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[Translator - Prøks]
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Chapter 121: Does this look like a joke to you?
With the Head Butler position vacant, the most trusted person by Lord Balkan in the Urgon family was undoubtedly the External Affairs Manager.
As he often accurately grasped Lord Balkan's intentions, the External Affairs Manager was the first person Balkan consulted whenever an important matter arose in the family.
The External Affairs Manager himself was confident in his judgement, second to none. However, today, nothing was going as he had anticipated.
'I had a bad dream yesterday.'
He couldn't even remember the last time he had been so humiliated.
It was the first time this had happened since he assumed the position of Manager.
His cheek was swollen, and blood was already oozing from his forehead, where he had received first aid, soaking the bandage.
"External Affairs Manager. You need to rest."
"This is not the time."
The External Affairs Manager brushed off the physician's hand and hurried his steps with an urgent look.
It had not been long since he regained consciousness, but now was not the time to worry about such things.
Alarm bells rang in his head.
In External Affairs Manager's judgement, everyone was being fooled by his act. Even the External Affairs Manager himself was no exception. At first, he had also thought that he was just a young kid with guts.
But he was wrong.
The more he thought about it, the more everything was going according to that man's will.
Escaping from prison.
Bringing Loren to his side.
Even having a duel.
To the extent that even the External Affairs Manager was completely fooled.
The depths of Samael, the Crazy Mage Squad Commander's mind, were terrifying.
Above all, what made the External Affairs Manager most anxious was...
He still couldn't figure out what Samael was thinking.
"We have to stop him. I need to see the Lord."
Managing to pull himself together and arrive at the audience seats, the External Affairs Manager was left in a state of despair.
The Eldest Young Master and the Crazy Mage Squad Commander were already facing each other in the arena, and the audience seats were packed with people.
Even the high-ranking seats were fully occupied.
"Ah..."
A sigh mixed with his breath became a cold wind that grazed the External Affairs Manager's cheek.
It was too late to turn back.
The External Affairs Manager had no choice but to suppress his inexplicable anxiety and look at the arena.
Hoping that his worries were unfounded.
* * *
I looked at the waves of the Western Lake, swaying in the cold wind, and then looked around the arena's audience seats again.
It was full.
Even the External Affairs Manager, who should have been lying in bed, was present. My match was so popular. It meant that even sick people came because they wanted to see me.
I felt pretty good.
Sometimes, human emotions change in an instant.
Looking at Libre in front of me, my joy subsided and anger instantly surged.
Thinking that I needed to find peace of mind, I spoke first.
"Aren't you cold?"
It was getting colder and colder.
Even though the sun was rising high, the weather was getting colder.
The wind was blowing fiercely.
"Ugh, it's cold. It's chilly, should we put something on before we fight?"
"You're completely insane."
I asked if he was cold, and he called me insane.
As they say, a soft answer turns away wrath.
Suddenly, Libre muttered,
"Three members of the Red Phoenix Division Are dead."
I replied,
"That's what happens when they keep following me even though I told them not to. Did you take care of the prison aftermath?"
"You're too confident."
"What happened to that seductive woman?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Layla."
"I don't know."
"She was in the basement, wasn't she?"
Libre smirked and replied,
"I don't know what you're talking about."
It sounded like he was implying he'd buried her.
"Tsk, what a pathetic end for the seductive woman. To think she met such a despicable guy. A lecherous pervert who's also despicable, I can't stand it."
Now Libre didn't answer. He just slowly took his stance.
I glared at Libre in response.
Wheeing— A cold wind split between us with a whistling sound.
As expected, there was no referee.
Their intention was obvious.
The fact that there was no referee was known to me, to Libre, and to everyone in the audience. It's just that no one was saying it out loud.
Because...
It would be more entertaining that way.
Everyone was just holding their breath and observing our every move.
"Honestly, I didn't know."
Out of the blue, Libre began a monologue.
"It was unexpected. I knew you were crazy, but I didn't know you had some tricks up your sleeve. However..."
"Hurry up and say it. I'm cold."
"A guy who doesn't know his place with his meager skills should be beaten to death."
Then Libre looked around the audience and started to say something.
I didn't listen to what he was saying. What an attention-seeker says is usually obvious. Ladies and gentlemen, today, this Libre will show you a wonderful match in front of you, blah blah blah... Now's the time.
The moment Libre's gaze, looking towards Arin, flashed involuntarily...
I hurled a fireball at Libre.
Fwoom—
With a scornful look, Libre easily dispelled it and looked at me.
"I knew it. Such paltry magic won't work on me."
Before he could finish speaking, I threw another fireball.
Libre's eyes changed as he easily dispelled it again.
"You have no manners."
With his arms crossed, Libre charged.
Mana surged explosively in an instant.
Along with the cold wind blowing around, the waves of the lake around the arena surged, creating splashes.
Libre's fingertips pointed between my eyebrows.
A 4-star magic, Water Stream.
A stream of blue water shot out from his fingertips, aimed directly at my forehead.
I threw another fireball and chanted a short incantation.
'Penetrate, Piercing Wind.'
A fight must be strategic.
It was a fleeting moment, but Libre's smirk faltered when he saw the fireball.
He only missed the wind blade that flew through the center of the water stream for a split second.
But a split second is all it takes to decide victory or defeat.
Libre hurriedly drew upon the magic of the barrier, but it was too late.
'Wind Armor.'
I closed the distance between Libre, whom the wind blade had pierced through, and myself. I concentrated the hard wind armor around my head.
Thud—!
With a powerful leap, I drove my hardened crown, amplified by wind pressure, straight into Libre's solar plexus.
"Cough!"
Libre vomited blood as he flew backward. I grabbed him by the neck, slammed him to the ground, then grabbed his neck with my right hand and brought our eyes level.
As we had a brief staring contest, Libre spoke.
"You lowly insect..."
"Don't you understand the situation?"
When Libre glared at me and tried to invoke his magic, I slapped him across the face with a fiery hand.
Slap—! Slap—!
After a few disorienting slaps, Libre's fingertips went limp.
This is why humility is important.
If Libre hadn't been careless and had remained vigilant, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily.
But Libre didn't.
Even though he must have known my skills to some extent, he underestimated me. He was a pathetic fool who, after two weak fireballs, thought he could take me lightly and show off his own grandstanding.
Urgon's subordinates collectively emitted hostility from the audience, and murmurs grew louder in the stands. I looked up at the high-ranking seats while still holding Libre's neck.
None of them changed their expressions.
It was impressive that even Balkan was looking at me with a rather calm face.
Like father, like son.
Seeing how both father and son were so concerned with their own prestige, I suddenly got angry.
"Hey, son."
I looked at Libre from the perspective of a father looking at his good-for-nothing son.
Libre, who had regained consciousness in the meantime, glared at me.
"Why are you glaring at me like that?"
"......."
"Damn it, why are you glaring at me like that?"
This guy was hopeless.
I opened my mana circle and punched him in the face. The sound was loud enough for the entire audience to hear.
Thwack—!
Libre's pupils dilated as his nose caved in.
When Balkan raised his hand, the Azure Dragon Division Grandmaster, who was in the audience, immediately shouted,
"Stop! The winner is Ruin!"
I shouted louder than the Azure Dragon Division Grandmaster.
"Shut up!"
Libre, his nose crushed, trembled and said...
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
I didn't answer and continued to punch Libre in the face.
Thwack—!
"Cough, don't touch my face..."
Thwack—!
"Gah!"
Every time I landed a punch, I could hear the bones in Libre's face collapsing.
When I hit him for the third time, Balkan jumped up from his seat and yelled,
"What the hell are you doing!"
The moment Urgon's subordinates stood up in unison, I grabbed the bloodied Libre by the neck and shook him like a hostage.
"That's what I want to ask."
I shouted back at Balkan.
"What the hell is this? Shouldn't you apologize for falsely accusing us first?"
As I spoke, Urgon's subordinates flew into the arena. Someone's voice came from behind.
"You stubborn bastard."
Wondering who dared to speak to me so rudely, I turned around to see Taylor, Blair, and Arin already down there.
Taylor glared at me and said,
"Don't get distracted, just look ahead."
I nodded.
The situation instantly became tense.
The Azure Dragon Division Grandmaster said from the front,
"Release the Young Master immediately."
"Does this look like a joke to you?"
I conjured a fireball and burned Libre's clothes, leaving him only in his underwear.
"Say another word and I'll burn these too."
"You bastard..."
Ignoring the Azure Dragon Division Grandmaster, I looked at Balkan.
"What kind of bullshit is this, Balkan? Explain yourself. You nearly killed Samael with false accusations, and now you want a duel? Do you think we're that easy to mess with?"
When I slapped Libre, the hostility of the Urgon men intensified all at once.
"Do you think we're easy to mess with! Why don't you answer? We were almost killed because of your false accusation. Our clan was almost destroyed. Huh?"
I slapped Libre again.
Balkan raised his hand to stop me.
"If you stop now, I'll only cut off your hand and end this. But if you touch even a hair on Libre from now on, not only you, but the entire Samael clan will suffer the consequences."
Balkan had regained his composure as if he had never shouted at all.
But he messed with the wrong person.
I grinned, baring my teeth.
When I raised my hand towards Libre again, Balkan, seeing my expression, raised his hand again.
"Stop. It seems you want something. Speak."
Still holding Libre by the neck, I looked around the audience and said,
"We want our false accusation cleared."
Balkan replied with a look of someone watching a monkey going crazy.
"If it wasn't poisoning, it would have been cleared naturally. Misunderstandings always arise and are resolved. Did you really intend to take your anger out on Urgon?"
Murmurs grew louder in the audience.
Even in their eyes, my actions were clearly giving Urgon justification to make an enemy of Samael.
I said to Balkan,
"It wasn't a false accusation."
"Are you trying to confess?"
"There's a victim, but no perpetrator has been identified."
While everyone was bewildered, not understanding what I meant, a few perceptive ones gasped.
I pointed to the high-ranking seats and said,
"Just because the commander is safe doesn't mean he wasn't attacked."
It wasn't poison, but Fichte was definitely attacked by someone.
"I wonder who it could be. Which bastard dared to frame our Samael? It's so unfair."
Murmurs of agreement spread through the audience.
The External Affairs Manager's voice was heard from somewhere.
"We, Urgon, will thoroughly investigate this."
"I think I know who it is."
"What?"
"There are only a limited number of people who could have framed us."
I threw Libre down and slowly approached the high-ranking seats.
The weather was still chilly.
A cold air enveloped the arena and the audience seats.
Even though I was approaching the high-ranking seats, no one stopped me.
That's how the atmosphere was.
"It's one of the three who were at the dinner."
I slowly passed through the audience and climbed up to the high-ranking seats. All eyes in the arena were focused on me.
"It's not Libre. I just confirmed it while beating him half to death. He's not capable of it."
Lord Balkan's face was now close by. I pointed at Loren.
"It's not her either. She wouldn't poison her own subordinate.”
Loren was looking at me with a slightly bored expression.
When I took a step closer to the high-ranking seats, the special task force finally blocked my way.
"That leaves only one person, then."
Balkan's expression, seen up close, was still unchanged.
Balkan said to the special task force commander,
"Let him through. He has no intention of attacking."
When the special task force cleared the way, Balkan gestured to me.
"Come closer."
We stood face to face.
"Listen, young man. Words must carry weight. Your words cannot carry weight. Words without weight cannot be taken back."
Balkan said in a coercive tone,
"Are you perhaps suspecting this Balkan? Do you want to say those words out loud?"
His eyes were surprisingly calm.
But he can't fool me.
I can see the ugly desire for victory wriggling beneath those calm eyes. The lustful joy of watching prey walk into his mouth.
I turned my head.
I saw another face, watching us with unwavering eyes.
I looked back at Balkan and smiled. Balkan looked back at me and smiled.
We smiled with different thoughts in mind.
I spoke first.
"Elder Parin. I suspect you."
At that moment, I didn't miss the flicker in Balkan's eyes.
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[Translator - Prøks]
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