Chapter 492: Strict Family Education of the Dark Demon Family (5k)
The young man sitting by the railing had slightly brownish-golden hair that just reached his shoulders, with neat bangs, a high nose bridge, fuller lips, and a fairly decent appearance.
However, he had broad shoulders and wasn’t very tall, making his upper body look overly wide and his lower body too short, which was somewhat unbalanced.
This noble youth was none other than Angus Jeffrey, the president of the Noble History Research Society.
After leaving the school gate, Angus Jeffrey was no longer surrounded by those “attentive” members of the society, but seemed to have gained several unfamiliar admirers instead.
His father, Count Jeffrey, being one of the thirty-six senators of the kingdom, indeed brought him a very high status.
Outside the academy, he remained the center of attention.
But since Dark and he were not close, he casually glanced at him before preparing to walk away.
However, a noble youth next to Jeffrey noticed him and playfully tapped Jeffrey’s shoulder, then leaned closer to whisper something in his ear.
Jeffrey instantly turned his head, and the back of his head hit the tall nose of the youth.
If there were implants inside, they should already be crooked (?/?\?).
Jeffrey’s expression froze for a moment, then he chose to ignore the youth and naturally acted as if he knew him, walking toward Dark.
“Hey, isn’t this Dark? Do you remember me? I’m Jeffrey, the president of the Noble History Research Society.”
“Senior Jeffrey?”
Dark had to stop, and the mana elves playing behind him also came to a halt.
Jeffrey subtly glanced at the group of mana elves, feeling slightly down, but his facial expression remained enthusiastic.
—Even if he truly despised Dark, he still had to maintain the facade.
In the academy, both were students.
But outside the academy, one was the son of a count, and the other the son of a duke; even if Jeffrey’s father held real power, it couldn’t bridge the gap in their social standing.
Neither the faction of the first prince nor the first princess had reached the point of open hostility.
Jeffrey warmly invited Dark to sit down, saying, “It’s been over a month since the break, I thought we’d meet sooner.”
Dark placed the Mana Book on the table and smiled slightly, “My family is strict with my education. I’ve been forced to catch up during this time.”
Strict family education?
The noble children around Jeffrey initially didn’t react when he spoke, but after a while, a noble girl couldn’t help but laugh, “Little Brother Dark, if your family education is considered strict…”
Dark slightly turned his head, puzzled, “Who is this?”
The noble girl smiled gently, causing a deep dimple to appear on her fair cheek.
Her hairstyle resembled that of her twin brother Joy, a spiral spring-like style, which seemed to be the recent trend.
She had a slightly round face, very large eyes, and exceptionally long eyelashes. Her nose wasn’t high, but delicate and petite, complementing her rosy cherry lips, giving her a doll-like beauty.
Her dress was extremely exquisite, a gothic black dress with lace all over. On her feet were a pair of high-heeled red dancing shoes.
Facing Dark’s question, the noble girl covered her face with a fan and said, “Phyllis Laraman, Rex Laraman, the count, is my father.”
“Rex Laraman, the count…”
Dark’s mind raced, confirming that he did not know who Rex Laraman, the count, was.
But it didn’t matter.
He stretched out his arms and leaned against the sofa lazily, “Phyllis, call me Dark. Times have changed; I can never return to the carefree days.”
“Did you fail classes in the academy?” Phyllis Laraman asked curiously.
Perhaps because Dark had mentioned “catching up,” she had this idea.
But the moment she spoke, Angus Jeffrey’s lips twitched uncontrollably, and he had to say, “Phyllis, Dark is…”
“Dark is the top of the first year!” Diana opened her eyes wide, immediately refuting.
“Is this… Diana?” Phyllis Laraman covered her mouth with the fan, concealing her surprise.
Of course, Angus Jeffrey would not boast about Dark Demon’s achievements to them.
In fact, he hadn’t mentioned Dark at all during this period.
Therefore, the noble children in this small circle did not know that he and Dark Demon had a bad relationship.
And based on their instinct to avoid harm, no one wanted to provoke such a formidable opponent.
Phyllis even wanted to use her looks and gender advantage to create a good impression in front of Dark.
After all, having more paths means more choices.
Although the noble children seemed carefree, they were often helpless in many situations.
So when the legendary warrior’s son, who was supposedly ignorant and undisciplined, suddenly became a top student, these noble children were quick to praise him in astonishment.
Jeffrey felt that this circle had become unfamiliar, despite being in the middle.
His forehead twitched slightly, but on the surface, he had to congratulate Dark for becoming the top of the first year with the others.
To regain control, he shifted the topic, “Speaking of which, since Dark is the top of the first year, once he becomes a second-year student, he could easily become the class leader by just applying to the professors. After all, there aren’t many standards for second-year students, and grades are the main criterion.”
“Class leader for second year?” Dark smiled, “That sounds troublesome.”
Let someone else do it if they want to.
…
“Being class leader has many benefits,” Jeffrey said with a smile, “Professors will grant some privileges to class leaders and teach them mana card炼成 methods, such as ‘Silence.'”
“But you don’t need to be a class leader to learn,” Dark shook his head, “Professors are always willing to satisfy students’ thirst for knowledge.”
“That’s for good students,” Jeffrey corrected.
Dark couldn’t help but smile, “Am I not a good student?”
Jeffrey was stunned for a moment and then laughed dryly, “Yes, haha.”
…
Their interaction was unexpectedly pleasant.
Diana and Aurora sat next to Dark.
Trina stood behind them.
The mana elves watched the equestrian performance at the arena’s edge, led by the vampire noble.
There were two performers, a woman and a man, both wearing tight outfits similar to gymnastics attire, revealing large portions of their skin.
The woman wore heavy makeup and had a graceful figure; the man had short hair and sharp eyebrows, exuding a heroic aura.
Their mounts were two white-eyed tigers!
The performers and the two big cats performed in perfect harmony, creating a spectacle that captivated the mana elves.
Later, the vampire noble couldn’t help but glance at the baby blue-eye dragon—their home had no tigers, only cats, but they could ride dragons!
Though the baby blue-eye dragon was a “dragon,” it was three meters tall and could be ridden!
“Sss—”
The baby blue-eye dragon shuddered violently, looking suspiciously around.
Despite being a creation of the “Pride Fruit,” the baby blue-eye dragon had always been well-behaved since birth, never showing any signs of pride.
Sometimes, it didn’t even seem like a dragon.
Yet, this very behavior fueled the vampire noble’s arrogance.
…
“Wow!”
The equestrian performance suddenly reached its climax.
The crowd watching couldn’t help but exclaim.
The mana elves’ eyes lit up, watching the performers riding the tigers perform incredible stunts.
At the same time,
Dark noticed Diana occasionally glancing over and said, “Why don’t we go check it out?”
“Sure,” Jeffrey naturally had no reason to refuse.
Today was clearly not the right time for provocation. It was also a good opportunity to interact more with Dark Demon and gauge his true nature.
…
Thus, the group arrived at the glass railing, watching the equestrian performance with joy.
But the highlights were always fleeting.
In just three minutes, the equestrian performance came to an end.
Dark asked with slight regret, “What’s next?”
Jeffrey replied, “Next should be swordsmanship.”
“Swordsmanship?” Dark pondered, “Is it a duet sword dance?”
Jeffrey shook his head, “There is a duet sword dance event, but today it should be the hero slaying the dragon.”
“Hero battling the dragon?” Dark couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Jeffrey explained slowly, “As you might expect, it’s the classic tale of the hero battling the dragon.”
In this world,
Heroes battling dragons and heroes battling demon kings were timeless topics.
Literary works based on these themes were numerous, and many were adapted into operas.
People in this world ate this up.
In recent years, performances about heroes battling demon kings were more popular than those about heroes battling dragons.
Indeed, at present, theaters across the land were screening plays related to heroes battling demon kings.
This “Enchantment Hall” was no exception.
Therefore, the “hero battling the dragon” play was pushed to the less crowded daytime slots.
But this didn’t mean it wasn’t spectacular.
…
After learning the name of the play, Dark couldn’t help but turn to look at his mana elves, then smiled.
Among his mana elves were not only two with “hero qualities” but also genuine dragon breeds.
If they performed in this play, wouldn’t it be perfectly fitting?
Just as he was thinking, the swordsman playing the hero made his entrance.
It was a beautiful swordsman in male disguise, each step synchronized with the background music, and starlight shimmered from the enchanted longsword.
The music in the arena gradually intensified. Suddenly, the western beast pen opened, and a rock dragon resembling a pile of rocks charged out in a roar, its dragon aura exploding!
Though it was only a sub-dragon, it was nearly five meters long, and its burst of dragon aura instilled fear.
The background music grew more intense, and the swordsman playing the hero leaped like the wind, performing an elegant sword dance in mid-air.
A blade charged from the magical sword in her hand sliced through the rock dragon’s forehead, causing it to erupt in sudden fury!
Beneath the surface of the play, the “hero battling the dragon” sword performance still retained the essence of a “beast fight.”
Only, to cater to the audience’s sensibilities, the “beast” chosen was a rock dragon that didn’t spurt blood.
Graceful music, dazzling sword skills, combined with the violence displayed during the “beast fight,” fully captured the nobles’ attention.
Even Dark couldn’t help but focus intently.
The female swordsman’s strength was undeniable. The terrifying rock dragon was completely under her control, reduced to a mere prop for the sword performance.
Such a powerful swordswoman was truly breathtaking.
When she finally cut off the rock dragon’s head with an elegant dance, the cheers erupted along the circular corridor’s railing.
Dark narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing the rock dragon’s claws trembling imperceptibly.
This made him wonder, “Could this rock dragon be reusable?”
Some elemental beings were indeed immune to blades, able to recover even when cut into pieces.
This rock dragon might be a semi-elemental being.
But upon further reflection, it made sense.
Otherwise, wouldn’t the cost skyrocket if a sub-dragon had to be consumed for each performance?
“In the end, it’s just a play,” Dark concluded.
But when the female swordsman stepped on the rock dragon’s “corpse” and suddenly pointed her sword at the audience, the abrupt action instantly silenced the surrounding noise.
Everyone followed the sword’s direction, turning their gaze curiously.
Dark’s location instantly became the focal point.
“What is she doing?”
Dark frowned.
Beside him, Jeffrey’s lips curled upward, amused, “She’s challenging you.”
Dark asked, puzzled, “Is there such a post-show event in swordsmanship performances?”
Jeffrey smiled, “This is the rule of the Enchantment Hall. Whether it’s equestrian, swordsmanship, or mana duel performances, performers can challenge a stronger individual after the show. If victorious, the performer can earn substantial rewards.”
“How do you judge ‘not weaker’?” Dark asked curiously.
Jeffrey replied, “By the excitement of the battle. If it’s not exciting enough, it doesn’t count as a win.”
Dark asked, “Is the final decision left to the hall?”
Jeffrey, though surprised by Dark’s quick thinking, nodded, “You could say that.”
Dark then asked, “Then what happens if I don’t accept her challenge?”
Jeffrey couldn’t help but laugh, “Apart from possibly gaining some unsavory nicknames, it won’t be much trouble. Moreover, nobles can have their subordinates take the challenge, and magi like us can summon mana elves to the arena.”
“I see.”
Dark turned to his mana elves and asked, “Who wants to face her?”
Upon this question, Deoxys perked up its ears, eager to go.
The wrestling eagle was also ready to jump in.
Lion Beast had already gripped the hilt of the demon blade “Lion King Maru,” clearly prepared to respond to his master’s request.
But as Dark selected among the mana elves, Trina, who was standing straight behind him, casually said, “Master, I’ll go.”
Dark’s gaze swept between Lion Beast and Deoxys for a while before he made his decision, “Return quickly.”
“Understood, Master.” Trina’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam.
While rules allowed performers to challenge others after the show, and such rules often heated up the atmosphere,
Those in the know understood that such events were usually prearranged.
Unannounced challenges were either the performer’s own initiative or someone giving orders.
And whoever could give orders to the Enchantment Hall must have significant influence.
“Who could it be?”
Trina’s eyes were cold as she scanned the surroundings.
Except for Angus Jeffrey and his companions, she found no suspects.
“Clang!”
The female swordsman in the arena suddenly brandished her sword again, issuing another challenge.
Trina sneered inwardly and told Dark, “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished in a flash, landing and shattering the rock dragon’s “corpse” with a single step.
The female swordsman’s expression changed dramatically, her eyes turning grave.
She seemed quite surprised by Trina’s appearance.
But with no other choice, she had to give it her all.
The battle was imminent, the atmosphere tense.
Two great “aures” surged forth, one as majestic as a lion king, the other as alluring as a colorful snake.
Trina unleashed her full sword aura, gathering the lion king’s “aura” into her blade, transforming it into a fearsome force.
Though the female swordsman also resisted with her “aura,” the disparity between them was fully exposed after just one exchange.
How could a swordsman bound by the hall’s performance compare to a swordswoman trained by a valkyrie?
The gap was like a chasm.
The overwhelming “lion king’s aura” crushed the “snake’s aura,” ending the battle with overwhelming force.
When Trina mercilessly trampled the female swordsman, the applause echoed like thunder along the corridor.
“Hmph.”
She snorted, her figure flashing back to Dark’s side.
But amidst the thunderous applause, Angus Jeffrey on the other side of Dark broke out in a cold sweat.
His hand clutched a small paper ball, his gaze flickering.
Not long after Trina entered the arena, someone approached him naturally and handed him a note.
The note didn’t need unfolding.
The moment his fingers touched it, a voice entered his ear.
It was the voice of Prince Charles!
Even if Jeffrey was reluctant, he dared not disobey the prince’s command.
But he couldn’t understand why the prince was doing this.
Was it a coincidence to trip his rival’s son?
Or was there some secret he hadn’t uncovered?
But his face turned, already regaining his enthusiasm, “Junior,趁着气氛热烈，不如我们也来一场决斗吧？”
…
