While waiting for Gueldre, Kaiba leaned against the cool stone wall and let out a weary sigh. His thoughts drifted back to his predicament. Even after his training, making him significantly stronger, he felt a familiar frustration creeping in.
'I need to draw better cards to grow stronger, but I only have 5,000 Yul. Now that I'm a Magic Knight, I should invest it. I'll be able to earn money faster, especially in a squad led by a captain with so many connections.'
Resolute, Kaiba opened his grimoire and tapped the [SHOP] icon. His eyes widened in surprise. Next to the standard [Randomized Pack], a new option had appeared: [Master Pack].
He stared, scarcely believing his eyes.
'Finally!' A spark of excitement ignited within him, but it was quickly extinguished as he scanned the price. His shoulders slumped, a wave of crushing disappointment washing over him.
The [Master Pack] cost 10,000 Yul per pack. The description boasted a significantly higher probability of obtaining SR and UR cards compared to the basic pack. Considering his incredible luck in pulling Crimson Nova and Vyon back-to-back, the potential was tantalizing.
'You money-grubbing grimoire,' Kaiba seethed internally. Still, he noted the key differences. The [Master Pack] contained eight cards per pack, had a smaller, more curated card pool, and its draw rates mirrored the system from Master Duel.
With a frustrated exhale, Kaiba closed the grimoire. 'I'll test that later when I'm not broke.'
For now, he would make do. He committed his entire 5,000 Yul to the [Randomized Pack]. He initiated the pull, his finger impatiently skipping through the summoning animations. The cards materialized one by one:
· Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (Pendulum Monster)
· Dokuroizo the Grim Reaper (Monster Card)
· Exiled Force (Monster Card)
· Predaplant Triphyoverutum (Fusion Monster)
· United Front (Trap Card)
Kaiba's breath hitched. His luck had been good lately, but this was another exceptional haul. However, one card in particular demanded his attention: Dokuroizo the Grim Reaper. Its flavor text sent a chill down his spine: "It can steal a soul with a single blow."
A grim smile touched his lips. He was also pleased with the usable Trap Card, United Front, though its mechanics here were still a mystery. The card claimed it could negate a Trap Card's effect.
'There are only a few magic users who specialize in traps here. Does this mean it can negate any kind of trap, physical or magical? I need to figure out how this translates.'
Kaiba scratched the back of his head before slotting the new cards into his deck; most of them were surprisingly usable.
His attention was then drawn to the sight of Captain Gueldre, with his vice-captain, Xerx Lugner, at his side. Standing before them were the other candidates Gueldre had selected.
There were two nobles, and finally, a commoner who stood out for several reasons. He was strikingly attractive, with blonde hair that framed features so delicate he could be described as a femboy. Yet, this impression was starkly contrasted by the massive claymore strapped to his back.
As Kaiba approached the group, he kept his composure, but his eyes were instinctively drawn back to the commoner. A deep, unsettling feeling gnawed at him. 'Something's not right here,' he thought, his gaze turning into a sharp, analytical stare, the way Doakes would look at Dexter, seeing a monster hiding behind a friendly smile.
The commoner, Clare, met his glance with a calm, unreadable expression.
Gueldre noticed his new squad member and offered a thin smile. "We're heading back to headquarters," he announced. No sooner had he spoken than a carriage pulled up. "Follow us," the captain instructed before he and Xerx disappeared inside.
The two nobles summoned their brooms and took to the air, falling in behind the carriage.
"Join me," Kaiba said, mounting his own broom and sliding forward to make space. It hovered steadily a few inches off the ground.
"Thanks," Clare replied, settling carefully behind him.
They ascended, following the carriage through the city streets.
"I'm Seto Kaiba," he called over his shoulder, the wind whipping past them. "What's yours?"
"Clare," came the reply.
Kaiba decided to cut directly to the heart of his suspicion. "Are you a woman?" he asked, the question blunt and out of nowhere.
"No," Clare answered, a note of confusion in his voice. "Why would you ask that?"
"Something just doesn't feel right," Kaiba stated, not taking his eyes off the path ahead. "If you say you're a man, sure."
'But now that I hear his voice,' Kaiba thought, the suspicion solidifying, 'it's even more suspect. It sounds too deliberately like a man's voice.'
A few seconds of comfortable silence passed before Clare broke it. "Why did you join the Purple Orcas?"
"Money," Kaiba answered flatly, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
Clare's expression shifted into one of immediate disgust. 'Just another one,' he thought, pegging Kaiba as just another corrupt individual looking to profit from the squad's dubious reputation.
Sensing the judgment, Kaiba elaborated without turning around. "My grimoire requires magic to function. I need the funds to acquire it."
Clare's disgust softened slightly, replaced by a flicker of confusion. It was a practical, if mercenary, reason, different from the greed he had assumed.
"And you?" Kaiba asked, glancing back. "What's your magic? We'll probably be paired on missions, being the only commoners here."
'Why would you choose this squad, then?' Clare thought, his confusion deepening. 'If you knew you'd face this kind of scrutiny, why walk into the lion's den?'
Still, he saw no harm in answering. "Flash Magic."
"Cool. Do you use it with that claymore?" Kaiba asked, nodding back toward the massive sword.
"Yes," Clare said.
Kaiba simply nodded, filing the information away.
After a sustained flight, the sprawling manors and gleaming spires of the Noble Realm came into view below.
"Hmm," Kaiba grunted, observing the brilliant, wasteful lights with an empty, unimpressed expression.
Beside him, Clare tightened his fists on the broom, his knuckles turning white as he glared at the opulent district, a quiet fury burning in his eyes.
Soon, the Purple Orca headquarters loomed before them, and they began their descent.
The headquarters was the Tower of Leviathan, a magic tower of distinctive Babel-like design that, while not the tallest in the Clover Kingdom, was profoundly imposing.
Its location was its key feature: situated on a central plain directly between the Commoner and Noble Realms, a strategic move orchestrated by Gueldre himself to position his squad as a necessary bridge, or perhaps a gatekeeper, between the two worlds.
Gueldre emerged from the carriage, with Xerx close on his heels. Together, they led the four new recruits inside, where the grand foyer and entrance hall of the Purple Orca headquarters stretched before them.
At the main reception desk sat a magic knight, a woman with striking black hair. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, and while beautiful, her severe expression and the impeccably tailored suit bearing the Purple Orca crest commanded more attention than her features.
As Gueldre approached, she rose and offered a respectful, if perfunctory, bow.
"Here, four new members. Handle them," Gueldre said, barely breaking his stride as he and Xerx continued deeper into the building, leaving the recruits alone.
The woman nodded, sat back down, and retrieved four registration forms from a drawer. She slid them across the polished wood of the desk, along with four pens.
"Fill these out. Once registered, I'll assign you your room numbers."
She made no assumption about their literacy; the simple act of handing them the forms was instruction enough.
Kaiba quickly wrote down his information and glanced at Clare. A flicker of surprise passed through him as he watched her pen moving with confident strokes. 'He can read and write,' he noted.
After they returned the completed forms, the receptionist began processing them. Her eyebrows rose slightly as she read Kaiba's and Clare's files. One from the Common Realm, the other from the Forsaken Realm, either was a noble, yet both carried themselves with a dignity that belied their origins.
The scratching of her quill filled the silence as she meticulously transcribed the data. The delay, however, was too much for one of the noble recruits.
"How long is this going to take?" he snapped, his voice dripping with impatience. "I've been waiting forever."
Without even looking up, the receptionist released a wave of magical pressure that slammed into the young man, forcing him back a step. The other receptionists nearby suddenly found their paperwork fascinating, and the few magic knights in the hall deliberately averted their eyes.
"Shut your mouth," she said, her voice low and cold as steel. "Or I will throw you out myself. I don't give a damn about your family name. Mine is Kira. Push me again, and I'll see to it that you and your entire lineage are exiled from the Clover Kingdom."
The noble recruit paled, the color draining from his face as the immense pressure subsided. He had learned his lesson.
Kaiba quickly looked away, biting the inside of his cheek to suppress his laughter. The other noble recruit mirrored him, struggling to maintain a neutral expression for his chastised friend. Only Clare remained unmoved, his face a perfect, unreadable blank.
A few minutes later, the receptionist handed each of them a key and the signature magic robe of the Purple Orca. Kaiba glanced at the key tags and noted, with a flicker of interest, that his room was next to Clare's.
"A reminder," the female receptionist announced, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Your senior guide will be waiting for you at 6 a.m. sharp at the Mission Board. Hearth, Karina, you will show them the way."
A male receptionist gestured for Kaiba and Clare to follow him. Meanwhile, his female counterpart pointed indifferently at the two nobles. "You two, with me."
As Hearth led Kaiba and Clare up a staircase, he offered some blunt advice. "Since you two aren't nobles, it's best you stick to the stairs and don't go past the second floor," he said, his voice low.
They both nodded in understanding.
"Frankly, I don't know why you chose the Purple Orcas when you had better offers from other squads," Hearth continued, a note of genuine confusion in his voice. "This place is rotten to the core. It's all transactional here, no comradeship, nothing. Everyone's out for themselves and won't hesitate to backstab you. My advice? Stick together. Form a team."
Kaiba and Clare exchanged a glance, surprised by the senior's unexpected candor and kindness.
"Just think of it as advice from someone who's learned the hard way," Hearth added as they arrived on the first floor. He guided them down a hallway to their rooms.
"One last thing before I leave you," he said, pausing at the doors. "Become stronger, or at least find yourself a powerful backer. You'll need one to survive here." With that final warning, Hearth took his leave.
They entered their respective rooms. Kaiba was pleasantly surprised to find his accommodations were college-dorm sized, with a simple bed, desk, and wardrobe.
"I thought it would be worse for a commoner," he muttered to himself, running a hand over the sturdy wood of the desk. "Not bad at all."