Chapter 42 Opulence
It was not Nero's keen observation and attentiveness that allowed him to notice the oddity. Rather, it appeared that the chauffeur had done it on purpose, as if afraid that any random passersby might not note his disdain for Silas.
While Nero and Vanessa immediately locked their gaze onto the man, as if assessing him, Silas did not even seem to notice the change. Eagerly he opened the door to the car and indicated that his friends should enter.
"I didn't know you were into trucks, Nero," he said animatedly. "I don't normally get to ride this one either, but when we go home I can show you the others. My favourite is the Offroadster 445, man that's massive."
Vanessa, very politely thanked Silas and got in the car, but Nero had not moved from his spot, his attention still fixed on the driver.
Countless thoughts ran through his head, and suspicions about the kinds of life Silas might be living at home appeared in his mind. That might explain why he had such a timid personality. Did he have any, more favoured siblings? As far as he could recall, he had never heard Silas mentioning any. In fact, it only occurred to him now that Silas had never mentioned his life at home at all.
It was too soon to judge whether he was mistreated at home, and if that had any indication of how his parents treated him. But there was one thing Nero knew. He didn't like how the chauffeur had talked to Silas.
A couple of seconds passed without Nero responding to Silas' question, and the noticeable silence created an awkward atmosphere. The chauffeur, a thin, pale man who was dressed in a black suit and tie, noticed the empty stare Nero was giving him. There was no indication of distaste or annoyance, so one could not really guess what he was thinking.
Instead of addressing him, the driver snorted silently and moved towards the driver's seat, but was instantly blocked by Nero holding his hand in front of him.
"Be more mindful of how you speak," he said evenly, still keeping his emotions hidden behind his mask. "Not everyone is so tolerant."
Nero did not explain himself further, or wait for the driver to respond. Ordinarily, he was not one to look down on people. But he had been raised with the mindset of a warrior, and was not afraid of a fight. Heck, from a young age his mother was telling him death was written on a battlefield. Admittedly, that was probably not the best way to influence the mind and perspective of a growing child, but for whatever reason, it made him fearless.
As such, the thing he would never tolerate was disrespect. When those soldiers had targeted him on his first day as a Neophyte, he had not hesitated to try and escalate the issue as much as possible, even lying about his fathers designation in the army. Of course, when given a way out he chose not to escalate things for it might hamper his other plans. He had taken a step back only because he knew how to prioritise things, and because he knew that one day he would get back at them - assuming they didn't end up dead first.
But a driver? Even if he was an Initiate, Nero saw no reason to take a step back or to fear him. Disrespecting his friend in front of him was the same as disrespecting him. Giving him a mild warning was already Nero suppressing the matter because he did not want to delay the meeting with Silas' father.
The day suddenly promised to be more eventful than he had anticipated. Nero had already gotten in the car, admiring its leather interior, when the driver woke from the surprise of what happened. He felt slightly confused, and then irritated. But in the end, besides a clearly audible snort, he did nothing. Without a word he climbed into the driver's seat and began driving.
Despite any dissatisfaction he felt, he dared not express it in the way of bad driving, especially with this car.
A tinge of disappointment appeared in Nero's heart, but it was within his expectations.
Within the car, Silas talked even more excitedly as he described the car collection at his home, still feeling a slight, second hand high from Nero's confrontation.
The car quickly drove away from the school, and towards a nearby gated community. The house Nero lived in was technically owned by the government, and leased out to his family. That was how most people lived. After all, who would waste so much time and money in buying land and then building a house? It sounded like a time consuming and costly affair.
But even in a militaristic style country such as Kolar, there were those who were richer than others. Silas' parents, both highly qualified artisans who worked for the army, fit perfectly into this category.
The gated community was large and lavish, with even a few small gardens, meticulously cultivated and kept curse free by the management committee. Nero had never personally come inside, though his parents knew many people who lived in such places. His mothers boss, for example, owned multiple mansions in various such communities.
Strict private security patrolled the roads, constantly monitoring the aether fluctuations within the neighbourhood. Every other car on the road was a truck, and every single one of them was armoured. A few were even expensive enough to hide the bulky protective shell with a beautiful design, like the truck that they were in.
Each of these cars were, naturally, aether fueled.
Finally, after navigating a maze of twists and turns between elaborately designed neighbourhoods and massive mansions and houses, they finally arrived at Silas' house.
It was a mansion of middling size within the community, though it more than made up for it with the fact that it had its own boundary wall and gate as well.
An artificial pond was placed beside the driveway, and within it Nero could see a few fish swimming about. There was a foundation as well, near the entrance to the mansion itself, as well as a large, multi-storey bird cage visible behind the house. The garage, filled with countless other vehicles and a number of other workers moving about, told Nero the same story he saw everywhere else in this place.
Everything seemed to be a grand display of opulence, as if the owner was concerned about now being able to show off their wealth well enough. Maybe they were compensating for the fact that there were other, larger mansions within the same community. Who knew? Nero was probably being so critical of them because of the sheer, genuine envy he felt looking at those cars.
Damn. He never knew how bad it felt not to be rich until that exact moment.