Chapter 293 - 291 : Pride (1)

Chapter 293: Chapter 291 : Pride (1)

Arthur lay on the fractured arena floor.

A thin trail of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth. His shirt was torn, his breathing was heavy, and every attempt to move sent a fresh wave of pain through his body.

Above him, Adrian cracked his knuckles.

The sound was sharp in the uneasy silence.

"Next time," he said, looking down at Arthur, "think before you speak, twerp."

Arthur drew a shallow breath.

Then another.

He slowly turned his head toward Adrian.

For a moment, Sylvia thought he might have finally learned his lesson.

Arthur raised one trembling hand.

And showed Adrian his middle finger again.

Adrian’s expression froze.

"You little—"

He took a step forward.

Sylvia immediately moved between them.

"Stop."

Her voice was sharp enough to cut through the tension.

"That is enough, Adrian. You’ve already beaten him enough."

Adrian looked at her.

Then at the hand Arthur stubbornly refused to lower.

His jaw tightened.

Finally, he turned away.

Arthur let his arm fall back onto the stone.

The gesture had cost him more strength than he wanted to admit.

’Worth it.’

A fresh stab of pain shot through his ribs.

’Probably.’

---

Nearby, Oliver, Victor’s father, watched the entire exchange with an expression of complete disbelief.

He looked at Arthur, then at Adrian, and finally back at Arthur.

"Is this kid a genius or an idiot?"

He shook his head.

"Showing someone like Adrian his middle finger in public? He should be grateful he’s still alive, even if Adrian is his father."

Eliana, who had been standing beside him, immediately turned toward him.

"You should keep your mouth shut if you don’t understand your own family dynamics, Oliver."

Oliver blinked.

"Don’t get me wrong. I like the kid."

He glanced toward Arthur, who was now attempting to sit up without aggravating his injuries.

"But he’s, you know..."

Eliana raised an eyebrow.

"A bit too arrogant and prideful, right?"

Oliver immediately nodded.

"Exactly!"

He pointed toward Arthur.

"That’s precisely what I’m talking about!"

Eliana sighed.

"Then perhaps you should spend more time understanding him before passing judgment."

Oliver opened his mouth to respond, but Eliana had already turned her attention elsewhere.

He scratched his cheek.

’What did I say wrong?’

He decided not to ask.

Instead, Oliver looked around the ruined Golden Colosseum. The once-magnificent arena had become little more than a battlefield. Cracked stone covered the ground, sections of the spectator stands had collapsed, and the distant sky still bore the scars of the earlier clashes.

Most of the academy heads had already departed with their students.

"The situation is getting worse by the minute," Oliver muttered.

Eliana looked toward him.

"What is it?"

Oliver’s expression grew more serious.

"Everyone has already left. All the academy headmasters have taken their students away."

He paused, his gaze drifting toward the devastated arena.

"Unfortunately, the headmaster of Martial Star Academy was killed by the Demon Lord. As for Lumina Academy’s headmaster, he has been arrested along with Christopher, Ranga, Amaya, and Bryan."

Eliana listened without interrupting.

"There has still been no response from the Holy Empire, even after the death of their Saintess."

Oliver folded his arms.

"And that can only mean one thing."

His expression darkened.

"They have no intention of negotiating. They want Arthur dead."

Eliana’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Oliver glanced toward the boy lying on the ground.

"And Arthur has dragged your nation into this mess as well."

Eliana’s gaze sharpened.

Oliver immediately noticed her reaction.

"Don’t play dumb. You already know what happened."

He lowered his voice.

"If Arthur had wanted to, he could have killed Saintess Karina himself. He was strong enough to do it, and everyone here knows it. Instead, he had Jasmine deliver the final blow."

He paused to let his words sink in.

"That wasn’t a coincidence. By allowing Jasmine to kill the Saintess, he ensured that your country would become involved in the conflict as well."

Oliver looked directly at Eliana.

"If the Holy Empire declares war, your nation will have a reason to stand against them because it will be involved now regardless as jamine has killed their saintess. And considering how things unfolded, Arthur has managed to turn a personal conflict into a much larger political problem for the Holy Empire."

Eliana remained silent for several seconds.

Then Oliver continued.

"And your country won’t be the only one watching."

His expression grew thoughtful.

"The Holy Empire has accumulated plenty of enemies over the years. They’ve committed countless atrocities while using their Goddess and their so-called divine authority as excuses. There are kingdoms that have wanted to challenge them for generations."

He gave a humorless chuckle.

"Now, with their Saintess dead, their agents exposed, and their involvement in the abduction of students revealed, those kingdoms have been handed the perfect opportunity."

Oliver shook his head.

"They would be fools to let it pass."

Eliana released a slow sigh.

"You’re right."

She looked toward the ruined arena.

"Considering all the evidence Arthur has gathered and presented, the Holy Empire will find it difficult to suppress the matter completely. Their own people have been exposed, and several witnesses have already come forward."

Her expression grew more solemn.

"But that doesn’t mean they’ll accept defeat quietly."

She paused.

"In a few days, we’ll know their answer."

Oliver nodded slowly.

Eliana’s gaze drifted toward Arthur again.

"The kid really is a master tactician. He knows how to turn even the worst situations to his advantage."

She shook her head slightly.

"And yes, refusing the help of the Imperius Family was an incredibly stupid decision."

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"At least we agree on something."

"But..."

Eliana paused, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Who knows? Perhaps even that is part of his plan."

Oliver’s eyes widened slightly.

He looked toward Arthur, who was still lying on the ground while Isabella appeared to be poking his cheek.

Then he slowly nodded.

"You’re right."

He let out a long sigh.

"There’s no telling what goes on inside that kid’s head."

---

A short distance away, Victor was having a similar discussion with Arina.

He glanced toward Arthur, then toward Adrian, who was standing nearby with the air of a man who had absolutely no regrets about beating his own son into the ground.

Victor’s mouth twitched.

"Is your brother an idiot or something?"

Arina turned toward him.

"What?"

Victor pointed toward Arthur.

"He’s refusing help from the Imperius Family, a family famous for its military might, political influence, and terrifyingly powerful members. And instead of accepting that help, he shows your father his middle finger."

He stared at her.

"Does he have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?"

Arina watched Arthur attempt to push himself upright, only to collapse back onto the ground with a quiet groan.

For a moment, she considered defending him.

Then she sighed.

"Well... it’s complicated."

Victor folded his arms.

"Complicated how?"

Arina’s expression softened slightly.

"Arthur’s hatred toward our family isn’t entirely unjustified. You could even say that my father and several other members of our family deserve it. Myself included."

Victor’s expression changed.

He knew there was tension within the Imperius Family, but hearing Arina admit it so openly still surprised him.

"Still," he said after a moment, "this is about a potential war. Does his pride really matter that much to him?"

Arina fell silent.

Her gaze lingered on Arthur.

The boy had spent most of his life without the things other people took for granted. He had grown up without a family he could rely on, without the security that came with a powerful name, and without the assurance that someone would stand beside him when things went wrong.

Whatever pride he possessed, he had built it himself.

And now, the same family that had failed him was offering its protection.

Arina slowly looked back at Victor.

"He didn’t have anything while growing up."

Her voice was quiet.

"Maybe pride is the only thing he has left."

Victor frowned.

"I don’t understand."

"You don’t need to."

Arina turned away.

"It’s a family matter."

Victor stared at her for a moment before releasing a helpless sigh.

’That family really is a mess.’

And judging by the way Arthur was currently behaving, the mess was nowhere near being cleaned up.

───────────────

"Arthur?"

A finger poked Arthur’s cheek.

He ignored it.

Another poke followed.

"Arthur?"

He continued staring at the sky.

A third poke landed directly on his cheek.

Arthur’s eyelid twitched.

"What?"

Evangline leaned over him, studying his face with genuine curiosity.

"Are you dead again or something?"

Arthur slowly turned his head toward her.

Evangline blinked.

"You’re alive, right?"

For several seconds, Arthur simply stared at her.

Then he closed his eyes.

’Someone, please give me the strength to tolerate morons.’

Isabella, who had been watching from nearby, immediately burst into laughter.

"Shouldn’t you help him first, Evangline?"

Evangline turned toward her.

"What? I’m asking a perfectly reasonable question!"

"Reasonable?"

Isabella pointed at Arthur.

"He’s lying on the ground covered in blood, and you’re poking him to see whether he’s dead!"

"Well, how else am I supposed to find out?"

Arthur slowly raised one hand.

Both girls looked at him.

He extended his middle finger.

"Fuck off."

Evangline laughed even harder.

Isabella pouted.

"See? He’s perfectly fine!"

Before Arthur could respond, a familiar mechanical voice sounded inside his mind.

[Host, I have detected one fractured rib, multiple bruises, several muscle strains, minor internal bleeding, and multiple soft-tissue injuries across your body.]

Arthur’s expression remained unchanged.

’You don’t need to tell me that. I’ve detected them too.’

He had been painfully aware of every single injury since Adrian’s little demonstration of fatherly affection.

’One day, I’m going to make that old bastard pay for this.’

Arthur attempted to sit up again, but a sharp pain shot through his side.

His expression tightened.

’Fuck. Maybe I should wait a few seconds.’

Isabella immediately noticed his reaction.

"Wait!"

She hurriedly reached into her storage ring and retrieved a small vial filled with a glowing liquid.

"Here. Drink this."

Arthur opened his eyes and examined the healing potion.

He didn’t bother asking where she had obtained it.

Instead, he grabbed the vial, removed the stopper, and gulped down its contents in one go.

The potion tasted bitter, with a faint sweetness lingering beneath it.

A warm sensation spread through his chest.

His fractured rib began knitting itself back together as the pain gradually faded. The bruises across his body disappeared, his strained muscles relaxed, and the internal injuries caused by Adrian’s blows healed under the potion’s magical effects.

Within moments, Arthur’s body had returned to its previous condition.

He rolled his shoulders, flexed his fingers, and took a deep breath.

Much better.

He sat upright without difficulty.

Sylvia immediately approached him, concern filling her golden eyes.

"Arthur, are you all right?"

Arthur looked at her.

"I’m fine."

Sylvia stared at him for a moment, clearly unconvinced.

Arthur’s attention soon shifted to Adrian, who was now approaching Sylvia with something in his hand.

It was a rectangular glass case.

Inside it rested a severed arm, carefully preserved within a protective formation. Faint traces of dark mana lingered around the limb, while its blood seemed to retain a peculiar vitality even after being separated from its owner’s body.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

The severed arm of Ariala, the Demon Lord of Sloth.

Adrian handed the case to Sylvia.

"It’s the arm of the Demon Lord who attacked us earlier. Put it in the family treasury."