The line kept moving forward, but the trio in the next line had no intention of leaving the boy with glasses alone. Whenever the crowd shifted, one of them shoved him or muttered something in his ear. Keeping his head down did little to discourage them.
Nova watched them closely, keeping enough distance to avoid drawing attention. He had only come to learn more about tomorrow's tournament. Getting into trouble before he understood the registration process would be a terrible idea.
But watching someone get pushed around while everyone else pretended not to notice was beginning to irritate him.
The leader, who stood beside the boy with glasses, glanced over his shoulder. His eyes passed over Nova before settling on him for half a second. Then he turned back to his friends with a slight grin.
Nova noticed something else. A Circle of Pillars had briefly appeared on the leader's hand, its faint pillar identifying him as an F-rank Awakened. It wasn't an impressive rank, at least compared with the Adventurers Nova had seen entering the guild, but it was still more than Nova currently possessed.
That boy... there seems to be something special about him. Maybe he's from a wealthy family, or perhaps he has some sort of powerful bloodline.
He looked toward the nearby guards, who were watching the line without moving. Several people had noticed the harassment as well. They simply looked away whenever the leader turned in their direction.
And everyone is ignoring him. That tells me enough about the sort of family he belongs to.
Nova's gaze returned to the faint pillar. The boy had awakened, though Nova doubted his ability was extraordinary. Perhaps it was some form of elemental manipulation, such as fire, water, air, or earth. Of course, he was only guessing.
I should stop judging people by how they look. That's exactly the sort of mistake that gets someone killed.
The line advanced again. The leader laughed loudly at something his friend whispered, and the boy with glasses flinched before anyone even touched him.
"What's the matter?" one of the other boys asked. "You're acting like we're going to hurt you."
"We haven't even done anything yet," the third added, laughing.
The boy with glasses opened his mouth, then closed it again. His hands were trembling at his sides.
The leader tightened the arm he had already placed around the boy's shoulders. From a distance, it might have looked friendly. Up close, Nova saw the boy stiffen as the arm pressed against his neck.
"Do you know what happens to people who don't listen?" the leader asked. He spoke loudly enough for Nova to hear, and the little glance he sent in Nova's direction made his intention obvious. "People who can't mind their own fucking business?"
The boy tried to answer, but the leader continued before he got the chance.
"They get hurt. Sometimes they die. And sometimes they suffer long enough to wish they were dead. You understand me?"
"I-I understand," the boy whispered. "I-I'm sorry. I-it was a mistake. I w-won't question you again."
"A mistake?" The leader gave a short, humorless laugh. "You've been making a lot of mistakes lately."
"I d-did what you asked."
"And now you're arguing with me?"
"N-no, I wasn't..."
The leader seized his face, squeezing his cheeks until his glasses tilted. The boy reached for the hand holding him, but stopped when the others moved closer.
"When I tell you to do something, you listen," the leader said. "Otherwise, you know what happens to your mother, don't you?"
Everything about the boy changed at the mention of his mother. His face lost what little color it had, and his eyes filled with tears. He nodded as quickly as the hand gripping him allowed.
"Good. So we understand each other."
The leader released him with a shove. The boy stumbled into the line, hurriedly fixed his glasses, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He kept looking down, perhaps hoping no one had seen him cry.
Nova's jaw tightened.
Threatening his mother, too? What an unpleasant little bastard.
Nova had witnessed cruelty on a scale far greater than this. Still, threatening someone's family to frighten a defenseless boy struck him as particularly pathetic.
He took a step forward, then stopped.
Tomorrow was the tournament. He had spent two weeks training, but his body remained weak. If the guild expelled him, the effort would be wasted. He needed that tournament, and he needed money for himself and the kittens.
One more minute, he told himself. If they stop, there's no reason for me to get involved.
Unfortunately, the leader had no intention of stopping.
"Yo!" he shouted toward the counter. "Are we going to stand here all day? Hurry the fuck up!"
The receptionist handling his line looked up in surprise. Her hesitant movements made sense when Nova saw the sign on the counter: NEW RECEPTIONISTS IN TRAINING. FIRST DAY ON DUTY. YOUR COURTESY IS APPRECIATED.
"I'm sorry, sir," she replied. "We're processing everyone's requests as quickly as possible. If you could give us another moment, I can..."
"Did I ask for an explanation?" the leader interrupted. "I said hurry up, bitch. Are you deaf?"
The receptionist froze. Someone behind Nova drew in a sharp breath. A few people turned toward the commotion, but no one spoke.
"Sir, please," the woman tried again, her voice much quieter. "I'm still learning the system."
"Then maybe they shouldn't have hired someone so useless."
His friends burst into laughter. The receptionist glanced at her colleagues, but no one intervened. She lowered her eyes and hurried toward the corridor with one hand pressed against her mouth.
Nova watched her leave. The leader was still laughing.
All right. That's enough.
"Hey, you," Nova called.
The leader turned. "What?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nova asked. "Can't you see it's her first day at work, or are you blind?"
He pointed at the notice on the counter. It was large enough for half the lobby to read, although the leader apparently considered reading beneath him.
The laughter stopped.
The leader stared at Nova, apparently wondering whether he had heard correctly. His friends fell silent, while the boy with glasses watched through his crooked frames.
"Who the fuck are you?" the leader asked.
"Someone who's been standing in this line long enough to hear you insult everyone around you."
"Then mind your own business."
"I was minding my own business," Nova replied. "You made it everyone else's when you started shouting across the guild."
A few people in the crowd exchanged glances. One person nearly smiled before quickly looking away.
The leader's expression darkened. He stepped out of the line and faced Nova directly.
"You think you're funny?"
Nova looked at the boy's face and almost laughed. The glare seemed more strained than threatening.
"What is that expression?" Nova asked. "Is that how you threaten people?"
Then, without thinking, he added, "You foolish little mortal. If we were somewhere else, I'd have you thrown into the depths of the Infernal Realm for looking at me like that."
The words slipped out before Nova remembered how strange they sounded coming from a supposed mortal.
Right. I'm a mortal too, at least for now.
But he refused to take them back.
"What did you call me?" the leader demanded.
"I think you heard me."
The boy took another step forward, his hands curling into fists. He clearly wanted to strike Nova, but the witnesses and his family's reputation seemed to be holding him back.
"You have no idea who you're talking to," he said.
"You haven't introduced yourself," Nova replied. "So no, I don't."
"My family could ruin you."
"I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear you're threatening strangers because you couldn't stand in a line."
The boy's cheeks flushed. Behind him, his friends had stopped laughing altogether.
Nova felt his temper rising alongside something else: anticipation. He had come to experience danger and uncertainty, yet his greatest challenges so far had been finding food, understanding money, and surviving training. This boy might genuinely hurt him.
It was exciting.
And that excitement worried him a little.
The leader looked Nova up and down, taking in his unawakened appearance and the absence of any visible Circle of Pillars.
"Tell you what," he said at last. "You seem eager to act like some sort of hero. How about we settle this in a fight?"
Nova didn't answer immediately.
"If I win, you become my servant," the leader continued, smiling again. "You do whatever I tell you. But if you win, I'll do whatever you want. I'll swear it on my family name."
His friends grinned, apparently certain there was no risk involved.
Nova almost chuckled. He recognized the arrogance from his own divine existence, though he had once possessed the power to support it.
Then he remembered his current condition.
Oh, right. I don't have my divinity. And that boy is awakened.
His mouth went dry. Two weeks of exercise hadn't made him equal to an Awakened. He knew nothing about the leader's ability, and the thought of serving this miserable brat made his stomach tighten.
He looked toward the exit. Walking away would be easy. Talia would never know, and the kittens would still be waiting at home.
But then his eyes moved to the boy with glasses, who was watching him with a mixture of disbelief and fear, and to the empty place at the counter where the receptionist had been standing.
I didn't come here to prove how brave I am. But if I back down the moment someone stronger threatens me, what exactly am I trying to learn?
Nova met the leader's eyes.
"Fine," he said. "I accept."
The leader's grin widened. "Don't start begging when you lose."
"I was about to tell you the same thing."
A nervous murmur passed through the lobby as the crowd moved out of the space between them. People backed toward the walls or gathered near the desks to watch. Even the guards hesitated, unwilling to confront the leader's influential family.
Nova noticed their reluctance. The boy's influence was enough to make trained guards look away.
Wonderful. My first real confrontation as a mortal, and I've picked someone with a powerful father.
He drew a slow breath and planted his feet. His hands trembled with fear or anticipation, perhaps both. There was no overwhelming strength to fall back on. If he made a mistake, he would suffer like anyone else.
Across from him, the leader cracked his knuckles and smiled as if victory were already decided.
Nova didn't return the smile. He watched the boy's shoulders, his feet, and the small movements of his hands. There would be time for amusement afterward, assuming he was still standing.
The crowd fell quiet around them.
To the leader, this would be an easy fight. To Nova, it was the first test of the life he had chosen, and neither of them knew how it would end.