When Nepenthe came to, he was still on the ground, only this time he was lying on grass. He didn't need to run his hand through it to recognize the unnatural softness to the otherwise plain and boring blades of green. He found himself staring at the sky; there were no buildings, no smoke and nothing but the clouds and birds. This isn't earth. Not the one he comes from, at least.
Nepenthe was contemplating whether to lie here forever or jump in a river to (quite literally) test the waters. His plans were interrupted by the buzzing of the black-box-system, and he swore he could see sparkles emitting when he squinted his eyes.
[You have been given 500 UFHUh points. This gift expires in 12 hours]
'Data shows that the boss enjoyed spending a lot of money. There is a system implemented called "TRY-YOUR-LUCK!" Would you be interested?'
"I've retired from gambling," Nepenthe responded dryly, following a brown bird with his eyes.
'You may as well retire from life. Here are your odds in the starter GACHA. If you have no desire to spend the gift this way, you can pick a stat or two to level up.' The system opened a page with percentages, but Nepenthe waved it away.
He sat up and opened his stat window, seeing how his full strength had replenished. "So how come I still feel so tired…" He glanced over his stats once again, but a small red dot on the right hand corner on the game interface caught his eye. Nepenthe tried clicking on it but it only flickered in response.
'Boss, let me explain the system. In simple words, of course,' The black box shifted into a black cat with glasses and a blackboard appeared from nowhere.
'Your value is determined by The Beholder. Or, in lucky cases, The Beholders,' The cat drew a picture of a money sign and figures watching a video with happy faces. 'They are observers from another space, a reader if you will. These Beholders can watch your story and choose to support you.'
"I'm not completely unfamiliar with the concept. By support, kinda like a sponsor right?" Nepenthe recalled some other novels he'd read, where the summoner and their hero(s) could be supported by gods or filthy rich otherworldly beings who had nothing else to do with their time.
'Host, you certainly are knowledgeable. The only thing is, since you have the role of the villain, you cannot be supported by any heavenly or good-natured Beholders. You are a 'bad guy' through and through,'
Nepenthe doubted he could easily take on this role, especially if he had to interact with others. The thought of it made him swallow nothing.
Nepenthe stood, the ground seemed to sway under him and his mind whirled. He felt bile rise up in his throat but swallowed it back, massaging his temples.
"Well, let's get started. Where…" Nepenthe turned his head towards the rustling bushes, taking a moment to try feeling the wind. His eyes narrowed and he murmured, "Must be in my mind…" But his eyes didn't leave the spot until the movement died down. The air was almost stifling, and something had obviously shifted.
The system seemed to understand since it said no more. Nepenthe glanced over one more time before stretching and pacing around, subtly inching closer to the bushes as he spoke.
"So, system, got a name?" Nepenthe questioned, his eyes somewhere else.
'Boss can name me,' the system said.
Nepenthe made a small sound of acknowledgment but said nothing more. He had slid in front of the bushes and leaned over to look. There he saw a head of messy brown hair with hints of blond, then big round green eyes staring back up at him. They blinked for a moment before the boy jolted back, stammering.
"Sorry, sorry sir! I— I was just looking…" The boy trailed off and trembled. Nepenthe slightly raised an eyebrow and looked away from the boy.
"How strange. I swear I felt the presence of something else." Nepenthe murmured, glancing around. The system, now in physical cat form, strode over to the boy who wore ragged clothing. It meowed and the boy stilled, staring.
Nepenthe walked around the bush and checked behind a tree. He heard the boy call for him with a shaky voice, but tuned it out. That presence was looming, one that would usually make Nepenthe's hair stand—so where was it now? Nepenthe glanced over at the boy, who had his arms awkwardly suspended in the air as the cat nudged him.
"Is it you?" Nepenthe asked. The boy met his gaze, blinking blankly. "I mean, what's your name?" Nepenthe took on a softer tone after seeing how the boy looked ready to flee.
The boy hesitated before wrapping his arms around the cat and standing up. He hugged the cat close to him and tried looking into Nepenthe's eyes.
"Silvestro… Sir. Are you… are you one of the heroes?" Silvestro asked quietly. The question made the cat meow in a way that imitated a laugh.
Nepenthe crossed his arms and a smile tugged at his lips, which seemed to lessen some of the tension from Silvestro. "Sure, I guess you could say that." Nepenthe tapped his finger on his arm, "How old are you? Where are your parents?"
The boy dropped the cat after it swatted his hand. The system went over to Nepenthe and echoed in his mind 'Boss, this kid might absquatulate with all your belongings.'
Nepenthe nudged the system away with his foot and gave a small laugh. "Cats, very bipolar," Nepenthe cleared his throat. "So?"
"Oh uhm… I don't know…" Silvestro murmured.
"You don't know where your parents are?" Nepenthe asked.
Silvestro shook his head.
"Your… age?"
Silvestro nodded gloomily.
???
Nepenthe looked at the boy, not impressed. "Let's say… you're 14." Nepenthe noted the worn out clothes on the boy, his shoes were a muddy color and his toes peeked out from the toe cap, and there were rips and holes in his shirt but the color was okay aside from a few stains. Silvestro himself looked almost well-kept though his hair seemed like it was dyed with mud.
"Sir, you appeared out of nowhere and I was curious. Usually the heroes spawn in the village square…" Silvestro blinked, tilting his head slightly at Nepenthe. He looked at the system and added on, "And I've never seen a creature like that before."
Nepenthe followed Silvestro's gaze. "What are you talking about?" The cat met Nepenthe's eyes and meowed innocently.
"Oh well, I've seen some heroes with familiars and pets, but never this small of an animal. And for a summoner… is it perhaps your hero in animal form?" Silvestro mused and crouched down to the cat's level. He hesitantly reached out a hand.
Nepenthe watched as the system rubbed its head against Silvestro's trembling hand. Nepenthe sighed, "It's just a pet, don't overthink it."
'Host, we've got to get going.' The system voiced in Nepenthe's mind. Nepenthe bent over to pick up the cat and spoke in a monotone voice.
"It seems I have to go." Nepenthe nodded his head slightly at Silvestro and turned to walk away while whispering to the system. "There's a lot I'll need help with. Already I'm lost on what to do…" Nepenthe glanced behind him. "And, I've got a lost puppy following me."
Silvestro's tail was tucked between his legs and shoulders slumped as he followed a few steps behind Nepenthe. He kept his eyes mostly on the ground, but stole a few peeks at Nepenthe. He turned his head away sheepishly when Nepenthe halted his steps.
"Look, I'm not taking in any strays," Nepenthe said. "And I have nothing worth being stolen."
Silvestro winced and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "I just… I'm going the same way." He found it in himself to look Nepenthe in the eye and brushed past him, his lip trembling as he walked quickly.
Nepenthe raised an eyebrow at the system as if to ask what to do. He was met with silence. Nepenthe followed awkwardly.
Everytime Nepenthe slowed his pace, so did Silvestro, until eventually they ended up at the village gate. Nepenthe could tell this location would be an important part of his journey. There were four guards in front of the gates, holding batons and looking quite intimidating.
Nepenthe noticed how Silvestro held his breath while walking nearer to the entrance. He was stopped by one of the guards, all four of them looked at Silvestro with narrowed eyes and clutched their weapons.
"Business?" The guard asked tersely, earning a small nod from Silvestro.
"What kind of business would a peasant have here," a guard mocked.
"He's got his body, don't he?" Another guard snickered.
"Boys' not clean enough for that," the fourth guard spat.
Silvestro glared, but flinched back when the first guard returned the glare and tapped his baton.
"Got some guts, kid. Get outta here," he warned.
Nepenthe strode past Silvestro but was stopped by an arm. The guard looked at him appraisingly. Nepenthe held his stare until the guard removed his arm from the path.
Nepenthe took a step forward but paused and looked back at Silvestro. He sighed.
"Let my friend through as well." Nepenthe motioned toward Silvestro to follow. The guards exchanged looks and the one to the left of Nepenthe clicked his tongue.
None of the guards moved, and Silvestro shifted his weight around constantly. A couple of the guards murmured about the cat. Nepenthe raised his head slightly, looking at the guards with narrowed eyes.
"Is there a problem?" Nepenthe challenged.
"Yeah, friend. Your companion looks to be a filthy lil' thief." A guard crossed his arms and a chorus of agreements from the other three followed.
"I'm not. I've been here plenty of times. I don't steal." Silvestro stood tall even though his hands were shaking slightly. For that, Nepenthe had to admire the kid. There was a silence that thickened in the air, and Silvestro swallowed.
"Let me tell you a story," Nepenthe began, taking a step closer. "There was a man named Leon working for a Lord, who prided himself on his sharp tongue and ability to put others in their place—especially the quiet, unimpressive stablehand who never seemed to belong."
Silvestro stared at Nepenthe's back expressionlessly, and the guards seemed somewhat interested in what he was saying.
"The boy, Leon, was scrawny, dressed in plain clothes that always smelled faintly of hay, and had an air of quiet patience that irritated Tomas to no end. He never fought back when mocked, never raised his voice when insulted. He simply did his work, as if words couldn't touch him." Nepenthe spoke carefully.
A guard sneered, "The boy acts all high and mighty, should be put in his place."
"How does Leon act high and mighty when the other guy…" Silvestro murmured under his breath in argument of the guard.
"Tomas would speak in a mocking voice, 'you walk like you have all the time in the world' he would stop Leon and speak in a condescending manner. 'Maybe if you moved faster, dressed nicer and stopped acting all high and mighty, you wouldn't be a mere stablehand'." Nepenthe took a moment to look each guard in the eye. Two looked annoyed and ready to beat him, and the other two waited patiently.
Nepenthe continued, "It became a habit— Tomas would taunt him at every opportunity, afterall, he worked directly under the Lord of the estate. Leon? Just another nameless servant who cleaned the horse stalls."
"That's true," said a guard. Two nodded their heads in agreement.
"Get on with this crap or I'll beat you and your little friend." The guard to the right huffed.
The system had already fallen asleep in Nepenthe's arms, and the user interface just showed a loading screen when Nepenthe tried opening it. He clicked his tongue and turned to face Silvestro.
"Then, one evening, everything changed. The estate Lord was preparing to receive a guest of the highest honor: Prince Leontius, heir to the throne. No one had seen him before—only vague descriptions of how he'd travel in secret." Nepenthe heard the groaning of an impatient guard and also one whispering for the other to wait.
Silvestro looked at Nepenthe meaningfully. "Tomas was positioned at the entrance of the great hall, ready to bow and offer his well-practiced greetings. The doors opened. The nobles stood in anticipation. And in walked—" Nepenthe paused for dramatic effect, "Leon."
Nepenthe smirked at the gasps from the guards.
"Bullcrap!" A guard cried.
"Unrealistic," one said simply.
"Nothing but a stablehand," another huffed.
"Except, he was no stablehand now. Dressed in fine silks, his hair neatly combed back, a golden emblem pinned to his chest, Prince Leontius stepped forward with the quiet grace Tomas had mistaken for meekness." Nepenthe subtly tapped the sleeping cat to wake it. The system instantly popped up and the screen loaded.
"Leon, or Leontius, turned his gaze towards Tomas. Then, with a faint, knowing smile, he spoke deliberately: 'You walk like you have all the time in the world, Tomas.' And just like that, Tomas knew his fate was no longer in his own hands."
'The skill {CHARISMA} Lvl 1 has been automatically used!'
Nepenthe smiled.