk about them while I was with her. "Tell us what you think?" I spoke to her. "It is just a theory but if such seeds can harness that much energy, I think they are similar to the Fire Dragon Lilies and Iron Cap Mushrooms that grow in mineral-rich areas. So if that kind of process were to be replicated in a human body, the seed extract must absorb vital nutrients from the body and revitalize the skin with it. Lady Vivian noted that many of those ladies who had used the balm for the trial period had been experiencing joint pain so¡­ the balm may be absorbing nutrients from their bones." Hearing what she said, I could see the look on everyone''s faces, especially the anger on Father''s face and the fear on Saskia''s. Father accused Matilda of creating a poison that harmed the ladies of high society but as I felt he was getting emotional, I stepped in and defended her. Father didn''t seem pleased with me standing up for the one who ruined my future as princess consort but I convinced him that the family''s reputation is what''s at stake here. I knew Father was not the most compassionate person in the world but his feelings for Saskia are real and I hated to see him displeased¡­ even for her. When the dermatologist arrived, he was briefed on the situation and went to check on Saskia right away. First, he asked her to scratch her skin with her fingernails, which he claims to have left no redness even after he told her to dig her nails harder. He then lent her a clean medical needle and told her to scratch herself on the neck with it. Since Saskia applied the balm on her face, neck, upper bosom, and shoulders, this was the most affected area with the cursed balm, and after a few scratches¡­ "My God!" Even the dermatologist exhaled from what he saw. Saskia''s skin was left scratchless. As for the needle, its tip broke from scratching against human skin. Like¡­ really? Now I have to deal with Super Saskia! "What is this? Is it¡­ a good thing?" Saskia asked with a shaken voice. "It is unnatural, madame. Anything unnatural isn''t good and definitely has horrible consequences. We need to know what compound did this and find a remedy for it." The doctor''s words were quite severe and honestly, this is going to be a good lesson for everyone involved in this whole thing. Now, every product will be put under a lot of suspicion and tests before it goes public. But to solve the matter at hand, Father spoke to the doctor informing him that Matilda was the creator of this "poison". Father was greatly displeased with Matilda and I was somewhat worried for him, I wouldn''t want to trigger Robert''s route by any mistake so I kept my silence since I am not quite the peace-making type. After Matilda and the Doctor spoke, it seemed that he was able to pinpoint the problem which wasn''t any different to how Matilda theorized it at first. And so with that out of the way, a serum was being prepared once Father asked the chief pharmacist of the Moore Conglomerate to participate. The other nine ladies¡ªwho were attendees at the party and received an early sample of the product ten days before the launch¡ªwere all contacted by official letters and the mansion became very busy in a matter of an hour. The Count''s men have managed to keep a low profile and covered up the news with a late-night party. However, one would expect that things would always go south whenever the Heroine emerges, after all, the seven male leads will be in her shadow wherever she goes, and in the case of tonight, it is Edmond Black. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Under the pretext of coming over to collect his sister, Edmond walked into the mansion and had a private conversation one-on-one with Father where the latter had to explain the situation to the former. If not for the fast action and the quick reflexes of the Moores, their contacts, and finance, many adversaries would have taken advantage of this situation but before even Edmond Black walked in, the situation could be seen as resolved. Behind her brother''s back, Edith Black requested an investigation to be launched by contacting the Black Family Inquisitors, an arrest order was issued against Natasha Ivanov but here is where things got complicated, Natasha has long since vanished and if the timeline of the incident is correct, she disappeared when shots were fired in her laboratory and chaos started to erupt. The current whereabouts of Natasha Ivanov were going to be a mystery for a few days to come. As for now, the Moore Pharmaceutical establishment has managed to break down the poisonous cosmetic product and linked its ingredients to Bliss, the wild narcotic that invaded the streets as of late. But there was another strange turn of events during that night. After Edmond Black collected his sister, Edith, he asked Matilda Ambrose to join them and leave the Moores'' Mansion together, however, the one who stood in his way was none other than Robert. Robert claimed that Matilda''s presence was vital for the success of the serum that was being developed for the ladies who had been using Gratia. So while she is a guest in the mansion, Robert himself would ensure that Matilda is treated with utmost respect and friendliness even with the presence of his poisonous sister, little old me. But in my experience, Robert is a wuss at best. Edmond was almost going to threaten him but the one who came to his rescue was strangely Isabella. For some unfathomable reason, Edmond couldn''t face Isabella one bit. I know the two had some sort of history since their days in the academy but the old me was still a freshman at the time and didn''t invest any ear in rumors. Everything played out as Robert wished and Matilda Ambrose was to stay as a guest for a day in our mansion. He, of course, wanted to use this 24-hour window to get closer to her but surprisingly, Matilda didn''t give any heed to his approaches. She was monstrously focused on her work to finish the serum as it seems she was feeling guilty about the whole incident and her being the creator of this poisonous cosmetic. But you know who else used this opportunity to get a sleepover? "I''m so excited, girl! This is going to be so EPIC!" Isabella had me by the neck as she slid into one of my nightgowns and took half of my bed. I could see Esmeralda, standing at the corner, giving me that look with her eyes. *** After surviving a night with Isabella, she joined us for breakfast the other day along with Robert, who usually spends his breakfast time somewhere else, and Matilda, who informed Father that the first trial of the medication she has pulled an all-nighter to develop is meeting success. It seemed that Father wanted me to do something about Matilda, maybe start to antagonize her in order to punish her on the pretext of poisoning this number of noble ladies but I had no plans to go against the Heroine more than that. If we end up clashing once again, Father will surely get involved to be on my side and it may turn ugly if Robert''s route gets triggered. Got to walk on eggshells here, pops! ? Your Karma Grows Stronger! The Heroine''s Karma Grows Weaker! ? Then this message appeared to me at some point. I can''t make heads and tails for it but this "Karma" thing always triggers when the Heroine is nearby. Maybe every time I get to have an advantage against her, some sort of Karmic thingy triggers. How? Why? What will it do? I have absolutely no idea. But tell you what¡­ I am loving it. It just smells like winning, I don''t know why. "Vivian¡­ Vivian¡­" "Yes! I am sorry, dad¡­ Father! I spaced out!" Father''s voice introduced my blissful thoughts as everyone at the breakfast table was eyeing me strangely. There was Father, Robert, Isabella, and Matilda. Saskia didn''t want to show up so she was having breakfast in her room. "I would ask what is keeping your head busy but I assume that last night was eventful." Father said. "Yes. Well, I can say I had a nice 10 hours of sleep so all pains are healed." I replied. "Mhm!" On my side, Isabella made that satisfied sound which had me turn to face her. "What?" I asked. "Well, I slept beside you last night so of course you had a good sleep, save your thanks." Isabella said with a sleazy smile. "Don''t be a brat!" I replied while rolling my eyes. "Vivian!" Father spoke in a stern tone, "Is that how you speak to a senior of yours? You better thank her since she has stayed watching you all night." Watching me? That skank hugged me like a doll and slept like a bear. "Fufufu!" And that arrogant laugh she makes. "I apologize, Father. Of course, thank you, Isabella." I thanked her just to get the day over with. "So she is walking out without a punishment after breaking into the home of a noble and firing her guns like a moron?" This delightful question came from Robert. "Robert. Punishing your sister is no concern of yours. Unlike you, she is a young adult and her punishment is my business alone. I am merely delaying it since we have many guests." Father replied sternly. I could see Robert letting out a snort while shaking his head. "Finish your veggies, Robbie." I couldn''t help but fire back. "You¡­" Robert gnashed his teeth but since Matilda was around, he simply smiled with a few veins popping on his forehead. "Vivian." "Sorry, Father." Father seemed displeased but he acted casually while picking up the gazette from the tea table and fixing his monocle over his right eye. "Once again, young lady Isabella, I thank you. Looking after Vivian like you always used to do must be taxing." Father spoke warmly to Isabella. The temperature on my left started to increase a bit as a blush appeared on Isabella''s face. That girl¡­ blushing? "Well, of course, my Lord." She replied and smiled, "The bond I share with Vivian has always been special. I don''t mind watching over her at all." "That''s assuring. It always pained me that Vivian had no close female relative to look after her. I do appreciate you treating her like an older sister." Father said. Isabella''s smile almost crumbled as she heard that. "Motherly¡­ is how I describe it." She replied very faintly, almost mumbling, completely dispirited. I turned to her with a laugh I couldn''t let out but my reserved smile was enough to rub all the salt I could afford all over her emotional wound. She turned to me and I could feel the violence growing within her. "Wait¡­ is that¡­ Mrs. Becky?" While we were having our moment, Matilda suddenly spoke as she pointed at the back of Father''s gazette. I couldn''t see what she was pointing at since it was on the other side. Father turned to the page she pointed at and nodded. "That''s indeed Mrs. Becky." He said with a smile before it got replaced with a terrifying frown, "It says here¡­ Mrs. Becky has disappeared." "What?" Matilda covered her mouth with utter shock. "Mrs. Becky disappeared?" Even Isabella stood up with a pale face. I didn''t know who they were talking about so I asked a question I regretted asking for the rest of my life. "Wait! Who is Mrs. Becky?" Everyone turned to me and for a second there, I felt like I had done some sort of a taboo. "You don''t know Mrs. Becky?" (Father) "You''re a monster, Vivian." (Robert) "Mrs. Becky¡­ She is the most gentle soul! A true one of a kind!" (Matilda) "Viv! Mrs. Becky is the most festive spirit in Elgard!" (Isabella) Alright¡­ that sounds weird. Who the F is Mrs. Vicky or Becky or whatever? ? EMERGENCY QUEST: Rescue Mrs. Becky! ? Oh, boy! Here we go. 83: Corporate Espionage If you''re still wondering who Mrs. Becky is, just give up. I was so afraid to ask more about this Mrs. Becky even in front of Robin (her horse) he might kick me off his back. When I got to work, news about Mrs. Becky''s disappearance had spread everywhere to the point where people in the street seemed to have gone insane about it. At that time, I got to ask Esmeralda¡­ "Who on Earth is Mrs. Becky?" "Mrs. Becky is a bird." "Alright, you''ll have to explain it to me like I''m 6 years old¡­ no, 3 years old¡­ scratch that¡­ Gogo gaga!" "Alright, from the beginning. Around a year ago, this mysterious large flightless bird appeared on Albion. It is said to be the last of its kind and it was such a gentle soul that it became so popular among children like in birthday events and parties. After roaming Albion with its owner, it came to Elgard and built up a popularity." "An ostrich?" "I have no idea what an ostrich is." "So¡­ Mrs. Becky is a big deal, like a mascot I guess." "I assume many famous people have started associating themselves with it. It is said that its owner has gained an honorary title in Buren and put it as a coat of arms for his newly established house." "Okay. Just how do you know all that? And why haven''t I heard of it before?" "It is public knowledge, miss. And you are not a party goer last I checked, the last party you went to turned out to be a disaster as well." "Guilty as charged!" It seemed that my reputation of being a party popper preceded me. Not a partygoer, a party gunner, that''s¡­ pretty cool actually. Either way, the day went by, Isabella dropped in, we had lunch in my office, and talked, she didn''t think Dad would let me out of the house after last night''s blunder but the renewable energy project¡ªProject Power¡ªthat I am working on is a top priority to him by now, and so he can''t let me stay idle, that''s why he said my punishment was delayed. If we transform all the smokestacks into windmills, and every waste disposal pipe into water turbines, not only will it be an environmentalist wet dream, but we will make a living and a killing of it. Still, will things proceed peacefully? *** When the work day was over, Vivian received an urgent summon to the Conglomerate building in the industrial district. She was accompanied by a group of knights who were watching her actions rather than watching out for her safety, a part of delayed punishment that was brought upon her. Once she arrived at the large building, she was led straight to the meeting room where she once met the heads of the departments and the partners. There, all the department heads were present and every last one of them was surnamed Moore. "Vivian! You have arrived at last!" "Tell us what is going on, girl?" Seeing that the meeting was being conducted without Count Julian, it seemed that the board got wind of what happened with Natasha Ivanov''s business. "I think the whole conglomerate is under internal investigation." Vivian replied and stood at the end of the table holding her hands together politely, "There was a traitor in our partners." The whole room became silent and people started looking at each other. "A traitor? Niece, this is no simple claim to make." Tristan Moore was the first to address Vivian. "Yes, I understand. Unfortunately, as it is, I''m afraid it is the truth." Vivian replied. Since she was invited to the meeting and her father left her without a note on what to say or do, she figured it would be useless to hide things from the department directors since it was all going to be public news either way. "Well then, girl. Don''t leave us in the dark. Tell us everything." Agatha Moore said. Vivian started reporting all the findings of the investigation to the department heads and the atmosphere became very tense. With the actions of Natasha Ivanov and her disappearance, there is no way this is not a betrayal of the conglomerate. Still, while the group was angered greatly by the news, they all didn''t overstep their authority and waited for Count Julian who had to set the course of action for the conglomerate as the scandal waited to explode. A few minutes passed and the main man finally showed up, with a stern face and a large group of employees on his tail, he sat at the head of the table. "I trust Vivian had informed you of what went on." He said and got a nod from Vivian before continuing, "Well, I just came back from an inspection in every branch under Moore''s management and I must say, we have dodged a cannonball this time around." "My Lord, we are waiting for you to tell us about Natasha''s situation." Tristan Moore seemed to be on the edge of his seat with a grim face. "Natasha seemed to have joined hands with a criminal syndicate that manufactures and distributes an illegal narcotic commonly known as Bliss." "Oh! For God''s sake!" "Seven Saints!" The reaction of the group of directors was of genuine worry as it has been long since they have been walking on thin ice with the greater powers of the Empire. Now that a scandal of this magnitude has exploded into the conglomerate, some annoying officials will certainly take the chance to mess with the Moores. "Fortunately, Natasha wasn''t working on the narcotic itself, she was working on a different version that almost saw the light of day. I am talking about Gratia, the new cosmetic that was supposed to be launched tomorrow. Thanks to Vivian, who exposed her scheme, we are now able to minimize the damage." A credit was given to where credit was due and Vivian was seen in a better light by the board, albeit being thuggish and gun-crazed, she was the reason a crisis was averted. But then another bomb was dropped. "After cooperating with House Black, we have arrived at what can be said to be the worst scenario ever imagined." The Count said in a foreboding voice, "It was known that Natasha Ivanov was the late daughter of Sir Victor Ivanov, who is a descendant of the ruined Ivanov family. House Black Agents have looked into the Ivanov family and their last known members, Natasha and Igor." Seeing as how this has involved House Black this deeply, everyone in the room, including Vivian, became very concerned as they heard the next words said by Count Julian. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "We have looked into the records of the Ivanov Family and it is discovered that neither Natasha nor Igor Ivanov could be the children of the late Victor Ivanov. The time of their emergence in the Ivanov Family is adjacent to the rise of Victor''s financial ability 25 years ago. At first, it was attributed to a few lucky investments hitting the jackpot but as it turned out¡­ it was foreign funding." There, everybody fell silent. "So¡­ Corporate Espionage?" Vivian was the first to ask. "Yes, Vivian. I think that''s a fitting term. Viktor Ivanov has realized the imminent fall of his family, he accepted the first offer he got to bolster his funds, and he helped in raising spies in our midst." Count Julian replied. "But this makes no sense. If Natasha was indeed a spy, she should have acted conspicuously and not done anything this reckless." Agatha Moore said. "Whatever her plan was, we would have been sabotaged badly if Gratia was to be sold to this many noble ladies." The Count replied. "Manufacture the drug, sell it to rich ladies, threaten them to keep buying in order to alleviate their addiction, probably controlling their families along the way. While it seems like a series of risky moves, this is a surefire sabotaging tactic." Tristan Moore spoke. "I agree. We''ve seen such schemes happen in Buren, Vellen, and most certainly Novark." Harry Moore, the director of development, added. "We dodged a bullet with Natasha then. However, this doesn''t mean that everyone else is clean." Humbert Moore, director of arms industries, added. "Your grace, how do you think we should act?" Keith Moore, head of pharmaceutical industries, asked. "Well, dear cousins, as much as I want to take immediate action, all we can do is go on martial law, internally investigate every little thing, and cooperate in a secretive task force. As for dealing with Natasha Ivanov, the Black Hand and the Metropolitan Police will leave no stone unturned to get her." "The Black Hand''s one thing, but the Metropolitan Police? Useless, corrupt. Those bobbies wouldn''t find their own helmets in a bloody hat shop, I tell you." Agatha Moore said and almost everyone in the room laughed. "Sadly, Aunt Agatha, it is out of our hands to catch her now." Lord Julian replied with a wry smile. "If only one can take care of that Natasha before she causes more problems¡­" Agatha said. "Do you prefer that she remains silent, great aunt?" Vivian asked. "Yes, I do. Even if she spills the beans on some big spy business, it''ll still backfire on the Moores. This is bad news, Vivian, really bad news." "I see¡­" Vivian thought of what Agatha Moore said and found it reasonable. No matter what allegiance Natasha turns out to have since she has worked for the Moores and is now a rogue agent, she will do more harm than ever before when it comes to the Moores. If caught, there is no end to those who can use her against House Moore. While no quest popped up, Vivian knew very well what must happen¡­ She has to kill Natasha Ivanov. *** The dark city of Archester had an even darker underbelly than the poor districts around the industrial areas and the gray temple district which is the densest urban area in all of Albion. At the westernmost part of the city was the Waterlow district, a place where rogues and thieves gather around smuggling rackets. Crime thrives in this part of the city as Waterlow is the front of many powerful crime families and some of the city''s largest imports go through this area. Coal, stone, and lumber are the most common commodities here but this abundance of raw materials helped create some of the scariest foundations deep underground. While near the river, digging this deep in the ground is absolutely unadvised which makes most of those low damp and humid most of the time, however, this created a perfect cover with how tall and steady the nearby buildings are. Add the large maze-like sewers systems to that and you would have a four-story district full of criminals and cutthroats; The Rookeries (rooftops), the Narrows (alleys), the Warren (under alleys), and the Sump (sewers). In one of the underalleys, a pale-faced black-haired man, who bore the insignia of an aura knight associated with metropolitan police, crashed against a wall as he started crawling for his life. The water-filled alleys were almost drawing him on a few occasions but he would always try to stand on his remaining not-so-good leg and would push with his opposite not-so-good arm against the wall before eventually crumbling to the ground. ARGH! AAAAAAH! "HELP!" Behind him, the pleas of the policemen who served under him filled the air as they were getting mauled, battered, and slaughtered. He fell to the ground as a bludgeon flew right beside his head and he continued to crawl all he could knowing that death was right behind him. While a knight, he was barely a 1-star Bronze Knight, lowest of the low in terms of Aura but still a man who can completely overwhelm at least five ordinary adults in a frontal fight. Still, overwhelming a single woman with no prior combat experience was something out of the realm of possibility at the moment, after all, that single woman with no prior combat experience tore through his whole patrol like a monster possessed. "PLEASE! STOP! I BEG YOU!" "Beg me? Eddy, you leech! After all that time we worked together, you want to gain credit for catching me? Wasn''t our agreement to escort me in case something happened?" "Please! I was wrong! No! Miss Natasha! Wait! No no noo¡­" CLANG-THUD! SPLASH! One feeble woman, formerly known as Natasha Ivanov, left behind her a trail of corpses as she walked in an old brown dress that was battered from all the beating and gunshots she received. Those policemen whom she contracted to extract her in case everything goes south turned on her and if she couldn''t snatch that heavy mace from them at the last second, she would have been subdued. Natasha was never an Aura user, she couldn''t risk getting revealed so she relied on her talented brother. However, that brother who could have turned the world upside down for her was killed in action, his life was snuffed in a second and everything went down. Matilda Ambrose! Vivian Moore! Edith Black! Those three bitches were the reason it all went south. She was almost about to perfect her product which would make every woman of the high society fiddle to her will. However, while the effect of Gratia was too potent, it was too good nonetheless. She worked tirelessly for years in order to perfect the design but since the concept was impossible to apply, the magical herb she needed landed right in her hands when the General Director of the Moore Conglomerate handed her three seeds of the Spirit Lotus to research their medicinal effects. He would have never done that if he didn''t trust her enough, she was almost looking at success, almost feeling it. But it was all ruined the second she looked away. Now she''s on the run with nothing on her but an old dress she took from a maid to disguise herself as a common woman, a mace she snatched from the treacherous policemen, and three tin containers of Gratia that she grabbed on the way out. Gratia (Grace) ought to be called Miraculum (Miracle) instead, the powers granted by this one product were crazy good albeit taxing on the bones and joints. Natasha knew the risks and had a cure, a dense extract of nutritions that would substitute the losses her body suffered. Sadly, she doesn''t have access to a lab at the moment. She had to be careful of the usage or else she herself will fall to her own poison. Still, impervious skin, everlasting glamor, unnatural bursts of strength? Gratia is all she needs to survive and what she has is enough to last for a week. So, what can she do now? She''s all alone, a beautiful woman in a dangerous outcrop of the city¡­ and now the vaulters are starting to gather. Thugs, cutthroats, killers, all drawn to the scene of homicide she left behind. Something good ought to happen in their wretched lives if they stayed near corpses, that''s the logic of vaulters. After all, they can all fly off when real danger comes¡­ BANG! And it was here. The vaulters retreated back inside the narrows, above the rookeries, and into the warren, for no one was safe when the large vipers lying in the Sump would start to reveal their heads. "I trust your ride here was uncomfortable!" A voice came as a well-dressed man walked out with a lantern pointed at Natasha and a gun in his other hand. "Trust nothing, friend. Doveriye vedet k smerti! (Trust Leads to Death!)" Natasha replied. "I''ve heard what happened to Igor. The Moores, eh? That''s the second operative we lose to them. That damn daughter of the Moores knows her guns." The man said and approached closer, kicking the corpse of the Elgardish knight Natasha just smashed. "I want out." Natasha said. "Your work is still far from over. You will be reassigned." Said the man. Natasha sighed and didn''t look at him anymore. "For now, descend into the sump, meet a man they call the Underking, and get him to transport you to Roseshire. If you reach it alive, we''ll prepare you for transport to Charlotton." "Avalon?" "Trust me, Natasha, your life in Albion is over." The man said and walked away, leaving Natasha with the lantern, before turning to her and speaking one last time, "I cut a deal for you, they preferred you''d not make it." "Spasibo, stareyshina. (Thank you, elder.)" "S Bogom! (Godspeed!)" And so Natasha Ivanov descended into the sump on her road to flee Elgard.