Paradise Family's Mansion...
"Hmm...? Where am I?" Peter opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.
The first person he saw upon awakening was Anon. Anon sat in a chair in front of him, calmly smoking a cigar and reading a book.
"You son of a bitch... release me now," Peter growled, his voice low.
"Darling... you're awake?" Ares's mother asked with genuine joy.
"I am," Peter replied with a calm tone as he looked around.
"Darling, this kid... he beat me with an iron rod-" His wife started talking.
"I know, bitch. Just shut the fuck up for a minute..." Peter halted her with a furious curse.
Puff-Puff
"Hmmm.... It seems like half of this whole town is indebted to you, huh?" Anon remarked, continuing to flip through the pages of the book.
Suddenly, Peter looked around and noticed that all of his guards lay lifeless on the floor. A chill ran down his spine as he felt threatened by Anon's presence.
'This ilkid is not an average elf, I have to deal with him carefully.' Peter thought.
"Sir, we are very civilized people. We don't have to resolve our issues with bloodshed. We can discuss this and you can name your price to leave this place," Peter proposed, attempting to negotiate for his life.
Anon ignored him, continuing to smoke his cigar and peruse Peter's debt book.
"Umm... Are you listening to me? Hello?" Peter inquired, forcing a fake smile.
Anon finally discarded the book, turning his head to look at Peter.
"Why should I? Your son kidnapped my mother and sister. Why should I let you go, especially when I have more money than you?" Anon responded.
"I-I can instruct my son to return your family members, and we'll offer our sincerest apologies to you and your family. You won't see any member of our family near you or your family ever again. We can easily resolve this matter; there's no need for violence," Peter suggested.
"Nope, let me propose a better deal. Your son is on his way here with my mother and sister. I'll make an even trade with him. He has two lives on the line, and I'll return him with two lives. After that, you'll never see us again. Do you understand?" Anon asked, a smile playing on his lips.
Peter gazed at Anon with a shocked expression, realizing that one of them was going to die.
"Kill my husband... he's useless in this family," Peter's wife interjected.
Anon was taken aback by this view.
"Hmm... Survival instincts kicking in, huh? I thought you were wise creatures, willing to let your mentally ill son die. Yet, you're ready to sacrifice your husband for him? It seems you love your son so much that you'd do anything for him, even sacrifice your husband," Anon mused, his smile taking on a menacing tone.
"Y-Yes," she confirmed.
"You fucking bitch... I can't believe you'd do this to me. That asshole right there is the one who's going to die. We can make another son anytime, but without me, this family will end up on the streets. You'll be begging for food," Peter retorted, his eyes locked onto her.
"I don't care... you're the asshole who treated us like garbage our whole lives. Do you really think you can threaten me now? I'm not afraid of you anymore, you son of a bitch," she declared with a determined expression.
"Kill her, Sir. I'll give you anything to kill her," Peter said, looking at Anon.
"No, sir. Kill him."
Slap
Slap
Anon simultaneously slapped both of them.
"Shut the fuck up. You twats are talking too much. I'll kill all three of you if you don't stay silent," Anon warned as he settled back into his chair.
Creak
"Where the fuck are you, Jule? I'm going to kill you today," Ares burst into the house, searching for Jule.
"Looks like the guests have arrived, huh...?" Anon remarked, tossing his cigar aside and observing Ares.
"You, son of a bitch. Do you think you can barge into my house, beat up my mom and dad, huh?" Ares seethed with anger.
"I don't think that, stupid. I just did that. Look, that's your mom, and that's your dad. I already beat the crap out of them, but your brother was so scared after seeing me that he didn't dare to do anything stupid. Now, will you make the trade first or send your dumb assassins to kill me?" Anon taunted Ares.
"You fucker, kill him and bring me his head," Ares ordered.
All the assassins vanished from their positions and reappeared near Anon. However, before they could take any action, Anon summoned his sickles of death.
[Death's Domain]
Anon moved at an incredible speed, beheading all of them in a mere 0.05 seconds.
The process occurred so swiftly that Ares didn't even perceive Anon's body moving from its position.
Thud
Thud
Thud
Thud
Their lifeless bodies thudded to the floor, and their heads rolled across the ground like marbles.
"Okay, now we should make the trade, right?" Anon asked, de-summoning the sickles of death and smiling at Ares.
Ares stared at the lifeless bodies of his top assassins in shock.
'T-This... is impossible. I was watching him the entire time; how can he move so quickly? How can he be so strong?' Ares thought, taking two steps back.
"Ares, just do the goddamn trade... I don't want to die today," Peter shouted from behind.
Ares looked at Peter and nodded.
"I-I will bring them," Ares said, leaving and returning with Hillary and Moon.
"Master..." they both spoke at once, rushing to hug Anon.
"Missed me, girls?" Anon asked, smiling.
"Yes...." they replied, tears streaming down their faces.
"Now, give me back my family," Ares demanded.
"Ah, yes. Your family. Look, Ares, there's a rule for the trading process... you should always exchange things of equal value," Anon explained, his smile widening.
"W-What do you mean?" Ares asked, confused.
"You gave me two lives... I'll trade you back two lives. So, choose Ares," Anon stated.
"Oi, don't mess with me. Just give me all of them," Ares spoke with a solemn yet confident voice.
"Do you want me to kill all of them? You have a golden chance to save two members of your family. Do you want to waste it like that?" Anon asked with a smile.
"Ares, choose me and your mother. Let your brother die; he is no use to us anymore. In fact, he is the sole reason why we are in this situation in the first place. He should bear the consequences for what he did. Just choose me and your mother," Peter shouted.
"No, Son. He is your brother, and I am your mother. I gave birth to you. You have to choose me and your brother. Let this man die," Ares's mother pleaded.
"What sick games were you playing with my family?" Ares asked with a shocked expression.
His mother was telling him to let his father die and save her, while his father was telling him to save him and let his blood-related brother die.
"Well, I just twisted their brains a little and awakened their survival instincts. Now they want to live at any cost. Isn't that great?" Anon asked with a psychopathic expression.
"You twisted fiend..." Ares murmured in a very low voice.
"I am indeed a 'twisted fiend,' but I am running out of time too. So, pick fast or I will kill one of them at random. Don't blame me after that," Anon spoke as he started walking towards his father.
"Wait... Ares, what are you waiting for, son? Choose me. I am your father. This monster is going to kill me, Ares. Please choose me," Peter started crying as he looked at Ares with eyes filled with hope.
"Mother..." Ares spoke.
Anon halted his steps and looked at Ares with a smile.
"You are free to go, Madam," Anon said as he looked at Ares's mother.
"T-Thank you..." She said as she stood up and immediately ran towards Ares.
"Now, choose the next life, kid," Anon spoke.
Ares started to think once more.
"Ares, Son... you have to choose me. Please, I am your father, you bastard. Choose me," Peter spoke as he looked at Ares with hope-filled eyes.
"I am sorry, Father... but I choose my brother," Ares spoke.
"You damned ingrates, you will never be-" Crack
Before Peter could've said anything else, Anon punched him so hard that his skull cracked, and he died on the spot.
Both Ares and his mother closed their eyes for a moment and opened them after a second just to look at his lifeless face.
Thud
Peter's body fell down lifeless on the ground.
"Good, so the two members you saved from your family are your mother and your little brother, right?" Anon asked as he started walking towards Oxmaul, who had been sitting in an ideal position for the last 30 minutes.
"Yes..." Ares replied.
"Oxmaul darling, come here. Come to Mama," Ares's mother called out to Oxmaul, but he didn't have the courage to move even one centimeter from his position.
"Hey, Ares... I have one more question for you," Anon spoke as he started caressing Oxmaul's head.
"Y-Yes...?" Ares asked with a hesitant expression.
"I did a little research on you.... about 10 years ago... it was the 24th of the 5th month. Did you go to the human kingdom on that night, Ares?" Anon asked.
"I-I don't remember..." Ares spoke.
"Maybe this will help..." Anon spoke as he suddenly started to increase the pressure on Oxmaul's head.
"Ahhhh.... Mom, it hurts," Oxmaul shouted.
"N-No... Please. Ares... Please try to remember.... Please," his mother requested.
"I-I did... I went to the Human kingdom that night. I remember now," Ares immediately remembered.
Anon loosened his grip over Oxmaul's head.
"Good... now how many of you went to the human kingdom?" Anon asked.
"Umm... I think 3." Ares replied.
"Name your friends, Ares," Anon asked.
"I-I can't..." Ares replied.
Anon tightened his grip around Oxmaul's head again.
"Mooooomm... My head hurts," Oxmaul shouted again.
"N-No... please. That's all we did..." Ares spoke.
"Tell me the truth, Ares. If you don't, this guy will see hell today," Anon said as he tightened his grip even more.
Crack
Suddenly a cracking sound came from Oxmaul's skull.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-..." He started to shout even louder due to the immense pain.
"No, No, No, He is telling the truth. Please don't do this to my son. Please..." His mother spoke.
"I need the truth in the next 3 seconds or I will pop his head like a damn balloon," Anon said as he started tightening his grip even more.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOM....AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" Oxmaul shouted even louder.
"Tell him, Ares, or your brother will die. Please Ares, you have to tell him," his mother pleaded.
"...but mother."
"Mooooom... my head is going to burst." Oxmaul shouted.
"Just tell him." She shouted loudly at Ares.
"Okay, wait. I did something," Ares spoke.
"Did what, Ares? Did what?" Anon asked as he loosened the grip.
"... and what?" Anon asked.
"We made a bet to climb the castle in that area, it belonged to the king of that Continent and we didn't know that.
We started climbing and reached the top of the castle, but suddenly we saw something, we saw two humans sleeping together.
He was the king but we didn't know.
All three of us jumped inside and started walking towards the humans.... he immediately got alerted and stood up from his bed..."
"Let me tell you the rest of the story, you killed the king with your magic skills.
After that you raped his daughter who was still underaged and you didn't stop there.
After that you moved towards the queen, you grabbed her mouth and raped her too.
You raped her till the morning and just when you were about to kill her as well, the knight commander walked into the room.
You got scared and started running. Right ?" Anon asked.
"H-How did you ?"
"How do you know about it? We had a pact that none of us would ever speak about it," Ares said.
"Oh, that's a shame... seems like you didn't form that pact with the Queen you raped and left alive to tell the tale, huh?" Anon replied.
"Why would she tell you that? We apologized to her in front of our Queen, and... Wait, who are you?" Ares asked, his expression serious, as he knew that a normal elf like Jule would never know something like that.
"You won't be getting an answer for that," Anon spoke as he tightened his grip on Oxmaul's head.
"Mom... Mom, he's killing me... Mom, do something. Please save me, MOOOOOOOOOOOM...." Oxmaul shouted loudly, looking at his mother.
"N-No... Ares, please stop him. He is going to kill your brother," she said, tightly clinging to Ares's hand.
"Oi, why are you doing this for a human? We are Elves, we hate Humans, and not like I did something that they haven't done to us in the past 150 years," Ares spoke.
"Well, when you walked in through that gate, I asked you to trade with me without any fights, but you ordered your assassins to kill me. Do you remember?" Anon asked with a smile.
"Yes, and you killed all of them. Now please let my brother go. You are going to kill him... his nose is bleeding, and his mind has gone unconscious," Ares spoke, looking at Oxmaul with a very tense expression.
"Well, take this as an example and learn how not to order your assassins to kill a man who is holding your whole family as a hostage for a life trade exchange," Anon spoke as he crushed Oxmaul's head.
CRACK
BOOP
Oxmaul's head was crushed by Anon's hand just like a watermelon.
His lower body stopped moving as his mind was crushed.
"Noooo.... Sob-Sob... He killed him," Ares's mother shouted as she hugged Ares tightly.
"Y-You.. broke your trade," Ares spoke.
"What do you mean? I performed it perfectly..." Anon said as he started walking towards the exit of the house with Hillary and Moon beside him.
He summoned a handkerchief in his hands and started wiping his blood-red hands with it.
Suddenly all three of them stopped, and Anon looked at Ares with a smile.
"What?" Ares asked with a confused and disgusted expression.
"Well, I came here to kill all of your family, but then I traded two lives for two lives, and you chose your mother and brother to be saved," Anon spoke.
"So what? It's not like you left him alive anyway," Ares spoke with an angry expression.
"No, that's because of your foolish decisions. But what I am talking about is that you chose your brother and your mother to live... that leaves your life out of the circle," Anon spoke with a menacing smile as his eyes glowed purple.
"You fuck-" Before Ares could've said anything else, he felt a sharp itching around his neck.
"Speak like that to your brother when you meet him in hell," Anon said as he continued to walk forward.
Ares was staring at the blank space while being in a trance.
"A-Ares... Son, what are you- ?!" Ares's mother spoke as she touched his chest.
Thud
Suddenly blood started coming out of his neck, and his head fell down from his body.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." His mother shouted loudly as she looked at her son's cut neck and started crying over it.
"Ladies, shall we go?" Anon asked as he showed Hillary and Moon a curl of his hands on both sides.
"Yes, Master," both of them spoke at once as they interlocked their hands with Anon's hand, and they started walking towards the exit door.
Creak
"Jule, as of this moment, you identify as a Third-Level Threat to the kingdom. Raise your hands... Close your eyes and seal your mouth.
If you didn't do it in the next 2 seconds... I will order for open fire, and you will drop dead with these two innocent girls," Faith shouted as she barged into the house with her companions.
"Wow... Third-Level Threat huh...? That means... I am the second most dangerous person in the whole elven kingdom at this time, right?" Anon asked.
"Jule, close your mouth or I have to take action," Faith shouted as she pointed her sword towards Anon.
'I can easily kill them, but it will be going too far... let's just play this game...' Anon thought as he stopped talking, closed his eyes, and raised both of his hands in the air.
"Go..." Faith ordered.
"Yes, Ma'am." An elf soldier immediately walked up to Anon, tied down his hands with the same golden rope, but this time she used 5 ropes.
She used a black cloth to gag Anon's mouth and another black cloth to cover his eyes.
'Wow... Seems like I am really a very big threat to them, huh? They are taking actions very cautiously this time. They covered my mouth and eyes, so that I can't enchant any spells and binded my hands with more than one rope so that I can't even try to run this time.' Anon thought as he smiled a bit.
"What the hell are you smiling for? If I was in your situation, I would be begging Madam Faith to save me from a death sentence," the elf soldier asked with a confused expression.
Anon turned his head towards her and smiled with his eyes still covered with the black cloth.
"What do you think this world works on, girl? Money? Begging? No, it works on strength... Money and mercy are for the weak. If you have the strength... You will achieve everything," Anon spoke with a smile.
The elf girl looked at Anon for a moment and wondered why she was getting the feeling of truth from his words.
"What are you doing? Just get him to the carriage," another soldier spoke.
"Y-Yes..." The elf soldier replied as she came out of her trance.
"Don't worry, Luv. I will walk up to it myself... Girls, go back home, I will try to return as soon as possible," Anon said as he turned his head towards Hillary and Moon. Anon started walking towards the carriage, avoiding every object that came in his way as if he can see right through the magical black cloth.
"How is he doing that?" an elf soldier asked.
"I have no idea..."
Gwwwaaa
Suddenly a soldier vomited on the floor.
"What happened, soldier?" Faith immediately started running towards the vomiting soldier.
Suddenly faith noticed a body lying down on the ground with its head exploded and its brain lying on the ground. It looked like it was brutally murdered.
Faith controlled her throwing up reflex and looked at Anon with a confused expression.
'I have seen brutal murders, but this is something else. It's as if someone grabbed his head and popped it. He can't do this, right? He looks like such a nice guy.' Faith wondered as she looked at Anon.
Anon sat in the carriage, his eyes covered with a magical black cloth that blocked his sight. A female Elf soldier who had tied Anon's hands sat in front of him, continuously staring at him.
Suddenly, the elf soldier raised her hand and started waving it in front of Anon. Seeing that Anon had no reaction, she stopped waving.
"Do you want me to wave back at you?" Anon asked with a smile.
"This is impossible. How can you even see me? That Miram cloth should block all of your vision. Even if you have a skill that lets you see through objects, how are you able to see through that cloth?" the girl asked with a confused expression.
"I can't. I am just sensing the heat that your body is giving off," Anon answered.
"What? H-How exactly are you doing that?" the elf girl asked with a curious and confused expression.
"Don't worry, luv, you will get there one day. You are not here because someone told you to, are you? You chose to come with me on your own, didn't you?" Anon spoke with a smile.
Suddenly, silence filled the carriage for 5 seconds, and only the sound of wooden wheels rolling on the ground could be heard.
"You said something about 'being strong' back in the paradise mansion. Didn't you?" the elf soldier questioned.
"I did..." Anon replied.
"Do you think you will be able to go through the trial without getting punished for at least 100 years in prison, after you murdered one of the biggest traders in the Elven kingdom, along with his whole family?" the elf soldier asked.
"Hey... I left his wife alive," Anon spoke.
"Yes, and now she is going to be the reason for your punishment. You could've killed her as well and escaped from the house, but you didn't. Why?" the elf soldier asked.
Anon smiled at her and spoke in a carefree tone, "Because I am strong."
Screeeechhh
Suddenly, the carriages came to a halt. In front of the carriages was a big white castle, made out of White Glock Marble, which was very rare and expensive. The castle was built around a very big garden containing big trees of rare fruits and freshly moist medicinal grass on the ground.
Children played in the garden while their parents watered the plants and cut the grass to the right size. In the middle of the garden, a straight path was carved out of marble for anyone to go to the castle.
"Everyone, step down from the carriages. We have arrived at the castle," Faith's voice resounded from outside.
"Let's see how strong you really are," the elf soldier said as she opened the gate, and Anon stepped down from the carriage.
As soon as Anon stepped down, he inhaled and exhaled the air around him.
Snifffffff
"Hah... What a refreshing feeling," Anon said as he felt the warm mana swirling around his body.
"Keep walking," the elf soldier said as she touched Anon slightly.
"Yes, ma'am," Anon said as he started walking towards the castle.
As soon as he stepped upon the marble floor, he felt the presence of two guards on his left and right. He kept feeling this presence as he moved towards the castle.
"Halt your steps," two guards who protected the main gate of the castle shouted.
'This path is guarded by a total of 100 guards,' Anon thought as a smile appeared on his face.
"We bring a Level-Three Threat, we need an instant Trial," Faith explained to the guards.
"You may enter," the guards spoke.
Daarrrr
Suddenly the giant marble gates opened on their own.
"Commander Faith is entering inside the Royal Court," the two guards shouted together.
Everyone entered inside the castle's Royal court. The view inside the royal court was very different - it was huge. The Royal Court's ceilings were very high, and the walls were engraved with ancient images and texts. On the sides of the Royal court, there were big seating arrangements made for the audience.
Thousands of normal people sat on each side, and in front of them sat the Royal Ministers of the Royal Court. Beside every Royal Minister, there were two guards standing to enforce the Queen's orders at once. In the middle of the Royal Court, there was a big Throne made out of emerald stones.
An elf girl with brown hair, an average figure, and a very cute face sat on the throne. She was wearing royal clothes and had a big crown made out of vines and gems on her head. She was the present Queen of the Elven Kingdom, Jessica's Sister - FIONA.
Four men stood on each side of the throne. Two of them were the best soldiers of the elven kingdom, who protected the Queen. After them, came the two best mages of the kingdom, there to grant her wishes without any delay and to act as the speakers of the royal court. Following them were the Healers, ready in case the queen got hurt and prepared to help her instantly. Finally, there were two maids attending to the queen's every need, from a glass of water to the clothes she would wear in the royal court that day.
Faith and her soldiers, who stood behind Anon, immediately went down to their knees and bowed to Fiona.
"Long Live the Queen," all of them spoke at once, but one of them didn't bow, and that was Anon. He just stood there and looked directly at the queen, even though his eyes were sealed. The queen could still feel his gaze.
"Who is this kid, that dares to stand before me?" the queen questioned with a smile.
"You are standing before the Queen of the Elven Kingdom, kid. Bow down and show your gratitude," one of the mages announced in a very loud voice, looking at Anon.
Anon didn't bow and continued to look towards the throne.
"Commander Faith, Is this kid deaf?" another mage asked.
'What are you doing, Jule? Just bow down. I am trying to help you, and you are making it worse,' Faith thought as she looked at Anon with an intense expression. The elf soldier also looked at Anon with a shocked expression. For the past 40 years, she had been inside this court several times but had never seen a single person who didn't bow before the Queen.
-x-X-x-
"Commander Faith, I asked you a question. Is this kid deaf?" The mage asked again, this time with a louder voice.
Faith immediately stood up but kept her head down as she spoke. "N-No, sir. This kid is not deaf at all."
"What?"
"He is not deaf, then why is he not bowing down?"
"He is simply courting death."
"Who is this kid?"
The audience started discussing Anon as they observed him carefully.
"Kid, if you are not deaf, I, as the speaker of this Royal Court, speak on behalf of the Queen herself. Bow down now, or we have other ways to get you on your knees." The mage shouted in a high and deep voice.
Faith walked up to Anon, touched his shoulder, and whispered into his ear.
"Bow down, or this thing will escalate too much."
Anon looked at her and smiled. His face was gagged with a special cloth that blocked his mouth from speaking. So he just nodded his head in a 'No.'
"Did he just nod his head 'No'?" One of the Royal ministers spoke with a very loud voice.
"Soldiers, use your javelins to pierce through this kid's ankles and get him to his knees now," the other mage shouted.
"N-No, please wait. He will bow down. Jule, please bow down... you are a bright kid. If you show this rebel-like behavior here, your future will get destroyed," Faith spoke.
Anon lowered his neck and faced toward the floor.
"Good, now just bow down," Faith spoke with a smile.
Titch
Suddenly, she heard a weird noise coming from Anon's hands. She immediately looked down and observed that Anon was pulling his hands away from each other, trying to break free of the golden ropes.
"N-No... Jule-"
Twitch
Twitch
Twitch
Twitch
All five ropes were broken before Faith could say anything else.
Everyone inside the Royal Court was shocked as they observed Anon doing this.
"He broke the golden ropes."
"Who is this kid?"
"How much physical power does he have to actually do this?"
"Don't you know? He is a Level-Three Threat."
"What? Level-Three?"
"Wait... You are really saying that this kid is a Level-Three Threat?"
"Everyone, silent," the mage shouted at the audience and the Royal ministers.
Even the Queen herself was shocked at this view. Her eyes widened as she observed Anon breaking the mana-disabling ropes very easily.
"Fuck..." Faith cursed as she observed Anon removing his mouth and eye coverings.
"Hah... What a pleasure to see the world again," Anon spoke as he inhaled the air and exhaled it.
"Commander Faith, I am giving you the last chance to get this kid to bow down in front of our Queen, or he will be disabled from the legs by our Royal Soldiers," one of the mages warned Faith.
"I am sorry, sir, but he is out of my reach now," Faith spoke as she walked back to her position and went down on her knees.
"Oi, old man. Talk to me... Why are you talking to the ladies?" Anon spoke with a smile.
"I don't talk to weaklings like you. Soldiers, attack him and destroy his legs. He shall become the example of what happens when you reject the Queen's orders," another mage ordered.
Suddenly, four guards started walking towards Anon with their fragile spears in their hands. They positioned themselves in the front and back sides of Anon and pointed their spear's blades toward Anon's ankles.
"Attack," the mage ordered.
All four guards struck Anon's ankles at the same time, but before the spear's blades could pierce through his ankles, the blades broke into thousands of pieces and fell down.
"What? How can he?"
"What is this kid even made of?"
"Soldiers, cut down—"
"Wait..." Before the mage could say anything else, the Queen spoke up and interrupted him.
"Yes, my queen?" The mage asked in a polite voice as he looked at Fiona.
"Kid, what's your name?" The queen questioned.
"Jule..." Anon answered.
"Why won't you bow down to me?" The Queen asked.
"I bow before no one," Anon answered with a smile as he directly looked at the queen.
"How dare you—" The mage immediately got triggered and wanted to say something.
"Shut up. What if I made you bow down before me with force?" The Queen asked Anon with a smile.
"You can't, neither can any of your Royal Ministers," Anon answered with a straight face.
"You dare say this in our court? You are asking for death, kid." One of the Royal Ministers stood up and shouted at Anon.
"I can make you bow down. Don't say nonsense in the court, kid." Another minister stood up and spoke.
"Make him," the Queen spoke.
"W-What? My queen?" Both of the ministers spoke at the same time.
"I said, make him bow before me, and I will give each of you a chance to take anything from the royal treasure," the Queen spoke.
Both of the ministers looked at each other with wide smiles. They thought that making a kid bow in front of the queen was no big deal, and thanks to this kid, they now had the opportunity to choose one weapon from the royal treasure.
"You have 1 minute, and your time starts now," the Queen spoke.
Suddenly, one of them walked up to Anon and unsheathed his wand.
"Oh god of Gravity... may you give me the power~" He started enchanting a spell.
[Your Opponent has used the skill [Gravitational Pull]]
Suddenly, Anon felt gravity increasing over his body, just like he did in that training room, but it was nothing compared to what he felt in the training room. Anon just stood there and continued to feel the gravity pulling him down with every second.
'Link, Please show this man, what actual gravitational force feel like.'
[Yes, Master.]
[Your pet link has used the skill [Quantum Reflect]]
Suddenly, the Royal Minister felt his body getting crushed by the same spell that he was just using on Anon.
"H-Hey.... What's happening? Why am I feeling this?" The minister spoke as he felt immense pressure on his body.
Crack
Suddenly, the floor under him started cracking.
"Stop." The Queen ordered as she noticed that Anon has turned the Minister's attack on himself.
Anon ceased the quantum reflection, releasing the Royal Minister.
"My Queen, shall I attempt to make him bow before you with my physical power? These magic-using kids are nothing when it comes to physical strength," another Royal Minister spoke. He possessed a well-developed and muscular physique.
"Yes," the Queen ordered.
"As you wish, my Queen," the Royal Minister said, rising from his chair with a smile on his face.
Approaching Anon, the Royal Minister placed his hands on Anon's left and right shoulders.
"Bow down to my Queen, you pathetic weak kid," the Royal Minister spoke as he pressed both of Anon's shoulders downwards simultaneously.
'Now, go down, kid,' he thought, but suddenly something felt wrong.
Forget kneeling, he couldn't even get Anon to budge from his position.
"What happened? Is something wrong?" Anon asked with a smile as he looked at the Royal Minister.
"Y-You, how dare you make fun of the strongest man in this court?" The Royal Minister said, pressing down on Anon's shoulders with all his strength.
Anon's body appeared fragile in his clothing, but no one knew that he had compressed muscles, brimming with so much strength that this Royal Minister was like a child in front of him.
"W-Why aren't you yielding to my power-?" The Royal Minister spoke, his face turning red.
"Don't worry... it happens," Anon said as he placed one of his hands on the minister's back and applied slight pressure.
Crack
Thud
The minister immediately fell to his knees, feeling his kneecaps crushed.
Everyone inside the Royal Court stood up, shocked as they observed Anon's feat.
"Who is this kid?"
"How can he make a Royal Minister kneel so easily?"
"He's a menace."
"I think he's a master in disguise."
The audience murmured various things about Anon.
"Kid, do you know where you're standing?" One of the mages asked.
"I do," Anon replied with a smile, looking at the mage.
"We can—" before the mage could respond, the Queen interrupted him.
"Wait, what was your offense again?" She asked with a smile.
"My Queen, he kill—" Faith began to speak, but she, too, was interrupted by the Queen.
"Not you, Faith. I asked him," the Queen said, turning her gaze to Faith.
"Y-Yes, ma'am," Faith said, going down on her knees again.
"Speak up, kid," the Queen said.
"I killed all the members of the Paradise family, except one," Anon spoke without hesitation or guilt.
"Oh, you mean Peter's family?" The Queen asked.
"Yes," Anon replied.
"How many of you were together when you killed his family?" The Queen asked.
"What do you mean?" Anon asked with a confused expression.
"I mean, where are your partners? Did they get killed inside the mansion by Faith or by the guards of the Paradise Mansion?" The Queen asked, her smile designed to traumatize Anon by reminding him of his deceased companions.
"What nonsense? Who needs companions to kill a family like that?" Anon asked without hesitation.
Suddenly, the whole court fell silent at this statement.
"Faith... Can you explain what this kid means?" The Queen asked.
"H-He... he killed them alone, my Queen," Faith informed as she stood up.
A shocked expression suddenly appeared on Fiona's face.
"Aren't you an interesting kid? What did they do to you that you had to do this?" The Queen asked with a smile.
"This guy named Ares Paradise from the Paradise household killed my father and then kidnapped my mother and sister. After this, he threatened me that he would kill them if I didn't go to his designated place on time. I have this letter that is written by him," Anon explained as he showed the letter to the whole court.
"Bring me the letter," the Queen ordered.
"Yes, my Queen," a mage said as he cast a spell on the letter, causing it to vanish from Anon's hands and reappear in front of the Queen.
The Queen read the entire letter in one glance.
"This letter is indeed written by Ares. I know his mana pattern... he used magic to alter his handwriting. This kid is telling the truth," the Queen said as she examined the letter.
"Hey, why does the Queen know Ares's mana pattern? Is he also a criminal?" Anon asked Faith.
"... You idiot, she is Ares's long-distance relative, Aunt," Faith replied.
"Oh... that's why," Anon said.
"Wait, this place is on the coast of the Elven Kingdom, right? Why did you go to his house?" The Queen asked.
"Well, he kidnapped my family, so I took his family as hostages in their own house," Anon explained.
"How did Faith even find you?" The Queen questioned.
"Well, he killed my father and two of my neighbors... after that, he threatened my neighbors to lie to Faith about me murdering my own father, and he was the one who reported me to Faith in the first place..." Anon explained everything that had happened to him until now.
"So, you played with Oxmaul's mind and turned him into a lunatic, then Ares kidnapped your mother and daughter. But before he could do anything to them, you made a trade with him, in which you killed his whole upper noble family, right?" The Queen spoke.
"No, not the whole family. I let his mother go.... you see, I am a man of my word," Anon said.
"My Queen, this kid should be punished by the death penalty for killing an entire upper noble family, right?" the mage asked.
"No, I want to see a witness of this event. Call Ares's mother," the Queen demanded.
Suddenly, the gates of the court opened once more, and Ares's mother entered the court.
She immediately went down on her knees and greeted the Queen. "Long live the Queen."
"Stand up and tell me everything that happened..." The Queen asked again.
'What's the point of repeating it? I just told you the whole story?' Anon wondered as he sighed.
After another ten minutes, Ares's mother finally stopped speaking.
"...and then he cheated my son out of the deal that he made with him and cut his neck right off."
"Very well, I have heard the stories from both sides. Now, I will pass the judgment—" The Queen spoke, but suddenly, another mage started whispering something in her ear.
"Very well, Mr. Jule, you are charged with the crime of killing three upper noble family members, which carries a penalty of death. However, since you have this letter written by Ares, you won't receive a death sentence because it shows that this was a mutual revenge plan from both sides, and your neighbors have also confirmed that they were indeed threatened by Ares in the first place.
Still, you will receive a life sentence of 80 years within the city prison, and—" The Queen continued, but suddenly, the other mage started whispering something in her ear.
"Hmm.... interesting. Mr. Jule, are you planning to participate in the upcoming Academic Exchange that is two days from now?" The Queen questioned.
'Hehe... I was waiting for this,' Anon thought as a smile appeared on his face.
Half an hour ago...
Anon sat inside the carriage as it carried him toward the castle. Suddenly, he heard a sound in his mind.
'Master, can you hear me?' It was Jessica's voice, and she was using the psychic connection skill to communicate with Anon.
'Hmm...? Jessica, is that you?' Anon questioned.
'Yes, Master. I am right above your carriage at this moment with No.300 and Mike. We are ready to break you free at any moment, just say the word. Mike can take care of the guards, and we can escape in that time,' Jessica suggested.
'No, Luv. I am going into that castle by my own choice. I want to infiltrate the castle from the prison. I can easily gain access to the castle after corrupting the jailor. Once I've corrupted the head maid, I'll get Lucy back to her job. With her inside the castle, it will be easier to influence the Queen, or should I say, your sister, Fiona,' Anon explained.
'Master, the crime you committed carries a death penalty. You're not going to prison for killing three upper noble men,' Jessica explained.
'I know, but according to the Elven constitution, if I possess a threat-proof given to me by the noble I killed, my death penalty will be commuted because of the mutual revenge feelings, and I'll be imprisoned for only 80 years. Didn't you read your own constitution?' Anon asked.
'F-Fiona betrayed me before I could read it,' Jessica stammered.
'Well, you can get your revenge after I corrupt her, but for now, get off this carriage... it's fortunate that it's at the end of the line, so no one will see you. Go,' Anon ordered.
'Master, you said you want to get inside the castle, right?' Jessica asked.
'Yeah... Why? Do you have another plan for me?' Anon asked as a joke.
'I do,' Jessica replied seriously.
'Hmmm...? Are you serious?' Anon asked.
'I am. Do you know about the upcoming 'Academic Exchange tournament' in two days?'
'I do. What about it?' Anon asked.
'Okay, listen to this. The Queen can choose her own representative every year for this Academic Exchange.' Jessica explained.
'Why would the Queen represent her own representative? Isn't this a competition for academies?' Anon questioned.
'Indeed it is, but the Queen selects a child each year to train as her personal counselor, someone who can advise her personally on every matter. The counselor remains by her side, even at night, and serves as her bodyguard,' Jessica explained.
'Jessica, Luv, what exactly are you trying to say?' Anon asked.
'Well, what I mean is that the Queen chooses a child each year to become her counselor and has them compete in the Academic Exchange as an independent participant. Now, if she chooses you as her candidate, all you have to do is win the Academic Exchange, and you'll become the counselor to the Elven Queen. Won't that be great? It will save you a lot of time,' Jessica suggested.
'Well, it's easy to say, but how will I get her to choose me as her candidate, and doesn't she already have a counselor?' Anon asked.
'No, the role of counselor is very important. To become the Queen's counselor, you need to meet two conditions. First, you must be the chosen candidate of the Queen. Second, you must win the Academic Exchange. These two conditions have never been met, which is why no one has filled the role of Queen's counselor since my great-grandmother. Either the winner of the Academic Exchange isn't the chosen candidate, or the chosen candidate doesn't win the Academic Exchange due to increased competition,' Jessica explained.
'What do you mean by increased competition?' Anon asked.
'Well, what do you think happens when the Queen herself chooses a candidate and makes them compete in the Academic Exchange? Everyone wants to defeat that candidate because when the chosen candidate is defeated, the winner gets a position boost in the Academic Exchange, advancing directly to the finals without competing in other matches during the event,' Jessica explained.
'Wow... that's a lot to take in. How do you plan to make me the chosen candidate of the Queen?' Anon questioned.
'Well, for the past 50 years, my sister has been choosing the candidates for this tournament, and she's faced defeat each time. She wants to fill the position of the Queen's Counselor to become the perfect Queen because a Queen without a counselor is not considered a proper Queen. You just need to impress her with a display of your powers and speak to her with confidence. Leave the rest to me,' Jessica explained.
'Well, if you say so. I don't mind showing off my skills and talking to someone with attitude but what happens if I get defeated in this Academic Exchange tournament?' Anon asked.
'Well, at best, your prison sentence will be increased by 50 years, I believe,' Jessica said.
'Wait, I'll get my time increased by 50 years if I'm defeated in that event?' Anon asked.
'Yes... though I think it might have been 150 years. Ah, I can't remember exactly, but it won't matter to you since you can continue with your previous plan, right?' Jessica asked.
'Hmm... you're right. If this idea succeeds, it will be a great opportunity to get close to the Queen without wasting extra time and effort. If it fails, I can always fall back on my other plan. When did you become so clever, Jessica?' Anon asked.
'I was the Queen before her, Master, and a fully-fledged assassin too,' Jessica replied.
Back to the present time...
"You didn't answer the question, Mr. Jule. Are you going to participate in this year's Academic Exchange?" The Queen asked with a smile.
"I am," Anon answered with a smile.
"Well, then I have a deal for you. Today's court will be adjourned here. I want a meeting arranged with Mr. Jule in the meeting room," the Queen ordered as she stood up and walked toward her room with her maids.
'What now, Jessica?' Anon asked.
'Just stand there; the guards will automatically escort you to her meeting room'
Anon now sat within the castle's meeting room, alone, on a grand and luxurious couch. A maid waited outside, ready to tend to his needs, while a cup of tea and some snacks lay on a table in front of him.
Anon patiently waited for the Queen's arrival.
'Is she here yet?' Jessica's voice echoed in Anon's mind.
'For the 49th time, no, she hasn't arrived. Could you please stop asking? At 40 times, I thought it was a joke, but now it's crossing the boundaries of humor,' Anon replied.
'I can't help it. I'm eager to exact revenge on my sister. I want to make her suffer just as she made me suffer. I want her to experience the same pain I endured back then,' Jessica shared.
Creak
'Calm down, someone is coming,' Anon warned.
The doors to the meeting room opened, and Fiona entered with two bodyguards.
"Hello, Jule. I notice you haven't touched your tea and biscuits. Either you don't like them, or you're being cautious. Which is it?" Fiona inquired.
"Well, I'm not hungry," Anon answered with a composed expression.
"Cautious it is, then," Fiona remarked as she took a seat in front of him.
"What do you want to discuss?" Anon asked without hesitation.
"A contract," she replied, extending her hand to one of her bodyguards.
The bodyguard promptly handed her a stack of papers.
"Here you go. Please read this and let me know if you're willing to sign it or not. I'll return in 30 minutes," Fiona said, handing the papers to Anon before promptly leaving the room.
Anon silently took the papers and glanced at the first heading.
'The Chosen Candidate of the Queen.'
"Should I go through this agreement, Jessica?" Anon asked.
"No need. Just turn to page 34 and read me the fourth line from the bottom," Jessica advised.
Anon promptly flipped through the agreement to page No. 34 and located the specified line.
"Okay, I found it. It says... The candidate agrees to become the chosen candidate for the Queen and will show no attraction toward any academy in the future. They will not accept any amount of money to betray the Queen's trust, or they will be solely responsible for the punishment," Anon read aloud.
"Good. Now, turn to page 57 and read the 11th clause from the beginning," Jessica instructed.
"Okay," Anon replied, proceeding to turn page after page to reach page 57.
After an extensive search, he finally arrived at page 57 and couldn't help but comment, "What is this? An agreement or a detailed history book on the extinction of dinosaurs?"
Ignoring the bulk, he began searching for the 11th clause as instructed.
"Alright, I found it. It says... If the candidate disagrees with the contract and chooses not to sign it, they will face punishment. However, it doesn't specify the nature of the punishment," Anon explained.
"Hmm... that's new. Well, flip to the second-to-last page and read the final clause," Jessica directed.
"Wait, what's new about it?" Anon inquired.
"That term 'punishment,' she's using it for something specific. I can't discern what, but for now, just turn to the second-to-last page and read the last clause," Jessica clarified.
"Okay," Anon acquiesced, navigating to the second-to-last page to find the final clause.
"Here it is. It says... If the chosen candidate does not win the Academic Exchange Tournament, he or she will face 'The Punishment.' What the heck is this 'punishment'?" Anon questioned, his frustration apparent.
"Its meaning will be specified on the last page. Just turn it over," Jessica replied.
Anon promptly flipped to the last page and found only two words inscribed on it.
For a moment, silence filled their connection.
'What does it say?' Jessica asked.
"It says... The punishment = Death," Anon revealed.
Both of them remained silent for a moment.
'Jess, you understand what this means, right?' Anon inquired.
'I-I do...' Jessica stammered.
'It means I'm stuck. I have to sign this contract or face death. And even if I manage to avoid that by signing, the next clause stipulates that if I don't win the Academic Exchange, I'll still be sentenced to death. Jessica, you've disrupted my plans. Now, I don't have a backup plan because of you. You were the one who suggested this idea,' Anon expressed his anger.
'I-I'm sorry, Master. I didn't know she would replace an extended prison term with the death sentence, but you still have a plan,' Jessica tried to pacify Anon's anger.
'Yes, I do have a plan, and this is my only plan now. You better be prepared to accept the consequences of this mistake. You know how I deal with mistakes like this, right?' Anon retorted with a harsh tone.
'Yes, Master. I'm ready to face your punishment,' Jessica responded, her voice flushed with embarrassment.
'Is there anything else important in this contract that I should be aware of?' Anon asked.
'No, Master,' Jessica replied.
'Good,' Anon declared as he picked up the pen and began signing the pages.
After signing every page, Anon finally put the pen down.
Creak
The doors of the room swung open, and Fiona re-entered. She glanced at Anon and then at the contract.
"Have you signed it?" Fiona inquired with a smile.
"I have," Anon confirmed.
"Excellent. Now, I'll take care of everything. This maid will show you to your room. You'll be staying inside the castle for the next two days. The maid will attend to your every need, from bathing to your attire. Good luck, and I hope you thoroughly reviewed the contract," Fiona said as she exited the room, still smiling.
"Sir, please follow me. I'll escort you to your room," the maid instructed Anon. She had Blue hairs, blue eyes, a good figure.
She had big boobs and Giant ass, it's like God made her to be used by the males.
'Heheheh... she'll take care of everything, huh? Let's see if she can warm up the bed,' Anon mused, an evil grin spreading across his face.
"Oh, i will follow you." Anon said he started following her.