Percy quietly watched the scene unfold. His stomach churned as the boy practically tortured the poor guy, but he knew he couldn’t get involved. Even if he banded together with all his companions, he’d never get past the Holy Child’s guards. Let alone the little monster himself.
‘So, is this what a Green-born looks like?’ he struggled to keep his nose from wrinkling.
The overwhelming majority of people on Remior were born in the bottom three grades.
Around 60% were Red-borns, their lifespans capped in the low hundreds – assuming wars didn’t get to them first, of course. The highest grade they could hope to reach was Yellow. Technically, Percy belonged in this category too, though his second core coupled with the Aurora Dew had boosted his future prospects to Blue. As for his fighting strength… Well, he was punching comfortably above his weight class, having already slain multiple Yellow-borns his age.
Then came the Orange-borns, who made about 30% of the population. People like Nesha and Orin belonged in this category, and they could even live a few thousand years if all the stars aligned. The highest grade they could hit was Blue – much like Percy’s mentor already had. That said, Nesha could potentially aim a little higher now, all thanks to him.
Finally, there were the Yellow-borns like Elaine, Galahad or Baldy. Only 10% of the population was lucky enough to fall in this category, and they were considered the most valuable assets a noble House could have. After all, they were the only ones who could reach Violet after half a millennium, often coming to lead their families at that point. Very few Houses had more than one Violet, and most of them were swiftly driven to extinction if they were unlucky enough to lose them all. Technically, they could reach White too, but only seven Yellow-borns were currently alive who had accomplished that.
Yet in the eyes of the Divine Order, the likes of Archibald weren’t much different from Percy at the end of the day. Whether at Red or White, all of them were destined to die as mortals, their candles snuffed in the blink of an eye. Even Theseus, the White core in charge of the Divine Root – one of the most powerful nobles on Remior – was nothing more than a failure in the gods’ eyes. Somebody who wasn’t deemed talented enough to join the Order’s inner circle.
That glory was reserved solely for the Green-born.
They emerged at much lower rates. Less than one in ten thousand, in fact. The chosen ones, who could achieve immortality. All of the Order’s gods and demigods had been born at Green. Their titans too, by extension. Hermes, Phoebe, Iapetus, Kronos…
The ratios weren’t exactly identical from one world to the next, but they usually fell within the same ballpark. It was no wonder that it was deemed impossible for a Red-born to reach godhood, considering how much lower their starting point was…
But so few Green-borns existed, and only a fraction of them managed to ascend all the way. That was why each was considered a priceless asset. They could never be treated as regular nobles, nor could they be allowed to involve themselves in the pointless wars between Houses.
The moment a child was identified as a Green-born, they were automatically sent to the Divine Order for training. As much as their families might have wanted to use them as weapons in their wars, there were few crimes on Remior more serious than secretly harbouring a Green-born. Or allowing any harm to befall them.
Rare as they were, many large, long-lived Houses would eventually birth a couple of them. Still, they all understood the importance of complying with the Order’s demands. Historically, only a handful of families had dared to risk it, all of them bringing calamity to their Houses as a result.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
At least, the Order was ‘kind’ enough to give each family a minor treasure in exchange, as a small compensation for robbing them of such a talented child. From what Percy knew, the jade tree Baldy used to hone his magic had been obtained in precisely this manner.
‘No wonder they want the Aurora Dew recipe so badly…’ Percy sighed.
The miraculous elixirs held the potential of turning Yellow-borns into gods. Should that happen, the Order’s ranks would climb steeply, changing Remior forever. After all, there were a thousand times as many Yellow-borns around as there were Holy Children. It would be harder for them to make it, of course, but it should still be enough to catapult their world to one of the leading factions in the universe given some time.
That said, the first Yellow-borns would need tens of thousands of years to reach godhood, so Percy hadn’t done much harm by withholding the recipe for a couple of decades.
‘Good luck explaining that to assholes like Hermes though…’ he smiled bitterly.
It wasn’t really that surprising the Order’s leaders were such eccentrics. Each of them had been taken from their family as a child, growing up without parents. They were all spoiled, being raised by others like them, never taught a shred of empathy or compassion. They were essentially given a crown from a young age, and left to do as they pleased…
Thinking of that, Percy’s gaze mellowed a little as he watched the boy torture the merchant. It was still cruel and inexcusable, but it wasn’t solely the kid’s fault. The system that created people was more to blame. Was this really the best way to keep their world safe?
But he shook those concerns away for now. Either way, he didn’t have the power to interfere just yet. Instead, he remained silent, clenching his fists as he observed the sickening scene before him. He might not be able to help the boy’s victim, but he could at least try to learn a thing or two about his domain.
‘It’s really weak…’ he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
While it had caught him by surprise at first, it wasn’t that big a deal. Compared to Galahad’s or the Starry Queen’s, the boy’s domain was gentle as a breeze, lacking any substance behind it. Not that strange, given his age. In fact, Percy would be surprised if the Holy Child had ever fought a real battle. Of course, this would change over time, as the boy progressed through his training as a candidate god. For now though, he was a Blue in name only.
Percy wasn’t sure if it was entirely due to the boy’s inexperience, or if his training with Galahad had played a role, but he was confident he’d be able to move even without Synchronization if he really tried. Still, the Holy Child would sense that, and things would only go downhill from there.
‘Why did they even bring him here? Is he travelling to gain experience or something?’
Not that it was any of his business, of course. The only thing he wanted was for the boy to grow bored and leave of his own accord. Sadly, the place reeked of blood by the time that happened. The merchant was still alive, but he’d need a damn good healer if he wanted to walk again.
As soon as the spectacle ended, Percy walked through the dispersing crowd, discreetly grabbing Nesha before leaving cautiously. It was only once they’d put some distance from the Holy Child’s entourage that they hurried their steps, making their way back to the inn.
“What should we do?” Nesha asked as they entered their room.
“Originally, I wanted us to leave town tomorrow. We still have a lot of ground to cover. But I think we should lay low for a couple more days, until those people are long gone. I’d rather not meet them on the road by accident.”
The girl nodded back in agreement. The good news was that she’d managed to buy a few crystal tulips from the merchants. Percy should be able to pacify the potion with those. Between alchemy and runecrafting, they’d have plenty of things to keep themselves busy as they waited.
Not right now though. His head was still killing him. He was about to lean for a quick nap, when his familiar called to him.
‘Percy! Are you busy?’
At first, he panicked, his thoughts instantly wandering to the worst-case scenario. Had the Holy Child ran into Micky and Elaine?!
But he calmed down once the crow explained this had nothing to do with that. Apparently, he’d made some progress with his ice magic. Furthermore, Elaine wanted to speak with him too, saying she had something to give him. After bringing Nesha up to speed, the two left town from a different side, heading towards the others.
‘I guess I’ll be camping out tonight.’
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A/N: The chapter’s title was hidden to avoid spoiling people who haven’t read the last one yet.
Actual title:Chapter 236 – Green-born