Chapter 366 From the past
"Sigh…..To think that you would come here as well….."
Amid the stunned silence, a dignified man stepped forward, his handsome appearance drawing the attention of the crowd.
With his sleek silver hair and piercing blue eyes, he exuded an air of authority and charisma that demanded respect.
"Enough, Callius," he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience and wisdom. "There is no need to humiliate a defeated opponent further."
The man's presence alone seemed to command attention and respect, and his words put an end to the tense standoff.
In fact, almost everyone here knew about this young man. Both Emma and Celia, as well as Callius. After all, even though he was not someone who belonged to the Wraslugia Kingdom now, that was not the case of before.
This name certainly made itself known.
'Eren Morton.'
Callius thought, looking at the man who looked like he had come out of a dream. His face was handsome, but that face made him remember the certain someone he faced before.
'Just as I expected, you are the one.'
Looking at the man, Callius raised his hand. "I don't remember being someone close to you, Senior Eren." And spoke.
"….."
At first, Eren didn't expect those words to come out of Callius' mouth. He seemed slightly taken aback, and his brows furrowed for a second.
The reason for that was simple. As a noble belonging to the Wraslugia Kingdom, he simply saw Callius' attitude as disrespectful.
After all, Callius was a commoner, even though he belonged to the Dukedom of Augustride once.
In fact, even if he still belonged to Augustrides, Eren wouldn't respect Callius since that was how they did in the past.
"….."
However, against Callius' cold and distant gaze, he couldn't keep his face forever.
"Sigh…." With a sigh, he looked at him. "Junior Callius, this duel is over."
"Yes, it is."
"Lucius, sheathe your sword. Don't embarrass us anymore."
Hearing this, Lucius lowered his sword. However, the next words made it impossible to resist.
"Just like a dog, you must be listening to your owner well."
SWOOSH
"!"
The moment those words sank, Lucius clenched his sword and was about to swing it.
"STOP!"
Though, he was stopped by the newly arrived senior.
"Lucius! Sheathe…your…sword."
At that point, Lucius finally took a look around him. Everyone was looking at him with a clear mock in their eyes.
And, though humbled and embarrassed, he was not about to let this moment of disgrace define him further.
"Haaah…."
With a deep breath, he sheathed his sword and stepped back, his gaze averted.
And then Eren Morton, his sleek silver hair gleaming like moonlight, turned his disdainful gaze toward Callius; the crowd watched in silence, well aware of the brewing tension between these two figures.
"Junior Callius, don't you think what you are doing is damaging the spirit of our Festival." It was clear with his words he was implying what he was doing in the past week.
"What do you mean, Senior Eren? I don't understand."
"I see….It must be a bit much for son of a whore to understand what I meant…."
"Son of a whore, you say? For some reason, I had been hearing a lot, recently…."
"People tend to stick to the truth."
"And truth tends to be manipulated, isn't that correct?"
"….."
"It seems so."
"It is. But, certainly, I remember in the past you wouldn't speak like that; I guess having a little bit of strength blinded your eyes."
"In the past, you would also not speak like that. You were busy licking Duchess' boots."
At this point, Eren understood that Callius was not going to give in to his insults. Certainly, he had quite a sharp tongue, and he was good at giving quick replies.
However, Eren really didn't want to finish it like that. He was annoyed at the fact that the club he founded and slowly built was now losing its reputation over something this trivial.
'They won't like this either.'
The society he belonged to had already marked Callius as their enemy, and quite a lot of bounty was posted on his head.
Unwilling to let Callius have the last word, he decided to press further, his sharp tongue finding another way to provoke his opponent.
"Ah, I see, Junior Callius," Eren said, a sly smile tugging at his lips. "I suppose it's quite natural for someone like you, the abandoned heir of a disgraced house, to be unfamiliar with nobility and its customs."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably, sensing that Eren was pushing the boundaries of decorum. Callius, however, remained unflinching, his crimson eyes locked onto Eren's.
"Unfamiliar, perhaps," Callius replied calmly, "but not ignorant, Senior Eren. You see, I may have been cast aside by my family, but I've learned much since then. Unlike some, I don't rely on my family's name to define my worth."
"So, you are saying that I don't have anything else aside from my family's name?"
"I didn't say such a thing. It is you who picked up those things from my words; certainly, it seems you think yourself highly."
Eren's face contorted with frustration at Callius's composed and smooth responses, and it was getting harder and harder for him to contain his words.
"Have you forgotten about the past, Junior Callius? I still remember the time when sister Julia stepped on you like a dog."
Callius maintained his composed demeanor, though a glimmer of irritation flickered in his crimson eyes.
'Should I do it?' He was reminded of a certain time in the past, and the small wound on his right shoulder itched.
Eren's words, laced with aristocratic arrogance, carried the weight of their shared history.
Even Emma and Celia knew what his words meant. Emma herself witnessed the duel at that time.
'I guess I should.'
With that thought, Callius raised his head as he faced one of the targets of his past.
'This might also bring that woman here.'
His smile widened as he slowly cooked his words in his head.
"Senior Eren, I must apologize for any confusion. I left my past behind a long time ago. It's a shame, though, that you can only bring your sister's achievements here; I guess you are still trying to escape from her 'shadow'?"
Once again, Callius pressed the weakness of the person before him. The word 'shadow' contained a different meaning for Eren, as just as he said, he was always in the shadow of his sister who was the next head of his household.
"Escape her shadow, you say?" Eren responded with a faint smile, though there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I guess the youngsters don't know about the skills of upperclassmen."
"Maybe, it is you who doesn't know his own skills, Senior?"
"Then, I should just prove it, no?"
"You should."
"You are agreeing the duel with me, then? This is your last chance."
"I never back down."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
Eren nodded in approval, a spark of determination in his eyes.
Even without clear words, the terms of the duel had been set, and the tension in the air was palpable as the onlookers watched the scene as if a play was unfolding before their eyes.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺