0.5.

"Who the hell does he think he is … " Watching them leave, Trevor Loid growled in a low voice.

As the three left the scene, the young nobles also began to disperse into their own little cliques.

"Trevor, I wish you the best of luck," a friend of his, patted his shoulders in show of pity.

"I don't need your sympathy," Trevor snapped at him with a frown.

"Honestly, I didn't think a mercenary's son could be such a formidable person. I don't even understand why Her Highness is so interested in him. Stories? We've shared our adventures with her haven't we?" his friend mumbled.

Trevor ignored his words and left his vicinity. He went to search for 'that' person. Leaning against one of the supporting pillars was a guy swirling a glass of wine alone, he looked like he was waiting for someone. Trevor approached him.

He raised his head to meet Trevor. His spectacles caught light.

"Tonight. You better get it done tonight," Trevor said in a seething tone.

"Sir, while I understand how you're feeling, I sincerely hope you would stop causing interference to our plans. They've caught wind of our movements because of your mouth."

"What?" Trevor trembled.

"We'll have to kill your sister."

" ... "

"Just kidding. That decision is pending. Stop trying to run your mouth over everything, stop trying to make things obvious, otherwise we might need to take drastic measures."

Trevor got the hint and left without a second thought. This one act of talking to 'him' had set in motion an altered plan.

The man poured mana into the gem on his tie.

"Plans have changed. We'll need to take both Miss Flona and Her Highness tonight."

===

"So you're asking that I increase the number of guards around me?"

"That's simply the rudiments. What you need to do is be careful of everything else, though, this is something you should've begun prioritizing since your inauguration," Anna advised.

"What do you mean?" Evelyn tilted her head.

"As the princess, your life is in constant danger. You have to find loyal people that you can trust," Anna warned sternly.

"Um … " Evelyn lowered her head.

It wasn't the first time she had heard people tell her this. Her brothers had also warned her about this time and time again. Despite their advice, she had yet to take any measures to reinforce her own safety.

"Well, that's just from my view. I hope what I had mentioned is simply a ruse, not the beginning of an incident. While the viability of the information is unascertained, it's wise to be cautious."

"I understand Miss Anna. Thank you."

"Good. I'll be leaving with my son. Enjoy the rest of the evening."

"We're going already?" Sequencee asked.

"Do you have anything else?"

"No ... wait, I haven't passed the plate back."

"Go, go do that and come back here."

"Okay," Sequencee rushed back into the ballroom.

Evelyn's gaze followed the direction Sequencee left, a conflicted expression on her face.

'What should I do then?'

Her attention then shifted to the other nobles that were having their own little private conversations outside the ball.

'I need a loyal aide.'

It had been two years since she was let known to the public, yet Evelyn only knew her maid, Selina, to the closest person she could trust. Beyond that, she hadn't met anyone who had the sort of time to stand by her side all the time.

Perhaps her teachers? No, they have other responsibilities to attend to. Her guards? They were people borrowed to her by her elder siblings. Her friends? Did she have someone she could truly put her faith in?

"Miss Anna," Evelyn finally turned to the auburn haired woman puffing out her cheeks.

"Hm? Yes?" Her expression quickly returned to normal.

"If something does happen, can I ask that you help me?"

"Oh," Anna's eyes glinted. A calculative smile formed on her face. Evelyn suddenly felt like she was a prey in the sight of the predator. "You learn fast, Your Highness. While it would be a pleasure to be of help, I can't be too sure if we would be able to make it in time. After all, my son and I would be leaving for Rika Nation in a week's time. A more dependable option would be Aaron, Aaron Smite. If you have me in mind, maybe it would be wise to try to win over an acquaintance like him?"

"Thank you for the advice. I will try."

"Aaron huh? Mom, he's an SS-rank adventurer like you right? So who's stronger?" Sequencee interjected, having just returned.

"Me," Anna declared proudly.

"Right … "

On paper, Anna was S-rank, a far cry from her SS-rank status most people don't deny her to be.

"Then till next time Your Highness. Thank you so much for your hospitality," Anna curtsied.

"Same here. Thank you for today, Your Highness. Send my last regards to you brother, His Highness Wilson," Sequencee bowed.

And the two headed off.

Watching them as they leave, Evelyn thought she had learned something crucial today.

'A loyal aide ... Sequencee would be a splendid candidate wouldn't he now?'

She didn't realize how her ears were tinted a little red.

===

Gifts are system abilities that people acquire through a point system decided at birth. Just as everyone has their own features and personality, each person's system is unique to them. While the base interface remains the same, the limitations and potential of the system Gifts differ from person to person.

Some people earned points through sword fighting, some by cooking. In extreme cases, there are also those who need to perform indecent things to acquire points. These points can then be exchanged for Gifts. When it comes to acquiring points, some people have it easier than others, but that typically gets balanced out by other factors.

In Sequencee's case, the difficulty of acquiring points–that being absorbing souls from sentient creatures (AKA: murdering) was compensated by the low points value needed to acquire Gifts.

Other factors like the refresh rate of the Gifts catalog, the limitation to the number of Gifts that an individual can hold, the quality of Gifts shown in the catalog, and the slots available for bookmarked skills also contribute to the balance. Some people can only have two active Gifts at any given time, some people can have up to five. Some people have a Gift catalog refresh rate of once per day, others once a month. Some have a higher chance of displaying world-breaking Gifts, others almost always display only vain Gifts.

/

{SOULS AVAILABLE:

2.6

}

{ACQUIRED GIFTS:

1. [Illusion Magic: Universal Haze]; (1st UP: 40)

2. [Passive Trait: Growth Multiplier]; (1st UP: 60)

}

{BOOKMARKED GIFTS:

1. [Activated Trait: Focus]; (Acquisition: 10)

2. [Unique Magic: Enchantments]; (Acquisition: 20)

3. [Activated Skill: Soul Nicking]; (Acquisition: 20)

}

{GIFTS CATALOG:

-Refreshes in 10 days-

1. [Passive Trait: Endurance]; (Acquisition: 10)

2. [Passive Trait: Good Nose]; (Acquisition: 2)

3. [Unique Magic: Cryolight]; (Acquisition: 10)

4. [Activated Trait: Sync Temperature]; (Acquisition: 5)

5. [Passive Skill: Elevated Crafting]; (Acquisition: 10)

}

/

Sequencee glanced at his Gift panel, then out towards the window. The refreshing breeze of the night blew through, his loose hair swayed a little. There was a crease on his face, as he pondered about the party he had just attended today.

"The party wasn't as chaotic as I thought it would be."

Sequencee often heard people say that the royal family is an absolute existence, that their name alone would shake someone at the core. But having met them personally, he thought that such wasn't the case. They were friendly, and felt approachable even; counter to the beliefs many nobles had–this illusion of reverence invigorated the influence and power held by the royal family. Of course, that wasn't to say that being feared was a bad thing, on the contrary, it was a necessary component in maintaining the hierarchy of the empire.

Equestria Empire, the bastion of the human race. It encompassed various regions surrounded by many other kingdoms, dukedoms and even some parts of the elven territories.

He was currently in the capital city.

More specifically, one of the inns in the capital city.

[Unique Magic: Cryolight]

Blessed by the Spirit of Snow, a mini sun of ice.

'I don't know if this is useful. Sounds to me like an advanced version of a blue ice flame.

Sequencee brushed through the skills which showed up in his Gift catalog today. Nothing really caught his attention this time around.

The door opened, and in came Anna.