"... Emmett, what happened to me?" a deep and low-key sexy voice escaped my lips while my head buzzed from my dizziness.
'Those meds Velma used pack a punch. Is this why Hamlet hates taking them? They make him feel... vulnerable?'
"You died," Emmett responded, showing me a video from his tablet.
In the video, Hamlet was cracking his knuckles and shouting, fighting an entire army of masked assassins.
The emblems on their arms—a narwhal resting on a giant ship—made me quickly piece together which kingdom they were from.
'They're from the kingdom of Narlington. Those assassins work directly under the Hollow Guild, Noah Krüger's guild...
'This means that it's around the beginning of the game. And...'
"What date is it?"
"14th of February, 2186, my lord."
I rubbed my chin and struggled to hold back my grunt. Not because it was Valentine's day, and I was single–by–choice, obviously.
But, because it was 3 months before Hamlet's, or rather, my fateful encounter with the main character, Noah.
This encounter also resulted in my pitiful death. Hamlet was the weakest villain out of the 12 Moonstones, the 12 strongest beings in the entire world.
Considering that I'm ranked 12, I should see where my current stats lie and compare them to the main character's when he first started out.
'Status.'
「–ARCANE SOVEREIGN SYSTEM–」
– INFO –
◇ Name: Hamlet Stein
◇ Age: 31
◇ Affinity: Arcane Threads
◇ Alignment: Void
◇ Mana: 2,300 / 2,300
– ATTRIBUTES –
◇ Strength: 62
◇ Dexterity: 87
◇ Endurance: 68
◇ Intelligence: 72
– ABILITIES –
◇ Marionette Master: [MAX RANK]
◇ Reality Stitch: [Lvl.1]
◇ Mind Weaving: [Lvl.5]
◇ Spiderweb: [MAX RANK]
I choked on my saliva and began coughing like it was my first time smoking weed, Emmett visibly panicking as he dropped his tablet and summoned some water.
Neat trick.
"My lord, are you alright? Please, have some."
I involuntarily opened my mouth and drank the cooling water. I never knew Emmett was a water mage. Impressive.
As for the reason why I coughed, it was quite simple.
'Hamlet is way too strong to be killed by Noah.'
Noah's base stats out of 100 were in the 30s to 40s, meaning he wasn't even close to beating Hamlet.
So, how'd he do it?
Hamlet let him win.
After receiving all his memories, I realised that Hamlet was more than depressed.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get over Frill's death.
And, after experiencing it for myself, I can understand why. That woman practically raised me.
Then she was taken away from me, killed like an animal, and rotted away in a monster's belly.
She was an innocent soul. If anything, Hamlet... I deserved to die that night.
I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes. "My lord, if there is anything I can do for you–"
"You can shut up and let me think," I retorted, more annoyed than angry.
Emmett immediately froze up, his curly hair bouncing as he stood incredibly still.
I then recalled a small detail from the game.
Ryusui Krüger is Noah's father. He's still alive and still raids dungeons. Just not as often as he used to.
Although I've tried, I still couldn't get close enough to kill him.
He's surrounded by strong Elysians, knights who think that they're above justice and human rights.
They chew up whatever values you have as a person and discard you like a used condom.
In fact, the whole reason why I started some shit with their assassins was so that i could get his attention.
Unfortunately, I got knocked out by his second in command.
My lips twitched into a smirk as my morale had been raised by a billion percent!
It's settled; I am not only going to take the life of Ryusui, but I'm going to eliminate the concept of righteous heroes known as Elysians.
The old Hamlet had forgotten why he became a Moonstone, why he killed and why he raised armies of hundreds of hunters.
It wasn't to make money. It was to make sure that the world he lived in would be safe for the next kid who wants to genuinely save lives.
I groaned and cast aside the thin blanket, standing up and stretching afterwards.
After running my hand on my back, I felt the claws of that dire wolf right on my back, my body twitching and my ears buzzing from the memory.
The scar burned like hell every time I touched it, but it was a great reminder of my old goal.
"Emmett, gather everyone in the hall for an emergency meeting," I ordered.
"Yes, Lord Stein!" Emmett saluted and ran out of the room, leaving me behind.
I stood in front of the mirror and clicked my tongue, punching it and drawing blood on my knuckles.
'This monster not only has a big dick, big muscles and a sexy voice, but he's handsome as fuck too! Why couldn't you place me in the body of an ugly duckling so I could at least feel good about my old appearance?!'
After my little tantrum, I cleared my throat and got dressed, making my way towards the hall.
***
[3rd Person POV]
"I'm telling you, he's still mad that you force fed him those meds, Ms Velma," Emmett cautioned as he trembled, remembering how sharp Hamlet's grunt was before he punched his mirror.
"I was right outside his door when it happened! Please try and make amends before he kills us all!"
Velma didn't even bother to react to Emmett's panic. All she did was tug her gloves, tightly securing them, and place her arms behind her back.
"Lord Stein gets angry all the time, Emmett. He'll be fine," she finally spoke up.
Before Emmett could scold her, the doors of the hall's entrance burst open.
Inside, hundreds of thugs stood at attention, all of them wearing suits with blue leopard print ties, resembling Hamlet's yellow leopard print tie.
The ceiling stretched high above with intricate windows bringing in sunlight.
The floors were made of marble and were so pristine and clean, Hamlet's menacing reflection could be seen even from afar.
His footsteps echoed through the area, bringing complete silence. Even the thugs' breaths were held when their boss stepped inside.
Velma stood on Hamlet's left side, prompting him to begin with his announcement.
"Tell me, does anyone know the name of our organisation?" Hamlet inquired.
One brave fellow slowly raised his hand and answered, "Die Morgenwacht (The Dawn's Watch), Lord Stein, sir."
"Good. Do you know what our code of honour is?"
The thug lowered his hand and thought for a good moment. "To punish Elysians?"
Hamlet sighed. "Little Atsushi, why'd you collect only the scrambled eggs when you could've collected the entire hen?"
"Sir?" Velma raised an eyebrow, visibly confused.
"We don't punish Elysians," Hamlet stepped forward and grabbed the thug by his collar, lifting him into the air.
"We kill the so-called heroes who raid dungeons and take care of the outbreaks.
"We get rid of anyone who hurts those without the power to defend themselves.
"We provide help to the poor, support the weak, and help them grow out of misery."
Hamlet lowered the thug, who was sweating buckets at this point, and glared at the rest of his men.
"We are all cut from the same cloth. I found you in those very slums I grew up in, and when I took you in, you swore to honour my code as a Moonstone.
"But, clearly, you've grown too comfortable. You've even started smoking in my fucking home."
He stood directly in front of a thug, who still reeked of cigarettes, and slapped him in the face.
"Where are the men who hate the elite?! The men who fight for the children of tomorrow so that they do not turn out to be low lives like us?!
"Where are the men that I chose to be the enemies of the injustice system?!"
Hamlet tucked his hands behind his back and began walking away.
"All I see now are maggots being given corpses to feed on. But that ends today."
"From now on, you will not only kiss the honour we stand by, but you will also live by it!
"Don't do it because I command you to do it! Do it so that the little boy you saved grows up to become a doctor and that little girl you rescued grows up to become a hero who saves others!
"Only we, Die Morgenwacht, can create a better world for the future!"
Hamlet raised his hand triumphantly, prompting his men to cheer and clap while shouting out his name.
Emmett's eyes sparkled as he smiled brightly. 'There he is! The man who saved my life!'
'Hamlet... you've certainly changed under the course of a day...' Velma mused. 'No matter. All these men, your possessions and your power will be mine in due time.
'Best let you bask in your glory before I drag the carpet off your feet.'