Building a Harem in a Noble House

Chapter 117: Conversation Based on Fact

Meredith and I were in the back corner, which was where the proctors told our assigned team to wait. Back corner wasn’t terrible. It meant fewer eyeballs on us, and the lantern above us wasn’t flickering like some of the others. Our new teammates, Ruth and Harris Odelium, sat across from us on the other bench. I could tell neither of them wanted to make eye contact. Probably for the best, considering how our last conversation went.

We were told we could wander around the building if we wanted to. "Avail yourselves of the amenities" was the exact wording they used. The "amenities", however, turned out to be a few training rooms for meditation, a couple bathrooms that echoed a bit too loud, and a snack station with pieces of stale bread stacked in a basket like someone thought bread qualified as hospitality if you ignored the fact that you’d probably chip a tooth on it.

Even with all that, sitting here wasn’t the issue. No, I could appreciate the effort they put into making this long day less boring. The issue came from the two assholes sitting behind me.

Evelyn and Reuben Everwinter, both with pale blue hair and gray eyes like overcast skies. Their armor was a clean white, well polished but a little light on plating. Not bad quality, just not enough substance to keep up with how fancy the paint job pretended to be. Last I’d seen them, Lyra and I were wasting the girl’s talent to kill them over and over again. They were the type of people who wanted to make sure you knew they were Noble before you even asked their name.

And they were at it again.

"I find it deeply concerning," Evelyn said loud enough for our entire section to hear, "that certain individuals believe they can stand among aspirants without even the slightest backing from a Noble line. It reflects rather poorly on the current standards. Wouldn’t you say, brother?"

Reuben responded in that smug tone he probably used in the mirror every morning. "It dilutes the very essence of the Paladin Order. A lineage elevates an aspirant. Without it, one wonders what they expect to contribute."

I didn’t even need to meet their eyes to know this was aimed at me. Or rather, aimed at Meredith through me.

Ruth leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. "Hey, May," he said, trying to sound casual, "You could’ve told us your partner didn’t have a real House. That’s something we should’ve known."

Harris made a face like he was pretending to pity her. "I’m honestly not surprised. She has that look."

"What look?" Ruth asked in a mocking tone.

"That... orphaned Adventurer look," Harris said with a shrug. "You can tell sometimes. The way they carry themselves. Trying too hard."

Meredith didn’t react outwardly, but I felt the stiffness in how she sat beside me. Her armor wasn’t anything extravagant. It was practical and cared for. That was all. She didn’t need gold embellishments or crests sewn into her cloak. She earned everything she had. But people like the Everwinters didn’t recognize value unless it glittered.

Evelyn continued, "It is baffling that the Order allows entry to aspirants without noble sponsorship. There should be a screening process. Something to preserve the dignity of the title."

Reuben added, "I heard she made her money Adventuring, which is already... unfortunate. Next they’ll let ome of Nightingale’s pig farmers in as recruits!"

Ruth snorted. "Adventurer turner Paladin. Imagine that. Paladins are supposed to be paragons. Not mercenaries with savings."

Harris muttered, "And she isn’t even from a noble orphanage or anything. She’s nothing. No training lineage. No proper crest. She doesn’t belong here."

I saw Meredith’s fingers clench. No tremor, no breath hitch. Just a quiet closing of her hand into a fist.

I leaned forward slightly. "Do you four want to keep talking shit, or are you hoping someone else will come over and applaud?"

Reuben scoffed. "We are having a conversation based on fact."

Evelyn chimed in, "If someone feels attacked by truth, that is their burden, not ours."

Harris said, "I mean, it’s good she wants to be a Paladin, but she isn’t really cut out for it."

Meredith stood. When she spoke, her voice carried across the room, smooth but fierce. Whether that was her intention or not, though, I couldn’t possibly answer.

"You speak of nobility," she started, visibly enraged, "as though it entitles you to righteousness!" The Everwinters blinked. Ruth and Harris froze. "You speak of Houses," Meredith continued, volume raising further, "as though their names grant you purpose and valor!" Her eyes sharped to points of ice. "You cling to your crests and your ancestral wealth like children hugging their toys in fear of having them taken away!"

A few recruits in the nearby rows turned to watch. Two Paladins near the front stage looked back, including Mr. Shaw, who was mid-conversation but stopped when he heard her voice. It was difficult to make out his face from this far away without using aura to correct, but if I had to guess, I’d say he was smiling. That man was a true Paladin, one who would understand Meredith’s words.

Speaking of Meredith, she wasn’t shouting. She didn’t need to shout. Her voice cut through the air either way.

"You place yourselves above others because you believe your blood makes you superior. Yet every word you speak exposes you. You hide behind your Houses because you fear what stands beneath them. You fear that without your titles, you would be nothing at all."

Reuben scoffed weakly, but there was an edge of something in it. Anger? Embarrassment? Recognition? "You’re being absurd, orphan."

Evelyn stiffened. "You misunderstand the nature of Noble responsibility."

"No," Meredith said. "I understand it better than you ever will."

She pointed at the Everwinter twins.

"You wear white armor as if purity can be forged. You parade around in polished plates and expect reverence, but inside there is no virtue. Only vanity. Only fear. Only a hollow craving for recognition you have not earned."

Reuben’s jaw tightened again.

Meredith’s attention shifted to the Odelium brothers.