An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World-Chapter 36: A Sinner’s Welcome

The moon has never looked so beautiful in my eyes, and the stars have never seemed so distant.

Accompanied by Cupcake, I was crossing the skybridge that connects the northwest tower to the central tower, the location of the queen’s residence.

We were headed towards the ballroom, where the recruits’ welcoming ceremony was about to take place.

To my left, Cupcake was elegantly dressed in a black silk gown, and her right shoulder was adorned with a golden clover flower.

Her expression remained unreadable, as though she hadn’t just insisted we shower together to hasten our preparation and make it to the event on time.

I glanced from her to two guards positioned fifteen meters ahead, who stood watch at the Queen’s tower entrance.

’Whoosh!’

A sudden, powerful gust of wind surged through the area, causing my bow tie to flutter wildly.

Wearing a tailored black tuxedo that I received from Cupcake, I looked at the maze formed by the tall green grasses at the base of the castle. It reminded me of those simple mazes printed on cereal boxes.

From the Sky bridge that was eighty meters above sea level, the ground felt like a magnet, pulling me down.

’I am not scared of heights.’

’Whoosh!’

The wind felt like it was trying to push me off, and the maze below swirled into a disorienting vortex. I closed my eyes, imagining myself on solid ground to combat the dizziness.

’Click!’

Our hands intertwined, and Cupcake pulled me near. I looked back at her, turning slightly over my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Cupcake spoke gently, a stark contrast to the woman who had undressed and gagged me. The cut she’d made on my chin still hadn’t healed.

"I am good," I replied

I slowly stroked my chin with my bare hand, being sure Cupcake saw the gesture.

Cupcake crossed her fingers, and instantly a barrier materialized, sheltering us from the biting wind. She averted her gaze, twisting one of her pigtails, her expression calm and composed.

"Listen up! You need to give me your undivided attention. No talking to anyone else, got it?" she demanded.

I did not reply; my attention shifted from her and landed on the moon.

The moon itself seemed indistinguishable from Earth’s. However, the star constellations above were utterly transformed. Nearly every star grouping I observed differed dramatically from the constellations familiar to Earth.

"I have been, indeed, transmigrated to a fantasy realm."

***

’Squeak!’

The ballroom doors in the Queen’s tower swung as Cupcake pushed them open.

Her eyes grew cold, and she shifted her body closer to mine. Standing at 5’2, I can see her dark purple twin ponytails sprouting from her head.

The scene before us mirrored the grandeur of Cinderella’s ballroom, filled with round tables meticulously arranged across the space.

A vast dance floor lay at the center. Positioned above, on an upper floor, sat the Queen with Lana by her side, her throne sparkling like diamond rings.

Two elegant staircases flanked the balcony, curving downwards and connecting the upper floor to the dance floor on either side.

The rest of the sinners were a sea of flowing gowns in different colors and sharply tailored suits, their conversations a low hum filling the air.

’Thud-thud!’

Suddenly, every pair of eyes turned and glanced at us.

"Tsk, he was even late to the induction ceremony," a voice hissed.

Gossip rippled through the ballroom.

"Trisha caught them together just now!" Laughter erupted. "Couldn’t even wait until it’s dark," someone added.

Cupcake and I ignored the whispers, making our way to the back.

I offered Cupcakes a seat, pulling her chair out for her. She settled next to a green woman sporting prominent tusks. This only intensified the already tense atmosphere.

I then found an open seat beside an orc woman in a yellow dress. The garment was noticeably too tight on her large frame.

"Welcome to the Initiation Ceremony, where we formally receive the newest Sinners into the House of Sinners. By time-honored tradition, they’ll first undergo a sacred ritual to discern their class. Following this, Her Majesty the Queen will bestow knighthood upon them and formally embrace them into her royal ranks." Riona, a female royal guard, announced.

Riona was clad in a red and white military uniform, holding three sheets of white paper.

"Princess should step forward," Riona commanded.

Evelyn got up from her spot near the dance floor. She wore a purple dress and tossed her long silver hair over her shoulder, her hand lightly touching an earring.

Evelyn moved with grace to the dance floor’s center, coming to a stop directly in front of Riona.

"Excuse me."

Using a needle, Riona pricked Evelyn’s thumb, drawing blood. She then pressed Evelyn’s hand onto the white paper, causing an inscription to appear.

∎[Alias: Princess]

∎[Core: Lota]

∎[Heartbeat: 100s]

∎[Unique Skill: XXXX]

∎[Race: Elf]

∎[Class: Healer]

∎[Rank: Second lieutenant]

As Evelyn’s information appeared on the paper, silence fell over the ballroom. Murmurs soon broke out, each voice a ripple in the sudden silence.

"A Healer? That’s quite rare," a woman in a blue gown said.

"She has a Unique skill already? She must be lucky," the hush murmurs continued from a man in a sharply tailored charcoal suit.

"An Elf! She must have a massive mana reserve," a woman in a flowing white gown added, her gaze fixed intently on the dance floor.

Upon reviewing Evelyn’s Status, Riona gave a nod. "Lucy," she shouted, "please come here."

Evelyn stepped aside, and Lucy walked to the dance floor, her body clad in a striking black gown that seemed to absorb the very light around her. Lucy’s long, dark hair cascaded around her, framing her pale face and fiercely glowing red eyes.

Lucy quickly pulled her hand back when Riona tried to take her thumb.

"You are not allowed to touch me."

Before Riona had time to respond, Lucy swiftly drew her thumbnail across her index finger, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

Snatching the paper from Riona, she dripped blood onto it. Once done, she returned the paper and moved to stand next to Evelyn.

Riona’s empty hand hovered near her sword hilt as she looked toward Lana. Lana responded with a shake of her head, prompting Riona to withdraw her hand from the weapon.

’Tsk.’

Riona began reading the inscriptions on the paper.

∎[Name: Lucy Grey]

∎[Core: Lota]

∎[Heartbeat: 100s]

∎[Unique Skill: XXXX]

∎[Race: Demon Hybrid]

∎[Class: Wielder]

∎[Subclass: Vessel of The Nameless God]

∎[Rank: Second lieutenant]

An absolute silence fell upon the ballroom as every gaze locked on Lucy. She turned towards the queen, and unsettlingly, a mouth materialized at the back of her neck.

"Worship me." The mouth said.

Seated upon her balcony throne, the queen held Lucy’s unwavering attention.

A grin spread across Lucy’s face, and then, disturbingly, a new mouth materialized on her chest. Its opening exposed a set of sharp, jagged teeth, much like those of a shark.

"Feast upon the image of a Goddess; kneel and worship the vessel of the nameless god."

Without altering her composed demeanor, the queen shifted her attention to Lucy, preparing to address her with a steady, unchanged expression.

"Silence!" She uttered.

Abruptly, Lucy fell silent. She clamped her mouth shut with such force that blood oozed from her neck, chest, and lips.

Though she tried with all her might, Lucy found herself unable to stir. Every muscle remained stubbornly still, leaving her only the option to fix a piercing gaze upon the queen.

I wondered, "How can the Queen control Lucy?"

In an instant, the gentle hum of voices transformed into a sudden uproar. A wave of excited murmurs filled the grand ballroom, rising from every corner.

From a table near the front, a woman in an orange gown gasped, "One in a 100 million; that’s how rare it is to awaken a mark of divinity!"

Across the ballroom, a man in a dark tailored suit leaned forward, his voice barely a whisper. "She is a member of divinity, the gods’ clan. How is that possible?"

Further back, near one of the grand staircases, another woman hissed, "Why does the demon-hybrid have a mark of divinity?"

From a shadowed corner, an older man with a neatly trimmed beard calmly stated, "Relax, the nameless god always kills their vessels at a young age; she is not long for this world."

"The irregular should step forward," Riona announced, her voice resonating through the grand ballroom.

I rose and made my way to her. The other sinners, lost in their chatter about Lucy, scarcely spared me a glance.

Clutching my hand, she swiftly pricked it with a needle. Immediately following, she firmly pressed it onto a blank sheet of paper.

"Silence!" Riona ordered.

The ballroom fell silent, every gaze fixed upon us. Turning her attention to the white paper in her hand, she began to read aloud the words inscribed upon it.

∎[Alias: King]

∎[Core: Lota]

∎[Heartbeat: 100s]

∎[Unique Skill: XXXX]

∎[Race: Human]

∎[Class: Succubus]

∎[Subclass: XXXX]

∎[Subclass: XXXX]

∎[Rank: Second lieutenant]

[Ding: Certain influences of The Living Scroll have been disabled, prioritizing privacy.]

As soon as Riona completed reading my status from the living scroll, the ballroom burst into laughter, as if my very existence was nothing but the punchline of a cruel joke.

"He claimed to be the Demon God’s chosen vessel. Then why isn’t his subclass listed?" questioned a woman in an orange gown near the front tables, her voice laced with skepticism.

"Is this some kind of joke?" another voice chimed in, the origin lost in the growing murmur.

"To hear a succubus call himself the Demon King? Truly absurd," declared a man in a dark tailored suit, leaning forward with a dismissive air.

"The demon King, more like the Demon pussy," snickered someone further back, near one of the grand staircases.

"His class has no offensive attributes," noted a woman in a flowing white gown, her gaze analytical.

"Why is he in the House of Sinners? If anything, he should be in the House of Lust," hissed a woman from a shadowed corner.

"I heard he begged to join," added an older man with a neatly trimmed beard, his tone dismissive.

"They think they can mock me because the foolish system decided to hide my subclasses; they thought wrong," I murmured to myself.