Chapter 613
, 612 Competition
Chapter 613, Section 612: The Contest
"Tsk, that's not a very friendly look." The second son of the Lorenzo family took a sip of the amber liquid in his glass, his tone slightly amused.
"Sigh..." Warren sighed softly, took a sip of his drink, and then said in a low voice, "I'm afraid they see me as a competitor too."
"What?" Lorenzo the Second raised an eyebrow, leaned closer, and said with a mischievous smile, "Judging from your tone, you don't seem to have any feelings for little Inanna? Putting aside her status as the Duke's only daughter, just look at her figure... full where it should be, slender where it should be, and with that unique pink hair and pink eyes, marrying her would definitely not be a bad deal!"
To say that Warren had absolutely no feelings for her would be a lie. But as someone who had actually spent some time with Inanna, he could clearly sense that Inanna wasn't interested in him.
Or rather, he sensed that Miss Inanna seemed only interested in Puji.
His visit was less out of anticipation and more out of a polite response to the Duke of Alama's invitation.
Warren just gave a wry smile, didn't reply, and drank the rest of the liquid in his glass in one gulp.
However, a very imposing voice came from behind them at that moment.
“My dear nephew… what did you just say? Your uncle is old and hard of hearing. Could you… say it again?”
Alama's broad, powerful hand emerged from the shadows like an iron clamp, gently pinching the chins of Lorenzo's sons. The Duke even wore a kind, elder-like smile on his face.
"Speaking of which, weren't you already married? Why are you so interested in this banquet held for my daughter? Could it be... that you have some plans for my Inanna?"
Lorenzo's two sons froze instantly, cold sweat pouring down their backs, yet they dared not move. "Uncle, Uncle! How could I dare! It's just that Father is unable to attend in person, so he asked me to attend on his behalf to congratulate you and Inanna... I have no other intentions! I really have no other intentions!"
Only after the other party made almost a vow and repeated assurances did Alama slowly release his hand, and even helped him straighten his wrinkled collar.
Then, he turned to Warren, who was standing silently to the side, and patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, with such force that the young knight staggered before leaving.
Alama's gaze swept across the hall once more. The invited young talents, some handsome and dashing, some refined and scholarly, and some with ambitious eyes, were all under his scrutiny.
He nodded to himself; he had really gone to great lengths for this banquet.
Because of the devaluation of deliciousness caused by mushrooms, he brought out all the high-grade delicious fruits that Curry had saved this time.
They also prepared other precious items to make a grand entrance for Inanna.
However, Alama's good mood was quickly ruined when his gaze caught sight of a figure who should never have been there—Viscount Edin.
Alama had deliberately not invited him, yet he showed up at the banquet.
This could only be the main character of the banquet, whom Inanna brought specifically.
“This… this old fool who doesn’t know what’s good for him…” Alama clenched his teeth.
Could it be that my daughter really has feelings for this old man...?
Given Aidin's past shrewdness and ability to assess situations, it's impossible that he couldn't see the implications behind his not being invited.
But he still came, risking complete dissatisfaction, and showed up here.
The only reason... is that he has made up his mind to win Inanna at any cost?
Thinking about this, Alama felt like his teeth were about to break.
Not far away, Edin was sweating profusely, pretending not to feel the lion-like gaze...
……
As the guests gathered, Inanna finally made her appearance amidst the anticipation of the crowd.
With her pink hair and eyes, and a gorgeous dance dress, she undoubtedly became the sole focus of attention at that moment.
For the safety of the guests, Inanna temporarily removed the two binding rings.
She also didn't want to have human ice sculptures or roasted whole people at her birthday party.
On stage, the Duke of Alama was delivering his opening remarks with his daughter.
Offstage, number four had already trotted off to find number five.
The two Puji had already sensed each other's presence. At this moment, their mushroom caps lightly touched, which was considered a greeting. Then they shrank into a corner and started whispering and chatting in the mushroom net.
After the banquet started, Number Five was even pulled by Number Four to run to the middle and dance a song.
Although they jumped around completely haphazardly, just jumping around randomly on their own, who would make things difficult for the two little poops?
Many noble ladies exclaimed "Wow!" as they looked at the two little puppies.
Felyn does know the kind of dance adventurers do around a fire, but it's clearly not appropriate for the atmosphere here, so they just huddle together to the side, eating and watching.
As the main character of the banquet, Inanna's first dance was with her father, Alama.
Needless to say, Inanna received a standard aristocratic education before the age of sixteen, so her dancing skills were naturally quite proficient.
Surprisingly, the Duke of Alama, whose status was established through military achievements, could also dance with an elegant melody despite his imposing physique.
After the first dance ended, many people were eager to invite Inanna.
She picked up numbers four and five first, and sat down next to Aiding, chatting casually.
Number Five was initially tense, but under Inanna's gentle kneading, she quickly softened up like Number Four and began to enjoy it.
Vera and the other two, who were watching from a distance, were all stunned.
Whenever someone tries to approach and invite her to dance, Inanna will quietly look at the person until they back away on their own.
Even Phineas was no exception.
After all, it would be a pity to be deterred by a mere glance, but it would be truly embarrassing to be invited and then rejected. He gritted his teeth inwardly, never expecting that his biggest opponent this time would be an old man like Aiding.
Miss Inanna's taste is so weird!
Alama watched this scene from afar, regretting that he hadn't brought his greatsword with him, so he could cleave Aidin, that old bull who wanted to eat his young grass, in two!
Aiding felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, but he could only silently bear the pressure.
After all... the boss gave us way too much.
……
Seeing that the ball was going poorly, Alama made a quick decision and brought out the entertainment she had prepared – a martial arts contest.
Since its founding, the kingdom has long faced the threat of the empire.
Therefore, compared to formalities, this land values strength more, and the aristocratic class is no exception.
At this point, arranging a brief, impromptu martial arts contest after the ball would naturally seem out of place to everyone.
The young noblemen were all eager to try their luck, wanting to prove themselves and show off their talents.
Alama's promise that the winner could choose any piece of equipment from his treasury was certainly tempting, but what everyone was truly vying for was the natural opportunity that would follow—an invitation to Inanna to the garden.
In that situation, it would be almost impossible for Inanna to refuse.
As for how things will go from here on out, that will naturally depend on how well you can win Inanna's favor.
This is not a real deathmatch arena, and the rules are simple and brutal: one person defends the arena, and many people challenge them until the last one standing wins.
Theoretically, the latest to appear has the greatest advantage, but that would inevitably appear cowardly and lacking in grace.
Phineas and Warren got up almost simultaneously.
However, their thoughts were completely different.
Warren just wants to get on the court as soon as possible, win a few games, and then concede gracefully.
This way, he could both give an explanation to the Duke and avoid the embarrassment of being rejected by Miss Inanna in the end.
Phineas, on the other hand, was a completely different person. He was young and ambitious and was a recognized genius in the aristocratic circles; otherwise, he would not have been so determined to win this banquet.
The servants brought the two men's weapons, and the crowd around the arena cheered and applauded.
Seeing that his opponent was Phineas, Warren abandoned his initial attitude of just going through the motions.
He just wanted to admit defeat gracefully, not to be humiliated and knocked off the stage.
Unfortunately, after they actually fought, he discovered that Phineas was even stronger than he had expected!
In just a few rounds, he was overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse—his strength was close to that of a hall-of-fame player!
Realizing the gap in strength, Warren, though unwilling, knew from his experience in commanding battles that acting recklessly would only bring more harm, so he was prepared to retreat and admit defeat.
Phineas seemed to have noticed this as well, but he clearly didn't want Warren to be so dignified.
【Lanfeng】!
A sharp gust of wind whipped up, sending the unsuspecting Warren flying, about to crash into the dining table.
His life wasn't in danger, but he would inevitably end up looking disheveled and losing face.
Phineas stretched out a hand, seemingly trying to grab Warren but it was too late.
Just then, Vera, who was still eating at the table, suddenly jumped up, grabbed Warren by the back of his collar, spun him around to dissipate the force, and landed steadily to the side.
Warren, who thought he was going to lose face, looked at Vera, who had helped him, with some surprise: "Th-thank you."
Vera waved her hand dismissively.
Phineas then ran over and said that he had accidentally hit too hard.
Warren didn't say much, conceded defeat, and left the hall. His suit was torn in several places, so he had to change.
Alama frowned as he watched this scene.
Phineas may have thought he was being discreet, but someone like Alama, who had been guarding the border for years, could easily see through his scheme.
I somewhat disliked Phineas's rather narrow-mindedness, but there was nothing I could say at the moment.
After easily defeating several more challengers, Phineas surprisingly turned his attention to Aidin, who seemed unprepared to come up on stage.
“Viscount Aiding, I have also heard of some of your deeds. This is a rare opportunity, so why don’t we have a friendly exchange?”
This is good news for Alama, who is now looking forward to seeing Aidin get beaten up.
However, as he watched Aidin accept the challenge and step onto the stage, his intuition told him something was amiss.
So, Alama quietly activated several magical items on his body, and then was surprised to see Aidin still sitting next to Inanna, without moving at all!
……
On the other side, in Inanna's arms, Number Four squirmed and writhed, eager to go up to the arena and win glory for the Mushroom Clan!
(End of this chapter)