The villainess shall be mine

The Raizels were once one the most influential people in the Empire but after the current Emperor came into power, their influence had decreased and even though they stayed in the top hundred of the most influential family, their fall was apparent.

However, when Redmond Von Raizel came into power, the Raizel family was on the rise once again.

Redmond was a clever person and as the head of the family, he quickly understood that there was something unusual about the course of events that happened in the last few years but he also knew that he could take advantage of it.

This was the chance for the Raizel family to stand at the top again but it was also a challenging task.

Redmond's first goal was to gather competent people, nurture them, and place them within the Empire to increase his influence from the inside.

Nevertheless, all of the influential Lords would have already thought about such a thing.

Thus, Redmond needed someone special that could lead all of the talents that he nurtured. In other words, he was investing in the new generation.

Redmond knew that a new age was coming and the emergence of the platinum generation confirmed his theory.

Still, the other Lords would have already taken this into account too, so everything was just a matter of luck and dedication. Finding rare talented people and strong gift holders needed a lot of time, and sometimes a Lord would be lucky to have 2 of such people within their territory.

Consequently, the Holy Academy's test was a battleground for the Lords and it would decide who would lead the Empire in the future.

Redmond gathered many talents from within his territories and they were all gathered together on the main planet of the Raizel family.

"Are you sure that your brother's son will come? I heard he just experienced some pretty traumatic experiences. I am not sure if the kid is alright considering that he'd already peed his pants during his coming to age ceremony," a woman in her thirties looked at Redmond and said these words. She was tall and wasn't wearing a dress like most of the noble women, but a modern-looking purple outfit.

Her chrome-colored hair waved beautifully under the gentle wind as she gazed at the spaceships arriving one by one at the spacious airfield. Her gaze was intense and she would find it rude if someone said it to her, but her face was too handsome for a woman's, and her body curves suggested that she wasn't a tender princess.

"He will come. I only judge people after seeing them, and since he is coming, we will see what kind of person he is," Redmond replied. "But, has anyone caught your attention, Uriella?"

"Yeah, a few. Anyway, you just want to see your nephew, don't you? Julius is quite a weird fellow too, letting his son come here like this after what happened." Uriella knew that Redmond tried to change the topic but she was always curious about the deal between Redmond and his brother Julius.

"My brother is good, and he chose to honor the promise he made to a single woman. His son, on the other hand, doesn't have anything to do with the promise he made, and my nephew can certainly decide for himself. Even Julius must have understood that he couldn't keep him from going and discovering the world."

Redmond was referring to the fact that Adam went missing while he was not with his parents, so he concluded that Adam must have gone somewhere alone when the incident happened.

He had of course helped Julius during the last few months, and he was also aware of his brother's injury. But Julius had taken a decision, so Redmond stayed neutral and only helped his brother as a good Lord would have done.

"Well, I can't say I am a fan of what your brother did, but at least he assumed the responsibilities for his decision," Uriella said as both of them continued to observe the young people who disembarked from the various spaceships. "Well, I look forward to seeing what kind of person his kid had become. You seem to expect great things from this kid, though. Don't tell me that you want to give him that role?"

"As I said, I only judge people after meeting them and observing their abilities. Although, I do hope that it is someone from the family who would lead this new generation. The Empire is starting to collapse from the interior and such a thing must be prevented for many costs. Else, there will be no family to worry about," Raizel answered.

"That again? I say that you worry too much. The new Emperor is doing a good job."

"If what you said is indeed true, then I would not be standing here and would have spent more time with my wife and daughter. Unfortunately, I can't sleep at night because the more I care about my family, the more things appear uncertain."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe you are just too sensitive. You should really take some break and go somewhere with your family after this is over," Uriella said and despite her intimidating attitude, it was clear that she was a friend who cared about Redmond.

In fact, Redmond and Uriella have known each other since they were children.

"Do I look that tired?" Redmond massaged his temple. "You are right, maybe I need some time off."

Handling all of the issues related to the Raizel family and their territory took a toll on Redmond because unlike other incompetent Lords, he took everything seriously. Like Julius, Redmond was also dedicated to his duties.

"It seems like almost all of them are here. Only the Tylliard family hasn't arrived yet, along with your nephew," Uriella commented.

"Well, that's understandable considering everything that had happened. I am even surprised that Adam himself agreed to come here. That already tells a lot about his character but we will see."

*****

The young people who arrived from different spaceships were gathered in a spacious area.

"Greeting to y'all!" Uriella's voice was amplified by a microphone and managed to grab everyone's attention.

Some of the young people that were gathered there knew each other so groups began to form as no one wanted to feel left out. However, Uriella's voice made them all look toward the woman standing on top of something in front of them.

They were all Lord's children so they expected to be received more formally, so after seeing Uriella, they began to chatter among themselves.

"What makes you a noble? Money? Power? Knowledge? Of course, all of those are necessary, but in this world, these aren't enough. So from here, you will discover what else makes you a truly noble," after saying that, Uriella snapped her fingers and then a few high-level gift holders appeared.

"First of all, you need to have discipline. Form a ten line!" Uriella ordered but the young people looked confused.

Seeing Uriella snap her finger and the high-level gift holders unleashed their aura.

"Think about this, are you a noble and act as noble because you are just scared? If so, then you can leave now. A noble who doesn't have any discipline and doesn't acknowledge the hierarchy of power isn't a noble but something worse than a slave. Everything works because there is a hierarchy of power, and just imagine when someday you raise to the top but those under you don't respect this hierarchy of power. Chaos! Without respect and discipline, only chaos reign, and we don't need that here." Uriella continued.

"You, you, and you leave immediately we don't need you here. These people were just there to test your ability to act like a noble," Uriella pointed to three young boys who unleashed their power after seeing the high-level gift holders.

"What? I won't accept this..."

"You were threatening us!"

Hearing Uriella's words, the young boys began to complain.

"Are you implying that you have already deduced the identity of these people? As nobles, what is the first thing you should have done in a situation like this? Return home and find answer the answer to these questions!"

Seeing what happened, everyone else lined up immediately even though they didn't really understand what Uriella was trying to achieve.

"I am aware that you grew up in a world in which you thought you were at the top, but here you are at the bottom of the hierarchy. These people are not wearing fancy clothes, but they are above you in everything. Now, look at them again, what make them nobles? From here, you are going to be divided into a group of ten, and will work under one of them. Before the test begins, you need to understand what exactly is at stake here," Uriella continued.

However, after she finished saying these words, something else draw everyone's attention.