Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Alephee nodded at Eren when she heard Eren's motives straight from the horse's mouth.

Alephee knew that Eren had once sold Sienna Slughorn's scandalous video on the black market to earn a lot of money at that time. He even used the act of revenge as a way to make profits. So it was only natural that he would not let opportunities like these slip away.

After all, there were plenty of opportunities to be had in times of war. One just needed to know where to look.

Art was a form of hope in war. And Grimdawn was very interested in selling it as a necessity for the masses– their daily dose of optimism in troubled times.

Only Nina could hear Eren's answer because she sat right next to him to his left. She couldn't help but wonder how Eren was so close to Alephee. As far as she could tell, this was not a chemistry that could be formed overnight.

Of course, all of the ladies at Eren's round table introduced themselves to each other. Most of them knew each other. So the introductions were over quickly. However, Alephee was an exception.

Everything about Alephee was mysterious to the girls. And it didn't seem like Eren or Alephee were keen on solving that mystery for them.

However, none of the ladies pressed Eren or Alephee for answers. They just trusted Eren's words that described Alephee as her business partner.

"Alright! Now that the last program for the night is over, it is time to proceed to the next segment of the evening.

Hehe. You know what that is?"

Osha's audience was intrigued to know what she had in store for them. The Sage ranker let silence reign for a short time for a much-needed build-up before announcing the next segment.

"It's a poetry challenge and drinking game combined."

It seemed that watching others perform was not enough. The graduate rankers also needed to showcase their creativity as much as they could.

Osha explained the game rules to her audience.

The game could be played between any two rankers in the audience. Or it could be played between two teams. Anyone could challenge the other side of their choice.

The challenger needed to compose a poem on any topic for their opposition. The person or group who received this challenge needed to come up with poetry of their own as an answer to the challenger's piece.

It would be the audience's response to each side that decided who won. Osha would take the audience's results into account before declaring the final verdict.

The lost person or group would have to drink a potent liquor corresponding to their ranks. The challenger and the challenged sides can have multiple back-and-forth sessions or conclude the challenge with just one interaction.

They could also skip the drinking part if they wanted to and stick with rewards for themselves. It all depends on both sides' willingness.

Furthermore, the rankers were encouraged to take the lectern from Osha and speak on stage while posing a poetry challenge to their opposition. And the opposition could choose to remain seated at their tables as they responded. Or they could get on stage if they wanted to.

Of course, if the compositions were short and contained only two or three lines, the challengers could issue their challenge while remaining seated by their tables.

The game was played as a fun and interesting activity. As such, there were no rewards for the winning side by default. But the challengers and their opposition were free to decide their own rewards.

Osha also announced that some of the finest creations would be turned into songs by the musicians present on the stage. These songs would be sung and performed live on stage by some of Edinburgh's talented artists. These songs would be played at the Ball.

Osha let the applause and cheers die down before speaking further.

"Alright. Settle down. We have a whole night ahead of us. You will get all the opportunities to showcase your talent, guys. No need to create a ruckus."

Osha slapped the lectern desk lightly to calm the audience. When that didn't work, she spread her Sage-ranked aura for a fraction of a second and that finally calmed the young bloods down.

Osha smiled brightly at her audience before speaking further.

"I'll participate in the poetry challenge too. I'll throw an open challenge to anyone in the audience. I'll present my creation. You need to respond appropriately to win."

Osha challenged her audience and smirked. It was clear that she was confident in her piece. A response was received from someone in the audience after hearing her challenge.

"And what will be the price for winning against you, Sage… I mean… what will you offer us, Osha?"

Osha expected a question like this anyway. She was a Sage ranker after all. She could see the greed in some rankers' eyes to get something significant from her– all because she could afford to do so.

This was a trickle-down effect at its finest. The high-ranked entities were expected to reward their juniors at events like these. The graduate rankers offered rewards for the Novice performers for the same reason.

And the same graduate rankers expected Osha to treat them as her juniors. The latter didn't find anything odd in it and considered it as part of the rankers' code of conduct. She chuckled before responding.

"Hehe. You need to come up with a better piece than my creation first before expecting rewards from me. Don't count your roosters before they hatch, you know.

Of course, I would try to fulfill any wish you have as long as it's reasonable. That is if you win. Don't worry. I'll try my best to be fair when it comes to my open challenge.

I swear to stand by my words with my honor as a Sage on the line. Is that enough assurance for you?"

Osha's question was answered by cheers and claps from the audience. The Sage ranker smiled and cleared her throat. When she raised her hand, the audience quieted down as they waited for her to speak.

Osha took a deep breath before presenting her open poetry challenge to her audience in a soft and serene voice.

"My humble start was but a spark.

A dream that burned within my heart.

Countless battles were waged in strife,

Long years of toil, sleepless nights.

Through hard work, I climbed the rungs.

Toward the top, with each step won.

Until I stood at the apex of Anfang,

Gaining Sagehood at the brink of death.

Now I stand proud, a victor's crown,

With all my foes beaten down.

I wonder, is there anyone who can match my stride?

Or am I alone, at the summit of my pride?"