124 Chapter 124: The Victor (1/2)
I watched as Shawn Franklin collapsed, the black mana swirling around him completely drained away into my flowers.
My vines loosened and curled away, fading back into my sword. The blade shattered completely and fell, peppering the floor with tiny shrapnel. The green mana that wreathed it dissipated and reformed into the chibi Green Dragon, who chose to hover above my shoulder. I nodded at my Celestial Guardian before turning my attention back to my broken sword.
Looks like this sword has finally reached its limit, I thought to myself. As expected, it could only last long enough for one final technique.
A single blue flower, a hibiscus, floated along the air, one among many as a rain of vibrant flowers drifted leisurely across the room. The spectators watched in wonder, admiring the scenery. Meanwhile, I stretched my hand and caught the hibiscus, allowing it to fall onto my palm.
”Now it is truly over,” I declared quietly as I absorbed the mana from the flower. ”I'll help myself to a bit of your energy.”
”Y…you…” Franklin's weak voice barely reached my ears.
I turned to look at him.
”It…it isn't fair,” he croaked, still lying on the ground. ”That you were hiding something this amazing.”
”That's…that's the final stage of Stuart Swordsmanship, isn't it?” Lionel Stuart demanded, his booming voice echoing through the devastated reception room. I could see that he was visibly shocked. ”Hundred-Colored Flower Bloom? That's the ultimate technique of my clan's Stuart Swordsmanship!”
I shook my head. ”No,” I corrected quietly. ”This isn't your Stuart Swordsmanship's ultimate technique.”
”What are you talking about?” Cecilia shot out of her seat to glare at me. ”That is definitely the final and ultimate technique of Stuart Swordsmanship! How did you learn it?!”
”I already told you, it's not,” I snapped irritably. ”I created this technique on my own, in conjunction with Green Dragon's powers. I was also inspired after reading a manga and watching its anime adaptation. It has nothing to do with the Stuart Clan.”
”Stop lying! You definitely stole our techniques from somewhere!”
”Now, now.” Stuart raised his hands to calm his daughter down. ”Now that I look closely and analyze the traces of mana left, I see that Richard is correct. There are quite a lot of differences if you watch closely enough. If I have to say, it's an imperfect version of our clan's technique, which is already impressive enough, considering that he created this technique on his own from scratch.”
”You can't possibly mean to believe him…!” Cecilia exclaimed.
”If he truly learned it from someone from our clan, I do not think there will be this many discrepancies.” Stuart frowned. ”The execution differs too much for someone to have taught it to him. The mana flow is all wrong. If someone from our clan really taught it to him, they must have botched it…but I find it difficult that they would mess it up to such an extent.”
”But…”
”Well then…can you think of anyone other than us who have mastered Hundred-Colored Flower Bloom and is capable of teaching it to an outsider? From my knowledge, we are the only ones who have learned Hundred-Colored Flower Bloom.”
Cecilia fell silent, unable to come up with a reply. She lowered her head bitterly.
”Well, whatever the case…” Stuart paused and nodded at me. ”It appears that you have emerged the winner, Richard Huang.”
I bowed humbly. ”Not at all. It was a terribly difficult fight. Mr. Shawn Franklin has proven himself to be a formidable opponent.”
”Yes, he has,” Stuart agreed absent-mindedly, his eyes wandering over to his future son-in-law. ”It appears that he won't be getting the 55% shares of my corporation, after all.” He chuckled. ”You've taught him a well-deserved lesson in humility.”
”Uh…that wasn't my intention.”
”Nonetheless, that was still a splendid display. I thank you for it.” he turned to Cecilia. ”Call Doctor Yi. Ask her to check on these two's wounds.”
”Understood.” Cecilia was already raising her smartphone to her ear and dialing the relevant number.
”I don't need any treatment,” Franklin muttered under his breath, still sprawled on the ground.
”I think his pride is hurt worse than his body,” I remarked. Stuart chortled.
”Indeed. I hope this will serve as a lesson for him to never underestimate or look down on others again.”
Now that the duel had concluded, the spectators were dispersing, leaving their seats in the boxes and returning to the banquet tables. A few of them gingerly avoided the corrupted carpets and furniture that Franklin had destroyed during our match.
I caught sight of Alicia approaching me. Initially I thought Adrian would accompany her, but he was approaching Yuan Dao Yue Guang for some reason.
Meanwhile, Stuart was in deep thought, and he seemed to come to a decision.
”Richard,” he spoke up in his usual, deep voice. ”You should be the one to marry Cecilia instead.”
”…excuse me?” I responded incredulously. Where did this come from, out of nowhere?
Stuart was nodding fervently, completely ignoring my opinion on the matter. ”You've proven yourself to be superior to Shawn. Your wood magic, in particular, is extremely close to my clan's Stuart Swordsmanship. With a bit of teaching, I can polish your techniques and turn you into a fine swordsman. You've already surpassed most of my Stuart Clan members. Under my tutelage, you'll become among the most powerful swordsman in the world. And I can see that you're exceptionally bright as well. You'll make a better successor than Shawn.”
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”Hell, no!” I shook my head and argued angrily. ”This wasn't what we agreed on! I am sure that Mr. Shawn Franklin has proven himself more than worthy to marry your daughter. And unlike me, he has the skills and training to succeed the Stuart Corporation. I'm just a regular guy with no financial background whatsoever!”
Furthermore, I didn't want to get involved with the Stuart Clan and all its inevitable politics, nor did I want to get trapped by a stupid marriage. My dream was clear. I wanted to be a mercenary like my dad and explore the world. I wanted to go around beating up bad guys and saving the innocents. I wouldn't go so far as to say I wanted to be an ally of justice or superhero, but I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps.
Running a damned corporation was going to impede my ambition.
”You can't be serious, Lord Stuart!” Franklin protested hotly. For once, I was in agreement with him. ”You can't actually be appointing a lowly commoner as your successor, and marrying your daughter to someone without any lineage or pure magician blood!”
”That whole commoner, blood heritage and lineage thing has been outdated for well over a millennium now.” Stuart regarded the fallen ”noble” sternly. ”I don't care about his bloodline or class. I only care about results…about what I can see in front of me. And despite your boasts about your lineage, pure blood and status, you have clearly shown that you're inferior to him in every aspect. Tell me, what use is your blood and family background when you have been so convincingly defeated by someone you mocked and looked down upon as a commoner?”
Franklin found himself speechless.
”That was just luck,” I objected. ”The difference between us was paper-thin. If I had made just one mistake, the victor would have been Mr. Franklin, not me. I only won because I took him by surprise and he underestimated me. If Mr. Franklin had been fighting seriously from the start, he would have won ages ago.”
”That's bullshit and you know it.” Stuart smiled thinly. ”You're obviously very talented. You're smart, and your keen perception of wood magic alone is more than enough for you to lay claim to succeeding me. Not only have you defeated Shawn, you have also claimed victory against my daughter and prevailed over rank A monsters. Yet despite these qualities and achievements, you remain modest and down-to-earth. Do you really think I will let you go just like that? It'll be difficult to find another heir as suitable and gifted as you. With you following my guidance, I know you will lead the Stuart Clan to greater heights.”
”Begging your pardon.” Alicia chose that moment to step forward after finally reaching my side. She glared at Stuart defiantly. ”But Richard is my fiancé. You cannot just take him away from me like that.”
”The daughter of the Violet family.” Stuart acknowledged with an insincere smile. ”I am so sorry for snatching your fiancé away like this, but I will definitely compensate you for this. I hope you can indulge my selfishness.”
”This isn't about selfishness, but…” Alicia protested hotly, but Stuart cut her off, his grin growing wider.
”Perhaps I should remind you that the Violet family is nothing compared to the Stuart Clan. I know your family has some measure of prestige, but even so, trampling over the Violet family is as easy as turning a palm over for me. I apologize if I sound excessively ruthless, but please understand. There is no way I will hand over a rare prodigy like Richard to anyone, especially a rival family. Perhaps if you belong to one of the ten great families, I will think twice, but the Violet family is nothing compared to my Stuart Clan.”
This bastard…
I was contemplating the option of fighting my way out, but I knew that even if I weren't injured, I would still be completely outmatched. Even so, I refused to submit before the indomitable Stuart. Reaching out, I held Alicia's hand tightly, a gesture that was not lost on Stuart.
His expression softened as he studied the two of us. ”If you really love that young lady of the Violet family, I don't care if you take her as a mistress.” He shrugged flippantly. ”With our wealth and influence, it's easy to keep such matters a secret from the public…”
What the fuck was this megalomaniac talking about?
Stuart continued smiling at me, and I could sense an immense pressure building from his body, a dense, suffocating aura of menacing mana. I felt Alicia squeeze my hand back even as I tightened my grip on hers.
”I'm sorry, Richard. My decision is final. You will marry Cecilia whether you like it or not. I cannot afford to let someone of your caliber slip away from my grasp.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but somebody else beat me to it.
”Lord Stuart, you BASTARD!”
Alicia and I twisted around, completely taken aback by the sudden outburst.
It was Yuan Dao Yue Guang.