"Why do you bother doing all this? Don't we know each other yet?"

"..."

Yes, you may not know me, but I know you very well.

"Are you really doing this because you don't want your sister to be engaged to me? Aren't you being so overprotective?"

He suddenly made a crumpled face. He looked disgusted when he saw me.

Ignoring the strange look he gave, I let him think what he wanted to think, "Yeah, let him think as he wants."

I'm more focused on what we were doing.

The two of us were about to sign the Magic Contract Paper, but before that, I have to add a few things.

"You know that I don't have a Mana Core, right? So, I guess we should fight without using Mana."

"Don't worry, I knew from the start that you couldn't use Mana. Even though I only arrived here a short time, I've heard a lot of people talk about your incompetence."

Before the signing process, I suggest that we should fight without using Mana. But instead, he looked at me as if he pitied me.

Whether it was because he underestimated me or indeed he was just overconfident in his strength, he agreed without a problem.

He added that above the Magic Contract Paper that he wrote using his mana.

After everything was written on the Magic Contract Paper, and then, he and I added our signatures on the Magic Contract Paper.

[Magic Contract Paper - Active.]

A system message confirms that Magic Contract Paper is active. But ...

[An unknown energy is entering your body.]

[Do you want to bind that energy into you?]

'Of course not.' I just answered in my mind.

Yes, just like before, when I resisted the magical energy entering my body from the Magic Contract Paper, the Magic Contract Paper no longer affected me.

Finally, the contract had been completed, and Jullian would leave if he lost. Whereas I will keep his secret if I really know his secret.

True, our bets did seem trivial.

However, the meaning behind our reasoning is enormous.

If Jullian left empty-handed, he would fail to carry out the orders of the God he worshiped.

As for me, if I lose, I will fail to be rewarded by the World System.

I don't know what kind of reward the World System might give, but it must be something important.

I don't want to waste the opportunity to increase my power.

Opportunities like this are hard to come by.

After struggling without being able to increase my strength in my previous life, an opportunity like this was a very precious thing.

With a smiling face, I looked at Jullian as if I was mocking him.

Jullian also looked at me with a mocking look. If I had the power to read minds, he might be thinking, 'I'm going to embarrass him in front of everyone.' Something like that, I guess.

After that, we went back into the banquet hall.historical

***

When Jullian and I returned to the banquet hall, we announced that we were going to have a fight.

In front of everyone, the match between Jullian and I could be said to be just a show. We can't possibly tell the real reason.

We were simply using the excuse that I wanted to receive some teachings from him, someone who inherited sword techniques from the Arkie noble family, who were renowned for their prowess in sword techniques.

Since I can't use mana, Jullian won't use mana either, so he can maintain his dignity as the main heir to the Arkie noble family.

That's what we announce.

Then all the invited guests immediately moved aside. The chairs and tables were also removed by the waiters.

However, there are two people who are still standing in front of me now. They are Willa and Clarista. On one side, there was Clarista who looked at me as if she were looking at a rare species. On the other hand, there was Willa whose eyes looked like a confused person.

Willa's mouth closed and opened as if to say something. Finally, she took a deep breath. And then, she said what from the start she seemed to want to tell me.

"Brother, do you really have to do this?"

"Yeah, I guess I should."

"I-I really feel very grateful if you would do all this for me. But, what if your skin gets scratched, or maybe even bleeding? How can I bear it when you might get injured?"

She said all those words with a face that was really ready to cry at any moment. Tears slowly began to form on her small eyelids.

Her eyes looked at my body. Her two small hands held my shirt. While her body is slowly approaching mine.

For some reason, I felt goosebumps all over my body. Though I should feel grateful that she was worried about me. But, why was she so worried? After all, it's not as if I'll be participating in a life-and-death duel.

"Don't worry. We'll only use wooden swords. And we won't be using mana. This is purely a battle where we're only pitting our swordsmanship."

After I reassured her, her face looked more relaxed. However, Clarista who was just staring at me directly spoke to Willa.

"Yeah, that's right. After all, your stepbrother didn't do it for you. So you don't have to act cute like that."

Clarista's words were sharp. So did the look in her eyes that she directed to Willa. Not wanting to lose, Willa also replied to what Clarista said.

"What do you mean by saying that?"

"Lady Willa, Young Master Mesties did it for me, not for you."

"No, Brother Mesties did it for me. There's no way he would do it for you. For what reason would he do it for you?"

"Fufu~ it's a secret between the two of us."

They exchanged conversations like that. Honestly, I don't understand what they mean at all. Anyway, it's not important. So I ignored it. But, since it seemed like they were going to take a long time, I told them to get out of the way.

'I wonder what's the reason they have such a war of words?'

I can only ask myself while watching them go further. I'm sure I won't get the answer at all.

***

At the same time that Jullian and Mesties were about to fight in front of all the invited guests, there was someone who was lying helpless.

That person is Daniel.

In the bedroom in the mansion where the Warwicks lived, Daniel was lying on the bed.

As a result of being dropped by Mesties this morning, he can now only lie on the bed. He had an injury to one of his ankles. There was also a wound on his head. So, his legs and head are now covered in bandages.

Suddenly, Daniel took out a round object from behind the pillow. It was a Communication Crystal Ball.

On the Communication Crystal Ball, there was already a message. The message tells Daniel that the person who stopped the Mesties halfway through has failed. According to the report submitted by one of the returnees, they were defeated by a mysterious figure in black robes.

After finishing reading the message, Denial immediately slammed the Communication Crystal Ball.

Kaboom!

The Communication Crystal Ball made a loud sound as it hit the floor.

"Shit! Bastard! Fucking!"

Inappropriate words came out one after another from Daniel's mouth. A look full of anger was drawn on Daniel's face. Like a train, Daniel's face was full of steam.

"How dare he make me lie on the bed like this. I'll definitely repay him later. You'll see that soon."

Just at that time, someone came with food. That person is Willa and Daniel's biological mother. Or Mesties' stepmother. She is Thalia.

Placing the food beside Daniel's bed, she paused before finally saying something to her biological son.

"I have some news. It seems that your half-brother, Mesties, is going to fight with your sister's fiancée candidate."

"What?"

Daniel opened his mouth in surprise at what his mother said.

"Are you going to see it?"

"Of course. If that's the case, wouldn't that be a good show? It would be a shame if I didn't see him being defeated by a child from the great Arkie noble household."

After saying that to his mother, Daniel immediately threw the blanket that covered him. Then he rushed out. Of course, he walked with a limp due to the wound on his leg. In order to walk, he must use crutches.

Seeing her biological child out of the room, Thalia just sighed heavily. Her eyes roamed the contents of her biological son's bedroom for a while. Until finally she found there was a round object on the floor.

Of course, she knew what it was, it was a Communication Crystal Ball. After picking it up, she could also see the message it contained.