"Vintage! You old snake! You bit the moment you saw the chance!"Zolton's voice thundered through the hall outside Vintage's chamber.

He had just learned that Vintage had gone to the newly appointed Baron, offering to represent the city before the Academy officials. Though Zolton didn't yet know who this "Baron" was—if he had, he might have ended up bleeding on the floor already.

Vintage stepped out of his room, his posture straight and composed, eyes calm and unreadable.

"Young Master Zolton," he greeted evenly. "You misunderstand. At this crucial moment, the presence of a Baron is mandatory. I fear Lord Zerek might not return in time, and the situation could turn chaotic."

"What are you still calling me Young Master for?" Zolton roared, his face red with fury. "Didn't you just sell my house to a stranger?!"

Vintage's expression didn't waver."Young Master, he is merely the acting lord. The moment Lord Zerek returns, his position will be revoked."

"Tsk." Zolton clicked his tongue in disgust.

"Just you wait, old bastard. I'll have my father slaughter every last one of your beasts."

He turned sharply and stormed off, boots echoing through the marble corridor.

Vintage's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Instead, he straightened his cuffs and walked toward the event grounds.

Zolton's words lingered bitterly in his ears.

Just like Zolton had said, Zerek had trapped all the Vintage Beasts in a cage far away from his reach. Thankfully, beasts can absorb the ambient mana to somewhat sustain themselves, but regardless, the weakening effect remained. This made him stuck in the Knight Commander rank for years.

This was to make sure that Vintage, the descendant of the original lord of the city, remained faithful. He couldn't be killed yet, since it might cause uproar in their mansion itself, as most knights were loyal to the previous owner. Slowly, Zerek had started to shift the loyalty through underhanded means, and Vintage's end was coming soon.

But a ray of light shone over him, that day he saw Zerek go out with Jerom discreetly. After a few digging, he found out about Jerom's predicament and understood that they were probably going to deal with James, who used to be the prospective of the Baron seat before he was ambushed by Zerek again. Just like how his father had been outdone by him.

But then came the news, Zerek had disappeared. He connected the dots and figured out that it was probably James doing, and somehow, he had attained the rank of Baron himself. Knowing James was thousands or millions of times better than Zerek, he took the chance and approached him.

With his clever diplomatic tactics, he had persuaded James to become the Kendru's acting lord, and he would make sure that he became the permanent City Lord, because Zerek's return was impossible.

"Father... " Vintage muttered.

"I am sorry for being this pathetic, but I will make sure to do it right before I die."

For the first time in years, a faint flame of hope glimmered in his eyes.

---

Leo and Lily had already stepped into the event area, where every participant was assigned a number upon entry.Even though they had arrived early, their plates read 311 and 312.

For the occasion, a vast clearing had been carved out of the nearby forest to host the crowd. Since the upper age limit was thirty, Leo found himself surrounded by young people radiating energy and ambition.

He made sure not to let his gaze linger in one spot for too long—whenever he looked in one direction for more than ten seconds, the girl beside him would turn her head to follow his line of sight.

And there goes the boyish dream of having a harem in a fantasy world, he thought, then looked toward Lily and smiled.

But hey, can't complain—I've already got a bombshell by my side. Run away, suckers. I've got the baddest baddie of all.

He chuckled inwardly, but his amusement was short-lived.

A familiar, grating voice broke through the crowd."And here I was wondering who else would have that ridiculous bright pink hair…" The words dripped with mockery.

Lily's expression hardened as she turned."Alric," she muttered, disgust lacing her tone.

"Come on now, that's no way to look at your future husband, keke." Alric's smug grin only made his rat-like face more insufferable.

"Pfft! Husband? In what world does a rat marry a queen, you fool?" Leo burst out laughing, his words sharp and mocking.

He's done for, Leo thought; he might've gotten away with that before, but Lily's far stronger than before, maybe even strongest in this city.

Alric stood there dumbfounded. This freeloader actually dares?

Even Lily blinked in surprise. Leo had never interfered in her family matters before—he was technically an outsider—but hearing him defend her so openly sent a warm ripple through her chest.

Lily's father—Leo's adoptive uncle—had once belonged to a respected noble family within the city. Every other member of that family seemed to awaken as a beast tamer, though their Soul Ranks were typically low. The highest among them, the family head—Alric's father—had reached only the rank of Knight Commander.

The family's cruel tradition was simple: keep the awakened, discard the unawakened. Those without talent were given a small plot of land to survive on, leased under a condition—it would be reclaimed ten years after their death, no matter who lived there.

But when the family's number of awakened began to decline, the previous head grew desperate. He turned to inbreeding—pairing blood relatives together in hopes of preserving their "gift." In Velerath, such practices weren't uncommon among noble houses, so no one questioned him.

To his satisfaction, the results spoke for themselves. Most children born to those unions awakened their talents. From then on, marriages within the family were sanctioned, and their bloodline grew in both power and corruption. They even began purchasing distant relatives' children if they showed potential.

So when Lily was discovered to possess a Rare-ranked Soul—the rarest few in their family line—even higher than the head's Uncommon rank—she instantly became their obsession. They tried to buy her from her father, but he vehemently refused.

---

A/N: Weekly Challenge

50 Power Stones = +1 chapter

25 Golden Tickets = +2 chapter

Chapters will be released by the end of the week!

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