NovelKBC Chapter 118: MATCH-UP
Chapter 118: MATCH-UP
"Please get another bowl for me," Sylvester said, looking at the maid.
He pushed Silas’s pudding back toward him softly.
The maid did not reply or move from her position. But the way she looked at Silas made it clear she was awaiting his permission.
Silas waved his hand calmly.
The maid bowed and stepped away.
She returned with another bowl and set it before Sylvester.
Sylvester nodded with a smile and picked up a spoon.
Both of them ate quietly, neither saying anything for the first couple of minutes.
Then Sylvester looked up.
"What do you think of this place?" He asked.
Silas stopped the spoon in front of his lips, then lowered it back into the bowl.
"It is okay," Silas said with a shrug.
Sylvester looked at him, then burst into laughter.
"Just okay?" He asked. "You know you are supposed to be meeting new people here, yet you are the only one sitting alone."
Silas looked at him.
His brows knitted together, then he parted his lips.
"Are you not here?" He asked.
Sylvester could not hold his laughter back at that.
"Well, before I came, you had no intention of leaving your seat, did you?"
Silas did not refute.
He took another spoonful of pudding.
"This ranking, how is it determined?" Silas asked.
"I don’t know the specifics. All I know is that Gaia sends the results to the Sector Governors."
’I can ask her later then,’ Silas thought.
Just then, the elevator doors chimed and slid open smoothly.
The butler who had guided Silas to his room and even brought the suit stepped out.
His steps were calm and calculated.
Behind him, another man followed with equal composure.
The man had pale blue hair and white eyes, just like Sylvester.
Behind the man, Silas found a familiar face.
It was Levi, wearing the same expression as always, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
The trio walked toward a platform that appeared from nowhere.
On reaching it, the butler stepped back with a bow, letting the man and Levi ascend to the top.
Levi stopped a foot behind the man, looking down at the candidates with a cold gaze.
"Who are they?" Silas asked.
He trusted Sylvester would know, given his connection to the Orion Clan and the man’s resemblance to Sylvester himself.
"That is the personal butler of the Orion Clan’s Patriarch. His name is Erebus," Sylvester said calmly. "He has been serving the Patriarch since the founding of the clan."
’No wonder he carries himself like that,’ Silas thought, clicking his tongue.
"The man beside him is my great-grandfather, the current Patriarch of the clan. Patriarch Leonard."
Sylvester looked at Levi, then sighed.
"And that man is the personal guard of the Third Ray. Levi."
Silas was about to stop Sylvester since he already knew Levi.
But Sylvester’s next words stopped him.
"He is known as the Scarlet Swordsman. The greatest talent in the history of the Human Empire."
"Greatest talent?"
Sylvester nodded slowly.
"I welcome all of you to this banquet," Leonard said, his voice resonating through the room. "I am Leonard, Patriarch of the Orion Clan."
As he said those words, his eyes drifted across the candidates.
Everyone had returned to their seats.
Those who had not sat quietly where they stood.
"All of you here are the pride of our sector."
A blue screen flared behind him at those words.
"This is a ranking of all of you, compiled by Gaia," he said, stepping aside so everyone could see.
Whispers spread through the room as candidates searched for their names.
Silas found his own, sitting comfortably at rank one.
A calm smile spread across his lips.
He scanned down the list. ’I wonder where Amelia and Billie placed.’
He did not have to look long. Billie sat at rank two, just beneath him.
’Quite high,’ Silas thought, continuing his search.
When he found the name at rank three, he turned to Sylvester.
"What? Did you not expect to see me so high?" Sylvester asked with a confident smile.
Silas shook his head. "You are being too cocky."
Sylvester smiled. "Why shouldn’t I be?"
Silas rolled his eyes.
Amelia was ranked fourth, just beneath Sylvester.
’Why are we all ranked so high?’ Silas thought, seeing how the three of them dominated the very top.
After a few minutes, Leonard spoke again.
"But I am sure not all of you agree with this ranking."
He looked around the room.
"I hate where this is going," Silas muttered.
"Too bad you cannot influence it," Sylvester added.
"To give everyone a chance to prove themselves, there will be a ranking match. The rules are simple. You challenge someone of a higher rank. If you win, you take their rank and they drop one place."
Murmurs spread, chaotic and disordered.
But Leonard could make out every word clearly.
"As compensation for those holding higher ranks."
He looked toward the elevator.
As if on cue, the doors slid open.
A maid pulled a trolley in.
"This is a temporary AI assistant for the match-up. It will oversee everything. By uploading it, you will have a full understanding of the rules."
Leonard went quiet, letting the maid distribute the chips.
"You place it on your palm," the maid said to Silas as she handed one over.
Silas nodded and pressed the chip against his palm.
It sank through his skin like it had never existed.
At the same time, a screen formed in his vision.
[Name: Silas Lancaster]
[Rank: 1]
[Points: 100]
[Match]
[Rules]
Silas looked at all the tabs, then dismissed them.
’I will check later when I am alone,’ he thought.
"Did you know about this beforehand?" Silas asked Sylvester.
"Insider benefit, I suppose," Sylvester said with a shrug.
Silas looked away.
"The competition will run for four days. You are free to send a request to anyone, and anyone is free to decline."
Leonard said those words, then stepped back.
"This is Levi, the person overseeing your journey to the capital," he said.
Levi looked at the candidates beneath him, then back at the floor.
His disinterest was obvious.
Leonard smiled wryly.
"Enjoy the rest of the evening."
With those words, he left with Levi and Erebus.
He did not wait for questions or reactions.
The elevator doors clicked shut and they were gone.
The tension in the air eased almost immediately.
Within moments, the room buzzed with voices and movement.
"Silas," Amelia said, approaching his table.
Silas smiled. "Rank four," he said. "That is high."
"Look who is talking," she said, shaking her head. "You are ranked first in the entire sector."
Sylvester turned to look at the person speaking.
A pause.
Not just him. Amelia paused too.
"Wow," Sylvester muttered, standing from his chair.
"Hi, I am Sylvester Orion," he said, extending his arm.
Amelia shook it. "Amelia Arkwright."
He smiled.
"You are welcome to sit here."
Billie arrived at that moment too.
"What is going on here?" She asked Silas, a subtle smile forming on her lips.
Silas shrugged.
Time passed.
The banquet ended and everyone made their way back to their rooms.
Silas walked beside Billie.
"I am never attending a party like that again," Silas said, shaking his head slowly.
"The suit looks good on you though," Billie said.
"I will wear suits more often. Just not to parties."
Billie smiled. "Whatever."
They glanced back.
Amelia was walking up the stairs with Sylvester.
"How do you feel about where that might go?" Billie asked Silas.
Silas squinted slightly. "Normal."
He looked at them again.
"I genuinely do not know why, but relationships are not really for me. The one I had with Amelia felt strange the whole time."
"Psychopath," Billie said, striking him on the head.
Silas smiled but did not disagree.
...
"Good night," Silas waved to the three of them before entering his room.
"Good evening," Asher greeted with a slight bow.
"How are you doing?" Silas asked, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked toward the bed.
"I am good."
Silas nodded.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
"Master Silas, the meeting is now," Rion said in his mind.
Silas blinked.
’Is it today?’ He groaned, lying back fully on the bed.
"Yes."
Silas buttoned his shirt back up.
"Asher, I will be back soon."
Asher nodded.
"Rion."
Silas disappeared from that spot in a flicker.
Asher looked at the empty space where Silas had stood a breath ago.
Silas stared at the large building before him. The newly built headquarters for the Sovereign Garden.
The place covered over an acre of land.
A single building that spanned more than half the plot stood at the centre, elegant and commanding.
Staff moved in and out, each one carrying different things.
This was not a store. Just a headquarters that functioned as both a warehouse and a meeting place.
Silas smiled.
"The manager is doing a really good job here," he muttered.
With those words, he walked toward the entrance.