With Ellie busy on her mission taking care of Gira, Khaos and Orka had been left with the responsibility of overseeing the Great Tower and the adjoining Tower City settlement. Because the two UR Level 8888 warriors had initially presented themselves to the outside world as deputies of the Wicked Witch, it was only natural that they would defend the city against high-level threats while she was away from her tower.
But despite being purported retainers of the Wicked Witch, both Khaos and Orka showed their faces in Tower City very infrequently, so their name recognition was surprisingly low among its residents. Before Ellie went off on her mission, she ordered her two deputies to go out and show themselves to the citizens while she was gone, reasoning that this was a “good opportunity” for the city to get to know them. However, the population of Tower City was too large, and the majority of the people were too busy for any formal introductory gathering with Khaos and Orka, so it was decided that an event of that kind would be limited to a select number of influential people. Since holding a simple meet and greet would have reflected poorly on the “Great Witch,” as she was known by the citizens, the meeting was organized as a standing-room-only, buffet-style dinner party inside the Great Tower.
Around a hundred people were invited to the gathering, and all marveled at how exceptional the food, liquor, and desserts were, as well as how the fairy maids waiting on the guests shone with a beauty that was out of this world. A multitude of magical light sources illuminated the banquet hall so that it was as bright as a terrace at midday, and musicians filled the air with refined harmonies. Some of the invitees were merchants who had attended banquets held by hosts from other races, and they all confirmed that the extravagance on display far exceeded anything they had witnessed in previous gatherings, which indicated that the Great Witch had the kind of resources that trumped aristocrats and royalty of all the other races. And so, the stage had been set for a highly engaging and enjoyable banquet, although there was one issue that was threatening to derail everything.
“So you’re telling me that music isn’t a thriving industry in the nation you’re from?” Orka asked a delegation from the Tower City merchants’ guild.
“I’m afraid not, Lord Orka,” one of the delegates replied. “Most humans are too poor to have the means to enjoy music. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the city you’ve managed to build here! There are plenty of jobs available for anyone willing to work hard and earn a good living, and the pay is good enough for people to enjoy the finer things in life.”
“Here, you can work hard and still have enough free time to enjoy music,” another guild merchant piped up. “Not only are people able to attend musical performances, they can even decide to start making music themselves. And when that happens, music professionals and craftspeople see new demand, generating more business for our own guild.”
“One day, the Great Tower will produce an artist that will leave his or her mark on music history,” another delegate said confidently.
“I can hardly wait for that moment!” Orka beamed. “Let us raise our glasses to the brillante future that awaits our human musical artists!”
“Hear! Hear!” cheered everyone in the group. But while Orka was deftly entertaining the guests like the masterful host he was, he was also accompanied by his self-styled younger brother, Khaos, who had more of an unapproachable attitude.
“I can see you have a passion for music, Lord Orka,” one of the attendees said. “B-But would you care to share your preferred pastimes with us, Lord Khaos?”
There was a pregnant pause, before Khaos gave a curt response to the question. “Reading and training.”
“Oh! Well, I’d expect nothing less from one of the Great Witch’s right-hand men,” the invitee said. “Not only do you endeavor to expand your mind, you are also diligent in your attempt to master the art of combat. No doubt you could teach us a thing or two!”
“I’ll drink to that!” another guest piped up.
“My son is close in age to you, Lord Khaos, and I only wish he was as dedicated to his studies!” a third voice added.
The guests were doing their best to praise Khaos and get on his good side, but their efforts only had the opposite effect on him, and he maintained a disdainful silence. He was of the opinion that the invitees didn’t need to engage in such empty flattery because he was duty bound to protect everyone in the Great Tower and the adjoining city who was weaker than him anyway. Khaos had willingly taken on the mantle of being their protector because he was subordinate to Light, and by extension, Ellie.
Khaos’s understanding of the laws of nature was that the strong must protect the weak, and the weak must be protected by the strong. If the weaklings in the city were to be in danger at any point, he would be required to step in to defend them, no matter their status. He felt the guests didn’t need to go to such lengths to curry favor with him to be assured that they would receive his protection, but instead of conveying these sentiments earnestly to those around him, the warrior mage simply stewed over it quietly.
Have we said something to offend him? the invitees thought as one, with awkward smiles on their faces. Since the conversation had basically died, the group decided to go mingle somewhere else.
“I-If you’ll excuse us,” one of them said, before leaving with his group. Even though Khaos was supposed to be one of the hosts of the banquet, he found himself completely alone, with none of the guests approaching him.
Out of concern, a fairy maid drew closer to Khaos and whispered to him, “Mr. Khaos, you need to try to be more sociable. You’ll only end up frightening the citizens instead of properly introducing yourself to them.”
“I will not present a false facade,” Khaos protested. “In any case, I fully intend to protect this city from whatever danger befalls it, so there is no special need for anyone to like me. Besides, I despise building relationships based on favoritism.”
What is wrong with this guy? the exasperated fairy maid thought. From Khaos’s perspective, all he really had to do was let people see what the Wicked Witch’s deputy looked like. His only job was to protect the city, not to win some popularity contest. But to the beleaguered fairy maid, Khaos was expressing the typical mindset of a social misfit.
“Yes, I’m sure you are able to immediately resolve any problem that requires the use of force,” the fairy maid said patiently. “But there may come times when you need to instruct citizens to evacuate or take shelter. In order for you to be successful in that, you need people to trust you, otherwise they might hesitate and end up putting themselves in danger. The last thing we need is a completely preventable tragedy on our hands.”