"What's your name?" I asked, curious if he was mentioned in the game.
"Joseph West!" he replied, still not raising his head.
I didn't enjoy seeing kids bow before me, so I gestured for them to stand up. They hesitated at first, perhaps thinking I had some ulterior motive, but eventually complied.
Joseph West was a name unfamiliar to me in the game, suggesting he wouldn't have much impact on the storyline if I stayed around him.
"If you want my forgiveness, then you'll pay for everything I need," I asserted.
Though it felt like extortion, they were nobles, so whatever I bought wouldn't dent their pockets.
"Of course, anything you need!" Joseph exclaimed.
"Stop with the formalities, it's weird," I replied, feeling uncomfortable.
"O-Ok..." Joseph responded, clearly confused. Most nobles enjoyed feeling superior in a group.
I gathered the shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and pants I wanted and walked to the front counter to pay.
"Your total is seven hundred gold," the employee stated.
Joseph took out a document that resembled a check and signed it without hesitation. The transaction completed smoothly, and we exited the store. As we wandered through the mall, I found it difficult to decide which store to visit next.
"D-Do you need help picking out a store?" one of Joseph's companions offered.
I nodded, grateful for the guidance, and followed him. Along the way, we were intercepted by a group of girls.
"H-Hi, I was wondering if I could have your number…" one of the girls asked me, blushing.
"A lowly—" Joseph started to interject, but fell silent under my stern gaze.
The girl seemed to understand our noble status without it needing to be said due to Joseph's words.
The girl took a closer look at me and recognized who I was. "I-I apologize if we offended you! We didn't know it was you, Lord Silas!" She said nervously, ready to leave to avoid causing further offense.
I stopped her before she could go. "You didn't offend us at all," I reassured her with a warm smile. "My friend here got a little carried away, and I apologize for his behavior."
Everyone around us looked stunned. It was highly unusual for a noble, especially a high-ranking one like me, to apologize to commoners.
"I-It's alright, really!" The girl responded anxiously.
I shook my head gently. "Please allow me to treat you and your friends to a meal as a token of my apology," I insisted sincerely.
The girl hesitated briefly, but then decided against declining, opting instead to accept graciously.
Turning to Joseph, I inquired, "What's the best restaurant in this mall?"
Joseph responded promptly, "The Luxor Lounge."
"Great, we'll meet you at the Luxor Lounge once we finish up here," I informed the girl. She nodded and hurried off with her friends.
"Why did you apologize to a commoner? You're from the Raven household," Joseph asked, clearly perplexed by my actions.
"Status does not define who we are." I said.
"How so?" Joseph asked, genuily curious about my thought process.
"Commoners and nobles alike share the same spectrum of emotions, dreams, and aspirations. We all experience joy and sorrow, success and failure. Every person, regardless of their status in life, deserves respect and understanding. Apologizing when you're wrong is not about status, but about acknowledging your mistakes and treating others with the respect they deserve." I explained.
"But nobles are given responsibilities and privileges that commoners will never understand. Apologizing to someone beneath us could make them think they're on our level. That threatens the hierarchy. Thats why we have to let them know their place." Joseph repeated words he heard from his father.
"Hierarchy should not diminish basic decency. Yes, nobles have responsibilities and privileges, but that doesn't grant us the right to disrespect others. Treating others with dignity is not a threat to hierarchy; it's a testament to our character and the values we uphold as superiors." I said words I couldn't believe I managed to say.
I was starting to feel a lot of pride in myself from what I just said. I know Lily would be proud of her older brother.
"Another thing is, status is pointless in such a world. No matter your wealth, status, fame, or any of those qualities, in front of absolute power, all of it turns to nothing," I said, recalling how Silas terrorized the entire world with his power, regardless of who they were.
Joseph was in deep thought about what he had just heard. It was his first time encountering someone of higher status than himself express such egalitarian sentiments.
Although my words seemed to inspire him momentarily, they didn't fundamentally change his perspective on social hierarchy, and he still viewed commoners as inferior.
We continued shopping for a short while before heading to the Luxor Lounge and having a small meal with the girls.
After finishing our meal, I parted ways with Joseph and his entourage and made my way back to the Fighting Tower.
I was approached by a random fighter at the Fighting Tower who asked about my next match.
Upon informing him that it would be soon, I noticed a palpable greed spread across their faces, akin to their eyes turning into golden coins.
It was clear they anticipated easy profit, unaware of the rigorous training and preparation Luna had provided me.
The idea of their lose in profit weighed on my mind; unless matched against a significantly stronger opponent, victory seemed within my grasp.
After securing my newly acquired clothing in the infirmary, I readied myself for rest as night fell, mindful of an early morning shift awaiting me.
Waking up from a restful sleep, I prepared for my day at work. Before leaving, I decided to call Kim, who answered with a tired voice.
—"Why are you calling so early?" she asked, her voice full of exhaustion.
"I'm sorry for waking you, but I need to know what's the average pay for a worker?" I asked, feeling a bit guilty for disturbing her over something so trivial.
—"You woke me up to ask something like that?" she replied, incredulous.
"…Yeah…" I admitted, scratching my forehead.
—"It's twenty gold coins for the hours you work," Kim said before abruptly hanging up.
Realizing that I was supposed to earn twenty gold coins instead of the mere five I had received, I became enraged and rushed to work.
Upon arriving at the store, I saw the owner sitting in his favorite chair. Noticing me standing in the doorway, he said, "These floors aren't going to sweep themselves," before opening a newspaper.
I approached him and said, "I appreciate you giving me a job, but I don't work this hard just to be underpaid. I don't miss a day or complain about the tasks you give me. All I ask is for respect and fair pay for my work."
He slowly closed his newspaper and stared into my eyes with his dark, unsettling gaze. Normally, it would send shivers down my spine, but this time I wasn't in the mood to back down and met his gaze head on.
He picked up his newspaper and continued reading. "Very well. I'll pay you what you deserve from now on. Now get to work," he said.
"Thank you," I replied, and began sweeping the floors. They were never dirty and never needed sweeping, but he still had me do it.