章節 7: Exposed

[Six Months Later, Midsummer]

'This is pretty therapeutic...' thought William, using a specialized anti-static brush to clean the wings of one of the younger Gryphons.

*jealous trilling*

Bumping its head against William's back, the white-feathered Gryphon tried to get his attention.

"Calm down. I'm almost done," mused William. He had already decided long ago that the white-feathered Gryphon would become his partner, so he typically groomed it last. This allowed him to take his time, but as her turn neared, the white-feathered Gryphon became increasingly impatient.

*loud creaking sound*

As the door to the enclosure loudly creaked open, a young boy with slicked-back, spiky brown hair entered, his amber eyes zeroing in on William before narrowing.

"It must be nice to have so much free time...." commented the youth, approaching with his own set of grooming tools. William heard him, but instead of reacting standoffishly, he responded, "Welcome back, brother. Did you enjoy touring your future domain with father...?"

Snorting through his nose, the youth, William's older brother, David, didn't answer his question. Instead, he approached one of the larger Gryphons, offering it a Horned Rabbit before it extended its wings for brushing. What followed would have ordinarily been a tense, awkward silence, but William barely paid his older brother any attention as he focused on checking the fur lining the white-feathered Gryphon's belly for ticks.

"How do you do that...?" questioned David, speaking out after nearly ten minutes of stealing glances at William. Getting a Gryphon to roll over was almost unheard of, yet William just needed to pat the sides of one of the younger members of the convocation, and they would reluctantly oblige, presenting their bellies.

"I'm not sure," lied William, shrugging as he added, "Maybe it's because I have less Mana and Aura than average? Either way, they trust me. So I do my best not to betray their expectations."

Frowning, David wanted to accuse William of using a secret method and keeping it to himself, but he had questioned all the handlers and staff in charge of the aviary. None had reported anything suspicious. Rather, with few exceptions, they all praised William's conduct and the degree of care he showed the Gryphons.

"Father summoned you..." said David, his expression and tone pouty. "He told me to tell you that, once you're finished here, tidy yourself and report to his study..."

"How is he...?" asked William. The amount of time he spent with his father over the past five years, going on six years, was fewer than a few weeks if added together. The man was away for upwards of ten months out of the year, and when he was back, his duties and obligations as a Lord kept him occupied.

"Show some respect," responded David, snorting as he added, "Our father is the Great Star of the East. He doesn't need a child like you fretting over his well-being..."

'I wonder where he learned that from...?' pondered William, feeling a little sorry for David as he was obviously concerned about their father.

"You're right. My apologies," said William, finishing off the white-feathered Gryphon's grooming by lightly patting her belly, prompting her to roll back over and stand before pressing his forehead against hers for nearly a full minute. David observed this, but when he turned to meet the gaze of the Gryphon he was grooming, it promptly turned its head as if to say, 'In your dreams, kiddo...'

...

While making his way over to his father's study, the same place where he typically met with his mother, William was stopped by a group of Knights and inspected, both body and mind, by a woman with long vermillion hair fixed into a braid, matching eyes, and pointed ears. She was their family's Archmage, Primis, the third-highest Rank a Mage could hold in the world of Andora. Based on what William had been told, she could level a small city if given time to prepare, but when she probed his mind to confirm he was who he appeared to be, she failed to find any abnormalities.

"How strange..." remarked Primis, prompting the surrounding Knights to tense before she waved her hand dismissively, stating, "Calm yourselves. This boy is undoubtedly our Lord's youngest son. What I found peculiar is that...no, never mind. I will discuss this matter privately with the Lord and Lady. Come this way, Second-Youngest Master."

Grasping William's hand, Primis guided him the remainder of the way to his father's study before gently rapping the door. When they were let in, William saw his father, Duke Ars, looking a bit worse for wear as he stood at his desk with Orianna, his advisers, the leaders of various mercenary and adventuring groups, and many of his most loyal retainers. It was very clearly a war council, but everyone in the group adopted smiles as William was led into the room.

"Well, if it isn't our Lord's youngest son...!" exclaimed a large, bearded man who towered over nearly everyone else by a full head. Despite this, he was actually half-Dwarf. But, as the other half of his genealogy was a Giant, he was nearly 240cm tall and exceptionally muscular.

"My son...you've grown so much since I last saw you..." said Ars, a tall, rugged, and heavily-armored man with a well-groomed beard and the same swept-back hairstyle David attempted to emulate. His beard was lightly peppered, and he had several distinctive streaks of white in his hair, but his luminous blue eyes exuded tremendous power from their depths. If someone were to look closely, tiny bands of electricity could be seen flickering between the channels of his pupillary membrane.

Bowing his head and exhibiting the proper courtesy, William replied, "It is a genuine honor to stand in the presence of the Great Star of the East and the Alpha Stars of so many of our Asterisms..."

"Cute kid," mused a fair-skinned woman with long, wavy, reddish-brown hair that fell over the right side of her face and was fixed into several loose braids. She had the same sharp amber eyes as Orianna, so even though it was their first meeting, William immediately deduced she was his Aunt or something similar.

"He and his elder brother are my pride," affirmed Orianna, surprising nearly everyone present, including Ars, by smiling. Some of them had never seen her smile outside of battle, so they felt compelled to give William a second, scrutinizing glance.

"Come forth," said Ars, causing everyone else in the room to fall silent as William approached without fear. Primis followed behind him, but as what she had to report was for Ars's and Orianna's ears only, she silently joined the group around the table.

Noticing that William's chin barely crested the table's edge, Ars bellowed, "Someone, get my son a stool...!"

'I don't like where this is going...' thought William. But, at the same time, he kept his cool, meeting the gazes of everyone around the table until a Maid arrived with a broad, adjustable stepping stool. Stepping on it gave William a much better view of the map spread across the table, and, due to his studies, he had a decent idea of what each banner represented.

"Don't be shy," said Orianna, smiling almost smugly as she stated, "Tell us what you think."

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[Peeling Back the Veil]

Rank: C~S [Link Quest]

Objective(s): Your mother has been bragging about you behind closed doors. Vindicate or embarrass her before your family's Asterisms. The more you impress or amuse, the greater your rewards.

Optional Objective(s): Bump your father's desk and make a mess of the figurine placement.

Reward(s): 100 Karma for each Asterism impressed or amused by your antics(3/23), [Talisman of Cicada Skin Shed]x1

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Seeing a Quest window appear before him, William's expression tensed before he adopted a wry smile, easing his tensions by remarking, "I think my efforts to lay low have fallen flat..."

Amused by William's remark, many around the table laughed or, at the very least, chuckled. Orianna, however, adopted a stern expression, her eyes urging him to be serious.

Closing his eyes and exhaling a sigh, William thought, 'It's not like I'm a tactical genius or anything. However..."

Opening his eyes, William's expression became serious as he scanned the map rather than focusing on the figures and banners gathered in the East. He originally believed they were at or preparing for war, but the issue was much more problematic. Rather than an enemy nation, there were a bunch of figurines depicting Disaster and even a Calamity-Class Beast. That was the principal issue that needed to be addressed, but if you looked closely, there was a more fundamental problem...

"We're not receiving any support from the Capital or our neighbors to the North and South..."

Surprised by William's insight, as he wasn't even six years old, the people around the table reacted with varying degrees of astonishment. They had heard he was inordinately discerning for his age, but they interpreted it as Orianna being uncharacteristically doting.

"And what do you make of that, my son...?" asked Ars, narrowing his eyes but sporting a proud smile.

Furrowing his brows, William looked at the banners representing troops stationed near their borders and the pawn-like figurines representing an influx of refugees flowing into their territory, their sizes denoting groups of one to a hundred thousand people.

"They're forcing us to bear the burden alone and closing their borders to prevent refugees from flowing into their territories..."

"And...?" asked Ars, frowning as he could tell William was footing around the issue.

Closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose again, William replied, "They're trying to weaken us..."

"See?" asked Ars, passing his gaze over those gathered around the table as he added, "Even a child can see the truth of the matter. Now, we're in a position where if we close the borders, the Nobles of the Capital can use it as a pretense to slander us..."

"But if we take them in without a decree or a pledge of support from the Royal Family, we will be singly responsible for their care..." added Orianna, grimacing with crossed arms. They had the food and supplies needed to take in the refugees, but as the monster hordes were rampaging outside their territory, they lacked an easy way of solving the problem. What was needed was a collaborative subjugation force or the mobilization of one or more Braves, but someone was clearly interfering with that process.

Before the discussion could continue further, Ars raised his left hand in a silencing gesture, smiling as he said, "You may go now, my son. Return to your quarters and await my summons. We will speak more when time and circumstance permit."

"Understood, Father," replied William, bowing respectfully before turning on his heel and departing promptly. He didn't like that he had been forced to expose himself before nearly two dozen of the most influential people in the East, but at least he received a rather substantial reward...

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[The Snake that Lurks in the Shadows]

Rank: C~S [Linked Quest]

Grade: A

Reward(s): 1900 Karma, [Talisman of Cicada Skin Shed]x1

[Scroll of Cicada Skin Shed]

Rank: C

Use: A special talisman that, if applied to the body, will prevent a single lethal attack on the wearer by forcibly relocating them outside the area of effect. Be warned, though, as the talisman only transfers the wearer, not their possessions.

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'Well, being naked is much better than being dead...' thought William. Unfortunately, Therese and his team of Maids were waiting for him when he departed his father's study. He was also closely monitored at all times, so he would need to wait to pull out, inspect, and potentially replicate the talisman before applying it to his body. Its price in the System Shop was a relatively expensive 1,000 Karma, so it was worth looking into as a life-saving tool and a means to deepen his understanding of teleportation and Space Magic...

...