My Roleplay System
Chapter 185: Blackheart Family (1)

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Blackheart Family (1)

Lake stood outside the transfer station, watching the little girl walk inside. They waved goodbye to each other until her figure disappeared behind the doors.

"Someone you know?" Kate asked quietly as she walked up beside him.

"No, just someone I helped," he replied calmly, lowering his hand.

At that moment, he heard the sound of a vehicle pulling up behind him. Kate turned around and said, "Our ride is here."

Still facing the transfer station, Lake took a deep breath, expelling all his pent-up emotions as he exhaled. He had gotten worked up moments ago and desperately needed to recenter himself.

Only when his emotions and thoughts returned to their normal state did he turn around to face the vehicle.

A black sedan had parked in front of him. Standing outside it was a middle-aged man in a black suit.

"Young Lady and Young Master, are you ready to depart?" the man asked as he glanced over Kate and Lake.

When his gaze landed on Lake, he paused for a moment, as if he were looking at a familiar face.

"Is there something wrong?" Lake asked, noticing the man’s stare.

"No, it’s nothing. You just look familiar," the man chuckled. "I am Kane, the head butler of the Blackheart Family."

Lake nodded as he glanced at Kane’s fate. The strands were dark blue and shaped like a crescent moon dagger. With a brief read, Lake discerned the true nature of the seemingly middle-aged man.

’A Martial Grandmaster...’

Lake saw through Kane’s realm with just a glance. He didn’t even have to read through Kane’s fate to figure it out. The dense mana circulating through his body was more than enough to give away his realm.

"Let’s get going," Kate said, bringing Lake back to reality.

"Alright," Lake replied casually as Kane opened the back door for them to enter.

The inside of the car was colored red, and the seats were extremely comfortable. Lake took a seat on the left while Kate sat on the right.

Kane took a peek through the rearview mirror as he sat down in the driver’s seat. When he saw Kate and Lake sitting in silence, both looking out the window, he couldn’t help but smile.

"Young Master, do you have any particular food preferences or dislikes?" Kane suddenly asked, drawing both of their attention.

Lake wasn’t accustomed to being called "Young Master" and took a while to respond. "...No, I don’t have any particular likes or dislikes when it comes to food."

"Then will you be okay with seafood? We’ll be making it later today for lunch as it’s our Young Lady’s favorite." Kane chuckled.

’I already know that,’ Lake thought, realizing what Kane was trying to do.

"Sure, I’ll eat some. Although, I wonder if Kate would be willing?" Lake smiled as he turned to face her.

"Hm? What does that mean?" Kate frowned as she listened to Lake.

"Well, after the sea serpent incident, I thought you’d gotten a little fed up with seeing fish," Lake spoke casually as he closed his eyes, his body sinking into the soft cushioned seat.

"Huh?" Kate seemed slightly startled. Truthfully, she had grown a little seasick after the exam, but she had never mentioned it to anyone, so she was surprised Lake noticed.

"...Kane, organize with the maids to cook something different today," she eventually said, this time startling Kane.

"I’ll have them prepare something else then. Do either of you have any specific requests?"

Kate seemed to go into thought, but Lake was quicker to answer.

"Monster meat. I prefer the ones that are denser in mana." Lake replied swiftly.

Kate only rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.

"Very well, Young Master," Kane replied with a subtle smile. Although the rest of the ride was still quiet, at least the atmosphere was no longer as heavy.

****

The drive wasn’t particularly long, taking less than ten minutes. As a high-ranking guild, the Blackheart Guild was naturally located near the city’s public transfer station.

Getting out of the car, Lake looked up at the towering building before him. The Blackheart Guild building had over fifty floors, with an additional twenty below ground.

The building itself was made of black steel and tinted glass, making it seem as if the entire structure was one massive black crystal.

At the front was a long line of people waiting to enter the building. Although the Blackheart Guild was primarily a hunter organization, they also operated in other fields such as bodyguards, security, and even bounty hunting. Because of this, there was no shortage of people coming in and out of the building.

"This way, Young Master," Kane gestured, guiding Lake to a side entrance used by guild officials. Thanks to being with Kate and Kane, Lake didn’t have to worry about waiting in line and was able to skip it entirely.

This naturally attracted a few gazes, but he ignored them.

As he walked through the door, Lake entered a massive lobby where holographic interfaces lined the walls and pathways. The building’s central atrium stretched up to the fortieth floor, with dozens of floating platforms and crossing bridges suspended above.

Hunters and clients sat on these floating platforms, connected by the bridges, discussing matters around holographic screens that hovered in the center of each platform, surrounded by seats.

Some platforms were enveloped in a strange black film made of mana, obscuring their interiors from view.

The entire building was equipped with state-of-the-art technology, brimming with the latest advancements in Manatech at every turn. Lake even noticed some tech that hadn’t yet been released to the public.

Following Kane, they were led to a hover platform guarded by a few hunters. Kate walked over to a nearby terminal, where she had her iris scanned before entering a password.

"From the 41st floor up is my family’s private dwelling. This is the only elevator that goes that high and requires both a password and a biometric scan to use," Kate explained as they stepped onto the platform.

Lake nodded, feeling slightly disinterested. He had already seen everything from Kate’s fate and even knew the facilities better than she did.

After a few seconds, they arrived at the 41st floor. The elevator didn’t go past this point for security reasons, so Lake had to walk the rest.

On the 41st floor were the servants’ quarters for maids and butlers.

"This is my stop. The Young Lady will lead you the rest of the way, Young Master," Kane said as he bowed.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Kane."

"Haha, the pleasure was mine, Young Master."

After a brief exchange with Kane, Lake followed Kate upstairs to the 43rd floor, which seemed to be a mix of a dining room, kitchen, and living room.

Lake followed her until he stood before an ornate door leading to the dining room. From the other side, he could sense an extremely powerful mana signature, even denser than Kane’s.

"Haah..." Lake sighed. He felt a hollowness build up in his gut as his gaze lingered on the doorknob. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave. He didn’t know why his body felt this way, as his mind still remained perfectly calm.

"You don’t have to enter if you don’t want to..."

Lake heard Kate’s voice, snapping him out of his daze. She kept her calm exterior, but he could tell that she was also nervous.

’Nervous...Is that what I’m feeling?’

Lake grasped his stomach where the emptiness emerged, before slowly breathing in and out. Feeling his lungs expand with air seemed to push away the strange feeling, allowing his body to finally return to its calm state.

"It’s fine," Lake spoke, a relaxed smile appearing on his face as he rested his hand on the doorknob. "I was just a little nervous because it felt like I was meeting my girlfriend’s parents."

Kate froze. Her nervousness vanished in an instant as her mind went blank. When she finally came too, her expression immediately turned to one of disgust.

"Now that’s more like the Kate I know." Lake grinned seeing her reaction, causing her to become even more annoyed, but before she could say anything, he opened the dining room door with a click.