Conquering The Novel

As I watched the press conference and listened to Jessica's remarks, I couldn't help but chuckle.

She has the same attitude as described in the novel.

And for the same reason, I left the corpses of the Hero Association members alone and did not dispose of them.

She had made some of my work easier by condemning my stepmother, or should I say the Queen of Escratia?

I couldn't accuse her without any evidence, so I relied upon the investigation of this incident to the hero association.

As I figured Jessica wouldn't get herself implicated in the minor incidents, so by leaving that horrific scene behind, I knew Jessica would be forced to get involved after witnessing it.

And now that Jessica has explicitly blamed my stepmother, she is on everyone's radar and will refrain from acting recklessly for now.

Giving me time to finish up with this tournament, before I can visit my so-called Kingdom to address the rest of the issues with them.

And, as for Jessica's remarks, I'll have to deal with Hercules in the tournament anyway.

… But what makes it amusing, though, is to watch Jessica's subsequent apology and plea for my assistance, since I am the only one who can help them strengthen the seal in order to keep the demon lords at bay for the time being.

Because no one else is as fluent in the rune language as I am.

Though it won't keep them sealed forever, I can at least postpone the inevitable, which will at the very least give us enough time to organize.

As I thought this a huge grin appeared on my face.

!?

"W-What's with your eerie grin?" Irethiel queried anxiously telepathically.

"It's nothing; have any other demon lords' seals been released?" I inquired of Irethiel.

"...No, I don't think any other demon lord has been released yet," Irethiel answered.

"Hmm," I said, nodding as I heard her.

"... S-See, didn't I tell you that Ares isn't one to make light of such matters?" Ziona abruptly stated.

"…."

"... Yeah, he was right, but I think you really pissed off the President of the Hero Association for some reason, Ares," Diana said as she looked at me.

"What do you mean when you say he pissed her off for some reason? Obviously, she'll be angry seeing the gruesome dead bodies of her fellow association members," Ayla remarked while keeping a blank expression.

"She's just a Nonsensical potato who is offended for no reason in particular," Livia casually remarked on Jessica.

"…."

We all just stared at Livia after hearing her casual remark, as she didn't seem bothered by Jessica's identity as president of the hero association.

"... You do realize she's the President of the massive Hero association, right?" Ayla inquired, continuing to stare at Livia.

"Of course, I know who she is; I've even met her several times before. She used to pay me frequent visits because she wanted to take me in as her disciple," Livia explained.

!?

Everyone was shocked and was left speechless following her explanation.

"...."

"... So, did you refuse to be her disciple?" Diana inquired, puzzled, while everyone focused on Livia to hear her response.

"No, I couldn't do that because my father said I should consider about it after I graduate from the Academy before rejecting her offer," Livia replied.

*Gulp

"... What rank was Jessica— er, the President of the Hero Association on the ranking list again?" Kevin inquired, gulping loudly.

"She wasn't on the ranking list, but Miss Tania once stated that she's even stronger than her," Lucas suddenly said.

"E-Even more powerful than Tania Elizabeth? Which means, Livia's future master will be—" Kevin exclaimed, but his words were cut off by Livia.

"No, I don't think she's competent enough to teach me," Livia responded immediately.

"...."

"Huh?"

"Gosh, and they call me a narcissist!" Diana remarked while awkwardly smiling.

"…."

'... So she knows she's a narcissist?' When we heard Diana, we all had the same thought.

"I'm not being a narcissist; I'm just stating the truth, and I don't think I'll ever select a teacher with such stupid beliefs as her," Livia remarked.

"... What exactly do you mean by stupid beliefs?" Kevin's brow furrowed as he inquired.

"The fact that she labeled Ares a maniac simply because he defended himself is the stupidest comment I could ever expect from anyone."

"And I doubt even this stupid elf princess wouldn't think the same way she does," Livia stated.

!?

"W-Why are you dragging me into this?... Though you are correct, as a future empress, I do not think Ares did anything wrong by killing those Hero association members," Diana quickly responded.

"…."

"… What part of it did you guys find it as self-defense? Based on what I saw in those photos, I deduced that their fight was nothing more than a one-sided massacre," Ayla stated.

!?

"... I think they had it coming to them, and they can't blame anyone for it; if they aren't strong enough to handle him, they shouldn't have messed with him in the first place."

"As the saying goes, don't bite off more than you can chew," Ziona evaluated.

"…."

"You guys are stating this despite having seen the horrifying images of the dead bodies?" Lucas expressed his disappointment.

"Yeah, I don't care, even if he blamed the entire Hero organization for trying to mess with him and had chopped off the heads of every single member," Livia stated.

!?

"Y-You!" When Lucas heard Livia's remark, his face was distorted.

"You can't be sympathetic to anyone who tries to hurt you in this world, and if you do, they'll come back and strike you in the back.

And the following time, they'll bring along even more idiots who will see you as easy pickings.

So it's better to set an example by killing those who try to harm you in the most brutal way possible as Ares did," Livia stated casually, while Ziona, Claude, Diana, and I simply nodded in agreement.

"…."

"Why does she sound like a combat veteran who has experienced a lot in life?" I muttered inwardly.

"Wow, she is a menace to human society! Her beliefs are the same as mine," Irethiel expressed satisfaction with Livia's response.

I merely watched them argue for a while, keeping quiet and munching on snacks.

"All right, cut out the arguing already. Brother, I'm talking to you too. There's no use debating another person's beliefs because everyone has their own viewpoints," Ayla said as she fixed her gaze on Lucas.

Upon hearing Ayla, Lucas eventually became more composed.

***

"Now that I think about it, I've been curious to know for a while: Does anyone know who this Hercules guy is? And why is he ranked first, exactly?" Ziona asked with a curious expression.

Diana continued, "Yeah, he even received praise from the head of the hero association, and it seems he achieved the same feat as Ares did in the entrance exam of their Academy; in fact, it seems Jessica believes he is superior to Ares."

"... I'm curious about him as well; do you know who he is, Ares?" Livia asked as she looked at me.

"Why don't you guys ask that of Ayla, since that Hercules guy is assumed to be her fiancée?" I replied with a smile.

!?

!?

Everyone was taken aback by my unexpected declaration, while Lucas and Ayla's faces twisted in disdain and Ayla stared back at me in resentment.

They all looked at Ayla with interest immediately after.

"... Ahmm, Y-Yes, he is correct, Hercules is my fiancée," Ayla admitted hesitantly with an awkward smile as she felt everyone's stares.

"…."

And Ayla apparently posted my video on the Internet for the same reason, as she wanted to use me to deal with Hercules.

In the novel, she did the same thing for Lucas, pitting him against Hercules.

"Whoa Ayla, I had no idea you had a fiancée," Ziona exclaimed.

"Who'd have guessed that this swine already has a fiancée, and is ranked first on the ranking list, even higher than Ares?" Diana said in a hushed tone.

"...."

"Hey, Ayla, is that Hercules guy—I mean, your fiancée—truly as strong as the President of the Hero Association portrayed him to be?" Ziona inquired, intrigued.

!?

"... It's been a while since I last saw him, but he was indeed stronger than the average person the last time I met him," Ayla replied, trying to keep a calm demeanor.

I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly as I watched her reaction.

"Wait, really?" Do you believe he is equally as strong as Ares? Or even more powerful than him?" Diana inquired.

"…."

"…."

"... I don't know how to respond to that because, as I previously stated, I haven't met him in a while and don't know how much stronger he is now or if he is stronger than Ares," Ayla responded in an irritated tone.

"... No, I believe he is currently stronger than Ares." Lucas abruptly remarked.

"Hmm?"

"Because he was even stronger than me when we were young, and I never saw any youngster be as strong as him as he could even contend with the Adults," Lucas elaborated.

"...."

"Don't take it personally, Lucas, but that still doesn't explain how strong he is.

Because even Ares, who is stronger than you, can handle most adults or even professors," Ziona said while maintaining a neutral expression.

"…."

***

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