God Of Crafting

This wasn't the development I expected. And just a single look across the massive hall filled with long tables, each heaving under the weight of the fancy food on them…

I wasn't the only one.

"Father!" a man sitting just a few steps away from the stage suddenly exclaimed, rising up and slamming both of his hands against the table.

'It didn't break, huh?' I thought, more than happy just watching how the situation developed rather than actively taking part in it.

"Rules are there to follow! Until the day he reaches beyond the mere mortal ranks…"

"If that's so, how come you seated Claire right by your side?" the old man countered before his son could even finish one sentence. "Don't get me wrong, dear," he then turned towards Claire before bowing his head, "I believe you sit right where you should sit, but," the old man squinted his eyes as he took his furious glare right back to his son.

"But…?" Another voice joined in, this time from another man still within the same part of the hall. "Speak up, old man, or the rumors that you are going senile will only grow!"

"Junior, you dare…!"

Watching how the situation started to escalate without my direct involvement, I had to resist the desire to sit down and watch it all unfold while snacking on the very food the hosts of the place provided.

I didn't do so not only because it would be doing pretty much the very same thing that those people did to me—insulting them in a way that was both obvious but also left me without the burden of something to answer for. More importantly, however, I didn't do it because Claire was way too close to the epicenter of this growing mess for my comfort!

'What the hell am I supposed to do, though?' I thought, gritting my teeth as I suddenly abhorred my earlier decision to hold my breakthroughs back.

Right now, I would more than welcome even the smallest bit of spiritual strength if it gave me a better chance at pulling Claire out of this chaos the moment things started to get dangerous!

Before my worries could turn into reality, however, the rear doors of the hall suddenly slammed open.

Following this noisy event, a middle-aged man slowly walked out from behind the doors, sporting nothing but a simple robe and a tense, annoyed look on his refined face.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked in a voice no louder than a whisper, yet it easily filled every corner of the hall with the question. Even sitting in the very corner of it, I could hear the man clearly…

Only to then watch everyone in the hall step out from their seats and fall down to one knee.

"The clan welcomes the patriarch!"

Just like before, everyone chanted in unison.

I, on the other hand, finally allowed myself to look over at Claire and then Chihiro before lowering myself down on one knee as I followed their example.

"I didn't ask you lot to greet me, but to explain yourselves."

The authority oozed out of the man as he spoke, once again filling the entire hall with a voice so faint, this trick went beyond the level of just magic and entered into the realm of the divine.

'Or maybe it's because this hall has great acoustics and,' I cast a quick glance around to confirm my suspicion, 'yeah,' I nodded my head to my own thoughts. 'Not only it's this place's acoustics, but also how everyone finally shut the fuck up.'

"The youngsters are trying to use this welcoming ceremony for their stupid politics, that's what's going on, brother," the old man from before spoke out, refusing to show the same level of reverence as everyone else in the room. In fact, after falling down to one knee, he was the first one to rise… and then, rather than standing up, he sat right back down in his seat before crossing his hands over his chest.

"By what means?" The patriarch squinted his eyes, openly showing dissatisfaction with his brother's attitude… or maybe with what he just learned about? Explore new worlds at empire

Being the outsider that I was, I couldn't really tell. My ability to read people only worked when I knew them well enough, after all!

"They took my granddaughter's fiancé and seated him with the servants," the old man replied with his arms still crossed on his chest and with a look of wild satisfaction on his face. "At the same time, however, they've brought Claire all the way up to the head of the main table. If that isn't a provocation, then…"

"In theory, this setting follows the rules," the patriarch cut his brother off, only to then stare him down.

At first, the old man opened up his mouth to speak again. Ultimately, however, under the intense gaze of his brother, he ended up closing his mouth and looking away.

"Now, you, young man. Tim… was it?" the patriarch called me out directly, forcing me to take a breath… and then raise my face, ready to take whatever bullshit he would come up with directly, rather than just amusing myself with the idiocy of those barbarians.

"How may I be of service to you, clan's patriarch?" I asked, already lowering my head before my mouth could even spell the last of my words.

"I can see it in your eyes that you know what's going on," the patriarch stated with the same, monotone, silent voice of his. "If you knew my sons were trying to insult you, why didn't you react?"

I looked up and stared into the patriarch's face for a moment.

That was, however, the only slight against the local etiquette I could allow myself to commit.

"It is not my place to react to their provocations," I shrugged my shoulders. "How they treat me now only tells their story. How I react to those childish insults, however, would make a story all about myself."

With how silent the hall was during this exchange, I couldn't help but get a slight instance of stage fright. Even though I knew it was the patriarch that everyone wanted to hear, not me… This didn't really help!

"Your reaction would be your story alone, huh?" the patriarch rephrased my words a bit, only to… smile?

"Father…" one of the men at the table's head attempted to speak, only to turn silent when the patriarch's face twisted in anger, his annoyed stare turning toward the brazen man. After this short interruption, however, the patriarch looked right back to me, staring me down with the intensity that made me feel as if I was standing naked before him, unable to hide anything.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"That's an interesting answer, young man," the patriarch finally said, only to then step off the stage and take the lone free seat at the very head of the main table. "You've more than earned your right to sit by my side tonight," he stated, only to then throw his glare across the VIPs near his own seat. "Make room for this young man so that he can sit by his fiancée's side and get properly acquainted with his new family," the man ordered, instantly sending everyone at the table into a rush as they each quickly moved one seat down as if it was all some sort of coordinated dance…

'Or maybe something that they are so used to, they can perform this kind of change at will, even if woken up in the middle of the night and asked to do so,' I thought, following the patriarch's nod as I moved away from my corner and walked all the way over to the head of the main table, before taking a seat right next to Claire, and one seat away from the woman who spoke out for me before.

"Now that this is dealt with," the patriarch rolled his eyes before picking his crystal and raising it up to the ceiling, only to then look down and notice the awkward looks on everyone's faces.

'Oh right, everyone already drank their share,' I realized, instantly growing curious to how the patriarch would deal with such an awkward situation.

Contrary to my expectations, however, the patriarch - while obviously aware of his mistake - did absolutely nothing.

"The time for business and politics comes tomorrow. Tonight, let us set aside our burdens to share in these foods. Raise your glasses—to family, to reunion, and to this moment of celebration. Cheers!"

And so, everyone raised their empty crystals to the ceiling, held them out, chanted "cheers" before throwing them back, all pretending there was still something left to drink in their cups.