Chapter 259 - 258 : Are they truly idiots

Chapter 259: Chapter 258 : Are they truly idiots

The Golden Colosseum was not only built for students and ordinary spectators.

Above the roaring stands, beyond the reach of the common crowd, multiple luxurious VIP sections overlooked the entire arena.

Each private box had been designed with absolute comfort and security in mind. The walls were made from enchanted glass that allowed those inside to see the battlefield clearly while preventing outsiders from looking in, while thick soundproof barriers kept the deafening noise of the crowd outside.

Soft leather seats, polished tables, rare wines, expensive meals, and floating mana screens filled each VIP box.

The most important of these rooms was reserved for the headmasters and headmistresses of the ten participating academies.

Inside the private chamber sat ten figures.

Every one of them was a legend in their own right.

They were powerful awakened individuals who had shaped generations of fighters, mages, strategists, and leaders. Some commanded elite guilds. Others possessed enough influence to sway kingdoms and governments. A few had personally fought in wars that had changed the map of the continent.

They were not merely educators.

They were monsters who had survived long enough to stand at the top of the world.

All ten watched the arena below with serious expressions.

Then one man suddenly burst into laughter.

His huge, muscular physique seemed almost too large for his formal academy uniform. Ash-brown hair fell messily across his forehead, while his brown eyes shone with amusement. Even sitting down, he radiated overwhelming physical power.

It was Joseph, the headmaster of Martial Star Academy.

He leaned back in his seat, still laughing.

"The nerve of that black-haired brat of yours, Athena. Don’t you think you should have taught him some manners along with all that arrogance?"

Athena remained calm in her seat. Her white dress gave her an elegant and dignified appearance, while her familiar veil concealed most of her expression.

"Why?" she asked. "Are you scared, Joseph?"

"Scared?" Joseph snorted. "My representative, Bryan, can crush that guy with one hand."

Before Athena could respond, another voice interrupted them.

"That boy knows exactly how to manipulate a situation to his advantage."

Every eye in the room turned toward the speaker.

The woman had beautiful red hair flowing over her shoulders and a calm, intelligent gaze behind thin spectacles. Her posture was refined, and there was an air of confidence around her that came from a lifetime of analyzing people.

It was Sarah, the headmistress of Cherry Blossom Academy.

She looked toward Athena.

"Arthur is more calculating than he appears."

Athena simply smiled.

Joseph frowned.

"What the hell are you all talking about?"

A tired sigh came from the other side of the room.

A dark-haired man with deep circles beneath his eyes leaned forward. He always looked exhausted, as though he had not slept properly in years, yet his sharp gaze betrayed the mind working behind it.

It was Jenos, the headmaster of Black Star Academy.

"That Arthur kid made a calculated move."

Joseph turned toward him.

Jenos continued, "Almost every academy is already wary of Celestias Academy."

He glanced toward the arena.

"At least one member from each of their teams was singled out by another representative as someone to watch out for. Arthur, Layla, Isabella, Damian, Victor, and several others from different academies have already attracted a great deal of attention. With that much attention on them, they’ve practically painted targets on their backs."

His expression remained blank.

"He knows that means Celestias Academy will likely be targeted early. The other academies may even form alliances to eliminate them."

Joseph scratched his head.

"What does that even mean? If he knew every academy was targeting Celestias, shouldn’t he have been more careful with his arrogant mouth?"

He looked between Jenos and Sarah.

"Why would he provoke them even further?"

Sarah smiled faintly.

"Allow me to clarify."

Her voice remained calm and measured.

"Our cunning friend is using a classic tactic. He is sowing doubt and confusion among his opponents."

She lifted a glass of wine from the table.

"By boasting about himself and proclaiming that he fears no one, he forces every academy to notice him. They will prepare for him and consider him a potential threat."

She took a slow sip.

"But by naming a specific academy that he believes is dangerous, he has subtly redirected their attention away from Celestias Academy."

Joseph blinked.

"Redirected attention?"

Jenos sighed.

"Why are all of you muscleheads?"

Joseph immediately glared at him.

Jenos ignored him.

"It is a classic misdirection technique. Arthur is making everyone think the real threat is somewhere else."

He leaned back in his seat.

"Think about it this way. Suppose everyone believes one person is the strongest and wants to defeat him to prove themselves."

Joseph nodded slowly.

"But then that person acknowledges someone else as his strongest competitor."

Jenos paused.

"What do you think everyone’s reaction will be?"

Joseph thought about it for several seconds.

"They would become curious about the other person."

His eyes widened as the realization struck him.

"They’d want to find out whether that person is actually strong."

Sarah smiled.

"Exactly."

Joseph’s mouth slowly fell open.

"Don’t tell me he mentioned some underdog academy to divert attention away from his own academy."

"That is exactly what he did," Sarah replied.

Joseph scratched his head.

"But won’t the other academies eventually realize he’s diverting their attention?"

"Some smart students will see through his game," Sarah said with a faint smirk. "And those are the people he should be worried about."

She looked down toward the arena.

"But the rest are prideful teenagers desperate to prove themselves. They’ll be too busy chasing their own tails to notice what is really happening."

Sarah raised her wine glass slightly.

"I must say, he is more cunning than I expected."

Her smile widened.

"I’m excited to see how this plays out."

Joseph leaned back.

"What a cunning brat."

Everyone in the room looked toward Athena.

She remained focused on the arena below.

Then she spoke calmly.

"It looks like the first match has been chosen."

The large mana screen above the arena suddenly flashed.

The roulette wheel began to slow.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Then it stopped.

The announcer’s voice boomed throughout the Golden Colosseum.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen!"

The crowd gradually quieted.

"The first match of the tournament has been determined!"

The announcer pointed toward the glowing roulette wheel.

"And it is none other than..."

He paused dramatically.

"THE TREASURE HUNT!"

The crowd erupted.

Cheers filled the Golden Colosseum as the mana screens displayed the rules of the event.

Athena stared at the words for a moment.

"The Treasure Hunt as the first match, huh?"

Her voice was quiet.

"It looks like things are going to get bloody from the very beginning."

───────────────

Inside Celestias Academy’s meeting room, the atmosphere was tense.

The students had gathered around the long table to decide who would participate in the Treasure Hunt.

Arthur stood at the head of the room with his arms crossed casually.

Damian was the first to speak.

"Why did you have to be so arrogant? Are you not afraid that every academy will come after us now? It wouldn’t hurt to be nice sometimes."

Several students nodded in agreement.

Liana leaned forward.

"We all know you’re strong enough to handle them. But what about the rest of us? What if they gang up on us when you’re not in the match?"

"Tch. Weaklings."

Victor clicked his tongue.

Liana immediately glared at him.

"What are you all worried about?" Julia asked. "The matches are held within a Virtual Subspace. You won’t actually get hurt."

She crossed her arms.

"Are you afraid of losing?"

Isabella nodded.

"Now that everyone’s power levels will be equal inside the subspace, this is a good opportunity to fight without holding back."

Layla, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.

"Arthur."

He looked toward her.

"We know you must have had a reason for challenging every academy at once. Can you at least tell us your plan so we can understand?"

Arthur smiled.

"Because..."

Everyone waited.

"I just felt like it."

Silence filled the room.

Damian’s mouth twitched.

Liana looked as though she might faint from frustration, while Layla simply closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Arthur’s expression suddenly turned cold.

"I am the representative of this academy."

The students straightened.

"And because of that, every one of you is under my command. So shut the fuck up."

The room froze.

"Do not question my authority. Do not disobey my orders. If anyone has a problem with that, there are plenty of other students who would gladly take your place on this team."

His gaze settled on Layla.

"Even you, Layla."

Layla met his eyes.

For the first time, she realized Arthur was completely serious.

She held his gaze for several seconds before finally nodding.

"Alright."

Then she added, "But know this. If we lose, there is going to be hell to pay."

Arthur smiled.

"Now that’s a good girl."

"Actually..."

A voice suddenly interrupted them.

Everyone turned toward Diana, who had risen from her seat.

"I think our representative is right."

Damian looked at her in confusion.

"Sister? What do you mean?"

Diana adjusted her posture.

"Let me explain."

Her eyes moved across the room.

"Our academy has some of the strongest competitors in the entire tournament. Naturally, the other academies would target the strongest team first."

Several students slowly nodded.

"And by openly challenging everyone, Arthur has made himself the center of attention."

She looked toward him.

"He drew their attention toward himself rather than allowing them to focus on the rest of us."

The room gradually fell silent.

"In fact, he protected us from being targeted."

Diana’s confidence grew as she continued.

"He provoked everyone for our sake."

One of the students widened their eyes.

"W-Wait... so he provoked every academy to protect us?"

Layla stared at Arthur.

A strange sense of regret rose within her chest.

’Was that really the case?’

’Was he really willing to stand against every academy for our sake?’

A new sense of respect began to form inside her.

The other students began looking at Arthur differently as well.

To them, he suddenly appeared to be someone willing to become the enemy of the world to protect his team.

A leader willing to carry every burden himself.

Meanwhile, Arthur stared at them with a blank expression.

’What the fuck is wrong with them? Are they truly idiots.’

His eyes shifted toward Diana.

’How could they buy such a ridiculous lie so easily?’

Arthur had never planned that far ahead.

He had simply felt like provoking everyone.

Yet Diana had somehow transformed his nonsense into a brilliant strategy.

’It only shows how much influence she has over them now.’

Diana looked toward Arthur with a proud smile.

Her eyes seemed to ask a silent question.

’Did I do right, Arthur? You want to praise me, don’t you?’

Arthur looked away and pretended not to notice.

A vein popped on Diana’s forehead.