I got lucky they decided to give up before checking. Mark was on his way back, after taking the coins and exchanging it for money, he decided to run away before the people from the club came chasing after him. Mark had played a similar game in his owld world in the past, and he had used this trick to win countless games similar to this one.
Except against Lee. Lee just seems to never fall for his traps.
I should be able to accelerate my goals with all these Ralds. He thought, counting the 33 bags of white Ralds, each containing enough money to build a small house. After returning to his room and taking off his mask, he tucked away the money he just won through gambling into his private trunk. He doesn’t want his family, especially his older brother, to find out about the money he made, otherwise they would just take it for themselves if worst comes to worst.
“Ah… I’m going to be late.” It was then that Mark wished he could already wield magic like his brothers could. The coming of age ceremony was just a year away for him, and THEN he could discover his true potential.
Switching out his dress with a better suit and looking himself in the mirror, Mark readied himself for the celebration he needed to attend. The princess had already turned 16 some weeks ago, but the official ceremony had been delayed due to bad weather.
Exiting his room, he walks through the halls that eventually led outside. The mansion was dead silent, with almost nobody other than servants loitering around, Mark had an easy time navigating through. The Mansion was lightened up by small, yellow crystals, each radiating enough light to make it seem like morning.
Mark walks right up towards the castle, whose glistening brilliance might as well outshine the thousands of stars above. Merchants and Jugglers set up their stalls inside the huge army training field, finding this a perfect opportunity to sell their stocks to the gathering commoners and Elites around the castle. The festival had opened the army training ground for public use for 3 days, allowing 1 day to set up, 1 day for the celebration, and the last day to clean up.
Mark, who was a member of the Elite himself, was guided by imperial soldiers towards the Elite quarters inside the castle’s massive meeting hall, where his family should be celebrating along with the other Elites.
When he entered the gigantic hallways, it was as if he had entered a whole new dimension. The ceiling was filled with numerous paintings that had lasted for centuries. From what he’d heard, it seems the artist had used a technique where he painted the ceilings while the concrete was still wet which makes the color lasts longer.
The world was dyed with yellow, as the place was spotted with numerous round tables, each offering an Elite Family a place to gather around. It didn’t take long for Mark to locate his family, right when he heard the excited yell of his little sister.
“Brother! Brother over here!” My sister waved at me. My sister, Laffy, was a petite girl only a year younger than me. He recalled spoiling her a little too much, something which he regret a little. She’s developed some devious habits.
“Stop yelling Laffy, it’s unbecoming of an Elite.” My father, a lean man with a prominent beard, Warned Laffy. “Ah Mark. You’ve come quite late, your brother had left only a while ago!”
“Something unexpected came up.” Mark said half-heartedly, twisting his body to fit into the comfy chair. The food mountaineers in front of him was of ridiculous proportions: gigantic Roasted ducks, caught in our empire’s infamous lake; Tenderloin steak, sprayed with pepper sauce ; and a bear liver, imported from the north.
These food were of such luxury that even the Lightkeeper family would have trouble securing these resources without breaking their backs. Mark remembered the steaks he had enjoyed in his old world, even if this world’s steak weren’t nearly as polished, the ingredients were definitely top notch.
“...why is the princess late?” Mark’s father raised his head whilst wiping the stains from his mouth. That was something that Mark had just noticed too. Usually in these types of celebration, it was normal for the princess’s debut to be a little late just for to keep up the suspense, but this was a little too far off schedule.
“Maybe she’s stuck somewhere dressing up.” Mark chuckled with his barely audible joke. He needed to avoid commiting lese Majeste in the royal hallroom nonetheless. He felt his attention losing itself in the crowd’s murmur, the clashing glasses and the sound of waiters serving out a new dish on every table. Bands of musicians played a cheerful and jolly music that maintained the ectastic tone of the festival. The hall was lit up brightly by gem-powered lamps that illuminated the whole room with a dye of yellow. Truly, it was a festival that was worth 100 of thousands of Ralds; however, deep inside his own consciousness, Mark thought back to the starving, the unfortunate, and the unprivileged in the slums. He had not been there often, but when he did, he made sure to remind himself of the priveliege he was enjoying.
Never take it for granted.
Never think you deserve the extra cookie given to you.
Those were the words that Mark repeated every time he saw a homeless man, a parentless orphan, or a penniless wanderer. In his old world, he had discovered how lucky he was, and knew for a fact that he didn’t do anything to deserve to be born in such a way. That was how Mark thinks.
After eating some portion of the food, Mark noticed that he was missing a glass of water. He excused himself from the family, not wanting to trouble the already busy servers and also starving for a light walk around the glorious party. Eventually, he spotted a bar set up in the corner. Many teenagers around Mark’s age hung out there, ordering wines and other sorts of alcohols while bantering around with each other. Mark, finding the place to be amusing, decided to walk into the bar.
He sat down in front of the bartender, who was occupying himself with rubbing a glass cup against a towel. The bartender, seeing Mark, handed out a small menu booklet for him to select.
Hm… I don’t really feel like taking alcohol today, plus it’s expensive. I’ll just settle for fresh grape juice I guess? It looks like wine so I shouldn’t look bad.
While Mark was busy picking, he didn’t notice a figure taking a seat besides him. She glanced at Mark, a mischievous grin on her face.
“We would like 2 glasses of Margarita.”
When Mark found a glass of Margarita served right at him, he glanced accusingly at the girl who had just ordered it for him. She had a wavy blonde hair and bright red eyes, something Mark doesn’t see very often.
“I ain’t paying for this expensive thing, you know that right?” Mark sends an aggressive glare at the mysterious girl, who was about Mark’s age. She chuckles lightly before replying back.
“I heard around you just won a ton of money, this much wouldn’t hurt.”
“I have none on me right now.”
“Just ask him to keep tabs on your family, the Lightkeepers are pretty well off financially if I recall.” The girl replied back defiantly. Mark kept up his spiteful look, before he noticed something.
“Wait, how did you know who my family is? I don’t remember mentioning it to you?”
“Ah…” The girl stopped sipping, turning stone cold. For a second, Mark thought he finally had her, but then her expression relaxed immediately. Her change of expression was so swift and fast that even Mark couldn’t react properly to it.
“You’re pretty famous around here, don’t you know that? Our private tutors kept mentioning you whenever we struggle on any math problems. He seems to mumble about you alot, saying how much potential you have in front of us Elites while teaching. Trust me, we have a bit of a grudge because of this.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you know my appearance...” Mark interjected.
“Black hair, black eyes, pale skin. You aren’t that hard to spot.” The girl answered back promptly. Mark just sighed, giving up on answering. He looked at the margarita glass in front of him. Should he really try out alcohol.
“Oh~~~” That was a wrong move, the moment the girl saw Mark acting uncomfortable with the alcohol, she caught on right away what Mark was secretly struggling with. “Never had alcohol before?”
“...I did.” Mark snapped back, taking a small sip. He doesn’t like alcohol, it messes with his brain and body. Mark didn’t really like the feeling. Plus it’s bitter for him and he dislikes bitter things.
“You’re quite amusing to be with, you know that?” The girl chuckles, taking a large sip of the margarita. Jesus how could she tolerate all those at such a young age? -thought Mark. The girl placed her empty glass down, turning to Mark. “What do you think about this Castle.. Isn’t it quite magnificent? It was built centuries ago and has been passed down through the royal family line ever since, a castle so grand even the dwarves would be jealous.” The girl spoke proudly, opening her arms wide to resemble the humongous castle. Mark looked at the canvas on the ceiling once again, them displaying the emperor massacring some elves who had allegedly attacked the human realm was quite disturbing.
But those were the things of the past.
“...it’s great.” Even though Mark said half-heartedly. Yes, the castle was big by the world’s standards. But from where he came from, humans have built skyscrapers that kissed the clouds and dinosauric domes that might as well fit a million people. From that perspective, seeing a medium sized castle boasting its rich and glorious history seems laughable. The girl observed Mark’s stoic expression, pondering.
“...do you know one special trick I could do?” The girl suddenly leaned closer to Mark, her body only centimeters away. Mark was obviously startled by the sudden approach, unconsciously pulling himself further from the girl. He wasn’t quite used to a woman’s company, not even in his old life. She smirked slightly at Mark’s response, even when he tried his best to keep a stoic face. Then she continued.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“You see, in my years, I’ve met many people. Many important people. They all had different set of expressions, but what they say is always similar. At first I was confused, but then after time passes by, I start to catch the trick.”
Mark didn’t say anything, pretending to be interested in the glasses lining up along the board. He was quite confident in his poker face, but this girl was threatening him at point blank.
“When humans, or humanoid living creatures lie, or exaggerate, their pupils always move to a certain position.” The girl pointed at her own eyes. “Of course, you can easily nullify and hide this with a mask, but even then there are various body languages that you could look out for. And your eyes, Markus, your eyes were of a one who isn’t impressed. I usually get it when my math tutor sees me doing some easy question slow.”
“...” Mark caught his name being said. He starts to wonder if he had ever met this girl before, maybe back when he was very young? He didn’t remember warranting any sort of attention from her.
“So tell me Mark, what are you impressed by?” She brought her face closer, so close that Mark could’ve sword he could feel the warmth of her body. Cold sweat starts to trickle down his neck; it was like a predator playing with prey, toying him around.
He was about to answer stupidly when the girl’s eyes looked to the left. Mark followed her gaze and found 2 royal guards wandering around the halls, slowly approaching them. Their silver chestplate and menacing spears showed their authority, capable of scaring even the bravest of thieves.
“Ah… Time’s up. Maybe we’ll talk later.” Before Mark knew what was going on, he felt a soft peck on his cheeks, and then the girl backed away, leaving several Ralds on the table. He rubbed his cheeks with both his hands, stunned as the girl vanishes into the crowd of faces..
“Ah…” Mark’s cheek turns slightly pink.
I need to be more careful of the girls in this dimension. Unlike back in his old world, this world’s women and men were treated equally, for better or worse. Since magic is such an important part of society, available to both men and women, physical prowess isn’t as important and things work quite differently.
“Wow Markus, when did you start dating her? I’ve never seen her before.” A tall man walks over to Mark, who is still busy clearing his thoughts. Mark glanced at the source of the voice, a small smile cracked over his face.
“Ralph! It’s been a while.”
“Been a while indeed, Mark!” Ralph used his large hands to smack Mark’s back, a big smile on his face. Ralph was an Elite who owns an estate just south of Mark’s province. Unlike Mark, he was a first born, and thus the heir of the family. Lately however, Ralph had less time visiting Mark because of his trips around the empire.
“I didn’t know you were back from your trip so early. How did it go?”
“It went along fine.” Ralph sat down besides Mark, ordering a huge mug of beer. Mark still wasn’t quite used to how much young people in this world could drink. Maybe magic has an impact in their body system somewhat? There were several possibilities that Mark was eager to know about.
Ralph started to tell the tales of his travel, how he met the high duke of the north, the gorgeous Mansion in the east, and the jaw dropping walls in the west barricading the empire from the Elven woods. He described everything in explicit detail, not forgetting to mention the various beautiful women he met along the way. This made Mark a tad bit jealous, he also wanted to travel around, but he was stuck in his house reading books.
“This is just a rumor, but I think trouble is brewing in the east.” Ralph whispered to Mark, glancing left and right for peering ears. Affirming there was no one listening, he crept closer to Mark. “For whatever reason, a cult has been forming all over the empire. It’s been said that the their stronghold is currently stationed in the east.”
“...really.” Mark had heard of this rumor before, but dismissed it as a mere nonsense. In the end, Cults are just cults, few people who couldn’t really make a big or dangerous change
In this world, there’s magic though…
Mark had seen people wielding water in their hand, floating them around. At the age of 15 or 16, a child will be brought to the sage, an old individual who lives inside the mountain up north. The sage will then bring the child to the holy crystal, where then it would determine and possibly even give the child his or her magic affinity. Mark hadn’t done it yet, but from what he’d heard, Ralph had already gone ahead and got some sort of power.
“Oh yeah Mark, your awakening is 2 quarters from now on right?” Ralph asked Mark promptly, as if reading his mind.
“Yes. How did it feel for you?”
“Yeah, about that. Honestly, the whole thing looked sketchy and strange.” Ralph then continued on a long talk about how he met the sage, forgotten his/her face for some reason, spoke with some kind of god who asks questions about him, then proceeded to grant him access to magic.
“So not everyone gets to be a magic user?”
“Yeah, apparently the sage will test us, and then let the crystal judge after approving us. If we don’t pass, we don’t get the power.”
“Test? What kind of test?”
“I don’t know man. I can’t really remember. I remember it to be quite traumatizing though…” Ralph’s face went a little pale as he tried to recall past events. In the end, Mark didn’t learn much. Mark decided to task the kicker question.
“So, what power did you obtain?”
“Ah! Of course! You didn’t know yet huh.” Ralph’s eyes lit up, he was waiting for Mark to ask. Ralph lifted his hands up, then closed his eyes and concentrated. It was fade, but Mark could feel something white gathering up in his hands. But then Ralph starts to sweat heavily, before huffing out a huge gasps and collapsing back into the chair. The mass of white light dissapated into thin air.
“Well, that was short.”
“Did you see it?”
“I did. Something white.”
“Yeah, apparently I got the power to heal people.” Ralph smiled. “Only small injuries and the likes for now though, I still need training. My father is sending me a private magic tutor next quarter so he should improve my skills.”
“Lucky…” Mark was a little envious of his friend’s new ability, yearning to wield this unknown power like him. He couldn’t help but be excited for his own ceremony, would he too be able to gain fantasy like powers? He recalled the girl back at the club using some sort of spell to make his body heavier, maybe he’ll get something similar.
VRMMMM
A loud echo broke throughout the halls. The halls’ busy crowd slowed down, all their gazes turned towards the large podium on the top of the room. There, soldiers and guards lined up, holding up the flag of the Mideam empire.
Then, from it walked out a large, grey haired man. In one of his hands he held a large staff with a floating orb on its upper end, gowing red for all to see. The emperor of the country steps forth with grace and intimidation, commanding respect from all his subjects.
Mark, along with every single person in the hall, bowed their heads down according to custom. They only lifted their heads up after the emperor himself held up a hand and gave a signal to stop.
“I can never get used to this.” Mark whispered to Ralph, whose head was also bowed down low.”
“Are you sure that guy’s 60 cycles old? He looks strong enough to take a on a whole squad.” Ralph whispered back. Of course, saying this publicly is nothing less than a lese Majeste, but Ralph trusted Mark as a friend.
The emperor walked up to the stage, swiftly sitting upon throne made of solid gold. He held his body up straight and firm, not showing a single sign of weakness. The emperor put his hands up, and the Elites in the room went back to their seats.
Following him out was the queen and his two sons, who walked up behind the throne, standing there quietly.
After everyone of the royal family was in position a mic was brought to him. Yes, in this world, with the power of special gemstones, aka gemiths, there’s something resembling electricity here. Gemiths are mined from the Mounts of Rakshar, where many strong monsters and legendary beasts reside. Although the idea of such a cheap, free and clean energy seems enticing to Mark, he couldn’t help but ponder if it would cause some massive repercussions in the future. From the world where he came from, Global warming has reached a point of almost no return, and who would’ve knew that using oil could be so harmful?
“My friends, Thank you for coming.” The king spoke slowly, the pressure in his voice seems to hold up throughout, commanding attention from the crowd. “It is a great honor for us all to gather here for another stellar coming of age festival. I’m sure my daughter would vividly remember this day and treasure it inside forever. The kindness you’ve expressed today may seem incomprehensive and miniscule, but trust me that she looks forward to meeting you all.”
“Wooo!” The crowd cheered. The emperor waited patiently for people to calm down, before continuing.
“My daughter, Alicia Iar, is one of the smartest kid I’ve seen. Her tutors have praised her rigorously throughout all her life, earning second place in the standardized examinations.”
“Hey Markus, you’re first place right?” Ralph pointed at Mark. Mark had tutored Ralph himself on various subjects other than history, live combat, and language. He had a huge advantage of superior knowledge in math and science, plus years of education, so he was naturally ahead in many ways. Ralph had always praised Mark as some sort of a lifesaver, which he took some pride in.
“Maybe. Just shut it.” Mark waved off
“Not only that, she had also already forgone the ceremony with the sage even before she turned 15, making her one of the youngest awakeners.” The king proudly proclaims. The people gasps in surprise, the sage had almost never accepted anyone below the required age.
“So now, I would like you all to introduce yourselves to her,.” The king signalled the musicians, who then proceeded to blow their trumpets, play a slow music, and shift the lights to fit in with the tone of the hall. Lowering the input of energy to every gemstones lighting up the room except the ones on the stage, the castle was able to be transformed into a huge spectacular podium..
Then she walked out, wavy blonde hair and crimson eyes, the princess marched gracefully from behind the curtains. She maintained a stoic expression, staring straightforward as more music played and trumpets blew. Several ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ were heard from the crowd, but most of all was the surprise Ralph shows when Mark nearly spit out his drink when Mark in response of the princesses appearance.
“Are you okay? Don’t tell me you’ve been THAT stunned by her beauty.”
“*cough* *cough* I just got caught a little off guard, that’s all.” Mark wiped his cheeks, the new juice he just ordered tainting part of his uniform. He sighed, knowing the lecture his mother would put him though for ruining the cloth. “Yeah, I think I’ve had enough tonight.”
“What? You’re leaving?” Ralph looked surprised, the princess hasn’t quite started her speech yet, and it would be in good manner to listen to what she has to say first. But Mark had had enough of surprises tonight, added to the fact that he hated sleeping late. He plans to hastily grab something to eat and quickly leave.
“I don’t feel so well. I really need some rest.” Mark lied to Ralph, who easily accepted his excuse after seeing Mark almost choked on juice. While Mark exited the bar, Alicia started her speech.
“Good evening. My name is Alicia Iar, as I’m sure you all have heard. I am currently the third in line of the throne, and aim to support my brothers in ruling this land.” Alicia started to monolouge away while Mark enjoyed the delicious steak he had been offered. His family were all fixated on the princess as if she was some mythical god like being, but Mark doesn’t really find it interesting. He had already notified his parents about the early leave, which they luckily comply to while their attention were elsewhere.
Mark hoped the day would go smoothly, but Alicia had different plans.
“I have also came here to exercise my right as the candidate for the throne.”
“...” The crowd of nobles went silent. The old Elites, Elites whose family had existed since before the empire ever united, went silent, with some condescending expression on their face. It had become so normal for so long that the eldest daughter or son become the emperor or empress, so much so it had transformed into a kind of tradition.
The new Elites, nobles who were just recently elevated in rank, seems to look on at the princess with intrigue and excitement. New Elites are descendants of families from conquered cities of the empire. Since killing the families could cause the war to prolong, the emperor had the choice to integrate the family into the empire instead. Of course, this angered the older Elites, who longed to forever stay at the forefront.
An empress or emperor is chosen by the Elite houses, each family getting a vote. The winner will receive the most votes and go on to become the next emperor. Of course, since almost none of the second or third in line ever gets the prize without some sort of bloodshed, it wasn’t rare that the other candidates immediately step down to avoid conflict.
The emperor himself stayed neutral throughout, not showing any signs of anguish or disapproval at his daughter. Mark finished the last sweet he had on his table, preparing to exit the place while the princess continued with her speech.
“I would like for any young Elites to assist me in my quest for the throne; Let us together lead the empire to even greater heights and achieve glory that you deserve.”
“Pft.” Mark couldn’t help but chortle. He found it absolutely hilarious for a 15, barely 16 year old girl to even mention the prospect of glory. He could imagine some hot blooded young Elites to join Alicia and gamble on her to win. The old Elite faction were probably going to stick to their traditions and vote for the elder prince to win and keep their own power, while the new faction would seek change and gamble on the princess. Both didn’t excite nor interest Mark, who would rather live revolutionize the empire through education. The Elites can fight these pointless battles all they want, it didn’t matter to him.
Right when Mark was about to leave the hall, he swore he could feel a cold chill crawl up his spine, the same feeling then his mother stalked at him when he tries to sneakily play games late into the night. He turned back, surveying for any suspicious guest who might be looking at him.
Probably just my imagination. Mark swept a swift glance around the room one last time, before leaving.
He wasn’t impressed… Mark had been right on his instincts, as Alicia was sizing him up while making her speech. She hadn’t quite told anyone quite yet, but her eyesight was actually enhanced by the sage. ‘It would come in handy for a person such as you’ the sage had told her before meeting with the crystal, casting a short enhancement spell.
Mark had simply rolled his eyes at the word glory and throne. He clearly wasn’t impressed by the speech or Alicia herself. This made Alicia frustrated, but also excited. She already had Robert look into Mark. He was a quiet kid, with only one best friend being Ralph. He doesn’t seem to have any particular dream or ambition, hypothetically because his parents wants to avoid household conflict and quickly set their eldest son as the next heir to the family. He also rarely shows up in meeting and combats, preferring to stay under the radar.
But most importantly, he excelled in strategy, arithmetic, and science. For whatever reason, Mark had seem to want to keep himself anonymous for the results, not wanting to attract envy from the other Elites or his siblings. This piqued Alicia’s interest. For such a talented man to not strive for glory and recognition was unheard of. She desperately wants him as an ally in the future, but couldn’t quite think of a concrete way to lure him in yet. Mark really simply has no clear ambition for her to exploit, something that she had bit her lips over.
He’ll be by on side one day. One day… For now, she must let the prey go. Eventually his true ambition, his true desires will show itself. Then and only then could she get him on her side.
“Princess?” Robert tapped lightly on Alicia’s shoulder, pulling her back from her thoughts.
“Ah, sorry I zoned out for a second there.” Alicia recomposes herself, realizing that she had been absentminded for too long.