Authority amongst the adventurers was established in the blink of an eye as the receptionist dragged in the two Mythril Ranked adventurers by the ear.
"You little shits, don't you have any sense of responsibility?"
Most adventurers were on their knees with their heads down as the receptionist continued tearing them a new one. Behind her, the three Branch Managers I had seen during the examination, along with a young man with long hair and a brown overcoat were also standing with their heads lowered. My master and the manager of Deep Down Town's branch t my eyes and hid behind the other three.
I didn't make a move since I didn't want to be singled out by the receptionist.
"Idiots. Don't you know the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess themselves wanted to assign you your roles? Do you take all this lightly?"
"U-uh... Ma'am," the man in the brown overcoat tried to placate the receptionist with careful gestures. "Maybe it's alright now--"
"Shut up, vice guild master."
Damn, that was the second-highest authority in the entire guild.
The vice guild master stepped back and lowered his head again.
For all the fear in everyone's eyes, there was also a lot of respect. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she was one of the most competent people in the guild, and just like , many people respected her a lot.
Though, I was clearly receiving much better treatnt than everyone else.
The lecture ca to an end and she sighed.
"Get up, we're moving to the first district now." With that, she turned around and left the scene of destruction.
"What a savage woman. Distasteful."
"Just say you're intimidated too, Titania."
Titania turned her head away and pouted. Soon, the group of adventurers all stood up and started walking out of the guild one after the other.
***
The sounds of footsteps rang out in the hall of the Imperial Palace like the patter of a morning shower. With grace exuding from their every step, a young man and a lady walked through the halls of the palace out to the grounds of the Imperial Knights.
A row of knights and attendants walked behind their two lieges. A strange sense of strength and confidence filled the souls of all those who saw their regal backs.
Dauntless.
Fearless.
These were the Crown Prince and the Third Princess of the Empire.
Hair like the rays of the morning sun, and a beauty that could enshroud that very sun in the darkness of her charm, that was Anatolia von Tantalus Atreus.
She used to be high and haughty at first, a child spoiled with love, yet she was cunning and benevolent for her age. A being that all the empire family was ready to pour their blood to protect, yet, one morning two years ago.
She had changed.
Cold, ruthless, calculative, an insight that would make one believe she could see the future itself. In just two years, the Morning Glory Princess had beco an Oleander whose single whiffs sent mortals to peril, whose single whiffs mortals couldn't resist.
No one knew the cause of her change, but no one denied her growing authority and power, for all her decisions brought them prosperity that they couldn't have expected to reach on their own.
After all, who would have guessed?
Who would have guessed that this princess was one that had indeed seen the future? She wasn't aware of just her fate, but the fate of the entire world.
For her family, her friends, her people... her lover.
This ti.
"I won't let you go this ti, Eugene Hall..."
"What was that, Ana?" The Crown Prince turned slightly to see his younger sister clenching her fists with a cold gaze. Imdiately, she waved the matter away and smiled.
"It is nothing, Lord Brother. I was just thinking what kind of curious people the adventurers would be."
"You don't have to worry about it so much. I am against you working in the first place, it is your birthday after all."
"Helping Lord Brother already makes happy!"
Her brother smiled and the two of them stepped out of the palace gardens. Anatolia's eyes were strewn on her brother's figure.
She rembered this month very well from her last life.
Before she could handle the matter of the bastard who had ruined her world in the previous tiline, she had to take care of this matter as well.
The five hundredth anniversary of the Empire. On the sa day as her birthday, the demon king Balam from the Infernal Hells had co out to clear out a debt that her ancestor had incurred.
It was sothing that the Imperial Family was well aware of and had gathered such great power to face that very threat.
Unfortunately, she had fainted and couldn't hear most of the details as they were shushed down almost imdiately after, but it was a war that couldn't be completely shushed down.
A war that ended after a lot of stubbornness, that she wasn't going to allow this ti.
Demon King Balam had been promised the most beautiful flower in the Empire of 500 years later, one that could never bloom in any other plane of existence. And the war had ended only after he had taken that most beautiful flower.
Luckily, she knew well how ugly that beautiful flower the Demon King chased after was.
And, she was more than ready to hand that flower over to the Demon King.
Her gaze shifted to her brother's side.
"Brother," she spoke in a hushed tone with playful smile. "I hope you will attend my birthday with the lady you fancy."
Aletes turned to his sister with a slight blush, his sharp features one would not see on the most beautiful of sculptures made even his blushing face seem like the pinnacle of beauty.
"What are you saying!"
Anatolia covered her lips and giggled.
She was well aware that her brother had fallen deeply in love with the daughter of a baron from the outskirts. A lady with a pure heart and a pure smile that couldn't be compared to the cold, emotionless machine that his fiancee was.
This ti, with no sacrifices, Anatolia was going to make her brother's love co true.
She was going to hand over his fiancee, and the 'beautiful' flower of the Empire that was filled with ugliness to that demon king.
And then, just like everything else, she would take care of that hell spawn and make her love co true as well.
Her cheeks flushed as she stepped up on the podium with her brother at the training grounds of the knights.
Stretched out in front of them were the best of the best adventurers from all over the world.
At the very back of that line, standing next to a woman who seed to be a receptionist, Anatolia's eyes fell on a familiar face.
And her heart sank.
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