I Maxed Out My Luck Stat

The event ended not too long after the Friendly Games concluded.

Many people tried their best to meet Richard, but he avoided all of them. To the ones he simply could not avoid meeting, he made sure to bring along his aide—the real Richard—to the discussion.

It was clear that after that display, many people wanted to sponsor Richard.

Whether it was partial or direct, the sponsors were willing to support him throughout his stay in the Academy.

Their reasons for doing this weren’t a secret.

Sponsoring a student of the Academy was like betting on a horse.

Thus, if they sponsored Richard, it was like they were betting on an especially powerful horse with plenty of potential.

Who would want to miss out on a chance like that?

However, Neia—who was posing as Richard—already knew all of this and promptly shut them down. She didn’t take any offers, and she told the especially influential figures that she would think about their offers.

This was the right move to make, all things considered.

For one, Sponsorship was not a one-way street.

It went both ways.

Just as the students gained a lot from the sponsors, they also had certain obligations to fulfill.

Failure to meet the satisfaction of their sponsors could result in the sponsorship ending, or even other kinds of consequences.

Many sponsors were also very fickle and would pull out once a student showed signs of distress or wasn’t doing as well as they hoped. Other sponsors went behind the scenes to rig results and would only sponsor a student only to rug pull at an opportune period.

There were all kinds of opportunists that existed as Sponsors, and it was dangerous trying to navigate such waters alone.

That was why belonging to a Noble or an Established Faction was so important.

One didn’t need to rely on external sponsors if they got the full support of their Noble Household. However, this was easier said than done, especially if the family had more than one child who attended the Academy.

The Noir Family was an exception among Vampire Nobles, but even other Households had multiple descendants competing for sponsorship.

Thus, most of the time, the Family only offered partial sponsorship.

The rest would come from external parties.

Richard could be said to be fortunate in this regard since he was the only child of his parents.

He had no one competing with him for sponsorship.

As a result, he didn’t need any of these Sponsors.

In fact, they needed him.

This created a unique dynamic where he could refuse them at any time, and even if they pulled out, it wasn’t going to affect him that much.

Ironically, this only made Sponsors more interested in him.

Scarcity created value, after all.

After Richard finally dealt with these people and escaped their clutches, he was invited for dinner at the Rouge Manor as the winner of the Friendly Games.

There, an even smaller circle was gathered amongst the Rouge Noble Family.

Naturally, the Head of Household was present.

His wife was also in attendance.

However, she was holding their child, whose cute appearance and slightly slender features made him resemble a girl rather than a boy. However, based on the sex that was announced, the baby was indeed male, so there was no ambiguity there.

A few other guests joined the Rouge Family for dinner, including the Guildmaster of the Adventurers Guild and the Chief Explorer in the Vampire State.

These were two people representing separate factions.

Many people confuse Adventurers and Explorers due to their names being synonymous, but they held completely different positions in society and pursued different paths.

Explorers, as their name implied, explored Ruins, Dungeons, and Labyrinths in search of fame, fortune, and all kinds of reward. They were more akin to archeologists and researchers, or perhaps treasure hunters.

As for Adventurers, they could be referred to as Travelers.

They journeyed through the land and explored other areas beyond the Vampire State.

The entire Continent of Avarice was vast, home to many races and all kinds of civilizations.

Adventurers traveled these lands, fought monsters, and made names for themselves throughout their voyages.

Unlike Explorers, who were simply interested in discovered areas, Adventurers wanted to be the ones who found those uncharted territories. As a result, many of them even explored the various city outskirts and ended up finding all kinds of precious sites which held Mystic Objects or special materials.

They liked dangerous or unknown territories the most.

Explorers, on the other hand, preferred to delve deeper into known places in search of truths and areas that were yet to be tapped into.

Because of their different ideologies, as well as how many people confused their occupations, the two sides didn’t get along well. However, for the sake of the Rouge Family, these two comported themselves and didn’t cause any trouble.

Still, the tension was palpable.

Richard—who had been invited despite being an aide—as well as Neia, noticed this tension even after they left the Rouge Manor and said farewell to the incredibly hospitable family.

It was only after they left that the Manor fell silent.

"So all the guests have finally departed..." The Rouge Family Head sighed as he rose to his feet.

His wife also did the same.

The two of them were beautiful, as one would expect from Vampire Nobles.

They had the signature red hair and crimson eyes, though the woman’s irises were more orange than actual red. Still, she made sure to carry her child with utmost care—almost as though the baby was even more important than her.

And, in a sense, he was.

After all—

"Good job, the two of you..." A voice echoed in the dining area, and a tall, handsome young man with red hair and cruel crimson eyes appeared.

It was the same Rouge Impostor that Richard and Neia had met back then!

The moment the Rouge Family Head and his wife saw this man, they both fell to their knees in absolute obeisance.

It was a rather strange sight.

Why were these two showing so much reverence to this random person?

Especially since he was a mere impostor?!

Well, the answer became clear when he undid his disguise and a beautiful, mature-looking woman took the place of the man who previously stood there.

She had long, lustrous crimson hair, with fiery crimson eyes that burned like hellfire.

Her face was immensely beautiful.

Even the most polished ruby could not compare to her majesty.

"We greet you, Rouge Family Head..." The two kneeling Nobles said with loud voices.

Indeed!

The impostor was actually none other than the true head of the Rouge Family.

She had intentionally chosen to blend in with the crowd in order to observe all her guests and also gather as much information from everyone present. When she heard Richard make his absurd statement regarding his aide, she felt personally insulted, so she chose to stir up some trouble with him.

’But to think he saw through my identity. The fact that I was pretending.... As well as the fact that I am a woman...’ Her red lips curled up as her eyes showed intrigue.

She took the baby from the couple and cradled the child like it was her own.

However, despite looking at the baby and being satisfied that the Naming Ceremony went splendidly, all she could think about was one particular guest.

—Richard Lamperouge Von Blanc!

That strange thirteen-year-old boy had made such a deep impression on her.

She couldn’t forget him, even if she wanted to.

’I didn’t think my life would become so interesting all of a sudden...’ As she slowly walked away from the kneeling couple, her face turned dark, and her tongue brushed past her large, sharp fangs.

"Richard... I must make you mine!"

[A/N: And so the plot thickens! Honestly, I wonder if any of you suspected anything from the start. What were your theories on her identity before now? Tell me in the comments below.]