Chapter 162: Chapter 161: Strength Exposed

As the fog that had enveloped Wushan City’s Beast Fighting Arena completely dispersed, defense personnel led by Knight Galier quickly took control of the area.

To be honest, Galier had realized something was wrong the moment the dense fog appeared.

He had simultaneously notified his father, Toru, the Leader of Wushan Castle’s First Knight Order, while also arranging for the Knights and Guards to seal all entrances and exits to the Battle Arena.

He had also led a team into the dense fog, wanting to find out what was happening inside, but the Battle Arena was so large they completely lost their sense of direction.

Galier was, after all, a Knight who had seen his share of battlefields, but even his heart sank in the face of such a situation.

Not only were Ronin and Her Highness Princess of the Kingdom inside the Battle Arena, but if anything happened to them—especially the princess—it wouldn’t just be Galier who would be held accountable; even Wushan Castle would face severe consequences.

Fortunately, by the grace of the Seven Gods, although the situation in the Beast Fighting Arena was chaotic and littered with bodies, Ronin, the Princess, and the others were largely unharmed.

Galier dropped to one knee. “My apologies, Your Highness Princess, Lord Baron. I have failed to ensure your safety. It is my dereliction of duty!”

Blanche, who had been frightened, had now regained her composure. She stepped forward and helped Galier to his feet.

“This has nothing to do with you. None of us could have anticipated something like this. But thankfully, everything turned out all right, and we weren’t injured.”

Ronin’s gaze was still vigilantly scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no more suspicious individuals did he relax. ’The assassin, Mundo, probably won’t attempt a second wave of attacks.’

“Galier, arrange for your men to investigate today’s audience one by one and see if there are any assassins hiding among them.”

“Also,” Ronin instructed, “tell your father that the Beast Fighting Arena staff must be investigated as well.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Galier hadn’t expected Ronin’s thoughts to be so organized. He accepted the orders almost subconsciously, before he even had time to process it.

“One more thing to be aware of.”

Ronin added a reminder, “A Golden Knight Level assassin may have infiltrated the Beast Fighting Arena disguised as an Advanced Gladiator. He was hit by a Magic Scroll but didn’t die, and we don’t know if he has escaped the arena yet.”

’Golden Level?’

Galier’s heart skipped a beat.

’They actually used a Golden Knight for this assassination attempt!’

’And the key point is, even with a Golden Knight, the assassination still failed?’

However, he had no time for more questions. An assassin like that on the loose was still a threat to Ronin and Blanche.

“I think… perhaps I should escort you back to Wushan Castle first!” Galier said hurriedly. “A Golden Level assassin is too dangerous!”

Ronin nodded. Taking Blanche’s hand, he navigated around the rubble, seats, and corpses in the stands and left the Beast Fighting Arena.

「In the carriage.」

Ronin leaned against the soft cushions, resting with his eyes closed.

The fight with the two assassins hadn’t been too draining. The main issue was the immense consumption of Spiritual Power from using a Sixth-level Spell Scroll—a feat beyond his current abilities—which had left him somewhat fatigued.

Blanche sat there quietly, her lavender eyes focused on Ronin’s face. She found herself increasingly drawn to the young man before her, who was a few months her junior.

“Ronin~”

She called his name softly. “I really must thank you for this. If you hadn’t been there, I’m afraid the assassins would have killed me.”

Ronin opened his eyes and smiled faintly. “Protecting your safety is my duty, Your Highness Princess.”

“Just call me Blanche. I prefer it when you call me that.”

Ronin was startled for a moment, then smiled. He had been so focused on figuring out who would want to assassinate the Princess that he had completely overlooked the impression this incident would leave on Blanche.

’In fact, we had gotten along quite well during our outing this morning. If no other issues arose, the marriage alliance would likely succeed.’

Now that they had shared a perilous adventure, he realized something. Although Blanche was a princess with worldly experience beyond her peers, she was, at the end of the day, still just an eighteen-year-old girl.

From the way she was looking at him, Ronin knew she had probably already fallen for him.

“Alright, Blanche.”

Ronin’s smile faded, and he said apologetically, “I’m very sorry. The itinerary for your visit to Wushan Castle was not planned well enough, which led to this incident and caused you such a fright.”

Blanche shook her head.

’To be honest, this incident had little to do with Wushan Castle. If one had to assign blame, perhaps it was the failure to station sufficient guards around us while watching the beast fights.’

“When assassins want to kill someone, they will always find a way to get close to you.”

Blanche shook her head again, signaling that Ronin didn’t need to apologize.

“Let’s not talk about that anymore. Actually, I’m more curious about you.”

She blinked her large eyes, her gaze filled with a burning curiosity. “The outside world says you only recently awakened as a Basic Level Knight, but your performance just now was far too powerful for that!”

’Blanche had seen Fighting Qi Armor countless times, but she would never forget the moment Ronin’s had enveloped her entire body.’

“So, you’re not just a powerful Advanced Level Knight, but also a mysterious Mage?”

As a Mage herself, Blanche had naturally recognized that Ronin used the Clear Wind Skill to disperse the fog.

’Although the way he carved Magic Patterns in the air with his Longsword was a bit strange, it wasn’t as if anyone had ever said that was impossible, right?’

’Many Mages can’t do it, probably because a Knight’s Sword is too heavy, making it incredibly difficult to hold steady while carving the Magic Patterns.’

Ronin laughed. There was no way to hide it; after all, she wasn’t a fool, and she had seen everything crystal clear while he was holding her.

“Yes, I am indeed a Knight and a Mage.”

He spread his hands. “But my strength as a Knight is a bit greater than my ability as a Mage.”

’After this incident at the Beast Fighting Arena, I can still hide some of my strength, but there’s no need to hide all of it.’

’After all, in a world with Extraordinary Power, if I want more people to follow me, I need to display sufficient strength in addition to showing my ability to manage a domain.’

’The Knights who died horribly in the jaws of the Cyan-skinned Giant, and the scene of the crowd growing excited while watching their own kind being devoured—I can’t let that go.’

’Since I’ve decided to bring a little change to this world, I can’t keep a low profile forever.’

’Besides, as a Bronze Level Transcendent, it’s time I revealed some of my strength.’

“You’re amazing!”

Blanche couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen a dual-class Transcendent who has mastered both Fighting Qi and Magic. You’re the first one I’ve ever met in our generation!”

“You’ve seen others like that, with Magic and Martial Dual Cultivation?” Ronin asked.

“Yes, but they were all very old. Without exception, however, they were all extremely powerful.”

Blanche’s mood seemed to improve as they talked. She became much more talkative and dropped the practiced, formal tone of a princess; she now sounded as if she were chatting with a friend.

“Do you know of Count Bellora, the founder of the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce?” she asked.

Ronin nodded. “I’ve heard of him. Is he an Eighth-level Mage, as the rumors say?”

Blanche shook her head. “That’s old news. As far as I know, Count Bellora is now a Ninth Level Great Mage, and also an Advanced Level Knight.”

Ronin was inwardly shocked.

’A Ninth Level Transcendent… what a powerful being!’

’In chaotic times, a Great Mage could easily establish a kingdom. No wonder the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce was able to spread to cities of all sizes across the nation. Its founder is the very definition of authority.’

’I’m absolutely certain that even though Sir Bellora is only a Count in the Kingdom, no one would dare cause trouble for him.’

’Then again, for a Ninth Level Great Mage, having the strength of an Advanced Level Knight probably isn’t that difficult, is it? After all, his body has been steeped in Extraordinary Power for years. It must be different from how an ordinary person awakens a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed, right?’

“Ronin, can you tell me your specific strength level?”

The curious light in Blanche’s eyes hadn’t faded.

“Of course!”

Ronin said without hesitation, “I’m a Basic Level Mage and an Advanced Peak Knight!”

After saying this, he leaned in a little closer and said in a low voice, “But I haven’t told anyone else about my identity as a Mage. I ask that Your Highness Princess keep it a secret for me.”

“Okay!” Blanche agreed with a smile.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep