Chapter 572: The Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 572: The Meeting
"The Royal Mage Corps... the former Commander?"
In the distance, the rising flames illuminated Sharp’s face, which had suddenly shifted from fury to a comically stiff expression.
"That’s impossible. Why have I never heard of this?"
Since she was someone following the Princess, the Marquis’s estate couldn't have failed to investigate her. Based on the information he currently had, this girl’s parents were just an ordinary pair of wandering mages who weren't even in Belland most of the year. As for her grandfather...
Wait. Now that he thought about it, the reports really hadn't mentioned who her grandfather was.
Could it be true?
A surge of irritation washed over Sharp. Were those people the Dion family spent so much money on truly just a bunch of useless hacks? They couldn't even dig up something like this?
"Hmph. Originally, I just wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person, but since you’ve insisted on forcing my hand..."
Wei'er planted her hands on her hips, her nose tilted so high she was practically looking at the clouds.
"I’m done pretending! I’m a third-generation mage elite! I’m the woman who will one day become the new Commander of the Royal Mage Corps! And for the record, my grandpa dotes on me the most!"
"..."
At this moment, Wei'er was arrogant to the extreme. Gone was the sycophantic act she put on around Celicia; she was now so insufferable that one felt a desperate urge to punch her pudgy face. Yet, Sharp’s cheek merely twitched. He felt as though he were trying to bite into a hedgehog.
If she really was the granddaughter of the former Royal Mage Corps Commander, did he actually dare to kill her?
Of course not. Now that the old Marquis had "passed away," the entire Dion family was at its weakest. They couldn't afford to provoke the wrath of a Truth-Tier Grand Magister. Furthermore, the girl’s grandfather’s prestigious status as a former Commander meant he wouldn't fear the "Marquis" title Sharp currently held.
It was precisely for these reasons that they had shoved this "hedgehog" into his mouth.
Naturally, if the plan they were currently orchestrating proceeded smoothly, there would come a day when he no longer had to fear such threats—a day when even that Grand Magister would have to bow before him. But that day was certainly not today.
The arrival of that day would take at least...
"Heh heh. What’s the matter? Scared? If you are, I suggest you behave yourself. If you just stay here and finish this dinner with me, we can still be perfectly civil friends. Otherwise..."
"I see. I underestimated you."
However, facing the increasingly arrogant Wei'er, Sharp opened his eyes, and a surging mana began to flow once more.
"But I suspect that even if His Excellency the Grand Magister dotes on you, he wouldn't vent his rage on the Dion family just because Miss Wei'er suffered a few minor injuries."
Wei'er’s expression chilled. "What do you mean? You still want to fight me?"
"Indeed. Knowing that you all intend to run amok in my home, as the new head of the Dion family, I naturally cannot stand by and watch. As for you, Miss Wei'er... I will try to be as gentle as possible when I return you to your grandfather in one piece."
A cold glint flashed in Sharp’s eyes. "Of course, a little bit of pain is unavoidable. I hope Miss Wei'er will forgive me."
"You really think you’ve got me beat?"
An elite mage graduate from St. Maria Academy was indeed someone to be feared, but Wei'er showed no sign of panic in the face of her senior. In fact, she looked like she wanted to laugh. In an instant, an equally dense mana erupted from her petite frame.
"You underestimate me too much, Lord Marquis."
Wei'er let out a disdainful sneer, her aura not yielding an inch.
"I may always be at the President’s side, but surely you didn't think... I was just some useless lackey!"
*
A few minutes later.
Sharp walked out of the room, his clothes slightly torn. Behind him, Wei'er had been bundled up like a festive rice dumpling, still squirming with tears of indignation in her eyes.
"Is that all?"
Sharp loosened his cravat, his face wearing the pride of a top student from his days at St. Maria Academy.
We’re both geniuses, and we were taught by the same school. My realm is higher than yours; I truly don't know where that woman got her courage and confidence.
If it weren't for her having a good grandfather...
"But... now comes the troublesome part."
After leaving the reception hall, Sharp stood on the open garden corridor, finally getting a clear view of the disaster unfolding across the Marquis’s estate.
Thick black flames covered the sky, and the piercing light of the fires looked like the savage fangs of a demon. Chaos was everywhere; the shrill shouts and screams sounded like the screeching of rusted violin strings.
"Damn it. How could the estate of a Marquis end up like this? Where is Steward Arno? Where is that useless Arno?"
A surging killing intent nearly tore through his refined facade. Unfortunately, no matter how angry Sharp became, he received no response.
"Big... Big Brother..."
Sharp turned around to see a round ball of flesh practically bouncing toward him.
"Charles?"
Only as he got closer could he see that it wasn't a ball of flesh, but an incredibly obese man. The man was completely naked, not even wearing trousers, and his body was covered in clear lipstick marks. It seemed he had just crawled out of some warm, tender embrace in a state of terror.
This man was Sharp’s younger brother, Charles.
"Big Brother! Big Brother, this is bad!"
Charles grabbed Sharp’s sleeve, wailing with a mix of snot and tears.
"There’s a crazy woman going on a killing spree in the mansion! Steward Arno and so many others have been killed by her!"
"Useless!"
Sharp delivered a slap that sent his brother spinning through the air for two and a half rotations. He roared, "What the hell are you all doing? One? You couldn't even stop one person? What does the Dion family pay you for? To be mascots?"
"Big Brother, it’s not that I didn't want to stop her, but a lot of the commoners ran away as soon as they saw things going south! I couldn't exactly go up and throw my life away alone, could I? I still have the noble blood of the Dion family in my veins!"
Charles clutched his face, looking aggrieved.
"Go and see for yourself! If you don't go now, I’m afraid that crazy woman won't even spare the Viscountess I just got together with!"
"Trash! All you think about is chasing women!"
Sharp fumed, hurling a few more insults.
But he also knew that beating his incompetent brother to death wouldn't help right now. The priority was to stop the intruder from continuing their rampage; otherwise, the Dion family would lose the prestige it had maintained for centuries.
"Wait, something’s wrong."
Just as Sharp was about to rush toward the center of the disturbance, he seemed to remember something. He whipped his head back toward Charles.
"You said those invaders are just going around killing people?"
"Well... not exactly 'just' killing people," Charles said tremulously. "They let a lot of the commoners working in the mansion go. But many of our Dion family people were killed. They don't seem to be in any hurry, though. It’s like they aren't afraid of reinforcements at all."
"Not in a hurry..."
Sharp pondered for a moment, and then his expression changed drastically.
"Oh no! This side is just a decoy!"
*
"This should be the place."
Inside the gloomy cellar, the temperature was bone-chilling.
A faint white mist drifted through the air.
The darkness surged for a moment, and the alert formations placed around the cellar were temporarily paralyzed following a flash of lightning.
"As expected of something the Old Loli made. Its functionality is way more powerful than the simplified, portable version of an Alchemy Domain."
Muen, holding the "Single's Resentment," sighed in admiration as he placed a delicate magic device in the center of the cellar.
It was thanks to the Ancient Artifact in his hand and the "junk" (as the Old Loli called it) he had managed to scrounge from her after nearly being tortured to death that he was able to reach the most heavily guarded area of the Marquis’s estate without hindrance.
And now...
"I suppose this is our first time meeting in the true sense of the word."
Muen looked at the elderly man lying in the coffin. He gave an elegant bow, as if a junior meeting an elder, while a mocking curve formed at the corner of his mouth.
"Respected Lord Speaker."