Chapter 69: A Deal Forged in Shadow (2)

It was an intervention no one had anticipated.

The strongest figure within the Heart clan had just admitted to being Ethan’s source.

“Asterion? What the hell are you talking about?” Kevin Heart shot to his feet, staring at the uncrowned emperor.

“If you possessed such information, why didn’t you tell us instead of telling him?”

Kevin’s expression had darkened more than ever.

If someone like Asterion—given his immense power and influence—had discovered the Legacy Dungeon, that would at least make sense.

Far more sense than Ethan’s story.

Yet that only raised another problem.

Why would the uncrowned emperor hide such a matter… and send a novice knight instead?

“I chose him,” Asterion replied calmly, “to give him a chance in his decisive duel one days from now. It wouldn’t have been fair for a novice knight to face an advanced one.”

“Let me remind you that you are the one who allowed this duel to happen in the first place, Asterion,” Kevin said sharply, clearly fed up with Asterion’s whims.

The explanation made sense now.

Yet Kevin’s instincts still told him something was wrong.

At that moment, one of the hunters suddenly rose to his feet, unable to remain silent.

“Sir! Allow me to speak! What the great elder has done is completely unfair!”

Everyone turned toward the young man who had leapt up from his seat.

It was James Heart, who had finally gathered the courage to protest.

He stepped forward, standing on the opposite side of Ethan.

“The uncrowned emperor’s favoritism toward Ethan Heart is excessive. I’ve heard he’s been teaching him swordsmanship—and now he’s even sharing secrets like this just to raise his level. Maria’s reckoning Duel is supposed to be fair!”

James spoke loudly, because for the first time since the duel had been arranged…

He felt uneasy.

For an entire month, he had been absolutely certain of victory.

But overnight—

Everything had changed.

And now he felt something he hadn’t before.

Danger.

James shot Ethan an angry glare.

Ethan merely returned a mocking look.

Then James turned back to the old Asterion and continued arguing.

“Maria’s Reckoning Duel has always been the way the Heart clan settles difficult matters fairly between two parties. What the elder has done completely contradicts that!”

James sounded like a child complaining about injustice.

Yet…

There was a grain of truth in what he said.

And that was enough to draw murmurs of agreement from some of the hunters present.

Raiden and the others felt a trace of concern.

But Ethan remained completely relaxed—as if James’ accusations meant nothing.

He didn’t respond.

Instead—

Asterion himself did.

The old man smiled calmly at James.

“Am I to understand that you are accusing me of disrespecting the ancient traditions of our clan?”

At the seemingly innocent question, James froze.

He did not possess the courage to accuse the strongest man present of such a thing.

“No, sir… I only…”

James faltered.

Accusing Asterion of dishonoring Maria’s reckoning Duel would have been pure stupidity.

After all—

No one had fought more duels under Maria’s judgment than Asterion himself.

And no one had won more.

His record remained undefeated.

It would be like accusing the king of betraying a tradition he himself had embodied.

To the point where Asterion was more synonymous with the tradition than its founder, Maria Heart.

With a single glance, both Asterion and Ethan understood James’ true nature.

His stuttering in front of Asterion revealed everything.

’He’s the type who bullies those he sees as weaker… yet cowers before those stronger than himself.’

Both of them reached the same conclusion.

Then Asterion continued pressing him.

“You spoke of fairness a moment ago—yes. Maria’s Judgment is a fair duel. But let me ask you, James Heart, and let me ask every hunter present here.”

“Tell me—do you truly consider it fair… for a novice knight to face an advanced one? A Level One against someone beyond thirty?”

Asterion’s words silenced everyone as his logic crashed down like a verdict.

“What I did was meant to make the duel fair… even if you think I’m favoring Ethan Heart, that is not the case.”

He gestured toward Ethan.

“Even after killing the legacy dungeon’s boss, Ethan is still unable to use Aura Armor—meaning James still has the greater odds of victory, even now.”

Asterion smiled, closing his statement with calm finality.

“All I did was give his opponent a chance to fight for his life.”

The moment the uncrowned emperor finished speaking, the room’s opinions shifted almost instantly in his favor.

“The uncrowned emperor is right … there’s nothing fair about making a beginner fight someone who can use Aura Armor…”

“What he did made the duel fair.”

“A right decision—exactly what you’d expect from the King of the Arena.”

“Even if he helped Ethan Heart, he didn’t go overboard .. he didn’t push him into the advanced rank. Elder Asterion did nothing wrong!”

Voices like these spread through the hall, one after another.

James stared around, realizing he’d been completely cornered … the uncrowned emperor had pulled the hunters to his side with ease.

And to seal it, Asterion issued orders that ended the matter outright.

“Now that the legacy dungeon’s boss is dead, it no longer poses an immediate threat. Still, we will purge it completely. Hunters will be dispatched to slaughter the beasts inside.”

“However—Ethan is forbidden from joining this hunt, to preserve a measure of fairness for James Heart… and to prevent him from breaking into the advanced rank.”

Asterion said, turning to Ethan.

“You have no issue with that, do you, Ethan Heart?”

Ethan nodded.

“Not at all, sir. I find your decision perfectly fair.”

“Then it’s settled.” Asterion rose and left before everyone’s eyes.

The hunters applauded. The elders, meanwhile, remained frozen … trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Among them, Kevin Heart wore the deepest frown.

’I don’t understand you, Asterion… Why would you help Ethan Heart to this extent? And why would you lie for his sake?’

Kevin wondered, unable to make sense of it.

He wasn’t a fool—his instincts were razor-sharp.

He knew the uncrowned emperor’s “discovery” of the dungeon was a lie, and that what had just unfolded… was a carefully staged play, planned by Asterion and Ethan together.

But the question remained: why?

Why would Asterion—the man who usually didn’t care—go this far for a single person?

Kevin Heart didn’t know the answer that day.

He understood everything later … when he saw Asterion strolling around with that black blade at his waist, wearing it like a trophy.

From the beginning… it had all been a deal.

Leaving the seething James behind, Ethan departed as well, his teammates following after him.

The moment he stepped outside, a terrifying smile formed on his face.

Hiding it behind his hand, he laughed—hard.

“Incredible… I can make the strongest man in the kingdom indebted to me, with nothing but a single weapon.”

The Legendary Weapons Master’s Blessing proved to him, day after day, just how absurd it truly was.

Its impact didn’t stop on the battlefield—it reached beyond it.

Weapons that carried an Ash of War within them were exceedingly rare … worth beyond measure.

Rare enough that a single one could turn the strongest man in the kingdom into a lasting ally… and a debtor.

With that, Ethan had settled the matter of his level-up—and pushed suspicion away from himself, too.

“All that remains… is winning the duel.”

Ethan left in high spirits, satisfied with what he’d achieved, while his teammates followed after him.

All in all… his plans had succeeded flawlessly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep