A Degenerate's Tale

"It's so pretty outside!" Lily exclaimed as they stepped out the door.

"So this is the Spirit Mist?" Earl let out a voice of amazement.

Outside, the entire city was surrounded by a thin, rainbow mist. It was as if they were in paradise.

Ari held a handful of mist and said. "This Spirit Mist is a naturally occurring substance in the Spirit World. As the barrier between the two worlds thin, the Spirit Mist leaks through. Once the Spirit King arrives into Middle World, even more Spirit Mist will fill this city."

"Have you ever met the Spirit King?"

"I've never met the Spirit King." She shook her head. "However, I know that the Spirit King takes the form of a knight."

"I see..."

They entered the familiar white carriage and made their way to the place where the Spirit Festival Youth Competition would be taking place.

The location for this place was an abandoned colosseum. It is said that this place was once a dungeon. The sands of time destroyed the dungeon, leaving it in this state.

The concentration of Spirit Mist in this area was immense. Shadows of the monsters within the colosseum could be seen moving about. Their huge frame reflected a huge, dark silhouette that was visible from the distance.

Outside the colosseum, rings of people surrounded the abandoned building, eagerly lining up to go inside.

The carriage parked right outside the building and Earl lead his mother and servants inside the colosseum.

A pair of guards guarded the entrance. They were able to enter easily once Earl's face was recognized.

"You're here." Saryll welcomed them to the spectator's area.

The spectator's area they were in was at the highest level of the colosseum, showing full visibility of the area below. It was equipped with the best amenities. Luxurious seats, food, beverages, and servants to call from outside the area. Although with Lily and Aria around, there was never a need for other servants.

Inside the spectator's area was Saryll, Abelis, and a masked woman Earl has never seen before. Like Saryll, she had platinum blonde hair. The mask she wore covered her entire face. It was plain white and filled with beautiful, delicate engravings. Behind the mask, one could spot a pair of beautiful blue eyes. She wore the same white garb as Saryll. Her figure was slender and tall, like that of an experienced dancer. From her clothing alone, Earl could infer that she was a member of the royal family. However, it was strange that he has never heard of her.

"So this is the boy you told me about?" The mysterious lady asked in a clear voice.

Earl didn't have a single clue as to what was happening. Going with the flow, he greeted. "Earl Roth greets Your Highness."

"Your Highness, eh?" The masked lady laughed. Placing a hand over her mask, she slowly removed it, revealing her face bit by bit.

As one would expect from an elven royalty, her beauty was breathtaking. Her face was like that of a goddess that was sculpted from marble. Her facial harmony was seamless, with all her features flowing together. However, that was not the shocking part. It was her striking resemblance to Alea. She looked like an older version of Alea.

"Can you guess my identity?" She playfully asked.

Earl chuckled dryly. He did not have a clue as to who she was. From what he knew, Saryll was a single child with no siblings and her only child was Alea. He decided to take a lighthearted tone and joked. "Your Majesty, how come I was never told that you have another daughter?"

The lady who looked like Alea clutched her stomach and laughed loudly. "Oh, Saryll. This is too funny! He just called me your daughter... I can't... Puahaha... Should I call you mom?"

"That's enough! You're embarrassing me, mom!"

"..?"

"..."

"..."

There was dead silence as Earl, Ari, and his maids did a double-take.

Earl was the one to break the silence. "You said she was your mom, Your Majesty?"

The former monarch pouted. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

Saryll glanced at her mother and smirked, intending to get her revenge. "Yes. I suppose you can call her grandma."

"Grandma!? Forget what she said. You can just call me Luna, boy." Luna protested.

"It's only correct for you to be referred to as grandma though."

"Not true. I'm not that old."

"Excuse me..." Ari suddenly interrupted at this moment.

"Yes?"

"Are you the Immortal?"

"Nope!" Luna replied smugly without a moment of hesitation.

Saryll saw this and chimed in. "She means yes, but she's retired."

"Hm, do you think you can be disrespectful to your mother now that you are the Queen or something?"

"Yeah."

Luna stomped the ground in frustration.

"I'm switching sides. I'll stand here now." She pouted and came next to Earl.

"I'll leave her in your hands, Earl."

"Leave it to me, Your Majesty." Earl gave her a thumbs up. "Luna. Shall we go take a seat? Lily, please be ready to help her out."

"These 2 girls are your servants?" Luna eyed up the demon girl and the dark elf in their maid uniform as they took a seat.

The seating arrangement was Earl in the middle with Luna to his left and his mother to his right. Not far away, Saryll was seated next to Abelis.

"Yes." He promptly replied.

"They're cute. You're his mom?"

"That's correct."

"You're the strongest human I've met in a long time," Luna said as her eyes narrowed. It was unknown when she placed her mask back on, making her facial expression unreadable.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"It was an objective statement. Anyways, there's something I find rather fascinating."

"What is?"

"With the exception of Abelis, Earl's scent is on everyone here."