Chapter 126: An Illegitimate Son?

The hotel manager, usually smooth enough to handle almost anyone who walked through these doors, had been reduced to constantly wiping sweat from his forehead. His back was bent so far he looked ready to fold in half.

"Four times the price?"

His voice trembled.

The amount itself was outrageous, but the money was not what frightened him most. It was the look on Sable’s face.

Highcrest City was full of wealthy and powerful people, yet even here, anyone willing to throw that kind of money at a hotel room either had lost their mind or had a very good reason.

Sable clearly had a reason.

He slapped the black gold card onto the marble counter.

The sound was not particularly loud, but the lobby had gone so quiet that it carried through the entire space.

"What? Still not enough?"

The manager had no intention of offending a Highcrest City inspector either.

"No, no, of course not!"

He gritted his teeth as though about to betray generations of his ancestors.

"We have a room."

"If Inspector Sable personally asks for it, then even if the sky falls today, I will find one for you."

He snatched up the card and turned toward the young woman behind reception.

"Release the Cloudtop Palace suite on the top floor. The one being held for that guest."

The receptionist did not ask who that guest was.

Her manager had spoken.

At this point, whoever had reserved it could argue later.

A soft chime sounded from the terminal.

Moments later, a key card made from some translucent crystal, glowing faintly gold from within, was presented to Sable with both hands.

"Inspector, your room key."

The manager’s smile had become painfully careful.

This was a Cloudtop Palace suite.

The finest room category in the entire hotel.

A single night cost six figures, and money alone was not enough to book one. Guests needed the proper clearance as well.

Sable took the card.

The darkness on his face vanished almost instantly.

Then he turned toward Joren, and the authority he had just been using on the manager disappeared with it.

"Joren, done."

He held out the glowing card with a broad smile.

"Cloudtop Palace. Highest rooms in Highcrest City. The view is supposed to be incredible."

Joren accepted it, feeling the cool crystal against his fingers.

"Thanks, Sable."

That simple exchange nearly made the people watching from the lobby forget how to blink.

The guests sitting in the lounge were not ordinary travelers. Most came from powerful families in the satellite cities, while others were merchants who survived by knowing exactly who mattered and what was happening.

They had been watching since Sable entered.

Now several of them were openly staring.

Who was that young man?

Sable, a Highcrest City inspector, had practically bent over backward for him. He had offered several times the normal price, pressured the hotel, and spent his own influence just to secure the boy a room.

Quiet whispers began spreading through the lounge.

"Who is that kid? Never seen him before."

"No idea. I do not recognize him either."

"He does not look like a young master from one of the major families. His clothes are good, but there is no family crest anywhere."

A portly middle aged man in a floral shirt rolled two walnuts between his fingers and leaned closer to the others, an ugly little grin appearing on his face.

"You do not think..."

He lowered his voice further.

"Could he be Sable’s illegitimate son?"

The others paused.

Then several expressions changed at once.

That actually made sense.

Why else would an older man go to such ridiculous lengths for some unknown teenager? The way Sable was treating him almost looked like he was trying to make up for years of neglect.

The man in the floral shirt became more pleased with his own theory the longer he thought about it.

"I would say there is a good chance. Look at the treatment he is getting. They do not look alike, but..."

The sentence never finished.

Cold swept over him without warning.

For one awful instant, it felt as though a Voidbeast had fixed its eyes on his back.

The walnuts slipped from his hand and struck the floor, rolling several meters away.

He turned stiffly.

Sable was staring directly at him.

An illegitimate son?

How the hell had he come up with that?

Sable’s heart missed a beat.

These idiots had no idea what kind of person they were gossiping about.

That harmless looking seventeen year old had walked through tens of thousands of Voidbeasts with a blade in hand and killed three peak Rank Five beast kings.

And this fool wanted to make jokes about him in the same room?

Was he tired of living?

Or was his family tree simply too crowded?

For the first time since entering the hotel, Sable was genuinely worried.

The man in the floral shirt went pale under that stare.

He had no idea exactly which line he had crossed, but instinct told him he had come dangerously close to something fatal.

His mouth snapped shut.

His head seemed to sink between his shoulders, and suddenly the floor beneath him looked far more interesting than anything else in the lobby.

Silence spread.

No one knew the whole story, but Sable’s reaction had told them enough.

That was not the look of a man protecting some secret son.

Whatever the identity of the young man beside him, he was not someone to casually discuss, and certainly not someone to offend.

If even Sable treated him with that much care, there had to be a reason.

Curiosity only grew stronger.

So did caution.

More and more eyes settled on Joren.

He stood at the center of it all without saying anything, posture straight, expression unchanged.

"Let us go."

He finally turned toward the elevators.

He never looked at the man in the floral shirt.

Sable released a breath and gave the man one last murderous glare before immediately changing expressions and hurrying after Joren.

"Of course."

Manester and Kyo exchanged a glance.

Both looked thoroughly entertained.

There really was something remarkable about people who had no idea what they were dealing with.

A chime sounded.

The doors of the private elevator opened.

That too came with the hotel’s highest level of privilege. It traveled directly to the top floor with no waiting and no unnecessary stops.

The elevator itself was enormous, large enough to contain leather sofas and even a champagne display.

Once the doors closed, the lobby and all those searching looks disappeared behind them.

The car began rising rapidly.

Acceleration pressed them gently into place while Highcrest City dropped away beyond the transparent walls.

Skyscrapers shrank beneath their feet. Streams of traffic became glowing lines, and whole districts unfolded below like pieces of a vast illuminated map.

Sable glanced toward Joren and rubbed at his forehead despite there being no sweat left to wipe away.

"Joren, those people downstairs have loose mouths. Do not take any of it seriously."

"Just a bunch of fools who have never seen beyond their own little well."

Joren watched the clouds sliding past the glass and smiled faintly.

"It is fine."

Then he looked back at Sable.

"When are we going to Vega Forge to upgrade my weapon?"