Chapter 195: Preparing For The Crucible [I]

The next morning, Kingsley Estate was very lively.

In every hallway, there is a servant doing a chore.

But also, there are servants gossiping about the Crucible that would happen, as everyone had their opinion about Lady Vivian challenging Madam Roselyn.

Some servants think Vivian lost her mind, while some are suspicious that she may have an ace up her sleeve.

There must be something that gives her the confidence to challenge an Ancient-grade summoner.

However, Vivian Kingsley was doomed according to the majority, for Roselyn was not only an Ancient-grade summoner, but also the Duchess of the city.

As the Duchess, her influence has webs from the Kingsley family to the rest of the city.

Running up a stairs is Vivian’s identical sister, Raven.

Raven is dressed in a nightgown that is slightly transparent, her hair disheveled, her face in disbelief as she ran to Vivian’s room.

She overheard from servants what Vivian had done, so you could imagine Raven’s anger that Vivian did not tell her she had signed her death today.

—Only to find her sister still fast asleep.

"Vivian! Wake up!"

Vivian rolled on her bed as someone stormed into her room.

"Hmm? Who’s calling me?"

Vivian was wearing underwear instead of a nightgown, and her silver hair spread out on the pillow.

Opening one eye, she saw Raven standing by the bed, her face so fierce it looked like she could kill.

"You’re still sleeping?! You challenged an Ancient-grade summoner to a life-or-death duel, how can you sleep so soundly?!"

Vivian rubbed her eyes and replied, "Isn’t this exactly why I should get a good night’s sleep? I need to rest and prepare for tonight’s battle, shouldn’t I?"

Raven wanted to strangle her sister, but she refrained from doing so.

The issue isn’t that Vivian is sleeping like a newborn baby on a day that decides if she lives or dies. The issue is that Vivian had challenged Roselyn in the first place.

"Why didn’t you tell me you have been suicidal lately?!" Raven growled. "Why did you risk your life? You want me to be sisterless?"

Seeing her sister’s anger, Vivian realized how worried Raven was.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you, Rave," she apologized. "I didn’t tell you because I knew you would tell me not to challenge Roselyn to a Crucible."

"You idiot! Of course, I would tell you not to do that! Roselyn will skin you from head to toe! You’re challenging an Ancient-grade summoner, not a street thug!"

Vivian felt embarrassed and said, "Um..."

Raven said, "Um, what?! It’s like jumping into an Alpha-grade dungeon and then complaining that the Bureau wouldn’t have let you in! Of course they won’t let you in! You’ll die in there!"

Vivian fell silent because her sister was right.

Vivian spent the night convincing herself that Luke’s magical armor and Roselyn’s pregnancy gave her an advantage and calculated her chances, but maybe she underestimates Rosalind’s danger.

A doubt she was unwilling to face since last night began to fester in her heart.

She got up, took a glass of water from the bedside table, drank it, then went to the sink, splashed cold water on her face, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Morning light streamed into the bedroom through the curtains, showing some scattered clothes by the wardrobe and an empty bed.

Meanwhile, Raven was standing with hands on hips, looking at her sister like a housekeeper supervising a troublesome child.

"Vivian, you look like a walking ghost! People say that’s what people look like before they die!" Raven said, pestering a conflicted Vivian.

"Don’t say that, Raven. I won’t die..."

"Exactly! If you accept Roselyn’s terms, you won’t die! So come on! Let’s resolve this issue right now!"

"No, Raven. I will never accept Roselyn’s terms," Vivian refused. "If death is the price I must pay to keep my freedom, then so be it. "

"What?"

"Whether you like it or not, I’m going to fight Aunt Roselyn to the end. That’s settled."

Raven could only stare at her sister.

Vivian can be stubborn, but it is unexpecting to hear her say she would rather die than accept terms.

"What did Roselyn propose that makes you prefer death?" Raven asked.

"Do you want to know?" Vivian asked sarcastically and grabbed a T-shirt from her bed and put it on, because she was naked from the chest region all this while. "Imagine something worse than being a slave. Find a word worse than that, maybe... you’ll understand what Roslin wants to make me—

—She wants to decide everything in my life. Where I go, what I do, who I associate with, and what choices I can make. I am not allowed to question her decisions, nor am I allowed to act independently. She wants to turn me into someone who can do nothing without her permission, and maybe groom me for something she has planned."

Vivian sneered at Raven, "Now you understand."

Then she put on a pair of pants, tied her silver hair into a ponytail, walked to the wardrobe, took out a box containing Luke’s magical armor, her sword, and more gear, and headed for the door.

Before she could... Raven grabbed her arm: "Vivian, wait a moment!"

"Vivian, don’t think this only concerns you. You and I are two-thirds of a set of triplets. We are identical and are the same person in everyone’s eyes. We have the same blood, the same face, and the same worth. So, do you think challenging Roselyn is just about you?"

"Raven, that’s not—"

"Then tell me, what would happen if you died in the duel? Do you think I would be allowed to live in peace after that? I will live the kind of life you described!

Even if you accept her conditions to save your life, why do you think she would treat me differently? She has already decided to suppress both of us. You are just the sister who gave her the chance to make things easier for her."

By challenging Roselyn, Vivian unknowingly placed her sister’s future on the line too, because if she died, Raven would be left alone to face a woman who was already stripping them of their privileges.

If Vivian survived by sacrificing her freedom, Raven would likely suffer the same fate.

It seems Vivian made a decision that determines their very destinies, and Raven had no say in it.

Vivian said, "I’m sorry, Raven. I didn’t consider this. Sorry for getting you involved."

Raven waved her hand, interrupting her apology, and said, "Enough. It’s already happened. We have two options. We can accept Roselyn’s terms and spend the rest of our lives under her control, or we can help you win this Crucible and kill her."

"I can’t die and let you suffer alone," Vivian replied. "If you want me to accept her terms, I will. We can face anything together. At least we’ll be alive, and we’ll endure everything together."

Raven looked into Vivian’s eyes and saw that every word she said was sincere, but her response was surprisingly adamant!

"Absolutely not! If you think I would become that bitch’s slave, you are dead wrong! You are an Elder-grade summoner, aren’t you? This means you have a chance, however slim, to kill an Ancient-grade summoner. We don’t need to defeat her through sheer force. We need to find a way! We have time until tonight. Every hour is crucial, so we’ll make the most of every moment to prepare for that battle."

Vivian glanced at her sister and said, "Okay."

Later, they hugged.

They have made a choice, therefore fighting for their freedom.

*********

Vivian and Raven left Kingsley Estate for a field away, so Vivian may train without attracting attention.

This place mimicked a countryside.

Mountains as the backdrop. Green grass. Perfect trees. And dew.

As for the feeling, this place is very cool and has plenty of Aeon.

Vivian stretched and then put on the armor that Luke had made for her, making her look like a warrior.

Vivian couldn’t deny that the armor was very effective in helping her fight.

She warmed up by doing some martial arts moves to ensure her meridians were clear, and then summoned her beast, the Seraph Leaper.

A flash of light appeared, and a giant white rabbit appeared, having long ears and strong hind legs.

As for beast armor, the only armor Vivian’s beast had was a breastplate resembling a reverse backpack.

Elder-grade Seraph Leaper Breastplate.

Considering she’s a Silver Order summoner, this is not uncommon, because they saw their beasts as family rather than soldiers.

So, donning your beast with so many armor feels like treating a companion as just a weapon.

When fighting Roselyn, another Silver Order summoner, Vivian isn’t worried about her beast not having armor because Roselyn’s beast didn’t have either.

In fact, Roselyn’s beast, the Herculean Octopus, is an aquatic beast, so it had no armor at all.

Vivian checked her beast system. Fortitude: 5.6, belonging to the Elder-grade.

If Vivian remembers correctly, her aunt’s beast, the Herculean Octopus, should be at the Ancient-grade of about 1.0+, because it hadn’t been long since Roselyn evolved her octopus to Ancient-grade.

At Vivian’s age, Roselyn’s octopus was about Elder-grade 3.5, so this indicates that Vivian has higher potential.

After all, the Potential of the Seraph Leaper is Ancient-grade 2.1.

But that can also increase with the right circumstances

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A/N: thanks for reading