Divine System: Land of the Abominations-Chapter 312: The Burdens of Hand and Crown (2).

The main hall of the Koh estate was rowdy, drowning out the music playing in the background.

That was the first thing Nero registered. Not the incredible size of the hall it, or the opulent chandeliers, or the heavily jeweled guests with their expensive attires, or the ornaments of pure silver and gold.

The accumulated sound of that many people talking simultaneously produced something that resembled the rumbling of distant thunder.

It made the air feel thick and heavy.

He followed Arthur and Jacob through the entrance and into it.

The orchestra was somewhere toward the far end of the hall. Their fingers thrumming and plucking furiously as they kept up the atmosphere.

The tables were dressed in white linen and set with silverware that caught the chandelier light brilliantly. Servants moved through the space like water through cracks, keeping the atmosphere vibrant and alive with a neverending flow of alcohol.

Arthur lasted about as long as it took for his father to spot him across the room.

Seeing the conflicted look on Arthur’s face, Jacob clicked his tongue and smacked him across the shoulder,

"Go," he said, before Arthur could say anything.

Arthur straightened his coat and cleared his throat.

"I’ll find you both later." Then, as an afterthought, the turned to Nero with a grin,

"Don’t let him drink too much. He becomes unbearable."

"Ah, piss off!" Jacob grunted while Arthur let out a laugh as he strutted away.

Nero watched him elegantly cross the hall, maneuvering through greetings before he arrived at his father’s side.

Nero could only describe William Koh as a meticulously carved boulder. An absolute hulk of a human and yet, with striking proportions. From what he had heard, he, like every Lord of the House of Koh, was a retired Templar...

Before he could get lost in his fascination, Jacob’s elbow found his arm and steered him sideways toward the drinks.

"Don’t stand in the entrance," Jacob said gruffly.

Nero hadn’t realised he’d stopped moving.

They collected glasses from a passing servant and found a position along the hall’s eastern wall, where the crowd was slightly thinner and the noise slightly less overbearing. Jacob drank and looked at the room with absolute disinterest.

Nero took a swing and glanced through the room as well.

"It’s a bit noisy." He finally said as he tried to break the layer of ice that had naturally formed between them.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit tense. His gaze slowly shifted to Jacob. He was muscular and a bit overbearing despite his handsome face and sharp eyebrows, making him rather unapproachable. But Nero could tell that he was not so bad.

"It is, although I’d say its much better than usual."

Nero frowned and raised a brow,

"Really?"

Jacob chuckled and slightly shifted his glass in his hand,

"About half the nobles in the city didn’t show up today. They probably sent over retainers and all that. The retainers know to keep their mouths closed and their ears open, so things are much more quiet, I’d say."

Nero hummed, wondering what Jacob was implying.

"Isn’t this supposed to be a party meant to celebrate Arthur?"

Jacob snorted, "On the surface, maybe. However, the main purpose of this is for the Lord Koh to rally as much support as he can for his kid. Those who arrived today can be seen as potential brothers and sisters to the cause of the House Koh."

Nero scratched his head.

He understood Jacob’s words, but not really at the same time. The idea of all this was still rather strange to him.

He shook his head. Seeing this, Jacob chuckled,

"I guess we both can agree on that. There truly is no point in all this."

Nero nodded slightly. Then he paused for a moment before shaking his head, "I’m guessing within the ranks of the Templars, the greater the numbers, the higher your chances of survival."

Jacob did not disagree, "That is true. But no man, regardless of superficial loyalties, will take an arrow to the back for you."

A solemn look spread across his face,

"Only those who truly believe in you and your cause. Your brothers. Everyone else only seems to gain something or the other."

Nero froze. He turned his gaze to look at Jacob more deeply.

"Stop staring so hard," Jacob said, without looking at him, taking another drink from a passing servant.

"I’m not—"

Across the hall, someone laughed very loudly at something, and the laughter spread through the nearest cluster. Jacob watched this with an expression of mild contempt.

"House Valen," he said. "The two young ones near the column have been watching us since we walked in."

Nero looked. Two men, seemingly in their mid-twenties, their eyes sweeping over occasionally.

"Why would they be watching us?"

Jacob turned to him, 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Because Arthur Koh walked in with someone they know nothing about. Of course they will be curious." Jacob’s unhurried gaze moved elsewhere. "Let them look. It’s not like looking will tell them anything."

"Are you always like this at parties?"

Jacob considered the question with apparent seriousness. "My family holds a dinner every year for our business partners. I have attended every one of these dinners since I was old enough to sit at the table. So yes. I am always like this at parties."

Nero chuckled. "That sounds exhausting."

"It is," Jacob said. "Drink your wine."

Nero drank his wine.

The evening moved around them. Arthur remained at his father’s end of the hall, visible periodically between shifting clusters of bodies, and each time Nero caught a glimpse of him he appeared to be doing something slightly different— listening intently, speaking briefly, laughing at something, or simply standing still. He looked completely at home and in his element.

He on the other hand, could only continue to drink.

Looking down at the ruby red drink in his hand, he sloshed it around a bit. Both Jacob and himself had drunken quite a bit already. He still felt completely fine while Jacob seemed a bit tipsy already.

’Perhaps it has something to do with my impressive constitution.’

Nero let out a chuckle then a sigh.

His head turned and his gaze traveled out of the lit hall and into the dark night sky.

A gentle gust of wind blew in through the open window, scattering a few strands of his raven black hair.

The surrounding din seemed to fade out for a moment as he watched the gentle clouds sway and shift.

The night had just begun, it seemed...