( Leo's POV )
Leo waited patiently for the conversation between Duke James and his brother to conclude before approaching him, however, while he was waiting for Duke James to become available, he was surprisingly approached by a noble that he did not know.
A frail man with a bushy beard and unflattering hairstyle approached Leo with the kindest of smiles as if they were old acquaintances.
"Hello, I'm Viscount Feynman, it's nice to finally meet you-" The man said, extending his hand as Leo shook it curiously.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Leo asked, as the man seemed to know him, however, Leo apparently had no idea as to who he was.
"No… I don't think we have met directly before, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you directly yet" The viscount said, as Leo raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, waiting for the man to explain more.
"But while we have not met directly, we do share a common friend…. Someone who works closely with both of us- " Viscount Feynman said in a hushed voice as he moved slightly closer to Leo.
"I'm the financier of ChaosBringer…. The noble who supports the underworld from the shadows" Viscount Feynman said in what was barely an audible whisper.
As he said this, goosebumps ran down Leo's spine as he had no idea as to why this man believed that he knew ChaosBringer or had any sort of ties to the underworld.
While Leo knew who ChaosBringer was, as during his last days inside the Sector E, ChaosBringer and his 'Uprising' group was all that people talked about, he did not have any personal contact or connections with the man, as whatever this viscount Feynman thought of him was clearly a very major misunderstanding.
"It's okay! No words need to be spoken here, there are too many eyes and ears on us.
I was just here to introduce myself anyways and tell you that you're doing a stellar job in the grand tournament!
If you find any trouble or require any assistance within the capital, feel free to look for me as I'll always accommodate a talent like you-" Viscount Feynman said, stepping back and taking his leave with Leo as he disappeared into the social crowd and began chatting with other nobles.
'What a weird man…. There is no way in hell I'm gonna associate with him or the underworld, I don't even know who is propagating such rumors' Leo thought, as he decided to steer as clear of Viscount Feynman as possible in the future.
"Please pay attention! His majesty! The sun of the Empire! The symbol of unity! The king of kings! The protector of peace and the punisher of evil, Julien D Evanus, is entering the room, alongside his wife, The first queen Martha Evanus and First Son, Nathan J Evanus"
All hail-"
Suddenly a loud announcement was made, declaring the entry of the Emperor Julien D Evanus, as everyone immediately fell to one knee, putting their right hand to their hearts as they bowed respectfully.
Following the crowd, Leo also bowed respectfully as Julien entered the room with his wife, the empress's hand in his arms and son Nathan walking behind.
Noticeably, while the entry of the first wife and son was announced, the other royal members, such as the second wife and third wife and their children did not get the same treatment, as they followed the trio without any introduction.
If it was unclear to anyone as to who was on-top of the succession race, after this entry it became clear that Nathan Evanus, the first son, was the current favorite to go on and become the crown prince.
[ Nathan J Evanus ] ( Level 160 )
Leo tried to scan the power level of the first prince and was surprised to see that he was a level 160 warrior.
Considering his age was only 20, this was not a bad score at all as he had the potential of growing much stronger with time.
As the room settled back into a dignified murmur following the grand entrance of the imperial family, Leo continued to observe Nathan from a distance.
Despite the regal posture and polished demeanor, there was an air of ambition in the young prince's eyes that Leo found intriguing.
He spoke with a fake smile and greeted everyone with fake enthusiasm that was easy for Leo to spot, as a soft smile spread on his lips observing the behavior of the prince.
"You…. Kid…." Suddenly a hoarse voice said behind Leo, startling him as he turned to see a tall man in compact Armor standing behind him.
The man had the same Virex mask as Leo and had storm gray eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul.
"Yes?" Leo said, maintaining his composure as despite his surprise, he did not back down from the intimidating figure and instead stared right back into his eyes
[ ????? ] ( Lv ????? )
Failing to read either his name or his level, Leo understood that the gap between himself and the man in front of him was significant, yet despite the power gap his gaze did not weaken one bit.
"Why do you have a Virex mask on you? I don't remember recruiting a single candidate like you in my organization…." The man said threateningly as his pupils constricted.
"Let me tell you, that stealing the identity of or killing a member of the Virex branch is a criminal offense.
If you have obtained that mask through nefarious means, then I'll have to confiscate it here and charge you for criminal activity" The man said, as he tried to threaten and intimidate Leo, but failed.
"The mask belonged to my Grand-Master, it was given by him to my master, who now gave it to me. It's not obtained illegally, so you don't have to worry about me being a criminal" Leo said, as the man against him was forced to back off.
"Very well, if it's a memoir of an old member, I guess I'll allow you to keep it-" he said before disappearing into the same crowd from which he surprisingly appeared from.
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/// A/N - Mass Release chapter 1 of 5 ///