Old Acquaintance

Magic Gear opened up membership qualifications.

As promised, every player who ranked first at a game table was gifted a Membership Token free of charge.

Their Membership Crystals were shaped differently from those of other members; they were slightly more understated than those of high-level VIPs, yet more ornate than those of ordinary members. A tiny crown rippled in the center of the crystal, emitting a golden glow.

This gold hue varied depending on one's position on the overall leaderboard; the higher the rank, the brighter the glow, and each tier possessed different magical effects.

Take Young Lady Leisiphia, for example.

She ultimately secured fifth place on the overall leaderboard. The function of her Membership Token was a magical barrier; not only would it activate during an attack, but even in the event of ordinary rain, a golden wall of light would shimmer around her, protecting her from a single drop of water.

Although Leisiphia did not believe she would ever find herself in a situation where she would be drenched by rain, it was a highly practical function, even for a Young Lady of her standing.

Most importantly, she had earned it through her own strength!

No one had intentionally flattered her, nor was it a toy presented based on her status. She had earned it through her own power among thousands of players—though she had essentially monopolized a game table and utilized experts as coaches and a dozen practice partners, knowing how to leverage resources to secure a top ranking was, in itself, a part of her strength.

However, having participated to this extent, Leisiphia did not feel the need to obsess over first place.

Because she had understood from a very young age, much like her birth into the noble Roy Family, that some people were born with talents kissed by the gods. There was no point in competing for first place against such people in their specialized fields; as a superior, she only needed to learn how to recruit the talented individuals she required.

She admired the Magic Crystal in her hand, pondering whether she should use the diamond the prince had gifted her last year for a pendant chain, or if it would be better to go with something more understated, like platinum and pearls.

At that moment, a voice interrupted her thoughts:

"Let me through! I have something I want to ask!"

Leisiphia frowned and looked up, discovering it was that perennial runner-up... ah, right, he wasn't second anymore; this time, he had obtained the first-place Membership Token.

Moreover, the other party had passed the Mana Appraisal, so he could barely be considered within the recruitment range of the City of Academies, right?

In that case, he was qualified to speak to her.

Leisiphia nodded to her servant, and only then was Kata able to reach the Young Lady.

Kata held such noble posturing in low regard, but he was in no mood to bicker with Leisiphia over such things. He asked aggressively, "'That guy,' where is he? Why didn't he come?!"

Everyone knew who "that guy" Kata was referring to.

The "former" first-place holder, Leibniz.

For some reason, Kata was unwilling to say his name, as if saying it would mean he had already lost.

And indeed, Kata had been losing the whole time.

Until today.

Angell had sent a special Invitation Letter to the first-place winner of every game table, inviting them to "test" the newly developed fighting game, Battle of Destiny: Prologue.

This test would not affect their membership qualifications, but the winner would receive ten thousand points.

All the players were enthusiastic about this, and even Young Lady Leisiphia had temporarily abandoned her noble reserve, stepping onto the Arena to choose the White Wolf character and tearing her opponent's beautiful girl avatar apart like a broken doll.

Kata had also reached the top during this test.

With the points earned from this "test," his total score had finally reached first place on the overall leaderboard.

However, Kata himself was very dissatisfied.

Because Leibniz hadn't even shown up to play!

Although their final scores were very close, allowing Kata to complete his comeback through these points, the feeling of throwing a final punch that never connected with the enemy was terrible.

Kata had no other way to find Leibniz, so he had no choice but to run over and ask Leisiphia.

"That guy received an invitation too, right! Why didn't he show up!" Kata asked indignantly.

"How rude!" the Young Lady scoffed.

She unfurled her lace folding fan to cover her small mouth, looking down at Kata as she said, "An Invitation Letter only signifies an invitation; it does not mean that one must attend just because they were invited. Furthermore, even if one comes, they don't necessarily have to play. The most important thing about the existence of a 'game' is that one is willing to play it, isn't it?"

But in truth, Leibniz had come.

It was just that after seeing the new game, he had said, "What is false is false," and turned back to leave.

It was no wonder he would act this way.

The content of this game was no longer "meditation," but "the use of mana."

If the rumors regarding Leibniz's older brother were true...

Leisiphia let out a soft sigh behind the cover of her fan.

The Young Lady would certainly not discuss gossip with others, especially not with a commoner like him. She only sneered and asked, "Isn't it better that Leibniz's brother isn't here? That makes you the first."

"Who cares about that!" Kata hated remarks like that the most.

Without hesitation, he pulled out the Membership Token that symbolized first place and held it out toward Leisiphia: "Give this to him and tell him I want a duel with him!"

The crystal was brimming with gold, as if it had captured the sun itself; one could easily sense the mana within.

The Workshop Master was truly generous! He had brought out the real deal.

Leisiphia thought to herself.

Seeing this commoner youth so easily hand over a Magic Item that even she found covetable, she felt a touch of admiration.

But Young Lady Leisiphia was not the type of person to agree to help just because of such cheap sentiment!

"Hmph, such audacity! You actually want to order this Young Lady around?!" Leisiphia lifted her chin. "If you want something done, do it yourself!"

"Of course I want to do it myself, but you wouldn't even let me step through the gate!" Kata retorted.

He still possessed at least that much common sense.

In the aristocratic district of the Outer City, let alone entering the gates of a specific house, even approaching the area in a carriage without a family crest would invite questioning from a Security Officer, to say nothing of a commoner like him who couldn't even afford a carriage.

"That is your problem," the Young Lady said mercilessly.

She savored the look of frustrated, impotent rage on Kata's face for half a minute before asking abruptly, "By the way, I heard them say you're planning to enter the Magic major at the City of Academies?"

"That has nothing to do with you!" Kata answered irritably.

In truth, this was another source of distress for Kata.

He hadn't decided yet.

Passing the magic appraisal was a good thing, after all; entering the Magic major meant receiving a large subsidy and securing employment, which made Kata quite envious. However, after his family made inquiries, they heard that the main career path after graduating from the Magic major was to enter a Mage Tower. This made Kata's parents hesitate.

Mage Towers were mostly closed environments. Although it wasn't as harsh as it had been during the Magic Era, it wasn't easy for a Magic Apprentice who entered a Mage Tower to return home. Even worse, the environment of a Mage Tower was ill-suited for romance; lonely, single mages were everywhere—hadn't he seen that Angell and President Hume of the Magic Association were both unmarried? Assistant Will didn't look like he could find a girlfriend either. If even the mages outside the Mage Towers were like this, there was no need to mention those inside.

Although Kata's family wasn't wealthy, they were the type to be content with what they had. His parents didn't want to lose the right to see their son again just for a sum of money. Besides, the status boost from being a mage had been limited lately, so they persuaded him to give up on the City of Academies and work as an accountant at a factory his uncle recommended; that way, he could come home more often and get married normally.

Kata himself didn't want to deal with all that messy magic history and those Runes. His magic grades at the Charity School had been mediocre, but he vaguely felt it would be a pity to give up, so he remained deeply troubled.

Leisiphia, however, said, "Brother Leibniz is going to the City of Academies, too!"

"What?"

"But he's different from you; he's been hired to be a Mathematics professor," the Young Lady explained.

Kata didn't hear a word of the latter part; he didn't care at all what Leibniz was going to do.

"In any case, if I go to the City of Academies, I can see that guy and challenge him, right!?" Kata asked.

"Theoretically, yes." You'll also need to have a Game Table.

Leisiphia nodded, enjoying the spectacle and fearing no chaos.

"Good!"

Kata gripped his Membership Token and turned to leave, seemingly unable to wait to report to the City of Academies.

Leisiphia frowned at his rude behavior.

"Stop, commoner!"

Two servants blocked Kata's path.

"I answered your question, so now it is your turn to answer mine," the Young Lady said, snapping her fan shut.

"What?" Kata looked at the Young Lady with a troubled expression.

"The Alchemy Workshop reopened today, so the Game Tables have officially gone on sale, right?" Leisiphia asked sternly. "How many did the person who hired you to grind the Leaderboard buy?"

"Are you really trying to compete with him even on this?" Kata asked strangely.

"Hmph, answer my question," Leisiphia urged.

She wasn't trying to compete!

It was just that, as the future Crown Princess Consort, there were all sorts of restrictions on her.

For instance, she could only speak to certain people, go to certain places, eat certain foods, and take interest in certain things.

And the guy who hired Kata was a dark figure that Leisiphia absolutely could not associate with.

During the testing period, although Leisiphia had fought a bloody battle against him for the Leaderboard, she had maintained a tacit, feigned ignorance in private, acting as if she didn't know who he was.

Purchasing a Game Table now was a similar calculation.

For the Young Lady of the Roy House to be obsessed with an experimental product from an Alchemy Workshop wasn't exactly glorious, but it could be considered a quirky anecdote.

But if the Game Tables were sold to the wrong people and appeared in the wrong places, she would have to...

She would have to buy one secretly to play!

As the noble future Crown Princess Consort, she absolutely could not show interest in such base items!

Leisiphia thought to herself, twisting her fan.

Kata didn't know that someone could have so many concerns just about buying a toy. He thought for a moment and decided that the matter wasn't a secret—in fact, everyone would know soon enough—so he answered without guile:

"Boss didn't buy any Game Tables!"

"Eh? The Alchemy Workshop isn't selling them?" Leisiphia raised her eyebrows.

That was good news. To a Young Lady, there was no such thing as something truly "not for sale"; it was just a matter of not offering enough money.

"They aren't selling them; Boss obtained the agency rights for the Game Tables."

Kata replied.

"The Street Volunteer Committee, to put it bluntly, is just a Mafia."

Mithril explained to Angell, "Their predecessor was actually the Mercenary Guild. After the Magic Era ended, adventurers could choose to give up adventuring, but those mercenaries who had already been operating in the gray or even black zones couldn't return to daily life so easily. Thus, they remained, later absorbing some unemployed and bankrupt individuals, and turned into various Mafia organizations."

"Cecilia City is actually quite decent; the public order is good, and the traditions are all intact. I hear that in places like the City of Industry, their influence is the most overwhelming."

Well, I understand the logic, but who on earth came up with the name "Street Volunteer Committee"?

What a talent!

Angell thought with amusement.

In fact, this was hardly the occasion to be amused.

Ever since the announcement that the shop would reopen and that a decision regarding the sales plan for the game tables would be provided, a group of burly, muscular men had gathered in his hallway and office.

Even though the Alchemy Workshop was protected by a Defense Array that prevented the use of violence, any ordinary person would surely feel extremely unsettled when faced with so many hulking brutes.

Of course, the brutes felt even more unsettled when they saw Angell.

"Why didn't anyone tell us the owner of the workshop was a Black Robe?!"

"What's wrong with a Black Robe? I could take ten of such a scrawny Mage by myself!"

"Idiot! A Black Robe is a Black Mage. I heard they use forbidden spells to modify their bodies; they're basically living dead, they don't feel pain, and they love to eat people! I bet he could eat ten of you!"

"His gaze is so terrifying!"

"Should we apologize and back out first?"

"The Boss will be angry, won't he?"

Mithril seemed worried that Angell might be feeling emotionally unstable as well.

"They have been quite well-behaved. I heard they didn't cause a scene when they were told the game tables weren't for sale, and they even followed the rules to climb the rankings, contributing quite a bit to our Happy Water sales. So, let's be a little patient."

"I am being patient!" Angell said strangely, glancing at the men.

The brutes trembled even more like chicks:

"He said he's being patient!"

"Is he restraining himself from eating us?"

"Mommy, I'm scared!"

Fortunately, this scene, which was unpleasant for both parties, did not last long. Soon, the clear sound of leather shoes treading on the floor echoed through the hallway, and a tall, handsome man walked in.

The man wore a silver-gray jazz hat, a silver-gray striped suit, a matching trench coat, and a long white scarf draped around his neck. This attire made Angell want to roast him, but upon second thought, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it—it was just that the affectation was far too heavy.

"Are you the owner of this workshop?"

The man spoke in a dramatic tone, lifting his crimson pupils.

If an ordinary human were to meet such eyes, they would surely feel terrified, wouldn't they? Because that was the symbol of Demonic Energy erosion—a fear of encountering a natural predator carved deep into the bloodline. Combined with the man's strange tone, there was a sense of cruelty, like a cat toying with a mouse.

But to Angell, it was nothing but comical.

Especially since these red eyes looked quite familiar.

"You are..." Angell wondered.

The man also saw Angell's face clearly, and his reaction was no better than his subordinates'.

His eyes widened, his pupils constricted, and his entire expression condensed into the word "terror." Then, almost reflexively, he turned to flee toward the gate.

"Ah, I remember now," Angell exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

At that instant, Mithril, behind Angell, transformed into darkness, extended a massive claw, and pressed down on the target, pinning the man firmly to the floor.

"Boss!"

The underlings pulled out knives and guns, aiming them at Angell and Mithril.

Although the scene was highly abnormal and they were filled with fear, none of them retreated.

Only Angell clapped his hands and said, "Isn't this Little Blood from the next street over? I didn't realize you'd grown so big!"

The tone of a neighborly uncle left everyone stunned.

Mithril manifested half of a cat's head from the darkness it had become and asked hesitantly, "Someone you know?"

"Yes, Mithril, you should know him too, right?" Angell said. "This kid is the little one who used to follow behind me when he was small—"

"Who wanted to follow you! It was because I'd get bullied if I didn't obey you, alright!" the man shouted.

However, once his blood-colored pupils met Angell's, he still said unwillingly, "Angell... Big Brother."

Hearing the other party admit it, Mithril hesitated for a moment, released him, and turned back into a little cat.

The subordinates of the man Angell called "Little Blood" rushed forward in a panic to check on their boss's injuries, but the man straightened his coat and tie, signaling that he was fine.

Then, he looked at Angell with shame and anger, questioning him strangely: "It's been a hundred years, why are you still alive?"

"Sigh, isn't Little Blood still alive too?"

"My name isn't 'Little Blood,' it's 'Thornmoon'... You never remembered my name at all, did you!" Thornmoon said. "But at least you remember I'm a Blood Elf, so is it really that strange that I've lived a hundred years?"

Elves are a Long-lived Race; compared to the short lifespans of humans, they usually live for four or five hundred years.

Especially Blood Elves, who have deep ties to the Demon World; it is said that the longest-lived among them reach a thousand years.

Thornmoon was Angell's follower when he was a child, and now, a hundred years later, he had indeed only just entered his youth.

Thornmoon found Angell unbelievable: "As a human, why are you still alive... no, why are you able to remain young?!"

Under the influence of Mana, Mages do indeed have slightly longer lifespans than ordinary people; those who live long lives can reach one hundred and fifty or even two hundred years. However, this does not mean they can reverse the laws of time; when the age comes, they will age just like anyone else.

Therefore, in people's minds, most Mages are old grandfathers with white hair and white beards. Someone like Angell, who can maintain a youthful state, is simply an anomaly.

Thornmoon's pupils dilated in shock once more: "You, have you really turned into a Lich? Or a vampire?!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, looking at Angell with even greater terror.

"What a pity, I am still human! The reason I look like this is due to special circumstances," Angell explained.

But it seemed no one believed him.

Even the wariness in Thornmoon's eyes did not fade.

Angell couldn't help but complain in a low voice to Mithril: "Seriously, why is everyone so afraid of me?" Clearly, his true nature was that of a harmless Corporate Slave.

But the fur on Mithril's body suddenly stood on end, making him look like a black fur ball.

"I remember now," Mithril said.

"You remembered Little Blood too?" Angell asked.

"No, I remembered your childhood!" In his fur-ball state, Mithril carefully retreated toward the edge of the table, attempting to put some distance between himself and Angell: "How could you be afraid of children? I remember you were the biggest Brat of them all back then!"