***
'I'm back...'
I raised both my hands, looked at them for a mont, then wiped my face.
A soft sigh escaped my lips, and my smile disappeared, replaced by indifference.
'Let's confirm things.'
This ti, I wasn't teleported outside the eting room but inside, directly behind my throne.
Thankfully, it blocked from imdiately seeing Mr. Player, giving a second to accustom myself.
As I reached the table and sat down, I saw the others do the sa.
In order, Ms. Knight, Mr. Rook, and Mr. Board sat to my left, while on my right were Mr. Bishop, Ms. Queen, and Mr. King.
Of course, directly opposite was Mr. Player himself, so I took it upon myself to greet him first.
"Good day, Mr. Player. Thank you for inviting to your esteed gathering once again."
I chose my words carefully, not wanting to reveal anything about where I lived.
Their true capabilities were lost upon , so I didn't even want them to know if my planet had a day-and-night cycle.
It might sound ridiculous, but these people were exactly that: ridiculous.
"Peace be upon you, Malik ul-Sout."
"Howdy, Mr. Player! Howdy, everyone!"
"I hope your week went well, Mr. Player."
"Hello... Mr. Player."
"This's the best of days, Mr. Player!"
"My most sincere greetings, Mr. Player. I pray that your path continues to shine brightly before you."
With as the origin, a ripple of greetings began.
The person on my right went first, then the left, then right, then left, and so on, until it ended with the fanatic, Mr. Board.
Pa...
A hum of acceptance resounded.
It snaked its way to my ears, drumming my head purely due to its weight.
"Setrenc welcos you... Before we begin, do present your scripts, if you have any."
"
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It seed that nobody had one, as all that replied was silence.
"Then you may talk. Leave transactions and reports for the fourth week counting from the last."
And Mr. Player, who noticed that, gave us the go-ahead.
Ms. Knight turned to with a smile that I could barely make out through the fog.
"Here I thought ye'd surprise us again, lad. Heh- welco to the usual, where things move slower than dry paint."
"Don't worry, you more than got that point across last ti."
She giggled.
"Smart laaad~! Ye know, I heard rumors 'bout the discovery of a new script in a nearby galaxy.
I tried to nab it, but I couldn't get hands on it in ti. Those bastards at Fantasia had hooked with their latest movie!"
Mr. King smacked his hand on the table and leaned towards us.
"I know right?! It was hilarious-first ti I saw a movie making ta comntary about its own producer, a goddamn ga Corp."
'ga Corporations? An entertainnt company is one of them? Interesting.'
The two went on about that movie of theirs, and I didn't say a word.
Though they already saw as a space virgin, I didn't want them to know that I was a citizen of a backward planet.
It would ruin my already low image.
So I turned my attention to the two on my right.
They had been quietly staring at since we started.
"What?"
My question was safe but also confrontational, not giving them any limbs to bite on.
"Young man, how did your embodint go?"
It seed that they had different questions for , as Ms. Queen didn't expect Mr. Bishop to
ask about that.
"Pretty good I'd say. It took a couple of days to figure it out after the eting."
Mr. Bishop smiled, easily putting two and two together.
"I see... so you're not of the common paths."
Nodding, I confird it:
"Indeed, I am not."
He figured it out because of the flint and rock analogy.
If I knew about the embodint thod but didn't use it, then it was clear I didn't know what
my flint was.
Finding my flint and lighting my path so quickly after the eting indicated that I was genuinely unaware of the flint my Specialization required.
This information wasn't important enough to hide.
In fact, I deed it useless since I knew that everyone here, except Ms. Knight and maybe Mr. Board, had an uncommon path-perhaps even Mr. Bishop, who had adorned the black robes
of Reapers.
Everyone, except for Mr. Bishop and Mr. Rook who had left early, must have seen my corruption-induced state that day, however I looked. So, they already knew I was special in
one way or another.
How special? To what degree? I didn't know.
My knowledge regarding that Apex ancestor of mine was close to null, all I knew was 'His' Title and that my corruption stemd from him.
I couldn't ask them about 'Him' as that would reveal much about -about my origins.
Moreover, I wasn't sure if my existence was considered taboo.
They might try to hunt down if they figured out that I was a direct descendant of Najmat Al-Khulud, the Eternal Star.
In conclusion, it was way too risky.
Anyhow, once he heard my answer, he looked away in his usual lancholy, showing slight
satisfaction.
That gave Ms. Queen a chance to say:
"Your third question remains unasked, Mr. Pawn; don't tell you forgot."
'...What?'
Barely stopping myself from showing any sign of surprise, I glanced up at Mr. Player, whose
fog-covered hand gestured for to ask, and so I began to think of which question to choose, happily taking this opportunity presented to .
The fact that it was 'free' only made happier, though suspicion remained as I knew things
were never free.
Mr. Player must have taken sothing from without my knowledge, or at least my presence gained him so sort of advantage, after all, he said it himself, he was fair.
'Hm... I'll go with that.'
It wasn't long before I picked a question out of the hundreds in my mind, but before I could
ask, Ms. Queen warned:
"Be cautious when seeking answers beyond your rank, darling. Rember, knowledge is a double-edged sword. Too much curiosity can be deadly, for Aether responds to more than just
Titles."
That vital piece of information shocked for a mont, but then I quickly regained my composure-it made absolute sense.
At the sa ti, I realized that it had scratched off almost all the questions that I had in
mind, and prepared for hours on end before this eting.
And with that realization ca another.
Silent, whose true na was Marcus Aurelius, hadn't died from old age or an attack.
Death claid him due to his own genius, having learned things that were far beyond his rank
in the Celestial Hierarchy.
He was the embodint of the phrase, "Too smart for their own good."
'He'll never cease to surprise .'
The mont I t that man, I held sincere respect for him, and I still did. It seed like I
always would.
But enough about that I needed to get myself out of this predicant.
Ms. Queen had set a trap to uncover my true rank.
I wasn't sure why she decided to do that.
Perhaps it was curiosity about my corrupted blood, or she might've just misjudged my
strength and wanted to confirm if I was an Archon.
It could also be a routine test for every new pawn in their midst.
Regardless, none of that mattered.
I wasn't going to be like those pawns.
She would co to see as an equal soon enough.
"Wait, so you know things that only Paragons do?"
Flinching at the absurdity of what I said, Mr. Queen breathed out and asked:
"Ah, just a little warning, my dear. But since you're an Archon, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I
indulged you with so secrets about your rank, would you?"
A heavy weight descended upon ...
This was THE deciding mont.
If I said yes, she would reveal that information for free, and I would die.
She might be bluffing, but I wasn't willing to take that chance.
Unlike Arthur, I wasn't a man who liked to gamble.
Backing out now was not an option either.
Not only would I expose my rank as Seraphim, but I would also jeopardize any future position
I might have within this circle.
'I have to do it! I have to show myself as an Archon... There's no-'
"Hey, hey, why's everyone so tense?"
"The movie wasn't that bad, was it?"
"By the way, Archon is Class-Three, right?"
My thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Knight lazily asking Mr. Rook the dumbest of questions.
He ignored her, his eyes fixed on , as were the others, their stares piercing through my skin.
It appeared that while I was lost in thought, the entire room's attention shifted to .
The intensity of their gaze felt suffocating, but with a shake of my head, that feeling went away.
My rationality was always quick to return no matter how dire the situation was, and I almost felt thankful to the Order for that.
Without them, my mind wouldn't have been tortured so much; it wouldn't have been at such a
high grade.
'...Alright.'
Clutching my right hand until blood began to seep, I leaned back on my chair, acting calm,
and said:
"I don't mind; you can take it as my question as well."
Ms. Queen's smile widened, and she played around with her bracelets, thinking of what
information to give.
Only after a few silent seconds went by did she say:
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