Chapter 68 | Aiden’s Demand – 1
[3rd Person POV]
"AIDEN! AIDEN!" cheers of his name filled the whole arena.
<Balcony of Arena>
"Damn it, that worthless brat. I had supported him so much, yet he lost to a human." Solkar smashed the sofa’s armrest in anger.
"Now don’t punish the poor sofa; you even broke the rule and helped him by giving him Blood Flower. You thought we didn’t notice?" Verrisa commented.
"Solkar, you really sullied the name of the council. Especially after I warned you about not making any move. We will decide your punishment after completion of this tournament," Malachi scolded in a stern voice.
Solkar’s rage was not entirely unreasonable; others thought that Marion had jumped to Grandmaster rank. But only he knew that wasn’t the case.
’How could that brat defeat someone at Sage rank even if it was forced? He must have some secret. I will not let you get away scot-free, Aiden,’ Solkar planned silently, quenching his rage for a moment.
’There’s no point in answering them; if I could kill that brat. Marion could be considered the winner. I may have to take losses, but it will be worth it in the future,’ he decided.
"Did someone here change their bet in favor of Aiden, or was I alone in that?" Verrisa asked.
"I did," Silen answered.
"I too made a bet on Aiden after the first round, although I was a bit worried after seeing Marion use Blood Flower. But he won without any big injury," Irelia stated.
"Do you guys know about his second ability? He is a dual ability user, isn’t he?" She further asked.
"No, I only know that his first ability is F-rank. However, I am doubting that too," Silen answered.
Just as Mara Ironmaw was about to speak, a knock on the door disturbed their chatter.
"Chancellor, lords of the council, the winner of the Mandate of Kronesthion, Aiden Origin, is here as your lordships requested," a guard informed after knocking on the door.
"Enter," Malachi replied.
Aiden entered the door with a triumphant smile at the corner of his mouth. He still maintained his posture as he stood in front of the council again.
"The man of the hour is here. I, Malachi Noctis Strawblood, as the Chancellor of the Council of the Kronesthion Federation, congratulate Aiden Origin as the victor of The Mandate of Kronesthion." Malachi gave a winner’s welcome to him.
"Please state your wish, if it is something that doesn’t harm Kronesthion and Demon-kin and their interests. The council will move heaven and earth to complete that demand," he added.
"Congratulations, Aiden. I won big thanks to you, by the way. Where is your bodyguard today?" Verrisa commented and asked after Malachi’s greeting.
"Hey, kid, how about joining me? I would make you ruler of any of the cities you like under me." The less spoken, Fenris Greyclaw, shared his proposal.
"Look at you, Fenris, trying to take away my nephew. I am his aunt; he will of course come with me. Don’t put your eyes on him," Verrisa protested fiercely.
"Okay, first let him speak. You guys can put your proposals later," Malachi calmed the room before it got chaotic.
"Thank you, Chancellor Malachi, for your respect. It’s an honor to be appreciated by you." Aiden spoke politely in a formal tone, like he hadn’t just decimated an overcharged werewolf.
"Next, I thank the lords for your interest in me. I am indebted by such generous and magnanimous proposals." As Aiden spoke, Fenris had a smile on his face; he felt confident that he had a good chance to recruit this talent.
"Aunt Verrisa, Damien is running an errand for me; he will be here shortly," he answered.
"However, I would like to bring a matter to the council’s attention that I think may cause the council name and its rules to be taken lightly," he added.
"If you are concerned about Marion using Blood Flower, we knew after watching him. But we also wanted to test your limits, so we let it happen." Mara Ironmaw answered.
"Yeah, and I also propose that Aiden be reimbursed by Moonken Bastion for negligence in following the rules," Verrisa supported.
"We can discuss that," Malachi agreed. Solkar could take out his anger on the already broken sofa.
"I apologize if I am overstepping, but Marion’s cultivation rank is not Master rank. He was cheating from the start," Aiden dropped a bombshell on the council.
There was an unusual silence in the room as no one spoke for a few seconds; Solkar, taking this chance, opened up.
"Yeah, says you. If what you are saying is true, then does it mean you also cheated because you defeated him?" Solkar spoke loudly.
"Boy, we are engaging with you because you have potential. Otherwise we don’t have time to waste, so choose your next words carefully," Malachi warned as air in the room thickened, without Malachi doing anything consciously.
"Be sure about what you say, Aiden; speak only if you can prove it," Verrisa also gave a soft warning.
"We don’t have to take my word for it. Why don’t we do a test of ranking here, and everything will be clear?" Aiden spoke without flinching.
"And Lord Solkar, I defeated him with my strength. Earlier an invigilator already owed me a favor; if you want to be added to that list, be my guest," he added as he glanced at Solkar.
"You are a truly bold boy. I think I need to punish you," Solkar spoke as he was standing up, thinking of silencing him directly for a moment.
"Silence! As I said earlier, Aiden, speak with responsibility. Are you sure about your suggestion, because you already know the result in case you fail to prove your claim?" Malachi took the reins of the conversation.
If such a thing were spread in public, it would undermine the power it has, so he has to act decisively.
"Present your proof," Malachi ordered.
"Damien," Aiden called.
Damien entered the room with a battered-looking Marion and threw him in front of the council.
"At your service, Master," Damien spoke with reverence.
"What’s the meaning of this? This is the council room, not your arena ground, and how dare that bloodsucker lay a hand on my citizen?" Solkar snarled.
However, the next moment, his knees hit the ground like someone just added tons of extra weight on Solkar’s shoulders.
"When I am talking, then who are you to interfere? Your fur is getting thick by the minute."
"You had the audacity to use a derogatory comment for a vampire in front of me. Just stay there and wait for your punishment," Malachi castigated Solkar for his disobedience.
"Does anybody have an Aetheris plate with them?" he asked.
"Here, Chancellor," Krav’Nos, a mutant demon with pitch-black eyes and two horns, took out the device used to check someone’s rank through the Aetheris Record.
Marion was silently watching; if even his mentor can’t do anything, then any kind of resistance will only bring pain.
The plate floated in front of Marion. "Put your hand in there," Malachi ordered.
He obeyed and put his hand in the groove in the plate; the next second, the result became visible. An unexplained silence filled the room again.
=====[AETHERIS RECORD]=====
<IDENTIFICATION>
Name: MARION MOONKEN
Race: DEMON (WEREWOLF)
Status: ACTIVE
<ESSENCE RANK>
Rank: GRANDMASTER
Substage: ZENITH