Second Genesis

"What’s your name?" Grey looked toward Mauve with a smile.

There was a flicker in her gaze and she looked up at him with a slight furrow in her brow.

"What? I can’t even know that? Aren’t we teammates now? I think I’m actually being quite kind. You know, forgiving you for the whole ambushing and trying to kill me thing."

The autonomous carriage jostled a bit on the cobblestone roads, rounding a corner before continuing down a straight.

It had quite the spacious interior, one that Grey and Stella’s team shared along with Silva. As for the Baron, he was in a separate carriage, going ahead to the ceremony without them.

There was nowhere for any of them to escape in the plush space, and Grey didn’t seem opposed to making things particularly uncomfortable.

Mauve took a slight breath. "My name is Mauve."

Grey’s smile deepened. "I see. I guess I can retire your nickname now."

Mauve’s frown deepened. Her lips parted as though she wanted to ask what her nickname was, but then she thought better of it. Her amber irises flickered and she looked off into the distance.

Seemingly satisfied, Grey leaned back in his chair, putting his palms behind his head. He didn’t seem embarrassed at all that he hadn’t cared to ask Stella or Brad’s name.

Did he know their names already? No.

Did he care? Not in the slightest.

The awkwardness in the carriage seemed to affect everyone but Grey and Silva himself who sat perfectly straight with equally perfect posture.

Stella clenched her teeth but looked away. It was Brad who kept staring daggers at Grey, but it was as though the latter didn’t even feel it... something that was impossible considering just how off the charts his PER was right now.

"Silva." Grey called out, not opening his eyes.

"Yes, Sir Temolt?"

"I was wondering, how does this ceremony usually go? My notification said the Goddess would appear?"

Silva chuckled. "Not exactly. Though, one of her Holy Knights will act. One high enough in the rankings and given the Blessing of Her Holiness."

"I see. Would this make me a Holy Knight? Or is there a difference?"

"There is, indeed, a difference. All Holy Knights are Knights at the worst, but not all Knights are Holy Knights."

"So some of the Holy Knights are higher class nobles, then?"

"That’s exactly right."

"Do you know a Captain Terran?"

"I do." Silva’s voice slowed a bit. He knew what happened to Grey and Globb, so he recognized the connection instantly. "Captain Terran is a seasoned warrior with a great many battle achievements. Unfortunately..."

His voice trailed off.

Grey opened an eye, looking over at the silver fox.

"Unfortunately?"

Silva smiled bitterly. "I am not at liberty to say. These matters are tied up in a string of politics it’s best for you to avoid for the time being. You may ask the Baron and see if he is willing."

’Hm...’

Grey nodded and then closed his eyes.

Maybe it was because he played the role of punk villain too easily, but everyone around him seemed to really treat him like some sort of idiot.

Sabrina thought he would just fall into her lap because she was a little pretty. Esmeralda thought that her fake niceties actually fazed him. And now Silva expected him to not be able to tell that he was trying to reel him into something.

If the matter was really so sensitive, Silva could have left it at "great many battle achievements". Why did he add "unfortunately" if his hands were so tied?

But Grey was very much used to this.

When he showed up to class with a baseball cap and an empty bag, his teachers had given him the same look. That look became even worse when he didn’t care much for their tests or about paying attention. About the only reason he had gone to school at all was so that his grandfather wasn’t arrested for child endangerment or something.

Living life like he was stupid seemed to make others think he was as well, though. And that had always made them easy to read.

Silva was hiding something, and maybe that meant the Baron was hiding something too.

’Okay, maybe my track record isn’t so perfect. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten stabbed in the back.’ Grey sighed inwardly. ’Well, at least she was hot. Imagine if I got betrayed by a Bertha. I’ve never met a hot Bertha before.’

Grey grinned silently to himself. ’But I have met a hot Mauve.’

He peeled an eye over and took a look at the caramel-skinned beauty and then closed his eye again, chuckling to himself.

Despite the smile on his face, though, beneath his eyelids was a flickering dangerous light.

...

The carriage came to a slow stop.

"A moment." Silva said, rising from his spot and pulling down a screen to the side.

"Hello, the guest of honor has arrived."

Grey caught a flash of something in the gaze of the Holy Knight manning the entrance to the palace. Or was it a church?

Honestly, it was hard to tell. There were windows in the autonomous carriage, but they had been tinted by screens. Though, he could only blame himself for being too busy aura farming to actually pay attention to where he was going.

He took a glance at his map and nodded. It was, indeed, a church. They called it Holy Grace Alliance, and it also just so happened to be a place that had the library he had asked Barkeep Ji about.

The sound of gates and gears grinding against one another echoed and soon the carriage was moving again. This time, it came to a pause even sooner than before, parking in a long line of similar contraptions.

"We must walk from here. Please."

Silva stepped out first and then took the hands of the ladies to help them down.

Mauve and Stella weren’t wearing dresses. They were dressed in robes similar to Grey’s own in color and font. They definitely played the part of warrior princesses well. But Silva still treated them like ladies of honor.

Grey was the last to step off.

Just as he was about to take a good look at the palace, there was a flash in the skies and everything went grey and black.

"Welcome one, welcome all! I’m sure you missed me, but fear no longer, the Great Udon is back!"