Chapter 105
The figure removed lifted the hood of their cloak, revealing their face.
"Indeed…" At the sight, Joshua smiled.
The figure’s melancholic blue eyes glistened brightly as if their eyes were the stars after being plucked from the night sky. They had dark brown skin that efficiently blended with the darkness, and they had long, pointed ears attached to their beautiful face. Their long, pointed ears were unique to their race as they were elves.
More specifically, the figure was a dark elf.
The dark elf revealed their face in public for the first time, and they were shocked to see someone whose physical beauty was comparable to the elves famous for being the race of beauty. As such, the dark elf stared warily at Joshua and asked, “Are you a member of the clan?”
‘It’s unbelievable…’’
An elf’s skin color and ears could be concealed by artifacts, but the energy the dark elf was emitting was unique only to the dark elves.
The dark elves, sometimes known as ‘fallen’ elves, were not afraid to take life—unlike the normal elves, who resided in the woodlands and cherished life. Many dark elves were meat-eaters, and a disproportionate amount of dark elves were born with toxic natures.
Joshua smiled and spoke, “Shouldn't you know better than me if I'm a dark elf or not? Isn’t that why you drew your dagger?”
“...” The dark elf was puzzled by Joshua’s words.
If that was the case, how did this man know about True Kill, not to mention the fact that he could use it?
“Aisha.”
The dark elf’s eyes widened.
Joshua continued, ignoring the dark elf’s astonishment.
“Aisha Sestropi. That’s your name, right? Rather than Black Wind 4.”
At that, Aisha abandoned any pretense of civility. She radiated a cold and intense energy similar to a tempest as she said, “Listen carefully: how did you know my name, and how can you use True Kill?”
In the dim light, the dagger in Aisha's hand gleamed sharply.
Joshua stared at Aisha for a moment before saying, “I have only one thing to say: don’t even try to commit the heinous act you’re planning to attempt today, such as assassinating the First Prince.”
Paah!
Once Joshua’s words fell, Aisha rushed toward him.
She moved quickly, and a veil of black smoke enveloped her, giving her the advantage she needed.
However, her opponent seemed a bit too calm.
Joshua lightly smiled. He mustered his mana while staring at Aisha with a gentle look.
Crackle.
With a small spark, his mana flew toward a particular location. The mana traveled faster than the speed of sound toward Joshua’s earlobe.
The mana instantly reached the obsidian earring on Joshua’s ear, and a massive roar only Aisha could hear reverberated.
Woooooong!
‘Keep it together!’
Aisha thrust her dagger at Joshua’s face, but she was stopped against her will.
“This sensation…It can't be…” Aisha stammered and staggered while looking at Joshua’s face. She backed away a few steps with a look of bewilderment. Her back was drenched with cold sweat as she shakily muttered, “Dragon Fear?”
Aisha's surprised mutter could be heard clearly amidst the silent night.
***
Step, step.
A woman wheezed as she took angry strides inside the dining hall.
“That idiot and sea urchin-looking bastard!” Charles stomped around the precious red carpet as curses emerged like a deluge from her beautiful lips. “How could he do that when it was the first time we saw each other after so many years? Could it be that I’m not attractive at all?”
Joshua’s behavior from earlier had truly offended her.
Even stranger, she had no idea why she was so annoyed.
Eventually, Charles stopped stomping around and muttered with a tinge of sadness, “Scumbag.”
‘If he's going to be like this, why did he even help me in the first place?’
He even did it in public.
Was it because of our past acquaintance?
“For some reason, that guy really knows how to confuse people…” Charles muttered and shook her head, allowing her mind to clear up.
She wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar and start asking him questions, but she knew that she couldn’t just act on her emotions, considering that her family was still in a perilous situation.
The immature young lady, Charles di Pontier, was long gone. She was forced to disappear by the circumstances.
All of a sudden, Charles heard footsteps coming her way.
At that, she hurriedly touched up before greeting the visitors.
“Gehog don Crombell.”
Confirming the owner of the footsteps, Charles' expression turned stiff. It was Gehog. She gritted her teeth subconsciously.
Gehog was staring at her as well. Gehog was Marquis Crombell's heir apparent and the reason behind her family’s crisis.
‘This is the first time we’ve come to face-to-face…’
“Charles di Pontier.” Gehog stopped five steps away from Charles and said, “You know the situation will never change even if you pull him into the picture, right?”
“What are you talking about?” Charles coldly asked.
Gehog stared right into Charles’ eyes and said, “Joshua von Agnus—oh right, he’s Joshua Sanders now. He’s an Agnus no more. Babel is the heir apparent of the Agnus, so Duke Agnus will never help you. Are you sure you want to throw your pride away and plead for a helping hand from the wrong person?”
Gehog’s revelation was startling. Charles gnashed her teeth harder; it was the only way for her to contain the seething rage from the depths of her heart.
“A helping hand?” she asked.
“Ever since he joined the Imperial Knights Order, he had been climbing the ranks quickly. But to think he did something as stupid as giving up the title of the being the battalion commander of an upper division. Well, he did eventually gain recognition from His Majesty by his own strength and even got a newly created title, "Reserve Battalion Commander". What a joke…” Gehog trailed off. However, he seemed exhausted when he continued. “But he’s a true monster. Just last year, I heard that he defeated a B-class knight from the upper division. I could hardly believe it since that punk was only fourteen. At that age, Young Master Babel, the treasure of Avalon, was only a C-Class knight.”
“What are you driving at, Gehog don Crombell?” Charles said with a grimace.
At that, Gehog chuckled and shrugged. “It seems that your temperament remains the same.”
“You…” Charles started.
However, Gehog interrupted her and stepped closer to her. Gehog’s eyes gleamed brightly as he said, “One thing is certain, though—nothing will change even if you get Joshua Sanders to join the fight.”
“...!” Charles didn’t know what to say.
“No matter how arrogant or unrestrained he might be, considering all circumstances, he’s just at most at advanced B-Class. Of course, he's still a monster in all of history. But that's not important.” Gehog revealed a strange smile before saying, “He will never be able to beat him at that level.”
At that, Charles muttered in dismay with gritted teeth.
“Mercenary King… Barbarian.”
“What can a fifteen-year-old kid do to a big shot like the Mercenary King? The Mercenary King is one of the Twelve Superhumans only beneath the Nine Stars. That’s a huge gap between them right there.” Gehog pointed out.
When Gehog saw how Charles was trembling while grimacing, he couldn’t help but laugh before saying, “I'll give you a proposal. How about we get engaged?”
“What?” Charles asked as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
With a deeper smile, Gehog explained, “It’s only a matter of time before your family collapses—-oh, sorry, I’m sure you’re painfully aware. At this point, you only have one way to stop the war, and it’s a marriage with me.”
Gehog noticed that Charles was in a daze, so he continued. “It’s a win-win situation. It’s an easy sacrifice on your side, your family’s legacy continues, our family doesn't have to waste any more time and the war ends—that’s it. I mean, it's not exactly a sacrifice. Isn't it an honor and glory to be able to get married to someone like me?”
Naturally, Gehog had his own motives for such a proposal. It was similar to acquiring a trophy after a hunt.
‘By marrying Charles di Pontier, I will be able to absorb their legacy as one of the five Dukes. It will take a while, but we’ll get there. That’s a great marriage right there.’
Gehog kept his mouth shut, but his eyes leered at Charles as he stood akimbo. He could already feel his lower back aching just imagining the prideful Charles di Pontier lying beneath him.
“My answer is…” Finally, Charles started.
Gehog’s eyes gleamed in anticipation.
However, Charles shattered Gehog’s expectations as she raised her middle finger and confidently said, “Eat this, you little shit.”
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l