“And a one and a two and a!” Rob raised his hand with a spark erupting into a colorful bundle of light; the whole class bowed in unison. “DONE!”
As the entire class released a sigh of relief, Rob wore a slight grin and nodded his head regarding their acceptable performance, albeit not as spectacular as it could have been. Nevertheless, they still had two weeks left to prepare and he was sure as hell going to make their dance an explosive one.
Brushing back his messy black hair into a nice midpart, he slowly landed on the ground and moved towards Holly and Elaine who were at the side of the big wide hall.
Smiling at Holly and nodding at Elaine, he tossed them a nice wrapped sandwich along with a bottle of his ever-mysterious alchemical concoctions with mental benefits.
“Nice progress with Melvin,” Rob complimented Elaine while also taking a sip from his own bottle. “And I hope you’re not finding it too weird dancing with an illusioned clone of mine, Holly.”
“It’s not that big of a deal!” Holly smiled softly and tapped at Rob’s chest playfully. “But I’d still rather dance with the real deal later.”
Elaine rolled her eyes over their affectionate display and interjected, “It’s also not that big of a deal, brother. Melvin is just a great dancer.”
“Yes, yes, I know you’re feeling lonely right now,” Rob approached Elaine and whispered to her ears softly. Wearing a teasing grin, he stepped back and slapped her on the back, “How does it feel to be bitchless now, huh? Your gay ass can’t even pull any game.”
“Fuck you…!” She cursed under her breath and pushed Rob away with a glare. “Just because you… you… argh! Shut up!”
“I’m just joking!” Rob raised his hand defensively but still wore an annoying smile on his handsome face.
“Ugh,” Elaine groaned, side-eyeing Rob before sitting down on a chair and munching on her sandwich.
Holly did the same as she sat right beside Elaine, comforting her gently like a mother easing the discomfort of her child. “He was just joking. I bet you can also get yourself a girlfriend… or a boyfriend soon.”
“Yeah yeah, I know, I know.” Elaine sighed and took another big bite from her sandwich. “The problem is you two! You two are just so goddamn… whatever the word I wanted to say! Point is, if you guys want to be all lovey-dovey, tone it down in front of me.”
“Woah there, sis.” Rob paused midway through drinking his juice and stared Elaine right in the eye. “You know that we aren’t a thing, right?”
Elaine grinned widely in response to his question as she subconsciously strengthened her grip over her plastic bottle, crunching it in the middle into an indented mess. “I know.”
“It’s not like living in the same house, dating each other every week, holding hands and hugging constantly, and doing whatever couple-related activities there are would mean that two people are a couple, right?” Elaine smacked her lips and crossed her arms.
“That’s right!” Rob repeatedly nodded his head in agreement. “Assuming others to be a couple is just a bad habit to have, a bad habit to have indeed.”
Elaine sighed and looked at Holly who wore a bashful grin. Even though she appeared rather straight-faced, her bright red ears were a dead giveaway to her internal feelings. Ignoring Rob entirely, she sent a telepathic message to Holly using her meager skills in mind magic.
“So when would you two become an actual thing then?” asked Elaine.
“It’s a secret…” Holly smiled and took a bite from her sandwich.
What a fucking couple, Elaine thought while exhaling deeply.
[***]
The royal capital of the Vizwel Empire, as its name suggested, was the most prosperous and important city or part of the empire. It’s where the emperor resides and the area where people of high power and influence congregate.
It even houses one of the most influential magical academies to exist within the empire and was the place where various archmages throughout the years were created. And like those magical cities scattered all throughout the land, the royal capital has a bustling crowd of magical experts willing to push forward the boundaries of magic.
Overall, in terms of importance, the royal capital was one of the most highly-valued places to exist in the entire world!
As such, there are some slight distinctions it has regarding its general structure and layout.
At the very center of the capital is where the royal family resides, alongside nobles and influential families of common or magical lineage.
Next was the middle area, the place where people of higher power like families with generations of mages or knights, or well-off families that are just below the label of being filthy rich.
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Lastly was the outer area, or the outermost periphery of the capital. It is the place that houses most commoners. Of course, one shouldn’t look down on the people living in this part because just living in the royal capital means one is quite the affluent fella. The prices here were just downright scary when compared to other cities, hence even the least fortunate commoner could earn a respectable income no matter where in the continent.
The Fortune family used to live at the place between the outer area and the middle area, kind of like an in-between where the place had plenty of customers to attract, both rich and average, while still allowing comfortable access to various parts of the capital. Their previous location can be considered to be pretty good, and could even be said to be quite genius for their family business’s growth.
But now though? They’re FUCKING RICH! They have multiple branches placed all throughout the city and Vivia and Herve don’t even have to work anymore! Fuck the placement of their house, their family business is now an actual company with its own branding, logo, departments, and all kinds of jazz.
A major part of their success was due to luck and Melvin’s aptly timed funding, and another part was due to Rob’s meddling. Because of this, their relationship with the Dolton family has grown a lot and their inflated earnings allowed them to be a lot more extravagant with their housing.
Because of that, Rob found himself standing in front of a tall three-story house with a large pool at the back and a garden at the front. All the houses around him were all the same extravagant, rich, modern-looking aesthetic which gave the street an opulent vibe.
It was no surprise to Rob though that this was now their house, and how a lot had changed in just a matter of months. Back when he was still a mortal man struggling to escape the despair of death and his grand misfortune, the only thing he could rely on over his various lives was his mind - his wit, his intelligence, and his cunning schemes.
If he wanted to, he could have gotten rich a lot faster, but that’s too fast for what he wanted to do. He still had two-plus years to finish his plans, so why the rush?
Well, there may be some things forcefully stolen from my mind from whatever higher being is out there and I just don’t know it or care about it, but that’s for me to deal with later. Rob inwardly shrugged nonchalantly. That wouldn’t be the first time someone far more overpowered than him fucked with him, and he’s great at escaping from danger, so he had all the confidence he needed to deal with any possible situation in the future.
“We’re home!” Rob walked into the house and opened the door, shouting to the brightly lit living room with big wide magi-tv screens on the walls, arrays of potted plants, bookshelves, and other various assortments that screamed wealthy to any random visitor.
Elaine was the next to walk in as she tossed her shoes to the shoe rack beside the entrance to the door, and Holly did the same.
Stretching out her arms to the air, Holly yawned and headed straight for the kitchen on the first floor. Upon arriving there, she saw a beautiful woman with wavy brown hair and light brown eyes wearing an apron wrapped around her body. On top of her head was a common chef’s hat, with a tall build and a bouncy top.
Holding a long wooden spoon in one hand and an illusion stone on the other that displayed a wide assortment of recipes in the form of a 2D illusion, Vivia Fortune glanced at Holly with a big wide smile.
“How was practice today, dear?” She asked as she went for a hug and wrapped her hands all around Holly.
“It was fine, Auntie. Rob was as strict as ever though, especially now that Anna and Noel are back from their long absence,” Holly answered casually and also hugged Vivia tightly.
“Oh my, that must have stressed Rob quite a bit.” She laughed lightly as she could already imagine her son’s forehead popping with veins. “Sigh, I really don’t know what has gotten into that boy these past few months ever since school started. It’s like he’s become a whole different person, right?”
“Yeah, even I was surprised to see him take his role as a leader so seriously without much issue. And he’s even surprisingly good at it all things considered!” Holly agreed with Vivia’s disbelief.
“It’s not just that… Rob, hmm… Well, how do I explain this.” Vivia rubbed her forehead while returning to her pot of stew. Stirring it gently, she continued to speak softly, “Well, he’s always been a reserved, lazy kid. I’m not even exaggerating if I said that he was a pig back when school just started.”
“Ah, yes…” Holly smiled as she remembered the image of Rob a few months back. Even she found it hard to associate that boy with the guy she had spent all this time with.
“But then, as soon as he returned home from school, everything just began to… change. It wasn’t so sudden of course, they were all small and subtle, but they began to pile up at a rather quick pace. From his involvement with the bakery, to his secret hobby regarding alchemy, to his sudden change in appearance, his skyrocketing grades in school, our involvement with the Doltons, our blooming business, our daughter, and now… you.”
“Hahaha, that boy has really gone well above and beyond from what we expected!” A burst of booming laughter echoed in the room as Holly turned to look at the entrance leading to the kitchen where she saw a large, muscular man with a bald head and a mighty beard walk in.
He wore a white, tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of beige-colored pants and black leather shoes. Rubbing his bald head, Herve Fortune approached Holly with arms wide open, ready for a hug.
“Uncle Herve!” Holly hugged him tightly and giggled. “How was work?”
“Exhausting!” Herve sighed and looked to his wife who already held a glass of cold water for him to drink. Grabbing it, he said, “Thank you.”
Sitting down at a nearby chair, he slouched his straight back and drank all the water in the glass in one go.
“Those damn mongrels… Tsk, once I reach the level of a Royal Knight, then their greedy little hands would finally be scared away fully.” Herve clicked his tongue and gently placed the glass on the table right beside him.
“You shouldn’t stress too much about our business partners, dear. That’s the whole reason we’re in a partnership with the Doltons, remember?” Vivia smiled warmly and reminded her dear husband of the deal they had made.
“I know, but doing nothing is making me feel useless. Alas, dealing with them every week would drive me crazy if it weren’t for Rob’s potions. Bah, that boy must be making a load of money with all those greedy bastards out there wanting that mind-relaxing feeling. His potion is genius, let me tell you that much!” Herve chuckled.
“Yes, yes, and I still remember how you kept giving him harsh words one after the other a few months back. Now you’re here praising him endlessly,” Vivia said teasingly.
“Hmph, that just means my words finally got through that thick skull of his… Perhaps a little too well,” Herve mumbled while rubbing the bottom of his chin.
“Well, we’ll worry about all that later. For now, dinner is ready! Holly, why don’t you change your clothes already and call Rob and Elaine on the way back,” said Vivia.
“Will do, ma’am!” Saluting playfully to Vivia’s orders, Holly went back to the living room with a hop to each of her steps and went upstairs to return to her room.