"Well, the battle at the Eastern front is going smoothly. I think we can withdraw about 1/3 of our forces within the next 2 months..." A tall, slim but well-proportioned man with long grey hair spoke with confidence about his status report. He looked cool and collected as he pressed his fingers together before his face and spoke.But at his words, a mature-looking woman perhaps in her 40s spoke up, "No, that will be too long! By that time, we"ll have missed the opportunity to strike the beastmen up north! We need to redeploy our troops and move before winter sets in - then win it decisively!" Her personality was just like her hair - a blazing red just like the tongues of a consuming fire. In fact, she looked just like an older version of Natalie!
Somehow, the cool looking man"s face immediately twisted in anger, probably triggered by a long-standing bad blood between the two. He stood up and pointed a finger at the woman, saying, "LINA SAROUNEH! Why must you always argue with everything I say! You don"t have to always undermine me just because I was the one who received command of the Eastern front that you wanted! You could always just prove yourself capable on the North! But no! Instead you make it sound as if though it"s my fault that you"re losing ground against the beastmen!" His fair face turned slightly pink as he raised his voice unconsciously.
The woman, Lina, shot to her feet and confronted him face to face, giving as good as she had gotten, "Sefir, you dare challenge me...?" Her eyes glinted with violence and danger as she spoke, causing the man to involuntarily tremble and inch backwards slightly.
"Every time I see you, all I see is a P*SSY! Don"t think that just because you"re smarter, better at strategy and better at leaders.h.i.+p that you can escape my pounding fists, you girly sissy!"
At those words, Sefir, the grey-haired man, exploded and shouted, "LINA! THAT"S TOO MUCH! Do you think I"m afraid of you, huh??? C"mon! Let"s take it outside, I"ll show you just how this "sissy" will teach you a lesson!" He raised his fists up and waved them in front of him in return, but had backed off more than 2 metres before doing so.
"Guys... No need to get personal here." A heavy-set man with short white hair spoke. He had a perfectly trimmed beard and moustache and was dressed in military garb with numerous stars and medals on his shoulder.
The speaker"s one short sentence instantly stilled the argument. The two involved, the man and woman from the houses of Estreya and Sarouneh respectively, looked at him in shock that they had forgotten themselves. Then theyy silently and obediently sat down.
This was the authority and power of General Weres, leader of the Gorun City unified army - and also Duke de Caldis" right-hand man.
However, his authority did not come from his status, rank or position.
His status came from his capabilities... And his reputation.
"Million-Slayer Weres", "Bloodfield Weres" and "Red-death Weres"; these but a few of the countless monstrous names accorded to the walking disaster of the battlefield.
From the moment he joined the military as a private until now, each time he was sent forth, he would return with no less than half of the entire troop"s confirmed kills.
And once he was promoted to a team leader, he would lead forth his troops - only to ma.s.sacre 95% of the enemies all alone!
As such, excluding the Duke herself, there was no one who would dare to say "2" if he said "1" - his word carried the threat and weight of death itself. Who would dare cross him?
The other two representatives from House Trenel and Jamal kept silent. They played it cool on the outside, but inwardly they were glad they had not partic.i.p.ated in the earlier conversation!
It was then they heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." Weres spoke calmly, as if he had already known that someone was approaching.
A nervous white-haired administrator walked in, trying his best to remain confident in front of the luminaries before him.
The five gathered there represented the highest working level powers in the country.
General Weres, a great and mighty human warrior who had risen from obscurity. He now presided over the military and all external affairs of the North.
Sefir Estreya Roth, a young Earl and tipped to be the successor of the number 2 family of the city. A genius in strategy and scheming, but somehow he always ended up on the wrong side of his perennial gorilllike rival. Rumours were that he was secretly in love with the woman who always abused him, making many believe he was actually an M.
The aforementioned rival, Lina Sarouneh. She was the most talented cultivator and combatant of her generation, showcasing the almighty talent of having a red dragon"s bloodline. It was said that she would be the first Legendary realm powerhouse of her generation. She preferred to talk with her fists, but was also endlessly trying to prove herself as a commander - so far without any results to show for it. But what she lacked in military brilliance, she more than made up for with determination, at least!
Gaius Trenel, caretaker of all civil affairs on behalf of Prime Minister Trenel who had withdrawn from the public eye due to health issues. He had the looks of a typical hero, valiant and chiseled features, square jaw, honest and clear brown eyes and a head of golden hair.
Despite his young age in his late 30"s, he had shown himself shrewd and politically savvy, manoeuvering through many tricky situations with the local n.o.bility and merchant families. Since he had taken up the reins on the civil side, the city had prospered greatly. He had a knack for coming up with great draws to the city like the New Year"s auction, a 6-monthly military demonstration to parade their weaponry and armour industry and also the bi-annual selection tournament for the Duke"s personal guard.
Under his stewards.h.i.+p, the city had definitely grown even more wealthy - albeit, there were rumours of uncountable dark activities hidden under the surface of his rule...
And finally, the young head of the richest of the families, Yusof Jamal. House Jamal was the only one where their old head had already pa.s.sed away 20 years ago, leaving the leaders.h.i.+p of the family to his young heir, the then 27-year old Yusof. The dark-skinned and black-haired man was always amicable, always smiling and always friendly to everyone he met. But beneath his kindly exterior, there was a metallic hardness that would not yield to anyone! And it was that steel in his character along with his sharp mind that prevented the ravenous wolves from devouring his family.
That and his marriage to Elizabeth Adalle, beloved and only daughter of the nearby Wiarno Kingdom"s almighty tyrant, King Soron!
Many said that it was not actually his capabilities that preserved the family, but the fear that the war-like nation in the south would seek recompense and exact vengeance if anyone dared to touch even a hair or a single copper coin of their beloved princess" family...!
These 5 individuals gathered here in the Gorun Stadium boardroom held enough authority between them to ruin anyone in the entire Northern regions just based on their word alone.
And they were here for 1 reason - for the purpose of their Community Social Responsibility, to oversee any major decisions on the selection tournament for a bunch of teenagers!
"Go ahead, speak your mind. You must have good reason to be here." Yusof comforted him and encouraged him to speak up.
"Yes, don"t worry about us here. Today, we"re off duty, right? Hahaha!" Sefir laughed gently and calmed down the atmosphere greatly with his good social skills.
"Erm... Sirs and Madam... My lords and ladies... Head administrator Natiro is away to preside over the seniors" a.s.sessment and has left the junior"s side to me... And so... I"ve come here now because we"re facing something we thought you, my lords and ladies, would want to know about and make a call on before we proceed with the final combat a.s.sessment..."
"Yes yes, we know. Hurry up!" The impatient Lina scowled at the man who could not get to the point. This in turn drew irritated frowns from both Yusof Jamal and Sefir Roth who were both trying to calm the man down so he could speak at ease!
Nevertheless, Mr White was a long-serving government official and knew how to take it all in stride. Despite his nervousness, he apologised first and continued, "I truly am sorry, my lords and ladies, I"ll continue and attempt to keep my discourse short and to the point instead of winding round and about without getting to the focus."
Lina looked even more irritated as the man just apologised for being long-winded, then went on and spoke 20 odd words without even saying anything of worth! A vein on her forehead bulged as she nearly stood up, but stopped when she felt Weres" gaze fall on her, as if warning her to restrain herself.
Mr White continued, "The situation is like this. Currently Natalie Sarouneh is ranked number 1 with a great margin from the rest of the pack."
The group nodded, indicating that this was only obvious news. The girl did have great talent, after all, awakening her bloodline so young!
"The issue is, there is a candidate who is neck and neck with Natalie Sarouneh, just behind her score."
Lina frowned at hearing this. As her niece"s sparring partner and trainer, she knew full well how capable the girl was. She would not be surprised if Nat scored more than 90% on average! For there to be another candidate with such high capabilities... Wouldn"t he be famous even from a young age? How could he have remained hidden all along? No, it was more likely there was something wrong with the tests.
"Are you sure? Is there something wrong with the equipment?" Gaius, the acting head of the Gorun Stadium, asked his worker.
Mr White hesitated just a tick, then shook his head, "No... We"ve checked the equipment and readings more than half a dozen times, nothing wrong..."
This drew murmurs of appreciation from the four.
"Oh... What a talent then!"
"Impressive..."
"I"d like to see for myself the kid who can give the violent little dragoness a run for her money! Heh!" Those words came from a man who had been on the receiving end of a Sarouneh"s pounding fists once too often.
Mr White looked hesitant once more, but also seemed as if he had something more to say, so Yusof prompted him, "Our good man, go ahead and speak. What is it...?"
The old administrator seemed to struggle with the decision, then chose to share the most earth-shattering news anyway.
"The most amazing thing is... He is exactly 1 point behind..."
This time, all of the lords and ladies" eyes widened in shock as they gasped in surprise.
Even Weres had an incredulous look on his faces.
But Mr White had not yet finished his sentence. He still had a bigger bomb to drop on his superiors. "...And in 3 tests, he scored *exactly the same score as Natalie*, three times in a row..."
This time it was completely silent. Those present blinked repeatedly, Sefir even lifting up his pinky to dig his ear, wondering if he had heard it right.
"Are you... Did I just hear you say that he scored exactly the same score 3 times in a row...?"
Mr White nodded, eliciting exclamations of surprise from all five of the senior leaders, who each had tremendous and vast experiences - but had never ever imagined they would come across such a miraculous occurrence!
"That... That can"t be possible! It"s impossible! Lina, could you manage to do that?" Sefir asked his rival who should know her niece the best.
But she just shook her head in shock, "Yes... Yes I could... But... That"s only with my World-cla.s.s level powers and control... And even then, to match her in 3 tests in a row... That"s just too hard, even the slightest slip and the score will change..." She looked horrified at hearing such news.
Weres frowned and decided to cut things short, saying, "How old is he? Is he from any of the major families or groups in the area?"
Mr White shook his head, "From the bone tests, he"s just 15 years old... And not from any known group... In fact, he has no background, just an orphan street rat from the port city Swinburne...."
At these words, even Weres" eyes widened in admiration. Then he said, "Alright. Don"t worry about it, we"ll be the ones responsible for the results and any issues. Report back only once the preliminaries are over."
Then he waved for the man to leave as he picked up a teacup for a sip. The small cup almost looked like a toy"s cup in his huge hand.
"Thank you, my lords and ladies. I shall report once more once the preliminaries are over." Mr White bowed and stepped back 5 steps until he was just before the door. Then he turned around to withdraw from the large and luxuriously decorated room.
"Oh, just one more thing." Weres" voice sounded out.
Turning his head over his shoulder, Mr White smiled and asked, "Yes, sir...?"
"After the preliminaries, bring him to me. I want to see just how impressive this kid is."
"Yes sir."
Mr White left the room.
And as the other four representatives of the Four Great Houses chattered and gossipped about the new talented kid, Weres kept silent as he thought.
"Hmm... A talented kid huh... Let"s see whether you"re for real..." He took a sip of his cup, then placed it down gently.
"...Or if you"re just another spy to be crushed to death..."
Even with such macabre thoughts in mind, his eyes looked exactly the same as before, undisturbed at the thought of brutal murder.