Gacha Harem System

"Thank yo..." Lukas trailed off as he looked up to see who had caught the slip for him.

It was a human lady, dressed in polished battle leathers that enhanced her figure, fingerless gloves, and knee high boots.

She had bright green eyes and dark green hair which was pulled into a ponytail. She was also unarmed, but he could see the spatial ring on her finger, which meant she could be armed in an instant if she wanted to be.

"Apologies," she said, her expression blank. "I bumped into you."

While her words were apologetic, her tone and expression was anything but. Her eyes were cold, but Lukas could tell that didn’t have anything to do with him at all. It was simply how she carried herself.

She glanced down at Lukas’ slip in her hand, and for a moment, he wondered if she would be one of those people who always tried to eliminate their competition by tearing their slips.

But she simply read what was on it, then handed it back to him.

He collected it, giving her a polite nod. "Thank you."

She gave him a once over, before returning the nod.

"Good luck." She said, then she was gone.

Lukas stared as she disappeared in the crowd.

She really was beautiful, almost comparable to Melody and Akira, but hers was cold, like winter.

Her expression revealed nothing about her. She could be feeling sad or happy, and one wouldn’t even be able to tell.

Then he realized he hadn’t even felt her aura. And he knew there was no possibility of her being unawakened. Which meant she had an [Item] to hide her aura.

’Will I be seeing her in the tournament?’

He stared at where she’d been for a few seconds before turning away, casting the strange woman from his mind, and continuing on his way.

He stored his slip in his spatial ring, and soon, he was gone too.

***

Baldwin stood at the junction, eyes moving this way and that. His gaze moved expertly through the crowd, trying to find his ward.

He stood out, even in the crowd of Awakeners, as he stood at an impressive seven feet tall, and was clad in armor from the neck down.

His broadsword was stabbed into the ground before him, his hands on the hilt as he stared.

Coupled with his S-rank aura, the crowd gave him a wide berth as they passed, so he had space all to himself.

A few minutes later, his eyes landed on her. Of course, she saw him before he saw her, and was already walking towards him.

She soon stopped in front of him, her cold eyes staring in the direction of the City Lord’s mansion.

"Let’s go," she said without looking at him, and began walking.

He sighed, but followed. "Lady Morgana, the Lord put me in charge of your safety. Please, there is no need to sneak away. Take me along with you. This is my responsibility. You know he’ll have my head if I fail to keep you safe.."

The crowd parted around them, intimidated by Baldwin, but Morgana didn’t mind. She glanced back at him, raising a brow slightly.

"And how will I blend in if I take you everywhere with me?" She asked.

"You don’t need to blend in, my lady." Baldwin replied. "Simply point and it shall be given to you. Ask and it will be answered. There’s nothing in this small city we can’t have if we wanted to, my lady."

They were silent for a few seconds as they walked, the sound of the city filling the air around them, then Morgana spoke.

"Find me everything there is to know about a new Awakener. His name is Lukas Valentine."

Baldwin didn’t bother to ask who the person was. He’ll find out when he looks into him. "Yes, my lady."

And they continued on their way to meet with the rest of the delegation.

***

The City Lord stood at the bottom of the stairs, right before his large courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back.

His expression was neutral, there was a storm rolling beneath his eyes.

Behind him, his servants were arranged in two neat lines. Every one of them was S-rank, selected specifically for this occasion.

Rollo stood to his right, just like the rest of his servants, with his posture straight and eyes forward.

Whatever impression Havenhart was going to make on its visitors today, it would not be one of carelessness.

The delegation from Salaria had been expected for three days.

Salaria was the nearest Tier 4 city to Havenhart, and was built to accommodate Adepts. Not to mention, it was also the destination of choice for every Awakener who left Havenhart ready to advance.

The relationship between the two cities was old and long. Havenhart produced Climbers, and Salaria received them.

The arrangement had persisted long enough that most people in both cities simply accepted it as the natural order of things, which was why Havenhart was unofficially regarded as Salaria’s satellite city.

Barlas had complicated feelings about that particular term, but he kept his opinion to himself.

He looked up as the horse drawn carriages rolled through the gate. They had no insignia that would draw attention on the road, but he could tell all three of them were dangerous.

Inside each, with their auras restrained, was an Adept. This was standard procedure to avoid drawing Adept ranked beasts to Havenhart during their week-long stay.

But even with their auras restrained, he could tell that all three of them were stronger than him.

The carriages rolled to a stop, and the door of the lead carriage opened.

The main delegate stepped out. The man was tall, with dark green hair swept back from a handsome face, and green eyes that assessed the entire place and found it wanting.

Barlas stepped forward. "Lord Le Fay. Welcome to Havenhart. It has been too long."

Le Fay smiled, his tone a bit less formal as he spoke.

"Barlas." He clasped the offered hand firmly. "It really has. The city looks well."

The remaining two Adepts descended from their respective carriages and fell into place behind him.

Barlas gestured to the entrance. "Please, do come in."

As he led his guests up the stairs, his composed expression didn’t change. But behind it, he kept rolling a single question in his mind.

What had actually brought them here?

***

A/N: It is with great pleasure that I announce that bonus Chapter goals will begin this new week. Don’t forget to send in your power stones and golden tickets. You can check the auxiliary Chapter for the goals. Thank you in advance!

Also, don’t forget to review my book. It helps bring more readers, which in turn, make sure the book lasts longer.