Chapter 1394. Felixia Catstrikers (1/2)
The deal he struck with Lady Miralix set everything in stone. Ves no longer considered the lesser huge cats such as the Dragon Cat any longer.
Though neither Ves nor Lady Miralix dared to draft a formal contract that formalized all of the terms, they were very much bound by a common goal this time.
Both were aiming for one of the most deadliest cats on Asco. Zeigra, the Mech Cruncher, may be among the youngest and weakest of Crown Cats that graced the hunting zones. However, his deadliness was not in question!
Ves expressed a lot of interest in the mech Lady Miralix intended to pilot for the hunt. In order to confront an infamous Crown Cat like Zeigra, House Laterna must have accumulated a lot of experience and know-how in this area.
The rulers of Felixia designed Zeigra's genome after all! They possessed an absolute information advantage!
Yet as Lady Miralix brought Ves, their cats and some of their staff to her hunting compound in Kemila, she gave a surprising answer.
”I don't enjoy any advantages of the other mech hunters.”
”What?”
”This hunt is a trial.” She elaborated as they passed by a training ground where a number of mech pilots exercised their bodies under the local system's sun. ”Every son and daughter of House Laterna who graduates as a mech pilot must prove that they haven't been coasting through the mech academies.”
”What if they fail? What if they die?”
”Then they deserve to die. Sentinel demands strong soldiers and even stronger leaders. How can I gain the respect of Sentinel's military mech pilots if I cannot defeat them in battle? It is better for my useless self to die rather than disgrace my noble house!”
This sounded absolutely silly to Ves! From her tone, he got the sense that she truly believed in her words! The upbringing she received from House Laterna placed a very huge emphasis on strength, honor and reputation, so much so that those who disgraced their name were better off dead!
”So if I understand you correctly, you don't enjoy any insider knowledge such as an internal research report on Zeigra's genes or such?”
The blond woman shook her head. ”Cheating only demeans the very point of the trial. If weaklings who should have died managed to pass this challenge with ease by depending on unfair advantages, they'll only disgrace our noble house in the future! Pirates and other enemies will not be so easy to cheat!”
That made sense, though Ves still thought that House Laterna was taking this way too far.
”How will everyone else know that the hunt is conducted fairly?”
”I'm being monitored by an inspector of the state. The Sentinel Kingdom has rules. Every test a noble house imposes upon its own members has to be a genuine challenge. The royal house serves as the neutral arbiter who judges the validity and authenticity of the trials. Only in this way will passing the trial have meaning!”
To Ves, it sounded as if every noble house engaged in this tradition! He knew that the Sentinels placed a lot of emphasis on strength, but throwing every mech pilot that carries their name into life-and-death trials just after graduating sounded rather extreme!
As far as he knew, not even the Vesia Kingdom engaged in such a man-eating practice!
Hell, something as cutthroat like this would never fly in the Larkinson Family!
..Then again, the Larkinsons never insisted on excellence like the Sentinels. Back home, every Larkinson potentate received focused training from their retired aunts and uncles.
Most Larkinsons ended up a cut above the average mech pilot graduate, but some just didn't have the genetic aptitude, learning ability or talent to grow very far. While these dullards that carried the Larkinson name never enjoyed the renown of their more notable cousins, at least they weren't forced to their deaths!
As a Larkinson, Ves knew that his extended family didn't care too much about the bad apples in their midst. So what if a Larkinson or two turned out to be awful mech pilots? The reputation of the Larkinsons hardly suffered because a lot of other Larkinsons performed well enough to keep their name respected.
For this reason, he really couldn't understand families like the Laternas who placed an undue amount of importance to maintaining their reputation from everyone who carried their name.
Perhaps it made sense to people like Lady Miralix who had been born under high expectations. Yet who else really cared?
The same people who demanded universal excellence from their family were probably the only ones who judged others for making missteps in this aspect.
Ves doubted that the common-born Sentinels seriously cared whether someone like Lady Miralix embarrassed herself in battle or something.
To average people, high society was far too distant from them. Ves only recently emerged from their midst, so he knew how little they knew or cared about the lives of those who lived seemingly pampered lives.
Apparently, he hadn't managed to hide his doubts, because Lady Miralix exhibited a knowing glance.
”You think that trials like the one I am facing are extreme, correct?”
”I can never make sense of you nobles and your games.” He admitted.
She chuckled. ”Understandable, though don't think I'm as open-minded as the other Sentinel nobles. Felixia attracts visitors from many foreign states, so I don't mind your presumptuousness. Take care not to question the customs of our state. We aristocrats are rooted in the belief that our harsh traditions are the reason why we still deserve to be in charge. Commoners don't understand us because they aren't shouldering the burdens of the Sentinel Kingdom.”
”The crown weighs heavily on your head.”
”Then I'd better develop a strong neck in order to keep my head aloft!”
As Ves fell into thought, the cats that trailed behind them started to tussle a bit with each other.
Apparently tired of being ignored, Lucky started to paw at Genevieve, who immediately grew angry for allowing a dirty mechanical cat to dirty her immaculate dirty coat!
”Miao!”