Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 118: Revenge Journey 4

Basten smiled at Caesars, then walked to the center of the last living room and said loudly, "Everyone, this ignorant little noble has humiliated me. I want to duel him, right now, in this living room!"

Basten was worried that if the duel was set for tomorrow, the opponent might escape from Violet City overnight.

"Damn it, Basten! You are not allowed to kill anyone in my castle!"

The old Earl Leonard said this, but his face was full of smiles. This duel could just resolve the embarrassment just now.

"Count Leonard, I promise I won't kill anyone. I'm just teaching you a lesson!"

With a wave of Basten's hand, several of his guards came into the living room.

The gray-haired Rad looked worried when he saw the guards of Basten. The guards of Basten were all wearing magic steel armor, and it was obvious that they were not to be trifled with.

From Count Leonard's expression, Caesars felt that Count Basten had already discussed this with him. They seemed to want to intimidate the lesser nobles. Whether Caesars came to the banquet today or not, one or two of the lesser nobles would be humiliated.

"Kaisas, you need to keep some distance from the heavily armored warriors, otherwise it will be difficult for you to win!"

"Rad, there's something I don't quite understand. Is it a tradition in Violet City to bring heavily armored warriors as guards to a banquet?"

Rad shook his head repeatedly, his face filled with disbelief, while the other three nobles also looked bewildered and confused. At this moment, one of the nobles finally spoke up, "Mr. Caesars, these four guards are all strangers. I'm very familiar with the guards who served Basten!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another minor noble quickly turned around, carefully looking at the guards, and then added in a low voice, "That's right. Moreover, Basten's guards have always worn leather armor before. Seeing them wearing heavy armor like this is really unprecedented!"

After listening to what the two young nobles said, Caesars nodded thoughtfully, but his expression remained very calm. He waved gently at Rad, indicating that he didn't need to be so nervous, and then walked straight to the center of the living room with steady and powerful steps.

When they were halfway there, Caesars suddenly stopped, slowly raised his hand and took off the gloves he was wearing, and then he swung his arm violently. With a crisp "snap" sound, the gloves hit Basten's face like a flash of lightning - this was a way of inviting a duel between nobles.

"Everyone, please be patient and allow me to say a few words!"

At this moment, Caesars was deliberately restraining his own magical fluctuations, and he looked no different from an ordinary person. The reason for doing this was simply to completely infuriate Basten in front of him, because only in this way could he successfully implement the series of plans he had carefully planned.

However, Caesars had clearly underestimated the impact of the glove. It lashed heavily against Basten's aged face, leaving a visible mark. Basten was stunned at first, but once he recovered, he was enraged and lashed out, cursing, "You despicable, poor fellow! How dare you humiliate me in public!"

"Hmph, you cowardly country noble, you turtle, do you have the courage to compete with me? If you don't have the courage, then just shut your stinky mouth and wait quietly for me to finish speaking!" Caesar's extremely arrogant words were like a sharp sword, piercing Basten's heart.

In an instant, Basten's face, which had been calm and composed, turned red with anger, like a boiled shrimp. Yes, the duel was destined to take place as scheduled, but for him to personally participate in the duel was harder than climbing to heaven. After all, he didn't want to joke with his life.

"Damn it, tell me!" Basten roared angrily.

Caesars's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a scornful smile. "Hey, everyone, I'm sure you all know that the rules of duels between nobles are flexible and changeable. We can all fight in person. Of course, if someone feels that they are not strong enough or too timid, they can send their guards to fight on their behalf. This Count Basten intends to have his guards duel with me. Actually, under normal circumstances, I should have refused such an unreasonable request without hesitation. But there is no other way. Who told me that the gloves on my hands are not happy? So, I reluctantly agreed."

Caesar's provocative words immediately drew laughter from the many nobles present. For a moment, the entire scene became extremely lively. Meanwhile, many eyes were fixed on Caesar, their gazes filled with confusion and curiosity, as if they were secretly wondering where this young man before them had such great courage.

However, Caesars remained unconcerned. He continued with a smile, leisurely speaking, "Since I've agreed to a duel with the guard, I naturally have the right to propose a small condition before doing so. My condition is very simple and straightforward: the stakes for a duel are 10,000 gold coins. This condition is not too much, right?"

Having said that, Caesars cast his gaze towards Leonard, who was standing beside him, a hint of a smile in his eyes, as if to show his defiance. As for the furious Basten, he didn't even bother to look at him.

Ten thousand gold coins was definitely not a small sum. For most commoners, it was an astronomical figure. They could never accumulate such a huge fortune even if they spent their entire lives. However, for Earl Ronald, these mere ten thousand gold coins seemed insignificant.

At this moment, Earl Leonard narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the arrogant man before him, and slowly asked, "Are you truly sure you have a chance of winning?" Although he appeared calm as usual, his heart was actually already in turmoil. This man's appearance had completely disrupted his carefully planned layout and plan.

Facing Count Leonard's questioning, the man responded fearlessly, "No, my Lord, I cannot guarantee victory. But I want to make one thing clear to you and everyone present—I have no shortage of gold. Whether it's a fierce and brutal duel, or a challenge fraught with unknown risks, as long as anyone dares to challenge me, I will accept it without hesitation!"

After hearing this, Earl Leonard couldn't help but wonder. Who was this young man? How could he be so arrogant and presumptuous? So, with a look of suspicion on his face, he asked, "Young man, who are you? Where are you from?"

The corners of Caesar's mouth rose slightly, revealing an imperceptible smile, and he replied softly: "My Lord Earl, I'm sorry that I can't reveal my identity information for the time being. As an old proverb goes, riddles must be guessed slowly in order to appreciate the fun. If the answer is revealed too early, it will become boring!" As he spoke, his eyes never left the slightly old face of Earl Leonard.

At this moment, Count Leonard exchanged a glance with Basten beside him. Their eyes met for only a brief moment, and it was as if they had already understood each other and reached some kind of tacit understanding...

Leonard gave a few instructions to the servants, and all the servants in the castle left in a hurry.

"The living room is too small, so the duels and challenges will be held in the martial arts arena. Please wait a moment, everyone. The dinner will be held outside the martial arts arena!"

Although he had planned it for a long time, Leonard did not want to duel in the living room. There were valuable furnishings, expensive furniture, and priceless ancient paintings here. These things were accumulated by him bit by bit, and they were not something that could be bought casually with gold coins.

The nobles attending this grand banquet were dressed in gorgeous costumes. Under the elegant guidance of Earl Ronald, they walked slowly towards the martial arts field behind the castle with light and slightly solemn steps.

Rad, who was in the crowd, was now filled with anxiety. He hurried over to Caesar's side, a look of concern in his eyes, and asked softly, "Caesar, are you sure you can win the upcoming duel?"

Upon hearing this, a subtle, sly smile flashed across Caesar's face, but he quickly regained his composure. He frowned slightly, seeming hesitant. After a brief pause, he replied, "Well... to be honest, I'm not entirely sure I can win. But rest assured, Rad, I can at least guarantee I won't get hurt easily."

This was just a smokescreen Caesars had deliberately thrown. He had a thorough plan in mind. He hadn't told Rad the truth in order to create suspense and confuse everyone, especially the greedy nobles of the Violet Alliance. Only in this way would they be more likely to fall into his carefully designed trap.

When everyone arrived at the arena behind the castle, they found it already ablaze with lights, as bright as day. Earl Ronald had deployed over thirty magic lamps, placing them around the arena. These lamps emitted a soft yet brilliant light, illuminating the entire arena with a clarity as clear as day.

At the same time, the exquisite dining tables originally placed in the banquet hall were being carried out in an orderly manner by well-trained servants. Soon, these tables were neatly arranged on one side of the martial arts arena.

At this moment, several magicians from the Mage Alliance arrived at the scene. The scene before him was identical to what Caesars had anticipated. Clearly, Count Leonard had been fully prepared for this event. However, facing this situation, Caesars showed no sign of worry. He knew that Count Leonard's greatest support, Bordeaux of the Mage Alliance, had become a cripple and could not exert any substantial influence on the situation.

The duel has not yet begun, but the entertainment of the nobles - gambling - has already started in full swing under the careful arrangement of Count Ronald.

"Hey, Caesars, can I bet on you to win?" Rad's eyes were attracted by the tempting odds of one to two, and he couldn't help but feel eager to make a move.

Caesars did not respond immediately, but asked thoughtfully: "Rad, what is the maximum amount you can bet in a game like this?" Obviously, he didn't quite understand the rules of this game.

Rad replied confidently, "You can bet up to 10,000 gold coins. Although the upper limit for each bet is 10,000 gold coins, if you choose a side and want to continue betting, that's allowed. However, the next round of bets will still be 10,000 gold coins!"

As a member of the nobility, Rad had a thorough understanding of this kind of entertainment program and participated in it quite often.

Caesars nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the rules, and then he leaned over to Rad's ear and whispered a few words. Then, without hesitation, he walked towards the betting area and decisively took out 10,000 gold coins to bet on himself.

Seeing this, the elderly nobles guarding the chest of gold coins all looked suspicious. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion and astonishment. Caesars clearly possessed a storage ring, presumably containing a considerable amount of gold, so why was he appearing at the banquet wearing such shabby aristocratic robes? It was truly baffling!

The hot Countess, Kaschi, always kept her eyes on Caesars. She felt that the other party was like a fog, making it impossible for her to see clearly or guess.

As delicious food was served on the table and fragrant wine was poured into crystal glasses, the first duel began. After the referee announced the rule of not killing, Count Basten sent out a heavily armored warrior.

The moment Caesars stepped onto the arena, Rad's heart tightened, as if an invisible hand were squeezing him. He suddenly realized that he had forgotten to remind Caesars to put on his magic robes. Worse still, he hadn't even taken out his staff, the symbol of a magician's identity and power, nor had he cast a magic shield to protect him from harm.

"Boy, today I'm going to crush every bone in your body!" With a furious roar, the heavily armored warrior trudged onto the training grounds. Before he slowly lowered his magic steel visor, he fiercely hurled these words at Caesars. Then, his already rugged face grew even more ferocious and contorted, a chilling smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

In response to the threatening words, Caesars just smiled slightly and calmly made an elegant gesture of invitation, as if he did not take the opponent in front of him seriously at all.

The heavily armored warrior leaned forward slightly, then, with a sudden burst of force, began charging forward with long, rapid strides. His heavy armor, forged from magic steel, gleamed with a cold light, and coupled with his immense weight, his first heavy step landed on the training ground, shaking the entire arena slightly and raising a cloud of dust.

The heavily armored warrior did not use any weapons, and his intention was obvious - he wanted to use pure physical strength to launch a fierce collision skill against Caesar, trying to defeat him in one fell swoop.