One Eyed Man is the King among Blind

Vanta was already despised by everyone present in the hall, and his attitude made it even worse. The people whose heads never leave the clouds were not prepared to take such behavior from a nobody.

"Who does he think he is?!"

"Is he implying that he could match the glory of our King?!"

"That lowlife grew a big mouth... Who does he think he is?!"

"Maybe he got too much attention for one day and now he thinks he's on top of the world..."

Chattering comments echoed all over the hall but still not one of them thought him worthy of conversation. The flow of the gathering was disrupted and Vanta had become the center of attention. Nobody liked that.

In the middle of the echoing chatter, a strong voice emerged from a crowd.

"Everyone, please continue to enjoy this esteemed gathering. It is below you to direct your attention to a nuisance such as him."

It was Luke Ironfist, Chosen of the first Cardinal Hero, standing among the other three Chosens. The people immediately understood and didn't bat another eye at Vanta... But Luke started walking toward him, confidently and somewhat irritated by his presence, just like everyone else. When the two figures met at the center of the crowded hall, the air became intense. Vanta was genuinely nonchalant, while Luke was already on his last thread of patience.

Towering over Vanta's lean figure, Luke Ironfist spoke with threatening words coated with politeness, "You were invited by the King specifically, and that is the only reason why I must tolerate you. Why we all... must tolerate you."

Vanta kept on smirking like an annoying child and Luke's irritation increased by the second. "I don't want you causing any trouble with our esteemed nobles in this gathering... So you will stay with the rest of us, where I can keep an eye on you." Luke intensified his gaze.

Vanta being the nonchalant badass who didn't give a damn about anything, laughed out loud and raised his eyebrow, "So in other words... You're inviting me to your group of Chosens."

Luke fixed his cuffs and turned around to walk away saying, "You can think what you want... But even you must know that you don't belong here."

"Oh believe me... I do." Vanta whispered under his tongue as he walked behind Luke. Just after a few steps, he could see the rest of them. Damant and Rider seemed confused and bothered as they watched Vanta approach. However, Princess Violet was bashfully standing with her head slightly lowered.

"Why did you bring this nobody here? What are the people going to think when they see this nobody with us?" Perfidas nagged at Luke for his decision.

Rider stepped in front of Vanta and said calmly, "It was not wise for you to come here. You should've known that you would have to face such discrimination."

Vanta ignored their gazes and introduced himself, gracefully mocking their nobility, "It is nice to meet you as well. My name is Vanta Black. I am the Chosen of Thornash."

Violet raised her head to look at Vanta who noticed her light purple eyes sparkling with a hint of hesitance. Even Vanta was shocked by what he saw in her eyes. Ever since he came to this world, Violet's innocent and bashful gaze was the only one that had not a shred of hatred or disgust for him.

And while Vanta was speculating this strange discovery, Luke stepped in and explained his reason for bringing him along, "I only brought him here so he doesn't cause any trouble... The King will be arriving any time now. And my gut tells me that this guy is up to something."

"I didn't know you had brains up there, Ironfist... You're smarter than you look." Vanta twisted a smile at Luke and proceeded to piss him off even more.

The quarrel went on where Rider and Damant criticized, Vanta answered with more mockery, Luke mediated, and Violet watched silently growing slightly red in her face. Just before their bickering was about to reach its peak, a loud horn blew in a royal tune and a whole band started to play a glorifying choir. An attendant loudly yelled at the top of his lungs,

"LORDS AND MISTRESSES OF ESTEEMED CLANS AND ROYALTY, HIS GLORIOUS MAJESTY, THE KING HAS ARRIVED!!!"

Where all the nobles dropped their breath and turned attention with the utmost honor and loyalty, Vanta stuck his pinky in his ear because of the bombastic scream of that attendant, "Gee, what are his lungs made of?"

A group of armored guards encircling the King's unclear figure appeared from behind the long curtains and onto the stage, Dragging behind them was a red velvet robe with white fur lining. The four Chosens stood upright and even Violet lifted her head, trying to hold her chin high in the King's honor.

The improvident lot reached the stage center and finally, a major disappointment hit Vanta in the head like a bar of steel. The guards cleared in front of the throne and a short man with a jiggling pot-belly stepped out with his toe-curled shoes and skinny legs.

"T-this... is the King?!?" Vanta exclaimed in shock at what was revealed to him. The King whom he thought would be the embodiment of glamour and prestige, virtue, pride as well as power turned out to be a short bastard with a pink goatee beard.

"How the hell am I supposed to respect that thing? I've seen children bigger than this guy... How the hell did he become King?"

Violet heard Vanta's despondent ranting and immediately slapped her hand on Vanta's face and pulled him away from the rest of the group without them noticing since they were all busy glorifying their eyes with the violation their King was.

She spoke with her gentle voice in a bashful manner, "Please do not say anything about his majesty. If anyone else hears you they will despise you even more than they already do."

Vanta was reminded of the innocent plays he had to deal with in his past life as Joseph. He became irritated and yanked his hand back. He gained back his composure almost immediately and mustered up another smile on his face saying, "Now why would I care? What's a little more drops of water to a vast ocean?"

Violet almost panicked when she realized his carelessness. "B-but you don't understand-"

Then suddenly Rider stepped in and interrupted Violet, "The King is the eldest son of the Crestfang Family which has the most powerful background among all the nobles of this empire. Transgress your limits and you may be beheaded. So I advise you... Do not take comfort in your position with one of the Chosens. You do not belong."

Violet gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, overwhelmed by the intensity. However, Vanta was still nonchalant.

"I didn't expect the Chosen of the Wise Mage Vankolv to be as dimwitted and short-sighted as the rest of them. What sort of King is the one who can even be beaten by a Damn-Ant." Vanta insulted the King and Damant at the same time sliding a wink.

Rider Silvercrest, the wise couldn't respond back with logic and found right to remain quiet in a strange ponder.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Vanta loudly said from behind.

After the greetings and the usual gloating that is the pride of the high-ranking people, the King mustered up the most serious expression on his pink face as he addressed the guests in his shrill voice, "People of the Kingdom of Espodia, I hear that you are upset about the legacy of Thornash, The Dormant. That both he and his Chosen are unworthy in your eyes... I do not blame you for thinking that way."

"In this land, power and noble blood determines a person's fate. Those with neither, are trampled over. This is the pedigree of this world and we will maintain it. But as the King of you noble people, I must make amends... in this special scenario."

Vanta listened carefully to the King's words and a strange feeling in his gut arose... something uncanny and unfortunate was about to happen as the King addressed him directly,

"Vanta... Black? Is it?" he asked.

Vanta nodded nonchalantly with some pride as it was the first time someone addressed him by his new name, and the King no less.

"So, Vanta Black... I am going to bestow upon you a very rare chance. An opportunity given to no one else in history, I give to you." The King narrowed his eyes toward Vanta in anticipation. However, Vanta had ulterior motives behind that obediently crooked smile of his. 

The King presented his offer, "You, an orphan with no background shall be given the status of an honorary noble... If you pledge your loyalty to me and me alone. You see, I am quite interested in Thornash... So I want to take a closer look at his power."

"So what do you say?" The Kind extended his hand forward with the expression of utmost generosity on his Godforsaken face.

Vanta's smile wiggled a little at first and then suddenly blew into a crack opening from cheek to cheek. 

"HAAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!" He exploded into laughter that was both mocking and like a maniac that struck as an insult not only to the King but to all the nobles who cherished the pink-bearded pushover so much.

Luke Ironfist grabbed Vanta from his collar and lifted him up in the air with one arm.  "YOU DARE INSULT OUR KING!?!" He yelled with a striking grimace.

"HAHAHAAAHHHHAAAA!!" Vanta kept on laughing at Luke's face. Consequently enraged, Luke threw him far into a thick pillar and Damant struck him in the abdomen with his green whip made of energy.

"Keheheh" Vanta spat a mouthful of Blood and then walked out of the hole in the pillar, dusting his trench coat. 

"You mindless imbeciles... Status of an Honorary Noble huh?! Be your slave huh?! You pink-bearded punk a rat wouldn't even want to shit on you... But for some reason, those nobles see you as their King... But then again  The One-Eyed Man is the King Among the Blind Lot, Is he not?"

"SILENCE VERMIN!!! OR I WILL TEAR YOU APART!" The King screamed in rage.

Vanta spat on the ground and mocked him further, "I know what you want, you sorry excuse for a King! None of you know what Thornash's powers are, do you?! All of you are clueless!! HAHAHA!!! Take a closer look? I bet you want his power for yourself, Don't you, you swine?!"

The King slammed his little hand on his extravagant desk, knowing that Vanta was absolutely correct, his veins gushed as he mustered a kind gesture on his face, "I, Porco Crestfang, The King of Espodia expressed my generosity to the likes of you. But what else is to be expected from lowlifes like you!? INGRATE! I offered you to be my slave. Now I will find the secrets behind Thornah's powers with you as my prisoner!"

"I'd like to see you try... Fatass!" Vanta mocked overconfidently.

The king was already red and so was his pink beard, "My four heroes Chosen by the four true Cardinals... Capture this misfit and make it hurt!"