CH342 Bromance In a New World
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"I really appreciate your offer to join the Order of Valour," Alex said, his tone respectful yet firm. "But I have personal goals that wonât allow me to join.
"This isnât just about the Order. I donât intend to join any organisation at all. I canât allow myself to be boundâdirectly or indirectlyâby the rules or norms of any group. For what I need to achieve, I require complete autonomy. I must remain a free noble."
He paused briefly, then added, "That said âfor whatever it worthâamong all organisations I know, the one I resonate with the most is the Order of Valour. Thatâs what makes this decision difficult.
"Itâs not that I donât respect the Order. In fact, I deeply admire its chosen mandate. Itâs just... unfortunate that Iâm not as selfless as you or your fellow members. I cannot abandon my family or my goals, and for that reason, I cannot renounce my nobility to become one of you."
He said solemnly, "What I can promise is thisâwhen I am strong enough, I will lead my forces into one of the battlefield subspaces and fight the alien hordes threatening our world. Whether we like it or not, defending Pangeaâour homeâis a collective responsibility. And I fully intend to do my part."
"Well said." Caesar smiled and patted Alexâs shoulder. "Indeed, you donât have to join the Order to defend our realm. The Order exists as a linchpinâa guiding lightâto unite individual efforts. Not everyone needs to join it. With the Order leading the charge, the rest of us can pursue our own paths while still contributing to the same cause. Thatâs the best and most realistic way to face this."
"...Fine." Archilles exhaled and nodded reluctantly.
Alex couldnât help but feel as though heâd stepped into an ongoing debate between the two.
âDid I just get used as a tiebreaker?â he wondered dryly.
The three of them left the sparring ring and headed into the house. The interior bore a minimalist, military aestheticâeven more austere than Alexâs own tastes.
He glanced around, curious. âWas this Archillesâs personal choice? Or did the house come this way?â
He recalled that Haggleworth had employed several interior designers, which made the spartan design even strangerâunless Archilles had deliberately chosen it.
That thought added another quiet note to Alexâs growing mental profile of the man.
Caesar moved around the house like he owned it. He went straight to Archillesâs wine cabinet, pulled out a bottle of high-quality wine, and poured himself a cupâwithout even asking the host.
Archilles didnât say a word. Whether he was used to it or simply chose to condone it, Alex couldnât tell.
"I donât drink," Alex said suddenly.
"Huh? Youâve come of age, havenât you?" Caesar froze mid-pour.
"I have," Alex nodded. "But my body treats alcohol as a toxinâit breaks it down before it even reaches my stomach. I wouldnât mind if that was all, but the process itself isnât exactly... pleasant. So, I just avoid alcohol entirely."
Caesar palmed his face with a groan. "Right, I forgot. Youâve got an active light-fire hybrid bloodline. That explains it." He gave Alex a pitying look.
âItâs actually AetherKindleâs doing, but thereâs no need to correct him,â Alex thought, suppressing a chuckle. âAnd it looks like my suspicion was rightâthe Imperial Clan already knows I have a Solar bloodline. Are they watching to see what happens between Eleanor and me? Is that why they havenât made any moves yet, even after Father met her father openly?â
"What do you drink then?" Archilles asked, pulling Alex out of his thoughts.
"Anything non-alcoholic. Fruit mead is fine, but I prefer milk with honey," Alex said with a shrug.
"Iâve got milk but no honey. Some spices, thoughâyou could add those," Archilles offered.
"If thereâs one thing I canât stand about this guy," Caesar cut in, "Itâs that he doesnât have sweeteners, even honey. Every time I come over, I have to bring my own bag of sugar. Itâs tragic, really." He poured himself and Archilles each a glass of wine. "At least his wine collection makes up for it."
"Oh, I see," Alex nodded with a faint smile. "Just the milk is fine."
He knew people sometimes spiced their milk with nutmeg, cardamom, or cinnamon, but it wasnât something he did nor was eager to try right now. Thankfully, he wasnât so much of a sweet tooth that plain milk bothered him.
Once their drinks were settled, the trio sat down together. The conversation flowed easilyâwell, mostly Caesar bringing up random topics while Alex and Archilles responded.
For a brief moment, Alex felt strangely out of place. If he didnât know who these two men truly wereâroyalty, and powerful professionalsâhe could have sworn he was back on Earth, chatting casually with friends after work.
It was so... normal and mundane.
A simple conversation between men, unburdened by status or politics.
Something he hadnât expected when he first accepted their invitation.
Then Caesar, already a little tipsy, leaned forward with a mischievous grin. "By the way, Alex... how did you manage to snag both the Ice Queen of the DragonHold Enclave and the Flower of the Empire? And from what Iâve heard, they actually get along!"
"Yes," Archilles added with a raised brow. "How did you manage to capture two royal hearts without sparking a scandal?"
"I donât know. It was just luck, I guess. Things pretty much worked themselves out. I only had to show up to pick them up," Alex said with a shrug.
He gave them a rough overviewânothing too detailed, just enough for them to understand the gist of his point.
"You lucky..."
The two royals exchanged glances, a flicker of jealousy in their eyes.
"Iâm surprised you still regard Zora as a royal," Alex commented with a light chuckle.
"Why wouldnât I? Sheâs the last remaining heiress of the Frost family, isnât she?" Achilles asked, looking slightly puzzled.
"He assumed that since the Frosts were the ceremonial heads of the Confederacy, the council would be glad to be rid of them," Caesar explained with a grin.
"Oh, I see. Then youâre mistaken," Achilles said, shaking his head. "The Frosts were the ones essentially holding the Confederacy togetherâmediating conflicts and keeping the kingdoms from tearing each other apart. With them gone, disputes have only grown worse. The council members would welcome Lady Zora back in an instant if she chose to reclaim her mantle. The Confederacy is weaker now without the Frosts to anchor it."
âSo other empires stand to gain more from the Frostsâ downfall than the Confederacy itself?â Alex mused silently.
"Alright, stop. Letâs not drag politics into this. We were talking about romance!" Caesar interjected suddenly, leaning forward with a grin. "Our big hunk here needs your help, Alex. Thereâs this lady heâs got his eyes on, but heâs too scared heâll scare her off. How about you give him some advice?"
"Hey, donât make it sound like Iâm the only single one here! Last I checked, you donât have anyone either," Achilles shot back.
"At least Iâve had several relationships before. You, on the other hand, are still hung up on the same woman for yearsâand you havenât even made a move," Caesar retorted.
Both men glared at each other in mock offence for a few seconds before sighing and downing their drinks in perfect synchrony, slamming their cups onto the table.
âDonât tell me these two are drunk already... are they?â Alex thought, a faint twitch pulling at his brow.
He smoothly sidestepped the brewing argument by pouring them more drinks and steering the topic elsewhere.
It didnât take long to confirm his suspicionâthey were drunk. The wine theyâd been drinking wasnât ordinary; even a faint whiff of it was enough to trigger an aggressive response from AetherKindle before the vapour itself began to intoxicate him.
Apparently, it was a rare and expensive vintage potent enough to affect even Legends.
Alex eventually left his two new friendsâarguablyâto sleep off their drunkenness while he made his way back to his dorm at the Enclave.
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