I Awakened My Game System! Now Three Great Houses Want Me Dead!-Chapter 120: Strangers

Xenos sat on a mat.

His legs were crossed, his back was straight, and his eyes were closed.

He looked peaceful, or at least he was trying to be.

A faint hum surrounded him, his Divinity swirling...

Until it suddenly fizzled out with a weak pop.

He exhaled through his nose.

"...still nothing."

Despite becoming a Shepherd, despite meeting all the damned requirements, he still couldn’t use Synaxis, the signature ability of Shepherds, the whole point of this damned class.

Every time he called for it... nothing.

"Figures."

Opening one eye, he looked at his hand.

It didn’t change in appearance even a tiny bit.

He’d gone over this a dozen times already.

Xenos had the Will.

He had the Rune resonance.

He had the ’experience’ and the "knowing of himself" part.

So why not Synaxis?

Maybe his Soul wasn’t calibrated to the realm yet.

Maybe his link with Eris was messing with the transformation.

Maybe Synaxis didn’t like that his entire Divinity flow was luck-based.

Or maybe, the simplest answer—

"It’s just being a bitch."

He leaned back, sighed, and let his head fall against the mat.

"Fine. Guess I’ll just... slow down for once."

And of course, the moment he thought that—

Knock, knock.

"My Lord?"

A calm voice came from the door.

"We’ve got another batch."

Xenos cracked his other eye open.

"Hm?"

The butler entered and bowed, holding a tray stacked with sealed letters and scrolls.

"More applications, my Lord."

Xenos waved lazily toward the desk.

"Put it there. Maybe this time I’ll find someone interesting."

For the past few days, since the Colosseum Game, this had become routine.

Training, stabilizing his Runes, building up his new territory, and sorting through endless waves of applicants.

He’d already expanded its scope and staffed it, hiring guards, gardeners, cooks, tailors, and carriage hands. He bought horses and carriages, replaced all the old furniture, and even had the training barracks refurbished with newer stuff.

The gold drachma he made that day was put to good use.

Gaia, unfortunately, wasn’t around, busy with House Gift. She’d hopefully join him later; for now though, it was just him, his butlers, and a mountain of paperwork.

Xenos stood up, stretched his neck, and sat behind his desk, an annoyingly clean one.

Normally, he would’ve never touched paperwork, deeming it too boring, leaving it to the butlers he hired only recently, but this?

It was too important and interesting.

And yes, it was ’interesting,’ for there were applications from many to join his House.

Each one was a potential piece in the House he was building.

He’d unsurprisingly gotten many applications, mostly from those without a House, the Nameless, people without any well-established lineage, desperate for a banner to serve or a thigh to hug, but some from other Lower Houses sent a letter as well, clearly trying to curry favor with the rising "Stranger."

Xenos didn’t care for most of them.

He was searching for any talented ’npcs’ that he knew from the game, as he’d need them for the war that was soon to come. After all, if the quick Corruption of the land around him was any indication, not too long after the main story finally started, the entire Third Stratum would be caught up in an extinction event.

Indeed, it’d be taken over by Tartoros itself!

That would make the entirety of the Third Stratum a ’Dive.’

And to prepare for that future, Xenos needed these people.

Picking up a letter, he tore it open.

"’My name is Felix, a chef of twelve years—’"

He stopped there.

"I already have a chef."

Next.

"’I am Daria, former scribe of the—’"

Nope.

"’Greetings, my Lord, I am a prostitute—’"

It was not that kind of House.

He skimmed another and another, his eyes half-lidded but oddly focused.

Letter after letter, each one filled with pleasantries, titles, and desperate attempts to impress.

Xenos didn’t care for flowery words; he only saw them as a way to pad out the letter.

He cared for potential.

After an hour, the desk was covered in opened envelopes, and only two letters sat neatly by his hand.

A Divine Forger and a Divine Alchemist.

Two names he recognized.

Vulcan, son of Jupiter and Mary, daughter of Zosimos.

Both were obscure right now, still young and relatively inexperienced, but in the game, or at least in its future, they’d become key figures that would lead entire Houses.

He smiled faintly, tapping his finger against the desk.

’Perfect.’

They were exactly what he wanted.

They were seeds, and House Eris needed seeds.

He leaned back, glancing at the pile again.

"It would be nice if I found an analyst too..."

Someone who could just handle all this nonsense for him.

The taxes, the staffing, and the supply lines—just everything.

"But of course, these people can barely write properly."

’Unfortunate... a merchant too—’

Knock, knock.

He turned to what cut him off.

"What now?"

The same butler entered again, but this time, he looked hesitant.

In his hands was a single, rough letter with no seal or family insignia.

"My Lord. There’s... one more."

Xenos raised a brow.

"From whom?"

The man shook his head.

"There’s no name. It was... delivered by hand."

Xenos took the letter.

The parchment was rough, its edges torn. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He unfolded it, his eyes scanning the messy handwriting—

"Oh."

A smile slowly crept onto his face.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping the letter against his chin.

"They’ve finally come."

...

Outside the manor, the air was crisp and cool.

The afternoon sun caught on bright marble pillars.

Xenos walked out from beneath them, adjusting his gloves.

Waiting at the gates was a group of Lyacons, muscular wolfmen clad in armor.

At their head stood Aspen, straight-backed and calm as always.

And before him was a smaller Lyacon.

Fluffier, lighter gray fur.

His posture was rigid, and his expression was obviously strained.

There could be no mistaking the boy.

It was Arc.

The very moment their eyes met, the younger Lyacon stepped forward, took a deep breath, and dropped to one knee.

"I, Arcadia, once of House Hades..."

His voice carried through the entire estate.

"Kneel before Xenos of House Eris, as his First Sword!"

The words stunned all who heard them.

Even Xenos was surprised.

"...huh."

He hadn’t expected that much intensity from him.

Everyone behind Arc froze for half a second before following suit, dropping to one knee.

Next came Aspen’s roar, who bowed his head and pressed his fist against the dirt:

"I wish to swear my allegiance to Lord Xenos!"

Once more, the rest followed right after:

"I wish to swear my allegiance to Lord Xenos!"

"I wish to swear my allegiance to Lord Xenos!"

"I wish to swear my allegiance to Lord Xenos!"

Far above them, the wind howled, and the clouds shifted.

The sky itself seemed to part, light spilling down over the courtyard.

Xenos stood silent for a long moment before stepping forward.

He reached out a hand.

"Welcome to House Eris."

Arc looked up and clasped his Lord’s hand.

Behind them, the banner of House Eris fluttered.

Its insignia was a weighted scale, circled by a snake.

The House of Luck.

The House of Calamity.

The House of Strangers.

The beginning of something that would shake the entire realm.