Sothing happened.
Rex didn't know what, but clearly sothing had happened to Kei Xun.
All he did was scare her, it shouldn't be a big deal.
But Viora wouldn't be emotional like this if it weren't sothing big.
Even though he had already noticed Viora's absence in his mind, distracted most of the ti by the things that lived silently in her head, Rex thought that she was only grasping at what Kei Xun did.
But there seems to be sothing more to it.
He tilted his head and asked, "Is it the other Scions? Tell what happened."
Viora bit her lower lip.
Uncertain whether she should say anything or not.
But one thing was for sure.
She needed to get this off her chest or else she couldn't function normally.
"You must take responsibility. Confess and offer your head to the Divine Saintess."
"Responsibility?"
Rex scoffed, not expecting Viora to ask sothing unreasonable like that.
It was even more surprising to think that Viora thought he would agree to do that.
"I don't even know what I did wrong."
"Your fluke made the other Scions think it was the Great Saintess—who ddle with the world. You have to apologize and confess to the Scions that you are the one behind that theatrical power. A power like that can't be recklessly used."
"So, Kei Xun is in trouble? Good. Thanks for the information."
Rex picked his ear and walked past her, heading back to the carriage nonchalantly.
He doesn't have ti for an emotional outburst like this.
"I know what you want, and I sure as hell could stop you from achieving it."
Rex stopped when his hand was on the door.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he turned around to face Viora again, this ti, his aura turned sharp.
"I don't operate well against threat, Priestess Viora."
"Do you know that anyone who wanted to enter nobility would need to undero a background check? Even though the Duke can grant a noble title, he needs the approval of the council. I'm sure the Great Elder would handle your background, but the council is quite strict, especially when appointing a nobody. A single dirt, and they would reject you."
Hearing this, Rex's expression darkened.
He thought he judged Viora well, but he was wrong.
Like Kei Xun, she was also a problem.
But it was clear that this ca from Viora's emotional side; Rex could see it on her face.
Sothing bad happened to Kei Xun, which pushed Viora to the limit like this.
And with the pain in her heart, it hogged all the blood flow, leaving the brain deprived and clouded.
"Don't do this. You don't want to do this."
Rex frowned.
He was worried that a killing intent would be triggered, which would force him to kill Viora.
At this mont, he needed to stall against Kei Xun.
Killing Viora would only escalate the situation, and he didn't want that, not when he's still helpless.
"If you can't provide that, then make a statent. Say that you're the one who possesses that power. Free the Divine Saintess from your mistake—and I'll get out of your way," She revised, but it was clear that this was the real proposition, not the first one. "I can handle the thod of doing that. All you need to do is agree."
"And have them co straight at ? No way."
Of course, Rex couldn't agree to that either.
No matter what happened, it was clear that even Kei Xun couldn't handle it.
Making a statent to the other Scions—that he was the one who owned that 'theatrical' power would only put him on their radars. It was no different than agreeing to jump into the center of a cage full of hungry tigers—he'd be torn apart.
It would only be suicide.
Kei Xun alone was too much for him, much less the other Scions, who were certainly a lot stronger.
"If not that, you're going to fail even if you win the tournant."
Rex approached Viora with wide strides.
Seeing this, Viora swallowed hard, her eyes shaky, but she held her ground.
It was for the Divine Saintess, so she'd do anything.
Even if that ant crossing with a new Scion like Rex.
Once he stood right in front of her, looking down at her with his towering body, his eyes narrowed.
"Do this, and you can kiss any chance of peace with . And that'll be on Kei Xun's shoulders."
"We have imperial authority. No matter how strong or fearso you are, you can't overco sheer will and unity. This is our realm. We have the numbers, and you're alone. The power you showed is out of this world, but it's a bluff, a shadowy play at best."
"You don't know . I've razed nations to the ground with my power alone."
Viora smirked.
She t Rex's gaze head-on, unflinching against his feral might.
"And my ancestors hunted monsters like you, tyrants who think they can do whatever they want. None of them reigned for long—and I am quite sure you would end up exactly like thing. You're a Scion, but that doesn't an you're special."
"I'm not sure you're ntally as strong as your ancestors. And besides, they're bone and dust now."
Rex smirked and glanced down at her chest, hearing the pounding beat of her heart.
She was afraid, which nullified the impact of all the things she said to him.
But she didn't back down.
"I and the Divine Saintess are not, we're not dead."
Rex's lips curled higher as he raised a finger, giving Viora a side eye.
"Not yet…"
As soon as he said that, Rex turned around and entered the carriage as if nothing had happened.
Viora's breaths ca out heavily, angry at how Rex reacted to what she said.
But there was absolutely nothing she could do.
At least not until she showed that she was serious about what she said.
Heading back towards the Aurelius Noble House' territory was a smooth sailing—partly because it was near and the surroundings were already cleared of Voidal Monsters. Once he entered the bubble, out of nowhere, the carriage ca to a stop.
Rex turned to Viora.
"What happened?"
"Let check."
Viora got down from the carriage to check, and she ca back with a scroll.
She got inside and handed the scroll to Rex.
"A guard waited for you on the border. He said this ssage ca from you, but there was no seal."
"Hmm, thank you."
Rex accepted the scroll—he already knew who sent it.
It was Mira.
Once the carriage moved again, Rex opened the scroll and read its content, making sure that the others, especially Viora and Edward, couldn't see the content. As expected, the content of the scroll was about Princess Davina.
Through her circle, she couldn't really find out what Princess Davina was really looking for.
But she did find that Princess Davina wasn't searching for soone strong.
Or at least, there was no clear requirent for power.
Just as I expected. She's searching for soone with a certain deanor or personality—maybe a man who won't embarrass her. Everyone basically knew—that there was nobody her age who was as strong as her, other than the Crown Prince, so as Mira said, it's not about power.
I need to know more about Duke Lorcan. I should ask Rosa once I get back.
Continuing the read, there was more on the bottom.
Mira also ntioned that the Duke was pressuring her for a marriage.
Recently, the Duke lost both of his sons, which left the Duke's Royal Household without a male heir, an absence that weighed heavily upon him. The pressure is not only from within his own house or internally, but also from the broader political sphere.
According to the imperial law, should the Duke remain heirless for more than fifty years, the Empire would appoint a male successor from among the noble houses, one who would be the Grand Knight, a person who would be placed under the Duke's direct tutelage.
It ant giving resources away to a person who was outside of the household.
Naturally, the Duke was desperate as there were also requirents for his male heir to fulfil.
Failing to do so would also an the appointnt of the Grand Knight.
Fifty years is not a long ti, especially with the strict requirents.
So, the Duke pressed Princess Davina to quickly marry and have a child.
Princess Davina is known to be untouchable, which is certainly the product of her undeniable ego.
She wouldn't roll over easily, but her antics wouldn't last long.
I ca at the right ti, but I need to hurry. She might pick a husband any mont now.
Arriving at the heart of Rontera, the carriage ca to a halt.
Rex stepped out in front of the massive main mansion—but as soon as he did, soone rushed over to him. A man in caped armor, bearing the purple color of the Aurelius Noble House. He wasn't wearing a helt, so the urgency on his face was evident.
Stopping in front of Rex, the man saluted politely.
"Lord Rex, the Great Elder, asked for you. It's urgent."
"Urgent…? Okay, lead the way."
Not wasting a single ti, the man turned around and headed back inside with Rex behind him.
Edward trotted behind them, also heading inside.
Standing behind, Viora watched Rex's back going further away with a complex expression.
One that Amanir caught.
"I heard what you said to Rex." He suddenly stated
Upon hearing this, Viora glanced at him before she walked away, ignoring him completely.
She has no ti to talk with soone like Amanir.
"Rex might not be soone from this realm, but I am."
Amanir said with a voice laugh enough to reach Viora.
This statent made her pause in her tracks.
"I may not be as strong, but I'm quite confident that I can handle your politics. Don't try ."
Viora continued ahead.
She didn't turn around to respond, but Amanir knew that she got the ssage.
"I'm a thief," He murmured with a proud smirk. "I have a lot of things that influential people wanted."
anwhile, inside the mansion.
Rex was brought into a spacious room.
Inside, Rosa was there along with a group of people sitting in a circle at the center, seemingly preparing for sothing. Seeing him, she wasted no ti in approaching, "You're right on ti. Our ti ran out. I got news that Princess Davina is going to choose soone tomorrow."
"What?! So soon?" Rex gasped in shock.
He wasn't ready.
Currently, he was still at the Master Immortal Spirit 1 rank.
If he went right now, he would probably be the weakest of the entire contenders.
Rosa pulled Rex's hand, bringing him to the side, to the center of the people sitting in a circle.
"Don't worry, the tournant is tailored depending on the rank of the participant. It doesn't matter how strong you are, the tournant is going to be fair," She assured, placing a hand on Rex's shoulder. "All you need to do is capture the princess' attention."
"How about the Marquess' problem with the Duke?" Rex asked.
Other than his power, this was also one of his concerns.
Rosa looked down for a second before lifting her head up again, smiling, "It's done. Trust ."
Since they had already reconciled, Rex decided to trust her.
He couldn't do anything anyway.
"What's this?"
"We're going to increase the life energy your body possesses. We will make you seem a bit older than the princess to avoid suspicion. If you're this young, you'll threaten the princess or worse, people would be questioning your origin."
"Make sense."
Rex nodded his head.
It seed Rosa was fulfilling her promise to make sure he got his chance.
"Oh, before we start, are you going to accompany there?"
"Yes, I'm going to nominate you, as promised."
"Then, can we talk about Duke Lorcan after this? I need to know what kind of man he is."
Upon hearing this, Rosa paused.
But she soon realized that Rex must've also gathered information on his own.
He wasn't the type to rely everything to soone else.
"Of course, we'll talk in the carriage. Now, go; we must depart in a few hours."
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