Chapter 341: Accommodation

After the illusion has ended, Ned was enclosed in a room together with other dozens of candidates. All the while staring at him with eyes Ned wasn't sure how to describe if either they were confused or amazed.

In the room, pillars as thick as twice as regular humans stood to support the ceiling that went darkened the longer one would stare above. The ivory floor was as cold as the glares looking at Ned. Torches were fixed against the wall. But even with the light from the torches, Ned doesn't have a clear vision of the people on the other side of the room.

Around him, people clad in different diversity stood: a blonde guy with a sickle; a tanned lady with a mace; a scrawny kid with a stick; an old man with a hammer as big as his biceps; and a chubby chick with a mace looking like candy.

"Uh," Ned said, trying to brush off the stares away from him. "Howdy?"

Acting cool seemed to not work in his favor with the majority snickered and glared even deeper.

"Do you know what you just did?" A lady's voice rang behind Ned.

Ned spun to see a lady in a military blue uniform with edges lined with silver, and a necklace gleaming in silver. Hair tied so neatly no thread of her chestnut hair leaving the knot.

"You disabled an Array that was supposed to be a test. A test to see how candidates react inside a Tier 4 Illusion Array. But you... You turned it off instead."

Before Ned could speak, the lady held a hand.

Ned reached for his leather pouch and gave her the—

The lady swiftly snatched the token in Ned's hand and hurriedly gestured to follow her.

Ned looked over his shoulder to witness the murmurs he left and a box of stones scattered in the floor where he assumed to be the source of the Illusion Array.

On the way following the lady, Ned saw different participants, some wounded, others were sleeping to regain their strength—who knows what they've been through. Ned followed the lady in uniform until they reached a room to the far end.

Another narrow tunnel they reached, but this time the tunnel was etched with stones that lit whenever they pass through. They weren't Mana stones as sensed no mana leaking on them.

Seconds only passed and the lady stopped beside a well-adorned door. She stood with her hand gesturing Ned to proceed. The token she held on the other hand.

Ned proceeds to open the wooden yet fancy carved door. Inside, for a quick moment, Ned was taken aback by how grandiose the setup of the room was.

If architecture could love; the walls, the floor, the ceiling could love. Smooth, and sleek, and shiny, the room wasn't something that came out of medieval time.

He remained calm and Ned assesses the grandness he was in. Chandeliers of white crystals lit with smooth yellow. Long tables lined in a row of four together with a smaller table for a smaller group, all covered with golden cloth. Candles on either the four corners of the room. And in each corner stood men and women in a blue uniform with their hands behind their back. Their silver necklaces hanging loose.

One thing that caught Ned's attention was the food over the tables. There was a lot of the food Ned thought it was a King's feast rather than the Hunter Exam.

Yes. He was given food through his travels in the high seas, but no food could much the food displayed on the tables. And as always, Ned's eyes pinning the roasted meat besides the group of men as they chatter.

Group of men? Ned thought. It was at this moment that Ned realized a group of eyes boring at him. But this time, it was far deadlier than the one he got when he entered the competition.

"Please," the lady behind Ned said after the door closed. "May I know your name, your House, and the Hunter that recommended you?" She held her hand up high, showing the token to Ned and she added, "Also. If you may, could you please press your Mana into this?"

Ned answered what the lady wanted to hear, except he never used his real name. Instead, Ned used Sskat rather than Strat. He then raised a finger and extended it to the token. Ned injected the smallest amount of mana into the token. As soon as he does, the token lit blue. The kind of blue that of a flame.

For a moment, Ned captured a minuscule twitching of the lady's eyebrow. But seemed that she was trained professionally, she held her reaction and produced a smile.

Once Ned was done, she said, "If you could wait on one of the tables over there."

She held an arm, pointing at the table with the same group Ned saw before.

Ned nodded with a smile and left the lady who also went inside another room at the far end corner.

Instead, Ned went to the far end table where none was seen sitting.

But before Ned could have the chance the take a proper sit, a voice rang behind him.

"Get me one Oasis Cream." A rasp and commanding voice said.

Ned sighed. Always voices behind me, and thought, and spun to see a lady in a smooth leather jacket, curly hair forced to a bun. She held a plate which was much better looking at her rather than the rapier hanging on her waist. A slit on her legs was distracting, but not to Ned as he spun around and ignored the lady asking him to bring some food.

"You!" The rapier-lady said, and grabbed Ned by the shoulder but was foiled as he instinctively grabbed her hand, twisted it as how his body turned around to face the lady and pushed her away from him.

"You do not do that to someone you just met," Ned said calmly as he released the lady's hand.

After this, the men in the middle of the table stood and rushed to the Ned and the lady with an intent Ned was so aware of. Kill.

"So be it," Ned whispered under his breath after he sensed six men approaching behind him. He held the hilt of his Krisalix and brandished them to the approaching men.

"Princess Wist," the first guy to reached them said, the tip of his elegant sword pointed to Ned. Blonde hair hanging loose before his eyes. "Does this plebian bothering you?"

"Lord Reltard," the lady whom they called Wist said. "I politely asked this kid to bring me food. Yet, he got the audacity to shout and injure my wrist."

Ned saw a grin under her lips.

Great, he thought. Childish nobles.

"He must be one of those lost kids," a plumpy yet good-looking guy said beside Lord Reltard. "I'll call the Handlers to get rid of him."

"No," Lady Wist said adjusting herself in front of the guys, obviously not to Ned. "I'm sure Lord Reltard can make him do that."

"Look, kids," Ned said gaining a snicker from the lot. "I've had enough battle lately, I'd rather not do this. Can you not see how she was lying?"

"Shut up."

"Who let you in here?"

Other people were sitting beside the table that was ignoring them, perhaps delighted to see a fight. The men in blue uniform stood ignoring them as well.

"Only participants ranked Gold and higher were allowed to be here. What kind of idiot let you in here?" The Lord named Reltard said, ready to attack Ned.

"I am that idiot, Lord Talfen Van Reltard," another voice rang behind them.

All heads spun to see the man. Raven hair tied in a pony, broad shoulder, and thick eyebrows. Pointy jaw forming a line as he glared at Lord Reltard. He wore a blue uniform the same as the rest but got different insignias on both his shoulder. A gryphon on his left with a broken shield, and two rapiers overlapping with each other on the right. Ned's attention was caught immediately after he saw a necklace in a shining diamond.

Behind him was the lady that brought Ned to the room. Her face was reddened as he looked at the man before him.

"Master Brogan!" Five of the guys that came along with Lord Reltard almost said in unison.

It took a minute for Lord Reltard to bow his head, the rest just followed. Princess Wist did the same with her face rushing in red. She could barely look at Ned.

"It was you," Ned said instead of bowing. He could feel a strong aura coming from the man. Yet, the intent he was showing was nothing compared to Ser Edwin. Especially his Master. Ned's head remained steady and calm.

Master Brogan raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ned intensely, he smirked. "Did we meet before, kid?"

"It was you riding the gryphon."

"Uh-huh, and it was you in the pirate ship," Master Brogan said. "Let's talk more. Follow me." He waved for Ned to follow him and stopped beside the lady in the blue uniform. "Hunter Rana. Make sure these plebians here are to remain accommodating. I don't want them loitering around just like what they just did."

"Yes, Master Brogan," Hunter Rana said, and smiled to both Master Brogan and Ned.

As they walk away from the crowd, Ned caught more eyes looking at him. But this time, it was more intense, jealousy, and some were curious.

"Now, Ned of Sskat," Master Brogan began, looking over his shoulder. He then raised the token Ser Edwin gave him. "Let's talk about Silverthorn."