"Move it, move it!" she shouted as she squeezed through the crowd of bystanders. As he looked around, Haruto realized a crowd had formed, drawn by the commotion. His first thought was 'cute,' in a little sister kind of way. He could see the guy's disgust as she made her way to them. "Gram, you know the rules! No fighting or causing problems until the commencement of the initiation!" He was apparently annoyed by her presence, and Haruto surmised they had some prior history.
"Relax, witch bitch, I was just having a little fun. You think you're pretty high and mighty because your sister is a Vanguard member, don't ya? Don't forget my brother is one as well. You think we're equal because we're both nobles? Remember whose family serves who."
Haruto was shocked by the disrespect. He couldn't fathom how someone could speak to a girl—or anyone—in such a manner. To his surprise, the girl started laughing. "That may be… but don't forget whose sibling outranks whose, you clown." She stood unfazed, and Haruto could tell she struck a nerve with that comment. As the guards started approaching due to the disturbance, Gram decided to leave. "Tch, come on boys, wouldn't want to waste my precious essence and bloody up my new digs on her." As he walked away, Gram looked visibly infuriated. 'That bitch… just wait. I'll show her during the initiation.'
As the crowd dispersed back to their places in line, Haruto stood up. The girl was making mocking faces at the retreating group. It seemed childish, but he was thankful for her intervention. "Thanks for your help. I'm Ha…" He caught himself mid-sentence. That's right, he wasn't Haruto in this world. "Kage… My name is Kage."
She finally stopped and turned around to look at him. As she examined him, her eyes caught on the scroll slightly sticking out. "I take it you're here for the Initiation? Let me see your scroll." As he handed it to her, she unrolled it and noticed a gold stamp on the bottom. 'Hmm, the stamp of Sir Gorin? He doesn't give these out easily.' As she pondered, a realization dawned on her. "Ohhhh, so you're who big sis must've been talking about. The dead boy. I see, I see. Hi! I'm Sylvie."
She bounced around him, examining his clothes and taking measurements, her demeanor weird and extremely bubbly. Haruto immediately thought she might be a bit psychotic. She had long black hair, knee-high socks, and leather combat boots—looking every bit the part of a witch. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and skipped the entire line. At the main gate, she raised his scroll up, showing the Gold stamp to the guards. They immediately recognized it and let them through, though for a second, they seemed almost saddened by the sight of them. But quickly, their expressions vanished as Sylvie pulled him through the gate.
As they passed, some merchants began to whisper amongst themselves. "Hey, did you recognize her? She mentioned she was related to a Vanguard!"
"Aww man, maybe we should have stepped in for that young man. We could have curried favor with her family. You know how wealthy one can become with a connection to a Warlord, let alone a Vanguard member?!"
"You young guys are always the same, seeing only the short picture. Do you think all is equal within the Warlords? Even in such a prestigious organization, there are factions. Currying favor with one could put you on the hot seat with another. Take, for instance, that Gram kid. I recognized him and his goons immediately. Those types don't just throw away their nobility after becoming a Warlord. If anything, their connection and network become stronger."
The two younger merchants nodded as they listened to the older one. "I will say this, this year something is different, and I promise it won't be like any other Initiation we have had."