Reincarnated in the Astral World

Even after spending time in the bath with Nyx, Arthur still manages to get ready before Margaret and Aria, who still wish to perfect their hair and makeup. So, he descends to the ground floor and meets Oliver and Josephine at the house's entrance.

The feast is slated to start at eight o'clock, and although it's just a few minutes to the hour, some guests begin to arrive in grand, elegant carriages; the first arrivals are all members of the Drummond family, Josephine's siblings and cousins, including the parents of Jovie and others who will fight alongside Oliver and Arthur.

Everyone is quite curious about Arthur, especially after sensing how special his lineage is. Yet, they behave friendly and kindly under Josephine's stern gaze.

While the Drummonds settle at a single large table in the courtyard, other carriages roll into the property, in fact, several of them in a row, making Oliver sigh. "The damn fool really brought everyone he could…"

"That's good, right?" Josephine smiles as she uses a fan to cover her mouth. "The more of them together, the more of them will fall, and there's nothing they can do about it."

Arthur doesn't yet understand what kind of political game this is, but he's interested in finding out how to play too, especially against foolish nobles like Anastasia's family.

Upon remembering Anastasia, Arthur sees her stepping out of the first carriage, escorted by servants like a proud princess. Behind her appear Elias, her older brother and Oliver's rival, and other young men and ladies. Lastly, Dmitri and his wife, who follow the group up to Josephine, Oliver, and Arthur.

"Josephine..." Dmitri greets her with a venomous expression like that of a snake, but the cunning lady merely smiles kindly and greets them all. Oliver just nods, and Arthur maintains a cool expression, enraging the Isambard family.

As Josephine exchanges a few words with the group, Oliver shares hostile glances with Elias and whispers to Arthur, "This trash is the only one with any potential, so one of us should face him; Anastasia also has a sister who will fight, and she might be a good match for Jovie."

"I see," Arthur nods. "You can have Elias and Jovie, his sister."

"Thank you, good sir," Oliver comments in a playful tone, and both laugh, further irritating Elias.

While the Isambards head to the patio and take a large table on the opposite side from the Drummonds, other nobles emerge from their carriages and are greeted courteously by Josephine.

Arthur is struck by how none there harbors good intentions toward each other, yet they all act politely and pompously. 'It's like wolves and snakes pretending to be friends...' He shares with Nyx.

'Both sides think they're superior, but all they have are their arrogant attitudes and luxurious clothes; in the end, the names of their families mean nothing against real power... they're all sheep here, and your mother, the wolf.'

'I thought I was a wolf too...' Arthur comments in a mock disappointed tone.

'Hehehe...' Nyx giggles in his mind. 'Maybe you are, but can you handle the guy from the last carriage?'

'How strong is he?'

'A first-grade champion,'

'Oh... the Viscount that Oliver mentioned... I guess I could kill him using my sword.'

Arthur is confident of that because Aria mentioned that Swordmaster Intent can easily cut through anyone below the Hero Rank; but of course, he would need to land a fatal blow for that, which would surely be extremely difficult at his current rank.

'Maybe you can,' Nyx comments in a tempting tone. 'How does it feel to be a wolf among sheep who have no idea of your true power?'

As Nyx whispers ideas inside Arthur's mind, he listens to Oliver murmuring about all the nobles showing up.

"Most of them pose no threat to us, with only a few individuals having real potential..."

Oliver names some nobles holding the title of Baron, and their descendants will be the greatest challenge of the evening, starting with the families of Winfred, Wymane, and Carman, and then last and most importantly, the Whittlees, who descend from the last carriage.

Led by a tall man in his forties with entirely grey hair, the group consists of four young men and five women, four of whom are the Viscount's wives, and one his daughter, a warrior of the same age and Rank as Jovie.

"Madam Drummond..." The Viscount smiles at her with a far more confident expression than Dmitri's.

"Viscount Whittlee," Josephine gives a slight bow. "It's a pleasant surprise to have you with us tonight."

"Oh?" He raises his eyebrow. "No need to be so courteous, I am grateful for this opportunity; my children are very excited about a good tournament, and to be honest, I am eager to see how impressive the younger generation is."

"I, too, am curious to see this..." Josephine responds with a confident smile on her face.

As they talk, Oliver can't hide the concern in his eyes while Arthur hears something interesting from Nyx. 'This guy has an Astral Beast!'

'You can feel his Astral Beast?'

'I think so, well, I've always sensed the energies of your parents' Astral Beasts, their energies are quite powerful and distinct, and this Viscount also has a similar energy in his body, although it's immensely inferior to your parents'.'

'I see,' Arthur can't help but be curious about the other people around. 'Does anyone else here have an Astral Beast? Josephine or Oliver, perhaps?'

'No,' Nyx quickly responds. 'I would have noticed before; this guy is the first person with an Astral Beast I've seen in this city.'

'It seems awakening one is harder than I thought,' Arthur remembers what he learned from his mother about Astral Beasts. 'What was the name of that item people use... Awakening Stone? Maybe they're quite rare in towns like this?'

'Maybe, but it could also be that these people's noble lineages aren't pure enough, which makes sense that even someone like Josephine is limited to the Elite Rank. But the Viscount reached the Champion Rank, so he may be the most powerful person in this town.'

'It makes sense...' Arthur wonders how rare it is to find someone with an Astral Beast and what the Astral Beast of the Viscount of Lakeview town might be.