I sat on my bed, wondering what the fuck I just agreed to. I allied myself with a Crime Lord. A CRIME LORD. If I were caught and arrested, I would be put in jail without trial or Judging because I worked for Midas. I have no chance to regain my title and work my way back with my family.
I wondered what my parents thought of me. They probably forgot me entirely, trying to erase the stain I left on their reputation. My sister clearly remembers me, as she ordered my assassination. With good intentions, I reckon. With me dead, she could erase my existence. There would be no Regis Meadows. No stain in her family to impede her advancement up the ranks of the God-force.
I realized that sticking with Midas might have been a bad option, but the best one. As long as he sees me as a good investment, then he will protect me from my sister's attempts to kill me.
A knock on the door shook me from my stupor. A young man, around my age, opened the door. He had short black hair and emerald eyes, and was wearing a simple tunic and long brown pants.
"Hello, Regis. My name is Ven. Midas asked me to give you the tour of the place, so follow me."
Ven led me down a hall and through a confusing set of passages and stairs made of white marble adorned with golden patterns and paintings, all expensive. I was not very surprised that Midas was rich enough to have all this wealth, but having a twenty-foot-tall, solid gold statue of himself in the courtyard seemed a bit excessive. It towered over the back of the mansion, away from prying eyes, and the expanse of garden stretched far before ending in golden gates.
Among the gardens were statues of people, most likely unfortunate souls who broke into Midas's house. Deeper in, about a five-minute walk from the manor, was a big empty patch of dirt, scattered with training dummies.
"This is the Training Ground. You could practice using your Sin here. You could also spar and practice using weapons, and Midas has guns to borrow, but he doesn't give them out freely. Besides, guns are ineffective against those who have the Blessing of the Gods and the monsters they fight, so I wouldn't recommend training with them."
I looked around and saw many battered dummies, but no weapons.
"Where are the weapons?"
Ven stared at me blankly, then pointed towards a shed.
I moved towards the shed and opened the door, and saw many weapons, made from steel and wood, lying around. From swords to axes to bows and shields, there were many weapons in this shed. One particular weapon caught my eye. A slightly curved steel sword with one edge. The rack it was on called it a falchion. I picked it up and swung it about a few times. It felt well-balanced and easy to use, so I went over to the dummies to begin practicing. Ven watched me enviously as I quickly mastered how to use this blade.
When I was younger, I learned how to use a sword, and the same principles applied with the falchion, so it took me the better part of two hours to learn how to properly use the weapon, but in the end, I felt confident. I returned the weapon and approached Ven, who was now reading a book titled 12 Easy Ways to Poison the Person You Hate Most Without Getting Caught, Volume 17.
"Where do we eat?"
Ven sighed, and, looking tired, rose and said dully:
"Follow me."
Ven led me to the interior of the mansion, where many people were roaming about. Some were in servant clothing, some had armor and rifles, and others just had regular clothes.
"Who are all these people?"
"They work for Midas as guards, servants, cleaners, gardeners, cooks, as well as other things. He employs about two hundred people at his mansion, and thousands in his many businesses and guilds."
He walked toward a table and motioned for a servant to come.
"You and I, though, we are the only people besides Midas and Harrow who have a Burden of Sin that lives in this mansion. There are others, but none live here."
A servant came up to Ven, and he ordered a cup of black coffee, no milk or sugar, and a plain muffin. After seeing Midas' immense wealth, I figured I would have my first paycheck soon, and he would let me set up a tab, so I ordered waffles and more of the Gold Tea I had on my first day. After the waiter left, I turned to Ven and asked:
"I passed a bit ago. How long was I out?"
"You came here about a week ago, so you were out for about a week."
"What else should I know?"
"Anything goes, really. If you're scammed, it's your fault. If you get arrested, it's your fault. There are rules, like no stealing or murder, but otherwise, no laws. Try not to get into complicated schemes. They always end in chaos. Oh, and don't get anyone pregnant by accident."
"What?"
"Don't give me that face. I suspect you were quite the topic of girls in school."
"I was homeschooled."
"Oh. Well, you get what I mean. Any-"
Ven stopped mid-sentence, mouth full of plain muffin. His eyes were watching something in the distance. I followed his gaze and saw a young, attractive girl with long blonde hair and bright, pretty green eyes like emeralds in the sun. She wore jean shorts and had a tan crop top and was walking towards us. I looked at Ven, about to ask who she was, but Ven was wiping his shirt and toying with his hair, trying to get it under control. He looked at me and asked:
"How do I look? Do I have any food on my face?"
"You look fine."
He scowled. Fine was not good enough, but it was too late to change anything. She took the empty chair and sat down.
"Hello, Ven. How are you? Still drinking plain black coffee, are you? I don't know who could drink that stuff. It's bitter. Oh, and who is you're friend?"
Ven smiled for the first time since I met him.
"I'm doing fine, Lyna. As for the coffee, I like it bitter. This is Regis, and he is new here. He got hired this morning, and I am giving him the tour. He works for Midas as a Sinner, like me and you."
Lyna leaned towards me and smiled, causing Ven to glare at me with envy.
"Ooooh, a new person! And a cute one, for that matter! I'm Lyna. Where are you from?"
I considered telling her my origin, but that seemed unwise, as Midas wanted my origin to be kept secret between me, Harrow, and Midas.
"Not important."
"But it's important to meeee. ❤️"
My eyes caught Ven staring at me with more hatred than I thought a human could ever have, so I decided to lie.
"I grew up in an insignificant town. Doubt you heard of it."
Lyna leaned back and sighed.
"Alright then. Keep your secrets."
The pressure Ven's stare exerted on me lessened, and I could finally breathe after the suffocating glare.
Ven started a conversation by asking how Lyna's week went, and as they talked, I listened. I finished my food and started to look around. I noticed that there were many more girls than boys, which made me believe that either Harrow or Midas was a ladies' man. Probably Midas. I turned to Ven, who was eagerly listening to a story Lyna was telling him, and waited for a pause before asking:
"How old are Midas and Harrow?"
Ven turned to look at me with hatred, as I had interrupted the conversation, but Lyn answered sweetly.
"Midas is twenty-five or so, and I don't know how old Harrow is. Maybe around thirty."
Midas was quite young for someone of his wealth. But it made sense that there were many pretty girls around. He was barely older than most of them. I turned back to the table and saw Lyna leaning close to be again, and Ven reading his book, 12 Easy Ways to Poison the Person You Hate Most Without Getting Caught, Volume 17, while staring at me. Lyna's hair smelled of honey and sweetness.
"By the way, how old are you?"
"I'm sixteen, and my birthday is in two months."
"I'm nearly eighteen, and Ven turns seventeen in three weeks."
Ven looked displeased about how his age was revealed.
Lyna stood and smiled.
"It was very nice meeting you, Regis. I'm sure we will meet soon. Bye!!!!"
Lyna happily strode away. I watched her leave before turning back to Ven, who was staring at me with envy. He stood and spoke in a menacing voice.
"Fight me."