freenovelworld Chapter 78: Arlen Carter
Chapter 78: Arlen Carter
“…I understand you’re waiting for someone, but… is the person you’re waiting for a club member? Our club is invitation-only,” the curly-haired young man in a white suit, exuding an artistic air, said with a pained expression, standing before Isabel.The princess, who rarely spoke to others, stood solemnly at the White Slipper Club’s entrance.
It didn’t look like she was waiting—it looked like she was here to confront someone.
Nearby students gathered, some watching from the club’s lobby, while alumni hesitated to enter, lingering nervously.
The curly-haired youth’s question stumped Isabel.
Her invitee wasn’t a member, but she intended to join the club.
Technically, her guarantor was the tall, blue-haired girl, but Isabel didn’t know her name.
She pursed her lips, pondering her response.
[Should I explain from the start?]
[So troublesome.]
After a pause, she gave a firm answer: “They’re a member.”
The curly-haired youth was surprised.
[Someone dared invite the princess?]
As he prepared to ask for the inviter’s name and invite Isabel inside, a new voice called out:
“We’re here, Isabel.”
The youth turned and saw an unexpected figure.
Aiwas Moriarty? The infamous playboy from Du Lac High?
He’d vanished after graduation, only recently making headlines in for cracking a major case.
Rumors swirled—his legs were broken, either by a girlfriend’s brother for two-timing or by a rival in an overseas cricket match.
[When did he return to study? At the Theology School, no less…]
[How’s he connected to the odd princess?]
“Aiwas!”
Isabel’s eyes lit up at his voice.
She abandoned her post at the entrance, hurrying toward him with small, quick steps.
The curly-haired youth was stunned.
[They’re close enough to use first names?!]
Then he noticed something else.
The five or six people with Aiwas were all club members, yet they orbited him like he was their center.
The blue-haired girl beside Aiwas stepped forward with a bright smile, dimples showing, radiating vitality.
“Senior Sisfin, I invited Her Highness!”
“Angela…”
The youth, Sisfin, hesitated.
Shaking his head, he decided not to meddle.
Instead, he asked, “This is Aiwas, right? Is he a new member you invited?”
“Aiwas and Miss Lily, yes, Senior,” Aiden replied.
“I invited Aiwas, and he invited Lily.”
He gestured to another classmate.
“And actually, Her Highness came with Aiwas. Technically, he’s her inviter.”
“I’m just lending my name!” Angela said with a laugh.
Sisfin sighed in relief.
He opened the door, ushering the group inside without checking invitations—anything to avoid a spectacle at the entrance.
Once inside, he closed the door, shutting out curious eyes.
As expected, news of “Princess Isabel invited to the White Slipper Club” would soon spread.
Inside, faint music flowed.
Isabel stuck close to Aiwas, curiously scanning the surroundings.
To her disappointment, the club was smaller and less grand than she’d imagined.
It resembled a music restaurant with a bar counter.
The entrance led to a spacious hall with a large stage, big enough for opera or dance troupes, or a dozen dancing couples.
Covered instruments sat in the stage’s corner.
A white-haired elder played the violin with closed eyes, while a handsome young man focused on the piano behind a curtain.
A long bar lined one side, with stairs and restrooms on the other.
Students carried drinks and tea upstairs, earning wages for club work.
Sofas and round tables filled the space.
The second floor was open, with a silver-railed balcony where a few people leaned, chatting quietly.
Semi-open booths lined the second floor, some with curtain-like screens drawn for privacy.
The setup wasn’t soundproof—voices carried, offering little seclusion.
Booth occupants likely couldn’t see the stage, but the lack of soundproofing let them hear the music.
Still, the first floor was better for watching performances.
The students who brought Aiwas’s group were greeted by friends or joined others at tables.
Only the guarantors stayed, approaching a young man behind the bar.
With radiant blonde hair and deep, poet-like eyes, he was handsome, with sharp features and half-long ears hinting at mixed-elf heritage.
His slightly gaunt, elongated face bordered on horse-like.
Not a bartender, he lounged behind the bar, sipping leisurely.
Seeing Aiwas and Isabel, his face showed surprise.
He stood abruptly, tall and lanky—over 1.9 meters—straightening his tie with precision, his swift rise showing control over his frame.
“Senior Aaron,” the group greeted politely, stating their inviter roles.
Aiden whispered to Aiwas, “This is Aaron Carter, third-year male valedictorian and the club’s current president.”
He began introducing, “This is—”
“I know, Aiden. Thank you,” Aaron cut in softly.
His voice, like his demeanor, was low and resonant, with a poetic, elvish charm.
He bowed slightly to Isabel, hand on chest.
“Your Highness Isabel, it’s an honor to have you join the White Slipper Club.”
Then he smiled warmly at Aiwas, nodding.
“Aiwas Moriarty, an honor to meet you here.”
Aiwas raised an eyebrow.
He remembered Aaron—both from the game and his own memories.
The third son of a minister, a half-elf, and the leader of the White Slipper Club in version 1.0, he was also its reputation vendor.
Aiwas recalled his melancholic aura and long face.
And his memorable death.
During the Brutal Autumn event, when Star Antimony invaded, Aaron heroically but ineffectively resisted.
Riding his griffin, he covered the player, Aiwas, and Isabel’s retreat, casting dazzling legal spells at a golem.
But his attacks dealt zero damage, failing to slow the golem even briefly.
A thirty-meter golem swatted him from the sky.
The string of “0”s and “immune” prompts was almost comical.
Still, his sacrifice delayed the golem’s attack, crucially saving the protagonist group from a fatal blow.
Without that one hit, they’d have died.
Aiwas’s impression of him: “Good guy, loyal, brave, but kind of weak.”
Or rather, weak.
Aaron, uninterested in the superhuman path, focused on academics and politics, so his level was low, even among graduates.
People whispered he got his griffin early through his father’s influence.
Now Aiwas realized Haina set the precedent—a fourth-year who got her griffin early but stayed in school.
Though Haina never appeared in-game, likely dying off-screen, her influence lingered quietly.
(Chapter End)