An Angel.
That was the best way to describe the person he was currently looking at.
She had long black hair that sharply contrasted her pale skin. Her blue eyes looked like the ocean—or maybe the most precious kind of sapphire.
She wore a black gown that was decorated with traces of blue embroidery.
A precious necklace hung around her neck, gleaming with colors that matched her gem-like eyes.
She looked absolutely majestic as she walked closer, though her aloof face made her seem more like a sculpted statue than a kind presence.
'It's her? There's… no way! S-she's gorgeous!'
Rey could barely recognize the girl as the Half-Elf he had saved the other day.
Sure, they shared certain features, but this girl was beautiful—too beautiful.
She was the prettiest person he had ever seen.
'I think only Seraph is prettier. What the hell?!'
As her beauty captivated him, Rey felt increasingly grateful for the mask he had on his face.
He was certain he was currently gawking at her like an idiot.
After taking a few steps away from the closed door, the pretty maiden stopped dead in her tracks and looked just like a statue.
She said nothing, made no gestures, and Rey didn't even see her blink.
She just… stood there.
"She hasn't uttered a single word since she woke up. I don't know why, but perhaps you do, Sir Ralyks."
As Aldred's words broke the silence, Rey found himself gently nodding his head.
He was too deep in thought to reply.
'Didn't she have short hair when I saw her? She's grown her hair out already? And what's with the quality of that skin?'
Even though he healed her back then, she was still dirty. He wasn't able to see past all the grime.
But now… she looked like a brand new person.
'Looks like it was the right call to bring her here. These people really took care of her.' Rey slowly removed his gaze from the beauty.
It was hard, but his willpower was enough to save him from her entrapping gaze.
"Sorry for abruptly placing her under your care without informing you. You did an excellent job taking care of her."
"Haha! What are you saying? This much is nothing, Sir Ralyks."
As expected, Aldred tried to be as generous to him as possible. While Rey appreciated the gesture, he knew he had to press on even further.
"I'm serious. How can I compensate you for your troubles?"
In response to Rey's question, it seemed Aldred wanted to say something.
However, he quickly decided against it and shook his head.
"There's no need for compensation, Sir Ralyks. Our relationship runs a lot deeper for you this small gesture to warrant compensation."
The moment Rey heard this, he sighed internally.
He knew there was something the man was hiding, but it wasn't like he could force Aldred to speak his mind.
"Very well then."
He gave one more glance at the statue-like girl a short distance from him, and suddenly doubts began to echo in his mind.
'She really looks so still. Is she even alive? Hold on…!'
In the end, he had to resort to [Absolute Appraisal].
[STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Esme
- Race: Half-Elf (Human and Elf)
- Class: Commoner (F-Tier)
- Level: 1 (91.34% EXP)
- Life Force: 100/100
- Mana Level: 200/200
- Combat Ability: 3
- Stat Points: 0
- Skills (Exclusive): [Absolute Appraisal]
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Grand Magic Mastery]. [Grand Magic Application]. [Greater Mana Recovery]
- Alignment: Neutral Good
[Additional Information]
A genius due to her superior Elf bloodline, but has been limited by her human genes and her unfortunate circumstances.
She is profoundly grateful towards you, but still very troubled and requires your assistance.
… Help her.
[End Of Information]
'Ah! So her name is Esme!'
It seemed like she had made a perfect recovery. Still, the fact that the System was still insisting on him helping her made Rey slightly on edge.
'Well, as long as it's not detrimental to me, then I'll try. At the very least, I've confirmed that it's actually her.'
He still couldn't get over how crazy her Stats were.
Even though Otherworlders were meant to be much stronger than the denizens of this world, he doubted any of his classmates had the kind of Stats this girl had at just Level 1.
Her potential was too much.
"Sir Ralyks…?"
Rey's gaze shifted to Aldred, who was smiling at him.
'I must have missed what he said.'
Right now, his thoughts were a mess. However, he quickly pulled himself together by taking a couple of deep breaths.
'I wonder…' Rey narrowed his gaze on the Broker and activated [Absolute Appraisal].
[STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Asher Blanc
- Race: Human
- Class: Heir (C-Tier)
- Level: 99 (99.99% EXP)
- Life Force: 30[90]
- Mana Level: 50/50 [150]
- Combat Ability: 21 [80]
- Stat Points: 0
- Skills (Exclusive): [Experience Gain]
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Magic Knowledge]. [Quick Casting]. [Basic Elemental Affinity].
- Alignment: Lawful Evil
[Additional Information]
Current Heir to the KariBlanc Group and the son of the Blanc Councilor of the Obsidian Council. He is currently undercover as a Broker as a part of his training.
The only two people he respects are his Father and Ralyks.
[End Of Information]
'E-eh…?'
Rey was surprised, to say the least, the moment he saw all that was displayed before him.
First of all, the guy he knew as Aldred didn't exist.
Not only was his name fake, but his entire identity was also not real.
'He's actually a big deal here!'
Rey knew he had no right to feel betrayed since he had also done the same—hiding his real identity.
'Besides, it's not like he did it specifically for me or anything. It's training, huh?'
Rey could already figure out that Aldred—or rather, Asher—was being trained to inherit the Criminal Empire that he was born into.
'I better be more careful around him.'
There was one more surprising detail, though. Well, it wasn't really surprising for Rey since he noticed it when fighting Evals Redart too.
'Looking at the Stat distribution, I think it's safe to conclude that they only get one Stat Point per Level Up.'
Even as a Commoner, he usually received 3 Stat Points per Level Up. Compared to that, Asher's Level and Stats showed his allocation was lesser.
It went to show that being an Otherworlder—even one with an F-Tier Class—made him a formidable force.
That was probably why no native in the Royal Estate really looked down on him. Given enough time, he was bound to surpass someone who was of an even higher Level than him.
'I'm guessing his Class isn't suited for combat, which is why there's no additional benefit in terms of Bonus Stats.'
Rey wondered what Asher's privileges were, but it only lasted a moment.
He had to be wary of the [Alignment] that he glossed over the first time he looked through the Stats.
'He's Lawful Evil, eh? I guess that means he had a code.'
Rey smiled in relief, especially since the System established that he was in Asher's good graces.
'I better respond to him now.' After realizing he had been too deep in thought, Rey finally made his decision.
"Could you repeat what you just said? I didn't hear any of it."
He decided to go down the honest path.
"A-ah! I'm sorry. I should have spoken clearer." Aldred/Asher appeared flustered as soon as Rey made his statement.
'He's blaming himself? And it looks like he's being for real too!'
What Rey meant was that he wasn't paying any attention to Asher's words, but the latter must have taken it a different way.
'Welp! As long as it's not detrimental to me, I should let him think whatever.'
Aldred then proceeded to repeat his words.
"I noticed your Lover—the Miss—wasn't wearing the White Amber, so I was just asking if something happened."
The moment Rey heard this, he felt a slight tingle down his spine.
It was probably just his imagination, but it felt like Esme's eyes twitched and she glanced at him.
"I told you already! She's not my lover. And yes, I needed the ring for something, so I borrowed it from her."
Rey felt his heart racing as his hidden cheeks displayed shades of pink.
Once again, he was grateful for his mask.
'Why'd you have to embarrass me like that, Aldred—ah, I mean, Asher!'
There was nothing more mortifying than being paired up with a beauty without consent.
What was he supposed to say?!
"Ahh… then I apologize for misunderstanding. Would you like us to make another White Amber for the Miss?"
Rey wanted to shout an outright "NO!"
The ring was meant for Alicia, and he never had any intentions of changing that.
'But… what if this causes more complications in the future? Besides, Esme could maybe use something to keep her safe.'
The look on Asher's face showed that he was willing to do it as a favor, so Rey had to fold.
"Fine…"
In the end, he just had to give in.