“To think that Mikky is a Dragna….”

Inside a certain room, in a certain apartment, Hinami and others were all sitting around a table.

Their line of sight was focused on a single person, Gamiko Dragna.

“Well, it's true that azure and purple hair along with blue eyes, are traits of the Dragna Clan….”

“And it would explain that beast like aura he's giving off.”

Said Sora and Ace, respectively.

“So what? You're royalty or something?”

Ace asked.

“Nope. My clan gave up the rights to inherit the throne a long time ago.”

“Ah, I did hear that there's more than one branch of the clan. So, you're not related to that tyrant of a king?”

“We're related but like a distant relative or something.”

“Then how are you going to take the throne?”

Asked Sora.

“The same way most successful people get what they want in this world, by force.”

Miko showed the trio a devious smile, which made them tense up.

“….Mikky, do you know what you're saying? Taking the throne isn't as easy as it sounds. In order to become king you'll need to either kill or capture the King. Both of which are impossible for a kid like you. Especially, with you being a [Upper C-Class].”

“You said something similar earlier, but what are these [Classes]?”

Hina smiled bitterly when she heard his question.

“You really don't know anything, do you?”

“Sorry for being ignorant. No one told me anything in the country.”

You could tell from his tone, that Miko was irritated.

“It's fine. I'll explain it for you, Mikky.”

Hina stood up and walked over to a whiteboard and started writing.

Miko questioned why there was a whiteboard here, but decided to just go with the flow.

“A long time ago, when the War For Supremacy had just reach a ceasefire, the Higher Beings created a system to determine a person's overall abilities. This was the [Class System].”

Hina used a marker and wrote the names of all the major races.

“Every living thing is apart of this system, no matter the race. The purpose of the class system was to prevent people from blindingly picking fights with someone who was far superior than them, by grouping everyone into [Classes] depending on how powerful they were.”

“….I see. That way you would have a vague idea of your chances of victory, before you pick a fight with someone. This surely should prevent countless deaths.”

“But, it's isn't fool-proof.”

Said Ace.

“If you train hard enough, you can temporarily hide your [Class].”

“Not to mention, there are [Limiters] that you can wear to suppress your power.”

“Hey, you two! Who's the one that's doing the teaching here?!”

Hina slammed her hand on the whiteboard while shouting that.

“……..”

“Good.”

Seeing that, Ace and Sora shut up she continued.

“Just like Ace said, the system isn't foolproof. Since it's an old system people found ways to cheat it. But since none of us here can actually do it, I can't explain it.”

Hina then wrote “The different Classes” on the white board.

“There are several [Classes], with the lowest being[E]. By the way, newborn don’t normally have a class, unless they're born with overwhelming power.”

Hina then wrote the various classes.

E

D

C

B

A

S

SS

SSS

X

XX

XXX

“Oi, oi. Normally wouldn't it stop at S? Why are there so many [Classes]? And why does the last one sounds like something you can't show kids?”

Asked Miko.

“That's because they wanted to be as exact as possible. Even with this much it's still not exact. Especially after you pass [A].”

Replied Hina.

“I see. But how do you know which [Class] someone is in?”

“That's easy. Just focus on someone until you feel their presence. After that, you'll subconsciously know their [Class].”

“Sounds confusing but I'll give it a go.”

Miko then began staring hard at Hina. He erased every other distraction and focused only on her.

“Mikky, if you stare at me with such passionate eyes, I'll blush.”

But Hina was being bashful(?) for some reason.

“Shut up. I'm focusing.”

He continued to stare at her, and then he somehow knew it.

“[Upper C Class]…”

“That's right. Everyone in this room is [Upper C Class]. That wasn't so hard right?”

“After some practice it will be as easy as breathing.”

Sora added.

“By the way, just because we're in the same class doesn't mean that we're equal in strength. It isn't uncommon for an [Upper C Class] fighter to able to kill 10 other [Upper C Class] fighters.”

Said Ace.

“Is that so?......Just to be clear, how strong are the people in each class?”

Hina went into deep thinking for a while before writing on the board.

“Based from my experience and various stuff I’ve read, it's like this.”

She began her explanation while writing.

“First of all, each [Class] can be broken up into Lower, Mid and Upper. Once you pass Upper you enter a new [Class]. But to do that, you must reach the required strength.”

She then pointed on the different classes.

“E and D Classes are mostly filled with children, so it isn't really important.

[C Class] is the most common class. The average adult even without knowledge of magic and other fighting methods, would still fall under [Lower C Class].

While the average street thug, who lived a life of continuous fighting, would fall under [Mid C Class].

The average city guard who’ve underwent intensive military training falls under [Upper C Class].”

“….We’re as strong as the average guard.”

Memories of his fight with Leon flashed in his mind.

His father was praised as a rising talent. Even though from one point of view, Miko was the one who won the fight, but he didn't think so.

Even though, Leon came at him with the intent to kill, Miko still felt like he subconsciously held back. Not mention, Miko used [War Face] and [Dragon Rage] to boost his abilities. While Leon fought without using his clan trait.

To Miko, he's the one who lost. He also believed that Leon was in a different class from him. This was the main reason he sought allies.

“What about the others?”

He asked.

“Once you pass [C Class] you become above average. All of our generals are [B Class]. In fact, you can't be a general unless you've entered that class.”

Hina replied.

“What's the difference in power between a [C Class] and a [B Class]?”

Hina smiled bitterly for moment before answering.

“One [B Class] can easily kill a hundred [C Classes] without breaking a sweat.”

“100?!”

That was a number Miko didn't expect to hear. He looked around and saw that Sora and Ace agreed with what Hina said.

“That's how big of a difference there is between the [Classes]. It's practically suicide to fight someone who's in a higher Class than you.”

“Well, there are numerous cases of persons beating someone one [Class] higher than them. So it's not like you can't win.”

“Then, would you fight someone in a higher class than you, Ace?”

Sora asked.

“Hell no. Do I look suicidal to you?”

An immediate answer.

“….Is there anyone in this Kingdom who is higher than [B Class]?”

Hina once again smiled bitterly.

“Only two that I know of….”

“Who?”

“The King’s Guard, and the Kingdom’s Trump Card, Marco Saevio. The other is the Tyrant King, King Dario Dragna. They're both [Lower A Class] fighters.”

“………”

Miko said nothing in response to what Hina said. And she took that as him realizing he can't win.

“You see? Taking throne will be impossible. You would not only need to take down all the generals, but even the two strongest men in the Kingdom.”

“Hina's right. You should give up, kid.”

Sora added.

But Miko still didn't say anything. And then-

“Hahaha…”

He started laughing.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

His laugh gradually grew louder, which surprised them.

It wasn't a laugh of self-pity or hopelessness.

It was a laughter of pure amusement and excitement.

It wasn't long before he stopped laughing and formed a savage smile with his lips.

“Perfect. Just perfect.”

Miko's words confused the others.

“What's perfect, Mikky?”

“This opening act of course!”

Miko's smile grew more savage by the second.

“Originally, I had thought that it would be easy to take this kingdom when I grew up. But oh boy was I wrong. I didn't really want to become king, I just wanted to see my limits. That's why having two untouchable figures stand in my way excites me.”

Miko got so excited that his eyes turned a beastly purple.

“I don't care about human Kingdoms. The ones I have my eye on are on a higher pedestal. Everything else is only a stepping stone to reach that stage. And those two stepping-stones will surely help my growth.”

The feeling the others got from Miko, was that of a beast itching to ripping his prey apart. They instinctively feared him for a moment, and deemed as him dangerous.

(Oi, your crazy is showing.)

“Ah.”

Seeing that he was getting overly excited and acting out of character, Miko calmed himself down by taking a deep breath. His eyes returned to normal as well.

“Sorry about that. And thanks for the advice, because of it I'm looking forward to the future again.”

He apologized with a gentle smile.

“Could you continue, Hina?”

“A-Ah. Yeah.”

Hina was still shocked by Miko's behavior, but decided to finish what she started.

“….Well, after you pass [A Class] you enter the realm of monsters. I've never seen any, but it's said that those who are [S-SSS Class] are basically a walking nation. Meaning, they’re as strong as a country.”

“Damn…What about those higher?”

“It's best to consider those people gods.”

Answered Ace.

“[X-XXX Classes] are beings closest to those who fought in the War For Supremacy, The Higher Beings. They can practically do anything.”

“Create and destroy dimensions. Summon a meteor shower out of nowhere. Create a sun and scorch the earth with it. Freeze the ocean just to walk across it. Raise the dead and create a country filled with zombies. Just to name a few feats that were documented.”

Said Sora.

“It's said that they’ve always worn several limiters when they go to certain places. If they don’t, they can alter the topography and kill millions just by existing there.”

Hina added.

“Sounds like being that strong is a pain in the ass.”

Said Miko.

“Well, less than 1,000,000 people have been able to reach that level in 10,000 years. So, it's literally the peak of power.”

‘Oi, Tiamat. Is everything they said true?’

(Yup. Well, some of it is incorrect but most of the important parts are true.)

‘I see.’

Miko turned to the trio.

“Thanks for the info. It was really helpful.”

“It's nothing. We're friends after all, Mikky.”

“But you sure are informative, Hina. It's hard to believe that you're 10.”

“That's because I need immense knowledge in order to use my powers properly. So, I spend most of my time reading. That and the fact I'm considered a bit of a genius.”

“Is that so? Now that I think about it, you still haven't shown me your other power.”

“Surely you don't expect a woman to reveal all her secrets to a man she just met.”

She Said with a teasing tone.

‘…..What has this little girl been reading? How to be a man-eater 101?’

(She's definitely will break a lot of hearts in the future. I'll advice you to be careful around her.)

‘Ha. Like I'll be tempted by a little girl. Especially by someone who's forcing herself to act like a vixen.’

(What about when she grows up? Can you still say you won't be tempted? If I remember correctly, Logan Cross was a lecherous person. He would sometimes hide his identity and pick up women to satisfy his lust, and then disappear from their lives forever before it became serious. You're a man so I can't rule out the possibility of you being seduced in the future.)

‘……….’

“Hm? Mikky, you look upset. Is something wrong?”

Hina brought her face closer and was staring in Miko's eyes.

“No. I was just wondering where I was going to sleep tonight.”

Miko casually moved away from her.

“Did you run away from home, Mikky?”

Asked Sora.

“Don't call me that, and yeah, something like that.”

“If you want, you can stay here, Mikky.”

“What?”

“There's a lot of rooms here, so you can stay in one of them.”

Hina turned towards her friends.

“That's fine right?”

“It's your house. Do whatever you want.”

Ace lazily nodded at Sora’s words. Hina smiled and then turned back to Miko.

“See.”

“Sorry but-”

(Wait. Take the offer.)

‘Huh?! Have you gone senile?! Don't you see this a trap?!’

(I know but there's something I need to confirm no matter what.)

‘What's that?’

(For some reason these kids are outside my observation net, I need to know why. But I'm unable to that if you're not with them.)

‘So you're willing to sacrifice me to satisfy your curiosity? Fuck that I'm getting out of here before I end up on a dissection table.”

(Then how about this? I'll give you my Regalia when you reach [B Class] if you stay here for a while. And I'll teach you two new techniques anytime you want.)

‘….Why are you so desperate?’

(You're theory that the girl might have approached because you're a Proxy, might be true. However it seems to be a lot more complicated than that.)

‘Meaning?’

(It's weak but there's a foreign aura lingering around the three of them. That aura might be reason for their actions and the reason why I can't observe them.)

‘You mean mind control?’

(No, its more like subliminal messaging. From the way they're acting they honestly believe that their actions are natural. But here's what I'm most concerned about. This aura was implanted several years ago, and only became active now, as if a criteria was met.)

‘…So you're saying my meeting with them was planned years ago? If that's so then that's all the more reason to leave while I can.’

(No, the person who implanted the aura isn't in the kingdom. In fact they aren't even on the continent. They most likely left after implanting the aura, and left instructions for the kids.)

‘What kind of instructions?’

(That's what I want you to find out. I need to if someone is targeting me directly or are they are targeting the Dragna Clan as a whole. To do that I need you to stay with them for a while.)

‘…….’

(Do I need to mention that if we don't determine the nature of the threat, there's a high chance that Sasha and twins will be at risk?)

‘Fine. But keep your promise about the Regalia and the techniques.’

(Of course.)

Miko then turned his attention back to Hina, who patiently waited for his answer.

“Then I'll take you up on your offer.”

Later that night, Miko was given a room to stay in.

It was normal sized, and was fully furnished.

Apparently, all the rooms were furnished. Miko didn't asked why this was so.

He was laying on the bed and was looking at the ceiling.

“What do you think, Tiamat?”

(About what?)

“My chances of taking the throne.”

(50/50.)

“Oh?”

(It's as you said, you obviously can't do it by yourself. So it depends on who you join forces with.)

“Then I'll have to see if I can put those 3 to use before they turn on me.”

(….Are you sure? You'll have to sleep with one eye opened you know?)

“I'll do it if necessary. Besides, who knows I might gain a lot from this. No venture no gain right?”

(Well, even though I'm cautious of her, that Hinami girl does possess some interesting abilities, so I agree with you trying to obtain her. But as for Sora and Ace, I can't say if they will be useful yet.”

“I also want to meet this Darius guy.”

(If he's useful, will you turn on them to get his favor?)

“No. If he's useful I'll try to obtain both him and them.”

(Isn't that too greedy?)

Tiamat spoke with a teasing voice.

“I'm a greedy human being. I won't let anything I want slip away from me. I'll take whatever I want, no matter the consequences.”

Miko spoke with a devilish smile.

(My, what a selfish and greedy human.)

“Worthy of being your Proxy, right?”

(Of course. Burn the world, oppress it and make it your own. That's what I want to see.)

“So basically, do what I want and screw the consequences?”

(Exactly.)

At this point Miko didn't know that the time for him to meet Darius was quickly approaching.