Raksha had claimed a spacious chamber on the 4th floor of the Academy, in the far most corner. In some small way, the kids rebelled against the Imperial Familyâs oppressive power by forming a sort of Courtâthough a gaggle of teenagers could not emulate the solemnity of a proper Court.
Besides the sons of the Five Dukes, who completed their Academy life much faster than anyone else, all the sons of the most powerful families are part of the famed Raksha. At the moment, however, only three chairs were set up in a room fit for a hundred. Their owners had already been decided; the other children stood silently behind them.
The girl in the leftmost seat finally broke the suffocating silence. Her voice was crisp and high. She had high eyebrows and vivid green hair that inevitably aroused memories of vegetables.
âI believe everything is in order; shall we start this meeting?â
âWhat are you making a fuss about, Natasha? Are you sure youâre okay? Youâre always in a rush.â A small-eyed boy on the right shrugged his shoulders. His thin chin and broad forehead lent his head a distinct triangular shape. In Natashaâs opinion, he looked like a frightened pig, but his face always exuded smugness.
Natasha muttered âfreakâ under her breath and clicked her tongue.
âGehog, youâre way too relaxed, always. Marquis Crombell must be concerned, but heâs too busy to worry about his children.â
âWell, a family business will still be a family business. Iâm just enjoying the momentâwhatâs there to worry about for a kid like me, anyway?â
âIdiot.â Natasha shot Gehog a dirty look.
âWouldnât it be nice if Charles de Pontier was here? Sheâd be much more amusing.â
The mention of the Crombellsâ ongoing feud with the Pontiers made Natasha shiver.1
âDonât you think itâs a good idea?â Gehog grinned. âAll else aside, Charles has a lovely face. Itâs so much better than you and your moods.â
âWhat did you say? Say it again!â
âStop being an idiot and think carefully! Do you think anyone would like a girl who runs her mouth?!â
Natasha flushed and leapt from her seat.
âYouââ
âStop this instant. This isnât the time for your childish brawl.â The emerald-haired boy in the middle restrained them with his low voice.
Both of them turned to look at Veron shen Villas.
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âIâm sorry, but Iâm not backing down until that three-headed jerk apologizes for what he said!â
âOh, really?! Coming from the puked-up vegetable head?!â
âStop!â Veron stared at Natasha, who rolled her eyes and sighed, and then looked at Gehog.
âGehog, thatâs too much. Natasha only spoke out of concern for you and your father. Why donât you apologize first?â
âHer concern is unnecessary.â
âThe rift between your family and the Pontiers is quite concerning indeed. Iâve heard news that physical fights are happening; how can we, as comrades, not be worried about you?â
âPfffft.â Gehog was bemused by the way Veron casually labeled them as comrades.
âI donât know whatâs going on elsewhere, but you have no need to be concerned about the Pontier family. As merchants, we can match them in every way; Iâm sure that even the Mercenary King is on our side at this point.â
âAre you sure?â
Gehog nodded. âIn a few more years, Marquis Crombell will control all the money in the Empire.â
âDonât rush. Please let me know if you need help, anytime.â Veron smiled softly. âIâll inform my fatherâthe Marquis of Villas will be happy to assist.â
âVery good.â
âShall we begin the meeting now that weâre reasonably organized?â
âHave you heard the rumors?â Natasha asked. âAmaru bron Sten was assaulted by a Viscountâs sonâwhatâs worse, a fallen noblemanâs son!â
âTheyâre correct.â Veron nodded.
âWhat kind of kid is he? This is amazing!â
âOh, itâs like that again.â Gehog was taken aback, even knowing Natashaâs masculine tendencies. âNow, how do we do that again?â
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âWell⌠Letâs see how it turns out.â
âThis is insaneâŚâ
âWe canât take this lightly, Gehog.â Veron shook his head. âPlease pay attention.â
âWhat are you thinking, Veron? Heâs a fallen noblemanâs child! He disrespected a high-ranking studentâAmaruâs family has ties to the Emperor!â
âThatâs exactly what Iâm saying. Veron is acting weird.â
âWeâŚâ Veronâs face tensed nervously. âWeâve met before.â
âAh?!â
âWhat?!â
The surrounding students broke into murmurs. It must have been quite surprising to hear that two apparently-unrelated people had already met before.
âYouâre kidding, right? That kid already knows the child of Marquis Villas?â
âWho is he really? Itâs even rumored that heâs connected to the Fourth Prince, Kaiser von Britten.â
âIs he foreign royalty? Maybe heâs using a pseudonym?â Natashaâs eyes sparkled as she hypothesized.
âNot a chance, Natasha.â Veronâs brow wrinkled. âItâs a wild guess, but as far as my research tells me, none of the Empireâs higher nobility or royalty from other countries have dark blue hair.â
âHair colors are genetic, which tells us a lot, but what of his skills? Were they unique and powerful?â
âThis is the first Iâve heard of it,â Gehog said in hushed tones.
âI hate to say it, butâŚâ Veron pressed his lips into a white line before smoothing out his expression. âHis abilities are genuine. If you asked me if Amaru really got beaten into a pulp, Iâd say âyesâ without a doubt. The son of Sten is still not even close to being a C-Class; no matter how strong his heritage is, itâs impossible for him to beat Ash. My escort knight was one of his many victims.â
âYour escort knight⌠Mooker?!â Gehogâs calm shattered. âMooker is a B-Class Knight! And Ash is a first-year, right? He only recently entered the Academyâis it even possible for him to beat a B-Class Knight?!â
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âMy wordâThese⌠revelations are too much for me to absorb.â
The students around them looked to have similar reactions but stifled their words. None were brave enough to interrupt the children of the Twelve Families.
Gehog gently broached the stillness.
âWhy not recruit him? Everything goes well whatever we do anyways.â
âWhat?!â Veron looked at Gehong, thinking he must have misheard. âWhat do you mean?â
âAmaru, well⌠I never enjoyed his company; none of us liked him because he was forced on us. If Ash is truly talented, he will be a great asset for us.â
âThatâs what Iâm thinking, as well,â Natasha said. âWe had to get close to Amaru because heâs a Sten, but things have changed, havenât they? He sullied his familyâs reputation. I donât think the Stens will be concerned about Amaru anymore.â
âHave you forgotten?â Veron shook his head.â Even with no backing from his parents, his brother will be a hindrance.â
âMore importantly,â Veron continued. âAsh pen FrederickâI hate him.â The boy grit his teeth, remembering the humiliation Joshua had inflicted on him.
âOh⌠It wasnât a good relationship?â
âIdiot. What do you think made him so popular among the other students? Come on; there would be no reason for Mooker to attack him.â
Veron sulked while the other two discussed.
âIn any case,â he growled. âI wonât sit here and let him do as he wishes.â
âHow will you silence him if Mooker was no match for him, and his skills are as great as you claim?â
âShimizu kun Douglas.â Veron offered them a cheeky smirk.
âAha!â
âRight. Heâs a fallen aristocrat. Thereâs no one around him.â
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Iâll make you regret reaching above your station.
Joshua was in the top floor of the Academy, standing in front of a door.
âDeanâs Office.â Joshua sighed and muttered something inaudible. Heâd suddenly been called by the Dean; Joshua had been expecting this, but it still caught him by surprise.
Does it have something to do with Amaru?
This is why he was trying to hide his identity. Too much attention will hinder his recoveryâbut things didnât always go as planned.
Joshua rapped on the door with a resigned expression.
âItâs Ash pen Frederick.â
There was no response, despite his heavy knocking. Joshua tilted his head curiously and decided to open the door.
In the middle of the darkened room was a lone man. His body was draped in a black cape, disguising his body.
Joshua had never seen him before, but he was damn sure that this was not the Dean.
âJoshua von Agnus?â The voice was eerie and monotone.
You know who I am?
The man in black examined Joshuaâs expression and slowly stood from his seat.
âLooks right.â
Joshua stared into the deep, deep eyes hidden inside the mask.
âWho are you?â
The Crombells are the rich merchant family that the Pontiers have been competing with. See Chapter 35.âŠ
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