A moan.
More specifically, an extremely feminine and extended yawn.
That was all that could be heard down in the heights of Saint Levaera, the Castle and main base of operations for the royals.
It was a decadent palace, nearly as large as the Central Authority, or the King's Palace as it was also called. It had seven stories, hundreds of rooms, and several Celestial Weapon-based defenses that would keep even an army of B Tier fighters out.
A prideful jewel of the city, a landmark that many residents aspire just to lay their sights on. It was something the city's peasants couldn't even dream of doing. They'd simply watch from afar in their decaying wooden departments that fit far too many for the size it could hold, waiting for the inevitable grasp of death.
That was the contrast, the great split of the city. Unlike in a normal scenario, there was no 'middle-class', as there might be in other cities. In Setale, ranks, lineage, and money; they all played a huge part with no middle ground. You either had the money and power to rise to the top or the scraps to barely make it at the bottom.
It was an unfortunate reality, with even a large organization like the Knights of Setale suffering from this fate, with only one guild being able to be regarded as 'the top'.
The Royals.
While some had true royal blood, others simply were exceedingly powerful and chose to join the wealthy party of the Royals than join any other guild. Why wouldn't they? Why choose to live in the run-down, dying backend of the city when you can live in its brightest star?
It's a simple decision, is it not?
It was for Akane.
She continued to yawn out loud, sinking into the comfiest bed she had ever slept in, embracing the temperature-neutral blanket against her chest; the contrast between the heat of her body and the cold of the blanket relaxed her entire body.
She rubbed the gunk from the corners of her beautiful eyes as she looked around for a moment before rolling over to a bell that rested on a marble desk right next to her King-sized bed.
She gripped the crown of the bell lightly and so slightly swung it side to side, producing a soft ringing noise throughout her room. She only did it once before placing it back down and laying back on her bed.
In a matter of moments, four Butlers stepped into the room, three of them moving around a tray with a dome lid hiding what was underneath.
"I expect you're having a splendid morning Miss Nanosaka; hoping you're adjusting to your new life here?" The first Butler asked, adjusting the monocle that sat above his left eye.
"It's fantastic!" Akane exclaimed with bubbly happiness.
"Well, today, we have an extremely high-quality assortment of breakfasts for you to choose from. I know for a fact you shall not be disappointed." He spoke with pure confidence.
He ushered the man behind him to reveal what he had under his dome. The younger Butler was startled but quickly did so.
He raised the dome and sat in silence as he didn't know what to say.
The First Butler coughed and whispered to him, "Explain what the food is." He said in a passive-aggressive tone.
"A-ah! S-Sorry!" The Butler exclaimed, receiving a facepalm from the other Butlers. "W-What I have for you, Miss Nanosaka, is one of our exotic cheese plates, with Graesolaeta from the South and Mountesal from the North, along with an assortment of extremely high-grade fruits alongside golden flaked biscuits." He finished, showing off this world's high-quality cheeses that Akane obviously hadn't heard of.
Now, Akane hadn't ever been one to like cheese, so that wasn't what interested her. What interested her was the fact that it was high-quality and expensive. She had started down a path of royalty, she was going to eat like one.
"Mmm, sounds delicious. Next?" She stated nonchalantly, her tone hurting the young Butler's heart.
"Next, My Lady, is a cut from the Dynasty Cattle, which has been grazing and advancing the flavor of its meat for the last three centuries, with a very strict diet that focuses on enhancing taste." The Second Butler responded, far more confident than the younger Butler before him. He lifted the lid, and the intense burst of smells almost instantly made Akane leap into the food.
Akane was star-struck for a few moments, with hearts in her eyes as she looked at the seven slices of heaven until she snapped out of it and moved on.
"It looks irresistible, but now I have to see what's next," Akane stated, brushing her black hair behind her ear and making the last Butler blush profusely.
"O-Of course, My Lady!" The Last Butler exclaimed. He raised the lid to his dish and revealed what appeared to be a clear, golden broth base.
Akane raised an eyebrow, slightly disappointed.
The Last Butler caught onto this disappointment, going into action. "Fear not, My Lady. This is a broth boiled for thirteen months straight, extracting flavor from hundreds of Firefly Swallows, a breed of Swallow only seen in the continent of Azela." He finished, hoping to repair the disappointment that rested on Akane's face.
"Is Azela far away?" Akane asked.
"Yes, My Lady. Azela is over twenty-two million kilometers away; getting anything from there is normally impossible." The Butler responded.
"Then why do you have it?" Akane questioned.
"The Answer is simple, My Lady; You're a royal. That mean's that nothing is out of your reach."The Butler responded.
Nothing is out of your reach.
Those words etched deep into Akane's mind, making her smile just a tiny bit more.
After reviewing each choice of Breakfast, the older Butler coughed to get her Attention.
"Now then, Miss Nanosaka, which meal would you like today?" He asked.
The two other Butlers with clearly more experience looked confident, silently laughing at the younger Butler for his sloppy introduction. In truth, the other two Butlers true objectives were to get inside Akane's pants, wanting her all to themselves, and they knew any woman would fall head over heels for them after tasting their cooking.
Normal girls, maybe.
Akane pondered for a second before making up her mind.
"I'd like all of them," Akane responded simply.
"Eh-" The Older Butler responded, clearly surprised by her response. The other three Butlers were shocked as well, this hadn't happened before.
"Is there a problem?" Akane asked, her enchanting eyes looking deep into the Old Butler's brown ones.
"W-Well, you see...We need to give the remaining meals to the other Royals, we can't give you all of them-"
"Sorry, but why is that my problem?" Akane stated, the entire aura of the room suddenly shifting. A small outline of energy surrounded her body, her eyes becoming sharper as she began to glare down at the old man.
The Butlers felt like they were getting crushed by an extreme weight, a fear overcoming their very being not permitting them to move.
Akane did this all without even trying. All she did was flex slightly.
The Older Butler's heart began to speed up dramatically, too fast, in fact. If something didn't change soon, he'd go into cardiac arrest.
He attempted to speak, but as more time passed, the pressure generated from Akane's annoyance grew stronger and stronger.
Ethereal energy was crashing down on them, forcing them all to kneel as she looked down on them from her King sized bed. Her red eyes glowed bright, interlocking with the souls of all the men in that room.
The Young Butler looked forward and saw blood beginning to leak from the Older Butler's eyes. Dripping like he had been crying crimson. White foam began to pour from his mouth, but despite that, the Old Man didn't seem like he was going to bow, even if it killed him.
The Young Butler looked to his side, his eyes wide in surprise as he witnessed the two other, more experienced Butlers with tears pouring out of their eyes, with one of them even soiling themselves.
The Young Butler was barely keeping himself conscious. He had been trained in the arts of combat, he was still a B-grade Knight! Despite that, this woman was crushing his very soul with her mere annoyed presence!
He needed to do something. He needed to say something, say anything! If this continued, they'd all die!
He tried thinking, but the pain was too much. He ever so desperately tried pushing through it, past the feeling of his mind being shattered into a million pieces until he spoke his mind.
"You can have all of it!" The Young Butler screamed out, a desperate plea to make the pain stop.
And it did.
The pressure suddenly vanished after that, and the room returned to its golden hue.
The Old Man fell unconscious, face planting in a pool of blood and vomit.
One of the two other Butlers barely held onto their psyche, with one of the two's lower regions being covered in piss. He scurried out of the room in shame while the other one grabbed the old man, slung him over his shoulder, and walked out of Akane's room.
Now all that was left was the Young Butler, his pale, white hair blowing in the slight breeze from the window and his light orange eyes that seemed entrapped by Akane's red glowing orbs.
The Butler attempted to leave the room like all the rest, but Akane stopped him.
"Who said you can leave?" Akane stated with a coy, amused smile on her face.
The Butler turned around and faced her.
"I.." He was at a loss for words. He realized the difference between the tiers of a Catalyst was massive, but not that massive.
"Hold that thought," Akane stated, snapping her fingers, and a Mahogany aura appeared around her hand, and instantly all the food that had been given to her suddenly vanished.
She grabbed a napkin and used it to clean her lips, insinuating that she had eaten everything.
"W-What...?! H-How!?" The Butler asked.
"I just accelerated myself to a state where I had eaten all of the food," Akane stated as if it was easy or simple. She then snapped her fingers again, and this time the Mahogany aura surrounded her body, then it faded.
"W-What are you doing?" The Butler asked.
"Me? I'm simply accelerating my metabolism. All that food and I didn't gain a single pound." She smiled cheekily. She stepped out of the bed, revealing her beautiful body in expensive lingerie to the Butler.
She walked over to her closet, which was truly just another room, and changed into her normal attire. She looked at a pair of gold earrings with pearls in the center that Tokita had given her for her fourteenth birthday. She ignored them, choosing golden earrings with diamond and ruby accents.
She stepped out, looking down at the red-faced Butler, who was clearly beyond flustered.
She looked down at him, then crouched down till she was eye-level with him. She looked him up and down; his innocence and demeanor...reminded her of Tokita.
Since she couldn't associate with Tokita due to his weakness...she'd make this man her new Tokita.
"Tell me...what's your name?" Akane asked, cupping his face with her soft hands.
"L-Lars...Lars Mentoa." He responded softly.
Akane smiled, looking over his features. He had near-perfect skin, not as perfect as her own, but still beautiful. He had a couple of small scars from fights but nothing major. He had wavy white hair that matched his eyebrows and eyelashes, along with his cyan eyes, which had a glow to them. On his finger, he had a golden ring with an indistinguishable emblem on it, with the ring likely being an heirloom from someone in his family.
"M-My Lady...You're quite scary..." Lars whispered.
"Lars...You're going to do something for me." Akane stated, cupping his face with both hands now.
"W-What's that?" Lars asked, gulping down a large slob of saliva.
"You're going to be my Knight!" Akane exclaimed.
"Your Knight? I don't think I can-"
"Nope! Don't you remember what your friend said earlier?"
"I..." Lars was quiet, but he knew what she was talking about.
"Exactly. Nothing is out of my reach." Akane stated, a smile plastered on her face. She stood up, looking down at Lars, her newly appointed Knight.
Or rather, her newly appointed Tokita.