"Stop yelling, kids! We're not at a fair!"
As everyone looked in that direction, an old man with aged features shouted these words, fed up with the children's nonsense.
"!!" Everyone with him around the table paled in fear.
"Sir... Dorfastt, please stay calm." A middle-aged woman tried to calm him down as she felt everyone's eyes on them.
They were like humans among demons.
The patriarch and his descendants were all mutated humans whose strength and skills alone were enough to defeat the mutated beasts.
It is a known fact.
'Cursed old man! Does he want to die or whatever!?' She groaned inwardly as she cautiously looked at Pettriddas in the background.
She has long silver hair, hazel blue eyes, and a few wrinkles on her beautiful face that seem to escape the influence of time.
Her words were like oil sprinkled on the man's rage.
His face contorts in rage as the whites of his eyes turn red.
"I am exasperated and confused by your words, Mona. How am I supposed to keep my calm when I am unable to enjoy even a simple meal!?"
"Tell me, Leonidas, who is this kid? I've never seen him here before."
Sitting in his corner, Pettriddas asks after taking a glance at the old man.
"...This is the messenger sent by the royal family who came this afternoon."
"A messenger? What is a messenger doing here?"
He asks nonchalantly.
However, this nonchalance on his part made Leonidas' eyes tremble slightly with anger, annoyance, and apprehension at the same time.
"Because of his status, this old man insisted on meeting you. I told him to wait until after dinner for that. I guess that's why he...
"Leonidas Forett Der Shadow," Pettriddas cut him off by calling him by his full name.
"What I'm seeking to know is not the reason for his actions, but his presence here."
"...Please excuse me, I didn't want him to cause us trouble when he returned."
"Trouble? That kid?" He sneered at the word 'kid'.
He could guess the old man's approximate age just by looking through his spiritual energy.
Although both were exchanging low voices, due to the sneaky silence, they could be heard by all.
The old man who heard these words did not like it, no, not at all.
Therefore, his face was a red color as he was filled with a feeling of humiliation towards his own person.
"Blasphemy!"
To him, there is no greater sin than insulting a member of royal blood.
"I thought I was among humans, but it seems I have mistaken my destination!"
When these words escaped from his mouth, all the ordinary humans who were in the room held their breath.
"You dumb old man!" A plump man yelled at the royal envoy angrily.
Just after he said those words, the middle-aged woman, ie, Mona, added...
"If you want to die, do it somewhere else! We have more to do than worry about an idiot who only has his status!"
These two had something in common with the other members around their tables, fear in their eyes.
"Things to do? Is spending your time feasting like pigs while others sacrifice themselves on the front what you call...!!
Before he even finished his sentence, a shadow appeared behind his chair!
This shadow was like an illusion that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
The old man urgently looked behind him, to see what the shadow looked like.
But he saw nothing.
'An illusion?' He wonders.
"Huh?"
But it was when he turned his head around that he realized something was wrong.
Those who were with him at the table had strange expressions that were not suited to the situation.
'Why are they looking at me with such miserable eyes? Do I look like a beggar in their eyes!?'
As his mind struggled to understand and sort out the truth from the false, his vision began to reverse.
'Huh? What the...!!
The time it took for him to realize that it was his head that had come loose from his neck, only lasted an instant.
The patriarch smiled as a thousand stars shone in his eyes.
If Devon saw him right now, he would find a resemblance between him and a certain girl.
"Leonidas, you were wrong in saying that there would be no bloodbath."
"...It must be admitted, Esteemed clan leader."
Leonidas answers after a deep sigh.
He watches the head of the royal envoy who had not even had time to deliver his message, rolling on the ground with total indifference.
A situation that could create a national war if committed by a nation.
But in this case, a count who dares to kill a royal envoy, only the death sentence could await him.
The killer in question is currently known only by two people, one of them being the patriarch.
The other person shares the same table with the killer.
One of the only two elders currently present, a very young-looking man, like the youths on the table, smiled slightly at the girl who was enjoying her steak with her eyes closed.
"Kukuk~, Seventh Elders, it seems that I have to watch out for you if I don't want to end up last." He mumbles with a vicious smile.
The captivatingly beautiful woman slowly reopened her ruby eyes which now have two small black circles in each.
The elder wasn't surprised by her current eyes' shape, in lieu of surprise, he smiled more.
"Are you planning to challenge me today?"
"Well, I'm still having a hard time deciding. My spiritual body has only just formed, unlike you, Nikolas Forett Cer Shadow." Her voice turned out to be so soft that the others held their breath.
But the head that was still on the ground and the corpse that was still pissing blood were like reminders for them.
Her name is Ameilly Forett Cer Shadow, the seventh elder—the weakest among the elders.
--
Der, Cer, and Ber.
These three terms play a big role in the inner hierarchy of the clan.
Only the patriarch is allowed to have the nickname Ber.
'Cer' is granted to the elders, and finally, 'Der' for the outsiders who have joined the clan.
The case of Leonidas is the perfect example.
--
"Leonidas, did you see that? It's one of my favorite skills that my children use frequently. It is used to bring any shadow to life and turn it into a blade sharper than the razor."
The patriarch mutters to his attendant.
"It is impressive, indeed. But what's its name?"
"Kekekh, the ten-shadow razor cutting."
"That's a lame name, dear patriarch."
"...Tsk, kids these days are so rude."
Aside from the guests, no one seems to care about the corpse at their feet.
The only thing they are curious about is how the weakest among the elders was able to kill without them being able to see even a single detail.
The two among the third generation had dark eyes having roughly the same thoughts in their heads.
'This is a warning.' The man whose horn tips were red thought for a moment.
'I wanted to challenge her today to try and snatch her position, but the gap between us is too deep.'
That was the conclusion he drew after witnessing this scene.
'This cut, shadow razor cutting, is so powerful. She managed to kill a gold-tier tamer without even moving from her place. Did her spiritual body play a role?'
The girl smiled slyly as she eyed the Ameilly like a big piece of steak.
..
After two hours of festivities.
The clan's butler, Leonidas Forett Der Shadow, took all the attention by clapping his hands twice.
"As you all probably know, we have a rookie who, despite being late, has finally joined us."
With these words, Mystic pushed her chair back and stood up with a forthright face.
After a few weak claps, Leonidas continued.
"As is the custom of the clan, she can now be challenged by the clan members.
But to rush things, know one thing, she will not participate in tonight's event, the reason is that she does not yet have a...
"Leonidas," the patriarch stops his butler.
"Patriarch...?" Leonidas frowns after hearing the patriarch.
"She has a guardian beast, that's what makes her suitable to challenge and being challenged."
"Excuse me!?" Nikolas exclaims.
"Kekekh, yes son, you heard correctly."
"What is the rank of her...
"Copper Rank."
"..."
These words caught the onlookers' attention as well.
Each of them showed a different expression than the others.
If there is one thing they have in common, it is their shock.
Meanwhile, Mystic walks in a straight line to the front of the stage.
She kneels before the patriarch and pays him respects.
She did the same with the elders as well.
Afterward, she looked at the corpse lying in a pool of blood.
Seeing her eyes, the patriarch's expression turned crazy.
"Go ahead, kid. Show up what I've seen in your grimoire." The patriarch commanded.
He was talkin' about her talent which could help Mystic to awaken a corpse from its eternal sleep.
Hearing the patriarch's words that could confuse others' hearts, Leonidas and the two elders frowned.
However, Mystic was like an obedient kitten that moved according to its master's wish.
She walks over to the corpse and kneels down next to it before beginning her prayer.
With her grimoire on her lap, her fingers intertwined, and her eyes closed, no one could tell what she was planning to do.
The patriarch held his breath as he watched the scene.
His blood burning with excitement so much that his body temperature was soaring to the top.
Soon, just a few seconds later, the others began to doubt something when they saw what appeared to be a blood-red crucifix appear on Mystic's forehead.
"Oh god...!" The middle-aged woman who was closer to Mystic couldn't help but cry.
Her eyes filled with horror, as if she were looking at the incarnation of the devil before her eyes.
Nikolas remains convinced of one thing,
'That scarlet crucifix, I can't believe it.'
Denying reality.
Thinking that his eyes were seeing something other than reality, he kept silent, as did Ameilly next to him.
'Kekekh, it seems that Adams has left a particularly disturbing offspring behind him.'
Among them, the person who was rejoicing at this sight was none other than Pettriddas.
After a few more seconds, Mystic opened her eyes again and looked at the patriarch.
"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand this skill, esteemed clan leader."
-!
'...Those eyes!'
This time, it wasn't just the two elders and Leonidas who showed their amazement, even the patriarch's heart froze for a moment when he met Mystic's gaze.
However, Mystic's eyes didn't have any obvious changes like when Ameilly used one of the skills related to her eyes.
The four powerful figures in the room showed an expression that made some frown, and others smile.
A short-long time later, the patriarch answered Mystic.
"That's good. You still lack experience."
He only said these words but in a jerky voice that only a few could notice.
He then looked at everyone with pupils that shone with savagery.
"Tonight, there will be no challenges!"
-!
This announcement surprised everyone in the room.
He, who wanted Mystic to fight to understand the cruelty of this world, suddenly decided to stop and put off the ceremony for some reason.
That's not like him.
How could the others not feel uncomfortable?
Regardless, none dared question his order.
"Leonidas, get that thing out of my sight." He commanded as he looked at the corpse.
"It will be done according to your desires, Esteemed clan leader," Leonidas pronounced these words in a tone that held respect.
"Everyone leaves except for the two elders."
These successions of mystery created more questions in the minds of the descendants and the guests.