Elincia pushed me from behind, and I sat inside the carriage in front of Sir Janus. The man was unrecognizable. His hair was combed back, his beard cut short, and his uniform spotless. The crooked scar under his jaw was the only feature that hinted he was indeed Janus.
“Good afternoon, Sir Janus,” Elincia said with a curtsy.
“Don’t be so formal, girl. We both are lowborn,” Sir Janus sighed.
I wondered if Elincia had recognized the man or if she had overheard our brief conversation. Either way, her accurate greeting didn’t help me save face. Behind us, Captain Kiln climbed the carriage and sat in the only empty seat.
“Good afternoon, My Lord,” Captain Kiln said with a humorous tone.
“Shut it, Kiln,” he replied.
The driver closed the door behind her, and the carriage started moving a moment later. The ragged streets of the Northern district didn’t make the trip comfortable. The tension that had been building up inside continued growing as we approached the Great Hall. Unconsciously, I started fiddling with the copper bracelet Ginz had crafted for me.
“Relax, Robert. I’ll be your babysitter for the night's first half. Being nervous will not do anything for you,” Sir Janus said, just to add with a mischievous smile. “The really important people will be at a party of their own, so you don’t have to worry about them. As long as you don’t anger a Lv.40 Captain, you’ll be fine.”
I gave Captain Kiln a questioning look. I had assumed every noble, from Prince Adrien to the lower baron, would be at the same party. The woman remained silent. It made sense for the nobles to have an inner hierarchy: Prince Adrien and Lord Osgiria couldn’t be compared with a lowly baron.
Eventually, the carriage stopped shaking as we left the dilapidated streets of the Northern District behind. I took a peek through the small window in the door. Several other carriages moved up the main road towards the Great Hall. Ours was the most opulent one, which made sense considering all the important nobles were already staying in the Great Hall. Bystanders stopped on the sideways and pointed at us with curious looks, probably wondering who was riding inside. Little did they know it was the governess of a poor orphanage and her handy assistant.
The carriage passed through the inner wall and slowly advanced to the Great Hall’s entrance.
Near a water fountain, a quartet of musicians played a happy tune while servants distributed drinks and snacks among the guests. For a moment, I thought the party was going to be celebrated in the gardens, but [Awareness] informed me their attire wasn't up to the occasion. They were commoners. Wealthy merchants, prominent craftsmen, and officers from the royal army drank wine while the group's young members participated in various dances and games.
“Don’t look at them. They’ll try to drink your blood,” Sir Janus grunted.
Those who weren’t immersed in the dances or the drinks eyed our carriage with intrigued expressions.
“They are our countrymen, Janus,” Captain Kiln replied.
Sir Janus dismissed the Captain’s words with a movement of his hand and turned to face Elincia. “And that won’t stop them from stealing Robert from you if that improves their social standing.”
Elincia extended her arm and closed the curtains and I covered my mouth with my hand to not laugh.
“Don’t worry, Eli. I’m not letting anyone take me away from you,” I whispered into her ear.
“If you don’t want to live the rest of your life fearing poisoned drinks, then you better behave,” Elincia replied.
The carriage stopped, and the driver opened the door. An army of servants awaited us. Next to us, several other carriages dropped off their passengers and exited the premises. The newcomers were guided to the gardens by the servants while our carriage was left alone as if they knew we belonged inside.
Captain Kiln was the first to jump out. She excused herself, saying she had to get ready for dinner, and disappeared through a lateral door. I wondered if a squire was nervously looking for her somewhere inside the Great Hall.
“Our party is inside. Follow my lead,” Sir Janus said as he stretched his uniform.
The driver announced our arrival, and Sir Janus stepped outside the carriage. I followed. The entrance of the Great Hall was decorated with assortments of multicolor light stones bundled around iron poles. I couldn’t help but think of them as candy trees. They looked delicious. Over the main entrance hung the banner of the golden stag, with the banner of the impaled Black Wolf hanging an echelon lower. The entrance was guarded by soldiers dressed in the colors of the seven Dukedoms.
I offered my arm to Elincia, and we climbed the stairs.
The attention of the commoners fell upon us as soon as they noticed we wouldn’t join them. They looked at us with curiosity, joining heads to exchange questions about our identity. I followed Sir Janus's advice and ignored them. It has been a while since I attended a party, not counting Ilya’s birthday.
The guards let us through, and a horn-holding herald dressed in bright clothing, almost like a jester, guided us toward the ballroom. The hall was decorated with the same white canvas and dozens upon dozens of light stones. Despite the dusk setting outside, the Great Hall looked like a warm summer morning.
The herald asked us to wait before a great double door carved with floral motifs.
Sir Janus took a deep breath, fixed the medals on his chest, and checked the sword hanging from his belt. Then he fixed his medals again. I wondered what was on the other side of the door that could give the jitters to a high-level Imperial Knight.
“Do you have class reunions in your land, Robert?” Sir Janus asked.
“Yeah, I avoided them like the plague,” I replied.
Before Sir Janus could add anything else, the herald returned accompanied by two masked individuals. To say they looked shady was to fall short. It wasn’t the golden masks that covered the Zealot’s faces but crude imitations of suffering human faces. They wore washed-out jackets and baggy pants adjusted at the ankles, giving them the appearance of dangerous vagrants.
“Sniffers,” Sir Janus said.
“Please stay still,” the herald said with perfunctory courtesy.
The Sniffers circled us like wolves. They didn’t touch us but didn’t respect personal space either. I could sense their intrusive presence crawling beneath my skin; half skill, half something completely different. I wanted to push them away from me, but the royal crest on their shoulder prevented me from doing it.
“That’s a curious ring. I wonder what it does,” one of the Sniffers said as he crouched and closely examined my hand. He had a masculine voice. Not a completely sane one. [Awareness] told me to run and nothing else.
“The rings are connected. Not dangerous,” the other Sniffer scolded her companion. That one had a distinctive feminine voice. She soon lost interest in the ring on my hand and approached Elincia. “The woman… she has something interesting beneath her cloak.”
The Sniffer’s attention fell on Elincia, who remained as a statue.
“Show us, woman,” the male Sniffer said.
Elincia opened her cloak and untied her potion belt. The Sniffers brought their faces close to the belt, to the point their noses almost touched it. I let my [Mana Mastery] take control over my senses, revealing the mana around me. The Sniffer’s eyes, nose, and even tongue shone with a dark mana similar to the one Sir Janus had conjured back during our fight against the thieves. They were casting an advanced detection skill.
“Health, antidote, energy, no poison,” the man hissed between his teeth, disappointed.
“Safe. The potions are safe,” the woman replied.
“The potions are safe, but this one smells strange, yes?” the man lost interest in Elincia and got on all fours to examine my boots.
Elincia breathed with ease as she strapped the potion belt around her waist. The eyes of the Sniffer shone with a dangerous glint as her partner circled me, still crouching. I wanted to shove them and ran away. There was something wrong with the mana they were using to fuel their abilities.
“Yes, this one smells like faraway,” the woman replied.
"Faraway, and something beyond. Beyond far away," the man said, sniffing my short cloak as if trying to pluck out its different aroma notes.
"Beyond far away," the woman concurred as her eyes started to dilate.
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“Strange, very strange,” the man said.
“Strange, very strange,” the woman replied. She had an unsavory look in her eyes.
The herald looked at me with a worried expression as he brought his hand to the war horn on his belt. It wasn’t like I was carrying a bag of anthrax into the party. The Sniffers fell silent.
“Strange is not dangerous, dog. Do as your master said,” Sir Janus suddenly grunted, making the Sniffers snap out of their trance.
“They are clean,” the male Sniffer said.
“They are clean,” the woman replied before turning around and walking down the corridor they had appeared from.
Sir Janus snapped his fingers, and the herald opened the double doors. Rays of gold and silver emerged from the ballroom. The herald grabbed his horn and pulled it to his mouth, producing a deep sound that made the floor tremble.
“Sir Janus, Swordmaster Robert Clarke, and Miss Elincia Rosebud from the Rosebud Fencing Academy,” the herald yelled louder than I thought humanly possible. Then, he moved aside and let us in.
Streams of what could only be described as solid light flowed down the gilded candelabra on the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the ballroom’s pure white floor. In the same fashion as the audience room, the walls were decorated with intricate tapestries depicting scenes of a hunt. Silver chandeliers hung between the marble columns, giving streams of silver light that mixed and intertwined with their golden counterparts. Gilded mirrors covered the wall to my right, while enormous windows draped in red curtains allowed the last rays of sun to enter the room.
Whoever had decorated the room deserved a raise.
“I need a drink,” Sir Janus grunted as the welcoming committee came towards us.
A tall, middle-aged man dressed in a black military dress with silvery appliqués and a long white cape crossed the ballroom with a decisive step. I recognized the colors of the House Osgiria. The man received us with a well-acted smile. He had short black hair and the rapacious eyes of a competent strategist.
Instead of the usual ornate sword, a crude axe made of black metal hung from his belt. It wasn’t a magical artifact, yet it made me feel a strange void inside my stomach. After a moment, I understood why; the blade seemed to devour any mana particle that came in contact with it.
An anti-magic weapon was bad news for me, so I made a mental note not to pick a fight with the guy.
“Janus the Weasel, what an unsightly surprise,” the Osgirian soldier –or general considering his uniform– said with a condescending voice.
“Still crying because a commoner beat you in your own game of intrigue?” Sir Janus replied with an arrogant tone.
“I didn’t lose,” the Osgirian said.
“You didn’t win either,” Sir Janus replied.
Despite the unfriendly banter, Janus and the man shook hands.
“This is Sir Enric Osgiria, cousin of Lord Osgiria, Great Marshall of the Osgirian Legion, and the coach of the Osgirian team for the tournament,” Sir Janus introduced the newcomer. “If you embarrass him and his team during the tournament, Robert, I will pay you a hundred gold coins.”
Sir Enric elbowed Sir Janus as he passed by his side and focused his attention on me. Elincia grabbed the fold of her dress and made a deep curtsy without saying a word. Sir Enric barely noticed her. His eyes were intense to the point I was tempted to look away.
In the same line as the Marquis, Captain Kiln, and Sir Janus, Sir Enric was a head taller than me and weighed twice as much. I wondered if every high-level combatant had that strongman physique.
“I’m Robert Clarke, and this is my companion, Elincia Rosebud,” I introduced us.
“So, you are the Scholar everyone is obsessed with. I thought you’d be older. Usually, fencing masters are seasoned soldiers,” Sir Enric said, examining my appearance. “No offense, of course.”
Sir Enric’s eyes were keen, much like the Sniffers’. He wasn’t just inspecting my physical appearance but also trying to measure my combat capabilities. I knew it was going to be the same all night. I grinned. If Prince Adrien wanted to parade me in front of the nobles, I was ready to add a little spice to the mix.
“No offense taken. I will be happy to have our students cross swords if you need more proof of my competence,” I calmly replied.
Sir Janus stifled a laugh and gave me a slight nod.
“I’m sure the opportunity will arise during the tournament,” Sir Enric said, regaining his composure.
I couldn’t help but notice a hint of skepticism in his voice. It wasn’t a surprise. Lowborns rarely reached the upper echelons of society. After one last glance, Sir Enric turned around to face Janus again.
“You should be careful, old friend. Your value lies in being the only commoner to graduate from the Imperial Academy. The moment more commoners start seeping into our ranks, you’ll stop being a legend,” Sir Enric said before turning around and returning to his group of military buddies.
The pragmatism of Prince Adrien and the Marquis had made me forget about the separation between nobles and commoners. The hierarchy of this world wasn’t just about money, status, and bloodlines but a matter of potential, levels, and Classes. I massaged my temples, realizing we weren’t just competing against the best-prepared students of the kingdom but against the prejudice against commoners. A smile tugged at my lips, though. The more they underestimated us during the tournament, the easier it would be for us to score better results.
I noticed Elincia was squeezing my hand.
“That was intense,” she let out a deep sigh like she had been holding her breath during the conversation. “I swear I’ll never get used to dealing with high-level combatants.”
I hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary other than Sir Enric’s axe, even with my [Mana Mastery] assisting me in detecting mana fluctuations. Maybe my own mana pool made me insensitive to the power of others.
“Let’s not block the way,” Sir Janus said, leading the way to the party.
Despite not wanting to be too distracted, I fed a little bit of extra mana to [Awareness]. The skill suddenly came to life, bombarding me with information: the strange fabrics of the nobles’ garments, the enchanted jewels embedded in rings and necklaces, the furtive glances, unspoken words, and secret signals laid clear before my eyes.
The party was the facade of a war zone. Political favors, trading, alliances —all concealed beneath the strange light from the chandeliers and the sweet music of the band. Some of the nobles were moved by honor, others by coin, others by power, and I needed to know who was which if I wanted to survive in this world. The last traces of nervousness left my body. Maybe it was [Awareness]’s rush of information interfering with my capacity to make decisions. Maybe it was the [Scholar] part of my brain, but I felt the necessity of playing the game. I needed to solve the puzzle before me.
“I don’t like those eyes,” Elicia said.
“I’ll be cautious,” I mindlessly replied.
Elincia didn’t seem convinced but didn’t add more.
As we moved through the ballroom, I noticed the lack of servants. [Awareness] fed me more information. Silver trays full of liquor glasses floated around the room, carried by invisible hands. In the corner, a small assembly of instruments played without a musician. On the tables set along the wall, drinks poured themselves.
I did my best not to look amazed.
I was about to grab an enchanted tray to examine whatever runes were engraved on the surface when Prince Adrien appeared in front of us. Unlike the rest of the nobles, the prince was dressed in simple clothes. A pearl white shirt with delicate lace around the low neckline, heavy ruffles down the collar, and high-waisted blue pants. No trace of the royal colors other than the rings on his hand. His white, wavy hair was combed back like the rest of the men.
A plain sheath with a simple sword, devoid of all decoration, hung from his belt.
“Robert and Elincia, finally someone interesting to talk to!” Prince Adrien said, loud enough for his voice to be heard over the music.
The show had begun.
[Awareness] instantly warned me about a dozen pairs of eyes falling upon us.
“Good evening, My Lord. It’s a pleasure to see you here,” I greeted with a formal bow.
“Don’t be so stiff. You are making me feel self-conscious,” the Prince laughed.
Was he already drunk, or was he playing a character? The other nobles didn’t seem surprised in the slightest, which made me think we were threading known waters. I didn’t need [Awareness] to notice their jealous eyes. Prince Adrien was putting me in a dangerous position, as expected. Soon, everyone would want to meet the mysterious Scholar who had the Crowned Prince enthralled.
“I beg your pardon, Prince Adrien,” I said, giving him the initiative of the conversation.
“I’ll forgive you. You are not familiar with the local customs after all. It’s a long way to the other side of the Farlands,” the Prince said, hiding a mischievous grin.
“It’s a long way indeed,” I replied.
Whispers rose all around us. The bait was planted, and the beasts were hungry. Captain Kiln was right when she told me nobles would crave entertainment. I wondered how much information the Marquis and Prince Adrien had fed the public about me. Would the nobles even believe there was something beyond the Farlands? I was a little too close to being branded as a charlatan to my liking.
With a subtle movement of his hand, Prince Adrien summoned a silver tray and offered us a drink. We each took a glass of wine, and the tray continued its slithering way. A short sip revealed a fruity, soft flavor with barely any touch of alcohol.
From the other side of the ballroom, Sir Enric glanced at us with interest.
“It seems everyone is here,” Prince Adrien said as the herald announced the arrival of the Marquis and Captain Kiln.
The Marquis wore his usual black and red gala uniform, an amalgamation of a party dress and a military uniform. It took me a moment to recognize Captain Kiln, even with [Awareness] working in the background of my mind. She had shed her usual stained plate armor for a proper crimson dress with gold embroidery. Not only her face and arms were covered in scars, but her shoulders too.
“Those are sick scars,” Elincia whispered near my ear.
The Marquis grabbed a glass of wine from one of the magic trays and raised it into the air. The music decreased its volume, and the guests met in the center. As expected, the Marquis went directly to the point.
“Today, we observe the thirtieth anniversary of the biggest catastrophe in Farcrest history: the Forest Warden Monster Surge. Many strong men and women paid with their lives to protect Farcrest and the kingdom, including my grandfather, Stephaniss of Farcrest, and my older brother, Rikard. To them, I say: Farcrest still thrives!” The Marquis's voice filled the room.
A round of applause rose. He did well in reminding everyone we were the ones who fought in the frontline against the Farlands. It served to solidify our presence, even if Farcrest was insignificant compared to the big three dukedoms.
“Let’s leave our worries outside and enjoy the night,” The Marquis raised his glass.
The nobles cheered.
Suddenly, half a dozen Fortifiers emerged from the crowd and channeled mana to the palm of their hands. Two of them were dressed in the colors of the royal family, two with the colors of the House Osgiria, one with the olive tree of House Gairon, and the last had the hammer crest of House Herran. I focused on the show. Their spells intertwined to raise a multicolor barrier around the ballroom and the adjacent rooms.
I didn’t need [Awareness] to understand we were cut off from the rest of the world.