Spinning around, I caught sight of a veritable wall of dress-covered muscle walking toward me. As it so happened, this particular muscle-wall was one I was familiar with.

“Alar-” I choked on the word, trying to catch myself before finishing it, accidentally letting an expletive replace it. “Oh, fuck. I mean, Alex?” Belatedly, I recalled that she’d never actually told me her name. While Warram had known who she was, he’d just referred to her as “Valis” the entire time. The only reason I knew it was because I’d been snooping on her status, and I had an obfuscation-breaking skill.

“Ha! As expected from one with your perceptive abilities! It seems you saw through my guise from the start! Indeed, I am Alara. Good to make your acquaintance once more!”

Her response would have normally been relieving — it seemed like she wasn’t holding it against me that I’d Identified her, nor was she prying into my ability to see through whatever obfuscation she had.

Sadly, whatever relief I would have gained was immediately taken away as I noticed the man who stood behind her.

Half a head taller than even Alara, he radiated a palpable sense of danger that put me at unease. Looking to be in his mid-forties, he had a short head of dark curly hair, a defiant grin, and was wearing a suit that blurred the lines between formal wear and battle gear.

None of that in and of itself would have been too wild. What was, however, was that I realized I knew him too. Not from having met him in person, but from seeing his image.

“Tyrin! Good to see you!” Undeterred by the man’s aura, Suds bridged the distance between them and clapped the man on the shoulder before pulling him in for a brief hug. “That the Valis brat with you? The ball’s for adults and the new wave of academy students. Thought she still had a year or two before she was supposed to be here.”

Tyrin returned the embrace, his grin only widening. “Good to see you. And that is the ‘Valis brat’.” He moved a hand to Alara’s head, patting it. “She was supposed to come next year, but she picked up her class and has been bugging her parents nonstop, so they enrolled her early. Nevermind that, though. Is one of you going to tell me who your brat is?” Despite posing the question to both of the other two, he turned expectantly to Alara.

Eager to comply, Alara immediately shouted out her answer. “This is- Well, I do not know her name! Or how she knows the Wash Man! But she is the Perceptive Pickaxe girl I met the other night!”

Is that really how she’s thinking of me? I stifled a groan.

“Perceptive Pickaxe girl, meet Uncle Ty! Uncle Ty, meet Perceptive Pickaxe girl!”

Amazingly, she didn’t seem remotely embarrassed to be shouting that as an introduction. “Uncle Ty,” on the other hand, managed to look a bit abashed as he stroked his niece’s hair.

“Oh? This was the one who could see through illusions that night you snuck out without telling anyone? But let’s ignore that for a moment — ‘Lara, I’m sure we’ve talked about asking for people’s names when you meet them, haven’t we? And not calling the chamber head ‘Wash Man’ to his face? In any case, Wash Man, you want to maybe give a bette- a different introduction?”

Suds chuckled and nodded. He knew that the introduction was hardly necessary for my part, but he did it anyway.

“Tess, this is Tyrin’Aren, certified battle-maniac, overbearing family-man, and — in his spare time — the Chamber Head of Adventure. Tyrin, this is Tess. My granddaughter.”

I wasn’t even in the venue yet, and already I’d run into one of the other chamber heads. I tried to Identify him, but largely as expected, his level was too high to give me anything but his name.

Admittedly, he seems a lot less scary while doting on his niece. Why couldn’t I get that chamber head instead? Pretty sure if I’d said what Alara just did, I’d be getting either a water-flick or a soap-mouth.

If I was surprised to see Tyrin along with Alara, it looked like the two of them were now considerably more surprised to see me. The moment the word granddaughter had been spoken, the expressions on their faces shifted rapidly. Tyrin’s was considerably less noticeable, whereas Alara practically had her mouth open.

“Granddaughter, huh? Thought I was still in my prime, but maybe I’m finally starting to get old. Could have sworn you didn’t have one of those. ‘Lara, why don’t you show Tess inside while I have a chat with Suds here.” He maintained direct eye contact with Suds while he spoke, raising a brow as if in challenge.

A moment later, I found an inescapable grip on my arm, dragging me towards the palatial mansion as I struggled to squeak out a protest.

“Wai- Wait!” I called out to Suds. “Aren’t I supposed to stick with you? I thought you were going to introduce me to people.” I was already nervous enough — it was only the thought that Suds would be there to bail me out if I didn’t know what to say that was making things bearable.

Busy maintaining eye contact with Tyrin, Suds simply waved us away. “Eh, plenty of time for that. It’ll be more fun if people see you and say ‘huh, who’s that?’ for a while. Build up the mystique, you know? Have fun!”

Betrayal! By my own fake grandfather!

Having been thrown to the wolves, there was nothing I could do as Alara renewed her efforts in dragging me to the venue. Actually, I supposed there was one thing I could do. As we got closer and closer, I sent out a silent prayer to whoever was listening.

Hi gods. Preferably whichever of you are in charge of balls and parties and stuff. Actually, is this how this works? Can gods on this planet hear prayers? That’s kind of creepy now that I think about it.

Okay, not the point; if you can hear this, sorry for calling you creepy. Just, uh, try to make this not suck too bad for me if that’s an option? Thanks guys. Tess, out.

I winced.

Yeah, all right, this is going to suck, isn’t it?

If nothing else, the grand sense of impending doom that filled me was temporarily held at bay by the opulence that surrounded me. I did my best not to openly gape and make everyone think I was some sort of uncultured swine, but internally, I was kind of feeling like an uncultured swine.

Which was funny, in a way. I’d already been in an actual palace. Somehow, though, the interior of the Chamber Head of Nobility’s home put the palace of Ftheran to shame.

The main reception room was expansive, filled to the brim with people dressed to the nines. Ever-so-slightly dim orange lights. Blue, crystalline walls, intricately carved and emanating a soothing mist of mana. A live band in the corner, playing instruments I didn’t recognize, some of which had mana integrated into them. With Mana Sense, the sounds of the mana added another element to the noise playing over the multitude of conversations that filled the room, and I found myself feeling sad for anyone who couldn’t hear it.

On top of that, there was the classic artwork in the forms of paintings, sculptures, and more besides, but past that, there was also art made from mana. The mana sculptures worked with color and density in a way that was pleasing to the eye, but also hummed with gentle frequencies that complemented one another. They were breathtaking, and made all the more opulent by the fact that I imagined at least half the room couldn’t even see or hear them. Who had money for something most guests couldn’t appreciate?

Thankfully, past checking that we were invited, there was no one to announce our presence to the room, nor did anyone ambush us the moment we got in. Before I could be completely overwhelmed by the art and the music and the people, Alara pulled me through a series of side rooms, similarly filled with art that I could tell cost more than I’d seen in my entire life.

“First! Food. Then! People. Come!”

I let myself be dragged, completely deferring to my unexpected companion until we reached a series of tables piled with delicacies I didn’t recognize. Perhaps sensing I was lost, or perhaps just overeager to show off her favorite foods, Alara fixed me a small plate, pairing it with a mug of amber beer.

The room with the food hosted a number of small standing tables, one of which we claimed. In the back of my mind, I watched amusedly as Alara handed me a fork. Guess all that etiquette training on selecting silverware wasn’t even needed in the end.

“Eat! Drink! Not so much that you lose yourself, but enough to enjoy yourself!”

A part of me wanted to protest — if my main goal was not to make a fool of myself, alcohol probably shouldn’t have been part of the equation — but the words died on my tongue, washed down with booze.

Oh. Pretty good actually. Maybe…

I took the opportunity to try binding the beer to my new Conjure Liquid effect, only to receive a notification that it failed. The beer was apparently too rare and too costly to bind.

Shame. Still good, though.

Unsurprisingly, so was the food. Some of it even provided various buffs and effects, many of which were focused on social skills and Charisma.

Did I just get more attractive by eating finger foods?

Best not to spend too much time thinking about it.

Bolstered by the warmth of the beer and a partially full stomach of conversational-enhancing delicacies, I did have to admit that some of the shock of it all was starting to wear off. If I gave myself just a little bit more time, perhaps I’d even be ready to-

“Good! Come. Now we meet people.”

Before I’d even fully finished my plate, Alara yanked me away, paying no heed to my frantic cries.

“This is an adventure!” she countered. Making zero effort to modulate her voice down for the setting, she received more than a few stares, only making my anxiety worse. “We must strike decisively! No hiding!”

Half-weaving, half-bowling through the crowd in the dining room, Alara worked our way towards the main reception room.

What if I just wanted to, I don’t know, spend some time looking at art? That’s probably allowed, isn’t it?

Alara came to an abrupt stop and started staring at one of sculptures — a marble statue of a warrior, bedecked in armor and weapons made from violent, red mana. For a brief second, I thought she might have heard my thoughts and was acquiescing, until I followed her eyes and noticed the woman standing in front of the sculpture.

Wait, I recognize her from my lessons too. Even without a memory skill, it would have been hard not to remember her. White hair fell down to her shoulders, only a few shades lighter than her skin, which looked as if it had been forcibly drained of its color. Her eyes were an almost clear light blue that seemed to be fixed in a penetrating perma-glare.

Not one of the chamber heads, but-

“Ice Lady!”

The “Ice Lady” in question flinched in time with the massive wince that came over me, all while I found myself being pulled towards her.

It’s fine. They’re probably friends or something. I’m sure Alara wouldn’t-

“I do not believe we are sufficiently acquainted for you to refer to me with such a moniker, and I am informing you that I find your behavior offensive. The young Lady Valis, yes?”

Fuuuuuu-

“I apologize!” Still gripping me, Alara bent her body downwards so quickly, I was worried she was doing some sort of headbutt attack. Despite having not said a single word yet, I found myself pulled down with her into what I realized was a deep bow. “I am very bad with names and have been told I have no social tact! You are enrolling in the academy this year, yes? So are we! This is Perceptive Pickaxe girl!”

I tried to don my most winning smile, but it came out as a somewhat sheepish grimace despite my best attempt. Talk about social whiplash. Plus, didn’t she just learn my name, like, ten minutes ago? There’s absolutely no way she’s forgotten it already.

The ice in Ice Lady’s eyes melted marginally to accommodate the pitying glance she shot me. “You do not have my permission to continue using that moniker, but I do now realize that there are worse fates than being known as ‘Ice Lady.’” A thin, pale hand extended towards me. “Lady Verin’Sylus, granddaughter of Chamber Head Victa’Sylus. Chamber of Nobility. Perhaps a pleasure to meet you? I remain unsure. From your attire, I glean you are affiliated with the Commons?”

Ehhh, probably could be worse. At least it was perhaps a pleasure to meet me. Although I’d have to think twice about letting Alara initiate future conversations. I accepted the proffered hand, grasping it from below in a sign of deference drilled into me by Markus. It was nearly unbearably cold.

“Sorry about that. Tess. Uh. Tess’Astorius. I’m Suds’ granddaughter.”

Deception has reached level 2!

Sheesh, maybe I should consider lying more often. That’s just sad. I was pretty sure it was the first time I’d delivered that lie to anyone — normally Suds had done it for me.

“Oh.” Lady Verin rotated her hand, grasping mine from the side in a sign of respect. “Forgive me; I wasn’t aware of your existence. Would you happen to be the daughter of the Barber, then?”

Weird. Does she know Barb? “Y- Yes, actually. And no worries. I actually just arrived here a few weeks ago. I don’t think anyone really is ‘aware of my existence,’ I guess.” I wondered if it was possible for my Deception skill to unlevel, but if Verin was onto my lies, she didn’t comment. At least the bulk of it was true. Just not the part about Barb.

“Ah. That will soon be quite the gossip, then. Welcome. I have fond recollections of the Barber. He would cut my hair when I was younger, and would serve an excellent cup of tea as he did so. Without meaning offense, I dare say my current stylist cannot live up to him. Have you perhaps inherited a taste for finer tea from your father?”

Barb cut the nobles’ hair? I guess it made sense, though I just hadn’t thought about it.

“Uh, sorry, no. We recently reconnected, and I had tea with him a few times, but he hasn’t had a chance to teach me much about it.” Nice. Not even a lie.

“A pity. Should you see him again, give him my regards.”

Okay. I feel like this is a pretty acceptable point to say goodbye and back away before I embar-

“Ha! Hidden connections! You two will be fast friends, without doubt!” Alara grabbed both of us by the shoulders, clamping down. “You should come along with us! Enjoy the ball! Why are you in the corner with the art?”

God, please no! I was barely keeping it together while I was still relegated to small-talk. While I had nothing against her, spending the rest of the night alongside Verin would be torture to every fiber of me save for my Deception skill.

“Lady Valis, I do not enjoy being casually touched as such.”

Even before the sentence was fully complete, Alara whipped her hand off the noble’s shoulder, bowing once more. Verin took little note, carrying on as if it hadn’t happened.

“To answer your question, I have recently passed the first Perception threshold. I am rather familiar with the art in the house, and on occasion have viewed it with the aid of mana contacts, but I’m finding the sensation much richer now that I can perceive it more fully.” She turned from us, taking in the statue. “A shame there are so few who can appreciate it.”

Oh. I actually kind of agreed with her on that one. “Um, yeah. That’s actually kind of how I felt. Except, why this one? It sounds… angry.” The underlying marble statue was pleasant, but to me, it was one of the few cases where the additional mana made me like the piece less. The armor and weapons glowed red, filling me with a sense of unease. The sound of the mana was even worse — a faint discordant hum, like a swarm of wasps. I was honestly surprised such a piece was even out on display, and I certainly couldn’t understand why the noble would gravitate to it.

Verin pulled her attention from the art back to me, tilting her head to the side. “You’ve reached the threshold too, then? How rare. Perhaps you are not currently suited towards tea-related endeavors, but there are a number of galleries throughout the city. It would be nice to have someone of our age to go with who can see what I see.”

Wait, what? Somehow after everything I’d been through, her words took me aback far more than nearly anything else. Am I going to be invited to see magical art with a noble sometime? She actually didn’t seem too bad, but I successfully stifled a groan. If that happens, Markus is definitely going to give me a bunch more etiquette lessons. Crap.

“As to your question,” she continued, “I find this piece rather curious. ‘Hidden Blood,’ it’s called. An allusion to the parable of Isain the Bloody. A grand hero, charismatic and beloved by many, until it was eventually revealed much of his strength came from slowly draining those around him. A warning against blindly trusting in those who attempt to fool you with bright smiles and kind words. I find it much more compelling with the sound added in.”

I reexamined the statue, only to find that my unease had intensified. A parable, or a story based on history? Hard to tell on this world.

“Lady Tess. I have decided it was a pleasure after all. If you’ll excuse me, however, I do believe Miss Valis is becoming increasingly antsy as we stand still. I will remain here, but I wish you well, and hope you enjoy your first ball. Farewell.”

She nodded my way and I returned the gesture. The split second I did so, I found myself yanked off once more.

“Enjoy the art Ice- Uh, Verin! Good chatting with you, and we will see you again at the academy!” For all that she’d been corrected on her social gaffes, Alara didn’t seem to be put off in the least bit, ready to force me into my next encounter. We successfully escaped the room, at last making it back to the main reception room.

Seemed like she was receptive to Verin when she made requests. Maybe I can too? “Alara, would it be okay if you let go of me? I promise I’ll try to keep up.”

To her credit, she removed her hands from me before I even finished speaking. I was pretty sure I could feel the blood rush to my hands as she did so. I doubt it had been intentional, but something told me Alara’s idea of a light grip might have crushed me if I’d still been level one.

“Thanks. And for the next person we see, can you warn me before we run up to them at least? It’s just nice to have a second to mentally prepare, you kn-”

A shadow fell over us as someone grabbed the two of us from behind. Spinning around, I caught sight of one of the last people I wanted to see.

Before the man could get a single word out, Alara shouted out a greeting.

“War Man! Hi!”