Awakening: I Ascend As A Legendary Ranked Necromancer-Chapter 114: Ola

As with most towns, there’s often an invisible line dividing the very rich people’s residence from everyone else, a stark line in the society environment and individual differences that’s always there in pretense that most people pretend not to see.

Eldrida was no different, they called it the upper district even though it was in the downtown.

The streets were wide enough, letting people and mana-powered carriages pass freely. But tonight felt different as the upper district was alive with carriages carrying the city’s elite to their parties.

Out of all the carriages moving that night, only one truly stood apart. It was bright gold and it shimmered softly in the moonlight, real gold, no imitation. Also since the minerals in the Towers are different, the gold stood out even more in a dazzling way.

Carved on both sides was the image of a man smiling broadly. Every carriage gave it space to pass. Even among the rich, there were levels of rich. A peak above a peal.

It was ours.

Whispers followed us.

"Is that him?"

"That’s his son?"

"The one who just created a Guild? Wow, he’s showing off, right? I heard his new zone is now considered one of the best. A hot cake. See that carriage! The wealth!"

"And see the enchantments that’s woven into it. Can’t be easily stolen and attacked that way eh."

"...yes, that’s Argent."

I didn’t need to hear more but I was a bit amused as I listened to all of them. Thayer was used to this sort of attention, smiling quietly inside his carriage as we rolled past. He wore a gold-and-black suit and a wolf mask, it was a mask party, after all even though most people knew what each other behind the mask. Alone, his mind drifted, probably over everything that had happened since.

It’s been two weeks since Temur and I got information from Arkin, and all we’ve done since is plan how to make things work our way. Thayer didn’t want to get involved... but eventually, he couldn’t help himself.

I watched him smile beneath that mask, enjoying the show of us preparing, training, scheming. Everything was falling into place.

A voice outside interrupted my thoughts. "Lord Thayer, we are here."

The door opened, and he stepped out onto the lawn of a small castle. Tonight, the richest of this floor would gather. Things would happen that had never happened before. I muttered to myself, Crashing parties, how boring.

"My Lord?" The carriage driver asked politely. Taller than most, his mask was black wood with dark painted lines, and he held the door open with thick hands.

"Ah, it isn’t you. Well then, don’t be late to bring my carriage around when I’m done," Thayer threw back as he made his way inside. For many reasons, he was looking forward to tonight.

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

I was strung tight, not because of the formal clothes I wore, but because I was about to do something that could stop me from climbing the Tower forever.

I stirred the golden carriage toward the small park where all the other carriages waited until the party ended. Drivers were supposed to stay with their carriages, so it wasn’t odd for me to lean against mine.

"Wow, is that the driver of the rich guy? To think he’ll paint his carriage gold!"

The other drivers whispered among themselves.

"Maybe he’s just trying to show the true meaning of his Guild!...because it’s named after gold!"

They laughed again. I sighed, knowing soon the conversation would shift to me, and I tried to avoid it.

"And why’s that kind of man doing as driver for that kind of man? That’s no class!"

"He’s too bulky! My, is he even human?"

I didn’t understand why they pretended at all, they’d cause chaos anyway.

"Aahahahaha!" Laughter rang out suddenly. "What does his being human have to do with anything? We’re all just here to do our job, right?"

I recognized that voice immediately. I strode into view, sharply dressed in a green suit, my mask painted silver with the face of a rare beast, the wrinkled face of the Onus.

Honestly, I thought Thayer and I were just pretending at friction between us. Why all this when we’d end up trashing everything anyway? I went along because, in the end, the only thing that mattered was getting Litha back.

I pulled Temur away from the gossiping drivers. "You can’t be a spy to save your life! You’re like a ramming machine."

He shrugged. "Then I won’t ever try my hand at it. Isn’t it better to just crush what’s in your way?"

"And when you meet something you can’t crush? That’s when finesse comes in. The subtle art!"

"Hey! You two are not supposed to be here; turn back now while you still have the chance," one of Lord Ola’s personal guards barked.

We turned. Lord Ola was the known owner of this castle, but another name was known only to some, High Priest Ola.

He was a direct subordinate of Kaelith and the place where the Blood Necromancer hid. Arkin had told us this and more during the investigation.

He suggested this would be Kaidos’s hiding place, and careful investigation with the Tower Guards proved it true. Kaidos had been sighted here, and tracing underworld transactions showed recent slave purchases. They were clearly involved in the slave trade.

Thayer handled the rest, pulling strings, using his name to build pressure, forcing Lord Ola to host a party. Of course, a man of his social status had to bend.

And that’s how Temur and I ended up walking around the castle toward a second building.

"Is this guy threatening us?" Temur asked.

"I don’t think so. He’s Iron, but not on our level. Can’t Lord Ola employ powerful people?"

I considered it. "Well, they don’t think anyone will trespass during a party."

The guard’s shock and fury were evident. "I’m going to kill you two!" How dare they look down on him like that.