Galaxy's First Ruler

Chapter 208: Undercurrents

A flame lit up in the hearts of all Viscounts standing around the stage.

Most of them were there to beat the bastard to pulp and to get praises for themselves and their Houses. But they lost their will to fight after only witnessing the first exchange between Aldrich and Jerker. The rest of them, who were there to check their limits, couldn't control the expectant expressions on their faces after the second bout.

None came forward to say that the decision of the winner of the second match wasn't just. And why would they, when even Earl Frida and Count Einar were as silent as one could be?

Trifon appeared near Aldrich and handed him an MP potion. As Aldrich's Mana count became full, he looked around and found all the Viscounts looking at him with wary eyes. Marquess Harold had returned to his chair, and a few Recordless were tending to Conrad's injuries.

Taking the advantage of the commotion caused by Aldrich's unexpected win, Trifon slightly leaned and muttered in Aldrich's ear.

"Ancestor, you were right. I just got confirmation that Marquess Harold's men are searching for Houses who have the characteristics of white-hairs."

Aldrich didn't know what would be the reaction of Marquess Harold upon seeing an Ancient Relic on him. But from the data he had got, one thing was sure that Harold won't act out openly. Aldrich knew these types of personalities like the back of his hand. That's why he deliberately didn't change the color of his hair to red, even though a Marquess could distinguish these tricks easily.

House Venomous Rose had no history of any Ancient Relic left after their fall. And after seeing Aldrich fight like an expert in the two fights, it had become certain that Aldrich's background wasn't as ordinary as told. Aldrich had guessed that the first thing Marquess would do was to find out Houses having genetically white hair.

If Aldrich didn't have the red hair of the Goranov family, then the only reason for his unusual hair could lie on his mother's side.

It was nothing but a distraction to keep Marquess Harold occupied. But Marquess Nicholas, Tyra, and Amalia's presence had washed over Aldrich's well-planned fiasco. He nodded to Trifon's info and said something which made Trifon's eyes widen on the spot. A shiver ran down from his hands to his spine as he held Aldrich's shoulders.

From afar, it looked like a dreary scene of a father checking up on his son. But only Earl Drago had an idea that Trifon's concerned emotions weren't a part of his curse of pretending.

"Ancestor this... NO! I won't"

Aldrich could sense the intensity of the emotions bubbling in Trifon's mind and heart. He turned to face the handsome red-haired Count and slowly muttered.

"Don't make me say it twice. I also hope things aren't as drastic as they seem."

Aldrich tapped the Pillar of Footprints on the floor and walked towards the stage. Two more Viscounts had jumped on the stage, but they didn't look towards Aldrich even once. The entire reason for him to crush Jerker, and come out of Conrad's genetic Skill almost unscathed was to get this outcome.

As the fight continued, Aldrich too began tweaking his plan to accommodate the new characters who had entered unannounced. From the corner of his eyes, he made sure that Enok was still interested in fighting him. It was essential for Aldrich to go on stage at least once more for his plan to work smoothly.

One after the other, the Dreamers kept going up and coming down. But in front of the match between Aldrich and Conrad, all fights paled in comparison. There wasn't any shock factor, nor was there any unordinary collection of Skills. And there weren't even that many viscounts for the exchange of pointers to last more than half an hour.

Amid these boring and passable fights, not even the two Marquesses noticed that the person standing as Trifon wasn't his actual body anymore.

*

"I think that's it."

Knchhh!

Marquess Harold took a bite of the flaky pie's crust and muttered without looking at Nicholas.

Nicholas nodded in agreement, but before he could say his intention out loud, a person appeared on stage. The appearance of this person caused an upheaval in the Great Hall. The commotion was so great that even Harold widened his sleepy eyes.

This person was Vivi Ingegerd of House Divine Enclosure.

No one was expecting her to take part in these fights. Not because she was the most favored by Earl Frida, but because her strength was undisputed. Other than Viscount Amalia, seated beside Marquess Harold, she was undeniably the strongest. Even Earl Frida squinted her eyes, seeing Vivi standing in the middle of the stage.

The black-haired and black-eyed beauty scanned the entire crowd. But most of the male Viscounts were staring at her right leg coming out of her slit dress. Viscount Vivi's eyes came to a stop at Aldrich, making Earl Drago snap his head towards the two Marquesses. The consequences of Vivi challenging Aldrich could be disastrous for the two Earls' Houses.

Only Aldrich knew that even though Vivi was looking at him, her heart was full of jealousy. The emotion was so strong that the Devil's aura on his greatcoat was roiling in pleasure. And soon enough, words came out of Vivi, making Earl Frida jump to her feet.

"VIVI!!! How dare you?!"

Frida jerked her hand, making a blue Flood Dragon image appear behind her back. But Vivi was also adamant about her words as she repeated them.

"I challenge Viscount Amalia."

HAHAHA!!!

A thunderous laugh came out of Marquess Harold, and there was a smile on Amalia's face. Harold looked at Frida and casually spoke.

"Stand down Frida. Let the kids have their fun."

Amalia gracefully stood up and approached the stage. Her red eyes were like two marbles in a white sea. She slightly nodded towards the six chairs, and for the first time, the Ancient Scholar opened her eyes and nodded back. In the pin-drop silence, Amalia and Vivi stared at each other without making a move.

Gulp!

The sound of this gulp was like firing a bullet. A long and slim blue sword appeared in Vivi's hand, and before anyone could realize what happened, the tip of her sword had already entered Amalia's chest.

Ktch!!!