"I'm going to get fucked again, aren't I?"
Noah was looking at his system again.
It had appeared a few months ago, but it only showed his stats. It was static, as if it served no purpose.
[You are the perfect candidate for our system. Would you like to participate?]
That was the first and last message from the system.
"Fucked for a whole month," Noah thought every day.
He thought it was one of those systems that make you stronger.
He had read about it in a fantasy book when he was a child.
"The owner of the system will get what they deserve, becoming stronger and conquering many things."
This was the phrase that had stuck in his mind since he was a child. However, that book was a nursery rhyme told to children.
"Noah, come and train, stop slacking off."
It was Kuer, the captain of the knights of the kingdom of Zarka.
They were all strong. All except Noah, it seemed.
"All because those bastards kicked me out of my home," Noah muttered, so the captain wouldn't hear him.
He didn't like training because he was too weak, but he had to do it somehow.
Noah was a resident of the kingdom of Koral. He was expelled on charges of seriously insulting the emperor's daughter.
In reality, they simply didn't want him there.
He was the son of a concubine, but his father was a noble.
However, his father did not really care about his son. Whether he abandoned him or not, it would not have made any difference.
"Coming, Captain!"
Hours passed, but the knights were still training.
The sun was beginning to set.
Noah was tired; he just wanted to go back to his room and rest.
"Hurry up, Noah, there's no time to waste. Train, now!"
Kuer loved to yell at Noah. As the newcomer, he needed to be disciplined, and Kuer was definitely the best person for the job.
"Remember, guys, in a week you'll have the selection tournament."
The selection tournament was quite simple. The new knights competed in front of the empress, and those who made it to the podium became part of the protection team.
It meant a raise in salary, honor, and fame. The novices were excited to take on this role.
"What a pain."
Everyone except Noah.
"You're useless, I hope to see you in combat," Ozi said with a chuckle. "You're so useless that I almost feel sorry for you," he added.
Ozi was one of the novice knights who would surely join the order. He was handsome, skilled with the sword, and, although you wouldn't think so, kind. He was the son of a count, which is why his ego was enormous.
He only behaved this way with Noah because he was the newest member. He wanted to show his superiority.
Noah, however, didn't care about his ego.
'Is he still talking? Condolences to the family,' he thought, his hands clasped in prayer.
"You don't even have the courage to answ—"
"Ozi, be quiet and come and train. You will speak with your swords during the match," said Kuer, his face wrinkled and veins bulging with agitation.
"Tsk..."
"Noah, you're done for today. Go get changed and go back to your room to rest."
"Okay, captain. That's great news!" he exclaimed, before thinking again about what had been said.
The captain's veins, already swollen with agitation against Ozi, were about to explode.
Noah knew something was going to happen, so he smiled broadly before running off. He knew that the next day would not be as good as today.
Leaving the training room, he stopped running.
He paused in the castle garden, from where he could admire the immensity of the empress's residence. It was a castle built upwards, with four towers and a central palace. It was full of plants and various decorations, despite the brutality of the empress who lay within.
Noah thought back to the words of the previous kingdom. "The one who reigns in Zarka is a beautiful woman, but her character is full of hatred. The color of blood is imprinted in her eyes, while her blades are laden with broken lives."
"Empress of Crimson Blades," she was called.
Recovering from his thoughts, Noah arrived in his room.
He undressed and looked at himself in the mirror before stepping into the shower.
'I am certainly handsome,' he thought, before laughing with satisfaction.
Despite his excessive honesty, Noah's beauty could not be denied. Brown hair, crimson red eyes, tall and well-built. Anyone would say he was a handsome guy.
Noah stepped into the shower and, once he was done, decided to relax by reading the book that had first sparked his admiration for the concept of "systems." It was the only thing he had brought with him after being kicked out of his home.
As he opened the first page, he noticed something in the room that shouldn't have been there.
"Did I really bring my sword from the training hall?"
He had to take it back to its place before morning. It was necessary.
Despite his lack of desire, he got changed and started walking towards the hall again. He went in and put the sword down.
"Shing...whoosh...fwoosh."
Almost at the exit of the hall, Noah began to hear sounds.
A sword, probably.
He arrived at the area where the sounds were coming from.
There was a slender woman, with perfect curves and breathtaking beauty. She had white hair and red eyes.
Her sword training was enchanting, like a dance. The sword was light, the strokes precise, and the movements inhuman.
Noah stood watching her, dazzled by such beauty.
Ten minutes later, the woman stopped dancing. Her gaze dropped, becoming less intense and more vulnerable.
"Something's wrong," Noah murmured, seeing her.
She knelt down and began to cry. It was a sincere cry, full of suffering, illuminated by the pale glow of the moon.
Noah watched for a moment before turning back with a light step.
As he made his way to the entrance, the woman had stopped crying. The sound of her sobs was no longer audible.
Everything was quiet, even more so than usual.
"Hey, you. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Noah stiffened. He couldn't breathe properly because of the bloodlust emanating from the woman.
The woman who, until a moment ago, had been crying tears of despair, now stood before him, her gaze full of hatred and authority.
'I'm done for,' thought Noah, as he figured out how he could respond.
Lying would be pointless, so he simply decided to tell the truth. More or less.
"I'm... I'm a knight. I forgot to put the sword back in its place and accidentally took it with me. I came here to put it back."
Noah was breathless, but then again, he couldn't breathe properly.
"So you just came to put the sword back, right? You didn't see anything else."
The woman noticed his difficulty in breathing, so she suppressed her bloodlust.
"Exactly, I didn't see anything else."
The woman wasn't convinced, but she let him go. After all, if anything had happened, it would have been the boy's fault.
"Perfect, then you can go."
"Thank you so——"
[Congratulations, the requirements have been met. Welcome to the system, user.]
'What the f...'
Noah had no idea why the system had sent this message. It was the first time this had happened. He didn't even know what requirements it was talking about.
However, the system wasn't done with its strange messages.
[Would you like to add the Empress of the Kingdom of Zarka, Elise du Trae, to the system? Various functions will be unlocked afterwards.]
'Em... Emp... Empress?'
Noah, who was still standing in front of the woman, began to tremble after hearing that name.
'Is the Empress the woman in front of me?'
He didn't know what to do, he was too shocked by the situation.
[No choice made in twenty seconds, automatic entry initiated.]
His mouth opened wide, his head felt like it was exploding with pain.