Reincarnated in the Astral World

Chapter 98: Glory to the Winners

All the nobles witness the scene of Viscount Whittlee bowing to Josephine, but also her quickly extending a hand to help him stand, sparking another wave of reactions.

"Did that really happen? Viscount Whittlee bowed to the Drummonds?"

"Madam Drummond really managed to do the impossible."

"The reputation of the Drummonds was already high, and now it will rise even more."

"But there will be consequences, I suppose..."

"Are you talking about the Count?"

"Yeah, the Count won't like hearing that they humiliated his son like this..."

"But the Count can't break the laws of Lumindell either. Josephine did nothing illegal, so he should thank her for not making his son kiss her feet."

"It makes sense... maybe he will make her the new ruler of Lakeview? I heard he is a very severe man."

"That would be an appropriate punishment for Emilio. I mean, he gathered the most powerful young warriors in Lakeview to assist Dmitri, and yet they failed to defeat five youths..."

"But these five youths are not ordinary. Even the weaker Drummonds showed high potential, then Jovie and Oliver... and lastly that boy, Arthur..."

As Arthur's name resonates in the courtyard, all the nobles turn their gazes back to him: the demon covered in blood in the arena. His cold and sadistic eyes roam over most of those nobles, sending chills through their hearts.

At the beginning of the banquet, every woman would have abandoned their family and husband to jump into Arthur's arms if he accepted them. And now, even though they are all afraid of him, they would all do the same.

It's clear to those nobles that Arthur is extremely protective since he was so brutal with his enemies, people who threatened his allies and family. Of course, this latter part relates to how Anastasia initiated the offense against Margaret.

For this reason, none of those nobles ever wants to offend a Drummond again, and especially, a member of Arthur's family.

Seeing all those nobles appearing as well-behaved and fearful children, Oliver laughs and extends his hand to Arthur in the arena. "It's over, we won!"

Arthur is still learning what it means to have a friend, but he doesn't hesitate to grab Oliver's hand, and the cool guy pulls him out of the arena.

"No more blood and violence for today," Oliver smiles as he leads Arthur towards his cousins' table. "Now let's celebrate our victory, with more wine and good food!"

'Celebrate?' Arthur ponders with Nyx. 'I can't celebrate until the last of them is dead... that's what they deserve for daring to try to steal my family from me.'

'Exactly!' Nyx exclaims in his mind. 'In such a world where the powerful are cruel, you have to be the strongest, the most ruthless; only then, no one will be able to touch your beloved ones.'

'But I also have to be smart...' He starts to drink and celebrate with Oliver and his cousins. 'I am still too weak, so I can't face my enemies recklessly... I need to use Liam's methods.'

'Assassinating from the shadows...' Nyx comments in an excited tone. 'What matters is killing them, not the method.'

'I agree. Now, I just have to...' Arthur pretends to relax and just drinks with his new friends, making everyone see him shift from being a visceral demon back to a charming young man.

Eve and Margaret join him to celebrate as well, but Aria continues to stand by Josephine as she talks with the Viscount.

"I didn't want things to end like this, Emilio..." Josephine speaks in a falsely gentle tone, but her eyes gleam maliciously.

"Ah..." He looks at her and Aria with a pleading expression. "I did everything you asked; my family will never attack yours again, so please..."

Josephine glances at Aria and smiles with a genuinely grateful expression. Aria also smiles, and then the cunning old lady turns her attention back to the Viscount.

"It's alright, Emilio, you may go, but don't forget what happened tonight," Josephine speaks in a calm and polite tone, yet also threatening. "The others don't know about your dirty trick, but everyone saw you lose, and your son ran away like a frightened child..."

"I know, I know," Emilio's voice is as tremulous as his arms and legs now. "We've already lost too much face; I wouldn't dare try anything and sink my family's reputation any further."

"Good, good..." Josephine nods. "Then you can go. Take your trash and leave my house."

"Thank you, Josephine!" Emilio smiles, happy to be able to keep his life. He just wants to run away from there and from Aria as Edgar did, but he still thanks her. "And thank you too, Lady Aria! Thanks for all your mercy!" He bows several times before retreating back to his family.

Josephine quickly signals for her servants to clean up the bloody mess in the arena, collecting the body of Elias and the remains of Dmitri so that the rest of the Isambards can leave her house with the Viscount and his family.

As she watches them leave her house like scared rats, Josephine turns her attention to Aria. "You won't be merciful, will you?"

"I don't care about that trash, but..." Aria's eyes are drawn to her son, who now laughs with his girls and new friends. "He won't forgive them, not after they tried to attack his wife again and even planned to touch his sister."

"I understand, for real," Josephine comments in a gentle tone. "He is protective in a way I have never seen before... that's certainly a good quality. But I can also see that this has to do with the fact that the Viscount has ogled at you."

"Oh?" Aria tries to hide her feelings over that, but she is unable to conceal the gleam in her eyes. "Arthur can be as possessive as he is protective..."

"I understand that too," Josephine continues, smiling as she watches Arthur and Oliver getting along. "Don't worry, Aria, my family would never think bad of you and Arthur for something like this... I mean, you are our saviors, our friends, and I would do anything to help you."

Aria doesn't doubt Josephine's words, and while she doesn't care what others think about her family, she knows that for the Drummonds, reputation is important for survival.

"I heard something about Emilio's father, a Count, isn't he?" Aria asks.

"Yes, he is the Count Whittlee," Josephine explains. "He is a powerful Hero and the ruler of Quilveron, one of the largest cities in Lumindell. It's because of his influence that Emilio was chosen to govern Lakeview."

"I see," Aria ponders that. "I suppose if something happens to Emilio, this Count could create problems for you?"

"Maybe not..." Josephine appears thoughtful. "The Count has dozens of children, and Emilio is not one of the favorites. Although he has reached the Champion Rank, Emilio hasn't advanced a single Grade in several years. Also, the most important thing to the Count after power is his family's reputation..."

"So since Emilio lost so much face today in front of everyone... well, let's just say the Count might even kill him as punishment. So if he disappears in the middle of the night... as long as the other nobles see me and my family here, nobody could really connect us to such a thing, you know."

"I see..." Aria nods to Josephine amicably and then starts walking toward Arthur.

She moves past Dmitri's wives, all in tears, as they watch Josephine's servants gather what remains of him from the arena. One woman is particularly distraught--the mother of Elias.

"My son! My handsome son..." The woman weeps and cries out in agony over Elias's body.

Aria can't help but feel something stir in her heart. 'The worst agony a mother can endure...' She feels empathy for the woman, knowing her own life would shatter if anything similar befell Arthur or Eve.

But while her heart harbors empathy, there is no true pity. 'This is the fate of those who challenge the stronger... I must ensure that Arthur and Eve never make the same mistake. I have to help them become so strong that no one can ever threaten them.'

Aria's eyes sparkle as she looks at her children, especially Arthur. 'Eve is still young, but he already shows boundless potential thanks to his special ability... I must help him harness it in the best way possible, whatever it takes!'

Determined to support Arthur, Aria reaches his side. "Mom?" He smiles at her, and she returns it.

"I don't want to interrupt your fun, but wouldn't it be better to take a bath before continuing?" She asks loudly, but there's a dark glint in her eyes that only Arthur recognizes.

"A bath?" He looks at Oliver. "I guess I do need to wash all this blood off me."

"Yeah, you stink! Hahaha..." Oliver laughs and lightly claps his shoulder. "Don't worry, we won't drink all the good wine until our idol returns."

"You better not!" Arthur laughs, too, before taking Margaret and Eve by the hands and following Aria back to their bedrooms.

Once they reach the corridor where no one else lingers, Arthur drops his friendly mask, and his expression turns cold again.

"Josephine will continue the feast while we handle this," Aria explains. "I trust her but I'll still put a protective barrier around our bedroom so Eve and Margaret can be safe until we return."

"I want to go with you!" Eve quickly exclaims, holding Arthur's hand.

But he pats her head gently. "Not now, little bug. You need to stay with Margaret while Mommy and I sort out a small problem."

"Will you come back soon?" She asks.

"Yeah, it won't take long... we're just going to exterminate some rats."