44 Natural Selection XII (1/2)
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There was a reason why the Queen hadn't picked up on his mana signatures, his use of mana was in the vicinity of the aura of a Slayer, the Captain.
The iron rule that one's aura could not be contained normally was still thought to be true by the Queen, Though she had felt the slight aura of Nero, she couldn't tell what level it was due to the distance and could only be sure of the effect it had on the surrounding mana, not even knowing it was unrefined Adept mana forming on Nero's shoulder ribbons.
Thus, she only thought that Nero was a Hunter who had a master she should be wary of. However, just the fact that he was a Hunter made the Queen go insane with lust, with gluttony.
Queen Maria wasn't sure that the boy had a backer until afterwards gathering information from others.
To her, it seemed that this master of the Boy's was previously a Mainland Dweller like her, coming back to his birthland with the knowledge and teaching his disciple an unorthodox method to hide his aura.
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Nero quietly followed behind the Captain through the twists and turns around the massive Palace, eventually reaching a massive open-roof hall spanning over 400 m in just height to contain the massive Gas Giant.
The Blimp-like shape made the Gas Giant easier to land and store than an Air Balloon. The balloon itself was smaller than the average blimp but the bottom area, the place for the travellers, was much larger.
'I wonder what kind of technology allows them to still move so fast, even with the lesser amount of upward momentum provided by the lesser air inside the balloon... Wait, are they even using air or helium?' Curiosity rose once again in Nero's heart, but he suppressed it soon after.
Together, they entered the compartment for living, the inside was, though not the least spacious, well maintained.
The Captain continued past the corridor for the selected juniors into the storage unit where a cage full of unkept convicts awaited.
”This is your final test, I need to see your determination.” Killian pulled out a convict and undo-ed its ties.
”... I have killed a person before. I will do it again!” The captain inwardly marvelled at both the ruthlessness of this master of his as he heard this and the determination Nero possessed. Just the thought of guts and gore made children scream with fear yet, this one didn't even flinch.
Nero wasn't the ordinary child after all.
He unsheathed his scythe and, in a swift motion, flicked his wrists to poke straight into the convict's dome.
Blood splattered far and wide from the hole Nero made as he pulled out the blade. There was a look of pure resolution on Nero's face as he brought an end to a miserable life.
With that deed done and recorded, the Captain was filled with joy, he had found a 7-year-old Hunter who had enough determination to go far on the path of magic. He was sure this boy would be a good replacement to an Overlord level potential and the key for him to become a Baron!
”Haha! Don't worry about the mess and go to your cabin in the junior corridor, cabin 32 is now yours. Congratulations, you are now a part of the chosen!” The Captain handed a key to the now-slightly dazed Nero while hurriedly closing the hole on the dead convict with a cloth to stop the blood from gushing out.