CHAPTER 84: HIGH-RANKERS [2]

Kai was able to piece much together from his conversation with Neko-sensei.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t easy for him to come to terms with the abrupt changes that had been happening in the plot and how much it had strayed from the original story, but from how things were, he didn’t have the luxury of sitting around thinking about things that wouldn’t yield answers.

According to Neko-sensei’s explanation, the awakening ceremony wasn’t like the trials B-ranks faced to become A-ranks, but was a normal ceremony where mana would be tested and different awakened had to take a blessing from the gods and outer beings.

But the problem was that because of how rare it was for B-ranks to appear in the world, and how busy the gods were, it had to occur once in five years.

And luckily for Kai, the day of the second awakening had been scheduled for a month from today.

Though Kai didn’t quite like the idea of meeting any gods yet, partially due to his divine heritage that he had discovered recently and also because of how he had little knowledge about them.

Knowledge was power, after all, and that held true especially for him, who had been surviving by his meta knowledge of this world, so going to a foreign place without any knowledge felt like blindness to him.

Except for his paranoia about the gods and how they were connected to the outers who watched his life like a streaming channel or novel, he was rather intrigued by the new power system that high-rankers followed.

This was because his original power system was worlds apart from being good, but whatever being that had stabilized it helped him a lot.

For example, his normal power system revolved around the use of mana, which, according to normal standards, dealt with mages.

Kai had initially put it that way in order to diverge from current tropes, but instead, it made things incredibly confusing for readers.

Now, the power system for B-ranks and above, which included a new system, was structured.

For example, how Matt dealt with swords and melee weapons, he would undoubtedly awaken with aura in the knight class.

While someone like Reni, who used spirit arts, would awaken with essence in the fairy or druid class.

While Hari would be in the mana and magic class, and people like him and Amy, who dealt with creating and refining energy, would be under prana users called Ashura.

’Hmm... It’s quite easy to grasp,’ Kai mused, his hands on his chin.

Besides that, there wasn’t much else, except the addition of levels in stats, and some minor changes in ranks.

Then the replacement of talents with aspects, and gifts with authorities, which would bloom with each rank.

’There also is the chance that multiple affinities might awaken.’ Kai smiled.

For someone like him, who already had affinity for every element after awakening weaving, he was already sure about the buzz his awakening would bring.

But what worried him was the dream he had.

It might have been his mind just creating an illusion to keep him on edge since nothing much had been happening.

That still didn’t mean that he was going to ignore it.

Whether he liked it or not, he would have to leave for the royal capital.

It didn’t matter if it was for the awakening ceremony or for the award presentation that Neko-sensei had told him about, he would surely have to meet not just the emperor but also the high-rankers, nobles, and great clans.

Kai sighed.

Putting too much thought on things that hadn’t happened yet was not just time-consuming but also a waste.

"I think I get the gist of things." Finally letting go of the unnecessary thoughts, he spoke to Neko-sensei.

She didn’t react much to his words, since she was already used to her disciple taking complex things in rather easily. That was, after all, one of the things she liked about him.

She then nodded. "Since that’s done, I would like you to rest for today." She paused, locking eyes with him. "And Kai, whatever thoughts you have that are weighing you down, I would advise you find a way to resolve them."

Kai’s eyes widened slightly. "You noticed?"

"Why won’t I? I’m your master, after all, and better yet, I’m a girl. So whoever is that female that has got you on the edge, I think it will be better to talk it out with her."

Kai shifted back a little. "Do you read minds?"

Neko-sensei narrowed her eyes. "You know you are like an open book. Even if you didn’t show it on your face, your body language already reveals it."

’Was it that obvious?’ Kai mused, covering his face in embarrassment.

Neko-sensei grinned. "So tell me, who is it? Is it Amelia?" She paused, gauging his expression, then with a satisfied smile, she continued. "Or Princess Frieren?"

Kai flinched a little at each of the names, making Neko-sensei’s grin vanish. "No way, the two of them? Are you greedy? You want to two-time them? Do you even know how dangerous their parents are? And plus, their fathers were best friends who fought for the same woman."

Kai averted his gaze from Neko-sensei, who was trying to make them lock. "That’s why I was trying to get my thoughts in order."

Neko-sensei sighed. ’Kids these days...’

Smiling softly, she ruffled his hair a little. "Don’t think too much about it. You guys still have years ahead of you." She paused, waving her hands dismissively. "See, even your beautiful sensei doesn’t have a partner."

Kai frowned. "I don’t think that’s a good thing, though."

Neko-sensei yelped. "Do you want to three-time with your teacher?"

Kai shook his head and hands simultaneously. "No! Not happening! Not ever!"

Neko-sensei pouted visibly. "That’s rude."

Kai smiled at his teacher’s attempt to comfort him. ’She is right, no need to think about it too much.’

Neko-sensei eyed Kai’s calming expression. "Won’t want our valedictorian to look silly."

"Vali... What?"

****

(Inside MC Nagi’s Mall)

"So..."

Two figures sat across from each other, as Reni, who backed the wall, tried to say something but soon shut her mouth.

The young man who sat opposite her just smiled, his head leaning on his palm.

Reni opened her mouth once more, but the words were stuck again. After some time, she finally muttered, "So what are you doing here, Uncle Adrian?"

Adrian, the emperor’s first sword, smiled at his niece, his gaze unflinching. "Don’t be like that, Riri, uncle just came to visit you."

Reni’s face twisted slightly. "I told you, don’t call me that."

Adrian grinned as if taking pleasure in her anger. "But Riri used to tell uncle that she will marry him."

Reni took in a deep breath. "Did Dad send you?"

Adrian sighed. "No fun at all. At least make your little uncle happy."

Reni clicked her tongue, then murmured, "Why is a 168-year-old man acting like a child? You old grand uncle. Piece of crap."

Adrian bent over the spoon he held in his hands. "Riri, I told you over and over again, uncle is only 28 years old."

Reni smiled gently. "Of course I know, uncy..."

Adrian could already tell how sarcastic she was in her words. He then sighed again. "I originally came to check if you were well, princess, but I got a little sidetracked."

"Hmmm..."

Adrian locked eyes with the ever-so-curious princess. "Should I tell you why I came here?"

Reni stared at him, then looked away. "No." She took a sip from her drink. "I’m not particularly interested."

Adrian frowned, then smirked. "Even if it has something to do with Kaiser Vanguard?"

Reni almost spat out the entire soda in her mouth.

"So my intuition was right after all." Adrian drew closer. "You’re in love, aren’t you, princess?"

Reni, who always carried a gentle, poised elegance with her head up, now lowered her gaze, her entire face shining crimson.

"Yes..." she answered softly, which made Adrian smile faintly, relaxing his back.

Looking at the princess with soft eyes, he thought, ’Now I’m even more curious about this Kaiser man who isn’t just the prodigy of the millennium but could also steal the princess’s heart.

Tapping the table rhythmically, he spoke. "So has he confessed?" He grinned. "I bet you rejected him to make him beg. That’s the Hohenzollern way, after all."

Reni’s red face glowed up further, the cup in her hands shaking. "I told him, but he hasn’t given an answer yet."

Adrian scowled. "What? How dare he reject my princess?"

He tried to stand, only to be held by the sleeve. "Please don’t go. I don’t want you to meddle needlessly in me and Kai’s affairs." She stammered a little. "I will take care of everything."

Adrian sat back on the chair and took a sip from his drink. "He isn’t the only one you like, right?"

Reni nodded.

He had already guessed it. Since he had lived for a long time, how relationships worked wasn’t foreign to him. And plus, his direct nephew, who was Reni’s dad, had also gone through this phase, when her mother liked two...

Adrian’s eyes abruptly widened. "Don’t tell me..." He used his hand to close his mouth as Reni raised her head to look at him. "Is the other girl a Reinhardt? Like Cassius’s daughter?"

Reni looked at him, confusion painted on her face, but she still nodded, making Adrian’s face twist.

"Those Reinhardt bastards, fighting with the Hohenzollern in their last generation wasn’t enough for them?"

Reni was still confused by his words.

This was because she had never heard of the story about the rivalry of the century.

It happened fifty years ago, when Akaza Hohenzollern and Cassius Reinhardt fought over a commoner — Emily, the woman who would later become the strongest prana user and the empire’s queen.