It was one of those big days among the many big days in Endnest—the 50th Birth Anniversary of the world's richest man, Julius Edmonds. Whether this date actually carried any sort of influential weight in anybody's heart, nobody really cared enough to even think about it. When one stops fantasising about growing older, birthdays become more of an alarm than a celebration, reminding them that they walked one year closer to their death, but that's exactly why people still celebrated them. It was a direct, optimistic confrontation with the impending, inevitable end.
To Julius himself, death wasn't particularly scary. From his perspective, wealth was the most substantial aspect in determining one's success, and since he had preserved his esteemed clan as the wealthiest in Runalond, there wasn't any regret that he was bothered to fathom. All he cared about was how much Runalond and his clan remembered him as a leader, and nothing else could promise that except other aristocrats' fawning, which an anniversary event surely wouldn't lack.
Most of Endnest's nobles, the heads of each influential clan, chose to attend to present their share of respect. This included the parents of most of the Representative Students in the Imperial Academy, the exceptions being Monica's father, Premier Commander Alexander Gladius, and the Indecipherable, if he was still considered to be one in his son's eyes. The Blanc and Schwarz clans only sent delegates, not out of a stupid sense of pride but for the sake of preventing unnecessary disputes in other people's territory.
Of course, you would need an invitation letter to prove you were worthy to step foot into the Edmonds Manor. Ironically, this invitation letter from the clan that defined itself through wealth was apparently too renowned to be bought with money.
So when some random teenage boy showed up at the manor's front gate half an hour late to the commencement, the stewards questioned both his and their own clarity.
"My apologies, sir. An invitation letter is mandatory for entry."
"I got permission from the old man himself."
"Even so, my obligations prevent me from letting you in."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Your identity is not…"
"I'm Nathan Modernson."
"…If that's the case, then of course you may enter at will, but we need your…"
Nathan sighed and took out the talisman the King gave him, which seemed to disturb the stewards considerably. Without even coming forward to check the legitimacy of the talisman, they all knelt before Nathan. The leading one apologised with a shaky voice, "Our deepest apologies, Mister Modernson; our ignorance has squandered your precious time."
"Don't worry about it," Nathan dismissed with a smile and supported the speaking steward up. "You are just doing your job, right? Nothing wrong with being responsible."
"It is also our responsibility to apologise for our oversight." The steward still couldn't look Nathan in the eyes. He kept his head low and whispered, "We will escort you inside right away."
"That would be appreciated," Nathan said while walking past him towards the manor itself with wide steps, "but I believe I know where to go by myself."
Nathan had to admit, the Edmonds Manor was much more humble than he could imagine for the richest family in the world, not that it was small or frugal by any means. The mansion itself was huge, and so was the estate, but it was nothing close to the Royal Palace or even the Paradox Manor. The decorations were also more ornamented in a way that served beauty rather than boasted wealth. At first glance, Nathan didn't hate it.
His arrival at the hall where the reception took place didn't attract as much attention as he expected either. It turned out that the aristocrats in Endnest were not complete fools, and they knew who tonight's central character was. They remained in their circles, only nodding or smiling at Nathan when they noticed him. Nathan smiled back while searching for any familiar faces.
David Edmonds was, of course, here, though he was standing alone in a corner, fidgeting uncomfortably. His expression looked slightly out of place at a happy event like this. None of the Supreme Seven Seats or the Pathtower Spireheads was anywhere to be seen, enough of a sign to show that this occasion, unlike Nathan's parade, was not significant enough to demand their attendance. There was also Jennifer Lumendra, who was conversing with a few girls her age. The smile on her face looked so forced that Nathan almost wanted to laugh, but he knew where his priorities stood.
Nathan set his gaze straight ahead, meeting the eyes of the host, Julius Edmonds, seated at the head table with a satisfied smile. He knew that after everything that happened, lowering his head or even bowing could no longer be justified, regardless of the context, so he simply laid his hand on his chest without further movement as a way to greet him.
Call it an act or otherwise, Julius' eyes lit up in exhilaration and instantly shot him up from his seat. For a moment, it almost felt like he was about to leap over the table. Fortunately, he composed himself and took the normal route before Nathan and bowed appropriately, welcoming him warmly.
"Mister Modernson, what a delight it is to see you again!"
Nathan smiled professionally and answered, "I told you I'd come, and I'm not someone who likes taking back my word."
"Of course not!" Julius exclaimed, loud enough to catch the surroundings' attention. He, however, didn't seem bothered or embarrassed at all; in fact, quite the opposite.
"I… I… I thought you were jesting with me! What part of this household deems itself worthy of your time?"
"Sir Edmonds, now that's you being overly humble," Nathan commented. "Your household is one of the most beautiful estates I've seen in my life. If possible, I would even want to take some inspiration from its design. Say, can I roam around and take a look? Or am I limited to remaining in this room at all times?" Before Julius could answer, Nathan interrupted and added, "No pressure, your big day, your rules."
"Don't even ask next time," Julius dismissed with an exaggerated wave. "Anytime you wish, Mister Modernson."
"That would be fantastic," Nathan smiled as he carefully read Julius' expression, which was so calm and so confident that he would assume this old man was really not hiding anything in the manor, but that's what made everything even more suspicious. If Nathan were to make an early assumption, Julius was certainly tied to whatever secret the Edmonds were keeping.
"You are the richest man in Runalond, sir," he added without showing any of his thoughts. "No physical present is enough to impress you anymore, so all I'm going to give you is a promise."
"If anything goes super wrong, just give me a message," Nathan's voice lowered. "I'll make it right again for you. Sounds promising?"
Julius answered with a volume that mirrored his. "Best present I've received all night."
The two laughed and shared some final words before Julius was obliged to return to the head table. With the permission Julius had just granted, Nathan was free to investigate anywhere in the manor, but just as he turned around, his eyes unfortunately collided with a familiar figure he had not noticed before.
It was Arthur Paradox.
The smile on Nathan's face faded as Arthur walked towards him. His mind felt blank as the crowded waves surrounded them, closing up any gap for breath. Following Arthur was an unfamiliar girl who gave an aura that she didn't belong at an occasion like this and had been forced to show up. She hid behind Arthur's back like a timid mouse.
As Nathan fully glanced over her, a sudden ache hit him in the stomach. There was something so unsettling about the way she looked at him, or rather, at everything and everyone around him, one that Nathan Modernson himself was so suffocatingly familiar with.
"Arthur," Nathan said with a dry throat, "you are here."
"I am," Arthur replied casually. "Not for Julius Edmonds, though."
Nathan paused for a moment before asking, "Who's she?"
Arthur smiled coldly and grabbed her by the shoulders, almost violently shoving her forward. "Her name is Joy, my fiancée." The girl, Joy, nodded strenuously, in fear.
Nathan's face twitched uncontrollably. "Say what?"
"She's betrothed to me," Arthur pulled her closer to him. "She's the future madam of the Paradox Clan."
"Since when? You should've told me earlier."
"I guess it's my fault for not wanting to make this public," Arthur replied. "But I don't recall having the responsibility to tell you everything the moment it happens. Quick aside, I better tell you this first…"
Arthur then leaned in, having to bend his neck slightly to adjust to Nathan's slightly shorter body, and whispered something quietly in his ear. Normally, when someone is this close to you, you can usually catch a scent specifically from their body. But for someone like Arthur, there wasn't any scent that Nathan could smell.
"Hope that makes you feel a bit better."
He pulled back after he finished his sentence and concluded.
Nathan's tense muscles relaxed. "At least you brought some unsurprising news."
"Enjoy your stay, Nathan Modernson." Arthur bowed towards Nathan expertly.
"You too, Arthur." Nathan let out a heavy breath mixed with relief and hesitation. "Last piece of advice: You really don't have to be so extreme."
"That would be none of your business," Arthur scoffed and turned around, bringing his fiancée with him.
Even though Joy didn't say a single word during this entire exchange, even though the time he had met her had barely exceeded a minute, Nathan Modernson was sure of one thing. Nathan was someone humble enough to question all his decisions or predictions, but this one, he couldn't bring himself to even raise a doubt.
"If you didn't catch the hint, he is the Nathan Modernson I've been talking about. Remember him, Joy."
Arthur whispered in Joy's ear as the distance between them and Nathan elongated. Joy flinched but nodded firmly.
"Don't forget, you are the only hope of Lostburg."
"Arthur Paradox, what in the world are you doing…" Nathan cursed under his breath. Was Arthur really going to marry someone from Lostburg? For what?
"What's wrong, little thinker?" Jennifer Lumendra's voice emerged beside him. "Scared of Arthur Paradox interrupting your plan?"
Nathan looked at her and quickly shook away his negativity, or rather, he sealed it within himself. "Took you a while to locate me," he complained jokingly.
"You were busy talking to everyone else to leave any time or space for me. Doesn't sound like a fault on my part," Jennifer complained back.
"Arthur is not here to interfere with our plan. I can promise you that much," Nathan said. "Is Daniel ready?"
"Yep, waiting for you at the rear entrance."
"Let's go," Nathan replied without hesitation.
"What about David? Are you not even going to say hi to him?" Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows at this anomaly. Nathan wasn't someone who would ignore his friends.
Nathan didn't reply. He headed directly to the entrance, giving David Edmonds a big smile and wave on the way out. Jennifer scoffed and followed behind him.
As they circled the manor to reach the back, Jennifer began explaining David's circumstances in the household. He wasn't looked down upon, made fun of, or anything like that by any means. It seemed as if he was just straight-up ignored. His siblings didn't talk to him; his father didn't even look at him directly. It was almost as if he wasn't a part of the family, or even a guest that needed to be treated with proper respect. In Jennifer's words, this ignorance was possibly the worst behaviour you could hold towards a son, even compared to direct disdain.
"That's understandable," Nathan commented after Jennifer finished, not showing any attitude towards the subject.
"You know, Nathan Modernson," Jennifer sounded annoyed, "you are really different from your normal self today."
"And you will soon find out why," Nathan answered.
They quickly reached their destination, without any guards or stewards jumping out to stop them. It turned out that the fact that Nathan Modernson was among the banquet guests had already been spread throughout the manor. Just in case, Nathan pinned the Talisman of the Lordsent on his chest to further clarify his access.
At the back door, Nathan felt an invisible object clicking on the back of his hand and grabbing him by the sleeve. It was obvious that Daniel was ready to lead the way.
The team quietly traversed the corridors of the manor as the faint noise of the main event in the front hall echoed through the walls. To their fortune, the entrance Daniel recalled was on the ground floor of the manor, meaning that it didn't take them long to reach it.
"This is where I initially found the entrance," Daniel said, knowing that there wasn't anybody nearby. "It was open the first time, but I never figured out another way to enter after that."
They were staring at a large alcove with an aged painting hanging in the middle, which would seem out of place if there weren't a million of these alcoves all across the manor.
"So how are we supposed to enter if you don't know how either?" Jennifer questioned, still sounding irritated from Nathan's unusual indifference.
"Nathan said he has a way," Daniel explained patiently. "I mean, if it doesn't work, we don't lose anything but a few minutes of our lives."
Nathan didn't catch the conversation and simply walked forward, placing his hand on the painting without even examining it.
And the alcove disappeared.
All that remained was a dark staircase leading to an unknown underground, as if the original alcove had been an illusion.
"What?" Daniel blurted out. "I tried that before!"
"Let's go," Nathan instructed flatly.
With a sigh of fortitude, he led the way down the staircase. Jennifer and the still invisible Daniel followed behind in concern.
"At least cast a Conceal or something!" Daniel warned. "The security in this place is no joke."
"It's all good," Nathan reassured while continuing his descent. "The owner has already welcomed us in. What discourtesy is it to shroud ourselves?"
"Just you two watch. The greatest show of your lives up to now is about to begin."