Chapter 7: Hall of Shame [1]
"Took you long enough."
Leon stepped into the carriage parked outside the Valentine manor, where his maid was already waiting for him.
She wore the same maid outfit from earlier that afternoon, the one his elder sister had personally assigned to him, for reasons he still didn’t understand.
They sat across from each other.
"Sorry. I was having a hard time adjusting the suit," Leon said.
"Why didn’t you ask for my help?" the maid asked.
"I... um... just don’t like people touching my body," he replied awkwardly.
"..."
Silence fell between them.
’Why is she glaring at me like this? Do I look weird?’
Leon wondered, glancing down at his suit.
He wore a sharp black suit with gold buttons, a white shirt and black tie underneath, and a dark cloak draped over his shoulders. A golden brooch resembling the House Valentine emblem, with hanging chains, was pinned to his chest.
It was clearly an outfit meant for a royal banquet.
"You cut your hair," the maid said softly.
"Hm? Oh, yes. I thought it would look good..."
For some reason, Leon found it hard to meet her gaze.
"This style suits you," she added, turning her head to look out the glass window.
Leon didn’t quite catch her expression, but he could tell she was stealing subtle glances at him.
While the carriage rolled toward the royal castle of the Liora Kingdom, only one thought lingered in Leon’s mind.
He wanted to ask the maid’s name.
She had been the first person he met after waking up in this world.
’Should I just ask her?’
He quickly dismissed the idea.
Not knowing the name of his own maid...
Yeah, that would be weird.
Haru still wasn’t sure if the original Leon had known her. He had no memories of her, but even so, he didn’t want to risk it.
In the end, he gave up.
’I will find out myself—’
Just before Leon turned to look out the window, his maid spoke up.
"You can call me Myra."
"...Sorry?"
Leon hadn’t quite caught it.
This time, the maid turned to face him. And for the first time, Leon mustered the nerve to get a proper look at her.
Crimson eyes, and blonde hair. A small red butterfly pin held her bangs neatly in place.
She looked... stunning.
"..."
Leon simply stared at her.
If she wasn’t in a maid uniform, any sane man would have mistaken her for nobility.
"My name is Myra," she said, placing a hand over her chest. "I was officially assigned as your personal maid by Milady Veronica Valentine. It’s my pleasure to serve you, Young Master Leon."
’Myra... so that’s her name.’
From that brief greeting, Leon quickly deduced something, that today was likely the first time she had ever met him.
Without hiding his curiosity, Leon asked,
"What exactly does Elder Sister want from me?"
Veronica Valentine.
Leon’s elder sister, and the Head of one of the Calamity Towers: The Blood Tower.
"That’s classified," Myra replied calmly.
’So, there is something.’
Leon tried searching his memories to recall any story arc involving Veronica and Leon.
But there was nothing.
Throughout the entire game, Leon had no on-screen interaction with his elder sister.
As for off-screen... he had no idea.
He didn’t press Myra any further.
Veronica was the last person he wanted to mess with.
In any case, the carriage continued on its way.
The rest of the trip passed in silence.
Glancing out the window, Leon took in the sight of a grand royal palace approaching, the venue for the princess’s birthday banquet.
It was past 8 PM when his carriage finally arrived.
The palace glowed with warm lights, standing out brilliantly against the dark sky. Several carriages were parked outside, lined up neatly along the stone road. Guards stood at the entrance, spears and shields in hand, stationed on either side of the stairs that led up to the main gate.
The palace looked massive, almost like a city carved into the cliffs.
"It’s huge," Leon gasped in awe.
The Liora Kingdom Palace.
It was his first time seeing his own creation with his own eyes. Up until now, his only experience with royal settings had been through the game.
’I can do this.’
Royal or not, Leon knew he could handle it. In his old world, he’d once had dinner with the president.
A royal banquet couldn’t be that different.
"I will wait for you, Young Master," Myra said, bowing politely.
Leon nodded. Adjusting his collar, he stepped out and began walking toward the palace.
A long velvet carpet stretched from the base of the stairs all the way to the gate. Several guests were visible up ahead, being guided inside by the guards.
As he passed the guards, Leon noticed something.
’None of them are greeting me.’
Not surprising. Given Leon’s reputation, he was bound to be treated coldly.
’His fault for proposing to the princess.’
Ignoring the guards’ indifference, he followed the other guests toward the main building.
Glancing up at the majestic roof, he silently admired the palace.
"Oh, look who it is. You’re almost unrecognizable. What the hell happened to your hair?"
A voice cut through Leon’s thoughts.
Turning his head, he saw Rowan, his elder brother holding a wine glass, with three other noble men and women trailing beside him.
’What rotten luck.’
"You came," Rowan said with a mocking tone.
"Yes," Leon replied dryly.
"I’m surprised you even have the guts to show your face after what you did to Princess Rinna last week."
Leon ignored him. His attention had shifted to the noble man standing beside Rowan.
Long, curly black hair. Silver eyes behind a pair of glasses. Dressed in a dark blue suit with a longsword hanging from his belt.
It didn’t take Leon a second to recognize him.
Lucian Thorne. The eldest son and heir to the Thorne Dukedom.
’What the hell is he doing here?’
He had a shabby look, lifeless fish-like eyes, cracked lips, and freckles scattered across his face.
Despite his harmless appearance, he was one of the major antagonists of the game’s first arc.
Lucian had a tragic past that drove him to form a contract with a primordial-ranked demon.
As a result, the current Lucian was no longer human... he was a primordial demon wearing human skin.
Feeling Leon’s gaze, Lucian spoke in a friendly tone.
"If it isn’t the princess proposer." He said narrowing his eyes, "do you want to say something?"
Leon flinched.
’Princess proposer?’
That name was embarassing to hear. But he was not gonna argue with a primodial ranked demon.
Right now, a primordial demon was far beyond anything he could handle.
To even stand a chance, he would need to surpass the Awakened rank, and even that wouldn’t be enough.
He quickly waved his hand and apologized.
"Apologies, Sir Lucian," he said, bowing politely. "I was simply drawn to your attire, it looks magnificent."
Lucian stepped forward and placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder.
"Thanks for the compliment," he said with a smile.
Then, leaning closer to Leon’s ear, he whispered,
"You pathetic little dog... keep your filthy eyes off me."
"..!?"
Leon’s knees nearly gave out.
Clenching his fists, he whispered back.
"I’ll keep that in mind."
He felt humiliated.
But with his current rank, he had no choice but to endure.
After enduring ten straight minutes of his brother and his friends’ mockery, Leon finally managed to slip away from their view.
"Sigh..."
’Why can’t they mind their own damn business?’
Taking slow steps and ignoring the unwanted stares, Leon made his way toward the buffet.
All of this was making him hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything since arriving in this world.
Suddenly, the lights of the banquet shifted, focusing on a single spot.
"Princess Rinna is making her way. Everyone, bow!" someone announced.
’She’s here. I just hope she ignores my existence.’
------
(A/N : Power System.)
Mana Core:
Rank — Core Color
Unawakened — Cold Core
Awakened — Crimson Core
Ignite — Bright Red Core
Spellweaver — Orange Core
Ascendant — Yellow Core
Breaker — White Core
Fateshaper — Blue Core
Calamity — Silver Core
To evolve into the next core rank, the user must fully master their current core.
This mastery is measured using a ★ star system.
Each core has a total of 5 stars (★ ★ ★ ★ ★).
Only after completing all 5 stars can a user break through and evolve to the next core stage.
For example:
- A 3★ Bright Red Core means partial mastery of the Ignite Stage/Rank.
- A full 5★ Bright Red Core allows the user to evolve into a 1★ Orange Core of the Spellweaver Stage/Rank.
This system continues up through all core mastery before ascension.
The higher the core, the harder it is to gain stars.