CHAPTER 69: NEW ACES

30 minutes earlier...

In the Guildmaster’s room of the Dawnbloom Guild, five people were present.

Prince Reid sat comfortably on a plush sofa, one leg folded over the other as he leaned back with practiced elegance. Standing tall beside him was his Royal Knight, Sir Saul, clad in sleek black armor.

Across from the prince, Mirinda sat upright, composed as always. Beside her stood Ida and Beltimore, the latter quietly adjusting his glasses.

Between them was a low rectangular table set with tea, bread, and crackers.

Prince Reid took a graceful sip of tea and gently set the cup down. Ida’s cheeks flushed slightly, understandable, considering that Prince Reid was one of the most admired men in the city.

"I seem to have arrived at a lively hour," Reid said, glancing toward the window where the sounds of the hall could be faintly heard. "Was I interrupting an event?"

"It’s just an initiation ceremony," Mirinda replied, her tone clipped. "Though someone failed to inform me it was happening today."

Her gaze slid to Beltimore, standing silently to her right. He touched the rim of his glasses, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"I see," Reid said smoothly. "Then allow me to apologize for the late notice regarding our meeting. Things at the palace have been... rather hectic lately."

"It’s fine, Prince Reid," Mirinda said with a tight smile. "There’s no need to apologize."

"Please," he replied, his tone light, "just call me Reid. There’s no need for formality among allies."

He then continued, "I assume you already know why I’ve come here?"

"Did you speak to His Majesty?" Mirinda asked.

"Yes..."

"And?" Mirinda leaned forward, anticipating the answer.

Reid sighed and slowly shook his head.

Mirinda leaned back into the sofa, a defeated expression on her face. She had expected this kind of response. She had already sent multiple requests to the king for financial support, to no avail.

The Dawnbloom Guild was running dangerously low on funds. They needed the gold not only to pay adventurers to keep morale high, but also to maintain the facilities and infrastructure. While the city funded most of the upcoming Carnival, the guild had to bear some of the cost. And now, even that was proving difficult.

In a final attempt, Mirinda had turned to Prince Reid, hoping that the long-standing relationship between him and the guild could yield results. But from the look in his eyes, the answer was still the same.

"So... no backup," she muttered under her breath.

"I apologize on behalf of my father," Reid said. "I admit, he can be... short-sighted. He only cares about what he sees in front of him, not the long-term."

"Isn’t badmouthing His Majesty a crime?" Mirinda said dryly.

"Not if you’re his son," Reid replied with a faint smirk.

They then proceed to discuss other matters.

As they spoke, a sudden roar of cheering erupted from outside, so loud it was as if the crowd was right there in the room.

Mirinda’s brow furrowed. "What’s going on out there?"

She turned to Beltimore and gestured. "Go check."

Beltimore nodded and moved to the door. But before his hand even touched the handle, it burst open from the outside.

A man stumbled in, clearly out of breath from running. He panted heavily, clutching his chest as all eyes in the room turned to him.

"Why didn’t you knock? This is an important meeting!" Mirinda snapped, her voice sharp.

"I apologize," the man panted, still catching his breath. "But Guildmaster, you need to see this!"

Everyone’s attention shifted to the corridor behind him, where a brilliant, multicolored light pulsed and danced like a living flame.

Mirinda’s eyes widened. Without another word, she stood abruptly, gave a quick bow to Prince Reid, and rushed toward the balcony. Beltimore and Ida followed closely behind.

From the upper balcony, they looked down at the guild hall below, and what they saw was chaos. A huge crowd had gathered in the center of the hall, surrounding and lifting a large figure to the air.

Mirinda’s brows furrowed in confusion, until her eyes locked onto the source of the dazzling light.

It was the orb.

The knowledge orb used during the initiation ceremony.

"What’s going on, Clint?" Ida asked breathlessly.

"That man," Clint pointed toward the crowd, specifically at the large figure now being thrown joyfully into the air, "he’s... an S-rank."

A jolt of adrenaline surged through all three of them.

An S-rank... a rare existence above even the elite.

Clint continued, his voice trembling with excitement, "And not just that, he’s a Prime-ranked Hybrid!"

Beltimore’s head snapped toward him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Edward nodded vigorously. "The man from the Royal Magical Department confirmed it himself!"

He pointed down toward the hall’s exit, where the robed official had just slipped out, rushing away with an urgency.

Beltimore looked down at the crowd, watching the ecstatic guild members erupt in celebration. It had been years since he’d seen such excitement fill the guildhall. As his gaze swept across the room, his eyes met with William’s. From the front row, William gave a thumbs-up and flashed his signature toothpaste-commercial smile.

Beltimore let out a small chuckle and adjusted his glasses.

’Looks like I’ve just avoided a disaster’ he thought in relief, stealing a glance at his guildmaster, who was still standing frozen in disbelief.

"A Prime-ranked S-class Hybrid, huh?" Prince Reid stepped forward, overlooking the scene below. Sir Saul stood like a shadow behind him. "Looks like this guild just struck gold today."

A faint smile tugged at Reid’s lips as he watched the roaring celebration.

"Guildmaster Mirinda," he said without turning, "regarding this year’s carnival, you don’t need to worry anymore."

Mirinda blinked, snapping out of her stunned state. "What... What do you mean, Reid?"

"I will personally sponsor your guild’s expenses for the upcoming tournament," he said, eyes still fixed below. Then, with a gentle smile and a finger raised to his lips, he added, "In exchange, I ask that you keep this matter discreet... at least for now."

Mirinda gasped slightly. "Are... Are you sure, Prince,I mean, Reid? The costs will be substantial—"

"Don’t worry," he interrupted kindly. "I have more than enough coin to support one guild. We’ll speak again soon to discuss the details. For now, enjoy this moment."

He gave a small bow.

Mirinda, Ida, and Beltimore bowed in return.

With that, Prince Reid walked along the balcony, then descended the stairs. As he passed through the guildhall and into the side corridor, his eyes lingered on the man being lifted high by the crowd, Bob, glowing in the spotlight of celebration.

Then, his eyes drifted to another figure.

A young man standing quietly nearby, smiling to himself as he watched the crowd.

Reid’s eyes widened slightly, and then a knowing smirk appeared on his lips.

"This year’s tournament will be quite interesting, Sir Saul," Reid said as they stepped out into the bustling bazaar.

Sir Saul tilted his head. "Why is that, Prince?"

"Because this guild just gained some powerful aces up their sleeve."

He continued walking forward, disappearing into the crowd.

Sir Saul paused for a second, thoughtful.

Aces? But only one of them got S-rank... didn’t they?

He shook the thought away and quickly followed his prince. Moments later, the two figures vanished into the sea of people.

---

"Tch... That fatty turned out to be S-rank. What a damn day," Lee muttered, clicking his tongue. He released his grip from the back of Oliver’s neck and stormed off with his gang in tow.

"We’ll need to try even harder if we want to make it into the tournament this year," Mark said as he followed closely behind.

"I know!" Lee snapped.

"U-um... Excuse me." Oliver raised a timid hand. "What about my bet? I won."

Lee halted mid-step and turned his head slowly toward Oliver, his face twisted in rage. Oliver flinched, instinctively drawing his neck into his shoulders like a turtle retreating into its shell.

Then, without a word, Lee turned back and resumed walking. He casually tossed a pouch of coins behind him. It landed on the ground in front of Oliver with a soft thud.

Oliver quickly picked it up and peeked inside. His eyes widened as he saw the glint of several gold coins. A grin spread across his face.

He leaned over the railing and looked down into the hall, his eyes settling on Alan.

"To think there’s actually someone weaker than me in this guild," he muttered to himself, a smirk curling at his lips. "God really must love me today."

For the first time in a long while, Oliver felt relief. The title of ’Weakest in the Guild’ had finally fallen to someone else.

---

As the crowd stopped tossing Bob into the air, the excitement gradually faded. People began to disperse, though some still lingered around to chat with him. But then... I noticed something strange. A group of girls had their eyes locked onto Bob, eyes shimmering like when they saw the prince earlier.

Uh oh... I know that look.

I’ve seen enough movies to recognize those eyes. That’s the classic golddigger gaze.

Becoming an S-ranker in this world really is like becoming a celebrity. That much is clear.

I have to protect my best friend. Knowing Bob, he’ll fall for any sweet smile and end up a victim before long.

I started making my way toward him, but before I could get close, Yui had already dashed forward and hugged him. Right there. In front of everyone.

Me and the rest of the crowd blinked in surprise.

This girl is aggressive.

"Congratulations, Bob! You’re amazing. You weren’t lying when you said you’d be S-rank!" Yui beamed, her arms still clinging to his neck.

"Of course I wasn’t lying. I never lie," Bob said proudly.

Never lie, my ass. I almost shouted it. But when I saw the other girls backing off from Bob with disappointed looks, I held my tongue.

Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.

"Congrats, Bob," Evelyn said as she stepped forward with a warm smile.

"Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new S-ranker," William added, clasping Bob’s shoulder dramatically. "Please teach us, oh wise one," he said, imitating a disciple from some martial arts drama.

"What are you talking about? I should be the one thanking you guys, for teaching me and Alan," Bob replied, beaming with pride.

Then suddenly—

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt this moment."

A voice cut through the gathering. We turned to see a tall man with glasses, long dark blue hair tied neatly at the back, and a flowing blue robe. He looked formal... official.

"Yes?" Bob replied, releasing Yui’s arms from around him.

"Guildmaster Mirinda would like to see you. Right now."