CHAPTER 191: CONFLICT BREWING

Leon looked at the young man with blonde hair who had said those words. He had seen the same young man in the castle doing questionable things with one of the king’s concubines.

It was Crown Prince Alric of the Kingdom of Shampina, and beside him was a tall young man with blue hair, killing intent oozing out of his body.

Should I just kill them both right here? They are like bugs.

The thought appeared in his mind, but he held himself back, as this would be too bland and easy. He exhaled slowly. Killing them now would be simple. Too simple. Better to let them choke on their arrogance first.

The Duke was already on the list, along with the crown prince, whom he wasn’t sure whether to just kill or use as an enslaved person. But now the decision had been made—he would die for trying to look good in front of the Duke’s son, as in the process he had disturbed the peaceful time Leon had been spending with his Seraphine.

The knights were about to bow their heads as a sign of respect, but Seraphine signaled with her hand to stop them. They halted in their tracks and stood their ground.

It seemed to them their lady was ready to take on this filth. They were excited for it, as they had heard about young master Leon’s progress from the knight leader and her theory that a big fight could happen during the Academy festival. It seemed Knight Leader Kaela was correct.

The crown prince Alric’s eyes sharpened in apparent disrespect toward this position. She didn’t even bother to stand or show respect, and even stopped her knights from doing so as well.

He was showing support for Malverick’s lust, but would have backed out if the situation went too far out of control and the infamous Lightning Commander was about to have an honest confrontation with physical prowess. Showing his support from behind was fine; if it worked, he would have nothing to lose and would gain a strong backing.

But now he was all in. He couldn’t back out now, as the Commander had shown such disrespect to him in front of so many people—people ranging from the highest authority to ordinary civilians. He knew he had to go all out.

He couldn’t let just a mere commander of another kingdom be so lawless and brazen.

His voice was cold and alarming, though he gave her one chance.

"If you apologize to me right now, I can overlook this disrespect because of how kind and forgiving I am."

The arena quieted in a ripple—shhhhhh—as though thousands of lungs held back the same breath, waiting for the Commander’s answer.

Malverick’s face turned sour. He didn’t want that to happen. This was the perfect opportunity to fully take control of this cheating woman who had been so intimate with another man when he had already claimed her.

Just seeing her sitting so comfortably on another man made his blood boil with anger. If only she weren’t so infamous, he would have already taught her a lesson.

He had to be careful because of all the bullshit politics.

But he wasn’t afraid of her now. His eyes locked onto his grandfather sitting in the distance. His grandfather had already promised to take care of her if the crown prince showed full support.

Seraphine only glanced at him for a moment, and her cold voice sounded. She was too pissed; she wanted to kill these clowns right here, just like Leon was thinking. However, she knew it would ruin the stage she had created for her Leon.

"Get lost." Her voice was cold. There was not an inkling of regard or respect in them, just pure disgust.

A crushing pressure rolled off her like a thunderhead, heavy and electric, making even seasoned knights stiffen where they stood. Crackle... bzzt! A faint thread of lightning spread along the floor, making the closest nobles recoil in fear.

Malverick had a grin on his face as he looked at Alric, whose eyes were burning with anger. He just wanted to laugh out loud—kekeke—but he composed himself as too many eyes were on him. He had to maintain his image.

This bitch seems to have gone crazy. Haha, good. Now I finally have the chance to put a strap on her neck. I would have treated her well, but now I can’t—she has gone too far! Malverick thought.

As for the man she had been with, he planned to torture and humiliate him every day by playing with her in front of him. His whole body shuddered at the thought—it would be a sight to behold for him.

Alric spoke, his voice still trying to sound composed despite the evident anger leaking out.

"You will regret not knowing your place... Please don’t blame me for what will happen after the festival. Be prepared! Commander of the West, you have brought this upon yourself."

Hrrmmm— murmurs rippled through the crowd; some nobles leaned forward eagerly, sensing a storm brewing.

Malverick’s smirk widened even more. It was done now.

Seraphine coldly stated, "Get out of my sight before—" her eyes had violent lightning sparking around them, zzzzrrrt! Making both of them flinch.

They left before she could finish her words. They knew she was famous for being crazy. They weren’t prepared, but her fate had already been sealed in their minds.

The kings from both kingdoms and others present bore witness to the whole performance. The king of Shampina gave Seraphine direct eye contact. Still, she brushed it off with icy indifference, as if his existence was beneath her notice.

The silence between them was sharper than steel, a duel of wills fought with nothing but eyes.

A nod of understanding was shared between them, replacing the clash everyone had expected.

Along with everyone, a green monster with a towering, bulky body sat on a throne similar to those of the other kings of other kingdoms, making a plan of its own. It also had debts to repay to the Lightning Commander of the West. It couldn’t help but grin as it saw humans fighting among themselves as usual.

It wouldn’t be long before its ambition was completed. Humans would be nothing but enslaved people for breeding and entertainment.

After they left, Seraphine returned to her peaceful nature. Leon didn’t say anything to her. It seemed they were planning to attack them soon, so he would wait for them to come. Until then, he would enjoy his time, see if he could find some talent to recruit, or learn something about a new element from the fights.

Leon stretched lazily, expecting another nameless fight to drag on. Instead, the announcer’s following words froze him for a heartbeat, his brows lifting in surprise.

The tense silence was shattered—BOOOOM—replaced by the booming voice of the announcer.

For a heartbeat, the noise of the crowd dulled, the arena holding a strange hush—as if the place itself recognized the weight of the coming match.

"The next fighters are Leon, a contender we know nothing about, who entered the competition through the recommendation of Someone Special, versus Emily Morphs from the Kingdom of Seraph, one of the Academy’s favorite contenders to be in the top 10."

"ARE YOU READY!!!"

RUMMMBLE! The floor trembled with the stampede of boots and the roar of thousands, a tidal wave of sound that made even Leon’s ears ring.

"YESSS!!!!"

"WILL IT BE A HEART-THUMPING FIGHT BETWEEN A DARK HORSE AND OUR QUEEN OF DECEITS, OR JUST AN EASY VICTORY FOR EMILY IN HER FIRST FIGHT?"

"EMILYYYY!!!"

"YOU GOT THIS!!!"

"MAKE HIM REGRET EVER FIGHTING YOU!!!"

The audience seemed too excited for Emily. She was clearly famous.

Leon’s focus was entirely on Seraphine, who was sitting on his lap, giggling.

"Is it me?" Her giggles had already confirmed his suspicion, but he still asked her.

"Hehe~ Yeah, it’s you, my dear. I knew you wanted to kill him in the arena where he was supposed to receive cheers, so there you have it. This was supposed to be my surprise."

"Now go~"

Either way, the outcome would have been the same, but he was thoroughly going to enjoy this surprise.

He stood up from his seat with a smile on his face. His first opponent seemed to be someone famous. This was perfect for his first fight.

After giving a quick peck on Seraphine’s lips, he directly jumped down from the top floor into the arena.

So this is my stage. Let’s make it unforgettable.