Chapter 8: Little Fatties
In a room, two cute little fatties were sitting. On the table in front of them, were a plethora of dishes that would make anyone's mouth water. The strange thing was that the amount of food in front of them was enough to feed ten people. And the maids were still bringing more food to the table. The two fatties were none other than Nyx and his younger cousin, Brandon.
Two years had passed since Nyx's birth. In these two years, he had done only two things. Eat and laze around. Due to the Baptism, the kids in the Ironheart Clan developed rapidly. Their education would start when they became 1 year old. They would move to the Scholar's District, where they would spend the next five years of their lives and gain their education. They were only allowed to meet their families on the weekends.
There were two reasons for this. First, this allowed them to foster healthy relations with their generation from a young age. Second, it allowed kids from poorer backgrounds to bridge the gap between them and their counterparts. There was also a third secret reason. It was to monitor the Young Clan Leader candidates and their capabilities. The Ironheart Clan was very thorough in their selection and nurturing of the potential Clan Leaders and ensured that there was no shady business.
Coming back to Nyx and Brandon. Nyx had met Brandon six months ago in the canteen. Till now, Nyx's diet mainly consisted of unprocessed Demon Beast meat. But it was not available in the canteen so he had to ask his father to supply some to the canteen. Anyways, due to that, he would have a separate meal from the other children. Brandon was curious about Nyx's meals and approached him. The two instantly hit it off, as they had similar tastes. Brandon even began consuming Demon Beast meat with Nyx.
They even had competitions on who could eat more from time to time. As a result, they had gained the nickname of the Voracious Twins in the Scholar's Building. When Xander had heard this, he discouraged Nyx's behaviour. Although the First Shadow would help Nyx with the fat, there was no guarantee that he would do the same for Brandon. But there was a reason that Nyx had allowed Brandon to join his meals. That was because he remembered what Anima Brandon would awaken.
It was his stomach. If nurtured properly, it could become a terrifying Anima. With his knowledge and Anima, Nyx could ensure that Brandon would become a powerhouse but he needed to take some steps to make that happen. Changing his diet was the first one. They were at Nyx's house right now. That was also why they were able to have such a meal. After they were done with the meal, a maid entered the room and informed them that the Clan Lady wished to see them.
They wiped their faces and moved to Bella's room.
Outside the room, Nyx cleared his throat and said, "Mom, it's me and Brandon. May we enter?"
Bella replied, "Come in."
Both boys entered the room. Bella smiled and hugged both boys. Brandon blushed a little and said, "I greet the Clan Lady."
Bella said with an admonishing expression, "What Clan Lady? Didn't I ask you to call me Aunty?"
Brandon replied, "Yes Aunty."
Nyx also said, "Hi Mom. How are you?"
Bella replied with fake tears in her eyes, "I'm not fine at all. How could I be, when my cute son doesn't visit me at all?"
Nyx was speechless. Brandon was also controlling his laughter beside him. Then, the trio started laughing. Nyx said, "I'm sorry Mom. How can I make it up to you? I'll do anything you ask."
Bella looked at him cunningly and asked, "You promise?"
Nyx had a bad feeling but still replied, "Yes."
Bella smiled and said, "Great. We'll go shopping tomorrow."
Nyx's expression fell. There were few things that scared him but going shopping with his mom triumphed over everything on that list. He looked at Brandon, hoping that he would be able to save him but Brandon was too busy controlling his laughter.
Seeing this, Nyx smiled and said, "Mom, can we also take Brandon with us? He was just telling me how his current clothes don't fit him anymore."
Bella said, "The more the merrier. You two can even get matching outfits."
Brandon stopped laughing. He looked at Nyx with a feeling of betrayal evident in his eyes. He mouthed, 'I will have my revenge' to Nyx and said, "Thanks Aunty. I'm looking forward to it."
They chatted for a while but Bella suddenly became serious. She said, "Nyx, the reason that I called you here is because the Clan Head wants to see you."
Nyx also became serious. His mother only used the words 'Clan Head' to refer to his father when it was related to the official Clan business. Nyx thought, 'I guess that it's time.'
Nyx knew why his father wanted to see him. The first trial for the position of the Young Clan Head was about to begin. He looked at his mother and said, "When should I go see him?"
Bella replied, "In half an hour. But it would be better if you went and waited outside the Iron Blood Hall. Brandon, you stay. Only the Young Clan Head candidates are summoned."
Nyx nodded. He made his way to the Iron Blood Hall. Outside the Hall, he saw two girls and a boy were already waiting there. They were the other candidates. The boy was the First Elder's grandson, Ron. One of the girls was the Third Elder's daughter, Emma, and the other was the Sixth Elder's granddaughter, Luna. She was two months younger than him. As soon as she saw him, her face lit up.
She came up to him and said, "Sup Nyx?"
He replied, "Nothing much. What about you?"
She said, "I was just waiting here with Ron and Emma."
Nyx looked at them and greeted them with a nod. They greeted him back in a similar manner. He wasn't really close with them. It could be said that they saw him and each other as rivals. Luna, on the other hand, was very close to him. To this day, he still couldn't figure out why. But she was like a younger sister to him. The four of them started chatting. Although they weren't close, they were getting bored.
Soon, they heard a voice from within the Hall, "Come in."
They stopped talking and walked inside. They saw that there were ten people sitting inside. It was the Clan Head, the Council of Elders, and a man that they had never seen before. He looked very similar to Xander. Of course, Nyx already knew who he was.
All four of them bowed at the same time and said, "We greet our elders."
All of the adults nodded at the kids with a serious face. Inwardly though, they were trying to control their smiles. The kids were just too cute. Xander pointed at the unknown man and said, "Let me introduce you all to the 24th Head of the Ironheart Clan, Magnus Ironheart. He has been away for quite some time so this is your first time meeting him."
The kids once again bowed and said, "We greet the Former Clan Head."
Magnus finally couldn't help but smile. He said, "No need for that. You all can just call me Grandpa. I'm just an old man now. You guys, on the other hand, are the future leaders of our Clan."
Xander held the urge to look at his father. He thought inwardly, 'Has becoming a grandfather changed the Old Man? Why don't I remember him being this kind?'
It wasn't just him. The rest of the Elders were also thinking the same thing. Xander cleared his head and said, "We have called you here for an important mission. This mission will be your first trial. As you all know, although the Ironheart Clan is strong in terms of overall strength, we are a merchant clan foremost. So, the Young Clan Leader must be well versed in handling a business.
As the Young Clan Leader Candidates, we will be judging your business acumen. The Clan will loan funds and you are expected to open a business in the market of the Scholar's District. You are not allowed to get any help from your families and must rely on yourselves. Do you have any questions?"
Unbeknownst to the kids, the trial had already begun. Emma raised her hand. Xander said, "Yes Emma?"
Emma hesitated a little and asked, "How much funding will be given to us and in what currency?"
Xander said, "Good question. You all will be given a loan of one million Iron Credits each."
Nyx raised his hand. Xander nodded and Nyx asked, "You said that it will be a loan. Are we supposed to return it? If so, then what is the interest rate? Also, what is the duration of this trial?"
Xander looked satisfied that Nyx had noticed this detail and replied, "Excellent observation. To answer your question, yes, you will have to return the one million Iron Credits to the Clan. The interest rate is 10% per annum and the trial will last for four years, until you all awaken your Anima."
Ron raised his hand. Xander nodded and Ron asked, "Are there any limitations on the type of business?"
Xander replied, "Already thinking of options, are we? Good. No, there are no restrictions on the type of business as long as it is legal. If you are caught running an illegal business, you will be punished accordingly. Don't think that it would be a light punishment just because you are kids."
The adults, who were the kids' every move, were surprised when they saw Emma and Nyx smile subtly as soon as Xander had said, 'If you are caught'. They thought inwardly, 'It seems that we have two troublemakers.'
But they didn't discourage it. After all, no successful business was completely clean. Of course, that didn't mean that they wouldn't keep an eye on the two little troublemakers. After a few more questions, the kids were dismissed from the Hall. After exiting the Hall, Nyx rushed towards his mother's room.
After he entered the room, he bid his mother farewell and left with Brandon. Brandon could tell that Nyx was in a rush. They went to his room and Nyx dismissed all the maids. He then locked the door. He looked at Brandon and told him everything about the trial. Brandon became shocked at first and then he became excited. He looked at Nyx and asked, "When do we begin?"
Nyx asked, "You haven't even asked me what we are going to do?"
Brandon said, "As your best friend, I already know that you have a plan. So, I'll ask again. When do we begin?"
Hearing his words, Nyx just smiled mysteriously.
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