A three-story structure with a restaurant-style dinner hall on the ground floor.
The second floor is a half-mezzanine meeting chamber, Round Table-style, overlooking the hall like VIP cinema booths.
The third floor houses a private apartment, offering quiet living space for the count above the bustle below.
That is the Noble Stardom — Archives of Uthean, The Rising Province, Lea Somvot.
House Wilbert stepped into the Noble Stardom. Adrian immediately felt someone's gaze; he turned — Eloise Thorne. The moment his eyes met hers, he looked away. Her awakening didn't surprise him — he had sensed it long ago. What crossed his mind instead was whether to reclaim the Yggdrasil chamber he had conjured in his awakened state. But that could wait.
He approached the Table of Lords. His parents and Kairos had terrible timing, though the fault wasn't theirs; the Noble Banquet was an impromptu affair. For now, he had to act as Head of Wilbert.
"Have you forgotten about that duel?" Lue said as he neared Lord Wilbert's seat.
"I admire how sharp your tongue is," Adrian replied, taking his seat, Chris and Aghast standing behind him. "I'd hate to see you lose it."
Lue smiled faintly, standing behind Eloise, who had claimed the chair meant for the Lord of Thorne. She is no longer just my granddaughter, Lue mouthed. Adrian ignored her — she was only fishing for a reaction, and he wouldn't give it.
As the lords settled, Sard Helel, the current Count, began the addresses. Janesburgh, the House of Labor, spoke next. The meeting moved in turn until it reached House Axel and House Osborne, Military and Intelligence. All watched closely; after all, it was Lord Axel who had called this sudden meeting.
"This conference was unplanned," Lord Axel began, "but an urgent matter demands our attention. House Axel raises grave concerns about Uthean's security — the rising tide of crime—"
"Dear Lord Axel," Adrian cut in, "if this is another long-winded excuse for your incompetence, then please be quick. Unlike you, the rest of us are busy actually doing our jobs—"
"Fourteen years old, and you already yearn to make enemies you can't kill!" Lord Axel roared, his infamy for quick tempers and long grudges filling the air. " — you have no right to sit at this table!"
"If this is a test of worthiness," Adrian smiled, "you're not the one to speak."
"Silence!" Count Sard's voice broke through the tension. "This is neither the time nor place for petty challenges. Lord Axel, continue."
Adrian leaned back in his chair, inwardly smirking. 'The seeds of doubt are already sown, Count.'
As the Noble Conference went on, Adrian got along pretty well with the other Lords, though from time to time he would feel the murderous glances of Lord Axel as he stated solutions to problems he rose- minor ones though, Adrian couldn't have the Nobles totally overpowering the Crime.
'I hate you more than you do, Little Maxim.' His smile was the total opposite of his thoughts.
Eloise observed Adrian- she might not have seen him smile much, but she could tell the smile was fake.
"That smile is repulsing, isn't it?" Lue whispered to Eloise.
As the noble conference was approaching its climax, the temperature suddenly spiked up. The wind contained the acrid scent of burning smoke and the place was further illuminated.
Adrian's gaze drifted toward the high windows. The night beyond them glowed faintly, as if the moon had caught fire.
Lue opened her mouth. "It's—"
BOOM.
The fireball ripped through the Stardom's roof, scattering stone, tableware, and nobles in equal measure. Flames clawed across silk and flesh alike. Screams tangled with the wet crack of shattering glass.
Adrian chuckled. Then—masking it with a grunt—he threw up a dome of shimmering water, shielding the Count. If he wanted to look innocent, the act had to be convincing.
////
Adrian sat still as a Healer-type mage from the Lions Hunt C Guild worked on him.
"You're all patched up now," she said, rising to her feet. But instead of leaving, she just stood there, staring.
"What is it?" Adrian asked. Wasn't her job to heal him?
"Well—it's nothing. You just remind me of someone." She shook her head, golden hair swaying, and walked away.
Adrian's eyes lingered on her back until she vanished from sight.
Dusting himself off, he headed for the Count. Two lords were absent—Lord Janesburgh and Lady Wiverton.
"How many casualties?" His voice carried a thin thread of fear. Any dead lord could throw Uthean into chaos.
"So far… we've lost two lords, and over a hundred other nobles." Lord Osborne's sigh seemed to carry the weight of a dying nation.
"Isn't the pure-blood noble population only seven hundred?"
As the twin blue moons rose and the chaos settled, Adrian found himself in his voiture.
'Though I am rather sad Axel didn't die as well,' Adrian sighed. 'It only means I can torture him myself now.'
Chris looked at Adrian in silence.
The knight's code: abhor evil, uphold justice. Serving Adrian, he had broken it more times than he could count. Was he even still a knight?
"Hahaha…" Adrian's laughter broke the quiet—loud, unrestrained, teetering on the edge of madness. Was he insane? No. But was it wrong to feel joy at his accomplishment? Chris's fists clenched, nails digging into his palms.
Adrian pulled out his Excel and dialed. "Shadow, you did good." He smiled.
Shadow's voice came flat and unfeeling, impossible to pin to a man or woman. "When you need me for anything else, just call."
Adrian nodded and hung up.
"Is there a problem, Chris?"
"No."
Adrian turned to the window. Uthean was no longer the utopia it once was. The further from the central region, the more the rot showed. Uthean was trying to recover—but would Adrian let it?
Two Months Later — Present Day
Outside the Divine Court, a woman in a white cloak stood before the great doors.
Crank.
The hinges groaned as the doors opened.
"Your Excellency," the bishop bowed.
"This county is a mess," she said, glancing toward the bustling Hunters' Guild. "Prepare a bath for me." She removed her cloak, golden hair spilling over her shoulders. If Adrian saw her, he would recognize her instantly. "Also… I'll handle all matters here."
The Oracle's nun, Seline, had arrived.
The Divine Temple
"I've finally pinpointed the kingdom he's in," the Oracle murmured, opening her eyes from meditation. She wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Oh, thank Ursla." Her relief faded into a frown. "That's… a problem."
She squinted at the parchment in her hands.
"Westeria?"
The empire was vast—searching might take far too long.