Chapter 358
Chapter 358: I Want to Take a Look (2)
Delmood took a deep breath. His heart was pounding.
“Such an opportunity has come!”
In the Duke Faction, Count Penris had always been a headache. The rookie who was once a nobody had now grown and defeated Count Desmond, rising as a northern powerhouse.
Thanks to that, everything going on in the North had fallen apart, and the Crown Prince Faction had gained confidence. The perception that the Duke Faction was weaker than expected had even spread.
But what if I could kill Count Penris here? The tide would turn in an instant.
“As long as Amelia does her part, I can swallow the North whole.”
This wasn’t like the old days, with Raybold and Desmond keeping each other in check. If Count Penris disappeared, there would be nothing to stop Raybold.
Of course, killing Count Penris wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Crown Prince Faction. Attacking a Great Lord without justification wasn’t a regular occurrence.
But I didn’t care. The Tower of the Bloody Flame wouldn’t let go of this opportunity before it fell apart.
If I take the North, all regions except the East would fall under the control of the Duke Faction.
Delmood calmed his raging emotions. A mage must always remain cool-headed.
“How far have they come?”
He glanced around. For a Great Lord’s procession, the scale was rather meager. Just over twenty guard knights and about one hundred soldiers were all there were.
“I can’t gauge Count Penris’s military strength precisely, but…”
He had heard rumors that Count Penris was close to mastering the fundamentals. With that level, he could probably handle it himself.
The real issue was the people who came with Count Penris. The Penris Army was notorious for its strength. Their numbers were few, but they were surely elites.
Not to mention the mages from the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
“And that guy…”
A white-haired man stood next to Count Penris like a steel tower. It had to be Gillian, who had made a name for himself in the battle against Count Desmond.
“This won’t be easy.”
I wanted to strike immediately, but I needed to bide my time a little longer. First, my goal was to take down the Tower of the Bloody Flame. If I could take Count Penris with me, that would be great, but if not, there was always the option of attacking after the gathering ended.
Delmood hid his anxious heart and licked his lips as he greeted them. However, the killing intent he couldn’t completely conceal flickered in his eyes.
“Nice to meet you. I am Delmood, the Lord of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. It is an honor to meet the renowned Count Penris of the North.”
Ghislaine also responded with a cold smile.
“I’ve heard you’re the only one to have reached the 7th Circle in this North. It is an honor to meet such a remarkable individual.”
At those words, Hubert’s lips twitched. The mention of the only 7th Circle mage implied that Delmood was indeed the strongest mage in the North.
The two men exchanged greetings in the midst of a subtle tension. Neither of them bothered with the niceties anymore.
Just like Delmood, Ghislaine was also waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
“The best scenario would be for that guy to enter the duel.”
It’s customary for the tower lord and elders not to participate in duels, but who knew what might happen today?
If Delmood really intended to push through the Tower of the Bloody Flame with brute force, he would ignore conventions and take action.
I planned to respond immediately upon seeing that.
“Is the greeting over? Let’s start right away.”
Hubert said with a scowl. The two towers had long since put aside their courtesies.
“Hehe… yes…”
Hubert and Delmood returned to their respective places.
The duel was planned for a total of five matches. In this tense atmosphere, their chosen apprentices stepped forward for the first match.
The apprentice from the Tower of the Bloody Flame was a 4th Circle mage. But the apprentice from the Tower of the Bloody Flame was only a 2nd Circle mage.
Hubert didn’t want to lose a promising apprentice over such trivialities, so he sent out the weaker disciple. But he also didn’t want the tower’s disciple to get seriously injured or killed.
“Just mix it up a bit and surrender. Don’t think about saving face, alright?”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Encouraged—or rather discouraged—by Hubert, the mage stepped forward.
Zzziing—!
As the two mages stepped forward, a magical barrier was erected to protect the surrounding onlookers from harm.
The barrier was spacious enough for an army to line up. It required an enormous amount of runestones to achieve this size.
Generally, the expenses incurred during such gatherings and duels were jointly covered by the participating towers.
“What a bunch of bastards, not even chipping in.”
But the Tower of the Bloody Flame insisted on holding the gathering without contributing a single gold coin.
From Hubert’s perspective, it was infuriating to be humiliated while spending a fortune out of his own pocket.
“Begin!”
At the signal from the elder serving as the judge, the mages moved.
Fwoosh!
The mage from the Tower of the Bloody Flame immediately unleashed a fireball. It would be a bit awkward to surrender right off the bat, so he planned to make a half-hearted attack or two before conceding.
However, the 4th Circle mage from the Tower of the Bloody Flame had no intention of holding back.
“Wind Cutter.”
Swish!
The wind blade unleashed by the 4th Circle mage sliced through the fireball, cleanly decapitating the opposing mage.
Boom!
As the mage’s head fell, silence descended over the vicinity. The apprentices from the Tower of the Bloody Flame turned pale.
They hadn’t anticipated such an open display of murder.
They lacked the resolve for such actions. Pressured by the opponent’s momentum, they couldn’t even imagine stepping forward.
In the frozen atmosphere, Hubert leaped to his feet and shouted.
“Hey, you son of a bitch! Is killing someone how we start?”
Seeing him enraged, Delmood chuckled.
“Isn’t it common sense that casualties can occur during a duel?”
“You bastard!”
Hubert glared at Delmood, gritting his teeth. He had expected malice from his opponent to some degree, but this was far too extreme.
He discreetly glanced at where Ghislaine was sitting.
“What’s he thinking?”
Unlike everyone else, Ghislaine sat there with a nonchalant expression, as if he had expected things to unfold this way.
Hubert recalled Ghislaine’s earlier words.
— You could kill everyone there without batting an eye.
Hubert shook his head vigorously.
“No, no. That can’t be. The Crown Prince Faction won’t just sit by. Even if they thought of doing that, they wouldn’t dare act out in a place where Count Penris is present.”
If Count Penris were to be killed, the Tower of the Bloody Flame wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath. Hubert firmly believed Delmood wouldn’t be foolish enough to cross that line.
After taking several deep breaths, Hubert turned to the next apprentice scheduled to compete.
“Just surrender right at the start. Don’t even try to fight.”
“Uh, understood.”
The apprentice nodded repeatedly in fright. After all, he had no intention of risking his life against those scary individuals.
The mage moved forward with trembling steps, thinking:
“Ugh… Why did I have to be the one chosen…”
There were many other apprentices in the tower with higher circles than him. He understood the reason for his selection.
It was to protect the capable apprentices. While he understood, it still felt unfair.
Mages were known for their arrogance and pride.
But it was hard to believe that the once-great Tower of the Bloody Flame had come into this duel expecting defeat from the beginning.
The mage subtly turned his head. Numerous apprentices stood behind him. But rather than retaliating against those who had underestimated them, they seemed to be more concerned about not being called out themselves.
“Our tower is finished.”
Suddenly, that thought crossed his mind. No matter how much money one makes or how strong one becomes, what good does it do?
With the lord of the tower, elders, and all the apprentices behaving like docile sheep.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard at the sight of the mage from the Tower of the Bloody Flame standing before him.
They were definitely different from him. The aura they emitted was incomparable. They resembled starving beasts.
Even if they managed to get through this duel, he had a feeling they’d eventually be swallowed whole by the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
“I need to leave once this duel ends.”
It wasn’t any different for him. Even if he managed to save his life, staying here would eventually lead to his death.
“Begin!”
With the elder’s shout, the magical barrier extended once again.
Before the mage from the Tower of the Bloody Flame could even initiate an attack, he raised his hands and shouted.
“I surrender!”
At those words, the mage from the Tower of the Bloody Flame clicked his tongue with a sardonic smile.
“What a pitiful fool.”
Even when directly insulted, the apprentice from the Tower of the Bloody Flame could only redden his face and remain silent.
Simultaneously, laughter erupted from the Tower of the Bloody Flame’s side.
“That guy struts around like a mage in front of others, huh?”
“The reputation of being the strongest in the North, must’ve been forged out of sheer nonsense, right?”
“Not only is he weak, but he also has no pride.”
They openly mocked the mages from the Tower of the Bloody Flame. Yet, there was no response from them.
Though Hubert had given them a heads up beforehand, they genuinely didn’t want to fight.
Some wore angry expressions, but that was all. Even after being wounded in pride, they couldn’t even make eye contact with the mages from the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
They were completely crushed by the opponent’s fierce aura.
Seeing this, Ghislaine shook his head quietly.
“They’re too saturated in peace.”
For a tower once called the best in the North, their current appearance was utterly pathetic.
It was hardly surprising. Unlike the Tower of the Bloody Flame, which moved with clear goals, the Tower of the Bloody Flame was content with the present.
Seeking safety isn’t inherently bad. Sometimes, it’s necessary to endure and be patient. However, if one stays in the same place for too long, they’ll end up falling behind.
The difference between having goals and not having them was reflected in the mindset of the mages.
“There’s a significant skill gap too.”
If Delmood were a 6th Circle mage, he wouldn’t have endured this much. The renown of a 7th Circle mage was that formidable.
Facing them head-on would cause substantial damage, and without confidence in winning, they could only endure.
While Ghislaine clicked his tongue, the third duel concluded as well. That mage also surrendered the moment the barrier went up.
“Oh, you idiots.”
“Why did you accept the duel if you’re going to act like this?”
“Why not just come under our wing during this opportunity?”
From the Tower of the Bloody Flame came vulgar insults and mockery.
Typically, they wouldn’t go this far out of respect. But whether Delmood and the elders permitted it or not, the level of mockery from the Tower of the Bloody Flame’s mages only escalated.
“Ugh…”
Hubert’s face turned bright red as he clenched his fists. He felt like storming out and setting fire to those bastards’ faces right then and there.
But if he didn’t intend to start an all-out war, he had to hold back. Fighting would yield nothing.
The elders, like Hubert, could only tremble with anguished expressions.
After taking many deep breaths, Hubert finally spoke.
“Let’s stop here. If we’ve won three times, doesn’t that mean their victory? At this point, the goal of humiliating them should have been accomplished.”
The duel was supposed to total five matches. However, thinking it had lost all meaning, Hubert was asking for it to end.
Hearing that, Delmood shook his head with a sneer.
“If we’re going to do it, let’s do it to the end. This isn’t a duel meant to settle scores, is it? It’s merely a gathering to see the accomplishments of our apprentices.”
“You bastard…”
With Delmood’s refusal, Hubert continuously wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He didn’t want to go through the fourth match. After all, this was the one where the heir to the tower would compete.
After swallowing hard several times, Hubert said to Alfoy, who had been standing there sulking.
“You… you should just surrender as soon as you go in.”
Though he was the heir to the tower, he’d been stagnating at the 3rd Circle for years. He wouldn’t win regardless.
If the heir lost, the humiliation would be unspeakable, but he’d already suffered enough. Better than dying foolishly in a fit of pride.
Alfoy scratched his head with an annoyed expression.
“What? Are we just going to stand by while they laugh at us? Weren’t we the best in the North?”
Hubert also retorted with irritation.
“Grow up! You spent all this time on construction and still haven’t fixed that arrogant attitude of yours? Can you win if you go out? They’re going to send at least a 4th Circle mage!”
“Well, how would I know unless I try?”
Alfoy pouted.
Despite the hardships he had gone through with Ghislaine, he’d learned one thing: you can’t know until you try and fight. That confidence is what made the Territory of Penris successful.
But it seemed Hubert didn’t share that mindset.
“You fool! How do you expect to win with a lower circle!”
At Hubert’s fervor, Alfoy scratched his head again. In truth, he felt he wouldn’t win either.
He had caught 4th Circle mages trying to escape from the Territory on several occasions, but that had always been with his colleagues. He’d never fought one-on-one.
Moreover, those people emitted a fierce aura that was a bit frightening.
“Ugh, fine.”
Alfoy shuffled forward. Initially angered because of his pride, he now felt nervous and scared about fighting.
His life was more precious than anything. He didn’t want to die a pointless death.
As Alfoy moved forward, there was a reaction from the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
“Isn’t that the heir of the Tower of the Bloody Flame? Then we need to send an appropriate opponent.”
Delmood chuckled and said this as one of his apprentices stepped forward confidently. Standing before Alfoy, he introduced himself at once.
“My name is Brody. The first disciple of the Lord of the Tower and the heir of the Tower of the Bloody Flame. Nice to meet you.”
Alfoy blinked for a moment. It had been so long since he’d introduced himself like this that it felt awkward.
“Uh, sure… I’m…”
Before Alfoy could finish, Brody arrogantly interrupted.
“And I recently reached 4th Circle Master. If you want to surrender, just do it quickly. I find it humiliating to even converse with someone as pathetic as you. You don’t think we’re on the same level just because we’re both heirs, do you?”
That was a highly insulting remark. Yet, upon hearing it, Alfoy realized he wasn’t as angry as he thought he’d be.
As he pondered the reason for his change, he glanced back. He saw Ghislaine in the spectators’ seats, smiling.
“Oh, right.”
Having been belittled for so long in the Territory, he had grown completely accustomed to such treatment.
With that realization, Alfoy grasped his forehead and chuckled.
Brody frowned at the sight of Alfoy starting to laugh by himself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. I just can’t believe the great Alfoy has turned out like this.”
Waving his hands, Alfoy took a deep breath.
“Yeah, my name is Alfoy. The heir of the Tower of the Bloody Flame and the Branch Leader of Penris. And…”
He straightened his back and raised his chin as he continued.
“I’m the man who defeated a god.”
At this moment, he wore a more arrogant expression than anyone else.
