"If you don't mind, I'll go first," said Carter, looking at the other two, and they nodded, agreeing that he could go first.
"Hello, I'm Carter Rose, I'm 21 years old, and I'm Rank 1."
After that, Lucca started to assess the three candidates and noticed something that sent shivers down his spine.
--- Information ---
Carter Rose
Age: 21
Race: Human
Rank 1 (level 201)
Class: Cavalier
Talent: good
Weapon Proficiency: Two-handed sword (level 11) Shield, and spear (level 2)
Occupation: Liam's bodyguard
Next, Jace spoke to William, "Can I go next?"
And William replied, "Sure, go ahead!"
"Hello, I'm Jace Aideen, also 21 years old, and I'm Rank 1."
--- Information ---
Jace Aideen
Age: 21
Race: Human
Rank 1 (level 202)
Class: Lightning Assassin
Talent: good
Weapon Proficiency: Daggers (level 13)
Occupation: Sebastian's bodyguard
Lucca thought to himself, 'I feel like choosing one of them just to annoy my brothers. But it's not worth having a spy by my side and losing a prodigy like him. Ah, it's good to have cheats!'
William then introduced himself, "Hello, I'm William Sinna, I'm 19 years old, and I'm Mortal 4."
--- Information ---
William Sinna
Age: 19
Race: Human
Rank: Mortal 4 (level 190)
Class: Archer
Talent: excellent
Weapon Proficiency: Bow (level 8)
Jace, Carter, and Sebastian started to laugh when they heard William's rank. William, on the other hand, had a furious expression upon hearing the laughter.
Lucca couldn't help but smile.
James said, "Now that you've all introduced yourselves, who wants to choose first?" He looked at his sons.
All three raised their hands, but Lucca grumbled, "Hey, I'm the youngest, so I should have priority."
Liam replied, "The weak don't deserve to choose first!"
James intervened, "Enough! I'll choose. Sebastian, you choose."
He selected Jace as his bodyguard, unable to hide his satisfaction at seeing his brothers' irritated expressions.
James then said, "Next to choose is Lucca."
"I choose William as my bodyguard."
The room fell into silence for about two minutes until finally Liam and Carter exclaimed, "Phew!"
Meanwhile, Sebastian had a furious expression, as if his plan had been ruined.
"Hahaha," James laughed at the situation. "Now, only Liam and Carter are left. I wish my children good luck in the academy, and I hope you all make it into the top 20. As for the new bodyguards, I hope you protect my sons!" James released his aura toward the three new bodyguards and said, "Now, leave. I have more matters to attend to."
A few minutes later, in Sebastian's room...
"Useless! Useless! Useless! How did you manage to ruin my plan?" Sebastian shouted and started kicking the furniture in his room.
"Relax, Sebastian! Your younger brother, even though he messed up your plan, chose a Mortal 4, an utter fool! He showed how dumb he is by picking a Mortal 4 instead of a Rank 1. So, my family and the whole faction can simply focus on the Rose family, given that anyone supporting Lucca is an unknown baron."
"Do you think I care about that fool? Are you out of your mind? It took me three years! Three years! To convince my father to put Lucca in that room to see if he could steal Carter from my brother. But the idiot managed to do the impossible! Damn!"
"But do you think if Lucca stayed with Carter, maybe the Rose family would stop supporting Liam?"
"That was the plan. At least, they'd have doubts about whom to support. After all, they believe Liam is the heir to lead the duchy. But if his son stayed with that fool, maybe it could create a conflict of interest within the family. It could even start a 'civil war' within the family! I agree it's a risky plan, but the fool is just dumb!" He shouted. "I did everything right; I kept quiet when my brothers started attacking each other, so my father chose me first. But no, the idiot chose a Mortal 4. Three years of planning for nothing!"
In Liam's room...
Liam sat in a chair in the corner of the room and let out a relieved sigh, saying, "Phew, that was really risky!"
Liam heard three knocks on the door and said, "Carter, you know what you have to do, right?"
Carter replied, "Yes, I'll be right back," and left the room. Liam sat there, deep in thought, anxiously waiting to hear the news.
After a few minutes, Carter entered Liam's room again. As soon as he heard Carter, Liam asked, "What's the news?"
Carter started to smile from ear to ear and said, "I received two pieces of information, one from my family and the other from our spy in the castle."
Liam got excited and urged, "Come on, don't keep me in suspense! Tell me!"
"The news from my family confirms what we suspected all along: it was indeed Sebastian who placed your younger brother in that room and convinced your father."
Liam asked, "But what could be the reason for that?"
Carter replied, "I think the information I received from the spy might shed light on the motive."
Liam inquired, "What's that information?"
"Sebastian is at this very moment yelling in his room, furious that Lucca chose a Mortal 4 instead of a Rank 1."
Liam connected the dots and said, "I think I understand my brother's plan! He wanted Lucca to choose you, so that his family would start supporting Lucca in the succession war. What do you think of this plan?"
Carter pondered for a moment and said, "It wasn't a bad plan, but I don't believe my family would stop supporting you. However, it would definitely create a conflict of interest. Some people might begin to consider changing their support. If I had to give a percentage chance of success, I'd say it's 25%. But that chance could increase if your brother starts showcasing his talent."
Liam contemplated, "Sebastian is getting better and better with his plans. We need to be careful with our moves. We might be falling into one of his traps. Have we figured out how a baron managed to get his son appointed as one of the heir's bodyguards?"
"Not yet, but we have three options," Carter explained.
Liam asked, "What are the options?"
Carter continued, "The first option is that your mother placed William there and supported the baron with money."
Liam inquired, "What do you mean? Do you think she did that without consulting your family and me?"
Carter explained, "Of course. You know your mother. When she starts plotting, she prefers to keep her plans known to as few people as possible."
Liam agreed, "That's true, but I don't think she'd do that without asking for help from your family. After all, if the plan succeeded, it would be a significant advancement for our plans. Whenever she devises plans at this level, she usually shares them with us."
Carter concurred, "You're right, but it's best to consider all possibilities."
Liam agreed and asked, "What are the other options?"
Carter continued, "The second option is Sebastian's involvement with the Aideen family."
Liam thought, "That makes sense. But why would he be so upset with Lucca for choosing his spy?"
Carter replied, "Perhaps he wants to place his spy with you. Imagine if he puts his spy with you and me with Lucca, as we discussed before. It could create a conflict in my family. And having a spy as your bodyguard... it sends shivers down your spine just thinking about that plan!"
Liam agreed, "It would be a genius plan! And the third option?"
Carter explained with a concerned tone, "It was the neutral faction."
Liam asked, "Why? It doesn't fit the count's style."
Carter responded, "It really doesn't. But who knows? Additionally, the baron is subordinate to the count, which is why we're considering this possibility."
Liam sighed, "What a headache! A simple choice of a bodyguard for the academy has turned into a political battle."
Liam concluded, "If this turns out to be true, both factions have indeed invested a lot in this event. Our faction thought it was just a straightforward choice. We need to be more vigilant about this kind of event. We could have easily fallen into Sebastian's trap, and that's unacceptable to even think about."
Carter said, "I'll inform my family."
Liam agreed, "Inform my mother as well. We need her to ensure that this never happens again."