Reincarnated in the Astral World

Chapter 85: Contest Introductions

"Who is that angel?"

"She's so beautiful!"

"The most perfect..."

"She is a goddess!!"

The commotion grows among the nobles like fire in dry grass; men are dumbfounded, and women are so envious that Aria can feel her skin burning under their stares.

Eve runs into Arthur's arms, and even Margaret feels a bit envious of Aria attracting all the attention, but Arthur smiles at her, which makes her feel proud as well.

Aria notices this and whispers to her, "The person you want to admire you is looking at you, so don't mind the others." She comments and starts walking towards Arthur. Margaret smiles and also slowly walks in that direction.

The nobles keep talking about them, and some more daring ones try to approach the girls, especially the Viscount's youngest son, Esmond.

He kneels in front of Aria, "My Lady, your beauty—" but before he can finish his sentence, Aria quickens her pace and passes by the young man, completely ignoring him.

'Damn!' He sees Margaret approaching, and she shakes her head with a mocking smile, making the man feel even more humiliated. To make matters worse, all the other young nobles behind also laugh at him, and his father shakes his head in disappointment.

Other brave young men try to approach Aria, but she ignores them all and continues walking towards Arthur, staring fixedly into his eyes.

The resemblance between Arthur and Aria is striking, and everyone understands that she is his mother, yet they are envious of him for all her attention being directed at him.

Under so many gazes, Aria arrives in front of Arthur and smiles at his stunned expression. "What's wrong? Didn't you like Mommy's look~?"

"No... of course not..." Arthur can't stop gazing at her lips shining with the deepest shade of red. "It's just that I've never seen you like this..."

"Hehe~" Aria giggles charmingly. "The rarest crowns are adorned with the most beautiful stones."

'What did she mean by that?' Arthur is confused for a second, but Nyx quickly explains. 'She's saying she dressed beautifully to stand by your side, making all these stupid nobles die jealous.'

"Oh," Arthur offers his arms to Aria, and she links her arm with his, then he looks at Margaret who arrives with a loving smile. "You look beautiful, my love, all three of you actually," He winks at little Eve, making the girl laugh joyfully.

Then, he offers his other arm to Margaret, who accepts it and uses her hand to hold Eve's. With his three ladies, Arthur smiles proudly, making dozens of nobles see him as some kind of god, or rather, a demon, a seductive Devil with the most beautiful goddesses at his side.

Arthur ignores all the envious stares and takes the girls to sit near Josephine, who keeps places by her side at the center of the Drummond table.

"You all look wonderful!" Josephine exclaims, proud, after all, those dresses were made by her. She also casts a mysterious glance at Arthur. "You know how to thank me for this, don't you?"

He nods to her before kissing the three girls, each in a unique and special way, of course. Then, he, too, sits down at the table.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin the main event," Josephine stands up and raises a glass of wine. "You all must know the rules, but it doesn't hurt to repeat. No weapons, no artifacts, no special items, no magic, and of course, no Astral Beasts."

All the nobles display the same annoyed expression when Josephine mentions the Astral Beasts, given that none of them, except for the Viscounts, has one; yet, Arthur can't help but wonder about it with Nyx. 'Am I cheating because sleeping with you makes me stronger?'

'I guess so, but how would they find out? Hahaha...' Nyx laughs in his mind.

Josephine continues explaining the rules. "There are no limits on rounds or an order; each competitor can fight as many times as they can stand and leave the arena after each round, but if they surrender anytime, the fight is stopped, and the competitor is removed from the competition. If there's any kind of cheating, the competitor is also removed,m naturally."

"There are basically two groups: my family and the Isamberds and their allies. My family will face everyone else, but..." She looks towards Dmitri and the Viscount. "Competitors outside of our little dispute are here just for fun, so they can choose a side to support or remain neutral."

"Since my family is clearly outnumbered, I think it's fair that challengers step into the arena, and my side can choose an opponent, but of course, only if you all agree to this." She speaks in a polite tone.

"No-" Dmitri almost stands to complain, but the Viscount begins to speak, and he quickly quiets down. "It's fair, and let it be seen as balancing the number difference." He suggests, and most nobles nod, agreeing with him.

'How does that balance anything? Stupid nobles!' Nyx exclaims in Arthur's mind. 'But they're still going to lose, such useless trash! Hahahaa...'

Josephine is also confident, so she nods to the Viscount. "Alright, then we can begin. Let the first challenger come forward."

"Me!"

"I'll go!!"

"Let me do this, Your Excellency!"

Several men from families allied with the Whittlees offer themselves as the first challengers, all Warriors in the early grades of the Elite Rank, while the stronger ones merely watch.

Elias, Anastasia's brother, and Edgar, the Viscount's eldest son, are also the older competitors in the group, aged forty-seven and forty-eight, respectively. They take the lead of the group and start deciding who will go for the first fight, an important confrontation as it opens the competition.

After some discussion, they make their choice, and a man who appears to be in his twenties but is actually thirty-seven steps into the arena.

"My name is Esmond Clifford," He speaks in a proud tone; after all, he is the Viscount's youngest son. While half of the nobles applaud, Esmond casts a lustful look at Aria with a confident smile. "I dedicate this fight and victory to the most beautiful Lady in the world."

Arthur doesn't think twice before standing up and flexing his fingers, making low *Creeack* sounds. "Alright, you asked for it."

"Hahaha!!" Oliver and his cousins start to laugh. "Congratulations, Esmond, you got his attention."