《Duke of Constellations》 Pilot Huu~ I took a deep breath before slowly opening my eyes. I was in a lotus position, one that was optimal for absorption and circulation of mana. I wasn''t doing any of that though, unlike most, I couldn''t even form a mana core. No, I was completely absorbing the last parts of the memories of my¡­predecessor. It was a shitty life, to be honest, even shittier than the Nigerian government and that''s saying a lot. But it being a shitty life doesn''t mean all hope is lost, or I am not thrilled at this new opportunity. In fact, I am quite excited. This was a world where magic and mythical beasts existed! There were also ancient arts and scriptures, dungeons and secret realms. Only a fool won''t be excited. But as much as I was excited, I was also extremely nervous for a couple of reasons. First of which was the most obvious, I was alone in this world. No family, no servants, nothing at all. I''ve checked out the place, the house was rundown and extremely secluded, it was a surprise that I managed to survive. And secondly¡­ ¡®The academy¡­¡¯ The Imperial academy to be exact. There were a lot of academies in Nerathia, but the Imperial academy stood leagues above. They received only the best students and they birthed the greatest legends in all of Northannia. And as luck would have it, I am a second year student there. Due to a promise the king made to my father, I was accepted into the school and let''s just say, ¡®My peers were less than satisfied.¡¯ It certainly contributed to the extreme bullying I went through. We are on break now, but the academy resumes in two months. ¡®I need to find a way to go from being weak to being¡­not weak.¡¯ Yeah! Time for the protagonist to awaken! Gruu~ But before that, I have to find something to eat. I stood up from my lotus position, ignoring the creaking of the wooden boards that were beginning to rot. There were weeds everywhere, overgrown flowers crawling into the building.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. It looked haunted and the fact that it was located in a secluded area linked to the city by a deserted forest path wasn''t helping the situation. ¡®It''s actually not too bad, just needs a nice remodelling and I''ll have myself one of those nature manors.¡¯ *** Mazar, the city of gold. This might as well have been the gate to hell. It was so obvious that this gigantic bustling commercial hub of a city was the entrance to the underworld, an underground city that was the complete opposite of Mazar. ¡®It''s just too obvious. Although I don''t know where this entrance might be. I''m sure it wouldn''t be hard to find one.¡¯ Mazar was not just a center hub of commerce, it was also the center most city in Nerathia. If you wanted to go anywhere, you had to pass through Mazar. It was also the closest city to my new house. After grabbing a small pouch of gold¡ªthankfully, the previous owner of the body knew the location and passcode of the vault¡ªand a few pieces of jewelry; just in case¡ªI rented a carriage and made my way to the nearest food stall. After eating my fill, I paid up and left the stall, branching near a mask shop just in case and bought myself a fox mask to hide my face. ¡®Good, now I can begin exploring.¡¯ My goal here is simple: find one or two uncommon ancient arts to study and if possible, a way to use magic. In this world, there were ancient scriptures and arts that shared not only deep insight but also techniques to help one walk whatever path they want to. These ancient relics could be found in dungeons and secret realms and most of the time, they were incomplete. The complete ones were usually family heirlooms. The ancient art of my family has been stolen while I was at the academy. ¡®Just when I thought my life was shitty enough¡­¡¯ But as someone who spent a lot of time reading novels, I knew that somewhere in this city or the one underneath was the shop of an old charlatan who would sell me a wondrous ancient relic that would change my life. ¡®Call it a protagonist''s sixth sense.¡¯ And my goal was to find that rundown shop. I also had a secondary goal, which was sightseeing. This was my first time out of my rundown manor, I had to take a chance to explore this new world even if it''s just a little of it. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡± I muttered as I glanced around, my eyes locked on a certain shop and I headed for it. ¡®First things first, I need to blend into the crowd!¡¯ After walking the streets of Lagos, you tend to pick up one or two things, if not, you could get kidnapped and you wouldn''t even know how. I could already notice a few stares at my outfit. I might know a lot about nobles, but I do know that it was unusual for me to walk around without any sort of protection. I could either hire a bodyguard, or I could vanish from the radar. The choice was easy. I wasn''t about to experience my first betrayal. Ding~ Dong~ The sound of a bell chiming rang as I pushed the door to the stall open. The slave was small with clothings for those in the lower middle class. ¡®Perfect!¡¯ ¡°How can I help you?¡± I looked up at the store owner, a middle aged woman with brown hair and warm eyes. She was a bit on the chubby end too¡ªfor some reason, I''m just surprised. ¡°I''ll have a complete set of clothing and a cloak¡­please¡­¡± The woman looked at me for a moment, she seemed to have guessed at my dilemma which prompted her to smile, ¡°I have just the perfect thing. Give me a moment.¡± She said as she walked towards a corner of the room. Fateful Encounter [1] Ding~ Dong~ Barely a few seconds after the middle aged lady entered what I assumed to be the back of the stall, the door opened and a man entered. He had a rough feature and a bad stench assaulted my nose even before I locked gaze with him. ¡®I guess they don''t have deodorants here¡­¡¯ His clothes were ragged and tattered, and he was also wearing a cloak like I was. I thought nothing of him at first and looked away, but then I noticed a shadow cast over me. I looked up to see three more people entering, two men and a lady. ¡°Where is the stall owner?¡± The man asked. His mouth smelled worse than his body. ¡°I¡­ I think she went to get something¡­¡± it didn''t take too long for me to realise what it was that was happening. Without a doubt, these people were thugs. ¡°Hehehe.¡± As if to confirm my thoughts, a chuckle escaped the man''s lips. ¡°Guys, it seems like today is our lucky day. We not only get money, but a pretty boy. I wonder how much he would sell for.¡± ¡®Wow. They are totally acting like I wasn''t standing before them.¡¯ I couldn''t blame them though, I was so pathetically weak, I might as well haven''t been before them. But although I was weak physically, I wasn''t mentally. I might not be able to run away, but I have to at least bluff my way out of this. ¡°Heh,¡± I let out a chortle. Their brows furrowed and they all focused on me, my smirk became even wider. ¡®I''ve gotten their attention.¡¯ ¡°What''s so funny?¡± One of them asked. He was an ugly looking fella, his skin was an odd grey colour and he looked like a mantis¡ªI¡¯m guessing his oddly shaped face is what makes him talk funny too. ¡°Wrong question.¡± I shook my head before standing up to look at their leader. I scowled, making sure to let him know I was absolutely repulsed by his odour. This made him frown and I knew I had planted a seed in him. Normally, a scared brat like me would try their best to hide their repulsiveness out of fear. Boldly showing mine should have made the leader subconsciously register that I wasn''t afraid of him. ¡°What you should be asking is what isn''t funny.¡± Their brows furrowed and I almost rolled my eyes. ¡°How many times has it been now? This is probably the fourth kidnapping.¡± I let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking my head as I walked past the quad, subtly glancing around for anything that might help me.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You''ve been kidnapped before?¡± The leader asked. ¡°Four times?¡± The only female in the group asked too. ¡°I know right? So tiresome.¡± I sighed once again. ¡°What annoys me the most is when my family finds the culprits and I have to watch their innards spill out as they are cut and minced only to be fed to my pack of wolves.¡± There was a sudden silence, one that baffled me. I turned around to look and I saw that the group''s eyes were slightly widened. ¡°Direwolves?¡± The last member who has been silent all this while asked. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡®Isn''t this too easy?¡¯ I wondered, ignoring the audible gulp from the group as I confirmed their guess. ¡°Honestly, I end up having nightmares for weeks after. I always try to warn them, but I''ve realised that it''s usually futile.¡± Shit! There''s nothing else I can think of. I really hope this works and they leave me alone. If not, I might just die before I even get to see much of this new world. ¡°So although I know you would proceed to kidnap me even after my warning, I still have to warn you that your death will be gruesome.¡± I gave the best pleading look I could before adding, ¡°Please, I don''t want to have nightmares anymore.¡± The group were silent for a moment before they suddenly began exchanging glances and mutterings among themselves. ¡®What the hell? What family does he come from?¡¯ ¡°I''ve never heard of such a noble family before but you never know.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, he might come from one of those ancient families that even the nobles don''t dare mess with.¡¯ ¡®I think we should just leave this one alone, boss.¡¯ Yes! Please leave me alone. I really hope you do!! But I really was right, this was going too smoothly. The devil just had to have his way. The group turned around, the one at the forefront reaching for the door when the female among the group suddenly spoke, ¡°Wait!¡± Without even hearing what she had to say, I already felt a shiver run down my spine. She turned around, her eyes landing on mine. No, to be exact, they landed on the brooch I had forgotten was on my chest. ¡°That emblem¡­¡± she began, her eyes raising to meet mine before narrowing, ¡°A simple blade with a starry background¡­ isn''t that the Celestial sword? The crest of the fallen House Astris?¡± There was suddenly an awkward silence. I slowly began to step backwards, towards where the stall lady had gone. ¡°And don''t they have a useless heir who looks like a sissy?¡± ¡°Hey! What''s wrong with looking feminine?¡± I protested. My cover was blown anyway, there was no need to mince my words. ¡°Also, did you sell your bath too? You smell so bad, your odour can probably protect you from a dragon''s breath!¡± ¡°Should I catch him?¡± The leader was so angry, I could see snake-like veins pulsing around his neck. ¡°Yess¡­¡± he replied through gritted teeth. The other two males dashed for me. They covered the distance pretty quickly, I didn''t even have time to run and all I could do was raise my hand to shield myself instinctively. ¡®I guess even thugs in a magic world would be skilled.¡¯ But the fierce grip on my body, or the possible smacking I was expecting never arrived. Thwack~ Thump~ ¡°Good job buying yourself some time, young lad.¡± I opened my eyes to see the middle aged lady standing before me, one of the two thugs that had rushed towards me was now on the floor and the other was a few feet away, his hands crossed in a defensive position. ¡°Took me a while to get my fighting gloves.¡± Fateful Encounter [2] It was like a scene straight out of a novel. Her back suddenly looked straighter and wider, she also seemed taller. Her old gown gently fluttered even without any wind, her brown hair which was tucked neatly in a bun suddenly had a few strands loose, adding to her heroic aura. Ba-thump~ Ba-thump~ ¡®I must be going crazy.¡¯ I thought even as my heart thumped, beating faster out of¡­ excitement. ¡°Sorry, it took me a while to get my fighting gloves.¡± She said, a chuckle in her voice. Her warm eyes had a strange glow to them as she looked at me. I glanced down at her hand, there was no difference; just a pair of old calloused palms. ¡°Gilma, what''s the meaning of this?¡± The voice of the leader of the thugs brought me back to earth. When I looked at the group, I could immediately notice the subtle change in atmosphere. They were tense. ¡°Whatever do you mean, Rufford. I just had a slight change of mind is all.¡± The old lady spoke fluently, the airy tone on her voice not changing. She sounded more like a lady in her thirties playing around with a bunch of ignorant men. But I could tell that these thugs weren''t ignorant. They might not have been the sharpest tools in the shed, but they were classified as good thugs. ¡°This wasn''t the deal, Gilma. You of all people should know better than to cross us.¡± The leader of the group stepped forward, his cloak shifted to the side, revealing a sheathed sword. The atmosphere immediately became ten times more tense. My brows furrowed, I was a bit confused. Are direwolves so strong that these groups that were previously scared of me would suddenly become so brazened? Or are they depending on their numbers? It''s something else¡­ the nobility title? Maybe the strength of nobles in this world is just that high. ¡°You know who''s backing us, don''t you?¡± The lady questioned. Gilma, the aged lady bent down and picked up the unconscious thug way easier for someone of her age. With a slight effort, she flung him across the room, leaving the thugs scrambling to catch him. ¡°Leave it to these brats to not recognise a well-known elder when they see one. Tch.¡± Her playful tone was gone and now, she just seemed irritated. ¡°The deal is over, leave now while you still have the chance.¡± Gilma crossed her arms, staring daggers at the group. The leader of the group gritted his teeth, glancing at me one more time before clicking his tongue. ¡°Let''s go.¡± I watched as the group left, my heart still beating quickly. The excitement I was feeling was long gone, now replaced with caution.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I felt like I just escaped from a pack of hyenas only to end up sitting ducks before a lioness. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said. I didn''t bother retreating, I knew it would be useless anyway. Although it might have had to do with some secret backing, I still considered the fact that a group of four was hesitant to battle this middle aged lady as a sign that she was strong. ¡°You aren''t afraid?¡± She asked, turning around to look at me. Her eyes are still warm and if I hadn''t heard the previous exchange between her and the thugs, I would have thought she had only my best interests at heart. ¡°What''s the use?¡± I replied. ¡°I can only hope for the best at this point.¡± She stared at me for a while before chuckling. She then went behind the counter and pulled out a pair of neatly folded clothes. ¡°Wait for an hour, then leave and go as far away from here as possible. Today is your lucky day kid, usually, even adult nobles aren''t foolish enough to come here alone.¡± I stood silently, watching as the woman went about her usual activities like I wasn''t there. After a few moments, I walked forward, grabbed the clothes and began to change on the spot. When I was done, I placed my original clothes on the counter before grabbing the hood and donning it on. ¡°My original clothes should cover whatever price these ones cost. Keep the change as thanks for this favour.¡± Without waiting for anything else, I immediately walked out of the shop. I know better than to remain idle in the lion''s den. The streets were bustling as usual, with people haggling, strolling and cursing at eachother. There wasn''t even the slightest change, like all that happened was just a figment of my imagination. ¡°Thank goodness. Now, I really must find this old merchant.¡± What just happened served to remind me of how weak I was. Of course I could just hire someone to be my bodyguard, but I knew that would be a stupid move. I had no one, not a single soul. I was alone in this world and anyone would be able to notice that. There was a better chance of me being robbed by the very person I hired than of them becoming loyal to me. At this point, I could only rely on myself, but I was pathetically weak. ¡®Fuck my life.¡¯ I cursed inwardly as I walked farther and farther from the shop. Ding~ Dong~ After a few minutes, I pushed open a door, the familiar sound of entering my ears once more, a reminder that seemed to be asking me a question¡­ ¡®Are you fucking out of your mind?¡¯ ¡°Now this is something I wasn''t expecting.¡± Gilma chuckled without raising her head. She seemed to know I was the one. ¡°Why did you leave me alone?¡± I asked, prompting her to raise her head up. I didn''t need to explain the reason behind my question, it was obvious already. Just by virtue of my looks, I was a prime product for sale. With the pouch of gold I had on me added on top, I was more than a bargain, I was practically manna from heaven to robbers and thugs. Yet this woman let such profit go. I wasn''t stupid enough to believe she did it out of goodness of her heart, and from how the conversation played out, I could guess that it had to do with my family name. ¡°Let''s just say, one old bastard owes me a favour now.¡± She replied with a sly smile. I really want to leave this place, I want to go look for my old merchant who will sell me ancient and powerful¡ªpossibly forbidden¡ªscriptures that will help me get stronger. But, my gut is telling me I am meant to be here. Huu~ I took a deep breath before approaching the counter. ¡°If possible¡­can I meet this old bastard?¡± Fateful Encounter [3] ¡°Make sure to cover your face well.¡± Gilma warned. ¡°These sharks don''t need an emblem to smell noble blood, and the moment they catch a whiff,...¡± She looked over her shoulder, the previous warmth that remained in her eyes even when I was at her mercy suddenly was no more. ¡°They''ll rip you apart without mercy.¡± I felt a shiver crawl down my spine. I instinctively pulled down my hood, lowering my head further to hide my face as I followed behind her. We walked in silence through the streets. It was also bustling, with an even more diverse range of people walking through the streets. Haggling, cursing, fighting and drinking and all sorts of debauchery took place, some without censoring of any kind. I made sure not to look for too long, I''ve read about those that can sense the gaze of others on them. If magic is possible, then that should too and I wasn''t about to attract any unwanted attention to myself. ¡°Can I ask a question?¡± I asked, my voice lower than it probably should. ¡°You don''t have to worry about how you act as long as you avoid drawing attention to yourself.¡± Gilma chuckled. ¡°In case you haven''t noticed, there are a lot of suspicious people here.¡± That''s right, although this place looked no different from the market above, it ultimately wasn''t. This was the underworld, the underground city that bellied the city of gold. In here, even seeing the most heinous criminal wasn''t anything surprising. This was their turf. ¡°Direwolves¡­ is there anything special about them?¡± I asked. Since there was nothing to do, and I was too worried about my life to concentrate on sightseeing, I decided to ask a question that has been bothering me. ¡°Those thugs seemed particularly scared of them.¡± ¡°We all are.¡± Gilma replied. ¡°Have you heard of Whitebridge?¡± Whitebridge was a city located towards the north of Nerathia. It used to be quite the bustling city until there was a dungeon break. Just like most magical worlds, dungeons exist here too. They usually form at secluded places with deep history which was why no one expected the break to happen at the very center of a city. It was a powerful one and it apparently took seven mages and knights of the second class to close it. ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded my head in reply. The event was one so great, even though the previous me didn''t care much about what happened in other cities, the memory was branded deep enough for me to remember vividly. ¡°Well, a lot of people knew the outcome of the event, what a lot of them don''t know though, is exactly how the event played out.¡± I furrowed my brows, I didn''t need to be a genius to know that this definitely had to do with direwolves.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But a pack of direwolves could easily be taken care of by a seventh class mage or knight, no matter how much they were, a dungeon spawning direwolves can''t be classified as ¡®powerful¡¯. ¡°Direwolves aren''t that powerful¡­¡± I stated. ¡°That''s what we all thought¡­¡± I could hear it, the lingering fear in Gilma¡¯s voice. My eyes narrowed, ¡®It seems she has an even deeper background than I imagined. Now I''m even more thrilled to meet this old man.¡¯ I didn''t ask more about it, but I made a mental note to do further research on Whitebridge. We walked for quite a while, heading deeper and deeper, past the marketplace and firmly into what I assumed to be the slum areas of Mazar. And even after arriving at the slums, we headed deeper and deeper. By now, I was beginning to suspect we might not even be in Mazar anymore. ¡°Tired?¡± Gilma asked with a smirk. I was tired. Unlike the previous me, this body wasn''t used to all this trekking. But it wasn''t anything I couldn''t get used to. I''ve walked farther. ¡°A bit.¡± I replied. ¡°Don''t worry, we are already here. You can raise your head.¡± I finally lifted my head to look past Gilma''s broad back, my gaze landing in a small building in front. It was old and plain, but it looked far better than most of the buildings I saw on my way here. It was obvious at a glance that whoever was staying here was quite the person. ¡°Stick close.¡± Gilma said as she marched for the door. The moment she arrived at it, her body suddenly moved and she brought her heels down in the wooden structure. Bam~ The door burst open and there was a flash, a blade of silver was heading straight for Gilma and it was so fast, I only instinctively knew it was a blade. Gilma didn''t panic, instead, her leg which remained on the ground twisted, sending motion through her whole body as she attacked her assailant with the same leg she used to kick the door down. ¡®She knew the attack was coming!¡¯ Clang~ Her boot heels were metal and they made a resounding noise as they clashed with the blade. Gilma swiftly brought her leg down, stamping on the floor and accelerating towards a new figure that I could now see all of a sudden. It was a young girl, no older than I was, possibly younger. She had dark hair and red eyes, her lean frame twisting as she retreated from the charging Gilma. She was pretty. But unfortunately, her age didn''t give her the speed edge one would have expected her to have as Gilma all but vanished from before me and appeared before the poor girl. Bang~ All it took was a blink. I merely blinked and the young girl was on the floor, subjected to Gilma''s mercy. There was silence for a moment before Gilma stepped back and reached out, ¡°You''ve improved.¡± She smiled. ¡°Tsk, you could have gone easy on the slamming. It was totally unnecessary.¡± The rudeness in her voice was so thick, I could feel myself getting headaches for whatever future interactions we might possibly have. ¡°If I was an enemy, you would be dead. Until you can knock me down, nothing is unnecessary.¡± Gilma replied as she walked past the young girl. ¡°Where''s the old man?¡± ¡°He''s barely older than you though.¡± the young lady muttered. ¡°What did you say?¡± Gilma asked with a smile but I felt shivers. The young lady obviously did too because she hurriedly retreated. ¡°Where else would he be if he didn''t study?¡± her expression was one of indignation. ¡°What''s with you suddenly asking?¡± ¡°Well, I brought him a present.¡± Gilma replied, gesturing towards me. The young lady looked at me, her brows furrowed. Her expression seemed to say ¡®all I see is a puny brat¡¯ and it wasn''t just my imagination! ¡°He''s the Hollow count.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Blood Relative [1] ¡°No way!¡± The young lady exclaimed, her face lighting up as she stared at me like I was some sort of exotic creature. ¡®Hollow Count¡­¡¯ this was a nickname given to me due to the fact that unlike most others, I didn''t have a core. It was a double insult, one at the fact that my title of count was essentially useless and the other at the fact I was essentially useless. ¡°How did you find him?¡± She asked Gilma but before the latter could reply, the girls face lit up and a smirk crossed her lips, ¡°You were hunting with those smelly thugs, weren''t you? Vin is gonna be mad if he hears that you were playing with Sabbath''s lackeys.¡± It''s almost like I''m not even here. I remained still, listening to their conversation and trying to gather as much as I could. ¡°If I wasn''t playing with Sabbath''s lackeys, I wouldn''t have been able to find the hollow count now, would I?¡± Gilma rolled her eyes. ¡°Come with me boy.¡± She gestured before walking past the young girl and heading inside the house. The girl stared at me as I approached her, a strange glint in her eyes. When I was close enough, she reached out her hand, ¡°Hi, Nira.¡± She introduced. ¡°Sera.¡± I returned, shaking her hand. It was both soft and hard, delicate flesh with callouses that told of her training. It wasn''t bad. Nira led the way into the house and I followed after her. We walked past the living room, through the corridors before stopping at the end of the hall. ¡°Hey Vin, I got you a present!¡± Gilma yelled as she opened the door, not bothering to knock. Nira followed behind her and I in tow. The room was well lit with lanterns, there must have been three bookshelves all filled to the brim with books and tomes, there were also scrolls on the floor. At the center of the room was a large table and seated around was a middle aged man and another young man in his twenties. ¡®He doesn''t seem that old¡­¡¯ I thought as I stared at the middle aged man. He really didn''t. In fact, if his white hair and beard were black, I would have assumed he was at least ten to fifteen years younger. He was reading through a thick tome, one that would have been an encyclopedia back on earth and across from him, the young man was reading through a smaller book. He had pearly greyish skin that had a strange glow to it, and his ears were pointy. He was an elf. I looked away, not wanting to stare too much. It didn''t matter though, because just as I was about to look away, he raised his head, his eyes locking with mine for a brief moment.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I looked away, focusing on the old man I came to see. He didn''t look like I was expecting, which was a let down, but I still held the hope that he would have something useful for me. ¡°You seem disappointed.¡± My eyes widened at his voice. How the hell did he know? I was sure my face didn''t reveal anything. I was too stunned looking at the elf to have had a facial expression that would show my disappointment. ¡°Body language.¡± He replied once again, answering me as if he could read my thoughts. And the most annoying thing was, he wasn''t even looking away from the book he was reading. ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but I had to ask anyway. Among all the things I wanted to ask, that was the one I wanted to know the most. Whoever he was, he must at least have some sort of mysterious identity, one that could possibly help me. I was curious at how he would answer and even before he did, I already made up my mind, ¡®He would be my first teacher.¡¯ ¡°Intriguing.¡± He said, and I could hear the amusement in his voice. He finally raised his head, turning around to look at me. The moment our eyes locked, I felt a shiver run up my spine. He''s dangerous¡­ That was what my instincts were telling me and I felt it was reasonable. I could already guess that this man was most likely very powerful, after all, he could read my body language without looking at me. That wasn''t the sensitivity of just anyone. Not even Gilma, who the thugs were afraid of, could do the same. Either that or she didn''t bother doing so. ¡°Last son of Astris¡­ I can only say that it is fate that brought you here.¡± ¡°You could tell?¡± Gilma asked. She seemed surprised yet not too surprised as she walked to the table, taking a seat. Nira walked around, standing behind the elf man. He looked at her warily, like he knew she was about to pull some silly shit and from the sly glint in her eyes, my mind was telling me she most likely was. ¡°Tell me, young lad, why did you wish to see me?¡± The middle aged man asked. ¡°I''m desperate. I want power but I don''t know how to get it. When I heard of an old man that apparently might be showing kindness towards house Astris, I knew I had to meet you.¡± ¡°And what do you think now that we''ve met?¡± he asked. Everyone at the table all focused on me collectively, their gaze bearing down. I felt pressured, but it wasn''t anything I couldn''t handle. ¡°A butler, a valet, a cook and a maid.¡± I replied. There was silence. The middle aged man raised a brow, clearly surprised at my reply. Gilma burst into laughter while Nira and the elf man stared at me like I was crazy. ¡°That''s quite bold of you.¡± He stood up, walking towards me. He was taller than I thought, with broad shoulders and a build that made it seem like I was standing before a giant. He must have been almost seven feet! ¡°I know. I also know that you probably don''t need whatever money I can give you.¡± ¡°Then why do you ask?¡± By now, he was standing before me and I had to raise my head to look at him. I felt extremely pressured, more than when they were all staring at me. Something was telling me that this was a test and I had no intention of failing. ¡°Simple, because wherever you go, they''ll most likely follow.¡± I gestured at the group at the table. ¡°And I know you will accept my offer if not to satisfy your curiosity more than to help a blood relative.¡± Blood Relative [2] ¡°This is really interesting.¡± the old man chuckled, ¡°You are quite smart.¡± I didn''t reply to the old man''s compliments, to me, it wasn''t anything too great that I could guess he was related to me. I don''t know how much the magicians of this world understand about humans and genetics, but from the memories I inherited, I could tell that the colour of my eyes wasn''t so easy to come by. And the few I''ve seen were of an entirely different shade of purple, mostly lighter unlike mine which were royal. But this man, his pupils are identical to mine, a perfect replica. He might not be close on the family tree, but I''m sure we have the same ancestry. ¡°Vindin, you are from the Astris Household?¡± the elf asked, his voice was cool, like a refreshing breeze, just like I imagined. ¡°No.¡± The old man replied as he stood up. He gestured for me to take a seat and I did after receiving a gentle nod from Gilma. ¡°But I guess your answer is not too far off either.¡± He added. He paused for a while, staring into the wall before sighing, ¡°The Astris Household is but a distant branch of a much more powerful and ancient family, Asterion.¡± Noble families were different from ancient families. While some ancient families have noble titles, some didn''t. Ancient families are very few to begin with and most have adapted to the times, earning noble titles to better blend with society, but a few remained attached to their old system of keeping away from the masses. ¡®These ancient families are like secluded clans.¡¯ Although they don''t have noble titles, their prestige is still as high if not higher than most noble families, so much so that not many dares to cross their path and this is because of one reason, Doctrines. It is said that unlike most fragmented doctrines nowadays, ancient families have completed doctrines with wisdom and power on a completely different level. ¡°I''ve never heard of them.¡± Nira shrugged, ¡°I have.¡± Gilma looked at old man Vin, a peculiar light in her eyes as she spoke, ¡°the Asterion family, they were also known as the brightest constellation.¡± ¡°As expected of you, Gilma, well learned.¡± Old man Vin complimented. ¡°You mean old?¡± Nira added with a snort, earning her a look from Gilma. ¡°The Asterions were quite powerful, but now, they are no more. The founder of Astris was merely one of the many talented children of Asterion.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. This info was baffling to me for many reasons, but the most important was old man Vin''s last sentence, ¡°one of many talented children¡±. If just one of these talented children, someone that didn''t particularly stand out could form a family as powerful as the Astris Household, how strong was this Asterion family? The Astris Household, before their fall, were comparable to a marquis household! ¡°Were you one of those children?¡± I asked. Although it was just a guess, I felt like the old man was very powerful, possibly more than my father even. ¡°Of course not, I''m not nearly as talented.¡± He chuckled in reply like I had just said the silliest thing. ¡°I was merely the son of a nobody and I was lucky to become a knight.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded my head and sighed. I wanted to ask him why he didn''t join the Astris Household, why he didn''t help them during their crisis but those were questions the previous owner of this body would have asked. I knew there was a simple answer to them which was ¡°he had his own shit to deal with¡±. I wasn''t so naive to think he was obligated to assist a distant relative. ¡°What are you doing now?¡± Old man Vin looked at me deeply for a moment before sighing, ¡°Nothing in particular, just living.¡± ¡°Then join me.¡± ¡°Why should I join you?¡± old man vin asked. I furrowed my brows, it took all I had in me not to look at him like he was stupid. ¡°Because you have nothing better to do?¡± Old man vin paused for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. I sighed before speaking once again, I knew what he wanted to hear, ¡°I''m weak, but I''m not useless, all I need is a foundation to build my world upon. Help me get that foundation and I''ll take you to the very top of the world.¡± There was silence once again and everyone in the room had varying expressions. Old man Vin''s face was blank and Gilma was looking at me with an expression that said ¡®wow, so daring¡¯. Nira and the elf on the other hand, had the same expression; both of them staring at me like I was mad. ¡°Do you believe in fate?¡± Vin suddenly asked after a moment of silence. I shrugged, not particularly knowing how to reply. ¡°There is a relic of the Asterions, it has remained untouched for years because no one could take it for themselves.¡± ¡°You want me to take it?¡± I asked and he nodded his head in reply. ¡°If you can claim that relic, I''ll give you a way to form your own core.¡± A core. This was the reason I was useless in this world. No matter the doctrine, no matter the path, you need a core to be anything in this world and yet, I couldn''t form mine. If I had a core, I would be able to get stronger on my own. This was the answer to my problem. But ironically, luck is about to decide if I would even be able to take this step. ¡°Fine, where is it? Let''s get this over with.¡± Vin looked at me and chuckled, ¡°I like how straightforward you are.¡± ¡°Rune,¡± Vin called out to the elf, ¡°Suit up, we are going on a short trip.¡± ¡°I''m coming too!¡± Nira called out before rushing out of the room. Gilma shook her head, laughing as she headed out of the room. But I could tell, for some reason, that she was definitely coming with us.