Read The Beginning After The End (New Heights Book 2) Online
Authors: TurtleMe
During this
time, I watched Lilia teach some sort of clapping game to Ellie and both were
in a fit of giggles when Vincent came back, leading a group of people inside.
The first to
come in behind Vincent was an elderly man with long burgundy hair that had
streaks of grey. His back was ramrod straight with broad shoulders that
took off years in his appearance. His eyes were stern, with sword shaped
eyebrows that made his appearance look even fiercer. He was wearing a red
robe with white fur around the collar and had a cane made of what looked like
white gold. Behind him was a lady that looked a few years older than my
mother. While my mother had the lovely, sweet, friendly look, this lady’s
facial feature reminded me of an ice sculpture; refined, elegant, noble and of
no flaws, but was cold and devoid of emotion. She was wearing a
shimmering silvery white dress that complimented her dark blue hair that draped
over her shoulders very well. This husband and wife duo looks like
they’re the head of a mafia.
It
would still be a couple of years until she starts maturing but needless to say,
the potential was there.
I couldn’t
help comparing her to Tess. They would both grow to be captivating but in
very different qualities. Tess was the lovely girl next door, with her
comforting almond shaped eyes that glowed a faint teal. Her sun kissed
peaches and cream complexion and rosy lips. The gunmetal silver hair that
glistened in the sun made her eyes glow even more and what made my heart skip a
beat a few times was when she smiled, revealing her flawless teeth.
No,
this girl was the total opposite. Her porcelain white complexion was a
canvas for her flawless facial features. Her penetrating eyes that seemed
much too mature for her age was a dark brown shade that appeared bigger because
of her long lashes. Her hair was a glaring black, which she got from her mother.
Compared to her dark hair and eyes, her lips were a much lighter set of
pink that faintly glistened.
While they were
nothing more than children now, I would love to see how they grow up to be in
the future.
I just shake
my head and focus on my gaze on the three guards that followed after the
picturesque family, while I mentally compared which girl would grow up to be
prettier in the future.
Stop judging
me! Even Kings are men right?
“I didn’t
know we would be in here with guests Vincent! Good, good. The more
the merrier! At least we’ll have some company besides these boring guards
right Honey?”
I raised an
eyebrow in surprise at the sharp contrast in the man’s personality to his
appearance. He seemed like a loud, friendly guy compared to his
intimidating looks.
“I apologize
your Majesty! I assumed you wouldn’t mind having a few other people with you.
These are my closest friend’s family.” He said, waving his arm in
our direction.
“Guys! This
is the King and Queen of Sapin. Introduce yourself to King Blaine Glayder
and Queen Priscilla Glayder and their children Curtis and Kathyln.”
“BAH! You
know me too well now Vince. We can’t have that now can we!” The
King just scoffs while smiling.
“Please,
you’re about as hard to read as a child’s picture book. I would be more
surprised if there was anyone who could see you as mysterious.” The Queen just
shakes her head.
Wow… The
King and Queen of the human race.
Mother and
Tabitha all kneel on one knee. My mother looks at me fiercely to follow
her so I just sigh and go on one knee too.
“At ease!
Please! Let’s drop the formalities.
We’re all important guests of the Helstea
House here.”
Sylvie peeks
out from under my robe where she was sleeping and looks at the new faces.
“Kuu?” She
chirps with her head sticking out of my chest.
“Oh my! What
a cute little mana beast!” Queen Priscilla’s cold face brightens up at
the sight and she makes her way towards me.
The King and
the two children’s eyes look towards my direction as well.
“She just
hatched a few months ago. Her name is Sylvie. Come out and say hi.”
I respond.
“Kyu~!” She
says while hopping out of my robe, head turning as she’s looking around at her
new surroundings.
“I assume
this little mana beast is your Bond young man?” The King comes closer,
squatting down to get a closer view of Sylvie.
I just nod.
It should be fine with Sylv’s appearance the way it is. “How
fortunate you are to have a mana beast. Even infants are not easy to
tame, yet it looks like she is very obedient.
“Well we’re
able to communicate mentally so it’s more like a mutual agreement rather than
obedience.” I just shrug.
“What? You
mean to say that you guys are under an Equals Contract?”
We all turn
our heads to face the source of the voice. It was one of the hooded
guards behind the children.
“Umm, I’m
not sure what that is but she was the one that initiated the contract so I
think so?” I just shrug my shoulders.
Was it that
big of a deal who forms the contract?
“Can I take
a closer look at your Bond?” The hooded guard was saying, creeping closer
to us.
Before I had
the chance to decline, the King stepped in.
“This isn’t
the time or place to study someone else’s pet. You’re being rude
Sebastian.”
His kind gaze turns
stern when scolding him.
“Arthur.
Arthur Leywin.” I announce, giving another curt bow. We all
took a seat as we hear a clear voice declaring that the auction would start
soon.
I turn a quick glance to see the hooded figure staring intently at the
Sylvie who was nestled on my lap.
“Ladies
and Gentlemen! May I say that it is of the highest honor to be here tonight?
All of you gathered today are here for one reason and one reason only I
presume. It is to have the chance in obtaining rare and valuable items in
this auction!”
I hear
a round of applause in agreement with the old gentleman who seems to be the
auctioneer.
“If
everyone in the audience would now kindly turn yourselves to the back room at
the top. There, we have a few very important figures. First, please
join me in saluting the King and Queen of Sapin!”
I see
the rows of people down below get up from their seats, all murmuring amongst
each other before they salute in an orderly manner and start clapping towards
our room.
The
King and Queen step up in front of me and start waving their hands in response.
“Next,
the one has made this whole event possible. Please give a big round of
applause for Vincent Helstea and his family.”
The
auctioneer’s introduction is followed by another round of applause as Vincent
steps up next to the King and Queen and gives a big bow.
I stay
seated, looking down below at the crowds of people who are supposed to be of
higher class than I, but I can’t help but looking at them as if they’re…
No… I
shouldn’t think like that anymore. I’m not a King anymore. Hell, I
haven’t even gone through puberty. No point in acting like someone I’m
not now.
I look
at the King and Queen, studying them. The King didn’t have a domineering
atmosphere. Sure he was charismatic and had a strong presence and I can
see how a majority of the citizens of Sapin could adore him, but that was it.
He didn’t earn his seat; his father gave it to him. The Glayder
family has been the Royal family since the founding of Sapin. I wasn’t
surprised to see that King Glayder’s mana core was only at the red stage.
Turning
my gaze over to the Queen, something catches my eyes that I didn’t really
notice at first. Strapped to the backside of her dress was a white wand.
I couldn’t sense her mana at all so I guess she is a pretty adept
Conjurer.
Queen
Priscilla notices me observing her and gives me a slight smile, revealing her
pearl white teeth. The word beautiful doesn’t seem to do justice in
describing her. She was a fine woman to feast my eyes on, but one thing I
noticed ever since I came to this world was that I lacked sexual attraction
towards these older women that should be around the age I once was before I was
reborn. At first, I thought that it might be because of the lack of
necessary hormones right now in this prepubescent body, but the more I think
about it, I feel like it may have to do with the fact that my mother was around
the same age as I was before I came here into this world.
I was
never really interested in the human psychology but it is interesting how women
associated with the same age group as Mother makes them unappealing sexually.
Maybe that was just
me
. I’m not sure.
Of
course, that doesn’t mean I’d go for kids like Tess, Lilia or even this snow
princess here. They can be the personification of beauty itself, but it
doesn’t change the fact that their mental level is that of a child. This
was the reason I couldn’t see Tess as anything more than a friend or a sister
to me even when she was so obvious in showing her attraction towards me.
Maybe when she’s older and more mature, I’ll start thinking about it.
Sigh.
Being popular is a hassle.
“…
kuu
” Sylvie is looking at me with a ‘are you serious?’ face
and I swear she’s judging me with those half open eyes of hers, staring at me
blankly.
“Haha…”
I just laugh in embarrassment and cover Sylvie’s face with my hands to block
her hurtful stare.
Vincent
nudges my shoulder at this time, making me regain my focus.
“Arthur,
a sword is up for auction right now. Tell me if you want it so I can put
in my bid. Don’t worry about the price either! Perks of being the owner
of this place” He shoots me a wink.
“Thank
you.” I look down to see the item being auctioned off.
“This
short sword was forged by a master smith who is also a Fire Artificer, ensuring
that the quality during the forging process is top class. The core of
this weapon is made from the core of a Thunder Hawk mana beast.
Reinforcing this sword with just a little mana will produce currents of
shocks on the edge of the blade, enhancing the power of Augmenters by another
level! The bid will start at 50 gold!”
Soon
after, numerous nobles had their hands raised, raising the bid. I just
sat there, my head leaning on my arm, uninterested. Fortunately, there
was a screen that magnified the items so the audience in the back could see.
Just by looking at the weapon, it was pretty obvious how low class it was.
Vincent
kept switching his gaze from the weapon to me, hoping I would at least be
interested in the weapon that most people would drool over.
I just
shook my head that was still leaning on my arm.
“No
worries! This is just the start! Just let me know when you find something you
like. Oh! I almost forgot. I have the items you wanted in the back.
I’ll have one of the workers deliver it to me after this event is over.”
He just smiles while talking in a voice so only I could hear.
My
ears perk up at this and I look at him. “You managed to find a voice
altering mask as well?”
“It
took a bit longer than I expected but I finally managed to get one. I
also got you a coat made from a Nightmare Fox that makes it harder for the
wearer to be registered in the eye. I thought it would be something you
would want so I grabbed that too.” He just places a hand on my shoulder.
“That’s
more than what I could ask for.” The mask was essential in me being able
to become an adventurer but the coat would no doubt as well.
“Don’t
worry about it and just stay safe. I’m the one that has to deal with your
family if something happens to you, you know.” He just chuckles and
winks.
“Haha.”
I just smile wryly at this fact. No. I wasn’t going to give
my family a reason to grieve again like they did before.
There
were a few interesting items along the way. There were several beast
cores, most of which were B class or lower. The prices for those were
astronomical. Even a C class core was around 50 gold, and each class
multiplied this figure. There were many artifacts for both Augmenters and
Conjurers.
The
King himself bid on a couple of them, winning an A class beast core. It
wasn’t until a mage actually absorbed the core that they could find whether a
beast core still had a will or not. Chances were slim to find a core that
still had its will still intact and even if it contained the will, it had to be
compatible with the user. Most beasts choose to disperse their will
before dying though, or have already passed it on to one of its offspring.
I
guess the King was hoping to get lucky. The Queen, on the other hand, bid
on a mana absorption ring and a couple other items useful for conjurers.
I
cringed at the sight of noble men frantically bidding on young female slaves,
that were stark naked, to show their assets. I was fortunate to be around
people who were above having slaves, which made me ignorant of the horrors that
can await them in the hands of perverse old men. Most slaves were
prisoners of wars between cities or children sold by their parents for money,
but there were also children forcefully abducted by slave traders. My
world didn’t have slaves so this was something that I just couldn’t get used
to.
I
could see my Mom and Tabitha having solemn faces at the sight of the slaves,
but they just shook their heads and focused their attention on Ellie and Lilia.
Even though the Helstea family was a very prominent noble house, they
despised slaves and opted to just hiring maids and butlers.
Turning
my head, I see the prince murmuring something to the little princess but her
face stayed expressionless.
This
was tedious. Maybe I’ll hold off on getting a good sword for now and just
settle for a decent practice sword until my body matures a bit.
I get
up to stretch when I see that hooded guard named Sebastian still looking at
Sylvie.
His
hood only covered his forehead and up and from the sight of a cane, I could
tell he was a conjurer.
Still
standing up, I stare at the plebeian. I could tell by his greedy gaze
that he had his eyes on only Sylv.
After
a couple moments, he notices that I’m staring at him as his eyes focus on mine.
At first he looks a little embarrassed but he just straightens his back a
bit and looks down at me giving me a smug look, as if he had the right to what
he was doing.
You
dare?
VINCENT’S POV:
It’s a
pity Arthur couldn’t find a sword he was looking for. No matter.
There are a lot of swords in the storage that he may take a liking to.
“King Glayder.
I hope you found it worthwhile to visit this humble Auction house of
mine.” I say.
“This
place is anything but humble Vincent, and yes, I’m not sure how you managed to
secure an A class beast core like the Silvercoat Bear. You’ve got quite
the connections Haha! I just hope that the Beast Will is still intact.”
He clasps my back with his hand.
I hear
his wife mumble, “Don’t get your hopes up too much dear. You know how
rare it is.”
The
Queen turns back to talk with Alice and my wife. They seem to be
discussing about their kids.
We
turn our attention back to the main stage when I feel a cold chill send shivers
down my back.
I
quickly turn my body and use my arms to cover my face instinctively.
What
is this? This was the most secure place in this building with the King’s
guard inside as well as my guards outside the room.
My
breathing turns shallow as the weight of something tremendous is pushing me
down.
I feel
cold sweat running down my body as I turn to see both the King and Queen in similar
positions as me.
What
is going on? What is this fear…this fear that me feel as if I had no control
over my life?
ARTHUR’S POV:
Oops.
I
quickly look away from the pale-faced Sebastian that lost his balance and was
on the floor shivering and quickly sit back down before anyone noticed.
I lost
control there for a little bit. I just wanted to give him a little scare.
I didn’t intend to leak out that much bloodlust.