Sanat had just finished changing into new clothes.
The outfit was far more elegant than anything he had worn in his old life—dark silver fabric with faint glowing lines running along the sleeves.
Definitely noble clothing.
He sat down on a chair near the window, thinking about everything that had happened in the last few hours.
The door slid open quietly.
Boba entered the room.
Sanat looked up.
"Perfect timing."
The robot stopped a few steps away.
"Yes, Lord Sanat."
Sanat leaned back in the chair.
"I have a question."
"I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
Sanat tapped the armrest thoughtfully.
"If someone from a higher tier fights someone from a lower tier… how big is the difference?"
Boba answered immediately.
"The difference is extremely large."
Sanat nodded.
"Explain."
"A Tier 3 Ascendant could easily defeat dozens of Tier 2 fighters."
"A Tier 4 Celestial could destroy entire armies of Tier 3 fighters."
"And a Tier 5 Transcendent…"
The robot paused briefly.
"…could eliminate thousands of lower-tier opponents without difficulty."
Sanat rubbed his chin.
"So basically, higher tiers completely dominate lower tiers."
"Correct."
Sanat leaned forward.
"Then explain something to me."
Boba waited.
"My father was a Tier 5 Transcendent."
"Yes."
"And two Tier 6 ancient beasts attacked him."
"Yes."
Sanat frowned.
"So why did they even need two?"
"Shouldn't one be enough?"
The robot processed the question for a moment.
Then it answered.
"There is additional information."
Sanat raised an eyebrow.
"Go on."
"Your father had also formed a bond with a Tier 5 Primal Beast."
Sanat blinked.
"He had a pet?"
"It was not a pet."
"It was a bonded battle beast."
Sanat whistled softly.
"So my father wasn't fighting alone."
"Correct."
Boba continued.
"At the time of the battle, your father was at the peak of Tier 5."
"And his beast companion was also a peak Tier 5 creature."
Sanat leaned back again.
"So two peak Tier 5 fighters."
"Yes."
"And the ancient beasts?"
Boba answered.
"The two ancient beasts were newly evolved Tier 6 beings."
Sanat's eyes narrowed.
"Meaning?"
"They were weaker than older Tier 6 beasts."
Sanat nodded slowly.
"So they were still growing."
"Yes."
"Ancient beasts become stronger with age."
Sanat looked toward the ceiling.
"So the assassins waited until those beasts were newly evolved before attacking."
"Correct."
Then Boba added something else.
"Additionally…"
"Not all ancient beasts are hostile to humanity."
Sanat looked back at him.
"Explain."
The robot projected a hologram.
Five massive beast silhouettes appeared.
"These are the Five Mythical Beasts of Astra Prime."
Boba pointed to three of them.
"These three are hostile toward human civilization."
"Aurelion the Sun Dragon."
"Jormira the World Serpent."
"Titan Behemoth."
Sanat studied them.
"And the other two?"
Boba pointed to another.
"This one is considered neutral."
"Leviathan of the Black Ocean."
"It rarely interacts with civilization."
Then the robot pointed to the final silhouette.
"And this one…"
"…is allied with humanity."
Sanat raised an eyebrow.
"An ancient beast that helps humans?"
"Yes."
"The Void Phoenix has protected human cities several times in history."
Sanat smiled slightly.
"So not all giant monsters hate us."
"Correct."
Sanat folded his arms again.
"But that still doesn't answer my question."
Boba waited.
Sanat spoke slowly.
"My father…"
"Peak Tier 5."
"His beast companion…"
"Peak Tier 5."
"Two newly evolved Tier 6 beasts attack."
He tapped the table.
"Even with the suppression array… that still feels strange."
Boba remained silent for a moment.
Then it said something unexpected.
"I do not fully understand the battle either."
Sanat looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"The data available about that battle is incomplete."
Sanat's eyes narrowed.
"Incomplete?"
"Yes."
"Many recordings from that battlefield were destroyed."
Sanat slowly smiled.
"Convenient."
The robot continued.
"However, there is one more detail."
Sanat leaned forward.
"What?"
"Your father nearly killed one of the ancient beasts during the battle."
Sanat blinked.
"Wait… what?"
"Yes."
"He severely wounded it."
"Even today, that beast has not fully recovered."
Sanat leaned back slowly.
"That means…"
"My father almost killed a Tier 6 monster."
"Correct."
Sanat stared out the window again.
Then he said quietly:
"Something about that battle doesn't add up."
The robot waited.
Sanat looked back at him.
"I think there's more to that story."
Boba's eyes glowed softly.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
Sanat stood up.
"Well…"
He stretched his arms.
"Looks like I have a lot of investigating to do."
Then he smiled slightly.
"And a lot of leveling up."
Sanat stood quietly for a moment after finishing his conversation with Boba.
The more he thought about the story of his father's death, the stranger it seemed.
A peak Tier-5 warrior.
A Tier-5 bonded beast.
Two newborn Tier-6 mythical beasts.
And still…
Something about the battle felt wrong.
Sanat shook his head slightly.
Later.
Right now, something more immediate awaited him.
The Virel family council meeting.
Boba's voice broke his thoughts.
"Lord Sanat."
"Yes?"
"It is time."
Sanat nodded.
"Let's go."
The Virel Council Hall
The council hall of the Virel house was enormous.
Massive pillars of dark crystal rose toward a ceiling filled with floating lights.
At the center of the chamber stood a long circular table made of black metal and silver stone.
Around it sat the most powerful people of the Virel House.
As Sanat entered, dozens of eyes turned toward him.
Some curious.
Some respectful.
Some… cold.
At the head of the table sat Lord Valerian Virel.
His grandfather.
To his left and right stood ten individuals.
Sanat immediately felt the pressure coming from them.
These were not ordinary people.
Boba whispered quietly beside him.
"The Ten Commanders of the Virel House."
Sanat nodded slightly.
The Ten Commanders
Boba began identifying them one by one.
1. Commander Kaelor Vance
Head of the Virel military fleets.
A tall man with scarred armor and cold eyes.
2. Commander Lysara Moonveil
Leader of intelligence and espionage.
An elegant woman whose calm smile hid dangerous intentions.
3. Commander Torvak Ironblood
Master of the ground armies.
A giant warrior with metallic implants along his arms.
4. Commander Selene Astra
Guardian of the Virel sky citadel.
An Ascendant fighter known for aerial combat.
5. Commander Draven Falk
Chief beast-hunter of the house.
Responsible for hunting Tier-4 and Tier-5 primal beasts.
6. Commander Orion Talvek
Director of technology and weapon systems.
A brilliant scientist and engineer.
7. Commander Velric Stormhand
Leader of planetary defense forces.
A Celestial-tier warrior.
8. Commander Aria Solstice
Master strategist of the Virel house.
Known as one of the smartest minds in Astra Prime.
9. Commander Rhydan Korr
Commander of elite assassins.
His expression was unreadable.
10. Commander Elyndra Vale
Diplomatic representative to the major guilds.
She handled political relations across the system.
Sanat quietly observed them all.
These ten people were the backbone of the Virel power.
Each of them could command fleets, armies, or entire sectors.
The Cousins
Several younger nobles sat further along the table.
Sanat quickly realized these were his cousins.
Some greeted him politely.
A tall young man nodded respectfully.
"Good to see you recovered, cousin."
Another girl smiled warmly.
"We were worried about you."
But not everyone was friendly.
One man leaned back in his chair and scoffed.
"So the prince finally wakes up."
Sanat glanced at him calmly.
The man's eyes were sharp and slightly hostile.
Another cousin whispered to him.
"Careful what you say."
The tension was obvious.
Sanat understood immediately.
Not everyone wants me to become the heir.
Kyala
Sanat then noticed someone standing behind him.
Kyala.
The elf girl from earlier.
She stood quietly near the wall, watching the meeting.
Sanat leaned slightly toward Boba.
"Why is she here?"
Boba replied quietly.
"Kyala Moonveil serves as your personal guardian and attendant."
Sanat blinked.
"Guardian?"
"Yes."
"She was assigned to you by your father."
Sanat glanced back at her.
Kyala met his eyes briefly and nodded politely.
So that explained something.
Their relationship wasn't random.
She was assigned to protect him.
The Announcement
Finally, Lord Valerian stood.
The entire room became silent.
Even the commanders straightened their posture.
Valerian's voice echoed through the hall.
"Today's council has one primary matter."
His eyes moved toward Sanat.
"My grandson."
Everyone in the room looked at him again.
Valerian continued.
"As you know, the heir of the Virel house was nearly killed three days ago."
A murmur spread through the room.
"But he has survived."
Valerian raised his hand and the room went silent again.
Then he spoke the words that changed everything.
"From this day forward…"
"…Sanat Virel will officially stand as the successor of the Virel Noble House."
The room erupted in reactions.
Some commanders nodded approvingly.
Some cousins looked surprised.
Others looked… angry.
The hostile cousin slammed his hand on the table.
"This is too early!"
Valerian's eyes turned toward him.
The pressure in the room instantly intensified.
"Do you question my decision?"
The young noble froze.
"…No, Lord Valerian."
Sanat watched everything quietly.
He could already see the politics forming.
Allies.
Enemies.
Rivals.
And somewhere among them…
Possibly the people responsible for his father's death.
Valerian looked at Sanat again.
"Come forward."
Sanat stepped toward the center of the hall.
Valerian placed his hand on his shoulder.
"From this moment on…"
"You carry the future of the Virel house."
Sanat nodded slowly.
Inside, he was thinking something very different.
Alright…
New world.
New family.
New enemies.
Then he smiled slightly.
Let the game begin.