33: The Paragon of West {part 1}
Three weeks after Maria's settlement, Void was now able to walk and talk again. Just as one mess was resolved, another came knocking on Void's door...
Maria and Void were enjoying a rare moment of peace when a royal knight burst into the chamber. "Mr. Void Middletown, you are under arrest and taken into custody under the charge of attempting to assassinate Miss Shuri Lux, an honored golden-rank Royal Knight, disobeying Prince Charles, and assaulting Samuel Archten, another golden-rank Royal Knight!"
"What are you talking about? He didn't do anything wrong! That idiot was the first one to—" Maria began, but Void stopped her by moving forward.
"I see. Whatever you're saying, Mr. Knight. If the allegations against me turn out to be false, I'm afraid the consequences will be severe for that royal knight of yours," Void said, taking his walking stick in hand and stepping in front of the knight, who was none other than Leonard Calvados.
"Void, you don't have to—" Maria started again, but Void's gaze silenced her. His eyes conveyed his determination.
"I'm grateful for your cooperation, Mr. Void," Leonard said, cuffing Void's hands and leading him away.
Maria watched as her child was taken away by the knights. A tear streamed down her cheek, but she wiped it away, closing her eyes as Arcane placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You really are brave to smile even after getting arrested!" one of the female knights said.
"Oh! Is that so? Well, not everyone has the guts to kick the asses of royal knights, hehe!" Void replied, a confident smile playing on his face, eyes closed.
"Mr. Void, please behave!" Leonard said, punching the knight who had mocked Void.
"I apologize for the bad-mouthing, Brother! Hehe," Void said. After a few hours, he was brought to a cell with no light.
"Jail sure is a weird place. I'm gonna lose sleep for a while," Void muttered to himself, taking in the horrible conditions of the cell, with rats running around. That's when a familiar voice reached Void's ears.
"For a while? Do you really think you can escape from here?" the person said, emerging from the dark corner.
"It's been a while, Lumi!" Void said, turning his gaze toward her.
"I hate you! Why are you the only one out of all the criminals?" Lumi said, coming close to Void and grabbing his coat's collar.
"Do you really think I was brought here?" Void said, a wicked smile spreading across his face. The monster that people saw in Void was now visible to Lumi. She released her grip on his collar.
"Wait, are you here to kill me?" Lumi asked, her voice trembling, eyes filled with fear. Void got close to Lumi, caressing her cheek. His voice was cold yet gave warmth to her heart as he said,
"I know you're scared of being thrown away like I was once, scared of me, alone here away from your mother and family. That's why I'm here! From now on, you're mine!" Void's words melted Lumi's heart, changing her perception of him.
"I always did my best to make my father proud. I thought he cared about me. He always adored me, but it all shattered the moment I saw him running away. He threw me away like everyone else. And here is Void, who was almost ready to kill me back then, claiming me now! I've decided I'll devote my whole life to Brother Void! From now on, he's my master, my happiness. I'll do anything, everything for him!" Lumi thought to herself.
"So, are you willing to be mine?" Void asked, sitting down slowly beside her.
"Yes! I'll do anything for you, Brother!" Lumi said, throwing herself into his arms.
"There, there, don't worry. Everything will be fine!" Void said, patting her head.
I can't deny the fact that she's just a little girl. Well, not exactly little, but compared to my age, she is younger than me. Well, my current plan is based on two things: first, to make sure the people important to me are safe and I'm safe, and second, to reach the higher ranks while keeping Shuri away. She's the playing heroine, and looking at the last time we met, it's clear she doesn't care about anyone except herself and the male leads!
Aside from that, I have to make sure I keep myself away from her and rank up. The ranking system Marcus mentioned shows how important one is to the country. It goes from F to A, and when someone is above that rank, they are promoted to S rank.
As Marcus explained, all these ranks have four different titles: Novice, Adept, Master, and Grandmaster. Easy, right? Hell nah! Every single title is ranked from F to A.1 The Grandmaster one is too hard, and reaching the top is not an easy job.
Currently, I'm ranked B in the Adept title, considered an Expert, and I have to reach the S rank of Grandmaster, which is Transcendent! Void snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Lumi was sniffing him like crazy.
"Lumi, what are you doing?" Void asked, tweaking his brows, his fist clenched.
"Just a little more, Brother Void!" Lumi muffled, her face buried in his chest.
"She really is like Zoe! Anyways, let's take a nap for now," Void let out a cold breath, turning all the mice and insects into ice statues.
A few days later, Void was brought before Queen Michele Alainette. The moment he arrived in the court and stood in front of the Queen, before the trials could start, King Augustus came and slapped Void....
"How dare you hurt my son!" King Augustus said. Before he could say any further, Princess Vanessa took him back. Even after getting slapped right on the face, Void maintained his composure. His eyes were calm and confident, a vibrant aura visible around him, shocking everyone present in court. It was as if he had already won the trials.