The ball thrown by the royal family was glorious, befitting of such a grand palace. No one would believe this nation was threatened by war only a few days ago. This pretentious display was scorned by those in the political world, as it had an obvious aim.
The royal family's position was threatened after the last war. First, a traitor came of their midst. Then, Mistletoe stole the limelight by turning the war in the Union's favor. The public was untrusting of the current royal family and its vessels.
This ball was to reward those who had helped against the calamity. Heroes would be rewarded to gain the favor of the public and give them a banner to follow. Even more, was the example of the commoner genius runes apprentice who had risked his life to warn the kingdom.
Beyond the gardens and their statures of mythical creatures, a giant hall had its doors open as its interior glittered and sparkled. Servants were everywhere serving drinks and food to the guests who were chatting among each other.
Arthur left the cab as he tidied his suit, marveling at the silky fabric that melted on his fingertips. It was fully matt black embedded in gold just like he had asked. His hair has been combed backward by the hairstylist with his bangs slightly dropping to the side.
He must say that his hair was always a mess he didn't look at. It was a habit he picked up from his days waking up at 5 am to comb a dungeon of artifacts. At first, he tried to look neat enough, but he would always leave the dungeon having dirt as another layer of skin. This made him too lazy to care anymore, and it had persisted until the current day.
He had shown his invitation and ID at the palace's gates in the car, so he walked into the cobblestoned road surrounded by trees and bushes as lanterns hung from both sides.
Juveniles talked and laugh in pairs along the road, standing or sitting on the benches. As Arthur passed, he felt their eyes inspect him carefully without stopping their conversations.
His leathered shoe tapped as he crossed some distance toward the ballroom where classical music was blasting. The atmosphere was a bit humid and feverish, making Arthur grateful that he chose against wearing a tie or the like.
He walked into the ballroom and found the celebration already in full swing. He wasn't late but these people would take every chance to forge connections. As if a frog had jumped into a lake of swans, disturbing them, all eyes turned his way.
He could see they were smiling, but they were the formal smile you'd wear to appear amicable. A political smile that Arthur never learned how to mimic, making him stand there awkwardly before grabbing a glass of champagne to distract himself.
He knew he had certain habits when he was nervous, one of them was rubbing his thumb on his index finger. He wanted to distract himself by drinking, so drinking he did.
He must admit that it helped since he felt himself feel lighter. As he walked further into the room to find a place to seat himself, a man walked over to him.
"Greeting, young one." The man had defined shapes and sideburns that were still black, trimmed at the end. He extended his hands which Arthur shook. "My name is Ilia Perli, Captain of the Unbroken Corps." He smiled lightly.
"Hello, Sir Ilia. It's an honor to meet you. My name is Arthur Silvera, I lack a title that is worth mentioning in your presence." Arthur wasn't surprised by the man's identity as he could already feel how much presence he had. Even more, his existence was overwhelming. Maybe this was what fate felt like, Arthur wondered.
"Haha, titles are made by men. Your actions are admirable themselves." The Captain laughed heartily as he let go of Arthur's hand. "Master Ronin had found himself a good disciple." He nodded with approval.
"You flatter me," Arthur bowed his head slightly, not daring to antagonize this man. He was said to be the most powerful man in the kingdom, serving the royal family only.
"Our unbroken corps certainly needs a proper runes master." Ilia grinned and before he could continue, another man interrupted.
"Our royal research team would be a more befitting place." A man wearing a robe stepped in and introduced himself as well. "My name is Alexander Teran, Head Researcher at the Yalen Workshop."
Another grand character. As Master Ronin had said, these people had their eyes on Arthur because of his talent with runes. After all, a genius soldier can only be one, while a genius runes master can create a whole army.
"An honor to meet you, Grandmaster Alexander." Arthur bowed again, starting to feel that this ball would be more tiring than he had anticipated.
"Snooping is not your best trait, Grandmaster." Ilia scowled but the grandmaster met him with a smile.
"Our kingdom finally has a genius rune master; we can't handle this poorly and assign him to a combatant division."
"It was good to see you, Arthur." Captain Ilia ignored him and offered another handshake. "You did well to prevent the present calamity, I thank you on behalf of the people."
"Not at all, Sir. I was doing my duty as an awakener and a citizen."
Leaving Arthur and Alexander alone, Ilia left as other guests swarmed toward the two. Everyone was trying to meet him and bring him to their family, institution, or division. Despite wearing a smile of being flattered, Arthur shot them down and scowled in his heart.
'They're looking down on me.' He felt their true intentions. He had no idea how he can tell, but he did. It was a mystical feeling of being aware of others' existences.
'Probably a result of the Art of Creation.' Arthur thought as he bid Grandmaster Alexander farewell. More people rushed over to introduce themselves as if they were to bless Arthur. They talked about their guilds and families, their possessions, their artifact, and whatever could make Arthur feel awed.
They were trying to coax the naïve commoner into joining them. Arthur had to smile politely as he felt his mental energy drain faster than the time that he faced the skeletons. They were a more preferable company.
Before he could lose his mind, an arm slipped into his as the scent of jasmine permeated the air. A blonde head was by his side, a foot shorter. Her hair was shaped in a sophisticated style with dreadlocks on her back.
"Everyone, I must borrow this young hero since my grandfather wishes to meet him." Wearing a sky-blue dress, Emma stood by his side as she rescued him from the hungry nobles. Before anyone can say anything, Arthur and Emma were already making their way outside the ball.
"Being the daughter of a wealthy has its benefits," Arthur whispered and saw how Emma's mouth twitched. "You've been promoted to a fly spray, the best there is to get rid of annoyances."
Emma gagged a laugh with her hand on her mouth. Before anyone can spot them, they were already outside on a balcony, breathing the fresh air.
"I have an image to maintain!" She said in mock anger with a smile as she twisted his side. Arthur gestured in surrender as he felt his mood lighten.
"Good to see you again," He smiled at Emma and she smiled back.
"Same goes to you, literally. I thought you would be dead when I heard you were in the fortress when the prince ran rampant."
"Well, that royal family would hold you for treason if you mention that." Arthur smiled as he surveyed the surrounding. "Where's your grandfather?" They were alone on the balcony.
"He'll be coming later. He's quite happy that our workshop endorsed a champion candidate."
"Everyone seems to forget that I haven't become a champion yet."
"And you seem to forget how you wiped the floor with other contestants in the first two stages. Literally."
Arthur had no comeback to that and shrugged. The two chatted a bit before they heard the music stop. It was a sign for the royal family to make an entrance. They headed back into the hall as the guests crowded, heading looking upward.
After a few moments, the royal family appeared leaning on the balustrade. The guests bowed in respect and loyalty. The king, the queen, the crown prince, and the princess surveyed the crowd before heading down the stairs.
Everyone went over to greet the king and his family, offering some gifts or praise.
Two men stood beside Arthur and Emma before he realized. They had giant statures like those of Halin with wild brown hair. They surveyed Arthur with such hostility that he prepared himself to throw fists.
"Dad, Granpa!" Emma's voice broke the tension as the two men broke into smiles and hugged her. Arthur could see that even though the two men looked similar, one of them looked a bit older than the other.