CHAPTER 132: A GENIUS

Inside the carriage, there was a gloomy atmosphere as the five students from Gladiator Den traveled to their academy.

Lextor was sitting on one side, his brows drawn closer as he stared at nothing in particular.

Just then, someone commented, "So...should we consider William Delimore as the winner this year?"

Another scoffed, "He might be strong, but the others on his team? They were all sore losers."

A girl wryly smiled. "The one who stood until the end beside William was also from Ardentia."

The conversation came to a halt.

The boy sitting beside Lextor, who was also his only friend, asked in a quiet voice, "What happened, Lex? Did your brother say anything?"

Lextor’s shoulders eased as he responded, "Well...as surreal as it may sound, he praised me when he visited me in the infirmary."

Lextor’s efforts were complimented by the one person whose opinion mattered to him the most.

When Arthur came to visit him, he didn’t sound displeased—rather, worried.

Worried for Lextor since he had incurred severe burns.

Further, he mentioned that Lextor did a great job by not losing his cool this time and allowing someone else to lead the team.

"If...that’s the case...then why are you frowning like that?" his friend asked.

Lextor turned to look at him as he said, "I feel humiliated at the moment."

The other person was startled. "Why? Didn’t he praise you?"

Lextor shook his head. "Not because of that—rather because I was relieved to hear that the contest was called off and I wouldn’t have to face William in the arena."

His first reaction was relief, since Lextor was worried about facing defeat against William in the third round. But what followed was utter disgust—toward himself.

Lextor’s muscles tensed, the air growing heavy around him as he muttered, "I don’t deserve my brother’s compliment when I act so cowardly."

But not again.

This dread named William, which he had developed over the past few days...he would overcome it.

...

It took around six hours before they finally entered the region of the Eastern Duke, Duke Valebridge.

Every region was under a single Duke, and they all reported directly to the central body of the continent—the Empire.

Being close to the water bodies—the same ocean where the islands of the Great Hall were spread—this part of the continent was heavily engaged in cross-continental trade.

The eastern part was one of the most revenue-generating regions of the Empire, and because of that, the central ministry often visited the Dukedom.

However, being on the coastal border, they were prone not only to invasion but also to the lurking sea monsters that surfaced on random occasions.

Not to mention, there had been many occurrences when a Sink appeared on the surface of the sea. That resulted in sudden ambushes from Devils, and many people lost their lives before they could even cry for help.

That was the only reason why the Emperor himself had placed one of his strongest Pillars close to the shore.

The only Count in Gahalia who held more authority than the Duke himself.

The Flame Warden of the East—Count Delimore.

....

"This place is bustling with people," Emma muttered as they stepped out of the carriage.

They had stopped in the market since Emma wanted to buy some gifts, despite William’s insistence that it wasn’t required.

Hundreds of people could be seen around, currently busy exploring the market or just wandering around.

But thanks to the width of the street they weren’t getting pushed around.

Her argument was, *’I won’t take a step inside unless I have a present for him.’*

In the end, he had no option but to relent.

"Well, this is the most populated city in the entire eastern region," William responded as he helped Nana climb out of the carriage.

The quiet girl looked around the hectic, crowded place like a lost puppy; her hand instinctively finding William’s.

William chuckled at her reaction as he asked Emma, "So? What do you want to buy?"

Emma asked, "You tell me—what will he like? Oh, and something for your mother and siblings too."

William narrowed his eyes. "You really don’t have to buy anything for them."

Emma hummed, "Are you sure? Not even out of obligation?"

William thought for a moment before responding, "Well, some fresh tea will do for the lady. Forget those two brats."

It wasn’t that William was mistreated. He just never got along with them, and the same applied in return. They couldn’t accept his presence in the family.

Emma nodded before the three of them visited a few stores.

She bought some incense, cigars, and a few other things based on William’s recommendations.

"Yes, how much?" Emma asked as the shopkeeper packed everything neatly with a ribbon on top.

The shopkeeper replied with a face full of smiles, "Fifteen gold coins and five silver coins, young lady."

William’s brows lifted...that was quite a lot, actually.

A normal student his age barely received one gold coin as pocket money. Being the son of a Count, William received a hundred every month, but since he had used most of them to buy new uniforms, he barely had five coins left.

He was about to ask whether Emma could afford them when she suddenly took out a small pouch, extended it to the shopkeeper, and said, "There are twenty. Keep the rest."

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up as he gave several bows in return and even offered an extra apple candy to Nana.

William was struck by the realization that the woman he was dating was the daughter of possibly the richest man on the continent—second only to the Emperor.

As William held the bags and Nana’s hand was held by Emma, he asked her, "Exactly how much do you receive monthly from your father?"

Emma blinked in surprise before she said with a soft smile, "I’ve stopped taking money from him since the age of fourteen. That was my own money."

William was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Emma explained, "Before I joined the academy, I helped the Tower build a few revolutionary things that changed the world. Naturally, I would get a share of the revenue generated by those inventions."

It took William a moment to process those words before he looked ahead and asked in an uncertain voice, "Am I actually dating a genius whom I don’t deserve?"

Emma giggled. "Don’t worry, I’m not as great as I made myself sound."

William side-glanced at her. "You didn’t comment on that ’deserve’ part."

Emma only grinned teasingly and continued walking ahead with Nana alongside her.

"Hey, wait—Emma?"

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please drop a review if you have been enjoying the story so far.