Endless Evolution: Last Star

Nobles. They were a common layer of society in the Middle Ages. However, no matter what the time and situation in the world was, nobles were always and everywhere, only their name and the methods by which they gained their power and wealth changed.

There was only one condition for the nobles to appear - there should be enough wealth and territories to get power with their help.

Obviously, in the Citadel, where tens of millions of people lived, with a strict hierarchy reflected in the Three Rings, there was enough room for nobles.

Hearing Osana's introduction, Adam was baffled.

He had never heard of nobles before, but... why?

Well, it was because Adam had had too sharp a leap up the social pyramid. All his life, he was in the slums, he and his family were among the poorest people in the entire population.

This was not surprising since among the territories in the Upper Ring of the Citadel, the slums were the least wealthy, where conditions were the worst, work was scarce, and the average wage was as low as it could be.

Then, in just one day, Adam became a Phantom, and that already put him high enough that in a few missions, he could live in the First Ring if he wanted to.

He had other tasks and a second world - the Dead Lands - where he spent a lot of time, developing and earning money.

Those people who came out of the slums or the Third Ring and came to the First Ring were on a completely different path.

They were not Phantoms, so they could only rely on their talents in some field, a good idea for a business, and a bit of luck. On their way they had to face other people, gradually making their way from one Ring to another.

Thus, sooner or later, if these people managed to reach the heights, they would run into the nobles.

In fact, Adam heard of nobles before, he just thought of them as rich people living in the First Ring.

It was worth remembering that before Adam became a Phantom, he had never been to the First Ring, and neither had his family. His information about the First Ring was limited to the idea that wealthy people lived there, and that was it.

Well, maybe it was imminent, maybe not, but now the moment had come when he would have to meet the nobles and the true elite of the First Ring.

At some point, this happened to most of the Phantoms that achieved some success. After all, Phantoms had a special reputation, they were respected for their achievements as well as for their powers.

However... his situation was not like others.

Usually, if the Phantoms encountered nobles, it was because the Phantoms accepted some special orders from the nobles or because they were invited to various events for acquaintance.

Most probably something like this would happen to Adam very soon, given his growing popularity, power, and authority as a Phantom due to his previous successes.

But... the encounter with Osana changed everything.

Now, he would face the nobles not as a Phantom who was noticed by the powerful and wealthy people from the center of the Citadel, but as the future husband of the youngest daughter of one of the most powerful noble families.

"Osana De Rouzet...?" Adam muttered, in a trembling voice, "One of the twelve families...?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Osana smiled with a slight nod.

"Yeah, you heard that right."

Adam gulped.

He didn't know much about the nobles, their relationships, or what place they held in the Citadel hierarchy, but... he realized that if the Rouzet Family was one of the twelve most powerful families, they held unbelievable wealth and power.

"But... Why? Why did you only mention it now? And... why did you fight with me in the Dead Lands? Shouldn't your life as a noblewoman be protected?" Adam asked, he was unsure of his conclusions.

Osana raised an eyebrow, giving him a bemused look.

Then...

"Hahahahahahahaha, Adam, what kind of childish assumptions are these?" Osana laughed.

She tried to pull herself together, but no sooner had she calmed down than a new wave of laughter came over her.

"Hahahahahaha! Do you think I'm a princess that needs to be protected by a squad of knights? Hahaha!"

Osana continued to laugh until her stomach hurt, and tears appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Adam frowned as he unpleasantly crossed his arms over his chest. He thought he asked the usual questions since he supposed the nobles were important people.

After all, Osana had been close to death on their last mission, there was the Plague Reaper, so... death was behind each of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was totally uncultured of me."

Osana took a deep breath before regaining her serious face. Your next chapter awaits on empire

"Adam, you seem to know next to nothing about nobles, so let me tell you a little bit." Osana smiled, taking a random cocktail from the table.

She took a sip before continuing:

"First off, there are quite a few noble families, there aren't just twelve, there are dozens, though it all depends on how the count is done. Some say there are less than a hundred noble families, and others say there are over a hundred, but none of that matters."

Osana waved her hand, showing that she had no interest in mere nobles.

"Anyone who lives in the First Ring knows that among the noble families, there are twelve main ones, more commonly referred to as the Twelve Branches."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"The Twelve Branches? I thought there would be another title related to money or maybe influence."

Adam suggested. For some reason, this title seemed familiar to him.

Osana nodded.

"Sure. It's the most appropriate title. Look, among the noble families, there are families where the head is an ordinary human or a Phantom, but in the Twelve Branches, the heads of the families are only the Phantoms. Including the Rouzet Family."

Adam sighed heavily before casting a glance at the table and choosing something to eat.

"Looks like this is going to be a long one. Well, I guess I have no choice but to figure out what's going on here. I'm going to have to marry you eventually, you've already made me agree."

Osana smirked.

"Hah, there's no need to worry. It might turn out to be a good deal for both of us."