The rest of his cascading hair was tied behind his head in a shape resembling "∞." Exuding an air of elegance as he walked, he seemed mature for his age, but the dignity of his aura paled in comparison to someone like Fredric's. With him were three people; a young girl and boy wearing outfits with contrasting color schemes, and a well-aged man. The young duo emanated a hot and cold personality dynamic. The girl on the right glanced at Levinia and the others with a gentle smile while the impatient youth all but scowled at them.
"As I'm sure you already know, I am Jin Longxin."
"How did you find us?" Cutting him off, Levina asked that question as she shot a sharp glare at the trio.
"You are quite famous throughout all of Solis Keep, so it really shouldn't be that much of a surprise since you're just casually strolling through our domain like this." Jin responded with his unshaken charisma.
He continued.
"I apologize for being unable to attend the meeting earlier. I had some business to attend to you see."
He stated those few words as if he was bestowing knowledge upon them.
"Not to worry. I already declined the offer." Levinia replied with a gently smile, switching her attitude almost immediately.
Kanon shivered at the sight of it because he could easily tell.....her eyes weren't smiling.
The newly arrived trio were clearly shocked at her bold declaration. She didn't show the slightest hint of hesitation.
"Oi! What do you mean you decli-"
Before the young boy behind him could finish, Jin had stopped him with his outstretched hand.
"Enough Chen....That butler over there is giving you a rather menacing look."
Glancing back towards Levinia and company, Jin returned the fake gesture in kind. A thin smile spread across his face.
"I apologize for his previous outburst. He's quite the hot head you see."
"I don't mind at all. It's a common trait these days."
"Still, why did you reject the offer? I thought it was a fairly good deal."
"You shouldn't beat around the bush when dealing with girls. How am I supposed to take you seriously when you can't even speak to me directly?" Levinia's words took on a more serious tone as she spoke through her plastered smile.
"I see. I'll keep that in mind but, just to confirm does that mean you're passing up yet another Festa?"
For a moment, it appeared as if Levinia was lost in thought until-
"No...in fact it's the opposite." Her plastered smile had been shattered and the real thing had now emerged in its place.
Jin, unable to get the better of his own curiosity finally gave in.
"Oh? Then I suppose you don't mind me asking who your teammates are - If you even have any that is."
"Well, you're not very far off. As of right now I only have one teammate."
"And who might that be?" The arrogant youth narrowed his eyes with that demanding question.
It seems neither of them could keep up the façade for very long.
Separating the excess silk fabric housing her crossed arms, she made an exaggerated motion and pointed to the half dead youth beside her.
"It's him."
"Eh?"
A stupid sound escaped Kanon's mouth right after Levinia's bold declaration.
*********************************
Laughter, confusion, indifference, curiosity and complete confidence. These reactions were what Levinia's sudden declaration had warranted. She was among the minority of people here who actually believed that the confidence she held in her newly selected partner was grounded.
"Pffftt! Ha Ha Ha!"
The haughty boy behind Jin Longxin was the one currently indulging in his own delight, clutching his sides and making it seem as if Levinia had just said something ridiculous.
"That's a good one. You turned down our offer to partner up with a guy like him? That guy can't even use arcanum properly, can he?"
Kanon gave a disinterested look at the sight of Chen's exaggerated display. He didn't have the will nor energy to dispute his claim. Chen's other two companions, the stern-faced man and the cheerful girl beside him held different perspectives on the matter.
The man wore an expression of complete indifference and merely shifted his gaze towards a different target. The girl who was now seemingly enthralled by the sudden development, had eyes that were beaming with curiosity.
"He looks kind of weak but maybe he's actually got a secret weapon or something!?" She directed her question to no one in particular.
"Don't be ridiculous Lin, there's no way he's got anything like that." Chen spat in an irksome tone; it seemed he'd finally recovered from the previous fit of laughter.
The young lord facing Levinia was the only one that was somewhat confused at the moment. He neither ridiculed nor entertained Levinia's declaration, and after giving Kanon a lengthy once over, he finally spoke.
"Shou, who is that boy?" He asked the man at the very back of the group.
A deep voice swiftly answered his query.
"Young master, that is Kanon Malford. He's the rumored outlier that was raised by the eccentric sorceress "Aurora." It seems the rumors about him awakening the Goetiawere actually true."
Still lost in thought, Jin searched through his hazy memories, but it was to no avail. Realizing this, the dutiful servant at Jin's beck and call offered another suggestion to aid in the young master's recollection.
"Young master, I believe the Shōgō "Tainted Pariah" would be of more significance to you."
Jin's eyes widened with a sudden spark, and he slowly clapped his hands together.
"Oh! So that was you. That hair of yours should have been a dead giveaway, but I tend to disregard anything I've lost interest in you see."
"Lost Interest?" Kanon questioned in a dreary tone.
"Yes. I was actually planning on recruiting you too you know, but your haphazard nature and that master of yours made it quite difficult for me to make contact with you and in the end I had no choice but to subdue my curiosity."
"How unfortunate." Kanon responded with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice. Jin didn't seem to notice the subtlety though.
"Still, this is a good opportunity, with the both of you teaming up this time around, I'll be able to grasp the brunt of your skills in a more direct manner – wouldn't you agree,Tainted Pariah?"
His voice just then held an ominous undertone that was masked by the sadistic smile he wore. Kanon met his piercing gaze and smiled wryly in return.
"Don't use that name in my presence."
Levinia interrupted the two, cutting through the foreboding air between them with nothing but a demanding tone doused in a mix of her irritation. She really could rise to her noble status when the situation called for it.
"Thats the Shōgō he was given was it not? I am simply sticking to the correct terminology for one such as himself. I did the same for you just now didn't I?"
The sadism on his face had now mellowed out into a look of complete condescension. But his reasoning was somewhat grounded; Shōgō's were the titles bestowed upon Asura based on either their strength, or reputation. They were nothing more than lofty titles but receiving one was often seen as an honorable achievement, but in the latter case of a Asura earning a Shōgō based on their reputation, it could lead to one's detriment.
Being associated with a vilified Shōgō would spell nothing but trouble, and that was all the more true in Kanon's case. It was a customary practice for certain nobles to only refer to those they deemed worthy, or whom they respected by their given names, and Shōgō's were a perfect tool for filling in the gaps in conversations they'd encounter when talking to those they didn't hold in high regard.
Now was a perfect example of that, as the young Longxin before them hadn't referred to a single one of his potential competitors by name up to now.
"The correct terminology huh? I did think it was strange for you to address another noble who you hadn't even officially met yet by their given Shōgō, but to think you'd be so brazen with your words."
Retaining his previous tone, Jin dismissively replied.
"Well considering the current circumstances, it's a given don't you think? Though you may be exalted as one of the strongest upstarts in the Silva domain, the same logic doesn't apply here. Us here in the Wujin domain are constantly honing our skills within the confines of the Kairos district. That is why it was built after all."
A smug expression gently crept across Levinia's face. She asked her next question already knowing what answer she would get.
"In other words, I'll have to prove my strength to you before you can acknowledge me, is that it?"
"That would be the most practical method, no?"
"That's true...Well then...."
Levinia slowly reached towards the blade firmly hanging from her hip.
"Milady.....It wouldn't do to start something like that here."
Fredric calmly intervened in the all but destined clash. By his demeanor you'd think he was more concerned about the current location than the girl's safety.
"Uhh...You guy's seem to be forgetting something but how exactly am I supposed to participate in the Festa? After all, I don't have a clan."
Kanon once again attracted the gazes of the unlikely gathering. It was a good thing these roads were hardly ever used; else the current gathering would make for quite the spectacle.
"How pitiful."
Chen once again interjected, all ten fingers now interlocked behind his head as he held a dismissive pose.
"I kinda feel bad for him." Lin, also chiming in offered her sympathetic response.
"That's true..... It would be quite the disappointment if you were omitted from the proceedings because of such a trivial thing."
Jin now hoisting his right arm underneath his chin was once again in a state of deep thought.
"What? That's nothing to fret over. I'll simply have you become my retainer much like how they have."
In an instant, Levinia had once again dismissed the potential roadblock barring her from her goal.
"Hoh? So you can tell?" Jin asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, it's not that hard to figure out."
Kanon could only watch their exchange play out with what little mental vigor he had left. Surprisingly, even though he was completely exhausted, he had still managed to keep track of their entire conversation.
After a quick glance at the afternoon sky, Jin spoke once more.
"Then I guess we're done here.....for now that is. I'll take my leave now, Moon Cutter."
Turning in the opposite direction, he swiftly walked off with bold strides. His entourage did the same, as if this was some sort of routine for them.
Lin gave a small wave before departing, and the aged Shou only mustered a small nod. Chen didn't seem to have any interest in them at all as he was almost outpacing Jin's walking speed.
"Oh." Jin stopped in his tracks and voiced his thoughts as if he'd forgotten something.
Swiftly reaching inside his red robe lined with golden buttons on one side, he pulled something out before -
Whish
A deafening sound echoed through the air.
Jin swiftly tossed the item behind him without warning. It sliced through the air with the precision of a sniper's bullet, heading directly for its intended target like a one-shot kill. Fifteen meters separated the two estranged groups, but despite this, the item traveling at almost Mach speeds didn't veer off course in the least, swiftly staving off the aerodynamic effects of the air rubbing against it. Moving in a straight line, the target wasn't Levinia nor Fredric, so neither of them even bothered to move. It shot through the opening between the two and slammed into the struggling boy who'd been little more than a side character up to this point.
A dull sound resounded from the impact.
"Hmph, is that it?"
Levinia asked as she shot Jin a disappointed gaze.
"Apologies, it seemed my hand slipped." Jin coyly replied, dangling his right wrist in a jovial manner.