Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana had anticipated Lord Joseph’s reaction to Yuan’s refusal to join the kingdom, and they weren’t surprised. But they felt powerless to stop this madman now.
“Shut your mouth, you old geezer. You’re too loud,” Yuan’s cold voice resounded suddenly, leaving Lord Ivan and the two ladies in disbelief.
“O-Old geezer…?” Lord Joseph was stunned, his face showing shock at being called such a humiliating name. He couldn’t believe this young upstart would dare to address him in such a manner.
‘This humiliation! I can’t accept this. Not in front of Lady Eliza and these women. I have to teach this brat a lesson and force him to join our kingdom,’ Lord Joseph thought inwardly. His eyes bore into Yuan, bloodshot and furious.
In his rage, he roared at Yuan, “HOW DARE YOU CALL ME WITH SUCH A HUMILIATING NAME?! I’LL KILL—”
Before Lord Joseph could finish, Yuan vanished from his position. This astonished Lord Ivan and the two ladies, for they detected no trace of mana in Yuan or his wives, even as he disappeared.
The next instant, Yuan stood in front of Lord Joseph, his expression icy. He aimed a slap at Lord Joseph’s face.
As a master-rank mage, Lord Joseph reacted in time, using a defensive spell to block the incoming slap.
‘He’s fast…’ Lord Joseph thought, stunned by Yuan’s incredible speed.
‘Ah, a defensive spell, but it’s futile against me…’ Yuan smirked, spotting the protective barrier forming around Lord Joseph’s spell.
“Thank goodness I reacted in time and managed to cast my protective spell,” Lord Ivan breathed a sigh of relief, creating a defensive barrier around himself.
Unfortunately for him, the barrier wasn’t strong enough to withstand Yuan’s powerful slap.
Crack! Crack!
The moment Yuan’s hand hit the protective barrier, it shattered like fragile glass, and Yuan’s palm landed on its target – Lord Joseph’s left, wrinkled cheek.
Spekkkkk!!
Thud!
The force behind the slap was so powerful that not only did a few of Lord Joseph’s teeth fall from his mouth, but it sent him flying from the sofa, landing several meters away on the floor. All of this occurred within a matter of seconds.
Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana, though master-ranked mages like Lord Joseph, were taken by such surprise that they couldn’t react in time. Their mastery was of a lower level compared to his.
Madam Layla, Rose, Ava, Julie, and James were equally astonished. One moment they saw Yuan vanish, and in the next, Lord Joseph was sent hurtling from his seat, landing on the floor several meters away.
Yuan’s wives, in the Spirit Master realm, witnessed everything vividly. Delight danced across their faces as Yuan delivered a resounding slap to the old man.
‘Well done, darling! Give that old geezer a few more for us…’ Grace thought with a smile, her eyes fixed on Yuan.
“Ahhh….!” Lord Ivan’s cry of pain filled the room. His face was swollen, and Yuan’s handprint was etched on the left side of his face. Due to the fall, a few more teeth had broken.
Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana rushed to Lord Joseph’s side, concerned for his well-being. His role in the kingdom was vital; they couldn’t afford a serious injury.
“Lord Joseph!” Lady Eliza and Lady Diana voiced their worry as they hurried towards him with Lord Ivan.
“Lord Joseph, are you alright? Let me help you up…” Lord Ivan aided Lord Joseph in standing, his eyes scanning the floor, where a few teeth lay.
‘What just happened? I only saw him vanish for a moment, and the next, Lord Joseph was sent flying from the sofa with a crisp sound… How can he be so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up with his speed?’ Lord Ivan was in awe of Yuan’s incredible swiftness.
Both Lady Eliza and Lady Diana shared in Lord Ivan’s astonishment. The speed Yuan had displayed was beyond belief, leaving them questioning if it could truly be real.
Seeing Lord Joseph’s condition, they were forced to believe that it was all real.
‘Is this one of his mysterious spells he used to close the distance? This is simply incredible!’ Lady Eliza mused inwardly, her gaze fixed on Yuan, astonished by the power he had demonstrated. She had studied magic all her life, but had never encountered a spell quite like this.
Her shock was coupled with great interest as she continued to watch Yuan.
Moments later, Lord Joseph glared at Yuan, pushing away Lord Ivan’s hand from his shoulder, taking a step forward with a furious expression.
‘How dare a young boy slap my face in front of so many people? This is the biggest humiliation I’ve ever faced. I’ll not tolerate this shame! I’ll kill him!’ Lord Joseph seethed inwardly, a turbulent mix of shame and anger surging within him.
His pride, especially as one of the kingdom’s most important mages, had been severely wounded.
The longer he looked at Yuan, the angrier he became.
Yuan noticed the intense glare and frowned, “What are you staring at, old geezer? Wasn’t the one just now enough for you?”
Lord Joseph’s swollen face contorted even further at Yuan’s provocation.
‘This is bad…’ Lord Ivan thought with apprehension, sensing that Lord Joseph’s behavior was taking a dangerous turn.
“Lord Joseph, you should…” He began, but it was too late to halt Lord Joseph now. His anger was reaching its boiling point.
Finally, Lord Joseph erupted, roaring at Yuan, “H-H-HOW DARE A NOBODY LIKE YOU TO SLAP ME ON MY FACE!! I’LL KILL YOU!!”
Lady Eliza swiftly stepped in, shouting at Lord Joseph, “Lord Joseph, please stop and calm down. We can talk this—”
Lord Joseph didn’t let Lady Eliza finish her sentence. He spoke with anger in his voice, “No, Lady Eliza, don’t stop me now. I have to teach this brat a proper lesson for lifting his hand against a prestigious mage like me. Not only that, but he was even disrespectful toward our kingdom. I can’t tolerate his humiliation.”
‘It seems it’s useless to try to stop this madman. I hope he doesn’t suffer again this time…’ Lady Eliza sighed inwardly, hearing Lord Joseph’s response.
Lord Joseph then turned his gaze back to Yuan, a furious smile on his face. “Previously, you caught me off-guard using your mysterious magic spell, but this time you’ll suffer under me… Hahaha!”
“Magic spells? Are you out of your damn mind, old geezer? Do you think that was a cheap magic trick that you lowly mages use? How hilarious!” Yuan mocked Lord Joseph, taking a step forward.
“Hubby, it seems that this old and pitiful mortal has no idea what he’s up against… Hubby, teach him a lesson, so he doesn’t get presumptuous towards you,” Xi Meili’s cute voice resounded suddenly.
Lord Joseph, Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana turned toward the beautiful woman with a pair of horns above her forehead.
‘Pitiful mortal?’ Lord Joseph was stunned. He had lived for more than a hundred years, after all.
Not only Lord Joseph, but Lord Ivan, Lady Eliza, and Lady Diana were equally stunned. They couldn’t believe this beauty dared to call a peak master-rank mage a pitiful mortal. What kind of logic was this?
“You ignorant child, how dare you call a master rank mage a pitiful mortal who has lived for more than a hundred years?” Lord Joseph roared at Xi Meili, his voice trembling with rage.
“Hmph!” Xi Meili snorted in response.
“It seems you don’t understand in a simple way, huh? Looks like I need to use force once again to make you silent,” Yuan declared, his gaze icy.
“Yuan, stop! You don’t have the right to lift your hands against an important official of the kingdom. We can solve this peacefully…” Lady Diana stepped in to stop Yuan from striking Lord Joseph again, causing Yuan to frown at her.
Yuan turned to Lady Diana, his gaze piercing. “Are you going to stop me from hitting him? Do you have the ability to stop me?”
His overwhelming Qi surged, filling the entire living hall in an instant.
‘What kind of pressure is this? It feels like I’m being crushed by a massive mountain! And it doesn’t look like magic at all… What is this?!’ Lady Diana thought, struggling under the invisible weight bearing down on her.
‘What is this incredible pressure?’ Lord Ivan’s forehead beaded with sweat as he dropped to his knees, the unseen force pressing him down.
Lady Eliza, too, succumbed to the extreme pressure, finding herself on her knees. But this didn’t wound her pride; instead, her fascination with Yuan deepened.
‘What an incredible pressure. How is he doing this without using any mana? This is the most remarkable thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. I have to ask him how he’s doing this later…’ Lady Eliza’s mind raced as she watched Yuan approach Lord Joseph.
In that moment, her mission to recruit Yuan faded from her thoughts. Her sole interest now was the enigmatic power Yuan wielded.
As Yuan closed in on Lord Joseph, the esteemed mage was drenched in sweat, feeling the invisible force bearing down on him. Fear coursed through him as he looked at Yuan.
‘Did I poke my finger in a tiger’s ass?’ Lord Joseph thought, a shiver running down his spine.
However, Yuan didn’t focus too much pressure on Lord Joseph. He didn’t want him to faint, knowing he was already in extreme pain from the earlier slap. 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕．𝚘𝚛𝚐
“Y-You… Stay away from me! Don’t come any closer…” Lord Joseph’s once angry and arrogant demeanor had transformed into one of fear. He now regarded Yuan with absolute terror.
“Why? Weren’t you quite arrogant just a little while ago, talking about honor and such? Where did that arrogance go?” Yuan’s voice dripped with mockery, a sneer on his face as he addressed Lord Joseph.
“I-I was—” Lord Joseph didn’t get a chance to utter another word. Yuan delivered a hard slap to the other side of his face, the force even more staggering than the previous one.
Bang!
The impact sent Lord Joseph’s head slamming against the floor, rendering him unconscious instantly.
“I don’t need to hear your excuses…” Yuan muttered, his gaze fixed on the motionless form of Lord Joseph.
‘With just two moves, he defeated one of the kingdom’s most powerful mages, and he made it look so effortless… Just how strong is he actually?!’ Lord Joseph was utterly shocked, witnessing his own unconsciousness brought about by a mere slap.
Lady Eliza and Lady Diana were equally stunned. They gazed at Yuan in disbelief. What had just transpired?
Meanwhile, outside the Monroe family’s residence, two figures stood not far from the entrance, observing the manor.
“Is that the place Lord Joseph and the others entered?” Rowena asked her colleague Silas, pointing at the manor.
“Indeed! I saw them enter the residence of the village’s governor through my detection spell. They also mentioned having an appointment with Madam Layla, the current governor of this village.” Silas confirmed.
—————
Today’s chapter may disappoint you a little bit because today I’m not feeling good and can’t focus on writing properly, I hope you all understand this…