Ulysses knew the name of the president but he was still unfamiliar with how he looked. Now that his son was getting closer with the man, there was no harm in getting to know the man personally. Besides, his son was not averse from introducing them together.
"It is my pleasure to finally meet the president of the Hero Association," he reached out to the extended hand from Acasia and shook it with a smile.
"No, of course it is my pleasure." Acasia returned with a smile. He looked at Rigel with a satisfied smile before he started to have a conversation with the duke.
Cygnus left the both of them and instead went to look for Hero Arcaine who had been busy receiving greetings and gifts from the nobles. They were thankful because he was able to subdue the enemy that tried to threaten the peace of Lunaira. They have been showering him with praise that his head has already grown big.
He saw that the young master of Ginehart was approaching him and he took that chance to exit and greet the young man. This action made the people around him surprised because they didn't know that the hero was close with the youngest Ginehart. Their conclusions were proven correct when they saw Cygnus smiling and nodding at the hero.
"My friend, come let me introduce you the noble sons and daughters of the kingdom," Hero Arcaine waived for him and the young man did not hesitate to approach them.
They were instantly surrounded by the people and this caught the attention of the other onlookers. They became curious of what was happening and were suddenly captivated by the view given by the hero and the young master of Ginehart. Because of the flocking of people towards them, the others couldn't even make a move and talk with them.
Cygnus endured the number of people who were surrounding them and their human stench that was clinging in the air. Even their pretense made him nauseated but he held in the urge to vomit. It was overwhelming but for the sake of his goal, he needed to endure it a bit longer.
Mr. C could see how uncomfortable the master was but he was ordered to stay put and watch the guests. He then felt that the general stood beside him as they both watched the master's awkward persona in the middle of those hungry wolves. In that moment they both realized that they actually enjoyed the view especially because it only happens once in a while.
Hero Arcaine on the other hand was enjoying the attention and the gazes of admiration that were directed at his direction. It was really the right decision to make the young master his friend, now he was reaping the benefits. While he was grinning and happily talking with the others, he noticed the duke and the president not far away. He could tell that they were having a good conversation by the way they were smiling.
His mood was dampened because of what he saw and his smiles became forced. Cygnus noticed the hero's demeanor and he couldn't help but grin inwardly. He then looked around and saw that his brother was not far from them so he decided to introduce his friend to him.
"That should do the trick," he mumbled to himself before he looked at the hero beside him. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I excuse myself and my friend for a moment because I would like to introduce him to General Linius." He gave them a smile and the people around them parted to give them away.
They walked towards where the general was standing and Linius could only give them a wry smile. He forced himself to stand and meet them. Cygnus immediately greeted his brother and did not hesitate to introduce his friend to his brother.
"I am blessed to finally meet one of the greatest warriors in our kingdom," the hero started to flatter the general, which did not impress Linius whatsoever.
For the sake of appearances, he accepted the flattery and thanked the hero. "I can't be compared to you though. I am very impressed that you managed to defeat all of those bandits. Thank you for your service to our kingdom."
The hero nodded and he started to engage the general in a conversation. He thought that even though he was not able to meet the duke himself, it was also good that he met the general. Cygnus finally left the two of them and used magic to navigate through the crowd to leave the place. He exited the ball room and went to the back garden.
"You did well there, master," the butler praised his master who was able to stand inside that crowded place for over an hour.
"I don't feel like that is a compliment. I'm exhausted, these kinds of social gathering are really not my thing," he sighed as he used his hands to support himself as he leaned back to look at the now dark sky.
"You shouldn't force yourself then," a woman's voice interrupted his rest. He looked behind him and saw that it was Linette.
"If not for the sake of my goals, I wouldn't even attend that kind of event," Cygnus answered. He yawned and all he wanted was to just go home and lie down on his bed.
"Then rest for a while before you return inside. Your father and brother will surely be as bored as you right about now," the woman softly laughed and Cygnus could already imagine the two of them frowning.
They sat there for a couple more minutes before they both stood up and returned inside. The first person that caught the master's attention after they entered the ballroom was the tall man that was now talking with the duke and the hero. This made the master grin as he enthusiastically walked towards them.
Linette was surprised at the sudden change in the man's emotions and when she saw the direction where he was going, she couldn't help but frown. He saw his husband and the president then an additional person was with them. She wondered if that person was the reason why the young man suddenly felt energetic.
"Father!" He called out in a loud voice which caught the attention of the two other people who were with the duke.
"Ah, Rigel. Good timing, this man right here wanted to meet you." Ulysses gestured at the man the master saw inside the president's office. "This is Sir Aberleign Sunox, the president's longtime friend and master."
"It is an honor to meet you, I am Rigel Maverick Ginehart." He introduced himself and offered his hand to shake hands with the man.
Aberleign Sunox looked at the young man for a moment before he took the other's hand and shook it. He was indeed young but his achievements were not that ordinary. From his initial impression of the young, he indeed has a high amount of mana compared to the other mages he had encountered. It was worth it to be the Magus Maximus's disciple.
It was just a bit saddening that the Magus passed away. If his experiments were not discovered, he would have been living a good life right now. Aberleign Sunox decided to keep an eye on the young man and see what he could do. If he was worth investing in or not.
All of the man's thoughts were not hidden from Cygnus's eyes. He was glad that he did all of that and now the people he was looking for were coming to him without him doing any effort. Now that the man had established the start of their connection, he would make sure to savor every moment of their pain.
"I have heard of your amazing feats and I didn't expect that you are truly young." Aberleign nodded in approval after observing the young man.
"You flatter me. I am just running around and doing what I want to because my parents are supportive of whatever I want to do," he showed them an innocent expression and then he glanced at the direction of the duke and his wife with a smile.
Aberleign laughed and patted the young man's shoulder. "The duke and the duchess must love you so much. There is this one thing that I was wondering about," he then started which earned him a confused look from Cygnus.
"What is it, sir?" he asked with his voice subtly cracking because of nervousness. Aberleign heard the cracking as he smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, it's not a thing that you should be worried about. I was just wondering why you didn't become the Magic Tower's new Magus?" He finally asked because it was one of the things that he was most curious about.
"Oh, that's because I don't want to be tied down to that place. It is a great place but I only went there to improve my magic and I did not have any plans on staying there long because I don't want to further defy my parents," he smiled and let him know the fabricated lie he prepared for that exact moment.
