Free Web NovelChapter 10: I’m Rich
At this point I’m convinced this world is a complete mess.
It’s still stuck in an aristocratic era with kings, nobles, knights and servants...
Yet the technology feels like it skipped straight into the twenty-first century.
The moment I stepped out of Paregrene Manor, a car rolled to a stop beside the goddess fountain.
Not just any car.
That thing was practically a Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
A young man dressed like a butler stepped out from the driver’s seat, instantly reminding me that male servants did exist. They just weren’t allowed inside the mansion itself. Same went for the male gardeners and even the knights. Only official business brought them this close.
Still...
Seeing a car like this in person was surreal.
It obviously wasn’t made by Bugatti, and it definitely wasn’t from Earth, but whoever designed it had to be a fan.
The thing sat ridiculously low to the ground, its glossy black body reflecting the fountain and the manor behind it. The front stretched out elegantly while the rear curved inward into one seamless shape. There were almost no sharp edges anywhere.
The windows were heavily tinted, though I could still make out cream-colored seats and polished black panels inside.
The strangest part?
No engine.
Just a quiet humming sound.
Right.
Zen.
I remembered now.
These vehicles were powered by Zen through scripted glyphs. Unlike ether, Zen could be stored and continuously circulated through runic formations, making machines like this possible.
Even without the badge...
Anyone from Earth would’ve taken one look at it and gone,
"That’s a Bugatti."
...
Well...
Anyone obsessed with cars like me, anyway.
"Wait."
I looked at Anthony.
"Where’s your ride?"
He came here on his own, right?
"Nah, didn’t bother bringing that junk. The plan was always to use this beauty."
"Then how did you—"
"Took a cab, dumbass."
He grinned before immediately walking over to admire the car.
...
Of course he did.
While he was busy drooling over it, I noticed the butler handing the keys to Moressa.
"Wait..." ƒrēewebnovel.com
I blinked.
"You can drive?"
I genuinely couldn’t remember ever seeing her behind the wheel.
Then again, my memories were still a mess.
Some were crystal clear.
Others were blurry.
Some were simply...
Missing.
"I’m your bodyguard."
She looked at me like I’d asked the dumbest question imaginable.
"You didn’t think I’d learn something as basic as driving?"
She tilted her head ever so slightly.
...
She gloating.
"Tsk."
Annoying woman.
Neither Lorel nor I knew how to drive.
When I was Finn, I’d actually tried learning.
Repeatedly.
I just...
Couldn’t.
My hand-eye coordination was apparently cursed from birth.
Eventually my girlfriend got fed up trying to teach me and decided she’d just drive everywhere instead.
Honestly...
I couldn’t even blame her.
I crashed into something almost every single day.
She literally bought another car because of me.
And the first one wasn’t some cheap beater either.
It was a Dodge Charger.
God, I loved that thing.
I was obsessed with learning to drive it.
Even if it killed me.
...
It almost did.
After one particularly spectacular disaster, she permanently banned me from driving.
Then, just to remove the temptation, she sold the Charger.
Bought an Aston Martin DB12 instead.
Beautiful car.
Seriously beautiful.
But...
It wasn’t a Charger.
So I completely lost interest.
...
Guess I can’t laugh at Lorel anymore.
The guy was a prince surrounded by guards and attendants every waking moment.
Why would he ever bother learning to drive?
He’d always have someone to do it for him.
"Let’s go already! Time is of the essence!!"
Loud bastard.
"How about you start by getting your greasy ass off my hood, dumb fuck."
I hadn’t even leaned on it.
And it was my car.
"Getting stingy now, El?" Anthony scoffed.
"You own more than five of these! And ten other models besides! Greedy bastard!"
...
What?
I...
Owned more?
More than five?
...
Wait.
According to Lorel’s memories...
I had over twenty luxury cars.
...
Like this one.
...
Gulp.
No.
Stay focused.
You’re Finn.
Your goal is getting back to Earth.
No matter how disgustingly, obscenely rich you are now.
...
Yes.
Money won’t sway you.
...
...
God help me.
"Let’s go."
I started walking through the perfectly manicured gardens.
Off to the far left, I caught a glimpse of what looked like the entrance to a hedge maze.
If memory served me right, the flower gardens were beyond that, near the swimming pool.
...
For some reason...
I suddenly wanted to lie down on the grass and take a nap.
"Your Highness."
"Morning, Master."
"Good morning, Your Highness."
Every servant we passed bowed respectfully.
I simply nodded back.
No way I was greeting every single person individually.
My vocal cords deserved mercy too.
Just before I reached the car, Moressa suddenly stepped ahead of me and opened the rear passenger door.
I climbed inside.
Anthony entered from the opposite side.
...
Shit.
I just remembered.
I skipped breakfast.
Doom.
The door closed with a satisfying thump.
Through the tinted window, I watched Moressa walk around toward the driver’s seat.
...
The more I thought about it...
The stranger this all became.
I had four members in my Legion.
Four.
So why was Moressa the only one ever around?
Why had Lorel never questioned that?
As a prince of the Kingscrown bloodline, you could only form a Legion with ten people during your entire lifetime.
Ten.
No replacements.
No second chances.
The ritual permanently carved away a piece of the master’s soul.
Breaking that bond came with consequences severe enough that nobody even considered it.
That was exactly why my siblings spent years carefully choosing only the most talented people they could find.
Lorel...
Had apparently picked random girls.
Then barely interacted with them afterward.
How the hell did he expect to survive the Battle of Heirs?
It was like he’d surrendered before the competition had even begun.
Aside from Moressa...
The only member he seemed to speak to with any regularity was Evangeline.
She was currently studying at the Academy.
I couldn’t remember much about her.
Just flashes.
White hair.
Peach-colored eyes.
And—
...
Wait.
What was that?
Something surfaced in my mind for a split second.
A memory.
An important one.
Then...
It vanished.
"..."
What the hell was that?
