Chapter 47 - 47: A change of plans
"Of course, Father, I would never dare underestimate anyone, but there's something you don't know yet, which is the reason for my confidence in this matter. The boy is literally a country bumpkin; most of the time, he has no idea where he's standing.
On top of that, he's extremely arrogant. After the news spread that he was a coward, he set up an improvised tournament to 'select' the person he'd duel with. He even dared to bet 1,000 intermediate mana crystals on the fight, since, according to him, he didn't want to waste his time. The only restriction he put in place for participants was that they had to be at the Ascended-level.
Obviously, I couldn't let such an opportunity pass, so I entered my guy into the tournament. Not only is he a Peak-Ascended, but he also has extensive combat experience, whereas the idiot is just at the adept stage and hasn't even enrolled in a combat class. We could potentially even kill him outright instead of just humiliating him and ruining his reputation, as you asked."
The young man laughed disdainfully while wrapping his arms around the waists of the two women on his lap, which seemed to please them greatly. With evident happiness on their faces, they rested gently against his chest. Meanwhile, William's expression grew even more serious as he commented.
"Alden, your information not only doesn't reassure me, but it actually makes me more worried and cautious. Organizing the improvised tournament was an excellent way to handle the massive wave of duels we had planned, and the bet confirms that the one behind this strategy is none other than Seraphina Ravenspell.
That woman is extremely dangerous, to the point that she's considered Sigrún's most valuable asset, a tactical and military genius like few others. She's also a peak arcane, one even I would have trouble dealing with despite being a Master."
"Why have I never heard that name if she's so amazing, Father?" Upon hearing his father, the young man asked as he straightened up in his chair alongside the two women, all of them looking at William in surprise.
"Because she's insane. That woman doesn't want fame, money, or power. The only thing she wants is to be Sigrún's personal maid, and she never takes credit for the battles she directs or fights in. Moreover, it's well known that she'll make life difficult for anyone who dares to talk too much about her. On one occasion, she even beat Emperor Firestone half to death because he was obsessed with her and wanted to give her credit as a way of courting her.
But that's not the significant part. What truly matters is that if she's at the Arcane University, it can only mean the boy is more important to Sigrún than we anticipated. The whole plan was based on the assumption that she was on the Zephyria Edge, but now things have changed, so it's best to abort the plan and come up with something else."
With a dark expression and a grave tone, William explained as he tried to think of possible ways to carry out the plan. But with that demon dressed as a maid behind the boy, it was, if not impossible, far too complicated—especially if they wanted to appear innocent afterward.
"But Father, everything is already set, and there's less than a month left until the duel. Besides, the man I chose is extremely talented. He's been a mercenary for over two centuries and is a survivor of the Battle of the Argéntea Edge, so he shouldn't have any problem humiliating the boy and completely destroying his reputation. He might even end up paralyzing him."