The Spider Queen

(Planet Caorn- Jasimin Island)

(Mariena Hotel- Banquet Hall)

Ryan tossed back his head and laughed as he could not believe that the reporter thought that his father would 'only' gift him three planets.

"I am the son of Duke Wilhelm… this tournament will be overwhelming easy for me and the other students of Atlas University," Ryan pridefully boasted.

"We are the pride of the Federation. Nobles. People far above in terms of wealth, talent, ambition and skills."

"As for the competition… there is no one who is on my level."

Sophie raised an eyebrow at his statement but said nothing. If she had to give the young noble some credit… he was an honest person.

His personality no matter how rotten was on full display for the world to see and he didn't pretend to be someone that he was not.

"Thank you for answering my questions," the reporter bowed politely and then sat back down with his muscular body taking up most of the chair.

"It was my pleasure… well I should say that it was your pleasure…" Ryan joked merrily as he placed his microphone back down on the table.

Now there was only one person left then the cycle would begin once more. That was the basic structure of the press conference.

Each representative would be asked a series of questions by a reporter and then another journalist would be selected to ask a different person.

This way no single individual would take up the majority of the time or the attention during the press conference.

"Now the next reporter will be…" the host paused for a moment to build up the suspense and then pointed to an elderly woman in the front row.

The old woman slowly got up and reached into the pocket of her dress for a metalloid tablet which she then powered on.

"Good afternoon. The questions that I have are for Jessie Ward the representative of Tantibus University," the elderly reporter calmly spoke.

The blind girl fumbled a bit as she tried to grab the microphone in front of her so Sophie stretched out her hand and pushed it in her direction.

"Thank you," Jessie politely spoke with a friendly smile on her face. Sophie hummed softly but did not reply.

The reporter waited patiently for Jessie to hold the microphone and then opened up her mouth to ask some rather sharp questions,

"The first question that I have is how did it feel to be chosen as the representative after the original captain Luke Parker was tragically killed in a spacecraft accident?"

"The second question is why have you chosen not to repair your eyesight? Do you intentionally wish to handicap yourself in this tournament?"

"And finally… in your opinion… who is your greatest competitor in this competition?"

"Wow! Those are some interesting questions!" Jessie giggled softly as she placed a finger to her chin and began to rub softly.

"Hmm… let me think…"

The cloak on her purple uniform shifted slightly from side to side as she thought about how to answer those questions.

In the meantime, Sophie's attention was drawn to the small Servie boy who was currently fast asleep with his head down on the table.

Inya's chest gently rose and fell as the representative for Mer University was clearly slumbering quite soundly!

Sophie remembered the questions that the journalist had asked him, and a contemplative expression briefly flashed across her face.

Dark magic…

As far as she knew there was no one in the Zrudread University mage department that practised it…

Although that could just mean that there was no one with the talent or affinity to learn those kinds of spells.

Mages were rare among the Federation and just because one could use mana that did not mean that they could cast all kinds of magic.

Affinities and talent existed.

It was possible that a mage who could unlock a level four fire spell by age thirty might be unable to cast a spell in the water series beyond level two.

Very few mages had more than one affinity.

Sophie made a silent note to herself to do some more research on dark magic just in case she ended up fighting the strange Servie boy.

"Got it!" Jessie's loud voice interrupted Sophie's train of thought.

The blind girl leaned forward, and her muddy unfocused eyes seemed to shine with an unknown emotion.

Jessie opened her mouth and spoke with a fiery conviction,

"So, to answer your first question… it was unexpected for me to become the representative, but I was the second seat, so my strength is more than enough for this position."

"Of course… what happened was a tragedy…" Jessie's voice trailed off and one could hear deep sadness in her tone.

"Luke was my rival… and more than that… he was my friend. His loss will always leave a hole in my heart… this tournament I want to win it in his honour."

Some of the reporters in the room got teary eyed from the display of raw emotion and sorrow on Jessie's face.

Sophie on the other hand felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Every single one of Jessie's movements perfectly displayed someone who was going through the throes of sorrow and…

That was the problem.

It was too neat.

She could not prove it but Jessie's face at that moment was like an actress putting on a mask for a performance.

Her danger sense was not active, but Sophie could not help but feel that something was wrong with the girl sitting down next to her.

"Now on to your next questions," Jessie choked back a sob as she continued to reply.

"I belong to a religious order who do not believe in taking away what god has given us. God has made me to be blind… I cannot go against their will and restore my eyesight."

"It is difficult to be a member of my faith but… I truly believe that this is part of the plan of the great one."

Cameras flashed continuously and the recording devices in the back of the banquet hall hummed with power.

This broadcast was picking up in popularity and was on track to becoming one of the most watched events in the history of the Virtual Net.

The uniqueness of the representatives chosen this time was making waves across social media and message boards.

It said something about how weird the candidates were that the arrogant rich kid was not the center of attention like previous years.

Hell, he was probably the least interesting person in the room!

Everyone was speculating about the lazy Servie boy, the cold and intimidating daughter of Duke Peterlor and the bizarre girl who willingly remained blind.

"Finally… when it comes to my competitors," Jessie spoke with an oddly subdued tone and turned her head to look directly in Sophie's direction.

It was for only a split second but the feeling of wrongness that Sophie got from the blind girl only seemed to intensify.

"I believe that everyone has the potential to be a threat," Jessie whispered softly.