Chapter 23: Ah, young people

Late night.

In the Harbor District, near the Blue Whale Mansion, a building temporarily requisitioned as an apartment.

"Are you sure it's at the Blue Whale Mansion?"

The speaker was a short, stout old man with an ordinary face, but a pair of amber-green eyes that glowed with a faint light.

This eye color is unique to the Aaron nobility.

"Certainly!"

The reply came from a young man under thirty, his body hidden in darkness; all that could be seen were his strange eyes, jumping with blood-colored flames.

"Master, we've already informed Shahelamu of the situation."

"We respect him, and he sensibly promised to expel that baron from the mansion once the chess match ends."

The old man gave a cold snort, his face showing a hint of complex emotion.

"Knowing we're hunting him, he not only didn't flee but dared to join the Victory Chess Match, and is even about to win—quite the talent."

If that baron were an Aaron, he'd surely try to take him as an apprentice and train him well.

"Too bad—" the young man snorted, "In my view, he does have talent, but he's more of a fool! He'll soon pay a heavy price for his arrogance."

The old man shrugged: "Has the mansion been surrounded yet?"

"It's tightly sealed—no person, not even a sewer rat, can get out, though"

"Though what?"

The young man's tone was slightly hesitant: "A large number of Weilan civilians have gathered beside the Blue Whale Mansion, far more than usual."

"We investigated and found it was a notice about a lost cat posted by an unknown noblewoman. I feel something's off; it seems aimed at us."

The old man raised his eyebrows slightly: "Aimed at us? Using a bunch of civilians?"

"Uh... too many civilians might interfere with our capture, after all that slick duke told us to stay low-key."

The young man also thought this was unreliable.

A hint of disdain appeared on the old man's face.

"We support him; he is the duke. If we don't, he'll likewise be hanged from a streetlamp within half a year."

"As for those Weilan civilians, their arrival is quite convenient."

"Once we capture the baron, we'll hang him in the garden square outside the mansion, letting him wail to death before that rabble."

"Yes, Master~"

The young man's voice carried a hint of excitement; he seemed to enjoy such bloody scenes.

"Remember, capture the baron alive, and preferably not too badly injured—make sure he truly experiences life's final journey."

"As you wish."

The young man grew even more excited, like a cat about to toy with a mouse.

At the same time, the Blue Whale Mansion.

"Click-click~"

Luosen continued his focused game with Knight Humphrey.

Under the two players' manipulation, the pieces moved across the board.

By move fifty, both sides remained evenly matched, with no clear victor yet.

But Luosen smiled faintly, turned to Selena and said, "Dear, go prepare to redeem the bet at the gambling board."

Selena had already sensed the abnormal atmosphere in the chess room, sitting uneasily; hearing this, she startled: "Go now?"

"Yes, go now."

As he spoke, Luosen played a move in passing.

Selena was already a bit nervous; seeing Luosen remain as calm as ever, she instinctively did as he said.

Knight Humphrey heard this, felt angry, and snorted coldly: "Aren't you underestimating me too much, Knight?"

Luosen played another piece, smiling lightly: "Knight, what about now?"

Humphrey frowned, feeling immense pressure, and his attention snapped back to the board.

Meanwhile, Selena turned and walked toward the redemption platform; the Black-Iron Guard hidden in the crowd immediately followed, subtly surrounding Princess Selena.

At the chess table, Knight Humphrey had no breath left to speak, focusing entirely on the board.

Luosen, however, strolled like in a leisurely garden, dealing with Humphrey while monitoring changes in the chess room.

In the blink of an eye, another ten-plus minutes passed, each having made over twenty moves.

Knight Humphrey's forehead beaded with fine sweat, while the balance on the board had been broken, the victory tilt clearly favoring Luosen.

The chess match entered its endgame.

At that moment, another Aaron Night Guard quietly left the chess room.

At the same time, the Black-Iron Guard did the same.

Luosen saw all this and understood both sides' intentions.

The Night Guard naturally planned to block him outside the mansion, while the Black-Iron Guard aimed to control the situation, preventing it from getting out of hand.

As for that little baron, nobody would care whether he lived or died.

Luosen's lips curled with a faint smile as he placed the final piece on the board.

"Knight Humphrey, it's over."

"Actually, there are still five moves to the real end, but making that move would be like slapping someone in the face—unseemly."

"Knight Humphrey could naturally see the hopeless position on the board, and he let out a long sigh."

"Everyone says life is like chess. Being good at the Victory Chess means one can be an excellent lord."

"Knight, if you can return alive to your fief, your future will surely far surpass your father's."

What a pity.

Obviously, he believed Luosen was surely going to die.

Luosen smiled calmly.

Worldly affairs aren't that simple.

Whether a thing ultimately succeeds depends half on effort and half on Mother Nature's favor.

After saying that, he stood up and tipped his hat to Knight Humphrey.

Knight, there are too many flies buzzing around today; if we happen to meet again, I hope we can discuss the situation of the continent.

Knight Humphrey conceded, rose, and returned the salute: "May Mother Nature bless you."

The chessboard referee immediately announced loudly.

This edition of the King of Chess Championship has ended; Knight Hailek of the Levinde Kingdom is today's victorious Chess King!

Splash splash splash~~

The audience began to applaud, while attendants came forward to guide Luosen toward the awards platform.

To everyone's surprise, Master Shahelamu actually showed up in person.

He personally placed a 2100-Ogre banknote from the Dawn Bank into Luosen's hand.

At the same moment, Luosen heard the Arcane Master's Spiritual Whisper: "Baron, you shouldn't have come."

Luosen looked up at Master Shahelamu.

This master had just turned fifty, his magical power reaching the mid-late stage of the Four-ring; though his hair was slightly gray, it remained thick, and his pair of emerald eyes shone like torches.

In the garden square outside the manor, at least fifty night guards are waiting for you.

Have you figured out how to shake off those hunting hounds?

Luosen gave a slight smile: "It's a bit tricky, Master—are you planning to help me?"

Shahelamu shook his head: "I'm staying neutral in this matter, so I won't intervene."

But I've heard that your marriage to the Princess is merely a conferment by the Duke, lacking Mother Nature's blessing; so if you want to save your life, you can reveal your true identity here and then publicly refuse the Duke's order.

That's probably the only way.

If Luosen were truly just a freshly graduated Arcane apprentice, this would indeed be the only way to save his life.

Voluntarily giving up the Princess and publicly rebuking the Duke's face would cost him the right to inherit the Barony of White Sturgeon Island, and even make it impossible for him to stand on Weilan Island.

Too bad, he's no mere apprentice.

He endured ten years to accumulate power and knowledge, not merely to preserve his own life.

He also wants to use these abilities to undertake a great undertaking.

Thus, he turned his head to glance at Princess Selena not far away, who was looking at him with extreme worry, even despair.

Obviously, she had fully understood the current situation.

A thought quickly flashed through Luosen's mind.

"The plan has reached its most crucial step; everyone who was supposed to come has arrived."

"Then let the performance begin!"

Amidst his swirling thoughts, he gave Master Shahelamu a slight bow.

"Master, thank you very much for your advice, but it's already too late."

Shahelamu blinked: "Too late? What do you mean?"

Luosen grinned and whispered via Spiritual Whisper: "I have already gained the favor of His/Her Highness."

Shahelamu's eyes widened suddenly, he sucked in a breath of cold air, and his face showed utter disbelief.

Luosen gave a slight shrug: "I can't turn back, Master."

Master Shahelamu let out a soft sigh: "Ah~ young people."

Having said that, he no longer looked at Luosen, turned and left the awards platform.

Obviously, in his eyes Luosen was already dead.

Luosen also turned, weaved through the crowd, and quickly walked toward Selena's side.

Midway, the hidden Black-Iron Guard seemed to want to block his approach to Selena, but for some unknown reason, they ultimately took no action.

They just watched helplessly as Luosen walked up to the Princess again.

"Did you get the money?" Luosen asked.

Selena's heart was full of anxiety, she didn't notice the hidden abnormality around her, and she nodded: "I got the full amount—nineteen thousand Ogres, nineteen deposit slips, and one 1000-Ogre slip, all in my bag."

Luosen then passed over another 2100-Ogre deposit slip: "Put this in the bag as well."

Selena wanted to say it was all meaningless, but she couldn't bear to, so she silently collected the deposit slips.

Luosen stepped forward, embraced her lightly in the manner of a husband embracing his wife, and whispered via Spiritual Whisper.

"My lady, you understand the current situation, right?"

Selena's eyes flashed with panic: "Let's seek help from Master Shahelamu."

Obviously, she knew.

Luosen shook his head: "Useless, Master Shahelamu just told me he won't get involved in this."

"My lady, hear me out: if you don't want to marry Deng, when chaos erupts, just go out the back door of the chess room; someone will meet you and take you away secretly."

Ah, then what about you?

Don't worry, I've long had preparations for escape.

Having said that, Luosen suddenly released Selena, took a few big steps back to the center of the chess room, and before he could steady himself, he thrust his hand upward and shouted.

Sword, come!

Clang~~

A golden light appeared from the equipment rack in the hall's corner, flashing a blinding gold, and shot into Luosen's hand.

It was his Knight's Guardian Magic Sword.

With the magic sword in hand, Luosen gripped the sword and pointed it to the sky.

"Dark Canopy!"

A black light emanated from the sword tip, spreading at extreme speed in all directions, and in the blink of an eye swallowed all light in the chess room.

Though it was only a low-level spell, its aura was terrifying.

The entire chess room instantly plunged into utter darkness; the exiting audience panicked, the crowd erupted in screams, and people ran about like headless flies.

The chess room descended into chaos.

At the moment the darkness appeared, Selena remembered Luosen's words; though anxious, she unconsciously headed toward the chess room's back door.

After just a few steps, she suddenly heard an aged roar coming from somewhere in the darkness.

"Darkness, begone~~"

"Whoosh~~"

The dark canopy that had just enveloped the whole venue vanished at lightning speed, and the chess room regained its light.

It was Arcane Master Shahelamu personally taking action.

Selena suddenly worried about Luosen's safety.

Because his earlier action was an open challenge to the Arcane Master's authority, something even the Aaron Night Guard would hesitate to do.

She immediately turned her gaze to the center of the chess room, but saw only Luosen's swiftly retreating back.

He used Wind Travel Technique, rushing toward the chess room's main exit at great speed.

At the same time, Master Shahelamu raised his staff toward him, roaring in anger.

"Young Baron, you shouldn't be causing trouble on my turf!"

Selena gasped, and a multitude of thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

"Either he lied to me, or he overestimated his power—he definitely lied to me; he's just a low-level mage, how could he possibly escape the Aaron Night Guard's pursuit!"

"He will surely be tortured to death by the Aaron Night Guard, and it's my fault!"

"I cannot stop any of this, but but, I can at least die fighting alongside him!"

As soon as that thought arose, Selena immediately began summoning her Sleeping Beauty Magic Staff.

(End of Chapter)