Chapter 1059: Discussion-2
"Tsk, you just wanted to show off and play pig eating the tiger," Bringer accused Anthony immediately, his tone laced with playful annoyance as he voiced his thoughts without hesitation.
But Anthony simply laughed and shook his head at the statement, clearly unbothered by the accusation. He was, in fact, somewhat pleased that they were all loosening up around him, as the cautiousness behind their tone and words had almost completely faded. It was still present to a small degree, lingering faintly beneath the surface, but it was no longer as pronounced or rigid as it had been before.
"This is the first time I’m hearing someone like the concept of an Academy," Tiara stated with a shake of her head, as she herself would never utter such a sentiment. Although she had met her Master, the Vice Principal, the Empress of Blood, at the Omni Peak Academy, it didn’t mean she loved the idea of school or the structured environment it represented.
"Same," Rider and Bryan intoned at the same time, sighs escaping their mouths in unison as they silently agreed with Tiara’s stance on the matter.
"There has been something I’ve been meaning to ask, but I always forget," Bryan suddenly spoke as he remembered a question that had consistently lingered at the back of his mind, one that had bothered him for quite some time.
"What is that?" Anthony replied without missing a beat, his attention shifting toward Bryan as he anticipated the question.
"Why did you always display the presence of an F-Ranker since we were in school? Is it because you like playing the pig to eat the tiger, as Bringer had said?" he asked, his curiosity evident as he sought a clear explanation.
Anthony paused for a moment before answering, his expression turning slightly thoughtful. "Well, I couldn’t display my real mana realm because the world has always been a dangerous place. If people found out that I had SSS abilities before I even entered the Academy, what do you think would happen?" Anthony stated calmly, his tone carrying an underlying seriousness.
The group didn’t need to think long to understand what Anthony meant; they all knew that assassins would be sent after him relentlessly the moment he stepped outside the Academy grounds, with no regard for his age or circumstances.
"Besides, remember when the Forsaken Cult killed about a hundred students or so within our class alone? Imagine if I had gone around flaunting my real mana realm, the Forsaken Cult would have used their full resources against me. Who knows, they might even send a Planetary-level powerhouse against me. It seems excessive on their part, but we don’t use common sense for forces and organizations like the Forsaken Cult," Anthony answered without missing a beat, his reasoning clear and grounded.
Although back then he could have simply adjusted his aura to A Rank like everyone else, he had been too lazy to constantly regulate it, so he had just left it at F Rank, finding it far more convenient despite the misconceptions it created.
"Anyway, enough about me. What about you guys? What are you people up to?" Anthony asked, shifting the focus away from himself, as they had spent quite a while discussing him already, and he was genuinely curious about what they had been doing over the past five years.
"Well, nothing much," Bringer replied with a sigh, though his tone made it clear that he was deliberately downplaying his situation.
"Don’t listen to the liar; he is now the Crowned Prince of the Titan race," Bryan stated, exposing him without hesitation. Although they didn’t keep in constant contact, it didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of general public knowledge and widely circulated news.
Anthony arched an eyebrow at that revelation before turning to Rider as he spoke, "I thought you would be the Crowned Prince or something, since you’ve always been the smarter one."
"I’m his advisor, meaning his right-hand man. It’s no different from being the King anyway, since I will be stuck with the King every day, giving advice on various matters. And with my brother’s IQ, he would definitely need it during his rule," Rider replied with a shrug, as though he couldn’t care less about the title of Crowned Prince, finding his current position far more practical.
"Just wait till I’m King, I will punish you for all these insults," Bringer clicked his tongue and replied in annoyance, but all he got in response was another slap to the back of the head from Rider, delivered with casual ease.
Anthony shook his head as he stared at the two of them; they both seemed content with their roles and appeared to genuinely enjoy their dynamic, unlike Bryan, who clearly had no desire to become an Emperor for any reason whatsoever.
"If you are still alive, I will try attending your coronation," Anthony stated with a smile, his words carrying a mix of humor and subtle truth.
"Don’t worry, these assassins can only try their luck every day," Bringer replied, completely unbothered by Anthony’s remark. After all, various assassination attempts had been carried out against him more times than he could care to count over the past five years, making it almost routine at this point.
Anthony shook his head slightly, his thoughts drifting for a brief moment. He didn’t know where he would be a thousand years from now, would he be dead, would he be sealed away somewhere, or would he have reached ???’s level? The uncertainty of the future lingered quietly in his mind.
Although he had spent years within the Divine Realm, a thousand years still felt incredibly far away to him; after all, he was still just twenty at the moment, and such a span of time was difficult to truly grasp.
"Anyway, what of you, Tiara?" Anthony asked as his gaze shifted to the unusually quiet Tiara, noticing her lack of contribution to the conversation.
"Urgh... don’t remind me about it, I’m already feeling a headache just thinking about it," Tiara replied, clearly displeased, her tone carrying a hint of frustration.
Anthony simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue, but Tiara didn’t seem like someone who wanted to speak about what was going on in her life at all.
"She’s just angry because she has been engaged to the only son of the Vampire Domain Blood Queen, Elara Bloodmoon. They are trying to match a Royal-grade Vampiric bloodline with another Royal-grade Vampiric bloodline so they can produce an even more monstrous child. But Tiara doesn’t want any of it, as she doesn’t love her... soon-to-be husband," Bryan stated from the side with a smile on his face, as though he was thoroughly enjoying the gossip.
Tiara’s eyes shifted toward him instantly, her vampiric teeth showing as she spoke in a cold tone, "Why do you like airing other people’s business?" she stared at him with bloodlust, her gaze sharp and dangerous.
But Bryan seemed completely unbothered by her display as he responded, "Then next time, speak faster. We don’t like being left hanging," he shrugged, his expression relaxed as if he hadn’t just provoked her.
Tiara simply snorted, her fangs disappearing as she suppressed her irritation. She swore that one day she would drain the life out of this lizard, a thought that lingered briefly before she pushed it aside.