CHAPTER 73: CLASH

Upon hearing Albert’s insulting words, all the soldiers around Arthur were overcome with intense rage. They drew their swords, activated the Knight’s Aura skill, and growled furiously,

"What did you just say, you bastard? How dare you insult our lord?"

The pressure they emitted was so intense that even Arthur, who wasn’t the target of their skill, felt a faint chill. Without any change in his expression, he regained his composure, activated Logical Analysis, and began analyzing the situation.

At the same time, Albert furrowed his brows. However, contrary to the soldiers’ expectations, he showed no fear or hesitation. He stared coldly at them and said,

"Are you tired of living?"

"What did you say?" one of the soldiers shouted, attempting to attack Albert without hesitation.

But Arthur shouted to stop them,

"Enough. Soldier, return to your place."

The soldier glared at Albert for a moment before returning to his position, though the killing intent in his eyes remained, just like his comrades.

Sigh.

Arthur sighed inwardly, thankful the situation hadn’t turned into a disaster. At the same time, he thought suspiciously,

’He doesn’t know who I am? Does that mean he never met the real Arvan before?’

Thinking this restored some of his confidence, and he spoke coldly,

"Big words for a mere messenger. Are you simply insane? Or is it that you’re confident in your strength as a C-rank mage? Is that correct?"

Albert furrowed his brows and appeared slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Arthur to discern his level.

At the same time, upon learning the level of the stranger before them, the soldiers’ bodies shuddered. They let out a sigh of relief that their lord had stopped them before they made any reckless move.

Yet at the same time, they heightened their vigilance, unleashing their full strength. They knew the situation was volatile and, should it escalate, they’d need to act swiftly and powerfully. Even if their enemy was a powerful mage, his body was still frail; a single well-placed strike would be enough to bring him down.

Noticing this, Albert sneered,

"It seems your dogs are more loyal than I expected. And more importantly, Arvan, you’re a bit smarter than I heard. Has losing your status finally forced you to use your brain? What a great occasion! The kingdom should celebrate that the bastard degenerate has finally spoken intelligent words for once."

Despite the endless insults, Arthur didn’t feel the slightest irritation. Calmly, he thought,

’He’s from House Beaumont, a strong mage. But he’s not wearing mage robes; just ordinary messenger attire. Who exactly is he? I don’t know him; he never appeared in the novel. Yet he’s carrying the Beaumont Dagger a symbol of noble status. This confirms he’s not someone with a similar name by coincidence.’

Suddenly, he realized something.

’Wait. He has an Enhanced Radiance Ring. Isn’t that the magical artifact issued to staff members of the Shimmering Pearl Academy? Is he a professor there? Or perhaps an assistant? His level is certainly too high for a mere messenger.’

Though his questions multiplied, Arthur was no longer worried about his identity being exposed. That’s because Most of the Academy’s staff don’t attend official noble banquets. Moreover, Albert was merely a noble from the cadet branch—likely the Count Beaumont’s nephew so his influence was nearly non-existent.

Calmly and indifferently, he said to a nearby soldier,

"Go fetch Thorne and Novarian. Don’t delay."

He then turned to meet Albert’s slightly astonished eyes and asked with nonchalance,

"So, what brings an insignificant mage like yourself to my humble barony? Have you come to become my vassal? If so, I must apologize. I don’t take trash under my wing. Come back next year after you’ve raised your pathetic level a bit."

Albert’s face stiffened while Arthur’s followers laughed and mocked him, yet He remained composed.

"What kind of fool would desire to work under you? You are nothing now. Maybe you hold some prestige in the eyes of these poor peasants, but to someone from the Shimmering Pearl Academy like me you are nothing."

The soldiers were momentarily stunned upon hearing the name of the Academy, but they quickly grew furious and cursed,

"Watch your tongue, you scum! An ignorant fool like you knows nothing of our lord’s greatness and wisdom! If all Academy members are as stupid as you, then they’re nothing but dung with a fancy reputation!"

Arthur chuckled softly and raised his hand, signaling his men to fall silent. With a mocking smile, he said,

"Even if you are from the Shimmering Pearl Academy, you’re nothing but a messenger sent to this poor place to deliver a letter to your masters. So carry out your orders, hand over the message, and leave before I kick you out myself or perhaps I’ll kill you. I’m starting to feel tempted to see your head hanging on my castle gate."

"Kill me? Who? You and these weak soldiers beside you?" Albert laughed loudly until tears filled his eyes. After a full minute, his laughter faded as he sneered,

"I’m terrified."

Without paying him any attention, Arthur gazed toward the town. That’s when he saw a group of twenty knights led by Novarian charging toward them at insane speed. He smiled.

"No, but I brought someone capable of kicking your ass."

Albert’s laughter froze. He quickly turned and saw the small unit heading his way. His expression twisted as he sensed dense mana, equivalent to his own level, emanating from the front of the unit.

He turned back to Arthur and said coldly,

"It seems the rumor about you losing all your strong subordinates isn’t true after all."

Arthur smiled.

"I see your tone is much softer now. Are you scared?"

Albert shook his head,

"No. You wouldn’t dare harm someone like me anyway."

But Arthur didn’t care.

"Heh, are you challenging me? Who do you think I am, you fool? Even if I’ve lost my position, my father won’t allow lowly nobles to insult me. And rest assured: no one at the Academy, not even the Dean, could stand against him."

Then he ordered coldly,

"Novarian, kill him."

Having just arrived, Novarian didn’t understand what was happening. He froze for a moment before sighing,

"You’re the boss."

With blinding speed, he leapt from his horse, drew his sword mid-air, and swooped down on Albert like a hawk.

Albert was startled, reacting nervously. His horse reared up in panic. Regaining his composure swiftly, Albert followed his horse’s lead and countered with Dimensional Ignition. Unexpectedly and inexplicably, Novarian’s entire body ignited in blazing flames.

Novarian, engulfed in flames, was flung about two meters away from Albert, who quickly retreated while laughing,

"What a fool. I’ve never seen a mage charge head-on like that!"

Arthur merely sighed,

’Novarian, you idiot... You’re still weak in combat strategy.’

Yet he smirked, fully aware that something like this posed no real danger to Novarian.

As expected, Novarian stood up while still aflame. The fire gradually died down, revealing his slightly scorched body. But even that wasn’t enough—as his burns visibly healed thanks to his Self-Healing skill.

Furious, Novarian growled,

"I wasn’t planning to kill you... but I’ve changed my mind."

Immediately, he activated Berserk, causing his body to swell slightly. His veins bulged monstrously, and all his stats increased by 15%. Simultaneously, he cast Illusion Magic, creating ten clones that charged Albert at once.

"Damn it!"

Albert panicked at the sight but didn’t hesitate. He unleashed a barrage of fireballs. Unexpectedly, Novarian retaliated with his own volley of fireballs. Their attacks collided, filling the area with destructive fiery explosions.

Arthur and his soldiers quickly retreated, distancing themselves from the battlefield.

At the same time, Novarian’s clones evaded the remaining explosions and continued their assault on Albert, who struggled to distinguish which was real.

"Die!"

Terrified and confused, Albert unleashed another barrage of fireballs while simultaneously casting Scorched Earth, turning the ground before him into a blazing inferno. Without pause, he transformed his hand into a massive lava hand and prepared a devastating combo attack—but suddenly, something struck him. Before he could comprehend it, an intense pain hit his head.

’What’s happening?’

Inexplicably, his consciousness began to scatter. As a result, he lost control of his spells, canceling the lava hand and scorched earth except for the fireballs, which continued flying forward at incredible speed.

Novarian reacted quickly, blocking the remaining fireballs with his own, then stopped his assault entirely. He gazed at the unconscious Albert, then glanced toward Thorne, who was standing behind him. Suspiciously, he asked,

"When did you get there?"

’I didn’t notice him. This is unbelievable.’

Despite focusing all his senses on Albert, he hadn’t neglected his surroundings to such a degree. Reflecting on it, he realized something and turned to Arthur,

"Was I just bait?"

Arthur nodded, "Obviously."

Without paying him further mind, Arthur approached Albert. He stared at his dumb face, briefly examined his long golden hair, then smiled wickedly and cursed inwardly,

’How dare you insult me, you piece of garbage.’

Without mercy, he stripped Albert of all his valuables and clothing, leaving him only in his undergarments. But he didn’t stop there—he shaved off all his beautiful hair, leaving his head completely bald and shiny.

All the soldiers smirked at the sight, except for Novarian, who continued to stare at Thorne in confusion, trying to grasp what had just occurred. Unfortunately, he was unaware that the werewolf race possessed a skill called Stealth, allowing them to conceal their presence and sound. During the initial attack, Arthur had winked at Thorne and signaled for him to strike Albert from behind.