Chapter 156
“The rumors were never exaggerated.”
“Rather than that, I couldn’t have imagined that the spears used by soldiers could actually be so powerful. Babelon never got a chance.”
“It’s fast, strong, and accurate. With all those three beats at his fingertips, his opponent was doomed to be helpless.”
“Now I know for sure that the strength of a weapon ultimately depends on the wielder. Joshua Sanders—damn, he’s only fifteen years old?"
The men seated closest to the waiting rooms expressed their own opinion about the recent fight.
“Here he comes…!” The crowd fell dead silent as Joshua approached the waiting room.
“...”
Joshua wasn’t really paying attention to them, but their voices still dug into his ears.
‘No matter what anyone says, the spear is the finest weapon in the world, not the sword.’?Joshua inwardly said. There was a faint smile on his lips as he walked toward the waiting room.
.
He was about fifty years old if his previous life was included in the calculations, and despite being an old man, Joshua was living in the moment. He acted as if what he had done wasn’t a big deal, but he was beaming inside.
- Aigo, this is great.
“...”
- Are you happy? Those lowly human beings are praising me—does that make you happy?
However, Joshua’s expression darkened upon hearing Lugia’s voice.
- Is that how it is? Like taking your pretty girlfriend around town and being happy about how everyone is complimenting her?
“This is not about you at—” Joshua was about to retort, but he only sighed in the end.
What was the point?
Despite her title as a demonic artifact, that was Lugia’s actual personality.
- Whoo-hoo!?To think that even the lowly people of this realm can recognize my greatness. I guess their minds are sharp!
“Haaa…” Joshua sighed once more and left the waiting room.
“Congratulations on winning the opening match.”
Stop.
Joshua came to a halt upon hearing a familiar voice. The voice was clear and pure, but somehow cold. He turned around and met her cool, blue eyes.
“I knew you were great, but you were much more impressive than I thought,” muttered Iceline. As usual, her robe covered her entire body from the top of her head all the way down. Considering Iceline’s usual stoicism, it was rare to see her react like this.
- Ohohoho! It seems that the saying about how women are drawn to heroes is true! Great! Our master’s really great!
Joshua couldn’t take it anymore. He directly severed his connection to Lugia.
“Where is Akshuller? Why are you alone?”
“His first opponent is His Highness Ulabis, so he went somewhere on his own early in the morning. I think he’s nervous.”
“...” Joshua nodded his head without saying anything.
The Knight of Red Flame, Ulabis. Even Joshua acknowledged him to be the most noteworthy person among the participants of this year’s Masters’ Battle. In addition, he would also climb up the Twelve Superhumans to become one of the great Nine Stars.
In addition, Ulabis had a Primordial Stone.
It was just a brief moment, but Joshua couldn’t forget the sensation he was struck with when he saw Ulabis from a distance.
Bronto had long become one with Joshua, and it was lying dormant within him.
‘It was the first time Bronto stirred since I met that mage from the Magic Tower, one of the Seven Mages, the holder of the Thunder seat.’
Bronto roared to life and vibrated madly the moment he clapped his eyes on Ulabis.
Joshua’s eyes lit up. It was the first time he experienced something like this, but he knew that he would be able to confirm things once he met Ulabis again.
There was also that mage from the Magic Tower. He was one of the Seven Mages. The mage was a young man who gave off a vibe similar to the wind. His name Theta was unusual as well. However, the point was that Joshua was familiar with Theta.
‘Storm Mage Theta.’’
While Joshua was deep in his thoughts, Iceline's voice reached his ears.
“Young Master, before anything else—” Iceline started.
However, Joshua interrupted her by asking, “Are you really going to call me Young Master?”
“Yes?”
“I am no longer a part of the Agnus Family. I think such a title is out of place.”
“Oh…” Iceline nodded as if she understood. “Then, Lord Sanders—”
“Just call me Joshua.” Joshua interrupted once more.
“What?" A far cry from her usual ice-cold figure, Iceline stared blankly at Joshua.
“I thought we were friends?”
“Friends?” Iceline asked, seemingly confused. She then fell into contemplation.
It wasn’t like she had never thought about the young man in front of her.
Honestly, she often thought of Joshua in her past five years as a fugitive. It was all because Joshua Sanders always gave off a special feeling, which was something that other people didn’t have including herself.
“If you’re thinking otherwise, then there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“No, it’s not like that!” Iceline urgently cried out, surprising even herself as she gasped.
Her emotions were in turmoil, and it was the first time she felt these many emotions since her family’s fall.
'Why would I…'
Iceline was ashamed.
Joshua ignored that and said with a light smile. “Well, you’re my friend.”
“That’s…”
“I wish you all the best in the future, Iceline.”
“...!” Iceline's eyes widened a little.
“So, what were you trying to say?”
“Ah!” Iceline gasped. She took a moment to compose herself, and when she was sure that she had recovered her wits, she finally said, “Reipon. I-I think you need it right now, Young Ma—Joshua.”
Iceline was trying her best to pretend as if nothing happened, but she was starting to stammer through her words. Embarrassed, Iceline’s cheeks became slightly flushed.
At that, Joshua muttered, “Reipon.”
It was a disguise artifact that changed not only one’s appearance but also the air they were giving off. Iceline was right. If he became even more famous, then every people on the continent would start recognizing him, not just the people of Avalon.
Joshua definitely wouldn’t want that. He had always been a lone wolf, and he had always disliked dealing with troublesome things.
Unfortunately for Joshua, he was becoming more and more famous as time went on. It was evidenced by the fact that he could already feel many slimy and invasive gazes on him.
Iceline had already recovered her wits, so her voice sounded calm when she said, “I already have the necessary materials. All I need is time.”
“Is it time to show myself before the people of the country?“
“That’s not it.” At Joshua's question, Iceline quickly shook her head.
“Reipon is considerably more complex than it looks. It’s tiny but it eats up more mana than most people can’t even begin to imagine. The mana necessary to maintain it can be supplied by mana stones, but it needs my mana for the initial development. Back then, my condition is pretty bad, so I couldn’t make it even though I wanted to…”
When Joshua saw how Iceline was starting to spout gibberish, he decided to summarize it.
“You don’t want me to see your weak side.”
“...” Iceline stopped talking.
“I understand.”
Joshua’s words of reassurance made Iceline’s heart tremble.
“Can I ask you for a favor? Not as a customer, but as your friend,” muttered Iceline.
The smile on Joshua’s lips deepened at the sight.
“Anytime,” he said.
‘If it’s him, maybe…'?Iceline inwardly muttered. She looked determined as she said, “If His Highness Ulabis defeated you, and you were to meet Barbarian…”
Joshua frowned at the unexpected name. “Barbarian? You mean the Mercenary King?”
Iceline nodded and said, "Yes. Apart from my family, he and Mister Akshuller are—”
“There you are!”
“…!”
A voice interrupted them from the side. Both Joshua and Iceline turned to look at where the voice had come from, and it turned out to be Akshuller. The two had no idea what he had been doing, but he was drenched in sweat.
“I heard the news when I arrived. Congratulations on winning the opening match. Master of Avalon, Baron Joshua Sanders.” Akshuller smiled bitterly. “Oh, is it too early to celebrate? You aren’t done here yet, and at this rate, I might have to face you soon.”
Joshua chuckled at that.
“Oh, aren’t you confident? I think His Highness Ulabis will be a bit upset to hear that.”
“Who goes into a battle thinking they’re going to lose before they even fight? Aren’t you supposed to make things happen without expecting that everything will go the way you want them to go?” Akshuller said playfully.
“...” Joshua shrugged without saying anything.
“By the way, you two. What were you talking about without me?” Akshuller shot Joshua a menacing glare. “By any chance—”
Iceline quickly interrupted with a cold glare of her own. “We were talking about Reipon. We weren’t celebrating on our own, we were talking about business."
“Ah, I see.” Akshuller’s face turned ugly. “However, doesn’t that mean that you will have to do to him what you did to me?”
"What?” Iceline muttered, seemingly confused.
At the sight of that, Akshuller patted his face and chest before saying, “Isn't Reipon a custom-made artifact? You gotta make sure that it will fit him perfectly, so you have to take measurements. In other words, you have to… Do you know? Grope him.”
“...!”
‘How did I forget about that?!’ Iceline's cheeks started to turn red once again.
Akshuller stared intently at Joshua.
“Well, that’s…” Iceline started.
“Oh, is that so?” Joshua interrupted, and he said casually as if it wasn’t actually a big deal at all. “Come to my room tonight, then. Don’t make me wait.”
“What?"
Akshuller and Iceline were dumbfounded.
Joshua said those words casually, but they could mean something else as well…
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