A Gorgeous White

The loud voice entered Moulin's ear like a sharp knife stabbing into his eardrum. He winced and pulled his brows together in a frown. Emlen noticed Moulin's uncomfortable response and he turned his gaze to glared at the insolent youth who dared to raise his voice at them.

The young man with amethyst eyes was taken aback by the icy glare of the older man but he didn't waver. Instead, he raises his chin higher and glared at him in response. Who was he to be afraid?

"What does this uncouth, ill-mannered, and impolite man want from me and my brother?" Emlen sneered.

Moulin lowered the shawl on his forehead, unconsciously. This time, Emlen's anger isn't directed to him. He'll just say quietly as the beast let loose.

"Y-you..." Anger burned vibrantly in those gem-like eyes as he scowled at Emlen. "Who do you think you are?! Do you even know who you are talking to? I am Callun Untrei Maxinille, firstborn of the esteemed Grand Maxinille Family! You... A low-rank noble dared to talk back to me?"

He lowered baring his teeth as Emlen only looked down at him wearing an unimpressed gaze.

Moulin's gaze lifted slightly. Maxinille? A Grand Noble of the Right Court. Turns out he was the heir to the Maxinille Family. Moulin finally understood how the lad was raised. Spoiled rotten, like how the original owner of his body was, endlessly pampered to oblivion.

"I order you to give up your place for me. Think carefully, I can obliterate your family whole generation if you dare to oppose me. If you want compensation, I can give you three hundred gold. Doesn't that seem fair?" He grinned, his hand arrogantly placed on his waist.

"C'mon now. Hurry, this young lord can't wait all day."

As the words, 'three hundred gold' entered the crowd's ears, their eyes began to lighten up. Three hundred gold! What a fortune! One can already buy a whole mountain with that kind of money!

Emlen was already itching to pummel this dog to the ground and batter him bloody. "You little-"

A slender hand grasped Emlen's hand, interrupting the foul words about to be released from his mouth. Moulin shook his head, his grip on his older brother's arm was gentle and soft. Like a gentle rain dousing a sea of fire.

This gesture eased the rage inside Emlen as the older man turned to look at his brother. Right, the pest wasn't worth his rage and hatred.

"Next!" The lady inside the tent spoke after finishing her preparation for the next candidate.

The moment her voice called out. Moulin pulled his brother with him as he took slow steps towards the tent. His movement unnoticeably loosened the shawl wrapped around him.

The black fabric fell back gently as the head of silvery-white hair was exposed to the sunlight, brilliantly gleaming under the light. His bewitching silver eyes glanced at Callun at the corner of his eye, stunning the young man in his place.

Callun breath ceased as his eyes clashed with those striking silver pupils that seemed to point a blade at him. Sharp and deadly. His anger diminished replaced by something ominous and lethal creeping in his shadows. The youth beside the man was clearly more feeble-looking than him yet his eyes grew thorns, threatening Callum into submission.

He was stuck in a trance as Emlen and Moulin passed by him, ignoring him like a ghost.

"Young master Fraunces!"

The lady's eyes widened in shock. With a closer look, she recognized who this man was. At first, she had heard about the commotion of two nobles arguing outside the tent and wholly decided to ignore it. She hadn't recognized the young master before until he came closer to her. Her face reddened in embarrassment. This man was a guild member of the Elder Council!

Emlen nodded, impassively. "I didn't know the staff for the test was very unconcerned with the situation outside. How indifferent..." His grey eyes bore into her.

She lowered her head, dread swirled within the pit of her stomach. Her actions prove her to be shameful under Emlen's eyes.

"Brother, that is enough."

A more soothing voice spoke.

Moulin smiled at Emlen, helplessly. Truly, his brother never hides his resentments. Emlen's strict gaze softened as he looked at his brother. "Go, I'll wait."

Moulin nodded as he took a few steps closer to the desk. The lady was pulled back from her daze as she stared admiringly at the young Maeruthan in front of her. Isn't this the aphrodite sibling of the Fraunces Family? The one who she heard was spoiled rotten bearing an arrogant and conceited attitude?

However, the young master doesn't seem like the person rumors have told her. His beauty and his overwhelming silver eyes could bring a country down on its knees.

"Please, guide me," Molina spoke, softly. His face turned serious as he looked at the slab of black glass before him.

"Uh, Y-yes." She could not help but stutter, entranced.

She handed him a new needle and instructed him I write his name on the clean surface of the glass with his blood. Moulin was already knowledgeable about the steps when he had observed the previous candidates but he still listened carefully to the instructions given. He raised his hand and pointed the tip of the needle to his index finger. It didn't hurt much as the needle pierced his skin. A bead of blood drew out from the wound threatening to drip down his finger.

Not wasting any time, he wrote his full name on the glass wearing an indifferent expression. When he finished, the blood written name on the black glass disappeared and the orb above began to spin, glowing.

Moulin watched carefully, partly fascinated. Although, he wasn't the only one watching this scene, so was the people outside. After the scene of the argument from earlier they began to become curious about the pair of nobles who dared to talk back to the heir of a Grand noble family.

Suddenly, the pearl glowed brilliantly, blinding the numerous pairs of eyes watching it. It was so bright that even the people outside of the tent had to shield their eyes.

Moulin squinted his eyes as his vision was dazzled by the piercing glare of the pearl. Inside, he was utterly confused.

The light lasted for only seconds. Afterwards, it gradually receded.

The lady sentinel's eyes brightened in anticipation as she held a wooden bracelet band in her eyes. The scene earlier had happened before. She hadn't really witnessed it herself but she was told that rare people who possessed extraordinary power and strength could make the pearl glow brighter like how it did earlier! They have a genius candidate entering the trials! Surely, the Guilds would fight over him. And what was even more shocking was that the genius was an aphrodite maeruthan! Never in her years had she heard of an aphrodite maeruthan owning such great strength and power! Undoubtedly, this young master's ability should fall into the golden category!

The light diminished and the pearl showed Moulin's ability valuation.

However, their expectations and enthusiasm fell into the water. The pearl glowed a plain white color. There was neither a hint of gold nor a hint of black. It was a pure white color shining faintly as if the bright light it had released seconds was nothing more than an illusion that had fooled them.

"Huh?..." The lady had to rub her eyes, doubting her vision. She wasn't mistaken the color really was a plain white.

Emlen's eyes knitted in confusion. He had certainly witnessed the event earlier, even he had never seen anything like it. How come such vibrant light could only fall to the middle category? The color white, as he had learned, was nothing more than a valuation falling between not too powerful and not too weak. But for the test, it was unquestionably the lowest rank a candidate would have. Was what he had seen a deception of his vision? No, it couldn't be. He was certain he had witnessed it.

"Uh..." No matter how much the lady sentinel viewed the pearl, it was undoubtedly and purely white. She could not do anything but continue with the process. She lifted the wooden bracelet and tapped it on the faintly glowing pearl creating a sweet ringing sound which noised within the tent.

In the split second the wooden bracelet was in contact with the glowing pearl, the light was sucked into the bracelet, glowing. The once wooden bracelet transformed into a simple white band and the pearl, levitating an inch above their heads, dimmed and became colorless, returning to its original form.

"Young master had great luck. Although your

valuation was barely passable, I believe you will fortunately be able to achieve a spot in the candidate rankings after your trials. I wish you good luck." She smiled, trying her best to bring comfort but felt that it wasn't enough. She handed the bracelet to him which would serve as his registration and his identification, gracing the sweetest smile she could give.

Band bracelets were provided to identify sentinels and also a tool to use so one could enter accessible places in Azuran. However, it also served as a symbol of one's rank. Exposing a guild member's rank to hundreds of competitors.

Moulin didn't feel disappointed. Although he felt a wee bit dispirited, it was wholly because of the fact that the Azuran academy prefers to differentiate its people by rank. Right, he was never enthusiastic to enter this academy in the first place.

Moulin wore the bracelet on his wrist and it shrunk to suit the width of his slender wrist. He scrutinized the bracelet and was satisfied with the color. Although, he wasn't a fan of the color white he shamelessly felt that it suited him.

"Brother..." Moulin turned his head towards his brother and met grey pupils filled with deep concern.

"It's okay. Your elder brother will support you no matter what." Emlen grasped his younger brother's shoulders. He abruptly glared at the woman behind the desk, startling her.

"Are you sure THAT hasn't malfunctioned?" His glaring eyes glanced at the pearl hovering pitifully.

"N-No, It had not." Her forehead started to sweat, eyes blinking rapidly out of nervousness.

Emlen was about to request a replacement for the tools used for the valuation when Moulin quickly appeased him. His silver gaze turned to the lady and he smiled helplessly, "Ah, thank you. We will be going."

Stucked by the dazzling smile, her cheeks reddened, "Y-your welcome!."

Emlen glared at her menacingly.

Grabbing Emlen's arm, Moulin laboriously pulled his brother with him as they left the tent. Countless eyes roamed all over Moulin as they walked, and hushed whispers sounded as they spotted the white bracelet on Moulin's wrist. Turns out nothing extravagant had happened. The lad wasn't even that talented. Every candidate knew what the ranking color white indicated. His beauteous appearance is indeed heavenly, unfortunately, he wasn't much of an ability wielder. Does he think that he could survive flashing his looks to everyone to help him succeed in the trials? Tsk, they've seen too much of noble relying on their family and cute looks that they've found it rotten.

Moulin was unaware of Callun's piercing gaze as they passed by him. His eyes unhesitatingly stared at Moulin's captivating face before sneering and walking inside the tent, replacing the next candidate's turn mercilessly.

Seeing the crowd of onlookers giving Moulin numerous disparaging looks, jeering whispers, and mocking smiles, his chest was burning with rage as his fists clenched tightly. A layer of thin frost forming on his knuckles.

"Brother..." Moulin sighed as he glanced at him. "I don't care about any of them. So should you." He spoke in a soft tone.

Emlen expression hopelessly softened. His brother was too soft and gentle. He knew it wasn't just an aphrodite's nature but Moulin's true character. He gave Moulin a comforting smile and lead him towards the carriage.

"Gold! A true golden ranked maeruthan!" Someone exclaimed.

Affected by the sudden interjection, the crowd became noisier, completely forgetting Moulin's mockery. All eyes centered on the golden tent where a young lad exited, striding pridefully.

Before Moulin could follow his elder brother inside the carriage, the corner of his eyes caught a particular person with gem-like eyes.

Callun smirked as his eyes narrowed at him. A challenging look anyone could recognize. On his wrist was a bracelet, a profound golden color of high cultivation. It gleamed brightly as if showing off its value, much like its owner.

With a frown, Moulin withdrew his gaze. Exactly what wrong did he do to earn such a challenging gaze? Didn't he stay quiet?

Nevertheless, his thoughts didn't rid of the uncomfortable feeling he has for his future. His frown grew even more annoyed as he entered the carriage.