Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 711: Fiancé [1]

Seeing the finger pointed at me, and the silence that followed, I couldn’t help but look at the Marquis strangely. "You want me...?"

I smiled before shaking my head.

"That would make the deal unbalanced. I’m worth far more than what I’ve required."

While my words did sound arrogant, I knew my worth. Besides Delilah, there was probably nobody else in this room who was worth more than I.

On the outside, I was a new graduate from Haven, nearing the seventh tier. My progress was just as fast, if not faster, than Delilah’s in the past. I was also an extremely capable emotive mage, and I had connections with a Prince from another Empire.

On paper, I was already worth quite a lot.

That was without factoring in the bone of a Primordial-Ranked creature currently in my possession. I also had two Destroyer-Ranked pets, and a Terror-Ranked will. One that belonged to a Dragon.

There was also the Eye of Oracleus, the mirror, the sword...

’And let’s not forget the fact that my brother is a literal god, including me.’

This deal was shit regardless of how much I thought about it.

It was just unfortunate that most of these people weren’t aware of how much I was truly worth.

"So you’re saying that you’re worth more than my knight?"

Hearing the Marquis’s words, I didn’t hesitate to nod.

"Yes, I am."

"Haha."

The Marquis laughed, genuinely finding the situation funny. Alongside his laugh, I could feel the way that some people looked at me change.

It was almost as if... they were looking at me as though I was some spoiled, arrogant kid.

Oh?

"Are you not aware as to who my knight is?"

"...I am very well aware."

Captain Albas was a Tier 7 [Body User], one with a very promising chance of reaching the eighth tier. In terms of strength, he wasn’t any weaker than Owl-Mighty and Wobbles. No, perhaps he was stronger, considering that he was close to reaching the eighth tier.

He was also only forty-five years old and had an extremely clear track record. He was someone who had hardly ever lost.

This was all the information that Noel had told me with regards to the Captain.

His resume sounded impressive, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me at first. Still, since Noel was so adamant, I was determined to give it my best shot.

"Since you’re aware, why do you say that the deal is uneven? Unlike you, Albas has repeatedly shown his capabilities over and over again. It won’t be long before he reaches the eighth tier. And what about you...?"

The Marquis looked at me up and down.

"You’re impressive for your age. Then again, plenty from Haven have reached the same Tier. You also had a habit of vanishing during your Academy days, so there’s not much known about you. Sure, you seem a bit stronger than your peers, but so what?"

The Marquis’s eyes narrowed as he leaned his body closer.

"Advancing through each Tier only gets harder. Besides..." The Marquis’s gaze lingered briefly on Delilah before returning to me. "...aside from a rare few, most can’t keep progressing at the pace they once did. If you think you’ll continue advancing as quickly as you have, you’re being far too arrogant."

"Oh?"

My brow raised.

He was making a lot of good points.

"On top of that, you’ve got no real achievements to your name. The only thing that stands out is your age, but even Albas was the same at your age. He reached the sixth Tier too. It took him a decade to reach the seventh. That’s how it usually goes."

That sounded rather impressive.

"That’s why I’m calling you arrogant. If anything, the deal is only slightly unfavorable for me. You stand to gain more. I’m wagering a proven knight against an untested cadet."

Tapping his finger against the table, the Marquis’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me and then the people sitting around the large oval table.

"Is my demand unreasonable if I put it this way?"

Several people shook their heads.

They were mostly the people belonging to his camp, but I could see it in the eyes of the many others that they also felt the same.

Smiling, I leaned back against the chair while looking at the spectacle in front of me.

’I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise. In the end, there really is not much information about me. Although it is kind of obvious that the Marquis is downplaying my abilities, but its not like I can argue against him even if I want to. That would mean I’d have to reveal several of my cards. I’d rather not do that.’

In that case...

"I guess you do make a valuable point."

Scratching the back of my head, I looked at the Marquis, and our eyes met. I sat there like that for a few more seconds before eventually nodding.

"Alright, then."

In the end, I realized something.

It didn’t really matter to me whether they knew my worth or not.

I never planned on losing anyways.

The deal was unfair, but it was also true that I was trying to demand more from the Marquis. In hindsight, however, that would just make things extremely annoying for me.

’I guess I shouldn’t be too greedy. This is already enough.’

"Good. It seems that I’ve managed to talk some reason with you."

The Marquis then turned his attention towards my father-in-law.

"In that case, should we start finalizing the deal? I’m sure that everyone here wants to get this part of the meeting done."

The Marquis’s words drew a few chuckles from around the room, including one from my father-in-law. With a tap of his finger on the table, the doors opened, and several people entered, carrying documents which they handed to me and the other members of the rete.

"All I need now are a few signatures. Once that’s done, the Rite will be formalized, along with the stakes. Central will oversee the entire process, and if either side fails to uphold their end, they’ll face the consequences."

Following a brief pause, I quickly scanned the documents in front of me, surprised to see all the terms that we had talked about written in the papers, before picking up a pen.

’It’s kind of creepy how they’ve managed to get everything written down so fast, but maybe it is due to some sort of artifact.’

In the end, pressing my pen down, I signed the paper.

And like that, I had officially entered the rite.

"Here."

Shortly after, the people from before moved behind me and retrieved the paper. Looking up, I saw that the same thing happened to the others, and there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere.

This persisted even in the following hours as the topic of conversation was changed to something else.

Quickly, frankly, I didn’t remember what was discussed at that time.

All I could think of was the rite and who I could call for.

’It wouldn’t be impossible for me to call for Owl-Mighty, right?’

There was no rule that said that monsters couldn’t be allowed. But I was a little skeptical about it.

’Wobbles can be used too, but neither of the two is very great in frontal combat. They’re both better as supports than anything else ’

Things would be different if Pebble had managed to reach the Destroyer Rank.

Unlike Owl-Mighty and Wobbles, Pebbles was actually extremely powerful in direct combat. If it were Pebbles, then I wouldn’t be worried.

But...

’...It’s really a pity Pebbles failed.’

In the end, I needed more time to think about who to bring. I already had a couple of people in mind, but taking into account that the entire rite would require eight participants, I needed to think about the missing slots.

"Alright, it looks like we’ve discussed everything that needs to be discussed."

Snapping me out of my thoughts was my father-in-law, who stood up from his seat with a satisfied smile.

Looking at everyone in the room, his gaze paused on me for a brief moment before looking away.

"The meeting is dismissed. I hope to see you all next week during the rite. I’m sure it will be an exciting event."

And with that, he directly left the room. Delilah followed closely behind him. The entire time, she didn’t say a single word at all. She just sat there without much of an expression. She didn’t even spare me a glance the entire time.

It was a bit of a pity, but it wasn’t like I was much different.

I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to think about anything else.

In the end, similarly standing up, I left the meeting hall. But just as I was about to leave to enter the main hall, a soft voice whispered behind me.

"I wish you the best of luck for next week."

"Hm?"

By the time I realized who it was, it was already too late as the Marquis left with his entourage.

I blinked a couple of times before shaking my head and leaving.

"...."

Reaching the main hall again, the first thing that caught my eye was Evelyn and Kiera, who were seemingly fighting over food.

That was at least how it seemed at first.

However, moving closer, I realized that the issue was much deeper than that.

"Your palate is, quite frankly, immature. To truly appreciate this cheese, you’d need a more refined tongue. There’s a rich, nutty umami note that reveals itself if you get in clo—"

"What the hell is even that? What language are you speaking?"

’Ah, so Evelyn is just being weird.’

This wasn’t strange. I did notice that Evelyn was a bit particular about food.

I gradually approached the two, and as if sensing my presence, they turned in my direction.

"You’re back?"

"Wait, listen to this. Evelyn here—"

"I know. There’s no need to say anymore. I’m actually here for something else."

I looked at the two.

’Considering their strength and talent, along with the Verlice House’s alliance with ours, having them serve as my representatives wouldn’t be a bad choice.’

Kiera’s father also seemed to have a good impression of me. In that regard, it wouldn’t be outrageous to ask her.

Not only that...

"I’m sure the two of you have already heard about it, but basic—Hm?"

Stopping mid-sentence, I looked at the two strangely. For some reason, they were both wearing strange looks on their faces.

Confused, I was just about to ask why they were making such faces, but as I slowly turned around, the reason quickly became clear.

"Come with me."

That was all she said as she turned around.

Numbly staring in her direction, watching as her black hair swayed with each step, I looked back at Evelyn and then Keira, who both looked at me.

I then heard Kiera’s soft mumble, "What did you do this time?"

That...

I wasn’t so sure myself.