OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 384: I'm An Archon!

Chapter 384: I'm An Archon!

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***

'I'm back...'

I raised both my hands, looked at them for a moment, then wiped my face.

A soft sigh escaped my lips, and my smile disappeared, replaced by indifference.

'Let's confirm things.'

This time, I wasn't teleported outside the meeting room but inside, directly behind my throne.

Thankfully, it blocked me from immediately seeing Mr. Player, giving me a second to accustom myself.

As I reached the table and sat down, I saw the others do the same.

In order, Ms. Knight, Mr. Rook, and Mr. Board sat to my left, while on my right were Mr. Bishop, Ms. Queen, and Mr. King.

Of course, directly opposite me was Mr. Player himself, so I took it upon myself to greet him first.

"Good day, Mr. Player. Thank you for inviting me to your esteemed gathering once again."

I chose my words carefully, not wanting to reveal anything about where I lived.

Their true capabilities were lost upon me, so I didn't even want them to know if my planet had a day-and-night cycle.

It might sound ridiculous, but these people were exactly that: ridiculous.

"Peace be upon you, Malik ul-Sout."

"Howdy, Mr. Player! Howdy, everyone!"

"I hope your week went well, Mr. Player."

"Hello... Mr. Player."

"This's the best of days, Mr. Player!"

"My most sincere greetings, Mr. Player. I pray that your path continues to shine brightly before you."

With me as the origin, a ripple of greetings began.

The person on my right went first, then the left, then right, then left, and so on, until it ended with the fanatic, Mr. Board.

Pa...

A hum of acceptance resounded.

It snaked its way to my ears, drumming my head purely due to its weight.

"Setrenc welcomes you... Before we begin, do present your scripts, if you have any."

"

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It seemed that nobody had one, as all that replied was silence.

"Then you may talk. Leave transactions and reports for the fourth week counting from the last."

And Mr. Player, who noticed that, gave us the go-ahead.

Ms. Knight turned to me with a smile that I could barely make out through the fog.

"Here I thought ye'd surprise us again, lad. Heh- welcome to the usual, where things move slower than dry paint."

"Don't worry, you more than got that point across last time."

She giggled.

"Smart laaad~! Ye know, I heard rumors 'bout the discovery of a new script in a nearby galaxy.

I tried to nab it, but I couldn't get me hands on it in time. Those bastards at Fantasia had me hooked with their latest movie!"

Mr. King smacked his hand on the table and leaned towards us.

"I know right?! It was hilarious-first time I saw a movie making meta commentary about its own producer, a goddamn Mega Corp."

'Mega Corporations? An entertainment company is one of them? Interesting.'

The two went on about that movie of theirs, and I didn't say a word.

Though they already saw me as a space virgin, I didn't want them to know that I was a citizen of a backward planet.

It would ruin my already low image.

So I turned my attention to the two on my right.

They had been quietly staring at me since we started.

"What?"

My question was safe but also confrontational, not giving them any limbs to bite on.

"Young man, how did your embodiment go?"

It seemed that they had different questions for me, as Ms. Queen didn't expect Mr. Bishop to

ask me about that.

"Pretty good I'd say. It took me a couple of days to figure it out after the meeting."

Mr. Bishop smiled, easily putting two and two together.

"I see... so you're not of the common paths."

Nodding, I confirmed it:

"Indeed, I am not."

He figured it out because of the flint and rock analogy.

If I knew about the embodiment method but didn't use it, then it was clear I didn't know what

my flint was.

Finding my flint and lighting my path so quickly after the meeting indicated that I was genuinely unaware of the flint my Specialization required.

This information wasn't important enough to hide.

In fact, I deemed it useless since I knew that everyone here, except Ms. Knight and maybe Mr. Board, had an uncommon path-perhaps even Mr. Bishop, who had adorned the black robes

of Reapers.

Everyone, except for Mr. Bishop and Mr. Rook who had left early, must have seen my corruption-induced state that day, however I looked. So, they already knew I was special in

one way or another.

How special? To what degree? I didn't know.

My knowledge regarding that Apex ancestor of mine was close to null, all I knew was 'His' Title and that my corruption stemmed from him.

I couldn't ask them about 'Him' as that would reveal much about me-about my origins.

Moreover, I wasn't sure if my existence was considered taboo.

They might try to hunt me down if they figured out that I was a direct descendant of Najmat Al-Khulud, the Eternal Star.

In conclusion, it was way too risky.

Anyhow, once he heard my answer, he looked away in his usual melancholy, showing slight

satisfaction.

That gave Ms. Queen a chance to say:

"Your third question remains unasked, Mr. Pawn; don't tell me you forgot."

'...What?'

Barely stopping myself from showing any sign of surprise, I glanced up at Mr. Player, whose

fog-covered hand gestured for me to ask, and so I began to think of which question to choose, happily taking this opportunity presented to me.

The fact that it was 'free' only made me happier, though suspicion remained as I knew things

were never free.

Mr. Player must have taken something from me without my knowledge, or at least my presence gained him some sort of advantage, after all, he said it himself, he was fair.

'Hm... I'll go with that.'

It wasn't long before I picked a question out of the hundreds in my mind, but before I could

ask, Ms. Queen warned:

"Be cautious when seeking answers beyond your rank, darling. Remember, knowledge is a double-edged sword. Too much curiosity can be deadly, for Aether responds to more than just

Titles."

That vital piece of information shocked me for a moment, but then I quickly regained my composure-it made absolute sense.

At the same time, I realized that it had scratched off almost all the questions that I had in

mind, and prepared for hours on end before this meeting.

And with that realization came another.

Silent, whose true name was Marcus Aurelius, hadn't died from old age or an attack.

Death claimed him due to his own genius, having learned things that were far beyond his rank

in the Celestial Hierarchy.

He was the embodiment of the phrase, "Too smart for their own good."

'He'll never cease to surprise me.'

The moment I met that man, I held sincere respect for him, and I still did. It seemed like I

always would.

But enough about that I needed to get myself out of this predicament.

Ms. Queen had set a trap to uncover my true rank.

I wasn't sure why she decided to do that.

Perhaps it was curiosity about my corrupted blood, or she might've just misjudged my

strength and wanted to confirm if I was an Archon.

It could also be a routine test for every new pawn in their midst.

Regardless, none of that mattered.

I wasn't going to be like those pawns.

She would come to see me as an equal soon enough.

"Wait, so you know things that only Paragons do?"

Flinching at the absurdity of what I said, Mr. Queen breathed out and asked:

"Ah, just a little warning, my dear. But since you're an Archon, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I

indulged you with some secrets about your rank, would you?"

A heavy weight descended upon me...

This was THE deciding moment.

If I said yes, she would reveal that information for free, and I would die.

She might be bluffing, but I wasn't willing to take that chance.

Unlike Arthur, I wasn't a man who liked to gamble.

Backing out now was not an option either.

Not only would I expose my rank as Seraphim, but I would also jeopardize any future position

I might have within this circle.

'I have to do it! I have to show myself as an Archon... There's no-'

"Hey, hey, why's everyone so tense?"

"The movie wasn't that bad, was it?"

"By the way, Archon is Class-Three, right?"

My thoughts were interrupted by Ms. Knight lazily asking Mr. Rook the dumbest of questions.

He ignored her, his eyes fixed on me, as were the others, their stares piercing through my skin.

It appeared that while I was lost in thought, the entire room's attention shifted to me.

The intensity of their gaze felt suffocating, but with a shake of my head, that feeling went away.

My rationality was always quick to return no matter how dire the situation was, and I almost felt thankful to the Order for that.

Without them, my mind wouldn't have been tortured so much; it wouldn't have been at such a

high grade.

'...Alright.'

Clutching my right hand until blood began to seep, I leaned back on my chair, acting calm,

and said:

"I don't mind; you can take it as my question as well."

Ms. Queen's smile widened, and she played around with her bracelets, thinking of what

information to give.

Only after a few silent seconds went by did she say: