The Sovereign System.

Luke's eyes darted around the empty room, his confusion growing. Hadn't the woman said she would be testing Sebastian's strength? So where was the equipment, or anyone else for that matter?

Before he could voice his concern, his question was answered.

The large woman stepped into the center of the room, her footsteps heavy, each one reverberating through the space as if daring someone to challenge her strength. In one swift motion, she removed her robe, tossing it into the corner with practiced ease.

Luke's mouth fell open in horror. Beneath the robe, her body was a mass of muscle, each sinew and tendon sharply defined. Scars crisscrossed her flesh like battle-worn maps, and though she was thankfully wearing something to cover her chest, the sheer sight of her made Luke's knees wobble.

'I think I'm going to faint…'

"I am Hilda Fonterra," she said, clasping her calloused hands together and bowing slightly in a gesture of respect. "I'll be assessin' yer ability."

Before Luke could even process what was happening, a familiar sound echoed in his head.

[DING]

[You may now view Hilda Fonterra's subordinate tier.]

Luke's eyes widened as the floating words appeared before him.

'Subordinate tier? Does that mean she's a potential subordinate?' A frown creased his brow. 

'Wait… if the system's showing me this, then Hilda must be incredibly strong.'

A cold wave of anxiety washed over him. Between the pitiful looks from the mercenaries outside and the system's notification, he didn't need much more to put two and two together.

While his mind was busy spiraling, something flashed across his vision.

BOOOM.

A deafening explosion rattled the room. The shockwave hit Luke like a hammer, sending him stumbling back. His ears rang, and a thick cloud of dust and debris choked the air. He coughed, spluttering as he fought to breathe, his equilibrium completely thrown off.

Instinct took over. He scrambled for the door, his hands fumbling with the latch. After what felt like an eternity, he managed to push the door open and staggered into the main hall, still coughing up a lung.

When he finally looked up, everyone in the building was staring at him. The commotion inside must have been loud enough to grab their attention. Some of the mercenaries looked confused, but others—those closer to the door—wore knowing expressions.

"Haaah, that guy's probably dead," one of them muttered, shaking his head in pity.

Another chimed in, "What did he expect? Going up against Hilda like that…"

Luke felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. A shiver ran through his body.

'Sebastian...'

His chest tightened with worry. He wanted to rush back into the room, to check on his butler, but the cloud of dust still obscured everything. He couldn't see anything beyond the door.

With his heart hammering in his chest, Luke turned his attention back to the system notification. All he could do now was check if the woman was as strong as he thought.

He swallowed hard as he brought up Hilda's details.

[Name: Hilda Fonterra]

[Subordinate Tier: Common]

[Stats: N/A]

[User cannot see the stats of those who are not subordinates.]

'Huh? Common?' Luke almost scoffed aloud.

As an avid mobile game player in his previous life, he was well acquainted with the term. Even though he was still getting used to this new system, he could easily guess that "Common" meant Hilda was on the lowest tier.

'Sebastian is an Epic tier subordinate, so he should destroy her, right?'

As if to confirm his assumption, Sebastian strolled out of the room a few moments later. Luke's eyes quickly scanned him, checking for any signs of injury—but there was nothing. Not even a scratch.

Luke saw the mercenaries stiffen, some of them exchanging glances that seemed uneasy. One of the older men muttered under his breath, but Luke couldn't catch what he said.

Sebastian appeared indifferent to their stares, continuing his steady walk toward the counter. With a calm, collected air, he arrived at the counter and placed a token down in front of the stunned clerk.

"Here is the token of approval. Please go ahead with the paperwork," Sebastian said politely.

Luke watched as the man behind the counter blinked in shock, his gaze flickering between the token and the door of the exam room as if waiting for Hilda to come charging out.

"Don't worry about her," Sebastian said with a small smile. "She's just taking a little nap."

'Holy crap, that's cool!' Luke screamed internally, resisting the urge to start hyping Sebastian up. If they were still on Earth, he would've yelled out "Dayumm" and done a little victory dance around the guy.

The paperwork didn't take long. Luke stood silently, watching the clerk go through the motions while inwardly praising Sebastian for his calm and control. He had really lucked out, finding someone this capable right after transmigrating into a dangerous new world.

But as relieved as he was, something gnawed at him. A glaring flaw in his understanding had just been illuminated.

'I don't actually know how strength works in this world.' He realized.

In mobile games, he'd always had a clear, calculated gauge of each unit's strength—power levels, abilities, stats, all quantified and neatly categorized. Here, he didn't have those numbers to fall back on. Not even Sebastian's status window had given him a clear idea of his butler's full potential. It was all just... vague.

So how do I fix this? he wondered, frowning as he mulled over his options. After a few minutes, he sighed in frustration. 

'This sucks…'

"That's all done for you, sir," the clerk finally said, handing Sebastian a pendant bearing the Mercenary Guild's crest.

"Thank you." Sebastian turned to Luke, offering a small smile that Luke found oddly reassuring. "Let's go."

Luke didn't need to be told twice. The place stank of old sweat and iron, and his sinuses were already protesting in disgust. He was more than ready to leave.

"Don't look back," Sebastian murmured, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Huh?" Luke blinked, but he trusted his butler and followed the command.

Just as they reached the door, a deafening roar rang out from behind them, causing a tremor to run through his body.

"WHERE IS HE?"

"Run."

Before Luke could even process what was happening, Sebastian had already grabbed his wrist and bolted out the front door. They shot out of the Mercenary Guild like arrows, the roar of the woman echoing behind them.

Sebastian dragged him along until his lungs were gasping for air and his legs felt like they were on fire. Just when Luke thought he couldn't keep up any longer, the butler slowed his steps, giving him a chance to rest.

Luke doubled over, hands on his knees, gulping down air like a fish out of water. Now that he thought about it, that was the most exercise he'd done in both worlds combined. He grimaced at the realization.

'I need to work on my fitness,' he thought, half-exasperated.

When he finally raised his head, he was disheartened to see that Sebastian wasn't even winded. He stood there, as calm and composed as ever, not a single bead of sweat on his brow.

"Sebastian…" Luke muttered between gasps.

"Yes, Young Master?" Sebastian responded, his tone as polite as if they'd just strolled through a park.

"Why was that woman chasing us? Did you use some underhanded tricks to beat her or something?"

To Luke's surprise, Sebastian shook his head, a pained smile touching his lips.

"That woman is from the Fonterra family, a noble clan of warriors who have fought for this kingdom since its inception over 300 years ago," Sebastian explained, his expression unreadable.

'Dude, what the hell?!' Luke's blood pressure spiked. They'd only just arrived in Clayton City, and they'd already offended a noble family?

Before he could spiral into panic, Sebastian chuckled softly, his amusement only stoking Luke's irritation.

'This guy is trying to get us killed.'

"Don't worry, Young Master. It's not as bad as you think," Sebastian reassured him, as if reading Luke's mind.

"Oh? Please, do explain."

"You see, the Fonterra family has a peculiar tradition. Women of their family can only marry men who are able to best them in battle. Hence, our abrupt exit from the Mercenary Guild."

Luke stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. His jaw nearly hit the ground. 

Yet in the next moment, he couldn't help but imagine Sebastian and the muscular Hilda locked in a tender embrace. Then, his mind conjured up an even more absurd image—Sebastian standing on his tiptoes to give Hilda a kiss as she worked in the kitchen.

"PFFFT… Hahaha!" Luke's laughter exploded uncontrollably. He clutched his sides, feeling his abs cramp from the action. In the process he felt his anxiety evaporating into thin air.

[Your subordinate Sebastian's rage is increasing.]

'Huh?' Luke's laughter died instantly as the notification popped into his vision. He slowly lifted his gaze, only to find Sebastian giving him a stern look—the same look he'd worn last night during the curly hair incident.

"Ahem… What's next?" Luke cleared his throat, pretending he hadn't just laughed hysterically at the idea of his loyal butler marrying a hulking warrior woman.

Sebastian didn't immediately respond. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and for a moment, the air felt heavier, colder. Luke swallowed nervously.

After a scary few moments, the tension finally broke, and Luke breathed a sigh of relief as Sebastian's calm demeanor returned. But in that moment of respite, Luke saw something else flash across the butler's face—something far more concerning.

Instantly, Luke had a bad premonition.

"Well, Young Master," Sebastian began, his voice thoughtful, "it seems like your fitness needs some attention. I was thinking we could start a simple exercise regime for you in the lead-up to your admittance into the Military Academy."

"No, thank you," Luke replied instantly, shaking his head. Every fiber of his being rejected the idea. He could already feel that Sebastian's definition of "simple" would involve torturous levels of physical exertion. The last thing he needed was to be half-dead before his academy life even started.

A low chuckle reached Luke's ears, one that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It sounded far too menacing for comfort—like the laugh of a devil reveling in some future torment.

His gaze rose slowly, and his worst fears were confirmed. Sebastian was smiling—a grin that didn't belong on a human face. It was more demonic than anything Luke had ever imagined.

"It wasn't a suggestion," Sebastian said, his voice still calm but carrying an undeniable weight.

[Your subordinate Sebastian is greatly amused.]

'Oh shit... I'm gonna die.'