“Do you think he’s handsome?” Bolge inquired, a hint of silkiness in his voice.
“Hmm, he’s kind of cute and strong too,” Silk replied, curiosity and suspision in her tone. ” Wait, buut why do you ask that ?”
“Alright, it’s decided then,” Bolge declared, rising from the ground.
“What… What is decided?” Silk questioned, suspicion etched on her face.
“You will marry Anon,” Bolge stated firmly.
“What? How can you make such a hasty decision? Did you come here with this intention?” Silk retorted, a trace of anger creeping onto her face.
“Well, sort of, but believe me, he’s a good kid…” Bolge tried to convince Silk of Anon’s worth.
“Father, I can’t marry him. He’s a commoner, and he doesn’t appear as strong as me,” Silk protested.
“Nonsense! He’s far stronger than you,” Bolge asserted, his expression serious.
“Prove it,” Silk challenged.
“I knew you’d ask. That’s why I saved some clips of Anon to show you later. Here, take a look,” Bolge said, handing Silk another screen.
“Let’s see what your Anon has to prove his strength,” Silk remarked, a smile forming as she accepted the screen.
Silk’s face filled with surprise as she watched Anon’s clips. He had broken Silk’s own record for spear throwing in the kingdom, made sirens bow before him, and demolished an immortal dummy with a single blow from an unknown weapon that he made himself.
“This is incredible,” Silk murmured, the words escaping her lips in awe of Anon’s extraordinary feats.
“So, what do you say now?” Bolge asked, a sense of pride evident on his face.
“Still, he’s a commoner, and I am a noble–” Silk began.
“Oi, bonk,” Bolge lightly tapped Silk on the head.
“Ouch, why would you do that?” Silk protested, rubbing her head.
“Your mother was also a commoner, don’t forget. Yet, she was one of the four wives I loved with all my heart, out of all twelve concubines,” Bolge explained.
“Yeah, and look what happened to all of them. Your four loving wives are dead, while the eight cunning foxes are still alive. What do you have to say about that?” Silk retorted, her gaze still fixed on the screen before her.
Bolge taps on Silk’s head
Bolge tapped Silk’s head and spoke, attempting to create a somber atmosphere. “Your mother was a good person, and I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. But I made her a promise, a promise for you and your sister Lexi–”
“Her name is Letti. Why do you always forget everyone’s name?” Silk interjected.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What is she, a professor inside the academy, right?” Bolge asked.
“Yes, and I’m proud of her because she hasn’t used your identity to achieve anything in her life,” Silk responded, a warm smile gracing her face.
“Eh, I defeated the Demon King, became one of the cruelest leaders of the cruelest house, and she still acts like a commoner within that academy. The moment she reveals her identity, they’ll immediately crown her as the director. But she wants to be an independent person. When I was twelve, I didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘independent.’ It was easier to hunt a dragon than to learn the meaning of these useless words…” Bolge delved into tales of his adventures, while Silk continued to observe Anon on the screen.
“She’s using a stacking spell,” Silk suddenly spoke as she pointed towards Samantha.
“That’s when I–wait, How do you know that ?” Bolge asked with a surprised expression.
“Because-”
“Wait, let me guess. The black hue surrounding her body is increasing every few minutes, right?” Bolge interrupted, attempting to deduce Silk’s observations.
“Yes, correct. And Anon is using the <Phoenix Ignition> skill, which means his stamina should have been depleted within a minute. Yet, he’s been running for about six minutes, and in his previous clips, he takes a break every ten minutes. It implies he’s using two skills simultaneously: <Phoenix Ignition> and another skill to sustain his stamina, but i don’t know which skill.” Silk explained.
“How can you tell? Isn’t it obvious that he stops every ten minutes to recover his mana by using a mana potion? Didn’t you see that he’s using special-grade mana potions?” Bolge asked.
“It’s just a mere distraction to divert the observers’ attention from the fact that he always stops for exactly five minutes during the race. The cooldown on his stamina-sustaining skill must be five minutes, which is why he uses the mana potion as a diversion. I refuse to believe that a high-grade mana potion can’t fully replenish his mana,” Silk elucidated with a serious expression on her face as she continued to observe anon.
“How do you always do that? It’s as if everything comes to your mind automatically. Do you have a special skill?” Bolge inquired.
“A warrior never reveals their secrets,” Silk replied, her expression serious as she focused on the screen before her.
“At this rate, he’s going to lose. If he’s been running for the past eight and a half minutes, it means–” Before Bolge could’ve completed his sentence silk interrupted.
“Yes, he will take a break in the next minute and a half. That’s when the witch girl will accumulate enough stacks to defeat him, even if he activates his skill again in the next five minutes. It will be an ultimate defeat for him,” Silk concluded, an uncomfortable feeling enveloping her mind.
“Hmm, well, he alone completed the first round and three-fourths of the second round. That’s pretty impressive for a commoner, right?” Bolge remarked.
“No, something is amiss here,” Silk said, her gaze returning to the clip of Anon sitting at the starting line.
“What are you doing? Why are you rewinding it? I want to watch the race,” Bolge protested.
“5162…” Silk muttered.
“What?” Bolge asked, confused.
“His lips. He’s counting backward, but why?” Silk pondered.
“Hmm? You can read lips?” Bolge inquired.
“I can read many things. But why would he count backward from such a large number?” Silk mused.
Suddenly, Silk’s eyes widened in realization as she grasped something.
[Author: Love the support you guys gave me by unlocking 5000 chapters for the win-win competition.]