The Bastard of Linan had to attend an evening gathering of youth where he met the noblemen of the capital. In his disguise, Arthur made idle chats with the people just to assert his existence.
The hustle was a chore for Arthur, who wasn't used to interacting with strangers for so long. However, Master Ronin said that he needed to give himself a background.
Despite the ridicule and discrimination, no one asked about the origins of a bastard son. This would bring the affairs of nobles to the surface and these were ugly.
In the gathering, Arthur saw Caleb surrounded by his entourage of noble youth. Jerano wasn't solely for nobles, but it was a common aim for this. This made the commoners who enrolled there to be oppressed by their noble peers.
Arthur kept his distance away. For the first time in a while, he was a nameless person again. After their initial interest, the nobles left him be. After all, he was the bastard of a nameless nobleman from the rural areas of the Union. Furthermore, he wasn't even from Yalen, but one of its vessel states.
'To be insignificant is a relief.' Arthur began to enjoy the sweets served there. As he stood there, someone walked to him.
"Who are you? I never saw you here." A fat young man with squared features walked up to him. Arthur sighed inwardly as he bowed.
"Alexie Linan, a bastard from the rural state of Vernia." Arthur has already practiced his lines.
"Oh, a bastard?" The square-faced-and-square-nosed man glanced at him. "I'm Oliver Belford. Make sure to remember it well."
"Well of course," Arthur nodded. "How can I not know the name of the handsome men of the capital?"
"Oho, it seems my reputation has spread to the neighboring kingdoms." Oliver stroked his chin, which was as flat as a ruler. "It's good that you know the names of those above you."
Arthur could only shake his head, inwardly at least, at how confident this guy was. Even if Arthur flattered him, there was no way someone could think of themselves as handsome with this guy's cardboard head.
Nonetheless, he liked people like that, who were unbothered by their appearance. A conceited fool was better than a jealous person with an inferiority complex.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Arthur said with a smile. Oliver kept blathering about all sorts of things and his influence in the capital as Arthur ate his sweets.
The funny thing was that Oliver would cough when other nobles were nearby and stop his boasting. Anyone with a brain can see that this man was bragging, but Arthur didn't mind.
"Her highness is here,"
Someone whispered and Arthur turned to see Nera wearing a one-piece dress that embraced her body. It was the first time that he met someone he knew from his past identity.
The crowd split as they greeted the princess, who was accompanied by one of her younger cousins. Arthur saw Oliver adjust his bow tie that red before adjusting his white collar.
"Follow me, Alexie," Oliver said to him. "I'll introduce you to my childhood friend." Arthur looked at him with confusion as the fat meatball made its way across the hall.
With a sigh, Arthur left his sweets and began following the nobleman. He had a mission of introducing himself to this community, so it was for the best that he did more effort than eating sweets.
Oliver was as fat as two Arthurs, so it was difficult to see beyond him. He was also rather tall, despite Arthur's height being around 180cm after his breakthrough. Even though he wasn't that tall, he also wasn't short. Yet, he couldn't see beyond the jiggling flesh of Oliver.
When the humanoid tank stopped, at last, Arthur moved to its side to take a better look. He saw a group of people looking at Oliver and him with disgust.
"What is it that you want, Belford?" Barked one of the youths who had a tall and lean body. Several other youths were surrounding a beautiful blonde girl.
'Nera,' Arthur sighed inwardly as his face remained expressionless. After some thought, he pulled a panicked face since it would be suspicious if he remained calm.
"Butt out, Reinhold." Oliver sneered in disdain. "I'm here to greet my childhood friend." Arthur noticed that when Oliver said that, Nera carried a troubled expression and her mouth twitched.
"It's good to see you as lively as always, Oliver." Nera greeted with a smile. "I see you have new friends." She politely turned to Arthur. Her gaze lingered as if she was trying to remember who he was.
"Ah, yes. He's my dear friend from the Vernia kingdom, Alexie Linan." Oliver wore a smug expression as he introduced Arthur intimately. "Alexie, you must know of the princess our Union."
"H-how can I not?" Arthur feigned stuttering in panic as he did a lousy bow. "Greetings, your highness!"
"Greetings to you, Sir Alexie." Nera smiled in greeting. Arthur felt her ability being activated with his perception and used his insignia, albeit barely.
The princess tried to see through him. Arthur didn't know if this was a habit she had, or if she was simply suspicious of him. However, his insignia proved her ability useless. He used it on himself and made it impossible to see through his disguise.
"Are you the bastard of that old man Linan?" The man called Reinhold asked curtly. "I heard your old man is senile now."
"Sadly, he has been involved in an unfortunate accident while working," Arthur answered with sadness. "Thank you for asking, young master."
Reinhold nodded and ignored Arthur and Oliver. As the group spoke with Nera, they started drifting away.
"You don't need to thank me for introducing you," Oliver said with a smug expression. "Just between us, I think Nera has a crush on me. That's why she gave you so much face."
"I felt that too, young master." Arthur nodded in enthusiasm. "I could see her blush when she greeted you!" Oliver seemed to stand straighter when Arthur said this.
"You have good eyes; I'll take care of you around here," Oliver said with pride.
"Thank you, young master!"
Oliver pulled him toward a table afterward as he began offering him some advice about certain 'entertainments' that he could enjoy in the capital.
Arthur was dumbfounded when he learned of the absurd lifestyle of the noblemen's community. They drank a lot, they ate a lot, and they had sex a lot. Each activity had certain places you should go to. Furthermore, Oliver looked like he was sharing something ordinary.
"Do your parents know of these things?" Arthur couldn't stop himself and asked. Oliver looked at him like he was a country pumpkin.
"Of course not, my granny would break my legs if she knew!"
As he was about to share more of his wisdom, a clinging sound resounded throughout the hall. Arthur and the annoyed Oliver looked at the stage in the middle where a blond young man stood.
"Greetings, everyone." Prince Caleb said with a smile. "I don't think I need to introduce myself." He raised his brows with a smile. The crowd laughed and the prince chuckled.
"Since a lot of you here are having your exam in Jerano in a few days, I thought I should give you some guidance as your senior." The crowd cheered for the prince. "How many of you are applying for Jerano?"
A few hands were raised and Arthur simply stayed put. Oliver, beside him, raised his arm so high that his suit was about to tear from the armpit. He didn't forget to glance at Arthur and kick him in the leg.
"You are not applying?" Oliver asked with a frown. Arthur looked at him as he debated how should he lie but not lie at the same time. "Raise your hand if you are!" Oliver grabbed his arm and raised it.
"Oh, I see some enthusiasm over there." Prince Caleb's attention was grabbed by Oliver's actions. However, Arthur doubted anyone can ignore the giant meatball that sat next to him.
"You, gentleman. It seems you're eager for some guidance?"
"Yes, your highness! It would be an honor!" Oliver rose from his chair and Arthur could hear the chair thank the heavens that it survived the calamity.
With large strides, Oliver ascended the stage. Arthur noticed Reinhold talk to Caleb on the side and the prince nodded. He didn't like what he was seeing, but he couldn't just interfere.
"One of the most important things about Jerano is knowing how to use your strength. How about a simple spar? I'll try to guide you in your martial arts."
"That would make me joyful, your highness!" Oliver looked genuinely flattered as his small eyes turned wide.
"Very well, you might get hurt a bit, is that alright?"
"A small price!" Oliver waved his hand dismissively.
"I like that spirit! Now, come at me. Remember, no mana. I don't want to accidentally kill you." The prince laughed despite how dark his words were. Oliver nodded and prepared his stance.
Despite his body, Oliver's stance was a proper one. After the prince motioned him to start, he took a step forward and punched. The prince side-stepped before smacking his fist downward as his elbow struck Oliver's face.
The sound of the hit was enough to produce an echo and Oliver staggered to the side. Arthur sighed when he saw a few drops of blood fall from his nose. The area where the prince struck him rapidly turned purple.