Chapter 637: Underhanded Tactics
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 637: Underhanded Tactics
"Good work, Cordes."
"No, it was nothing. It was only my duty."
In the private VIP room reserved for the Kingdom’s diplomatic delegation, Milne patted the shoulder of the victorious Cordes with an appreciative air, projecting the magnanimity and consideration of a true leader.
As expected, Cordes looked visibly moved. "It took me so long to defeat my opponent... I have brought shame upon Your Highness."
"You did well enough. And as for shame..."
Milne glanced toward the back of the room, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
There, Hertz was personally treating Barlow, who lay on a makeshift medical bed, wrapped in bandages like a mummy.
Crack. Snap.
The sound of bones grinding echoed through the room, accompanied by the agonizing groans of the seven-foot-tall brute. It was a gruesome sight.
Hertz was painstakingly resetting Barlow’s broken bones one by one. If the bones weren't properly aligned, healing magic would be useless—especially since some of the shards had pierced his internal organs.
"She was too ruthless, that woman named Ariel," Cordes remarked with a frown. He was on good terms with Barlow; they were friends who often went out to find "entertainment" together. Because of that, he knew not only Barlow’s taste in women but also the true extent of his strength.
On flat ground with no cover, Cordes knew he would struggle to beat Barlow. Barlow’s physical prowess was so overwhelming that few could face that humanoid beast head-on without relying on hit-and-run tactics or terrain advantages.
And yet... someone had faced him head-on. Using nothing but her bare fists, she had reduced him to this state in under three minutes without any fancy tricks. The more one knew Barlow, the more one felt a chill down their spine regarding that flat-chested woman named Ariel.
"We miscalculated," Hertz sighed after finishing the first stage of treatment. His expression was uncharacteristically grim. "I didn't expect the Empire’s younger generation to harbor such a monster. We hadn't even heard of her before this."
No matter how confident the Kingdom’s delegation was, they hadn't come here blindly. They had gathered a significant amount of intelligence on the participants.
Precisely because of that, they never expected a second-year student from St. Maria Academy—a woman with no prior reputation, supposedly the illegitimate daughter of a fallen noble family—to cause them to crash and burn in the very first round.
"It was to be expected, I suppose," Milne said. "This is the Empire, after all. If they were really that easy to trample, we wouldn't have to work so hard to plot for that throne."
"True. It’s only natural for the Empire to have one or two extraordinary youths." Hertz stroked his beard, about to pivot to his usual habit of praising his prize disciple, when the door swung open. Another figure walked in, cutting him off.
It was Seviel. She was the one scheduled to face the Empire’s representative after Cordes.
"How was it?"
"A narrow victory." Seviel leaned against the wall, slowly drawing her blood-stained longsword and wiping it carefully with a handkerchief.
"Hardly a narrow victory," Milne chuckled, glancing at the wall clock. "You were only on stage for ten minutes. A 'narrow victory' takes longer than that."
"The opponent was simply careless," Seviel replied humbly, shaking her head. "St. Maria Academy isn't famous for nothing. I may have looked relaxed, but I was operating at nearly full strength."
"You've grown humble."
"I've grown cautious."
"Regardless, after Barlow’s loss, we’ve won the rest," Hertz said with some relief. "This proves that the only one we need to worry about on the Empire’s side is that Ariel. The others are within our expected parameters. They are of no concern."
"What about Muen Campbell? Maybe he’s incredibly powerful too!" Cordes asked curiously, almost as if joking.
Hertz ignored him and looked at Milne with a smile. "What do you think?"
"Victory is certain." Milne had watched the entire three-minute recording of Ariel brutalizing Barlow, but his confidence remained unshaken.
In his mind, he could have finished Barlow in under three minutes as well.
In fact, he could have done it faster.
"Whether it’s Muen Campbell or that Ariel, they will all be crushed under my feet!"
Milne’s cold gaze flickered, emitting a terrifying aura. Though they were of the same generation, it felt as if an invisible chasm separated him from Cordes, Seviel, and Barlow.
It was the chasm of absolute strength, the very source of his confidence.
"Your Highness, you shouldn't say that." Cordes, realizing he’d spoken out of turn, shrunk his neck and gave a forced laugh. "Based on the rumors I’ve heard lately, that Muen Campbell might not even make it past his next opponent..."
Before Cordes could finish his sentence, the door to the VIP room was slammed open.
A battered figure stumbled in, practically crawling into the room. The thick scent of blood he brought with him almost overpowered the smell coming from the heavily injured Barlow.
"Yate?"
Hertz was the first to react upon seeing the blood-stained, weakened figure. He blurred across the room, mana surging as he instantly cast several healing spells on the man.
However, the bloodstains on Yate’s body seemed to come alive, writhing and eroding his flesh. The more healing mana they sensed, the more frenzied they became. It took Hertz a massive effort just to stabilize Yate’s condition before he could begin purging the eerie blood-filth.
"What is this foul stuff...? What happened, Yate? Who did this to you!"
Hertz was both shocked and enraged. Yate was the one scheduled to face Muen Campbell. If Yate could defeat Muen directly, Milne wouldn't even have to step out, which would have been a huge boon to their plans.
But the match hadn't even started, and he had been beaten into this state?
Who was so audacious? This was a blatant insult to the Kingdom!
"It was... a ridiculous pink monster bear," Yate wheezed, his voice weak. "I ran into him outside. I saw that bastard selling tabloid pamphlets slandering Senior Sister Seviel. I lost my temper and tried to stop him, and... and then he beat me like this."
"Tabloid news?" Seviel frowned. She knew Yate being beaten this badly wasn't as simple as "trying to stop" someone, but her focus was elsewhere. "What tabloid news?"
"He was slandering you, Senior Sister! Saying you and that Muen Campbell were having an affair!" At the mention of this, Yate, who had looked half-dead a moment ago, nearly jumped off the floor in rage. "He even claimed you were the one chasing him! How is that possible? Someone as pure as you, Senior Sister, how could you like a playboy like Muen Campbell? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! That guy has nothing going for him except his face. Are you the kind of person who only cares about looks?"
Seviel: "..."
"Enough." Milne glanced at Seviel before calming Yate down. "Are you sure he attacked you just for that? It wasn't a deliberate provocation to lead you into a trap?"
"This..." Yate froze, then gave a bitter smile. "I was blinded by rage, I didn't think that far... I'm sorry, Your Highness. I've caused trouble for everyone."
"Hmph, at least you know you've caused trouble!" Hertz’s temper flared again. Before they had even achieved their goals, two of their members were heavily injured. This level of unpredictability was starting to make him uneasy. "You’re usually so level-headed. How could you fall for such a trick?"
"I..." Yate stole a glance at Seviel, a hint of bashfulness appearing on his face.
Though he said nothing, everyone understood his meaning. They all collectively looked away.
"Fine. What’s done is done," Milne said, gesturing for Yate to rest. He then exchanged a look with Hertz. "What do you think, Teacher?"
"It looks like a complete accident, but the pink bear Yate mentioned... that should be the grand-uncle of the current Empress. He holds a high rank in the Imperial family and is quite powerful. Rumor has it he has a costume obsession and loves wandering around in that ridiculous suit. It fits Yate’s description perfectly."
"But... why would the Empress’s uncle spread tabloid rumors? And even sell them?"
"The rumors say the Pink Bear is extremely unreliable. Even the late Emperor couldn't handle him. He’s done plenty of absurd things."
"But absurdity and stupidity are not the same thing," Milne mused. "Besides, as the Empress’s uncle, he doesn't lack money. No matter how eccentric he is, he wouldn't go out of his way to sell such things. Isn't he afraid of shaming the Imperial family?"
"You mean..." Hertz narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing. His expression turned solemn. "He did it on purpose?"
"I heard he has a very good relationship with Muen Campbell."
"It’s possible. When Muen Campbell was accused of colluding with the Evil God, it was reportedly the Duke who stepped in to defend him, and the matter was eventually dropped. He must have exerted a lot of influence. And during the Saintess Trials six months ago, he was the one providing the escort..."
Hertz followed Milne’s logic, then paused as realization dawned. "You mean... he did all this just to help Muen Campbell?"
"It’s the most likely explanation," Milne sneered. "Everything connects too perfectly!"
"No!" Seviel suddenly interrupted. "Muen Campbell has no reason to do such a thing!"
In Seviel’s view, given Muen’s strength, he wouldn't be afraid of Yate—who couldn't even beat her. There was no need for such a convoluted scheme...
"Sigh, Cousin Seviel, I know you have a favorable impression of Muen Campbell because of what happened during the Holy City Trial." Milne turned back, speaking with the tone of an elder brother. "But how long have you actually spent with him? What do you really know about him?"
"..." Seviel fell silent.
Yes, even she had to admit that she didn't truly understand Muen Campbell.
Even her feelings for him were mostly born from being saved by him, attracted by his dashing looks and charm in that moment.
She had no grounds to argue.
"What’s the next move?" As the teacher, Hertz actually deferred to his disciple. "Such despicable methods... perhaps we should expose them..."
"No. We have no evidence. Just like the rumors of Muen Campbell’s affairs with other women, bringing this up without proof will only make the Empress think we are trying to sow discord within the Imperial family. It would backfire."
"Hmph, they’re likely counting on that. How utterly detestable!"
"Perhaps."
"Then what? Your Highness, how do you plan to repay this insult?"
"By the rules."
"You mean..."
"Heh. Teacher, think about it. Aside from trying to provoke us, do these petty tricks actually serve any real purpose?"
"This..." Hertz thought for a moment. "If Your Highness wins... then no."
"Exactly. No purpose at all." Milne gave a contemptuous smile. "So what if Muen Campbell uses these little tricks to scrape through this round? As long as the tournament continues, he will eventually fall by my hand... or one of ours. It makes no difference."
"In fact, seeing all his schemes come to naught in the end will only make him look more pathetic."
A bell chimed from the arena, signaling that it was time for Milne to make his entrance.
His gaze swept across the entire venue, finally landing on the one-way glass of the Empress’s private box. He muttered to himself with a trace of mockery:
"Heh. Muen Campbell, and Her Majesty the Empress... keep your eyes wide open and watch closely... who is truly the most valuable person here!"
*
The Empress’s VIP Suite.
"Ah, I should get up."
"Mmm... no."
"I think the Seventeenth Prince is about to take the stage. Don't you want to watch?"
"Not interested. Let me sleep."
"Alright then..."
Muen pulled the soft, fragrant woman in his arms closer, finding a more comfortable position. "Then let's keep sleeping..."